Brianna's journal

The following was written by Brianna Murphy: 

Thoughts from Namibia

Italics are from my journal the day of, regular font was added on afterwards

8-11-14 7:50 AM

In Swakopmund, Namibia

Jesse, Jessica, and I are at the beach with God, facing the Atlantic Ocean (If we went straight across Paul said we’d reach Rio de Janeiro, Brazil).

Anyway, thank you God for everything!!!!

Apologizing for my fear, my lack of faith in God’s strength, lack of focus in His power.

We have nothing to fear. 

God is with us.

God please comfort and protect Your children in Iraq, in Namibia, all over the world! Bring strength, courage, and peace to Your children.

Let us be filled with Your Spirit.  Let us be filled with Your light, love, peace, joy, and hope!  Dancing with You.  I pray others will see us and seek to dance with You too!

<3

Beautiful Daddy, we love You

Please help us to honor You

With every breath, every word, every move!

Your love is so incredible

We just want more MORE OF YOU

Let’s be jealous for each other

I just want/need You

Take me

Take all of me

Lord fill all of me w/You

“I will- it’s a process, but I’m doing it”..

I won’t say much about the Suiderhof Elementary School assembly...

In retrospect it is a funny story!!

The words I had in mind were something like “You can come up to the stage for candy if you answer some questions, and we’ll hand out flyers about the event.”  

In my journal I wrote:

It was My Fault for not being more careful with my words-

Paul came up and ended things on a good note.  Told the kids how they should turn to the person next to them and say (something like): You’re special, and then told them to look at their teachers and say “Thank you for all you do, you’re a great teacher”

The next assembly at All Nations Church ran smoother! 

Less kids, more organization, and we called kids- having them raise their hands and walk up who could answer our questions (when and where the Holiday kids club would be).

We did the “Baby Shark” song, and then the kids one-upped us by showing us we didn’t really know “Father Abraham” but they did!

8-13-14

Pastor Volker (from All Nations Church) left East Germany around WWII because he was “opposed to the War”. He claimed to be a pacifist and applied to move to Johannesburg and they accepted his application within a month.  He met his wife, Esther there and they moved to Namibia in the 1970s and never looked back.  They helped support the move for Namibia’s independence (peacefully)! So cool!!!—

--

The kids at the orphanage were amazing.  I think afterwards when I had more time to think about/miss them is when I felt heartbroken.

We blew bubbles with them (they LOVED this), sang “Father Abraham” correctly this time, “Baby Shark”, and a Bee song this lady Veronica (daughter of the couple that founded the orphanage) led us into.  We did face painting with our fingers for ALL the kids and some of the adults. We gave away toys, clothes, and shoes. 

God bless these kids w/Your peace, love, and protection

Protect the orphanage from any danger- malevolent intentions- NO MORE destruction in Jesus’ name!!!

--

Went to the Katatura hospital, and prayed for the 4^th floor – oh- it was so good—Everyone who was awake and spoke English seemed to want prayer, and so we prayed for all these men (and Lauren’s group also for nurses).

Jeff, Elisa, and I were together- Paul, Jesse, and Lauren were the other group.  Jessica wasn’t feeling well and stayed back with Auguste at the church – and her baby, Immanuel, and bonded with them

Prayers:

Jerry God bless his family with restoration and provision and give Jerry a house and the finances/job to live there.  Bring the family cohesion in Jesus’s name. – Love, and peace, thank you!

-Peter- heal his leg if willing, NOW (-pain from car accident in 2002)!!! Thank you.  Take away all pain, bring restoration in Jesus’s name. Thank you.  Bring 100% mobility, 0% pain- Total transformation, strength, fully functioning ability in that right femur and all over his body.  Lord bless his relationship with You, Build that up, give him joy, confidence, and peace, hope, and faith in You!!!

Simon, Lord Heal Him QUICKLY from his stab wounds- Take away any pain, any inflammation, the brokenness in his skin, tendons, bones, muscles, heart, mind, and soul.  Completely restore Him in all aspects!!! Bless Him with a knowledge and comfort of YOUR LOVE, CONCERN for him, PROTECT Him W/YOUR ANGELS for the Rest of His Life.  Let him know it is YOUR Hand in His life- and for Him to give glory and thanks.  Heal him, give him an understanding of your purpose for him.  Thanks God.

