Rundu, NamibiaMonday, July 5, 2010
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Trip Across Africa DAY #8
We spent the night at Zambezi River Lodge [in Katima Mulilo]. Then we left, passing by signs that said to be aware of elephants crossing the road. The road was paved all the way to where we were staying. At the bar, we tried a traditional drink [a sweet juice made of hibiscus flower].
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Jordan Young
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Namibia is beautiful. We woke up and packed the car. We went to a town called, “Rundu,” and found a place to stay and found a room; room two, and took a walk on the beach. We drank tribal juice. We went to our room and watched T.V.
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Justine Young
Namibia is beautiful. We woke up and packed the car. We went to a town called, “Rundu,” and found a place to stay and found a room; room two, and took a walk on the beach. We drank tribal juice. We went to our room and watched T.V.
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Justine Young
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We are staying at a place called the Tambuti Lodge right on the Okavango River. Rundu is more of a break in our travel to the Etosha National Park, which we will arrive at, Lord willing, tomorrow afternoon.
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Our trip here was down the northern handle of Namibia, the Caprivi Strip, which wars have been fought over with Angola in the past. Of course, the scenery has been changing. There are trees sporadically dotting the scenery with dry grass and desert sands. The people look different as well. Their skin is much lighter. There are many different tribes and languages we have passed through in our journey across Africa, and it has been a lot of fun learning how to speak a few words of their different languages.
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One thing we have seen here in Namibia, and in Zambia, is that there are many churches, which is quite different than where we are missionaries in Mozambique with the Yao people. Yet as we talked to some of the people here at the lodge we are staying at in Rundu, we have been told that the churches here are corrupt and mix witchcraft with Christianity. In fact, it is a very violent place here in Rundu, mixed with poverty and alcoholism, where young children walking alone disappear from the streets by locals who abduct them and use them in their witchcraft practices. We were told that some of the crocodiles are actually witches who have morphed. This might seem shocking, but this is normal for Africa. If we would have heard this as an isolated case as newer missionaries, we would have perhaps wrote it off as fiction. But this stuff is real.
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When we asked the workers here at the hotel (who are believers by the way) how the spiritual atmosphere can change, and how the violence and witchcraft can stop. They mentioned that it would be good if a valid church group or organization could start youth programs, perhaps with sports, to get the youth off the streets and into a positive environment. We told them that we would pray for this. We welcome you to pray for this as well, for the town of Rundu, Namibia. Wouldn’t it be awesome if by this time next year, there was such a program here, because of our prayers? Our prayers, when coupled with faith, are powerful and able to change the course of history.
.
We are staying at a place called the Tambuti Lodge right on the Okavango River. Rundu is more of a break in our travel to the Etosha National Park, which we will arrive at, Lord willing, tomorrow afternoon.
.
Our trip here was down the northern handle of Namibia, the Caprivi Strip, which wars have been fought over with Angola in the past. Of course, the scenery has been changing. There are trees sporadically dotting the scenery with dry grass and desert sands. The people look different as well. Their skin is much lighter. There are many different tribes and languages we have passed through in our journey across Africa, and it has been a lot of fun learning how to speak a few words of their different languages.
.
One thing we have seen here in Namibia, and in Zambia, is that there are many churches, which is quite different than where we are missionaries in Mozambique with the Yao people. Yet as we talked to some of the people here at the lodge we are staying at in Rundu, we have been told that the churches here are corrupt and mix witchcraft with Christianity. In fact, it is a very violent place here in Rundu, mixed with poverty and alcoholism, where young children walking alone disappear from the streets by locals who abduct them and use them in their witchcraft practices. We were told that some of the crocodiles are actually witches who have morphed. This might seem shocking, but this is normal for Africa. If we would have heard this as an isolated case as newer missionaries, we would have perhaps wrote it off as fiction. But this stuff is real.
.
When we asked the workers here at the hotel (who are believers by the way) how the spiritual atmosphere can change, and how the violence and witchcraft can stop. They mentioned that it would be good if a valid church group or organization could start youth programs, perhaps with sports, to get the youth off the streets and into a positive environment. We told them that we would pray for this. We welcome you to pray for this as well, for the town of Rundu, Namibia. Wouldn’t it be awesome if by this time next year, there was such a program here, because of our prayers? Our prayers, when coupled with faith, are powerful and able to change the course of history.
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Christian Young
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