Traveling through Namibia...

Happy New Year to all my wonderful friends and family! :) My comings and goings of the holiday are officially over today, as I head back to Rehoboth in just a few hours. While I still had a fast internet connection, I wanted to post some pictures of the great places and things I experienced in the past week and a half. Mackenzie's parents came for Christmas and it was a wonderful to have them here...a little piece of home! They were so generous to invite me to travel along with them, and it was a great time of refreshment. I am gearing up for the second half of my time here. Here are some pictures of the past 10 days...

Even after a slight mishap with luggage not showing up, Mac had a wonderful reunion with her parents at the airport!

Our first stop was in Swakopmund, Namibia (a very touristy location on the coast). We visited the absolutely awesome sand dunes (and began a tradition of jumping in front of landscapes of the cool places we visit!)

Not only did we visit the sand dunes...we quad biked (also known as 4-wheeling to Americans) through them. Highlight of the trip for me!

On the beach at sunset in Swakopmund... so of course, it called for a jumping picture.

Christmas day... I got to skype with my family and they, along with some of my wonderful friends, sent sweet gifts with the Longs for me to open. Made the day extra special. I cannot tell you what an amazing gift Skype is. To be able to see my family was such a blessing!

The Longs treated us to an incredible Christmas feast... Mac and I ordered and this is what came out... it was the biggest plate of food I've ever seen.

Our next trip was further north in Namibia, to Etosha National Game Park. We did a 3-day camping safari and got to see some amazing animals. Lions were the most exciting for me...I wanted this to be Aslan.

If they would have let us get out of the vehicle, we would have DEFINITELY jumped in front of this picture.

All in all, I had some pretty incredible experiences. It was a blessing to have some time away and get to see more of Namibia. And now, I am ready to unpack my suitcase and get back into a routine here. I continue to be so grateful for all your prayers and love and support.

How you can be praying:
-The "second half" is upon us as school is about to start in just a week and I get back to my normal routine. Pray for God to give new wisdom, direction, creativity, and even more love for the kids I work with.
-Pray for the high schoolers that we developed relationships with...that God would have really worked on their hearts these last few months and we can continue great conversations about following Christ with them.
-Pray that I would be PRESENT here, to make the most of every single day and seek to honor Christ in all that I do here.

I love you all and hope that your Christmas and New Years were times of joy, laughter, love, and above all else, glorifying Christ.

More from Rehoboth soon!
Kristen

Just a preview...

If you've been keeping up on my comings and goings during holiday as posted below, then you know that I am currently in Windhoek, Namibia, working with my team at a children's home with kids who have nowhere else to go over holiday. We've been putting on a VBS type program for them and having an incredible time teaching and playing with these kids! Here are a few photos of the happenings so far this week. I'll share more in a later post.

This is Lionny making a Christmas cookie right after she had her face painted by one of my awesome teammates!

After seeing our puppets, the kids thought they should put on their own show.

The older kids were fierce competitors in netball (basketball)!

Some of the younger kids during craft time!

This is Francois, a son of one of the domestic workers at the children's home, and one of the most adorable kids I've ever seen.

I am finding so much joy in my time with these precious guys... a huge age range (2 years to 17 years) and all of them are unique and wonderful. Pray for them if you can-- that Christ would make Himself real to them as so many others have failed them or let them down. They need to know the perfect love that He offers.

Love and Prayers for all of you,
Kristen

Blessed to give...

About a year ago, I read a letter written in the front of the Desiring God catalog. (A great ministry you should check out if you’ve never heard of it).

The letter was titled “Blessed to give.” And it was signed, “Eager to give everything good I have away…”

These words have stuck with me ever since I read them for the first time. Maybe they stuck with me because that is such a contrast to our human nature. We want to keep the good things, or at least a piece of them, to ourselves, right? And even if we decide the right thing to do is give them away, are we eager to give them away?

Maybe the words stuck with me because since I have read them, I have continued to be challenged by the heart reflected in those words: “I am eager to give away everything good I have.”

There are countless opportunities to give of physical gifts and material gifts (food, money, etc) here in Namibia because the need is so great. It is a rare day to not be asked for money while walking down the street. Sometimes these gifts are given out of guilt. Sometimes these gifts are given out of pity. Sometimes gifts cannot be given. And sometimes, gifts are given in JOY.

Followers of Christ are called us to be this kind of giver…the kind that gives and is blessed by the joy that comes when we give ourselves (time, love, money) away.

