Golden Orb Weaver

We took Mark out to the YWAM base. After showing him around a bit we went for a short hike in the hills around the base. We planned on going all the way to the top, but the rain has caused the lake to overflow and the plants to grow like nobody’s business. It was tricky navigating between the weeds, and the SPIDERS!
David and I nicknamed this part of the base the “spider forest” a while back. They have Golden Orb Weavers all over the place. The spiders are huge, they like to make their webs between two trees so that they can hang out at face level all day. So the hike consists of looking up for spiders and down for snakes. I am not sure if Mark really enjoyed being stuck up there with us and all the Namibian “wild life.”

We brought a spider home so that I could take some pictures of it to share with you. These creatures are as terrifying as they are beautiful From what I have read it seems like their bite is not too bad for humans, but still I think the sheer size of their fangs would cause enough damage!!

It is Monday and NIAW

It is National Infertility Awareness Week this week. It may seem like it is a strange things to have a whole week dedicated to, but it is true that more people deal with this than you may realize and it seem like there is some kind of social taboo in talking about it.
Do not be afraid this is not going to turn into an infertility blog, or a personal soapbox for me to talk about all things infertility, but I do want to take some time this week to talk about something that is very real and very painful. So this week there will be a few posts dealing specifically with infertility.
I want to begin with a post today about what it feels like to be infertile. I was thinking about this a week or so ago when we were standing at the airport waiting to pick up Mark. There were people all around us waiting for their loved ones to show up. I think infertility is like that.


It is like we are standing at the arrival gate at an airport. All around us our friends, families and even other strangers are standing. We are all eagerly waiting for our family to arrive. At the start we are waiting, excited but not yet anxious. Some people start coming out of the gate there are tearful reunions around us, hugs and “I love you’s” fill the airport. 
Those people begin to leave, and the crowd is thinning out a little. David and I are still waiting, we know that our family has be coming out soon. The doors keep opening, more people spill out, more tears and hugs and I love yous. 
Families are made whole and then they leave together. 
We stand there as our friends, family, and even random strangers around us, find the loved ones they are waiting for. Of course we are happy for them, we may even take time to welcome their loved ones while we wait for our arrival, but in the end they move on and we continue to wait.

Pretty soon the crowd is beginning to thin out, at this point some worry begins to creep in. Is everything ok? Is our loved one on the way? Will our family be whole soon??  We continue to wait, and wait and wait. Before we know it, the planes are all empty, the people around us all have the ones they love in their arms, and we are all that is left.

We are standing alone in the airport with no one left to get off the plane.


After a while some more friends or family may show up, they are there to pick up even more family. Sure enough their second set of people arrive while we are still waiting for our precious cargo. 

We are left standing utterly alone in a crowd full of celebrating and complete families. 

The frantic desperation may make us run around looking for answers. We may fork over large amounts of cash in hopes of ensuring that our family will make it on the next flight, only to be crushed when once again we are left standing alone with no one to welcome. Our friends and family may try to tell us things to make us fell better, but in the end there is nothing that can be said or done that can fully take away the hurt or confusion. 

In the past few weeks I have been taking time out of my day specifically to search the scriptures on passages about infertility and family. I have found many verses, and more women in the Bible dealt with this than I first realized. I have to admit the I have never read through the book of Psalms, so I made it my project over this break, and I have found so much comfort there! One day last week I was feeling especially low and left behind. I opened my Bible to a random Psalm while in my heart crying out for God to hear my prayer. My eyes fell on Psalm 73.

On the morning of the third day.

On the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb. When they entered they did not find the body of Jesus.
While they were perplexed about this, two men suddenly appeared and stood next to them. The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground. The men said to them: “Why do you seek the living One amongst the dead? He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands on sinful men and be crucified, and on the third day rise again?”
The women then remembered His words.
                                                           Luke 24: 1-8

They left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, they ran to go and report to His disciples. Jesus met them on the way, they fell down and worshiped Him. Jesus said to them: “Do not be afraid, take my word to my brothers in Galilee, there they will see me.”
                                                         Matthew 28: 8-10

“And surely I am with you always even to the end of the age.”
                                                         Matthew 28:20

CHS!!

I feel like it has been a while since I update with a picture story, and yesterday I took my camera to school and the kids were having a bunch of fun with that. So some pictures seem in order 🙂

 

...We would like to wish you and your family a blessed and happy Easter. This is one of the best times of the year. People all over the world will remember the death and resurrection of Jesus this weekend. May you be reminded of the endless love God has for you during this time!

Update…

Sorry my dear blog readers for neglecting to update for so many days. We have been busy, it is the end of the school term. We have been rushing to get grades in and trying to get all the admin stuff wrapped up.
Mark made it to Windhoek on Saturday morning, we picked him up and the last four days have been a lot of fun. I think I was quite nervous about him coming to visit, but it was for nothing! It has been great getting to know him better. It seems like we have been laughing non-stop, and we have been able to get his insight and guidance on many issues. Mark has met everyone at school now (except the Hunters, they are in the USA on a support raising trip,) and he has had to opportunity to sit in on some of the classes, and he shared in the discipleship class today. The kids seemed really interested in hearing about the work that Mark has done, and continues to do, in Azerbaijan. We look forward to showing him more of Namibia!
Tonight Sara’s parents made it here, they are visiting the Wrights for a few weeks. It was surreal to see them here. Pray for them!