Lord, thanks for Stanley, he is awesome.  (Met him first outside the elevator went up to 4^th floor and then prayed for him when we got out)

Anyway, Stanley tripped/stepped onto a rock of some sort, and was recovering from a broken foot.  Heal that foot QUICKLY + amazingly- PERFECTLY- take away any + all pain in his body-

He is SO OPEN + on fire for YOU God- Said he doesn’t talk to you all the time- sometimes-, + doesn’t go to church much but wants to more.  He asked if I had a “book” and I gave him the message from All Nations Church from this last Sunday’s service- he said he wants to go to church- + made it sound like he specifically would start coming to All Nations- (The Church’s address was on the back of the papers I gave him)

When Jeff and I came up to him in his hospital bed later he said all these things, + after I handed him the only “book-like” thing I had, Sunday’s message, he became animated, + joked about how he was so lucky, privileged to be the one to get my only “book”- since he’s the only one who asked for one- And said maybe he injured himself because we were supposed to talk to him-

I replied that “Yea, maybe. And maybe you are here to pray for and talk about God to people we weren’t able to reach..

After Jeff, Elisa, and I had gone around praying for everyone on our side of the 4^th floor we met back up with the other three.  We were surprised to see Stanley on his crutches, going around with them.  He was talking to the patients; helping tell Paul, Jesse, and Lauren what they needed specific prayers for.

9-1-14

Walking on Sand Dunes

Sometimes life feels like it should be an uphill climb on solid ground, and it turns out to be a little more unstable than you were expecting. Sort of like walking on a sand dune (If you can't picture that, then imagine running up a mountain made of marbles, or going through a shallow lake with an uphill slope).  Things aren't always what you expect, I know that.  You might as well expect the unexpected.

The journey is what you make of it, as cliche as that sounds.. You can give up and say it's too hard, frustrating, strange.. you can complain and go forward, or you can take the experiences for what they are.. Unique and worthy challenges..  Have faith and persevere on.. Find the process exhilarating, the progress encouraging (and EVERY STEP FORWARD IS PROGRESS). Every step is hard some days.  But it's still taking you where you need to go.. Don't ever look down on your self, your steps for not being "enough" that you should have been able to take more.  Do what you can and keep going.. but don't be so impatient you hurry yourself out of appreciating and living in the experience.

Africa was full of lessons, and amazing experiences..

Now that I've been back.. I've had some more.. lessons.

"The greatest lie the enemy would have us believe is that we're incapable of living in the presence of God. But the answer for every solution is living in the presence of God." -Chris Newton

And just experiences that I'm still trying to process.  Thursday I was committed to trying to show up for church even though I might miss it due to work.. I was going to go.. I didn't want to miss Aimee and Shailesh's last night, and also I wanted to/was asked to speak about Africa!

So I went into work early.. got to church right at 7 (on time)!  Then I leave right before everyone went up to speak about Africa because a friend's family member needed a ride..  I came back to hear Aimee.. and realized I missed my chance to speak.

I felt defeated in that once more, it appeared like I wasn't taking responsibility, wasn't visible, wasn't connected and sharing to the people I wanted to be involved with... People that encourage me.. I wanted to be the encourager.. be real and yet positive.. and I felt negative in that moment.. and laughed at the irony of how me missing speaking fit in with what I was going to speak on: God's plans are different than ours.  Be open to God's spontaneity for/in your life, and be flexible with it.  I saw plans change and things be unlike how I expected so many times in Africa. 

9-20-14

It’s been a month since I’ve been back from Africa.  I expected to journal more in depth about it.  Kept putting it off due to homework, seeing friends, doing paperwork for my new job. 

So I was so grateful to read Jesse’s 16-page playback of the trip, two days ago.  

It’s much better organized, detailed, and yet concise than my 27 ½ journal pages about the trip.

