Buy A Donkey

Okay, so really the phrase is spelled ‘Baie Dankie’… but that is exactly how it sounds! It means ‘Thank You!’ in Afrikaans, and always makes me laugh hearing people say it to one another.

Anyways, I just wanted to send a BIG ‘Baie Dankie’ to my Grandpa, who for his birthday asked for donations for the soup kitchen, and to feed people here. I have been able to buy more meat for the porridge, carrots, and potatoes. I have also been able to get apples each week for the kids at Lebensschule, who in many cases are not fed outside of what they are given at school. Many thanks also go out to my family who gave money… it will be put to use feeding people for months to come!! Thanks again!

Here is a picture of some of the kids we served this week – they all run to the tent straight from school to get their bowls filled with soup:

Also, the rainy season officially began last week! It has been a glorious relief from the intense heat, and I have been thrilled for the moisture in the air. It has rained nearly every day since it started, bringing clouds with it, but the rain only lasts about an hour before clearing off. Reminds me of Colorado rains. Because it rains hard and the sun returns quickly, there are rainbows almost every day. This is a picture of one I saw outside my window on Wednesday… isn’t it beautiful!Much Love,
Mackenzie

Repaving Roads

"True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar. It comes to see that a system that produces beggars needs to be repaved. We are called to be the Good Samaritan, but after you lift so many people out of the ditch you start to think, maybe the whole road to Jericho needs to be repaved."

-Martin Luther King, Jr.

I read this quote earlier this week and haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since.

Jesus showed compassion by teaching people, feeding them, listening to them, touching them and countless other acts throughout the gospels. We are commanded to ‘put on’ compassion (Col 3:12). So what does this look like in the context that I currently find myself in? That is the question I have been wrestling with.

I want to help ‘repave the roads’ of Rehoboth. The ‘system’ here seems to have produced a lot of things, but souls filled with the life and joy of the Lord because he is seen as the treasure he is is not one of them. While I know that I will not be here long enough to see the entire road repaved, I desperately desire to be a part of laying a few bricks, that will hopefully spur a few more to do the same, and so on and so on.

So what does compassion look like? I could just give the children outside the shop here a dollar or a piece of bread or an apple. The hunger in their bellies would be temporarily satiated, but what about the hunger in their souls? In some instances, I walk away, frustrated at my lack of ability to communicate with the person… at my missed opportunity to share the bread of life with them… and I know that our interaction was not in vain, but to leave any sort of lasting impact on these people, I must be giving them something that can fill them more than just temporarily. That is the compassion I long to show to the people of Rehoboth: the compassion of Jesus, that unites acts of mercy, grace and kindness with life-giving, truth-soaked, soul-sustaining words. Please pray for wisdom and discernment, as I seek to learn how to best do that in this town.

A bit of this... a bit of that

Here are a few random things I have been up to over the last week or so:

- Last Saturday the girls on my team and I got to head back to Windhoek for the first time since orientation. It was such a fun day. WH is a bigger city, as I have mentioned, and we got to spend time at a mall, involving eating ice cream at 10:30 am (hey, we were excited!!) Overall it was a fun-filled, refreshing get away, which I was very thankful for!

- Ruth Rowell, who has been here with her husband and two youngest daughters, returned to the UK to be with one of their older daughters who has been ill since they left. She is missed by all already, and we are praying for a safe, speedy return.

- Kristen and I have continued to spend time with the girls living at the hostel at Rehoboth High School, and it has been SO good! Below is a picture of Taimi, myself, and Fabiola, who I have been able to spend great time and conversation with.

- Things at the hospital are continuing to go well. I really enjoy my time there, and the babies we have been caring for are starting to get to know us, which is really fun. I added a few more pictures, with little stories as captions if you want to check them out, click the slide show on the right.

- Also, Kristen will be headed back to the good ‘ol U.S. of A. on Tuesday of this week to join friends and family for the wedding of her brother Matt to his fiancée Shea. Pray for safe travels, and an enjoyable time while she is away… she will be missed!

Well, I think that about rounds it up. Hope all is well with you.

Much Love,
Mackenzie

Slowly but surely...

I think I've figured out how to get a web album, and have tried to upload some pictures onto it. Right now, they are just ones from the hospital, but I'll try to put up more as I go. Hopefully if you click on the mini-slideshow to the right it will take you to the cite!

Adventure in Africa

On Monday afternoon, we took a little ride in the back of an open-air truck to see some paintings on a rock just south of town. This is the landscape as we drove:

The vastness of the desert really is quite breathtaking!

We shared the road with horse drawn carts…

And were careful of the donkeys on the side of the road…

These were some of the incredible rock formations we saw:

I think the ones on top look so cool… like they are perched up there!

More of the rocks – they just ask to be climbed!!