We have also been busy with figuring out a new support raising strategy. We have unfortunately lost over $500 in monthly support in the last few weeks. With the extra medical bills this loss in funds has caused us some stress. We are now well below the minimum needed funds. So, if you are able to please consider joining our team by supporting the work in Namibia financially. Also if you are a church goer, please consider asking your church to get on board. We of course will be more than willing to send any info to you and are always here to answer any questions that you may have. Be sure to check out our website on more info on how you can get involved!

I will have better update in the next few days, I hope this holds you over until then 🙂

Good things.

Follow this link and read about a dear friend. God always knows exactly what we need to hear, and when we need to hear it. A great thing about this life that we live is that there are these times when God surprises us with relationships that will alst forever, and words that will bless us more than the person saying them will ever know. This is one of those times.

So many gifts.

Last week was a whirlwind week. After Maria passed away we were afraid that she may have menigcoccal meningitis, which is extremely contagious. The doctors were unable to tell us exactly what bug had killed her so it was a nerve wracking time. We were watching the kids like hawks, and all of a sudden all sorts of weird things started to happen. Kids were fainting and having nose bleeds that wouldn’t stop, kids were vomiting and complaining of blinding headaches. Needless to say several hours were spent with kids at the emergency room. Fortunately they were all caused bu lesser infections! I was sent home twice and then told to stay home until we knew what was going on. (I am allergic to almost all antibiotics, there would be no treatment for me if I were to get meningitis.)
I stayed home most of the week, I was able to get caught up on some grading and spring cleaning that needed to be done. Today it does seem like the students are healthier! So hopefully I won’t get sent home today 🙂

Remember that you can join in on the “one thousand gifts” Monday at any point. It has been a great time to reflect on the past week and see the things that God has given!

#46 The art supplies brought by the teams that have visited in the last month. Since teaching the art class I have had to use all the creativity I can muster to come up with art projects using the art supplies that are here. There have been two teams in the last month, and both have showed up here with loads of crayons, paper, beads, paint, colored pencils, and a bunch of other stuff. I love the smell of new stationary!

#47 Love and support from friends and family. My uncle passed away this week. I have not had much contact with my family since hearing about his passing, but there has been much encouragement and love from people all over the world. Thank you dearly for covering us in prayer and keeping us in your thoughts in these past few weeks.

#48 The weather is beginning to cool down, don’t tell anyone, but I love the winter here! I am quite excited about working out in the cooler weather. To update on my journey to a healthier self I have lost 17.5 pounds as of this morning! David ordered some running shoes from America, Mark is bringing them on Saturday and when we get paid this month we will be getting a gym membership!

#49 This morning David and I read 1Corinthians 15. I encourage you to go and read it if you feel like you are facing a giant. In this passage Paul encourages the church in Corinth to do their work for the Lord with all of their hearts.
Paul writes in verse 58 : “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” 
I cannot express how encouraging this verse is. The rest of the chapter talks about death not having a sting, and the resurrection that we have to look forward to. So remember today to give yourself fully to the work that God has given you, IT IS NOT IN VAIN!

Much love!

They now wait in the sink.

Just hanging out in the kitchen to startle me as I prepare my morning oatmeal was not enough for these critters. No. The creepy crawlies of Namibia got together and decided that it would be WAAAAYYYYYYYYYY funnier to hang out in the sink. This way only when my hand is reaching into the sink will I spot them. The ensuing screaming and dancing is hilarious I’m sure.

For those who wonder, this beauty was about 2.5 inches from leg tip to leg tip.

Shudder.

How we are doing here at CHS.

Things at school seem to getting back to normal. We will have a memorial service on Wednesday morning for Maria. Her mom has decided to have her funeral in the north of the country, about eight hours away from us. None of us will be able to attend. This is what her mom needs though, she will be around more of her family there.
There has been a few scares with some students showing the same symptoms, but those have all been a cold or flu. Right now one of our grade 3 students is on her way to the dr. with the same symptoms.
It is really scary not knowing if a headache will turn out to be fatal!
The second grade class seems to be doing ok, they are staying busy. Today we will work on goodbye cards to her for the memorial service, so we shall see how they deal with that. Tomorrow they will see the first picture of her too, so that may bring up some heartache too.
Some of our kids have also just lost parents or other family members so this death is bringing up those memories and scars. Especially for Jessica whose mother passed away in December.
We will be having some counselors from the life-line group here tomorrow to help with counseling the kids.
This has shown that there is a need for a counselor on staff, so if there are any counseling majors out there looking for internship opportunities let us know, there may be a great  ministry for you here.

I want to give a heartfelt thanks to everyone who has been thinking of and praying for us and the rest of the people touched by this tragedy. We are especially thankful for all the precious emails that were sent by you. It was amazing to see the body of Christ come together to hold this little one up in prayer, and to offer further prayer and condolences when she went to be with Jesus.