New York – blows you away! (11– 18 Aug) Charlie

So much has been said about the Big Apple. Not only from my other family members, but by the rest of the world. Always when I hear about a movie, money or business, I think of New York. I wonder how many movies are shot in New York? Everything about it just shouts out size and speed. The first thing I realized when we drove in the taxi from the airport to our South Orange New Jersey house, was the haste in all the people's eyes and body language. Everywhere In NYC it seems as if everyone is always late and has got something better to do. Even in Central Park, where the idea is to relax and find a haven in all the chaos, there are New Yorkers running and racing, not jogging or cycling! A 40 hour day would not be enough for a New Yorker!

For us, New York was an experience of overwhelming pace and size but it was also an experience of soulful calmness and grace. Our whole Trip dictates that the times when we were not the ones leading and knowing, were the times that God lead us to truthful joy.

When we were still at the mountain cabin in Georgia, we had a big meeting about the coming weeks. We unfortunately still had a lot of places where we did not have accommodation, so this meeting was to fill in some gaps. By the grace of God, we could fill a lot of these gaps. One on the other hand, still eluded us, New York. We decided to book a hotel with a cheap rate for early booking. After that day, a few weeks went by and while we were still in Chicago we got a mail sent by Patty Brown-Christenson. After reading the mail, we were once again astonished by God's love and grace. She gave us her house for that week. A beautiful, huge, amazing house! We immediately rejoiced and thanked God. After that we made work of it to quickly try and cancel our other hotel. Only by grace that they were full- we could cancel the un-cancelable booking!

So we were on the plane headed towards a beautiful New Jersey house close to NYC. I knew we were headed to New York when we got in a mid air traffic jam! We finally landed and got to the house without too much hassle… The house was even better than on the pictures and we knew that we were in for a great five days. Immediately we decided to stay there the whole time and just go in to NYC when we have to go to another, closer hotel.

The time at the house was fruitful and relaxing. We enjoyed every element of the blessing. From the huge T.V. all the way to the lovely pool. Me and Tinus also made use of their weight room (gym). It's weird, but I love exercising, especially doing weights and this was just perfect. It was also nice to have my own room. It was lovely to have a bit of solitude when trying to work, because when in a small apartment, finding solitude can be quite a challenge. It was lovely to be able to see the big city lights at night, but also be able to see the stars. This house was a perfect blessing to us and I want to thank God and the BC's for being such lovely, loving neighbors. Now I know what " love your neighbor", truly means – even love your neighbors 10 000 km away!!

The Sunday while we were still at the BC house, we headed toward another church picked out by Dawie Sr. We took an interesting drive to the Brooklyn Tabernacle Church . As always, we were blessed by the beauty of God's love and faithfulness. The Grammy award winning choir was one of my many church highlights.

It was sad when we had to leave the house. Not only because of the great house, but also because of the beautiful people we were privileged to meet. I want to thank them as well for treating us like family. From the other blogs you can see that they were truly blessings to us. We were headed back to a small hotel room, but we took with us the excitement of seeing NYC in the morning.

The next day, we became part of the ever running and busy New York city. We took a train to Penn station from the Brick church station near our hotel. From there we took the (classic) New York Subway! All the way down to the harbor. The plan was to walk from Lady Liberty to Time Square. I took in the immense size, speed and grace of the city. After the lovely Liberty, I began to see the story of a city that was more than money and power. I saw it as a refuge of love, taking in fledglings from afar. During the boat trip we glanced a look at a few memorable islands, Wall street and the Brooklyn bridge. After the Liberty boat trip we knew a bit more of the city. We then decided to take on our long walk to Time square, taking Broadway all the way. We passed a few hundred stands selling I love NY t- shirts before reaching Broadway.

From the moment we first set foot in Broadway, we began to see the real picture of NYC. The walk up Broadway from Lady Liberty to Time Square was one full of joyful, heart-ripping and mouth-dropping sights.