Not only that, but there is an abundance of opportunities (and this is true no matter where you are in the world) to give the most important kind of gift - the gift of sharing Christ, of sharing the love you have to offer because you have been loved by Him first. This gift, if given genuinely, is impossible to be given out of guilt or pity. The nature of the gift demands that it be given in JOY...

If we really believe in the goodness of this gift, if our hearts grasp the awesomeness of what we have through the gift of salvation, the gift of Christ, then we will be eager to give it away. And all other good things that flow from this ONE all-encompassing gift of a relationship with Christ, we will hold less dear. We will have less of a need to hold onto them with all our grasp, and we will be eager to give them away too.

And God has continued to prove this to me in the opportunities He has brought my way to give-- that in giving of the good things I have (and more specifically, the BEST thing I have), I have been so blessed. Joy is doubled when it is shared.

Oh how I long to have a heart that always says "I am eager to give everything good I have away." So God, give me an ever-increasing understanding of this gift that you have given me-- the gift of your Son, of salvation, of hope and joy in relationship with YOU. Let me be bursting with passion to give this news away. The rest of the good things I have PALE in comparison to this gift, and so let me be eager to give them away too.

I am amazed at the way God has given great things to me through all of you: encouragement, joy, friendships, the support to be where I am now. I'm so grateful for these gifts, and working hard to give them away to those I come in contact with here.

Christmas is coming... so my prayer is that we become more eager than ever to give...especially the most important gift of the good news of the gospel.

God, you are the ULTIMATE giver. Thank you for being eager to give to us...for giving us your Son.

what's going on...

It is “holiday” here in Namibia, which means schools are closed and the town is quieting down. This time gives us the opportunity to see a little more of Namibia as we do some traveling. In addition, we will get to be a part of different ministries here that we have not yet had the chance to serve in. One that I am most excited about is a children’s home in the capital. Some of the children who live there have nowhere to go for the holidays, and they remain at the home with nothing to fill their time. Several of us from the Rehoboth team will be spending a week with them, doing a VBS type program and getting to love on them! Then, Mackenzie’s parents are coming to visit over Christmas, and we are excited to see them!

Here is a little schedule of the next few weeks:

December 9-13 Road trip to southern Namibia with 3 other girls from our team to see Fish River Canyon

December 14-20 Our team is in the capital, working at the children’s home

December 22- 30 Mackenzie’s parents are here, and we will be traveling with them to the coast, and then doing a 2-day camping safari at Etosha National Park.

December 31 Return to Rehoboth

January 5-10 In Rehoboth, working with a local church to help renovate a building which will become a community center for the children and youth, as well as visiting other ministries in town, including another children’s home

January 12 Back to Kwakwas AND our high school friends who live at the hostel will return!

I would so appreciate your prayers this holiday—that even though we have a break from our normal routine of life here, that we would still make the most of every opportunity and be able to share the love of Christ.

Praying for you all...that as Christmas approaches, you are keeping your eyes fixed on the beauty of our Savior.

Love,
Kristen

Christ is our hope!

Merry Christmas! Well, actually, to you it's Thanksgiving, but here in Namibia, we celebrated Christmas today at Kwakwas Primary School. Tomorrow is their last day of school before break for holiday (their summer break and Christmas break are on in the same here) and they will not return until the second week of January! (I will write soon about what I have planned during this holiday...God has provided some great opportunities!)

What a blast it has been preparing for this day with the kids. They were so very excited for their part in the program. I also had some incredible opportunities to share about the real meaning of Christmas with them, and why it's a holiday I am so excited about. What a sweet reminder it has been for me as I am teaching them... Christ is our hope, the long-awaited Savior. During our Christmas assembly today, the kids repeated the phrase "Christ is our hope" in Afrikaans...it was a great moment, of knowing that Jesus was being celebrated above all else.

Thanks to your incredible support, I was able to use some of my ministry money here to buy each child at the school (80 in all) a Christmas present! There are also a few organizations who sponsor the children at this school who sent presents as well, so the children had a really special celebration.

Some of the kids opening their presents... airplanes for the boys and hair accessories for the girls!


The grade fours getting ready for their part in the Christmas program. I was SO proud of them...they were the only grade who did their part in English. Quite an accomplishment!

The staff of Kwakwas and Father Christmas (who was really just our cleaner, Elizabeth!) Too funny!

Making all the Christmas preparations...including our very own Christmas tree!

I had the grade four class act out the Christmas story in preparation for our big celebration. These are the angels singing "Glory to God in the Highest!"

The grade four class with me on Christmas Day at Kwakwas! I love these kids so very much.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. I pray that you are finding your joy in Christ today as you share time with family and friends. I'm so very thankful for your support and love... God has blessed my life through you all.