Some things I would like to say:

Thank you God of course for putting this on my heart.  I started thinking about Africa back in late 2006.  I wanted to spend half or a full school year in South Africa (2007-2008).  The rotary club in my area didn’t give anywhere in Africa as an option, so I just let the dream go. 

When Lauren mentioned the upcoming trip I was interested right away, but shrugged off the idea that I should go with “I probably shouldn’t go.  I feel like I still have a ways to grow spiritually, and I am too excited.  It’s probably more me that wants me to go than God”.  I really was making excuses and yet I still wanted to find out more about it, and talked with Lauren.  She encouraged me both in prayer and in going and I felt a nudge in prayers that “Yes, you should go”. 

I have traveled to more places than most people have, and recently last year told myself I would not be going anywhere major (out-of-state) for a few years.  I LOVE people, and yet the more I travel, the more I realize how more alike we are across the planet, than different.  I didn’t have the money (or future income) to do this trip without being absolutely broke coming back.  But I took the chance I could have to pay for it and have no money coming back. I took that leap of faith easily after I had committed to the spiritual, mental and emotional aspect of that yes God would like me to go to Africa; and it would be my privilege to be a part of His workings in Namibia.

We did fundraising for this trip, and had everything paid for.  The body- friends, family, church members, random people, contributed for us individually and as a group.  A big shout-out to Lance and Nakeisha Thrash for backing us with love.. Nakeisha’s African meal and awesome baked goods she donated to the bake sale!!!!

Thank you to the Coolidges, to Jeff and Joann Street for talking with us about Paul and Auguste, and your stories of Namibia.  They helped us prepare emotionally, spiritually, and mentally and also know what to pack.

Thank you Two Rivers Church for sponsoring us! J

I could go on for PAGES about all the LOVELY WONDERFUL people in Namibia, but will suffice it to say I love you all!  Thank you all for just being beautiful people, I’m so glad to know I have other family members in Christ there and see what God’s doing in your lives!!!

Pastor Volker- thanks for having us come to your church and taking me and the guys to the airport and dealing with all the confusion there!!  J

All the ladies we spent time with.. You are all so beautiful…  I wish we had more time to get to know each other.. and hope we will stay in touch, see each other again!

Paul, Auguste, and Immanuel.. I love you!!!  I miss you.. I am so happy that we had the chance to spend a week together in Namibia.  That time meant the world to me..  Seeing what you’re doing, what your dreams are.. How God brought you to where you’re at and where He’s taking you.. 

Paul, you are so devoted and passionate!  Such a powerhouse of spreading God’s purpose to others’ lives.  Auguste, you are so fearless and sweet and funny!!  Together, you two are such a fantastic duo of sharing God, His love and will for those in your lives!!!  Thank you so much for taking us Americans under your wings, for welcoming us to your country!  God is blessing others through you!!!  I hope He was able to bless you through us..!  Immanuel Ezra is amazing by the way.  I don’t have a lot of experience with babies being the youngest in my family, and none of my close friends have babies yet.. He is one cool baby though.  Super happy, sociable, and laid-back.  Got the best from both parents probably J  I pray that he is strong and a warrior for the Lord as he grows older.  I am really excited to see who he grows up to be! 

People reading this, please pray for the Streets- for spiritual, emotional, mental, and financial support!  If it is put on your heart to support the Streets financially please go to http://2riverschurch.org/get-involved/give-online/ and in the purpose field write something like “Paul Street Namibia”.  Bless them with a prayer, a dollar, or a message if you know their email/are connected on Facebook.  They are in charge of the youth ministry at All Nations Church in Windhoek. Pray for that if you can’t think of anything.  Pray that young men will rise up and be leaders in the Lord alongside the women.  Pray for the kids that are growing up that they will retain their relationship with God, and not fall away or be closed off from Christianity because it is “not cool”.  Pray that either being Christian becomes cool, or that they just will stand up against those who say otherwise..