Kristen and I on the rocks :)

Thats all for now...
Much Love,
Mackenzie

Divine Appointments

You know those days and times when you are so aware that God, in his sovereignty, plans out each interaction and conversation you have? I was blessed with a week of just that… divine appointments. Let me elaborate:

On Tuesday, Kristen and I headed over to Rehoboth High School with the hopes of meeting some students there that we would be able to build relationships with. We prayed the whole walk there that God would draw us to the right group of students, and that doors would be open for conversations, and God answered our prayers in huge ways. We had no more than walked in the gate, and a group of three girls were sitting on the sidewalk. We asked if we could sit with them, they graciously agreed, and friendships that I hope will last the duration of our time here were born. It turned out that Malorye, Toniyella, and Rachel were waiting for the Rowell family to return to their flat so they could braid Jaydon and Courtney’s (the 2 younger girls) hair. We got to sit and talk with them while they did so, and even had the privilege of hearing them sing! (I tried to post a short video of this here, although i'm not sure if it will work: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_M9LU3q6oU) Absolutely divine.

On Wednesday, I had the opportunity to visit with a young girl in the hospital that was brought to Rehoboth on Tuesday for her safety. She has later staged AIDS, a few infections, and found out upon admittance that she is 4 months pregnant. She was hungry for company and conversation, and we got to talk some about what was coming next and what led her to the situation she is in (the hurts seemed woven into every thread of her life). As I prayed for this girl, her unborn baby, her heart, her worth, and her void only Jesus can fill she wept uncontrollably. I was able to continue to visit her each day and got to share the gospel with her on Friday. Please pray for her and continued healing in her body, mind, and spirit. Absolutely divine.

I could continue… but for now I will leave it at that :)

These pictures really have nothing at all to do with the post, but they’re always fun :)

This is Alli (the other RN) and myself at what we think is the best street in Windhoek :)


This is Mudder, who helps run the 'soup kitchen' on Wednesdays. You pretty much can see all that there is. The table to the left is where we prepare all the meat and vegetables, and the pot on the right is where the cooking happens. Here she is getting ready to 'stir the big pot' :)

Much Love,
Mackenzie

Settling In

Mora…Good morning!

As I sit here, I feel like I’m at a loss for where to begin… everything and nothing comes to mind all at the same time. There are so many feelings and emotions behind stories that seem so unable to be articulated that I feel like attempting it would cheapen the reality. I don’t really know what is considered ‘blog-worthy’, so bare with me as I’ll hopefully get better as time goes on :)

This week looked quite similar to last in terms of how my days were filled. I got to spend time with a few homebound patients, work at the soup kitchen and spend a few days at Lebensschule (LS).

On Thursday I brought a little craft to do with the kids there, and here is a picture of me, Harold, Eldine, and Endonsia working on it:

Like I mentioned last week, doing projects with these kids is so amazing – there is no ‘right way’ to do art, and however it turns out, it’s their creation. I wish I could convey the looks and smiles that overcome the faces of these kids when they are encouraged and affirmed… it really is priceless!

Here are Clinton (L) and Harold with their finished products:

I love those faces!

There is one little girl at LS, in particular, that has been pulling on my heartstrings since I first saw her. Her name is Audrey and she is 4 ½ years old. She had meningitis as an infant, along with TB, and as a result, is still wearing size 3-6 months clothing. She is malnourished, has seizures, a protruding VP shunt, and a myriad of other issues, but her eyes are captivating and I can’t help but hold her close to me whenever possible. Here is a picture of her and I sitting outside in the shade… from what I can tell, she can see (they tell me she’s blind, but she tracks quite well), so I like to show her the world ;)

Personally, I’m doing well, and ready to jump in head first at the hospital on Monday (tune in next week to see if I’m still treading water!). Kristen and I are also hoping to partner with the Rowell family to meet and develop relationships with the high school students who live in the hostel at the school. They have free time from about 4:30-7 every evening, and typically hang out around the courtyard and field behind the school, with no where to go and very little options of things to do. As we spend time there, we are praying that relationships will be quickly established with great depth and opportunities to share the gospel, so please join us in prayer about that!

The team here in Rehoboth is incredible and I have been so blessed by our Sunday afternoon meetings. I can’t remember what I’ve already shared, so I’ll bring you up to speed- here is Rehoboth we currently have:

• the Rowell family, hailing from Coventry, England, including Paul who is teaching at the HS, Ruth, who often works at Lebensschule, and their two wonderful daughters Jaydon (11) and Courtney (9)
• Catherine, from England as well, is teaching at a farm school outside of Rehoboth. She has a few years teaching experience under her belt, is a wonderful source of creative ideas, and is a blast to be around!
• Heidi, from Mannitoba, Canada, who is teaching at a farm school about an hour from Rehoboth (unfortunately, none of our 3 teachers are at the same school!). She has been here a year and will be here for about a year more!
• Steph, also from Canada, has been working at Lebensschule since last October, and has been a wonderful bridge onto that scene. Sadly, she will be heading home shortly.
• Then there’s my smaller team, which I’m sure you’re acquainted with by now ;)

Here is a pic of the group at our meeting last Sunday at the Rowell’s flat at the hostel:

L to R: Cathi, Paul and Ruth Rowell, Steph, Me, Kristen, Catherine, Heidi (on floor), Jaydon and Courtney. This was after a meeting at the Rowell’s flat at the hostel.

Well, for ‘not having much to say’, I’ve certainly written a lot ;) Hope you enjoy the weekend!

Much Love,

Mackenzie