hurray!

Hi Everyone!!!

Here in Rundu today we are praising God for answering your prayers!  Last night as I was praying I prayed the first part of Psalm 143:8 "Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love (for Dophelia) for I have put my trust in You".  What a mighty God we have!  We had a little spittle of rain in the early part of the morning, but it was while we were making the structure for the walls so it didn't hurt anything and it didn't even last for 5 minutes!  Hurray!!  After that the sky was cloudy but it served to keep the sun from beating down on our poor white skin so we were quite happy!

Our day started at 5:20 as we were told we had to be at Zeca's house at 6.  Most of you know I don't do mornings well so I tried to stay quiet until I actually woke up!  Once all the men who were helping us arrived, we left for Kaisosi.  All of the men who helped us were from the Ndama church that I attend.  It was incredible to see them working so hard for a little girl that they didn't even know!

When we arrived we had to go and collect the posts and sticks that had been purchased.  Then the men got to work making the roof and placing the corner beams.  From there us Shirumbus only did what we could, which wasn't all that much.  They use old tire tread to tie the sticks to the corner posts to create the wall structure, so I got to work on tearing them into small enough pieces to be able to use.  They even let me have a knife!  :-)  While I was doing that we decided that since we didn't have a truck to haul the clay for the walls, that we would turn my back seat into a dirt hauling machine!  With the use of a few tarps we secured the back as best we could, and Sabrina and Daryl with Zeca and some of the other guys went to load the clay.  It was really funny to see my car full of dirt!!!  Sabrina was disappointed that she couldn't work harder... she shoveled for a while but she ended up with blisters on every finger....  Her poor massage therapist hands are strong but have very soft skin!

Though we helped where we could, all the actual mudding was done by our African friends.  They were absolutely experts at it!  They were fast and absolutely amazing!  I have loaded pictures onto facebook already.  The internet is slow today so I have only added a few pics... more will come!   Click here to see the day's events. (then click again tomorrow to see more! :))

After everything was finished we were invited to Zeca's house where he was cooking a traditional mean of pap with relish (that's what they call the soup/sauce that they eat it with, it's anything from actual soup to vegetables to chicken or mean).  We enjoyed eating traditional style where they put the food in the middle of the circle and everyone just eats with their hands from the bowls until the food is finished.  It was really great to spend time thanking these men for all of their hard work. 

Please pray that the rain will hold out tonight and tomorrow as well so that the mud can dry.  Also, they said Dophelia can't sleep in it for two nights so she has two more nights of sleeping outdoors...  Please pray for her protection.  Today was the first time I have seen her since the last time the Auntie beat her... though the scratch marks and wounds are healing, the scars will always be there.  Please pray for her protection.  For more information on her situation you can visit Daryl & Sabrina's blog.  Sabrina changed Dophelia's name in the blog but you'll know the one when you look through them.... (it's the last one as I write this at the moment) (www.neufeldsinnamibia.blogspot.com) 

Thank you for your prayers and all of your letters of encouragement.... Today was a truly blessed day!!!

with all our thanks and love,

Kimmie (and Daryl, Sabrina and Dophelia)

Dophelia

Hi Family and Friends!
Remember a while back I wrote to you about an orphan who was only 12
but already sexually active with multiple partners? Well... I never
did give you an update on her. The good news is that the test came
back negative. :-)

Dophelia is now 13... and like any typical 13 year old she's got a
mouth and an attitude and she uses both!!! Her caregivers are her
grandmother, her uncle's wife and her aunt (who likes to get drunk and
beat her and her little brother that stays with her as well). Though
the grandmother's should be a haven for Dophelia, it's anything but.
The grandmother, a few weeks ago, kicked Dophelia out of the house.
She finally agreed to feed her, but said that she couldn't sleep in
the house. We are in the middle of the rainy season and have been
getting daily/nightly rains for almost 5 days straight.... and
Dophelia has been sleeping under a tree outside in all of this. So,
Daryl & Sabrina were determined to figure out a plan for her.

Through a several hour discussion involving a lot of yelling, a lot of
tears, and our good friend Zeca being patient enough to translate the
whole thing... It was finally decided that the Auntie was the best
choice for Dophelia to live with. However, there is currently no
space in her hut for Dophelia to sleep.... so, the Auntie agreed to
let us build a mud hut on her property for Dophelia. Praise God with
us that she has agreed to this!

