Host families

We got to stay with host families while were there, which meant we didn’t have to spend money on housing (except the one night in Swakop), which meant we had plenty of funds to cover everything we needed during the trip, which meant we had roughly $700 extra at the end, which we gave to Paul and Auguste on the day we left. So if you donated, know that anything we didn’t need on the trip went directly to people who are full-time missionaries there.

Brianna and Lauren stayed with Rene and John and their two kids. They had a partially-separated guest house all to themselves. The house was awesome – especially the main house and the rooftop areas and the tree house and the rock climbing wall (yup). Unfortunately, Rene was sick, having come down with something her doctors couldn’t quite pinpoint. We didn't get to see much of her or John. I don’t know if she’s recovered yet, but please pray for her.

Elisa, Jessica, Jeff, and I stayed with Eckhart and Georine, a couple who had been going to the church for a long time. We had a blast. Eckhart is Namibian-born but German by heritage; he has an accent and everything. So does his son, Mark. They were all awesome.

Jessica volunteered to write up this section, so here it is in her own words:

From the time we arrived at their house, they felt like family. They greeted us with hugs and were very understanding that we were all tired from travelling, but you could tell they were excited to have us there and were eager to get to know us. Almost every night after we got "home" from an exhausting but successful day of ministry work, we would all stay up and talk. It was always refreshing to listen to the history of Namibia from Eckhart's remarkable knowledge of his heritage. It was always so sweet to watch him and Georine speak with each other: you could feel the love and understanding they have for each other, and you could hear it at times too, the way they would finish each other's sentences and call upon the other if they forgot an important detail in a story they were telling us. 

They would make us coffee and porridge in the mornings when they had time; but even when they had somewhere to be, they always made sure we were taken care of. It was like having parents on the other side of the world. On Wednesday, when they fixed us dinner, we all got to talking, and shared a lot of laughs and got to know each other a bit more. There was never any contempt or anger, no harsh words or foul language, only love, laughs, and uplifting words of encouragement throughout the entire night. Mark (the son) had brought a friend, Christine, who bonded with the girls and they could all relate on so many levels. It's amazing to see that even around the world, you can always find some common ground. Mark was a bit scarce while we were there due to work and different daily activities he was engaged in, but he was very welcoming and sociable when he was present. Jeff got to share a room with him, but I'm afraid no one will ever know the details to the man-cave; the only detail we know is that Mark slept on the floor (which he apparently does anyways). The daughter, Anja, lives in Texas working as a prosthetic make-up artist. We got to know all about her, but unfortunately didn't get to meet her. Elisa and I (Jessica) got to stay in her room; they said it was like living in her high-school years. She had a lot of neat drawings, interesting art projects, and fun pictures everywhere.

The family parrot, Cocoa, was also a huge part of our stay. He really didn't like being left out of the conversation, so he would sit outside and literally scream until someone paid attention to him. He didn't like men, and would only sit on my shoulder (on the last day) because he wanted my coffee. That's right. This parrot drinks coffee! He was always friendly saying, "Goodmorning", and "Goodbye, Cocoa" (Yes, he talks to himself in the third person). He was always a humorous start to our long days. One thing that should also be mentioned about the house: there was only ONE bathroom. Surprisingly, no one got in anyone else's way, we all took our turns and worked around each other's schedules with no confrontation. The hospitality of the Rechholtz family will forever be burned in our minds; they took us in like family and made us feel at home in theirs, halfway around the world from our own. It was such an honor to stay with them and get to know them.