Or: Pray for boldness, passion/joy in the Lord, God’s Holy Spirit to flow through Windhoek and for Christians to be on fire for God, to not be afraid or timid about sharing God’s love- reaching out to others.  Pray for a strengthening in the body of Christ, the church. For people to look at who God is, not who they are.. and with faith to allow God to do anything and everything He wants through the church, the Body of Christ as a whole.  It is not about us individually and what we are doing for God. It is about what He is doing through ALL OF US, His bigger picture..!  Faith in God is very strong at All Nations.  Pray for miracles, for an outpouring of God’s love, hope, and joy.  God’s blessings of favor and protection!!

Lastly thank you to the team:

Lauren thank you for sharing your dream with us!  You have been such a blessing to my life.  From getting to observe the OT at your work to being an amazing friend despite your own struggles, to actually being real about your struggles (in an African church sermon of all places)!  I have trouble thinking God can use me when I am not in my “best form”.. feel I should improve, clear up the messes in order for Him to really move through me.  Your act of going to Africa and leading this trip despite your struggle with anxiety is a kick to that lie. A huge one.  It is still something I am learning to accept and grow in but yes thank you so much for being an example, a beautiful friend, and letting God do something amazing through yours and His heart with this Namibia trip!

Jesse, thank you for coleading!! For your calmness, your organizational skills, confidence, God-given musical guitar-singing-drum playing abilities lol.  I was shocked at how you picked up driving the van on the left-side of the road as “no big deal” and were a natural at it (even if you have done it in Ireland with Terri).  Everything seemed done out of love, never obligation.  Even though you were feeling sick some days you never lost your positive attitude. How?

Jessica, you and I were the newest member of Two Rivers.. And wow you rocked this trip!  From teaching Africans to dance AZ two-step, to preaching and singing in church, to just being a friend to many, and helping out wherever needed- you are awesome!!  I am so glad you went despite the naysayers.. and so happy to see how comfortable you were there and how you would love to return soon.

Jeff you were the quiet one some moments and the comedy relief others.  I felt like I knew you the least, and still feel that way and talked your ear off maybe assuming I would be able to get more out of you on the plane rides back to AZ.  You were amazing leading the prayers with Severin and at the end of the VBS with the altar call! God’s going to continue to do really cool things through you, and everyone from this trip really..

Elisa you are so connected with God that his light and love radiate out of you.  It is amazing how His beauty shines out through your words and actions.  You and Jesse were definitely the encouragers of the group to not worry.. and let God do his thing.  Thanks girl for being on this trip and always having a heart-to-heart connection with God and people- and thus being a great example to us all on the trip and in life in general!

--

Everyone.. I saw a maturity in Christ either develop or what was already there.. that was so exciting for me!!!  I being the youngest, felt totally fine with having the backseat in this trip..  Felt God wasn’t asking specific leadership roles from me.  I probably would have felt uncomfortable with not carrying enough of the responsibility if it weren’t for me being busy with summer classes right up until we left, and I just really wasn’t able to think that with how smoothly things came together.  As Jesse said, we all got along, and contributed in our own ways…

Short-term missions are amazing.. or at least this one was (the only other two I went on were to Tiajuana and LA’s Dream Center years ago).  We are first called to love God and love people.  Then, to make disciples of all groups of people.. We don’t have to go overseas to do this.  Can start with friends, family, neighbors, refugees, international students, etc. We are called to be faithful and stand tall with Christ in all circumstances.  I think this mission experience will provide insight and support for when it isn’t always easy to walk with Christ.  God is the great encourager through His son and through the Holy Spirit. 

We have nothing to fear- God is with us!!

<3 and God bless!!!

Brianna

Some extra things and trip timeline

There's still more to come. Brianna sent me a bunch of stuff from her journal to post, so that'll be up here soon. Also, I still need to get the details on the other group's treasure hunt.

A few things i haven't mentioned yet:

• Joined an evening prayer meeting with the church leaders.
• Joined the young adult group on the first night we were there. They had a giving party. (Where you bring gifts and pray about who to give them to.) We gave and were given to. It was a great first night.
• Had a great lunch at Pastor Volker’s house, where we got to know him and his wife a little better. They made excellent German food.
• Taught Emmanuel how to buzz his lips with his finger.

