Jubilee

It has been quite a while since my last post in September and this is a good time to create another post.. 

The big news of course is that Eric has turned 50 !  It was a joyful day somewhat tinged with the sadness of being away from family and friends - yet we have been so blessed to have made some truly strong friendships here in Namibia.  After a very peaceful morning we took a drive into Windhoek visited the Malls and enjoyed being together as a family - at 6pm we made our way to the Golden Spur where we were joined by Pastor Carven Izaks and his family and Stanley Beukes and his family.    The food was; good the fellowship even better.  Of course Eric was ambushed by the some of the staff of the Spur - they came over to the table, painted his face with chocolate syrup and then proceeded to sing a unique version of Happy Birthday.  Joshua and Sydney were tickled pink as they saw their dad being 'made fun of' in this way..

On Sunday morning there was a special tea at the church for Eric, but before the tea, some of the folk took the time to convey in words how they felt about Eric and expressed their appreciation of him.  It was a very special time and the fellowship after the service was very special and meaningful.

As far as gifts go, this was a really special birthday - Some of the gifts received included:  

> A set of Sony Car radio speakers

> A pair of Asics Running Sneakers

> A Samsung Computer Ntebook

> Pen Set

> A Basketball

The greatest gift of all was Being . LOVED & APPRECIATED!   You cannot put a dollar value on that.

How Cool is That ??

Hi Everybody, this is Johsua Eric Garnie.. I am in Oranjemund with my mum and dad, it's Thursday morning and we are taking a walk about town.. The point of this post is that my folks have spoiled me and bought me some cool sunglasses..Now How Cool is that?  By the way I think I look pretty cool too..  What do you say?

We went to Spar to buy a few things and I was so surprised at the notice in the shop.. This Oranjemund place is quite unique.. Check out the sign they have as you enter Spar..

So what do you think - NO Gemsboks !! It's no joke, the Gemsboks walk around the town like it's their playground, and amazingly everybody leaves them alone and I heard that if you shoot one - you go straight to jail, do not pass GO and definitely do not collect $ 100 !!

As you can see I am having a blast in Oranjemund and will be sad when I have to leave on Monday and go back to Okahandja..  Hope my dad let's me make another post before we leave..

Ha Ha Ha !!

On the Road Again

Last week Friday we travelled to the coastal town of Swakopmund for the weekend.  A very special friend has booked a house in Swakop and made it available to us.  We enjoyed the weekend and had a good time of rest and refreshment..

The House in Swakop.

It was cold on Saturday morning, but this did not keep us from going to the beach for about an hour or so. Of course there was no swimming but once again we simply enjoyed the awesome beauty of the ocean.

Off to Walvis Bay in the afternoon to visit some family.. We spent the afternoon with Andre and Fenella Matulich and the daughter Nadia.  On arrival the first order of business was to repair a leaking tap and then get down to the business of catching up with one another.  The braai was 'off the hook' and the vegetable chillies that Fenella gave us, simply hit the spot.. We were having a really great time and finally decided it was time to travel back to Swakop..

Sunday and the sun emerged to greet us and give us a spectacular day.  Still a bit cool, but really bright and beautiful..  Off to the beach we go and this time the kids played and splashed in the water as we again simply revelled in the majesty and power of God's creation..  We played in the sand and buried the kids legs etc.

Sydney and Joshua on the Dunes - Before the Dive.

Oh by the way I forgot to mention that on the way down to Walvis Bay (Saturday afternoon) we stopped at the side of the road so that the children would climb the dunes. It was good fun (tiring for dad who had to carry Joshua up to the top). After playing at the top for some time, we headed back down and Joshua decided to run after Sydney.  The next moment we witnessed Joshua dive into the sand and when I looked I his face in the sand and his feet up in the air.. I dashed down to pick him up and got him to spit all the sand out of his mouth..  Needless to say, Sydney found this to be very amusing, much to the consternation of her brother who saw nothing amusing with falling face first into the sand..

Now one week later we are on the road again.. I have been invited to preach and teach at the Full Gospel Church in the coastal town of Oranjemund..  The first leg of the trip was from Okahandja to Keetmanshoop.. This has been completed safely and although we are a bit tired we will have a good night's rest at the Pastoral Centre in Keetmanshoop..

Joshua has just fallen asleep and Sydney will be asleep soon - Faye is resting and Larnelle is blow drying her hair..  We are very thankful for the car which God has blessed us with- it ran well and although the air con needs to be repaired, we nonetheless had a pleasant trip -

Faye and Eric..

