Ever wonder why I call my blogsite "Blossoming Deserts"? Well, here's one classic example. For most of the year the pan at Farm Sandhof is acres of nothing but dirt. It's basically an old dried up flood plain. But during years when we have a great rainy season, like this year, the pan floods with water and up spring these lilies. For 4-5 days it is transformed into a huge field of pink and white blossoms as far as the eye can see. All it takes is a bit of water and these desert flowers, sometimes hiding in their bulbs through years of drought, come bursting to life. It reminds me of the transformative work of Christ when He pours a bit of the water of life on a dried up soul!
Imagine a weekend-long campout with all of your favorite people. That's about the simplest way I can describe a traditional Herero wedding. 😄 On the Friday, everybody started trickling into the bride's village throughout the day. Those on the bride's side set up their tents around the main house. The groom and the groom's guests set up their camps a little distance away. Guests are not allowed to cross over and visit those on the other side, at least not yet.
I had only arrived back in the country at about 2:30 Friday afternoon. I quickly got cleaned up, unpacked and repacked my suitcase, then was out of the house by 5:00 to go pick up my suits and those people I was giving a lift. I had no idea where we were going, so we convoyed up with another car. However, they proceeded to stop at every town along the way, and one guy even stopped to get a haircut at 9:30 at night. 🤦 We finally arrived at the village at 12:30am, but still found most people awake and chilling around the fire. In the bright moonlight, we found a nice tree next to the riverbed where we set up camp.
The first 'event' on Saturday morning was the bride's family bringing us a small cow to feed the groom and his guests. They led it with a rope tied to one of its back legs. Ordinarily I was told they just let it go and we would have to catch it, but this family was very gracious and they just handed over the rope. The guys then held it down and slaughtered it. They had gathered a certain kind of branches on which they laid out the pieces to dry before they were cooked.
Next up, we exchanged some of the meat. The bride's family brought us a rack of ribs, and we sent them back ribs with a shoulder. This is supposed to symbolize how in Genesis 2 the woman was made from a rib of the man.
At this point, all the groomsmen were told to suit up, because we never knew when the bride's family would call for us. A little while later, after they had cooked the meat, they called, so us groomsmen escorted the groom from our camp to the bride's house. We all surrounded the groom and walked very slowly with our heads down from the gate of their yard up to the front door of their house. He went inside alone and they ate the rib together. Afterward, we met him at the front door and escorted him back with the same slow walk.
By now everyone else was starting to put on their fancy wedding attire in preparation for the main event. Naturally, this provided for plenty of photo ops.
The traditional Herero dress for women incorporates both the Victorian influence of the original missionaries as well as their livestock culture. The headdress, called otjikaiva (pronounced oshi-kai-va), is patterned after cow horns. Their dresses are bulked up by many underlayers and a padding on the back side. When wearing the dress they are supposed to walk slowly, with almost a little waddle that mimics how cattle walk.
Meanwhile, the men all wear hats and carry a "stick" (a cane). The groom wears a white scarf underneath his hat to distinguish him from the other men. For the groomsmen, our sticks couldn't touch the ground all weekend.
In the Herero tradition, the bride is shut up in a room in her family's house for days before the wedding. No one actually sees her except her few attendants helping her with food and getting dressed. She even wears a thick veil over her head and she's not supposed to look at or speak with anyone. The main event on Saturday afternoon is the only time she actually comes out. She was entirely surrounded by her 18 bridesmaids. Still covered with her veil, she clung to the back of the lady walking in front of her, so still no one saw much of her. All the women stood in a crescent around the campfire singing exuberantly, while all the men sat in the shade and watched. Led by some elder ladies stomping and singing, the bridal party paraded very slowly around the fire, then returned to the house. The whole process took all of 15 minutes.
Then a few elder ladies from the groom's side came and took a piece of meat from the bride's family's pot. This symbolizes that the families are now together. Only after this are guests from each side allowed to mingle with those in the other camp.
After this, everybody just chills around their campfires, eating, drinking, dancing, smoking, playing games, or whatever they do. Then late at night, around 11pm or so, the groomsmen once again escort the groom to the bride's house. They "sneak" him into the bride's room where the two will spend the night laying fully clothed next to each other in the same bed. An older auntie or grandmother is nearby as a bit of a 'chaperone.' Then before sunrise, around 4am or so, the groomsmen go back and "sneak" him out. I put sneak in quotes because it's part of the pomp and ceremony. Everyone knows it's happening. It's part of the tradition.
Then on Sunday morning "we go get our wife." The Herero culture is more communalistic than individualistic. So the bride's family is giving their daughter to be part of the groom's family. That's why they use the plural, now she is "ours" as in, part of our family.
The whole groom's party parades over to the bride's house in their cars. Most wait outside while a small group of family members escort the groom inside the house where the elders give their last words of advice to the new couple.
As the new couple exits the house together for the first time, still surrounded with their heads down, the wife still covered in her veil against the back of a woman in front of her, now the party ensues. There is exuberant shouting, singing, and dancing as everyone crowds around them on the way back to the cars. The couple gets into the back seat of a nice truck and then we parade, honking our car horns, back to the groom's tent. And now they're married!