As I said, these have been posted in no particular order. Thankfully, Brianna wrote up a timeline of events, for those of you who are wondering where everything fits. Here it is:

Thurs-Sat. August 7^th-9^th 

Airplane ride from Phx to NYC, NYC to Joburg, Joburg to Windhoek (Namibia)

Met families, took showers and naps

Met young adult group, sharing activity and pizza

Sun. August 10^th  

Went to church (Bradley, skateboarder from South Africa gave the message)

Drove to Swakopmund- beach, had an amazing dinner and time to get to know Paul and Auguste better

Hung out/played cards (Elisa, Lauren, Jessica, Brianna, Jesse, &Jeff) at A-Frame

Mon. August 11^th    

Jesse, Jessica, and Brianna did devotional time at the beach

Had breakfast in Swakop

Climbed Dune 7, went to another beach

Had Nando’s chicken at the Street’s place

Tues. August 12^th   

Suiderhof Elementary (1^st-3^rd graders) assembly, All Nations School assembly  

Lunch with Pastor Volker and Esther

Visited kids/families in Katatura slums

Prayer meeting

Ate Namibian food (ostrich, crocodile, oryx, zebra, and kudu) at Joes

Wed. August 13^th   

Treasure hunt (Aina, Brianna, Elisa, and Jeff were one group)

Other group (Jesse, Lauren, Jessica, Auguste and her baby) did some shopping and the treasure hunt

Hilton, souveneir shopping

Dinner at Eckhart and Georine’s place

Thurs. August 14^th        

Suiderhof Elementary (4^th-6^th graders) assembly

Went to Katatura orphanage

Catered schnitzel lunch at church

Went to hospital to pray for people

Worship practice, Jeff got locked out and downloaded an obnoxious app

Traditional Namibian food (worms...) made by lovely Auguste Street and Aina

Fri. August 15^th    

Skate prep/planning

Ox tail lunch (same caterer from Thursday, “Johnny”)

Made Mexican (burrito) dinner for Georine and Eckhart

Sat. August 16^th      

Skate competition, helped out in various ways

Girls/guys night (girls chatted and painted nails, guys went out for dinner)

Talking about/planning services (Jessica and Lauren’s sermons)

Sun. August 17^th     

Lauren spoke in first service, Jessica spoke in second service

Ate lunch at Chinese restaurant

Planned for Aug 18^th’s VBS (Holiday Kids’ Club)

Hung out at Eckhart and Georine’s  at night (dinner and conversation)

Mon. August 18^th      

VBS – Holiday Kids’ Club Day 1! J

Sang worship songs in a treehouse at Rene and John’s house (where Lauren and Brianna stayed)

Paul took us to do a debrief in Okapunja

Dinner at the Flynn’s house (amazing family from All Nations Church)

Tues. August 19^th     

VBS Day 2!!

Elisa, Jessica, and Lauren got a rental car and went to visit Lauren’s friend

Jeff, Jesse, and Brianna left for airport

With minor complications Brianna flew back to America

Weds August 20^th        

Jesse and Jeff go to airport for second time and leave for America

Brianna arrives back in AZ

Thurs August 21^st       

Lauren, Elisa, Jessica are back in Windhoek and visit with the Streets

Jeff and Jesse arrive back in AZ

Fri August 22^nd            

Lauren, Elisa, and Jessica fly out of Windhoek

Sat August 23^rd     

The ladies arrive safely back to Arizona J

Assemblies

Our first official “mission trip” activity took place Tuesday morning after we got back from Swakop. We visited a couple of school assemblies to announce the VBS and skate competition. We only had a few minutes, so we planned to perform a quick skit that Paul taught us (“The house is on fire”), then give some details about the VBS, then ask a few easy trivia questions and give out some candy as prizes. Piece of cake.

The first assembly was early, and was at a school about 15 minutes away from the church. The principal’s disposition was a great combination of funny and stern – he made some very deadpan jokes during his introduction and announcements, and yet also carried the air of a disciplinarian. He seemed like someone you would like, but also wouldn’t want to mess with. Probably perfect for managing a bunch of 6- to 12-year-olds.