Much love and gratitude on Thanksgiving,
Kristen

Some of the sweet gifts that point me to Christ...

This is Magdalena, a sweet fourth grader at Kwakwas. I just love her.

These are two of the girls that Mackenzie and I have gotten to know very well from Rehoboth High School. Fabiola, 15, and Luzelle, 14. They both have such a desire to know more about Christ, it is a JOY to talk to them every week!

Courtney and Jaydon are the daughters of a wonderful couple on our team here in Rehoboth. They are amazing girls, and have been spending one or two afternoons each week with us, as their mom has had to be back home in England for a little while. This picture was taken at our team Thanksgiving celebration (halfway between Canadian Thanksgiving and American Thanksgiving!)

The team of six girls is becoming a team of four this week…we will miss Cathi and Alli so very much. Fun meetings and outings with these girls have been such a blessing!

The grade four kids LOVE puzzles (and they call them "spussles" which makes it extra cute!)…we had an incredible day together beginning preparation for our Christmas program and having enough extra time in the day to do puzzles. (Thanks Mom for sending these!!) :) Their smiles and laughter are precious.

The hard road and the good gifts along the way...

Since the beginning of my time here in Namibia, I have continued to be amazed at the way God delights to give good gifts to His children. There have been many hard days—days of feeling clueless, helpless, inadequate, days of missing home so much it hurts. Sometimes the hardest thing about those days is knowing that Christ has not called us to an easy road, or a comfortable life…He has called us to take up our cross and follow Him (a hard but not joyless road). Knowing that, because I follow Christ, hard is going to continue to define my life for the rest of my life is often difficult to swallow. Deep down inside of me, though, that’s what I want because looking to the JOY, the reward set before us, makes the “hard life” seem like no sacrifice at all. And that’s how it should be.

To live radically, following Christ at any cost to self, and to still be able to say at the end of it, “I never made a sacrifice,” because Christ and His presence is beyond worth it. We trade all that we have for all that is BETTER.

Knowing that hard is good, that God has my best interests at heart and is always working for my good means that any sense of entitlement I might have that things should be better must go out the window. Instead, the accurate response should be an awareness of my sin, and that I have earned NOTHING, I deserve NOTHING from the king of the universe.

And yet, even though that couldn’t be more true, the great king of the universe still delights to give good gifts to His children…to provide for their needs, to satisfy the desires of their hearts. He does all those things by giving us HIMSELF.

It’s an amazing thing to be aware of how much you don’t deserve it, and yet still receive His grace… His love without condition. God has been so, so good to me, and I am often most aware of this on the days that feel the hardest. Because even in the midst of it, God offers His presence to me in ways that I never would have expected.

Whether it be the beauty of the stars in a cloudless Namibian night sky, an encouraging e-mail from home, the smiles of the kids at school, a sweet conversation with one of the high schoolers, a good laugh with a best friend, a long run, a great song, fellowship with my team, or even just waking up with JOY, God has been giving me sweet gifts, even on the hard days. Especially on the hardest days. And I have never been more sure than I am now that the sweetest of all these gifts is the awareness of the PRESENCE of Jesus in all of these things.

When God opens my eyes to His goodness (and believe me, I am dependent on Him to even make me aware of it), there is nothing but gratitude no matter what is going on around me. Whatever He’s doing, I can rest in the truth that He is GOOD and longs to satisfy His children with the gift of Himself.

Thank you, Jesus, for BEING our reward, our hope, our help in times of need, our comforter, and the source of every good and perfect gift. May the good gifts of life, joy, comfort, hope, community, and creation ALWAYS, always point us to the Giver.

And for my faithful prayer supporters, here are some ways you can be praying:

-We are nearing the end of the school year here…pray that my last two weeks with the kids provide opportunities to teach them awesome truths about Christ that they can understand. Pray for the kids—that they would know and experience the love of Christ this Christmas, no matter what their life is like at home.

-The high schoolers that we have been spending time with will soon be going home for Christmas and summer holiday (its one in the same here!), so pray that the these last two weeks with them will be great time of continued relationship building and conversations about how Christ transforms our lives.

-For wisdom and creativity as we brainstorm how to best reach the high schoolers we have been building relationships with next term (we are thinking of starting a club, a discipleship group, etc.)

-Cathi and Alli (from our original U.S. team of six girls) leave for home on Sunday! We can’t believe their time here has already come to an end…pray for them, that God would give them peace to leave and a sense that He has used them here.

Thank you for your encouragement, your faithful prayers…they are one more way that I find myself absolutely blown away by the goodness of our God.

Much love,
Kristen