So where does that put us? It looks like us crazy Shirumbus (white
people) are going to build a hut tomorrow!!! (Thursday) I don't know
how far we will get because it will have to be constructed from
scratch. The other times I have been involved the structure itself
was already up and all we had to do was mud it. Tomorrow we will have
to start by digging the wholes for the corner posts and the bind the
sticks that make up the structure of the walls.... then hopefully
start mudding it. Don't worry too much, we have several of our
African friends helping us so that the hut actually lasts through more
than one day! :-)

What I would like from all of you is simple.... please join me in
praying that the rain holds off for two days for us to build/mud the
hut and for it to dry properly.... :-) My God is a big God and he can
even stop the rains of Africa from coming! :-)

Thanks in advance for your prayers.... I will write tomorrow night
(assuming I can actually move) and let you know how it went....
love to you all,
kapande

snail mail

Hi Family and Friends!
Though I love getting snail mail... I fear that if you send anything
from this point on that I won't get it. I know I still have 5 weeks,
but you just never know... so, if you were planning on sending me
anything for my birthday... we can just have a belated birthday party
when I come home in March and you can give it to me then. (hint hint)
Thank you to everyone who has been faithful about sending me
encouraging notes and cards!
love to you all,
kapande

coming home II: purpose

Dear Family and Friends,
The last eight years of my life have been consumed with Africa. I
came to Africa the first time in October 2000 and tried to come back
since that point. It took me three years to work out the contract
that I had with the first hospital I worked at, then it took me over
two years of applying and raising funds to actually make it here, and
now I have been here for three years. When I come back, I suddenly
will have no purpose or direction. I will suddenly become 'the girl
who lived in Africa'... but doesn't know what she really wants to be
when she grows up. This is going to be very difficult for me until I
have a renewed vision for my future. Obviously I have already made
the choice to settle back in ATL, but there are so may other decisions
that must be made. Do I want to work in a hospital, big or small, do
I want to take a non-nursing job until I get readjusted to American
life, do I want to go back to school immediately and get my
masters... So many choices! I refuse to make the decision now as I
need all of my attention to help me finish well. But when I come home
I will have some difficult decisions to make. So, how can you help?
Please pray that God will reveal to me the next steps in my life,
where I should go from here... I love you all and can't wait to see you!

Only 5 weeks left in Namibia!

Hugs to all!
kapande

coming home I: Communication

Dear Family and Friends,

I told you that I would write some emails about things that I will find difficult when I come back and ways that you can help me.  Here is the first installment.  Each email will be titled 'coming home' and will have the subject following it.  This first email is about communication.

"English was founded in England, spoiled somewhere in India, and misunderstood right here on the continent of Africa" 

Sounds funny doesn't it?  I can't even begin to tell you how true it is!  I have a confession.  I no longer speak English.  I speak Namblish!  Namibia was settled by England and Germany, so the English that is spoken has the British vocabulary.  Since English isn't the Africans' first language, it has been changed into something that is their own language and English combined.  In order to speak and be understood here, one must learn the same way of speaking.  This means that my ability to speak good English has deteriorated since I came here!  My vocabulary has been infused with British words like rubbish instead of trash, holiday instead of vacation and boot instead of trunk.  It also means that there are many words that I haven't used in a long time that I have probably forgotten!  (The saying 'If you don't use it you lose it' is definitely true!)  My pattern of speech has also changed.  I speak much slower now and the way I form my sentences is even different.  