Now he will take her back to his family village, but for us the party is over. We pack up camp and head back home hoping to get enough sleep before Monday morning comes way too early. 😂
June-July marks the mid-year winter break for university students in Namibia. It also marks Namibia's prime tourist season. However, the closing of international borders since mid-March due to the Covid pandemic has been devastating to our tourist industry. So joining a few friends for a short tour to the south helped hit two birds with one stone: get some rest and relaxation during our break, and also help support the struggling tourist industry.
Our first stop was the small farming town of Stampriet on the edge of the Kalahari Desert. This town has rich water resevoirs not far under the ground if you can drill through the hard granite. It now provides fresh produce to stores and lodges across the country.
Our next stop was the Quiver Tree Forest and Giant's Playground just outside of Keetmanshoop. I had never visited these sites before and it was well worth the short detour. Apparently, this farm also has a few tame cheetahs(!) but they were MIA during our visit. 😢
Quiver Tree Forest
A dusky sunbird enjoying nectar from quiver tree flowers
Giant's Playground.
It looks like mounds of large boulders stacked on top of each other,
but really small cracks in the rocks have expanded into larger creases
that gives them this unique look.
After that, we continued west to the coastal town of Luderitz, where we visited one of my favorite places in Namibia: Kolmanskop. It is an old, abandoned mining town that has been taken over by the desert. In addition to the solitude, history, and vitage appeal, it is also a photographer's paradise!
On our way back home we passed by the wild desert horses near Aus, and stopped by the Fish River Canyon, the largest canyon in Africa and (by some measurements) second largest in the world.
Everywhere we went we were the only people around. One restaurant had had only one other customer that whole day. For one roadside stall, we were the first customer's they had see in two weeks. Needless to say, they were all very thankful for a few local tourists coming to help support their business. And we were glad to have the entire tourism industry catering just for us.
Wedding bells are in the air! No, not mine. 😉 August has been a big wedding month here with weddings almost every weekend, including 3 seminary students and a couple from my church small group. I love how every culture has their own unique wedding celebrations and traditions. For example, at a village wedding no invitations are needed; everyone is invited. Guests come to the homestead and camp out for a whole weekend. They slaughter some cows or goats to feed everyone. In some traditions the bride has been in hiding for a whole week. In others, the groom has to crawl on hands and knees to get his bride from her family.
Wambo weddings are just 'a bit' louder than a typical Western wedding. When these friends in my church small group got married, after the familiar church ceremony many of the Owambo guests and family broke into some spontaneous traditional songs. Click on the video below to watch a short clip!
At a Herero village wedding the groom's party stays at their own campsite away from the bride's family's house. The weekend is filled with different events like the bridal parade and slaughtering the cow. The final event on the last morning is when the groom's party walks over to the bride's family's house to get "their" wife (They are a more communal culture rather than individualistic, so the bride is becoming part of the family.). They go into the house for some final marriage advice, then emerge with the bride. She remains covered and the couple surrounded while they make their way to the vehicle to return to the groom's camp (along with her wedding gifts and luggage in another truck). Everything is done very slowly with their heads down to mimic cattle. The ladies traditional dresses and headgear are also picturing cattle. Check out some clips in the video below.
Christian weddings not only provide a tangible picture of Christ's love for His people (according to Eph. 5:25-27), but they also provide an opportunity for non-believing friends and family to experience Christian community. For example, guests at a village wedding camp out together, eat together, celebrate together...non-Christians rubbing shoulders with and having late night conversations around the fire with Christians. When outsiders experience loving Christian community it doesn't make sense other than lives transformed by Christ. "By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (Jn 13:35). One of the young adults in my church small group recognized this. When asked how he would apply the Great Commission in his life, he said, "I want unsaved family members to see Christ's love in me and my friends at the weddings I will attend this month."
Around 50% of the population of Namibia inhabit the northern part of the country, making it a strategic location for missions. This area has fewer big cities, but is flooded with small villages. This more 'rural' dynamic, along with the travel time (min. 8hr drive from Windhoek) and language barrier (less people speak English) make it a more difficult setting for visiting missionaries. Yet, when an elder from my church asked to bring two of his teenage grandchildren on a mission trip, this is exactly where we went.
Being welcomed to the village by the youth and children
We partnered together with a NETS alumni who is a local pastor in the small town of Ongha. One of his major tasks since arriving only 1 year ago has been discipling his congregation who are very young in their faith. He is also the pastor for a few 'out stations' [sister churches] around his area. (Think, for example, of an itinerant preacher who would rotate between different churches each week.) So he organized for us to preach at a few different churches and also lead workshops on topics like forgiveness and how to lead a youth ministry. We were also welcomed into the homes of some of the church members to share meals together. The visitors got to try mahangu pap and 'marathon' chicken for the first time ('marathon' because you had to catch it first!). The families' generous hospitality was overwhelming, but a true display of an African welcome into the community and the family.
