Hey Everyone!
I am alive and well. The earth is as red in Namibia, as it is in Cambodia! I have uploaded some pictures to accompany this journal entry, so that you can see what I see and love who I love. As I said before, I am traveling with 4 others, and now that we are about 3 days into our 6 day trip…we have become a family. We have managed to squeeze all five of us into a tiny Chico, our beloved rental car…BUT we get along great, we split all costs five ways (dirt cheap!), and we laugh a lot! We all met in a backpacker hostel in Windhoek (a quaint little German town in Central Namibia)…and “somehow” we all found ourselves congregated around the reception desk with similar travel destinations.
Sometimes, when we are traveling and I am cramped shoulder-to-shoulder in the backseat, I am simply in awe of how God brought us together…each of us has truly been Hand selected.
During our first breakfast at Windhoek, the group asked the “typical” questions that all travelers ask…and I was quite honest with them. Despite my “spirituality” they accept me, and I accept them. I do not judge them. I just live my relationship with God along side them and I make the most of every opportunity that comes. God has asked me just to focus on loving them as He does. I am experiencing such a supernatural peace…I feel the affects of being supported by so many in prayer. In short, I feel the love guys. Thank you! I am not striving as I believe that I did on outreach…perhaps that bit of experience has allowed me to just relax, be obedient, and allow God to move! For a girl with anxiety problems, this is very significant. I finally understand what it is to rest in the peace of the Lordship of Christ. My group is also MUCH MORE active and adventurous that we were on outreach, I am really enjoying myself.
Lindsey (19) gets very uncomfortable when I read my Bible, and I pretend not to notice, but I can usually ease her with a smile and a question. Lindsey wants to believe in what can be proven scientifically, in what she can see, and does not understand why her Catholic father is so persistent in getting her to church. I told her that God is the most real to me…the ultimate reality. I told her that she just needs her own revelation. I do not feel that I am to try and “convince” her of anything through rhetoric persuasion or argument…I am practicing discernment. I was however clear in stating that believing in God is more about a personal relationship than it is about church attendance. I find her to be more and more curious as we spend more and more time together. I allow her to bring up my Best Friend in conversation…and she asks very interesting questions. We talked about the sticker I had drawn and pasted to my journal, and about the tracks I travel with. Lindsey is hoping to continue traveling with Casey and I. Please pray that we have a strong positive influence on her.
Two nights previous, prior to a long day of hiking and post-brai (dinner), our family sat around a 7 o’clock campfire enjoying each other’s company and conversation. Christian asked me for more information about the YWAM school I attended and about “what I am doing here” in South Africa. His questions were so Holy Spirit prompted…it was so perfectly ridiculous! I went to bed that night in awe of God’s Holiness…His ways, His Good work, His strategy…sometimes it is JUST so easy. It really is His work, I’m just a witness. I got a chance to explain what I meant by “listening to” and “being led” by God. Christian-ese, really. I was able to share some of my experiences throughout Thailand. I told of how God brought Erik to me and of how God woke me from a nap and brought me to Daniel. Examples of how God brings and sends. Erik’s story was significantly powerful, and it is such a great way to talk about sin, death, and the importance of accepting or rejecting Jesus Christ. No one slept well that night, so I prayed.
PLEASE PRAY:
-That God will give me an even greater heart for my “family.”
-That I will represent my Lord and Savior as I should AND that I will shine brilliantly.
-For strength, eagerness, discernment, wisdom and POWER in witnessing.
-For Jon, Jaqueline, Christian, and Lindsey…that they will be open to receive Christ or will move into a deeper relationship with Him. That the Lord will soften and prepare their hearts, convict and wash them of sin, give them life, a new heart and a new spirit in Christ Jesus!
-That God will open more doors of opportunity, through conversation or whatever means, that He will reveal His glory and His power!
-For guidance, EXTRA DISCERNMENT, and direction, and for safety. I have heard recently that a few violent riots have been reported in South Africa, they are targeting tourists…I will probably remain in Namibia and Zimbabwe for the next week, so hopefully things will settle before we head south.
-For Casey (my up and coming travel companion), for her traveling SAFETY, that we will find each other easily, that her relationship with the Lord will continue to be restored and strengthened, and that she will be prepared for the work that the Lord has in store for us.
Our travel itinerary:
-From Windhoek to Sossusvlei to hike the Namib Desert
-Head north to Walvis Bay.
-Night-stop in Swakopmund (my current location)
-Continue to Etosha Park (the top wildlife reserve in Southern Africa)
SOSSUSVLEI:
Sossusvlie is the world’s oldest desert. I believe that it is also nearly the largest. The ecosystem here is so diverse, every 15 minutes via Chico the landscape changes. The dunes cast dramatic shadows, the land cracks, and the sky is cloudless. I must be honest and say that I panted breathlessly as we ascended the Sossusvlei, nicknamed the “Big Daddy Dune” for good reason…but it was worth the view for sure. I must also admit that I forgot the sunscreen and my waterbottle…uh, sorry mom…
We camped for two nights in a camp ground just outside of the Namib National Park. We eat bread (with a bit of jam, honey, or peanut butter) for breakfast and lunch, and have a “brai,” the Afrikaan word for BBQ for dinner…no sauce, just fresh chicken, mince meat, or sausages…smoked over a campfire…mmm. The first night, Christian, Lindsey and I just slept with our sleeping bag under the stars (BAD IDEA: VERY VERY VERY COLD and the ground is so hard), the second night, Christian slept in the car and Lindsey and I slept in my 2 person backpacking tent…good idea, plus I only wore shorts and a tshirt to bed, believe it or not, but that helps if you have a mummy sleeping bag!
WALVIS BAY:
We only drove through Walvis Bay to catch site of the Southern Africa’s largest flock of flamingos. Most of the group viewed the pinkies from afar, but Lindsey and I decided that we didn’t drive all that way to watch them from the shoreline……so, we stumbled and squished up to our ankles of mud goo…ahh, this is what memories are made of…green smelly mud that still remains in your toenails. Anyhow, Lindsey and I really had a great moment together and we got some great pictures and some hearty laughs.
SWACOPMUND:
We are only spending the night here after a long day of travel…I am currently in an internet café…tomorrow we are off to Etosha (AND I have a FULL disk for pictures)!
Ok, this entry is LONG…
I LOVE YOU ALL…
Please do not worry…
And thank you for your prayers, the manifestation of which I am experiencing daily.
Christiney
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