Arandis, Namibia: Once Again, All Good Things Must Come To An End

Monday, March 03, 2008

Once Again, All Good Things Must Come To An End

4 March 2008 1:00 AM

Well, this is it, our last full day in Arandis. Wednesday morning we leave and return to Okahandja for one night and then our travels will lead us to Rehoboth for Thursday through Sunday. Monday morning we depart Windhoek for our journey home.

These last few days have been hectic and quite interesting, particularly the weather. During Monday's early hours (1:30 AM) we had quite the rain, wind and lightning storm which lasted for well over a half-hour; feeling almost like what I've heard a tropical storm might be like. Later during the day and into the evening one could still see puddles (some quite large) from the storm; an oddity here in Arandis. Mike was here again this past weekend and return to Okahandja yesterday. He made sure to send a text to Jackie, telling her that on our way back, we needed to be sure to stop along the side of the road to marvel and photograph the greenery that is rarely seen here.

Last evening I was walking and chatting with Chriszelda, one of the pre-school teachers at Talitha-Kumi, along the "back road" which hugs the desert here. We stopped in awe at the red and orange sunset in the west and the two or three different rain storms to northwest, in the distance horizon. The weather, for the most part, has been warm and a total contrast to the mess which I have been following and keeping track of back home. I can honestly say that I am not anxious to return home on account of the weather.

Pictures and videos...yes I have some but have not been inclined to post them from here due to Internet costs. I will take the the time to post them once I return home. I personally have not taken as many as I normally do but will have access to Jackie's and Mike's photos. Actually, if you want to see one of my new favorite pictures, check out Mike's recent "picture of the day". What a cutie she is and my how she has grown! I will also be updating the HPOM website, upon my return home, with new photographs of the children and families, including the two new HPOM families here in Arandis.

Steve and Karrie Graham and their family finally arrived last night. They have moved here, from Virginia, are here to help out with Hope's Promise. I am hoping to meet them today, or at least before we leave on Wednesday. Please be sure to keep them in your prayers as they begin a new chapter of their lives here. Welcome Steve and Karrie!

In terms of a successful trip here to Arandis, I would say that it was. I did get done many or most of the things I had hoped to. Of course, what I began to cram in towards the end was spending more time with individual and families. I continue to sort out the reflections I might have on my time here and of the interactions I have had and the observations I have made. And, as I may have noted in a prior post, some of the revelations do not occur until well after I have returned home.

One reality that I can share now is that with each of my return trips, despite their relative brevity, the relationships with the children and their families continue to grow and expand. It's incredible to experience the hospitality of even the newest of the HPOM families like Willem and Anna. They are grandparents who are the caretakers of their grandchildren and Gino, a HPOM child from Rehoboth. Grandparents caring for their grandchildren is all-too-often a common situation here. They are doing a remarkable job. They are one of the 8 homes or so that are located "outside of town" near the train station at the entrance to the town from the B2 highway. To get to their homes, you literally get off the main road into Arandis and follow one of many different trails across the desert sand. The children walk to school from here, leaving their homes around 6:30 AM to make it in time for the 7:30 AM start to classes.

I think that out of the three from the U.S. who were here, namely Mike, Jackie and myself, I had been the one most attached to Arandis and the HPOM families here. It has been interesting to watch and listen how both Mike and Jackie have also come to know the children and their families more intimately. Jackie is already looking forward to her return trip this coming July and Mike has already made promises that he will be back soon.

Yes, it has been an interesting trip, from the extremely Pentacostal Crusade weekend that was here last Thursday, Friday and Saturday night to the invasion of bugs (Nan says due to the rains...). I literally walked into my bedroom Sunday night and thought I had entered a moth farm. Unfortunately, our moth eradicator (nan's vacuum) was in her bedroom and no one dared try to retrieve it at 10:30 PM. There has been many laughs and stories. We got to talk, via Skype, to the Christ's Church team who will be coming down here the first two weeks of July. Nan, Pearl and Boniface also got their chance to talk to the team.

My next post will likely be from Rehoboth, unless I get inspired during my short, one-night stay at Joan and Dieter's Wednesday night. Until then..

P.S. As a reminder, be sure to visit Mike's blog, Jackie's blog and the Graham's blog

posted by Don @ 6:05 PM

1 Comments:

At 10:08 AM, Darin said…

Sounds like a great time you've had in Arandis. I'll pray for you both as it narrows in the rear view mirror Wednesday - we've been there together.

Thanks also Don for sharing about your walk on the back road - everyone from the 07 trip remember those walks and views of the sunsets.

Now, on to encourage Dieter and Joan for another night (they need your encouragement), and to bless the folks in Rehoboth. I can't wait to see what awaits you there. Your work continues. See you soon.