My Black & White day...Last day at home.

A little Goodbye treat from the girls: Photo shoot!

New Year!!!!

Date: 31 Dec 2014  

Time: 9:30

Reason: Waiting for 2015!!!

Drinking: Coffee! Coffee!...To keep me awake!

Happy New year!!!!

Merry Christmas

Me, Dad, Indie, and Fiyo

A kiss to the most Noble and Remarkable woman!

Alike

Fiyo and I

Best Parents Ever!

We celebrated Christmas a bit more different this year as Half of the family remained behind to spend Christmas in Grootforntein and the other half went up North to spend Christmas there. It was really not part of the plan but due to certain circumstances everything turned out this way.
But that didn't stop any of us from enjoying and being thankful for this day.
Fiyo and I prepared the Christmas meal, and it was really great to have neighbors over. I read the Christmas story out of the mom's Oshiwambo bible...which kind of took a while since it has been a long time I read in my own language. And we had our time of sharing testimonies and thanks giving.
I know that everybody's way of celebrating Christmas is totally different from the other, but I am thankful that we have one person in common that we are all celebrating, the man Jesus Christ who unite us all as one.
The Christ-Messiah.
We are not only celebrating His birth on this day, but much more of God's great love and grace towards us; that He out of love was willing to send down His son, who took on flesh and died for our sins in order to reconcile us back to God.
We have every reason and so much to be thankful for.
We can never be able to count God's goodness and blessings towards us, but we can offer up a heart of thanksgiving unto Him as we remember His goodness on this day and in every day that follows.

Merry Christmas everyone.
May we forever rejoice and be thankful for God's greatest gift unto us.

24th...the day before Christmas.

The 24th...the day before Christmas.  While my German friends are saying merry Christmas to me on this day, I am saying; I can't believe Christmas is tomorrow.  It has been an interesting day indeed. 3 days ago on my way to my parents house I was walking in town and the streets as well as the roads were empty. Max number of people I came across on my way there-was 2. I was not really that much surprised because I knew that people left town; all headed into different directions to spend Christmas with families and friends. 3 days forward...I walk down the same road today and I was in total shock. Totally speechless. The roads are crowded, the streets are full, and the shops are over flowing with people. Town is fully packed! Honestly I have never seen so many people in Grootfontein during this time. For a moment I felt like I was in Windhoek; on a Saturday-Pay day!!

There was a bit of traffic jam at Spar.

Crowded Streets

People sitting every where.

And long queues at the banks.    

 On the other side on things.   :)
Like "everyone" else, mom and I went for food shopping this morning. We usually go for food shopping on the day before Christmas especially if we are here. We are never in a hurry to do any shopping a few days before Christmas because we had always known that many people would be gone for the holidays, so shopping is usually a quick in and out, but today we were caught off guard. We were in for a big surprise. Packed shops and long queues. Thankfully we planned a nice simple meal for tomorrow and that saved us from running around from one shop to another and standing in long queues. Shop a head. New plan for next year.   :)

Long queue in WB.

Mom at the Freezer

Hmm...choosing wisely

 On my way to a friend's house, I met this two beautiful girls. Ndinelawo and Festher.
Special? absolutely!!
Haven't seen this girls in about 2 full years.They were my Sunday school and youth bible study girls. Well...back then when I just started high school and they were just in grade 2. We were together throughout my high school and throughout their Primary years. Seeing them today was really the best gift and highlight of my day. They have grown so tall that they over tower me by now: it's funny I remember hugging them back then and resting my chin on top of their heads now is nearly the opposite. LOL!
 They are headed off to grade 9 next year. Years have flown by. I feel so old (at this stage in time that is a good thing and feeling) maybe I might feel different about that idea when I start turning grey.
Here they are my sweet adorable Angels, ready for the Christmas festival.

Ndinelawo and Festher

Who am I?...Identity.

Karen

Steven

Emily

I had high hopes and expectations for the girls during the 5days we were together at the summer camp. Hope that meeting and interacting with new and different people from different backgrounds, schools, and age groups will boost their confidence and help them get ready for high school and next year. 

More than the boosting of their confidence, my deepest hope and prayers was that they would get a deeper and true understanding of who they were, not only as human beings/ girls but much more as Children of God. It was the first time going to the summer camp myself, so honestly I didn’t have much expectation for myself as I had for the girls. Simply because I took it to be a teen’s event and therefore I was not so sure if I would fit in much anywhere or if I would be useful at all.  But the truth is God broke my prideful heart and proved me wrong. Where two or more are gathered in the presences of the Lord, whether children or teens, you can never be too old enough to fit in.

It was an interesting camp I have to say and the girls found it to be a tremendous blessing in so many ways and so did I, which I was and still am truly thankful for. It was beyond my lack of expectations. It was a time to be “young” again but it was also a time of discipline and correction, as God was kind enough to use the girls and some friends to break this prideful and self centered heart in a way or two. I was reminded to be myself and simply put: it's was not about me.

The theme was I identity, a big issue that many young and old people still struggle with to this day. Identity is a subject that cannot be narrowed down and be directed only to a certain age group ( to say it’s only for teens) because a lot of people no matter what age group they are or where they may find themselves in life, they would most likely find themselves struggling with the "identity crisis".

No wonder the most common question asked after what the Purpose of Life is, is: "WHO AM I?"

  Indeed our world is turned upside down, and we are urge by people who are desperately seeking for the same answer to the same question, to find our true identity in the wrong places, things, and people. We become  "an empty vessel to be filled and refilled according to the expectations of others and the needs of the moment." . Wearing masks every where all the time in order to get by or be accepted. . 

So I am deeply thankful that there were people willing to stand up and share the truth as it is and help many young people including myself to guard our hearts against conforming to the lies of this world system.

 We are Children born of God. Given the right by Him to become Children of God. He Identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts. And called us to a new way of life.

Simply: Our true Identity is found in Christ Jesus. I am who I am because of Him and no one/ nothing can add or take away what He has fully done. In Him we find ourselves complete. We just need to learn to accept and embrace the truth; what He says about us; for it is the Truth that sets us free.

Barbina, Mike, Karen.

 So Barbina and Karen will be moving on to high school next year. Right now my heart is at peace. But I do continue to pray that what ever they have learned over the years while at Community Hope School and in those 5 days of Summer Camp will be apart of their solid foundation, that it will be  real and true in every way and be able to go back to it throughout life especially this teen stage they are in and will be facing for a few more years ahead.

They have been and still are precious and an enormous blessing beyond words could ever express. Though big and now teens, they will always be my babies, forever family, treasure boxes from heavens above. 

:)

CHS Staff's Farewell Party.

Zelda, Tinga, Deborah

Anna Glowing!