We past Wall street and the Trinity Church. It was beautiful to see the center of the Financial world topped off with a picturesque church. It just tattooed the fact in my mind that God is in money as well and does not want His children to fall short. We kept on walking and experiencing the very essence of the city. It was beautiful to see all facets of human difference gelling together in perfect harmony. For example: There were people literally of all races, people of all classes and people of all religions. There is truly something beautiful in all of us, for the One who made us is truly perfect and lovely.

The sight we saw next was one that took our breath away. Not because of beauty, size or architectural brilliance, but because of grave tragedy… The piece of land once occupied by the World trade center was definitely the biggest shock to my system in a long time. It's definitely the biggest impact "nothing" ever had on me. I walked around the large piece of land and couldn't even imagine the splendor of the buildings or the horror of 9/11 itself. As it was 9/11 2009 a few days ago, I want to extend my deepest apologies to all whom lost something or someone. I also want to encourage everyone to see 9/11 as a learning curve for all of us. Life will knock us down sometimes and it is okay to fall, but character is seen in those who dare to stand up and complete the race!

After the learning walk of 9/11 we continued with our mission. We walked past a few lovely, small parks and a few interesting buildings. The Empire state and Chrysler building being two obvious favorites, but not my favorite. My favorite building in NYC was the Flatiron building.

It wasn't the largest or the most spectacular, but it was flat and simple. It looked like a Mac book Air from the side and like a triangular prism from the front. What also makes it nice, is that it is built on a fork in the road. It just uses the very little triangular space the fork has created, making most of what it has.

As we came nearer to our destination, the sun had almost dove behind the horizon. It grew darker very quickly and we were soon headed toward a shining beacon of light! Just before we arrived, we decided to have a light NYC dinner. We purchased a few hot dogs from a hot dog stand and a few slices pizza from a pizza restaurant. We sat outside on a few chairs in the middle of the road. The meal was wonderful and a great preparation for what was to come. The moment I first set foot in Time Square, I was astonished. All the lights and signs was truly spectacular. I think I stood standing there, standing still, mouth open, for about five minutes before I blinked!

The night air that mingled with all the lights and people created a wonderful, exciting and soothing atmosphere. What was also memorable was the Toys R Us experience. Being the biggest in the world, it was admirable. It put the toys in Toys R Us.

From there, a day ended in glorious style, we took the train back to our hotel again.

The next day was the day we left America. We all had mixed feelings, but most of us felt like we used every second we had in the US well. WE ended our NYC and USA experience with Central park. Truly a haven in all the chaos

At the end, I see a beautiful miracle and lesson that this big city opened up in us. As an African, New York seemed like a fabled place. A place where hard work and a keen mind to make money is king. At the end, I saw a city that has power and prestige in earthly terms, but I also saw a wounded giant that lost a lot through tragedy. This wounded giant though is busy standing up and working together to rebuild a better future. What happens in life is sometimes hard, very painful, but God lets everything work out for the good for those who loves Him. He is always there, calling, waiting for us to make Him our number one!

I also want to thank America and the Americans that made our time memorable!

Chicago, Chicago (21 Jul – 6 Aug)Charlie

A lot has been said about this memorable stop on our world tour and although all stops were definitely memorable, this one was especially special. Although I am currently in the south of France and still behind on a lot of blogs I still deem it necessary to elaborate on my own experiences and feelings about the windy city. I am sure that at the end of this tour, we will be able to recall a lot of special things from our memory, but I know that as soon as we start thinking the first memories that jumps impulsively into our heads will be that of Chicago.

