The Journey Without End

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!

The Journey Lens - take seven

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, 

for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

With only one week of school remaining, I thought I would post some more pictures of the students I work with at FHS. These children have captured my heart, they have taught me so much, and I give many thanks to God for this tremendous gift to work with them. God has used them to open my eyes, to alter my perspectives, to challenge my dependence on Him, to enlarge my heart, and to break it. I have grown to love these children more than I even knew was possible. Despite all the ups and downs, rewarding times and challenging ones, serving the Lord in Namibia is a great privilege.

I hope you enjoy seeing the faces which bring a smile to my face and joy to my heart each day.    

Tangeni is one of my grade 5 students. This is he and I in the classroom.

Charmain and Asser

Charity showing off her artwork.

 For a couple months now, Candace and I have been wanting to show The Jesus Film, a movie on the life of Jesus, to the students at the school. The Namibian sector of Campus Crusade for Christ jumped on board and made this possible. Two Fridays ago we showed the film in both the morning and the afternoon for our different students. When Jesus first appeared on the screen, my heart was so blessed to see and hear the excitement of the students "Teacher, that is Jesus!" "Oh Teacher, look, it is Him!". 

The following Monday, I read from Luke 23 and 24 with my class about the death and resurrection of Jesus. The students talked about what they remembered from the film ( in amazing detail!) and started asking some really great questions such as "Why did God choose Jesus?", "What did God leave behind on the Earth after Jesus died?", "Does God really live in us?". We talked about how Jesus is one with God, that He existed even before He was born as a person on Earth, and that He was perfect, and therefore the only one who could serve as a sacrifice for our wrongdoings. The students learned what the word 'sacrifice' means, and we talked about how, just like God had to give up something very difficult, the life of His Son, we also sometimes have to give up things for God and make sacrifices for Him.We talked about God's promise to leave us a helper here on Earth after Jesus died; that helper being the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is who God left behind, and God lives in us through His Spirit if we ask for forgiveness and make a decision to live our lives for Jesus. It was so encouraging to to have such a wonderful discussion with my students. We had a lovely morning together.   

Watching the Jesus Film

Making soap -  not a clean process, but certainly a lot of fun. 

Lisetha ( one of my grade 4 students) working away.

This little boy desperately wanted his photo taken. He is quite the little fellow.

The rains have arrived!!!  I have never seen the expression "When it rains, it pours" literally fulfilled so accurately.

Kaita doesn't so much like the rain.

This is Miss Emma. She is one of my precious grade 4 girls.

What happens when you give two twelve year old boys a glue stick and some felt?

You get two serious men...

...but only for a moment.

Sharing a laugh.

Making masks with teacher Candace.

Namibian pride.

Performing The Three Little Pigs. My class made the houses. I was most proud of their work!

Tuyenikelao (This is the student whose name I found the hardest to learn), learning the different colours in English, Oshiwambo, Afrikaans, Damara, and because four languages is simply not enough, the students requested French also. 

When I first began telling people I was going to Namibia, the number one question I was always asked was "Where is Namibia?" Well friends, do not feel bad as I also had to share this information with my Nambian students. They were most excited to search to globe and find their country.

Here it is, we found it!

Naemi having a look around the world.

This is Theresia. We always have fun as we learn.

Tangeni - my little friend with the big smile.

Meet Ringo and Riwaldo. Two of the cutest and most mischievous brothers at the centre. 

Sometimes they are very serious.

Sometimes they are quiet.

Sometimes they are quite the opposite! (I have no idea what he is doing).

"Will she find me in here???"

Yes, yes I will. Finally caught the little rascal!

Thank you for taking the time to read. Thank you for taking the time to email words of encouragement. Thank you for taking the time to pray. I wish I could more accurately express the depths of my gratitude, but do know that you are a part of this ministry, of the Lord's work in Namibia, and I am most appreciative.   

Wishing you all a most fantastic day!

~Heather

Off to Opuwo

My dear family and friends,

Last weekend I had the opportunity to travel to a traditional Himba village just outside of the town of Opuwo. Opuwo is about an 8 hour drive north from Windhoek. Some people have asked me about the roads here in Namibia; they are very good. The highways are better than those back home on the Island. The non-main gravel and dirt roads are not so nice, but that is to be expected.  

Though the roads up until Opuwo were very good, driving is still an interesting feat. This cow is only one of many cows, goats, ostriches, baboons, warthogs, guinea fowl, donkeys, and even kudu, that we saw on the roads during our travels. 