Brad and Heinrich (the South African skater guys) gave their spiel on the skate competition first, and then it was our turn. The skit went great – we remembered our parts, and the kids laughed as it got more and more ridiculous. Jeff’s acting skills were a fan favorite. Afterward, Lauren and Brianna gave some details about the VBS. Brianna transitioned into the trivia section, saying we had some questions for them and afterward they could come up and get some candy. Then the floodgates broke, and we nearly drowned in a sea of screaming children.

I want to point out that this was not Brianna’s fault at all. I was worried she’d blame herself at first, but she didn’t seem too down about it. It could have – and would have – happened to any of us. There were a few reasons:

• We hadn’t really discussed the details of what we would say or how we’d introduce that segment, so Brianna was forced to wing it. Not that she needed a script, but we just hadn’t addressed that part in any of our meetings or practices. So she started describing something about giving out candy without really knowing exactly how we’d do it, and the kids heard what they wanted to hear.
• Also, it’s reasonable to expect that you can say the word “candy” in front of a crowd without pandemonium breaking out.
• Also, it’s reasonable to expect kids to act crazy sometimes. That’s what they do. Their brains aren’t fully matured yet. Heck, adults with mature brains act crazy quite often, too. These things happen.

So they flooded in. They knocked over chairs, arms outstretched like sweet-hungry zombies, screaming and pressing closer. Brianna and Lauren both tried to calm things by telling them to go back to their seats, but the mic had lost its power to command attention; the kids were focused, I’ll give them that. Eventually, the principal got back up on stage, took the mic, and spoke some very commanding words (I believe in Afrikaans) telling them to return to their seats. And they did. He lectured them on their behavior in a classic “principal voice,”, and they were calmed and subdued back into normality. Paul then took the mic and went back over the details of the skate event and the VBS, reminding them why we were there, and then told the kids that they were lucky to have such amazing teachers at that school and asked them to compliment their teachers for the job they’re doing. It was a nice recovery, and it calmed some of the tension in the room.

Then the assembly ended and we left. We felt a little awkward.

At first, we thought we had screwed up – our first official thing, and we caused a riot! But we processed through it pretty quickly, and Paul was great at talking us through why it happened and highlighting what went well. He pointed out that the principal didn’t seem to be upset with us at all – in fact, he was just a little embarrassed at the way his kids behaved in front of visitors. It seemed that he usually ran a pretty tight ship. We were further encouraged when Pastor Volker (who was also there) talked to the principal and told us we were invited back two days later to speak at the older kids’ assembly. That was a relief.

It’s not like the kids were bad. A lot of them came to the VBS, and they were really awesome – some were wilder than others, but for the most part they were attentive and obedient, and seemed to grasp the things we shared with them. That day seemed to just be an aberration. The promise of candy does crazy things to children, I guess.

The other assembly that day was at All Nations Church – they have a school there, and were obviously a prime spot to advertise the VBS. That went much more smoothly. And the second assembly at the original school went fine as well. We got over the impact of the first experience pretty quickly – we had so many other events and encounters, all of them positive, that any worry or earthly fear about the first day was wiped out. Like Paul said immediately afterward – we’d be able to look back on it as a funny story of our team’s start to our ministry. And when I think of the mental freeze frame I have in my head, of standing on the edge of the stage as time slowed down, candy in hand, not sure if I should give more away or withhold it and face the stampeding horde…well, it was pretty funny.

Swakop

Swakop was awesome. Paul and Auguste took us there early in the trip – we left Sunday afternoon on the first weekend, riding together in a bus driven by Fritz, a driver that often worked with the church. It was our R & R period of the trip – a little odd that it came at the beginning, but it was a great way to get past the jet lag and further bond as a team before we began our ministry together, so I think the timing worked out for the best.

