"Hurry Up and Wait"

We had to wait several days in the border town of Katima Mulilo, Namibia, while paperwork was processed. We five cousins camped in Namwi Island Campground while Uncle Piet, Tanni Hester and Kone stayed with a friend just outside the campground. Here is a picture of the Zambezi River at dusk.

 Sunday morning we sat on the riverbank to read our Bibles...

 and to watch the wildlife!

 This picture is zoomed in on a couple of "fish eagles".

 A smaller species of African bird.

 This is the view we had for several days. The next couple pictures: relaxing after we set up camp, and breakfast Sunday morning.

 We all gathered by the river to worship on Sunday morning.

 We carried our chairs to our friend's place for meals, which Tanni Hester cooked. We all took turns  pitching in to help.

 Here's proof! The boys did their share too. :)

 We did laundry one day while we were camping.

 On Wednesday as we were finishing lunch, Uncle Piet received a text that the paperwork was ready and we needed to get to the border post as soon as possible. What a flurry of tearing down our campsite and packing everything up! We got to the border post about four, and we barely got through by six!

After clearing the border, one vehicle stopped to refill the drinking water tank. It was already getting dark, and we had a couple hours yet to go.

 We drove back a dirt (or rather, sand) road to deliver some Bibles to a mission station, only to discover that there was still water across a low place from the flooding of the river. Samuel hopped in one of the canoes sitting there and paddled out to see how deep the water was. It was not very deep, and there was gravel on the bottom, so the men unhitched the trailer and took the truck through. They discovered that the missionaries were not at home, so they had to bring the Bibles back. Uncle Piet had to back through the water in order to hitch up the trailer. But in trying to turn around, he got stuck. The boys had to unhitch the trailer and push the truck out of the mud, then pull the trailer out.

 The next morning, we commissioned Kone to take a picture of us. This is the first picture he took.

 This is what we wanted him to get: the five of us in front of the Zambezi River. I may try to update some of these posts if I get time!

Senanga and Mongu

Bible distribution began in earnest in the town of Senanga. This is a three-wheeled taxi.

Prospective customers

My cousin Candace made a sign to put on the front of our table by writing on a piece of cardboard with a marker.

A familiar ox cart.

I worked with Candace, Nathaniel, Samuel and Kone the first morning. Kone is advertising in this picture!

Some folks carrying reed mats on their heads. These ladies had long pieces of fabric wrapped around them like a skirt, which is common.

While in Senanga, we stayed in this little house, made available from Pastor Enoch, whose church we ministered in the Sunday we were there. This is the only picture I have of inside the house, while we were packing to move to our next location.

When we arrived in Mongu, the boys set up tents. The accommodations proved to be less than desirable, forcing Oom Piet to find other quarters. Fortunately, he found rooms at a Catholic Youth Centre, which were actually pretty nice considering how low of a price we paid to stay there. At least we had running water!

Some shops along the main road in Mongu.

Getting ready to leave for the market one morning.

A marimba made with gourds.

In Mongu, we were only allowed one table. Here is our table and all of my cousins that came on the trip. It was lunchtime, and Samuel (on the far left) was trying some cassava root. I never tried any, but the cousins who did try it said it tasted like something between a raw potato and a coconut!

A mother with her baby on her back.

This is the only top hat we have ever seen in Africa!

The scene down from our table.

Sometimes we would go around to the shops and markets and try to sell Bibles.

Sometimes people would stop us and ask about Bibles.

Rice spread on a tarp.

Some interested folks in the market.

This market was very squalid and dirty. 

There was quite a bit of interest, but no customers.

These ladies had rice for sale.

Women gathered around a three-wheeled taxi.

Many ladies had umbrellas up to help shade them from the hot sun. They sold anything from papayas to bananas to tomatoes.

Vendors with their wares.

This is the perfect shopping center! At least whoever named it seems to think so.

Kone jokingly called this the "Zambezi River".

As we left Mongu, we passed these ladies carrying loads on their heads, a common mode of carrying things in Africa.

At this spot, a bunch of children were hanging out.

A grass hut.

Sioma Bridge and Livingstone

On our way to Livingstone, we stopped to fill our drinking water tanks from a well. The boys let me take a turn at pumping!

Kone being very gentlemanly and bowing as he pumped water.

That night, we stayed with missionaries near Sioma. We spent a few minutes on the bank of the Zambezi river.

We young people decided to take a little walk and go over the Sioma bridge, which had been built only a few years ago. This view is from the bridge.

I snapped this picture of a bird on the bridge railing.

The view on the other side of the bridge, when we were about in the middle.

We found our way down underneath the bridge and climbed around on the rocks. 

On the way back, we saw the sunset. My camera doesn't take the best sunset pictures, but this is what I got!

I don't think anyone took pictures of where we stayed. We girls and the Marais's got the two cute chalets to stay in, and the boys slept in some tents that were already there. The missionaries have a lot of guests come through, so they have extra lodging for people just like us! In the morning, I saw these long-legged birds in the sand.

Then we made the trip to Livingstone! This picture doesn't do the potholes justice! We had to crawl along at about twenty miles an hour to keep from damaging the vehicles. It took us six hours to travel a distance that could have been traveled in two hours if the road had been good.

The first day we set up in Livingstone, I watched two people buying chickens right in front of our table! The chickens are inside a rope cage on the back of a bicycle. The chicken's feet are tied and the person who bought it will carry the chicken by its wings until butchering time. 

Some prospective customers.

More curious passers-by.

We set up in front of the entrance to a market. These big wheelbarrows are used to transport merchandise such as...

coal! You can see in the picture the long bags full of charcoal for burning. Just past that is a whole row of wheelbarrows.

A couple nights we made fruit salad. This is a guava that we cut up to put in.

The boys strung a clothesline. Samuel is in the tree, and Nathaniel and Ezra are helping to pull the rope taut.

In Africa, you use what's handy! Ezra ties the end of the rope while Nathaniel keeps it taut.

One night, we had "biscuits and gravy" for supper. Candace made gravy using ground beef, and we used some small rolls instead of biscuits. It actually turned out to be pretty good!