Tomorrow we head for the diamond town- Oranjemund- and a week of exciting ministry.  It will also give our family a week to spend together in a different town, it's school holidays and so this is almost like a vacation.
God is really good and we treasure these times to serve Him and to be refreshed in Him as we serve.

It's Winter Time

I am sitting in my living room as I make this post.  Sydney and Joshua are playing together, Sydney is the school teacher and Joshua the student..

Last night we took our youth group - THE VICTORY CHAMPS into Windhoek (70kms one way) to be part of a youth fellowship night.  The ministry team - Latreou- performed dance and drama to communicate the message of total commitment to Christ and the youth Pastor brought a message encouraging the young people to come to Christ and to really get to know who they are in Him.

On the way home, Joshua decided he wanted to sit on my lap and drive the Kombi.. I put him on my lap and after about 15 mins I noticed he was silent- yep he had fallen asleep.. We arrived home at about 10:30pm and man was it cold..

Today I will be attending a funeral service for an infant who died after succumbing to a rather virulent viral infection.  The dad and mum are believers and whilst they are strong in the knowledge that their son is in the presence of the Lord their hearts are still broken and their grief very deep.  I have seen how other believers have rallied to their support and it has made me once again see the value and joy of being part of the body of Christ.

Every two or three months I get together with some folk here in Okahandja and host a praise and worship concert.. this afternoon we have a scheduled practice for the next concert on the 10th July..  This time we are hosting the concert in the nearby high density area called Nau Aib..

Each morning as I take the children to school, Sydney and Joshua have a fun time looking at their breath as it condenses in the cold morning air.. Yes it is Winter time and this year it has been much colder than in previous years.. I usually revel in the cold weather, but this year I have had a few days of really feeling the cold and looking forward to summer.. maybe it is also old age ??

Five Rand Youth Centre Construction

This past week has been very different for me (Eric), as I have spent the Lion's share of each day in Five Rand, the informal settlement on the outskirts of Okahandja working on construction of our Youth Centre..  Thankfully the work went well, although it did require quite a bit of running around to get supplies and materials..

A view of the front entrance of the youth centre.  One of our young men is in the process of demarcating a parking bay..









Two of the young men casting the concrete floor for the main hall.. It is in this main hall that many of our large group activities will take place.. We plan to have Bible studies, Leadership seminars and workshops, movie nights, youth club meetings etc..

Our building contracter  in the process of making the septic tank.. This one is just over two metre deep and about two metres wide.  Thankfully the continuing rain has afforded us with much cooler temperatures than normally experienced and this makes working in such a place less uncomfortable..





With our current progress we should hopefully have the centre completed by the middle of April and can commence some of our activities.  Faye is looking forward to the centre opening as it means she can meet with her ladies for knitting classes in the confines of the building and out of the dust and wind..

This month I am teaching on Family and have sensed quite an expectancy and enthusiasm amongst the congregation.. We often see dysfuntional and fractured families and people are asking the question: "Is it possible to have a healthy family?"   What is a normal family ?

Rain Rain Rain

It has been raining almost continually for the past three weeks or more, and the once dry landscape has turned into this amazing green 'garden'.   With all the rain, the rivers have been flowing and a couple of Sundays ago we decided to take a drive out to the Swakop River for a picnic lunch.  We had such a blast that we were out at the river again the following Sunday..

The most enjoyable part of the visits to the river is watching Larnelle, Sydney and Joshua playing in the water and having such a blast.. Larnelle gets to be BIG sister and has to keep an eye on Joshua... Well he thinks he's big now and that he can do anything he sees others doing..

A wonderful benefit of the rainy weather is the fact that the temperatures have cooled significantly - yes it is still warm but not the unrelenting and merciless heat for which Okahandja is so well known.. At night we are able to get some sleep and even have to use a light quilt.

I have been particularly glad for the cooler weather as it meant I was able to play tennis and really enjoy the game.. I play about once or twice a week and am able to hold my own on the court.. sadly I do not get much opportunity to play basketball..

Faye and I have been rather busy and she in particular as she spent much time in getting the paperwork ready for our auditors.. Man am I glad I don't have to do that kind of stuff.....

We are very well and enjoying the work God has placed before us.. The church is growing and we are now considering introducing a second service.. The children's church has also grown and Faye is actively looking for those she can train up to teach children.  I too have my hands full with bringing an effective and workable structure into the life of the church..

Work on the youth Centre in Five Rand (informal settlement) is just about completed and we are now in the exciting and necessary phase of fine tuning our plans for actually using the facility.  My role promises to be very challenging and quite comprehensive.  If ever I needed to know the closeness of the Lord and the Holy Spirit it is now..  God is at work and I want to remain sensitive to where He is at work so that I may join Him and be effective for Christ..