Figures...

Just when Gilligan had sighted hopes of escaping Zion Island via road, more flooding hit the headlines; there is a second wave well on its way. Despite the water already flooding our walkways again, there are at least rumors that it won't hit the eastern Caprivi (our region) as bad as before or as bad as the western Caprivi. We barely got by with the height of the last flood in respects to not having to evacuate, but we have yet to see how high this new one will come. Please be praying that it doesn't rise so much and starts going back down quickly. Also continue praying that the boat remains in top functioning order since its much-needed vacation is not even in sight yet.

Please be in prayer for the entire Caprivi Region, particularly the western portion. We have actually been quite fortunate right where we are despite being an island. There have been at least 10,500 people relocated due to this last wave of flooding, but with the predictions of this next wave being record breaking for the western Caprivi, that number will soon spike. Pray for provision physically, emotionally, financially, and spiritually during this very wet time.

Pictured above is a relocated village living out of tents and tarps just outside Katima.

Last Holiday

I was watching this movie the other night; it left me with a sharp conviction and I felt led to share it...

I believe there comes a time in everyone's life when they realize that it's length is dream; they are suddenly snapped into its brutal reality called 'short.' Everyone has varying thresholds to the onset of this stark reality. It could be the death of a family member--sibling, parent, grandparent--a close friend, a classmate. Or maybe a personal tradgedy, to either yourself or someone you love, a natural disaster, watching your kids grow up before your very eyes or so many others. It only really happens once before you are reminded an infinite number of times. But all leave you with the same question--what am I really living for??

In a twisted way I feel incredibly blessed to have stumbled upon this question at such a young age. For me it came with the personal tragedy of losing my leg, but not just that, the overwhelming report that I should not have lived. I was supposed to have bled to death except for an artery in that leg that I never knew I was born without. God had it all in his perfect plan, for many reasons of course, but the most important personally was to force me to come to peace with the fact that I could have died, right then and there, at age 16--no drivers license, no big senior year of high school, no college life with all of its own experiences. Nothing.

But there is something perplexing and magical about not dying when you are "supposed to" that is permanently engrained in your mind and screams "Live! Really Live!!" For me this is where God really took ahold of the steering wheel in my life. There was one night in the hospital I was feeling particularly discouraged and one of my doctors ended up sitting beside me on my hospital bed with two very clear messages. The first was this, "Blossom where you are planted." And she stressed that it started right there in that hospital room despite the fact I couldn't even get out of bed. God had planted me there as well as divinely planted every doctor and nurse that walked through that door, and I was to get going on blossoming for Him. But the second thing was that all pain that we as humans experience can be used to bless someone else, if we choose. Pain is something one only understands by experience, obviously, but it is also a specific tool that can be used by God to fuel compassion and understanding of others in similar pain.

Now its one thing to realize that the length of life is a dream, but it's another in what is done with it. I promised God that day that I would never take advantage of another step or breath or opportunity to share His name, but guess what? I have. I'm one of those crazy sinners He created, BUT, lucky for me, He is also a crazy awesome forgiver.

In the end, it doesn't matter what "livng everyday to it's fullest" means to you--that's up to God. But it is our responsibility to do it, whether its in a hospital bed, an office chair, on the moon, in a classroom, at the grocery store, etc. None is greater than another in God's eyes as long as it is to the fullest.

Baby's 1st Boat Ride

Ok, and mine too...solo driving anyway. With the multitudinous trips that Dave has to take in the boat (seeing as it's the only means of transport for 80-some people) he decided it was time to gve himself a break and teach me to drive to town when I needed to...starting today. Well, what he failed to mention was that on my first solo boat run I'd be bringing back a 26 HOUR old infant! But don't worry, we made it back safe and sound. Fortune, the principal of our mission school, just had a new baby girl added to his family yesterday morning. Dave had to rush the wife into town yesterday at 6:30am, just a few hours before she gave birth (maybe that's what did him in :-P). Margaret and I have been fearfully reading up on how to deliver babies incase the wee one had bad timing (its danergous to take the boat out at night). Needless to say we're more than relieved we didn't have to! But all's well that ends well. Mother, baby, and family are all back home safe and sound.

And as for our other "baby's" first boat experience? Well...he's now almost 2, but Little Mr. Adventure loved it. He wasn't in the boat hardly minute before the exact words out of his mouth were, "Uncle David, I Want to Drive the Boat..."

Blessed

I have been extremely blessed thus far in my African adventures. It has been clear to me many times that people are continuing to pray for me day in and day out even after I've been gone for so long. It is often at the most random times, especially when I'm not asking for it, that I feel God's presence with me and I know it is because someone is praying. This reminds me that I can't be over here on my own--I need that prayer support. Anything good that comes of me being here is thus a team effort led by God, not anything I could ever do on my own.