Swakop (full name Swakopmund, but everyone shortens it) is a coastal city with a lot of dichotomy – giant sand dunes going right up to the ocean; quaint shops, restaurants, tourist areas, and really nice houses only a few miles from extremely poor developments of metal shacks that are often blown away in major sandstorms. The poor live in the shadow of the rich and are largely ignored. We didn’t get to visit any of those places on this trip, but I’m sure we would if we go back – Paul and Auguste said they would like to one day minister to those people. They definitely need it.

Our Swakop experience:

• Awesome bus rides full of shared stories, learning about each other’s families, laughing, singing worship songs, planning our week.
• Having a brief team meeting with Paul on the beach. Standing still and listening to the ocean is one of the easiest ways to hear God in nature – only He could create such a calming sound.
• Climbing Dune 7, the highest sand dune in the area. It was pretty much a sand mountain. It took a long time to climb, and then we ran down very quickly. I did forward roll/somersault at the end. I felt like a kid; it was great.
• Getting dinner and breakfast with Paul and Auguste and learning more about their story – how they met, things they’ve done on the mission field in Africa, plans for the future. Plus, the food was great.
• Our team staying in an “A-frame” house, girls on the top floor and Jeff and I on the bottom floor. Playing cards with each other. Accidently overhearing embarrassing stories through the not-at-all-soundproof ceiling.
• Getting up early for some peaceful prayer and Bible time on the beach.

We all enjoyed our time there, and came back ready to work. I’m really glad we were able to fit it into our trip.

Church service

Our team had the honor of leading the church service at All Nations Church during our second Sunday there, the day before the VBS started. Their service was set up in a similar way to our home church in Arizona – the first half was worship, and the second half was the message.

Three of us were able to play with the worship team, along with Paul, who often plays bass. Elisa and Jessica sang backing vocals – it was Jessica’s first time singing in a mic during a church service, so that was pretty awesome! I was originally going to play guitar, but they already had two acoustic guitarists, and the guitar I was using for our team’s impromptu worship sessions needed an intonation adjustment; it was fine for us, but I didn’t want to play it during a service and muddy the sound with out-of-tune chords.

I went to the Thursday night worship practice anyway, thinking I would just sing or something, when Paul mentioned that their drummer was out of town and told me to give it a try. I saw down mostly as a joke, having never played drums in my life (unless you count the video game Rock Band). On top of being unfamiliar with the instrument, I had never heard any of the four songs we were doing. The worship leader was great, and gave a lot of instructions on what she wanted from the rhythm section. (I was told she tended to do that anyway; it wasn’t just because I was new.)

I was happy to do whatever was asked of me; my ego as a drummer was obviously right around zero. I was shocked to find that I could actually keep a pretty good beat, and as we played through the songs, I gradually added more and more things in. It sounded good! Nothing special, pretty simple beats, but still – I was able to hold my own and not screw things up for the rest of the band; no one at the church service would have guessed it was my first time drumming. I was proud of that. I think God gave me a special grace for it or something. When I got back to Phoenix, I sat down at a drum set once and tried to remember the beat from the first song, but I couldn’t quite figure it out. I hope I still have access to that ability, though, because I’ve always wanted to play drums and would love more opportunities to actually learn how to do it properly.

So that was worship. It was awesome. Afterward, we went into the message. Lauren spoke during the first service, and Jessica spoke at the second. They had different messages, with different tie-in skits or demonstrations. We wanted the service to showcase the kinds of things we’d do at the VBS, since there were a bunch of parents and kids in the congregation.

Lauren spoke about faith and trusting God, and shared some very personal things about struggling with anxiety. She used the story of Jesus calming the storm in the boat, focusing on the part where Jesus told His disciples they would sail to the other side, and their lack of trust in His words. Our team went up to act out the story as she told it – it was fun, and a nice change of pace in the middle of the sermon. Lauren did really well – she had spoken at a service in Nepal, but that was mostly telling her testimony. This was her first actual, prepared sermon, and she aced it. People were touched, and many came up for prayer afterward. One man came up and said he wanted to dedicate his life to the Lord. We learned that this was especially significant because his wife was a faithful believer, but he had been on the fence for years, never committing himself to God. It was powerful and humbling to see.