As you know already from my mother's blogs, the first week after landing at the Chicago's O'Hare airport was one of adventure and discovery. It was, by the grace of God, one of the very few times we had nothing planned in terms of where we will stay or in what we will stay! We were left to challenge the void of imagination and adventure in our thoughts. The only problem at the beginning of these few days was that everyone started to think for a change. Usually we plan the basic things beforehand and then during our time there the tour co-ordinator, my mother, would make suggestions as to what she felt had to be done. In these few days on the other hand, we didn't even have the basic stuff planned… Luckily we booked one thing ahead of time which was the car. That helped us more than you could ever imagine. You see, if you have wheels, your horizon of possibilities becomes broader by the second. In retrospect I think it was a good thing but at that time I wasn't sure if more possibilities was making things easier or more difficult.

So it all began… We climbed in our newly rented Cadillac and hit the road with absolutely no idea of where we were off to. We impulsively just decided to stay on the I- 90 E and see where that leads us. It took us past the city, past all Chicago's beautiful skyscrapers and finally out of Illinois. Then we were a bit unsure of what to do next, because as soon as we brought the inevitable question to the table a kaleidoscope of different views and ideas flushed through the car. Where were we headed? That question still remains a companion to me, not only in the practical sense of where to travel but in life as to where we will take our own life, where will we steer our own ship? After a lot of arguing, we decided to take it further in a stationary position, off of the interstate. The big problems was different paradigms, predictions and thoughts as at what this will consist of. A few of us felt that this was always going to be a road trip. Where we would put many American miles under our belts. Others felt like making it a more personal journey through the country, experiencing everything a single place has to offer, progressing slowly. At the end we came to the conclusion that everyone imagined these few days differently and that we needed to do more research about the area. Thus we headed to the Indiana Visitor's Centre.

Unfortunately it was already closed. We saw this as a decision being made for us. That night we would spend close to the Visitor's centre. The next morning we spent another two hours to decide where to go and in all the confusion I think we all saw the light. Simultaneously we decided to make it the best of both worlds. We were going to give attentive detail to the country but also put a few miles between us and Chicago. Thus it worked out perfectly in the end. We never got tired of driving and we got to see a variety of people and places. You might wander as to what gave us the necessary insight and wisdom. It was after we prayed and began to make sacrifices on our own terms and began to think of the other people in the family that we could come to a conclusion. This was a special few days for me, not only because of the beautiful places we could see, but because of the insight on the way I would steer my life's direction, in the wake of God's leadership!

After the week of adventure, unfortunate confrontation and reconsolidating freedom we headed back towards Chicago. From the beginning, Chicago had been on our list of places we had to visit because of the Willow creek Community Church. So when we thought about the few days without agenda beforehand, we came to one agreement. We had to be back on the Sunday to go to the Willow service. Thus, when heading towards Chicago, after these few days, we stopped by Willow on our way there. It was then that we got another taste of a beautiful, working church in the will of God. Thinking back now, I can only thank and praise God for leading us to so many inspirational churches. There is truly nothing like the local church when it is functioning according to the will of God. Not only did the worship capture the individuals Spirit in the essence of God, but the sermon captivated the soul, enlightening God's greatness. We got to listen to David Nasser. I will elaborate more on his service next time. After this first enriching service at Willow we headed to our new house which would become our home away from home for the next 10 days.

This apartment was in the heart and soul of a beautiful part of the city. Certainly not the most wealthy part, but one of the most enjoyable parts. Yes, our new apartment was in Lincoln park. Not in down town but a bit to the north west. Still, it was near enough to jog to downtown and to see the John Hancock side of the skyline from the lake side. It was situated about 2,5 km from the great lake. Thus setting up a beautiful opportunity for jogging to and next to the lake. It is so beautiful in day and night that jogging really becomes a dream. It appeared as the destination where it would be perfect to get a few running miles behind our backs and as it appeared, it was.

We got up early some mornings and ran our hearts out. Other days we would take an afternoon run. This for me was the most special. Not because of the beautiful colors in the sky, but because of all the people that joined us in exercise. All around us, there appeared locals with roller blades, bikes and the ever trustworthy running shoe. Chicago is certainly a calorie burning machine! There are people who says that the location isn't that important when you run - I was one of those. When I first ran in Chicago my views changed. Running certainly is a breeze there! Although the breeze may be in my face, I still enjoedy it because of all the beauty and because of all the people doing it with you. I could also learn from this that when there are others doing something with you, it is easier, although they even might be headed in the other direction.