The Himba people are a most interesting ethnic group. More than any other tribe in Namibia, the Himbas are still living culturally traditional lives, with very little influence from western culture. They are a semi-nomadic, semi-pastoral people, raising both goats and cattle for their livelihood. On occasion, the women will also make the long journey to the town of Opuwo, or some even all the way to Windhoek, to sell their jewelry. Beauty plays a significant role in the Himba culture. Though the women never bathe, each morning they apply a red-coloured cream made from butter and ochre. Hairstyles are determined by age and marital status, as is the jewelry with which they adorn themselves. The women are topless, and wear skirts made from animal hide. Children and men also wear skirts made of various fabrics. Some men who spend a great deal of time in town dress more modernly.

The Himba tribe is found solely in the region known as Kaokoland, and according to Wikipedia (accurate source, I know), there are between 20 and 50 thousand Himba people. They are closely related to the Herero tribe and speak the same language (Otjiherero). Most of the children do not go to school and so English is not known in most villages. Each village consists of a number of compounds which are quite far apart as one is not visible from the other. Every family has their own compound ( a bushed area which will have a fenced area for goats, a 'holy fire', and a number of huts (depending on how many wives the chief has)). 

In order to go into a village, my roommate Hannah, our friend Imogen, and myself, traveled with a local guide, Elia, who is part Himba himself. After packing our camping gear in Opuwo, we drove another 65-70km north until Elia said to turn. My first thought was 'where?' as I could see no road and nothing in the distance. But turn we did, and minutes later a village appeared.

 

The 'holy fire' is found under the tree on the right hand side. The fenced area in the center of the compound is for the goats... theoretically. They were usually just wandering around everywhere. This area is also used for milking cows. 

When we arrived, Elia got out and went to get the chief's permission for us to visit. They had no idea we were coming. One of many examples of how laid-back and easy going the culture is. One of the many reasons why I love Africa.

Even though we declined the offer to be his new wives, the chief agreed to let us stay. We went around the compound to meet the different family members. Elia shared all kinds of information with us about the Himba people and their culture. He served as a translator and answered many questions we had in terms of the faith and beliefs of the tribe, their traditions, and their daily life in general. He also did a lot of translating for the Himbas as they were very curious about us and our lives. They found us to be very young to be traveling the world, yet quite old to not be married with children. They asked if our hair was real, and wanted to touch it numerous times. They wondered if our parents put clips on our noses when we were little to make them small, and one lady, noticing my turned out feet from my dancing days, asked if I was disabled. Though communication was not easy, we shared many laughs and had much fun.

During our stay we got to go see where the families in the village get their water. Each family must dig their own well, and they are bushed in order to keep to animals from falling in. A trip to get water is be made everyday. Water is poured in a trough for the animals, and some is carried back by the women, or on a donkey for the family's use.

On the road for water!

Yes, that is the water down there.

The animals must be so thirsty in this hot weather.

Though we did not carry water back on our heads, we did get to go and collect firewood and carry it back in traditional African style - not an easy task. We had to use a hand to help balance the load, but I will say that it is a highly efficient method. Maybe one day I will master the skill.

Ready to go! ... well... as ready as we could be.

The Himba women are strong. It is very impressive to watch them walk effortlessly with the wood on their heads. 

We made it back with the wood without dropping a piece. Here is a picture of Hannah sitting by our fire.

Of everything that happened, what truly made the weekend was the chance to play with the kiddoes. It was so much fun to spend time with them and just show them love. Words are a powerful tool in communication, yet it is also amazing how much can be communicated without them.These children loved attention, and I certainly loved giving it to them.  

Getting my new Himba-do.

I taught the girls a few clapping games as we tried to find some shade from the hot afternoon sun.

This little guy was not so happy.

Imogen getting a big hug.

Peek-a-boo

Here's Hannah showing the kids a picture of themselves. They loved it, and so did the adults in the village.

These kids were precious. It was such a joy to spend time with them.

I have many stories to share about our weekend in Opuwo, but I hope this will at least wet your appetite to ask questions and to find out more about this people group. I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to spend time in a village; it was an experience I will not soon forget. Thank you so much for your prayers, the Lord worked in powerful and surprising ways. We sometimes can never guess His plans, but we can trust that they are good, and for that I am truly grateful. Please continue to pray for the Himba people.

Thanks for reading!

With much love,
~Heather


" For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the LORD..."   - Jeremiah 29:11-14