There are a lot of verbal and non-verbal communications that are now a part of my every day life that might confuse you guys at first.  Here are some examples:

Greetings: When shaking hands, I often clap three times first as a sign of respect.  When greeting someone who is older than me or has a higher position of authority I place my right hand on my forearm and do a little curtsy dip as a sign of respect.  Greetings for close friends that get hugs also includes kisses on both cheeks (like they do in Europe) and I feel awkward hugging on only one side now, like the greeting is incomplete.  When passing someone in the corridor or at the store or where ever, it is customary to greet, then say "ok" as a leave taking.  This can be said in English, but is mostly said in Rukwangali - "ewah" (eh-waaaah).  This is also considered an acceptable way to signify the end of a conversation, whether in person or on the phone.  I say it so often at this point that I say it without even thinking about it, it is just habit!  (Ewah can also be used as an acceptable greeting/acknowledgment of presence if you are passing the person more than once in the same day)

Asking questions:  In the Kwangali culture, a whole conversation can be had without words!  If I want something that is visible, I must only clap my hands and point at the object.  The person that I am asking has a few possible ways of answering me.  There is the eyebrow raise which indicates yes, the chin jut that indicated yes, or the eyes looking to the side which means no.  If it's a raise of the eyebrows or the jut of the chin, I may pick the item up and clap a thanks with a little curtsy dip or if handed the item take it with my left hand resting on my right arm along with the little curtsy dip.  Or, if I ask for something that isn't visible, the answer of no can be indicated by the twisting of the hand to make it look like you are holding a small ball. This is a perfectly acceptable way of saying no.  :-)  

Getting someone's attention: Here in Rundu one must be very careful about how they wave hello.  The hand must be showed palm forward and shaken in a side to side manner.  If you try to say hello by holding your hand still and moving your fingers up and down it doesn't mean hello, it means come here!  So, if you are trying to get someone's attention, that's how you wave, by holding your hand still and moving your fingers up and down.  :-)  Here, it is customary to get someone's attention verbally by calling them nane (nah-neh)(mother) or tate (tah-teh)(father).  This applies to everyone who is older than you.  If they are younger than you, you can call them kado (kah-doe)(girl) or boyi (boy-ee)(boy).

I'm coming now now: When one is going somewhere and will be right back, we say "I'll be right back".  Here, you say "I'm coming now now".  It means that I am coming back, but they only say 'I'm coming".  The 'now now' means I am coming back within fifteen minutes to a half hour.  'I'm coming now' gives the person about an hours time frame, and 'I'm coming' could mean they will come back after one hour or five!  Have I picked this up?  Absolutely!

Neh?: A good sentence in Namblish isn't complete without a 'neh' at the end.  It is used to qualify or verify information or to make sure that the listener understood the speaker's intention.  So if I leave my office I might say to my colleague "I am taking these to the Matron.  I'm coming now now.  I don't have my keys neh."  This signifies to my colleague that she can't lock the door while I am gone because I won't be able to get back in.  If I am talking to my colleague and I want to make sure that I understood her plans then I will say "You are going to the Regional office then to lunch neh?"  Then she can answer yes or no to verify that I have heard her correctly or maybe she changed her plans since she told them to me.  It can also be used just to add emphasis to the end of a sentence.  

Is it?: In Afrikaans, which also heavily influences Namblish, it is very common to verify a statement with 'is it'.  I think that in the US we would say 'is that true', 'really, I didn't know that', or 'I've never heard that before'.  In Namblish, that would use too many words.  After all, 'is it' is so much easier to say!

I am sure that there are many more aspects of Namibian communication that I have adopted and not even realized it!  So how can you help me with communication?  You can be patient with me as I adjust to 'normal' speech again and not laugh at me too much when I speak Namblish.  

More to come...

with love,

kapande

Kimmie Tibbetts

Serving the people of Namibia at the Rundu State Hospital
http://thekimmieconnection.blogspot.com
http://s207.photobucket.com/albums/bb136/thekimmieconnection/

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year Family and Friends!  

My Christmas and New Years were both spent with Daryl and Sabrina.  Both days were lovely celebrations.  For New Years (we are such party animals) that we watched movies and didn't even notice when the time had changed!  OOPS!  Daryl made lasagna, fresh Caesar salad and garlic bread for dinner.  It was amazing!!!  In between movies I did my first ever attempt at making English muffins.  For my first time they weren't bad.  Why did I make them?  For New Year's morning, Daryl made eggs benedict with an absolutely amazing hollandaise sauce that he slaved over.  YUM!  Definitely not a bad way to start the new year!  :-)

8 weeks is gonna fly by!!!

