Carmel in Southern Africa: February 2005

Francistown, Botswana

Hi, I have made this for all my friends and family across the ocean from me, so that you all can feel closer to what is going on over here with me. I hope that you enjoy the pictures and short descriptions. I will as always still be sending out my newsletter, but sometimes pictures can tell more of a story then I could ever describe. Feel free to make comments on the pictures or just e-mail me (which by the by I love getting). So with no further ado here is my new homeland.....

This is taken from Nyangabwe Hill a.k.a "The Hill." It is not called the hill, because of how tall or big it is, because it is the only hill in Francistown. In fact that other hill in the horizon is in a different country...hahaha...plus it's not really that green here,

This is another view from "the hill."

Here is the church i attend, Francistown Baptist Church.

Time to eat!! We had a church bri, pretty much like a BBQ. It was very good!

This is Ethel, we where housemates for 2 or 3 weeks when i first got here, now she's back at school.

Moroka village

Moroka village was my first ever village to go to, so i guess i like it differently then the others. I was so excited to get to go out there on visitation with my supervisor. While we where there we meet with a couple of church goers to encourage them and then to go out and visit with some of their neighbors. I think there are less then 8 Christians out there. I learned so much while i was there, like women sit on the ground when there are both men and women visiting (yes, i found out by doing the opposite). Mostly though i was just amazed at how pure and joyful their faith was. It was an excellent visit.

There are usually many little houses or huts on a compand for a family, and this one is the cooking hut. This style of house is going out and people are starting to use blocks or pieces of tin to build with now. I know it looks likes there are lots of trees and flowers, but they are few and far between. Dirt is the yard, because it is easier to tell if animals have been there.

Just look. Aren't they beautiful?

This is the grandmother to all the children in the pictures above (plus some that where in the house), and she is taking care of them by her self.

Christmas 2004

Well, this was my first Christmas away from home and i really didn't know what to do. I mean i was like in a whirlwind and didn't really know what was going on. At the same time i was sad and missing my family, but then again i was in Africa at Christmas how exciting was that?! It turned out great. I spent Christmas out in Tshesabe village with the Cannady's, a missionary couple, and three college students that really didn't have plans for the holidays. It was really neat we went to a Christmas eve service at the church there in the village that meets in an old red cross building with no lights, but we had candles. Then Faye cook the best Christmas dinner ever!! As Thabo said this is "my [his] first American Christmas in Africa," and in a way it was mine also. It was hard being away from my family and friends, but it made me think a lot more about the holiday then i usually do.

Christmas Eve service.

Christmas morning....opening our gifts what else? From L-R, Petra, Mothati, me, and Thabo. We had an awesome time with the Cannday's and with each other!

Prayer Retreat

I went to my first prayer retreat pretty quick after i got here, but it was just what i needed. We had an awesome preacher, he was a good ol' boy from the southern part of the states. He actually reminded me a lot of my pastor from home. What i got from the messages was perseverance, to keep going no matter what - God knows what is ahead, it's His plan. Abraham kept walking up the mountain to sacrifice Isaac without ever knowing that God was bringing up a ram on the other side! How awesome is that?! I don't know about you but that just got me totally excited and hopeful and well everything.

Look, it's real grass! I mean it's thick and so green and healthy looking and it feels great under your feet. It's the little things that make life great.

I was so excited to see familiar faces!

Preschool

After our Prayer Retreat, I went out to Masunga village for a few days. While i was there i got to volunteer in their preschool, which of course i loved! One thing become very clear to me while i was there the building may be different then where i'm use to working, but the children are the same. Beautiful, they where just beautiful and wonderful and i had an awesome time.

I just fail in love with this little boy, by the end of the day i had taught him how to say my name.

Lunch time...yum, yum!!

Nap time...zzzzzzzz

Monkey

This just goes to show that although you may be in "town" it's still a jungle out there! I was over at my supervisor's house, they live in a pretty residential area, when this monkey just jump out of the tree and started sitting on the gate. He was just hanging out there till i walked up to take his picture.

ssshhh, he's camera shy!!

Picnic

This was my first time out to the village of Nata and it was also my first day off. So in honor of our day off we, my house mates and I, went on a picnic with some our youth from church and a missionary that works out there. It was a great day of fun, friends, food, sand, sun, sun block, and later sunburn, but still no ocean!!

Here are the guys waiting for their chance to devour the food!!

We also had some unexpected guest.
This is really how close the cattle was to us!

Ok, so this cow totally stopped in front of my "ocean" view and posed for me. It was like he was begging for me to take his picture, so i thought i owed it to him to put this up here.

Teaching

I have absolutely loved teaching / training for the last month, the kids have been great. I think I've learned more from them then they learned from me. I have been teaching 9 classes at two different Jr. Secondary Schools, basically 8th - 10th grade, with counseling in the afternoons. We've also started a Lunch Time Encouragement this week. I am really going to miss my students when i leave for Kenya next week, but this experience has been GREAT!!

Here i am teaching a lesson on "What makes you special?" and "Good self-imge."

This is still the same class, but i thought this pose was to funny. John Travolta eat your heart out...Staying Alive, Staying Alive...got to love the dance moves!!