Well, it is Tuesday lunch-time and we are all exhausted!
Last Saturday Katie went into Oshakati to speak with the Youth at an orphans’ feeding programme where we go quite often to sing songs with the children and teach them the Bible. ‘Youth’ in the North generally means a group of young people (even into their 20s) to get together with no formal supervision and sing songs which they then perform in Church or travel to various churches to sing. There is no idea of a Youth meeting involving Bible study etc. Katie had a great opportunity to speak to them and spent about 6 hours there.
Meanwhile, the rest of the family trekked off northwards to a border town called Oshikango, to a squatter camp where David has one of his NETS groups. They wanted someone to teach them about how to start a Youth group that included the Bible, so David took me along so share some ideas and suggestions. Katie and I have been invited back to address the young people at one of the churches. (see pix below – the roofed area is the church and the little one-roomed house in the background is the vestry!)
On Sunday, David headed off for church and a workshop quite far away and was gone all day. The rest of us walked to the Four Square church where the (long) services are bi-lingual. Katie and I have been getting to know some of the teenagers from the Deaf/Blind school and, with what little sign language we have, Katie does a creditable job translating the gist of the sermon for them. I have offered my services at the Sunday school there to help train teachers and will probably run a workshop there next month. We brought two of the deaf teenagers home with us for lunch and held limited conversations with them. However, it is wonderful to even begin to speak their language.
Last Tuesday, Katie, the children and I went to the orphans’ feeding programme and had a mini ‘Bible club’ with them before they get their meal. Yesterday (Monday - see pix below), we were invited to run a workshop to train them to teach the children. We have Aune staying with us for her week’s holiday and took her with us. Between the three of us, we taught many aspects of how to teach the Bible to children. We had a good time and so did our ‘pupils’, often in hysterics as they learnt an action Bible parable dramatization and memory verse (from Katie), did a Bible quiz and game (Aune), were introduced to musical chairs, and were shown how to make cheap and easy crafts and resources (Alisan) as well as why we need to teach children in a different way (Aune, who is training to be a teacher), the importance of knowing the Bible for yourself (Alisan) and why singing should mean more than just a fun time (Katie).
Today, Aune and Katie have gone to the Orphans again and will assist the people on the course yesterday in presenting the Bible drama, memory verse and song they learnt yesterday!
Also today (and yesterday), we have been assisting neighbours. She is 9 months pregnant (and is probably in labour as I write this). They were told yesterday that the house they are renting has been sold and the new owner demands them to be out today!!! Unfortunately, our neighbours had not signed a contract and have no legal leg to stand on.
Also today, David did all the big preparations necessary before setting off, just before lunch, on ‘safari’ for a week to the east of the country, where he will run workshops in various venues. Please pray for him as he travels and teaches as is so far from home.
Also today (!!), we had a meeting with another chap who is running a feeding programme for orphans nearby and who wanted advice and help in training people to teach children and youth the Bible in order to provide spiritual guidance and biblical principles for this young people.
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