The LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast desert. These forty years the LORD your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything.
~Deuteronomy 2:7
My dear friends,
My greetings come to you no longer from Namibia, but rather from the most beautiful P.E.Island. I have been back in Canada just over one week now, and have been enjoying visiting with family and friends. Re-adjusting to the way of life here has been a bit of a challenge; the reverse culture shock as they call it, is more difficult than I expected. But regardless, I am very thankful for such a wonderful place to call home.
As I begin to reflect on my time in Namibia, I am in awe of the truth of the above scripture verse, and of God's faithfulness throughout my time in Africa. The Lord has truly watched over me, been with me, provided for me, and guided me during this journey. I am so very grateful. Thank you for your many prayers. It was very evident that people were praying.
Throughout the entirety of my stay in Namibia, I repeatedly questioned why I was so privileged to have such an experience. I have dreamed of teaching in Africa since I was 5 or 6 years old. I have desired to serve the Lord overseas since I came to know Him and began following Him in my early teens. But despite these dreams and desires, part of me never really expected to live this journey. I continuously asked God why I was being given such a gift. Why would He so generously bless someone like me? I felt so undeserving of my reality, so unworthy of being in Africa.
One day after school, Candace and I were having one of our many chats about FHS and the amazing kids we had the privilege of teaching. It was nearing the end of November, and so we were reflecting a bit on the different opportunities the students had this past semester. We talked about their incredible joy and appreciation for little things like a good meal or a 'new to them' sweater. These children are so precious, I have grown to love them more than I knew was even possible, and I have been so very broken by the reality of the situations they face. I shared with Candace my desire to give these kids the world, and how I wished I could help them experience so many other opportunities in life. This is when God taught me something about His great love.
"Heather," Candace said, "You know how you are often questioning why you have the privilege of being in Namibia?" - yes, I certainly do - "You know how you talk about how you want to give your students opportunities and experiences beyond what they can even imagine?" -yuppers - "Well, that is exactly how God feels about you. He wants to give YOU the world. He wants you to have experiences and opportunities you could only dream of."
I was, and still am, really struck by this statement. I find it very easy to understand God's love for others, but accepting it for myself can be a struggle. As she said this, the words of Jesus came to mind when He says:
Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! ~Matthew 7:9-11
My being in Namibia had nothing to do with who I am, but everything to do with who He, the Lord is. God's love for us is so very great. He is a loving father, a caring friend, a true comforter. He desires not only to give us the world, and good gifts in this lifetime, but He desires even more so to give us the gift of everlasting life. A never ending journey of living in His presence.
Which brings me to my Merry Christmas wish for you. As we remember the birth of the Savior this season, the One who died to save us, let us also remember that He is a gift given from a God who loves us more than we can imagine. Yes, God loves YOU.
Thank you for reading, and for being a part of my journey in Namibia. Your encouragement, your prayers, your emails and letters, all your support has been an overwhelming blessing. Thank you so very much.
Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas,
~Heather
Now that I am back home in Canada, if you would like to hear / see more about this Namibian journey, please send me an email at heatherkeefe@hotmail.com It would be my great privilege and honor to share this experience with you!
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