Jessica spoke about forgiveness, and about letting Jesus guide us through the things in our lives instead of trying to control them ourselves. It was her first sermon as well, and she also did great! She did a demonstration in the middle of her message, too – she had someone come up and put a blindfold on, while she led them in a two-step dance (an activity we later used in the VBS). It showed how a blind person, i.e., all of us, could still follow the steps and dance smoothly if they stopped trying to control things and let the person who could see (Jesus) take the lead.

Jessica was kind enough to share the main points she had written for her sermon. They are:

• Forgiveness of Others: it's not just about saying the words, "I forgive you", it's a change of heart.

• Forgiveness of Self: Jesus died for your sins to be forgiven, don't deny Him the joy of generous giving. Let go of your sins, don't hold on to a past mistake that God has already forgiven you for.

• New Self in Christ: you have to remove all of the old self (anger, malice, slander, and obscenity) to make room for the new self (compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, forgiveness, love)

• Jesus Take the Lead: like a blind person trying to follow in a partner dance, you have to trust the other to lead you. You need to trust Jesus. He has a bird's eye view, He knows what's best for you, trust Him and follow His lead.

• He Loves You: He will not lead you astray, He is your protector, and He loves you. You are valuable. He died for you because you're worth it! He loves you 100%. He knows you're not perfect, but He meets you where you are and loves you, even in your toughest times on the hardest days.

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.

Skate competition

On the last Saturday we were there, All Nations Church had their 4^th annual skate competition. Churches and skate parks aren’t an instantly connected thing in my mind (or anyone’s, probably), but I think it’s brilliant. The church has large – and surprisingly nice – skate park in the corner of the parking lot. It’s legitimate; not just a few ramps scattered around between cars, but a fenced-off area with a halfpipe, multiple ramps/rails, quarterpipes against the church wall, and plenty of space to skate around. Skaters and BMXers come from miles around to skate there – sometimes from other cities. That’s because the park is the only one in Windhoek. Until a skate park opened up in Swakopmund a few months ago, it was the only one in Namibia.

So it’s popular. Kids and adults come throughout the week, and it’s a great ministry opportunity; Paul goes out there often to get to know the kids, show them love, minister to them. The competition draws a huge crowd of skaters and their families. They turn into a kind of fair – they had a giant, hollowed-out Sprite can, from which volunteers sold soda all day. Fuse iced tea gave away free samples; a local skating company had a booth set up to showcase and sell boards, trucks, wheels, and other skating paraphernalia. (They also donated most of the prizes for the competition.) There was lots of food – bratwursts, burgers, blue (blue!) velvet cupcakes that were absolutely phenomenal, popcorn. There was face painting and coffee and a spin-art thing made by one of the kids from the church and a game where you used a slingshot (or “catty”) to hit a target for a prize.

A lot of people helped (including our team), but the fair was organized by a woman who was one of the church elders, a former church employee, and former professional event planner. Her name was Kay-Leigh (not sure about the spelling there.) She did an awesome job; the day went really well.

Two guys from South Africa were in town all week to help prepare for it. This was the first year they had joined the competition planning – they were invited because they run a Christian skate and surf ministry in their home country. One of the guys, Brad, had founded the ministry there; he organized the contest details, did humerous play-by-play announcing on the PA during the competition, judged the skaters (along with his friend, Heinrich), and gave out the prizes.

During the intro and prizes, they inserted prayers and mentions of Jesus, reminding everyone why they, a church, were putting this on. It was very cool. Elisa and I got to stand up and share a (very) brief statement about how much God loved the skaters, and encouraged them to live out their desires and dreams for Him.

Our team helped out in a variety of ways. The day before, we helped clean up the skate park, move tables, make raffle tickets, and other stuff. The day of the event, we helped man the front booth, where they were selling raffle tickets/balloons; talked to people in the crowds and invited them to come to church events; ran back and forth to get things, deliver messages, or whatever else Kay-Leigh needed in the moment. Lauren and Brianna helped out at the Fuse table, giving out samples for hours. Elisa took tons of photos (having been asked by the church to be an official photographer – they had another guy taking video.)

It was a fun day.