What I've also greatly appreciated is all the financial support that has been so generously given. Since I first raised support before I arrived, it has graciously carried me all the way up until now. But I am now lacking some to get me through these last 2 months. I would humbly ask you to pray if God is leading you to donate any additional financial support. I still feel very confident that He has led me here and aim to continue through my final weeks, but I can't do so alone.

If you feel God calling you to do so, you may send it to the following address with my name in the memo:

Children of Zion, Inc.

P.O. Box 413

Churchville, MD 21028

Thanks again for both your prayer and financial support. Even if you are not called to support further financially, I ask that you continue your prayer support as that is by far my most vital need. Although I could never repay all I've been given, be encouraged by God's short and simple promise--"I (God) will bless those who bless you," Genesis 12:3. Thank you for being both a blessing and a part of my ministry here in Namibia!

Just Like That

I really should post more prayer requests on this blog because thus far almost every single one of them has been answered within a day or two of me finally posting them. God's just cool like that...just like this rainbow that just popped up over the river on our way home tonight...but much more so ;-) But anyway, I'll start this one with a couple of praises before I get to the irony and thus another prayer post. Sarah and I got out safely this morning (#1), and even in our own boat (#1.5) since it had to be taken to town to get fixed...and it did! The boat was fixed today (#2)! BUT the vehicle I didn't take (#3.7) to Zambia today broke (next prayer up to bat); right after the boat got fixed, of course. So that's next up on the list of prayers for whoever is the prayer warrior responsible for all these next-day air to Africa prayer answers ;-)

ok so I just spent a halfhour trying to upload this crazy (but beautiful) picture of the rainbow over the river that appeared today, but African internet has decided to take a vacation to Cuba...sorry.

this just in...the internet has returned from Cuba...

Party Animals

Katima continued to celebrate its national birthday even this weekend. Yesterday there was a large festival in town commemorating their 20th birthday with traditional dances and such in the morning (so i hear, and so i saw being cleaned up) and then in the afternoon there was a soccer game by some of our boys. Sarah and I took Mona in for her own birthday festivities and we were even able to convince/conn an official to give the 2 white representatives free tshirts and super cool visors that were meant only for performers. Two of our boys, Goty and Petro, have been selected from among the regional club teams to represent the Caprivi region in the Coca-Cola Cup coming up next weekend in Windhoek and they played a pre-game against Zambia at the festival yesterday and won. This will be a nationally televised event and a great honor for our boys to be a part of--and of course they are both only a little more than stoked.

Speaking of competing, the Namibian national track and field event was held this weekend also. Unfortunately Goty found out at the last minute that he didn't actually qualify to compete and only by seconds, but at least this way he was around to qualify for the Coca-Cola Cup. But also at the last minute, literally 15 minutes before closing time the night before she was to leave, Lisedi got all the paperwork she needed and was able to go! But the biggest news lies with Djolo. He received the bronze medal in his national competition. He is officially the 3rd fastest runner of the 200 m race in all of Namibia (for the Under 15 age category)!! We are still waiting to hear if his time will qualify him to go any further, but this excitment is enough for now.

In other news, there is a big prayer need from Gilligan's Island. The boat broke this morning. It is running only on 1 cylinder and stalls whenever you go to put it in gear and thus is 92 % nonfunctional. Dave has spent all day trying to fix it, but to no avail thus far. He was able to arrange for some boat fixers to come tomorrow, but please pray that it can be fixed quickly. He was also able to arrange a ride to town in a neighbor's boat for Sarah and I since I have to take her to the airport early tomorrow, but we have had to cancel school since we can't get the teachers here. Even things like food can only get picked up by boat.
Pictured here is Margaret (Dave's wife), Lorna (newcoming director), and myself bailing out the boat after too much rain a few weeks ago. Dogbowls have many uses here along the Zambezi ;-)

Phone Outage

This announcement is only a few days late, but better late than never. As of now, we will NOT be evacuating this year!!!! (knock on wood). And its all due to a phone outage...and answered prayers of course. Last Friday we were mandated by the regional counciler to evacuate, but Friday night the phones went out and were out until Saturday night. We thus didn't have a way to finalize our evacuation location. But also starting Friday night, the rising water levels slowed drastically to the point that by the end of the weekend it had even stopped rising! At this point we decided to use the phone outage as a nice excuse to delay the orders to evacuate. When he was talked to again on Tuesday, he agreed that we did not have to evacuate immediately. And since the waters have continued to not rise--and even went down just a little--I dont think we will be evacuating. We are of course still having to function as an island and go everywhere by boat, but at least we are still here...all thanks to a phone outage (and answered prayers!) :-)