It's hard to imagine that in 8 weeks I will be on US soil.  YIKES!  Time is definitely flying.  I have already started sorting through my things and it's weird to see a pile of things in my suitcase that I plan on bringing home with me.  My room, which I am sorting through first looks like a tornado has gone through it.  I am hoping to finish it up by this weekend so that I can actually find my floor to clean it!  

Where are you going to be?

To answer this question, I have come up with a basic itinerary for my time at home.  I haven't heard back from all the people that I have asked about staying with, but I am used to things changing at the last minute.  So, here is what I am thinking things will look like.  As soon as I get a cell phone I will give you my number so that we can make plans to meet up when I am in each of these places.  There are lots of people that I want to see in each place but I was afraid of forgetting someone so I only wrote who I am staying with.  :-)   

March 2nd: leave Windhoek, fly through Jo'burg, London

March 3rd: arrive in NY (I left on March 3rd 2006, I arrive back on March 3rd 2009- I find it a little humorous!)

March 5th: fly to ATL (stay with Teresa) (get a cell phone, renew driver's license, go to church, meet Addison for the first time, eat lots of Mexican food)

March 14th: fly to NM (eat more Mexican food, spend time with family, meet Kaiden for the first time, buy a car- I'm thinking another Jetta?)

April 10th: Weekend getaway to Carlsbad Caverns, Carlsbad, NM

April 12th: Drive to Austin, TX (staying with my momma!!!)

April 19th: Drive to OKC, OK (stay with Jenny)

April 21st: Drive to Tulsa, OK (stay with Heather)

April 24th: Drive to Shawnee, OK (stay with Paige)

April 27th: Drive to Birmingham, AL (stay with Meredith)

April 29th: Drive to Atlanta (settle with Teresa)

Though I am excited about coming home, there is still a lot that needs to be done here.  Please pray that God will give me the strength and grace to finish well.  

I love you all and can't wait to see you soon!

kapande

prayer needs:

- please keep my friend Heather in your prayers, due to some complicated health problems she has to have a minor surgery on January 6th and pre-testing today, January 2nd.

- please pray that I will finish well

praises: 

- The time with Sabrina's mom, Susan, went really well.  We got her safely on the plane this last weekend.

- Our trip to Windhoek was wonderful!  We saw 2 movies!  2!!! (Madagascar 2 and Australia for the curious) I always feel like the hick going to the big city when we go... but we enjoyed the conveniences of shopping and great restaurants!

P.S. I have also added some pictures from December when Rundu hosted the 14th Annual Nation Cultural Dance Festival.  It was amazing and I was excited to get so many pictures!  I have only included a few here...

Click here to see faces of Namibia

Click here to see artsy photos of baskets

Merry Christmas! (Although technically it's already over for me...)

So, it's true that I leave more than anyone else you've ever know...
we have firmly established that... So, in keeping with tradition, I
have decided to travel with Daryl and Sabrina to take Sabrina's mom
back to Windhoek so she can fly out. I will be meeting with Mick to
do my initial debriefing since he won't be around in February when I'm
in Windhoek. I will also be getting my windshield replaced so that I
can sell my car in the next few months.

I realized the other night that I can now count in weeks the amount of
time that I have left. It's a little bit scary! I have just read a
book called 'The Art of Coming Home'. It's specifically for people
who have been living abroad and it discusses the issues that people
face upon re-entry into their own culture. The book had some amazing
insights and I hope to be sharing them with you in the next few
weeks. I think that it will help me and it will help you to know a
little of what to expect from me. I have already started composing
the emails in my head, I just have to take the time to sit and get
them down in the computer.

Christmas here was wonderful. Daryl, Sabrina and Susan (Sabrina's
mom) really incorporated me into their family and we had a very
special Christmas celebration over the last two days. A big blessing
was that Daryl found a turkey that we enjoyed on Christmas Eve. It
was my first turkey in 3 years! :-) It tasted amazing! Today we
went for a swim at one of the lodges.... it's odd to be singing
"Dashing through the snow, on a one horse open sleigh..." when you're
in a bathing suit and sweating!

I hope you all had an amazing Christmas as well!
love and hugs,
kimmie

p.s. the intention of writing this was to say that I won't have
internet access while I am in Windhoek... I promise that I will try
to catch up on the whole mess of emails when I return though!