Darin's Diary pt. 6

Greetings from Jo-burg. We made our departure from Namibia earlier this afternoon and all 25 of us managed to get on the plane despite South African Airline's best efforts to make some of us miss the flight. There were issues with our ticket numbers that required many delays in check-in, but alas we all made it. Notice I said 25 of us, that is because Nate and Germaine have stayed behind to finish some of our team business as well as to revisit a number of our Namibian friends that this team didn't have time to see. Our first flight was uneventful, and we are all in pretty good spirits as we make our way home.

I realize that I am woefully behind in my diary entries. Please forgive me. Living these experiences has just been so precious that stopping to write about them has been hard. I'll try to pick up where I last left off.

Our Thursday was marked with a little disappointment as Bonnie's ipod was stolen during the dance classes. It wasn't just the loss itself that hurt the most, but the realization that many of us were within mere feet of that ipod when it disappeared, and sadness that while we were there to do good, someone took advantage of us. We're satisfied it wasn't one of the dance students but some of the other teens that were hanging around. Thanks to Bonnie's mom Linda at home for getting the special cut versions of the dance songs emailed to us overnight so that we didn't miss a beat with Friday's classes. Thursday night we accompanied Pastor Tresford to a church in Walvis Bay where he has been building a good relationship with Pastor Benny. Pastor Benny had asked if the dancers could participate in his service. Because we had lost the ipod and our music, we were nervous about what the dancers could do. Bonnie stepped up. She offered to improv a dance to something John could play on guitar. What followed (and we'll post the video shortly) was a very moving version of David Crowder's "Come and Listen". After the service, Pastor Benny and his wife Karen invited all of us to their home for soup. We all were pretty touched to find ourselves on the other side of the world enjoying such warm hospitality and care.

Friday morning began rather early. We hosted 20 of Arandis' senior citizens (called pensioners in that setting). Most of them spoke only Afrikaans or tribal dialects, so communicating was a challenge - but a fun one. The breakfast was an effort by Arandis Christian Center to bridge the gap into the senior culture in Arandis, and afforded us a rich sense of Namibian culture. As the breakfast ended, these 20 seniors stood and united their voices in harmonies and sang us a song thanking us.

Of course, our school team and teachers continued working in the schools and getting to know the people they met. More later... as soon as time permits.