Teaching on forgiveness at New Jerusalem Church
Walking home with some students after school
Mahangu flour (before) on the left and pap (after) on the right
Catching dinner
Gospel Outreach Bible School
We also worked together with a small Bible school in Ondangwa called Gospel Outreach Bible School. We taught their morning classes for the week going through the book of Jude verse-by-verse and also looking at how Christians today should understand the Old Testament in light of the gospel. We also led a marriage seminar for community couples which was very well attended. One lady responded afterward that she had never heard anything like this before and was very thankful. On our last afternoon we had a joyous celebration together. The students prepared a traditional meal for us, then we played volleyball and another traditional game where one team was trying to fill up a bottle with sand as many times as possible while the other team was trying to throw you out with a tennis ball. Everyone was smiling and laughing and it was good conclusion to our ministry week.
Couples attending a marriage seminar
Teaching Bible school students about the book of Jude
Playing volleyball together
Playing the dodgeball-bottle game
As usual, we also spent our last few days playing tourist, debriefing the trip, and preparing the team to return home. Both of the teens expressed how their experiences in the village altered their perspectives on American life and material possessions and how they really had nothing to complain about. A recurring word used to describe the experience was "recalibrating." Even though I stay here in Namibia, I could say the same. The village life offers a simplicity and relationship-centeredness that helps recalibrate my priorities and values that get quite bent by urban life. How often the West thinks they have so much to teach, but don't realize how much they really have to learn.
Ever since I first saw photos of the ghost town of Kolmanskop it has been atop my bucket list of places to travel in Namibia. As other places have slowly been checked off the list, it has patiently remained. This year our semester calendar worked in such a way that we got two full weeks off for Easter break, so I knew this would be my opportunity.
I packed up the car early and set off on the road south before the sun even peaked up over the eastern horizon. It would be about 8 hours driving time south to Keetmanshoop, then west across the desert to Luderitz. I'd been forewarned that as you approached the coast the wind may have pushed the sand dunes into the middle of the road. And sure enough, though the road stayed clear, I did see plow trucks pushing the encroaching dunes off the railroad tracks. Beyond the sand dunes were the most barren, rocky hills you've ever seen. If you look up 'wasteland' in the dictionary then this is probably where they get the picture. It made me wonder how anyone could live out here. But at long last, the small coastal town of Luderitz peaked its way through the desert hills, my holiday home for the next few days.
Luderitz is a small colorful town painted across the hillsides which empty into the picturesque bay. Sailboats, schooners, and freighters alike are anchored across the small harbor. Its German architecture and names reveal it's abundant history. While it's a quiet town with plenty of nooks and beaches to explore across the peninsula, my main objective wasn't found at the ocean, but about 10km back into the desert.
Kolmanskop is open to visitors from 8-1 each day, but that wasn't enough for me. I wisely purchased the amateur photographer's pass which allowed me access from sunrise to sunset. So once again I was up before the sun to enter the gates as the first morning rays touched the earth.
Kolmanskop is an old mining town which has long since been abandoned and overtaken by the desert. The buildings range from mansions for the wealthy, to workers homes, an old restaurant or saloon, even the old hospital. These buildings are spotted across an eastern hillside which makes morning light invaluable for photographers.
When I arrived I was literally the only person there, the deafening silence of the desert and these creepy old buildings all to myself. I found the early morning light to be best for exterior shots, especially with no one else around. Then I moved inside as the daylight got brighter and the sun arched higher in the sky. I know faded colors, peeling paint, and dune-filled doorways doesn't sound too exciting, but around every corner was another amazing discovery. This place was a photographer's dreamland! Each room had a unique character of it's own. Sometimes the light cast through the open rafters at just the right time to paint some jaw-dropping designs. But I've exhausted the words it would take to explain, so I'll let the pictures tell the story on their own.
As the sun was finally covered by the approaching evening clouds, my feet were sore and my memory card full. The now eerie black windows watched as I turned my back to descend the dunes to my car, the whistling wind again the only sound left on the solitary slope. Like my footprints in the sand which are quickly covered in the wind, what stories were once made in these halls and homes have gone the way of history and left only the deteriorating walls and doorways to tell their tales. In a desert known for its diamonds, I too had stumbled upon an unexpected jewel.
The mid-semester break from school allows for a bit of R&R time and also opportunities to travel and see new things. On a recent trip out of town I met a guy who owns a gyrocopter. He offered to take me up one morning to see a whole different view of Namibia's landscape and wildlife. Being the rainy season, everything was so green! However this also means animals can get water anywhere so the waterholes were basically abandoned. But from our birds eye view we were able to spot a few animals in the bush.
After multiple short-term trips to Namibia, God has called me to return long-term to teach the Bible to the next generation of Namibian pastors and youth workers. Through this blog you can share in my journey and be a part of what God is doing in Namibia. Read more...
Namibia is a country of about 3 million people located along the Atlantic Ocean of south western Africa. It is ranked 5th in the world in HIV/AIDS prevalency, an epidemic that has decimated the working-age population and created a generation of orphans. While 89% of the population claim Christianity, rampant vices like immorality, abuse, and alcoholism reveal that it is religion in title only. The true gospel which frees from the bondage to sin is the only solution. Read more...