More about our apartment. The whole apartment was in an old, small Chicago house basement. It was a bit of a downsizing from the Atlanta house and mountain cabin, but it still was a lot more worth than a hotel room. We spend those ten days mostly in our small apartment. It was a fruitful week for work, but also an eye-opener to what city culture and diversity could be like. During our few afternoons and days off, we did a few memorable Chicago city ventures including the Willis Tower Sky Deck, Lincoln Park zoo, Millennium Park, Navy pier and the Museum of Science and Industry.

The Sky Deck was an experience that left me feeling above the clouds – literally! Beforehand, being a Namibian, I felt a strange sense of awe and admiration as well as a bit of fear staring at the humongous structure. Before even going up I could understand that the Lord truly wants us to reach our full potential for the age we live in. When climbing in the elevator I felt a bit unsure… This feeling was futile though, because the elevator started to move. We went up, and up and up, surpassing other structural landmarks on the way. When we rose above the Eifel with 20 floors to go, a new feeling entered my thoughts, excitement! After my ears popped a few times we got to the 103 floor… I stepped out and saw the beauty of a skyline I've seen before, only this time it was from above! Everything was breathtaking! The lake in the east, the sunset in the west, everything! When we got down I felt an aspiration to reach my full potential and let God take me to new heights in my life!

Lincoln Park zoo was on the list only because it is for free, one of very few zoos in the world that are still free. Summarizing that experience, I did feel a bit sorry for the creatures in captivity because my own spirit is free, but I saw it as an opportunity for people who do not have the privilege to go to the wild, to see these animals there! Millennium Park is coupled not only with beauty in sight but in hearing as well. We went to the park to see a full orchestra performance. It was my first an definitely not my last. It was beautiful, even though I do not have an expert's ear for music. It will bring out the classical side in Rambo!

The Navy pier, also synonymous to Chicago, was an experience of cultural hospitality and restful pleasure. When you walk on to the navy pier, you not only walk and see the skyline but you drift through all the cheerful laughter and restaurant smells. All around there are tourists busy buying tickets for a boat ride or standing in the line to buy a Bud light. The locals could be found on the bicycle / jogging / skating trail and in one of the many restaurants each with a unique and special atmosphere. We, on the other hand, could not be found on a boat trip, in a restaurant or in a line to buy beer. We had the lovely privilege of attending Aladdin, the musical, at the Shakespeare theater at the Navy pier. After that joyous, funny and intriguing experience, we enjoyed the essence of pleasant atmosphere and cheerful conversing by walking around the pier.

Another experience of a life time and a must do when visiting Chicago is a visit to the Museum of Science and Industry. Me and my two "engineer to be" brothers were the lucky ones selected to go. There were a lot of very interesting things, but I want to only name a few. We couldn't nearly get to everything it had to offer. I think that a annual pass wouldn't even be enough! Immediately when you enter, you are astonished by the mere size of the place, not even knowing of the beauties there are to follow. The highlight of the place was definitely the German WWII U-boat that was captured by the Americans during the war. It was a testament as to what man is capable of and how beautifully God has made us. Unfortunately it is also a symbol of how atrocious war is and how we should all keep striving for peace. I mean, you know something is bad, when the enemy that is captured is glad because they are freed from the clutches of war. Another highlight was the model train track from Chicago To Seattle occupying a whole hall. The detail and the story around it was astonishing. There was so much more we learned and enjoyed, but I do not have that much time to spend on blogging!

Before moving away from Lincoln Park, Tinus and I decided that Chicago is definitely the best place to attempt your first half-marathon. So, two nights before we moved closer to Willow, we decided to do it! We set off at about seven o'clock, planning to run in the dark on the way back to experience the skyline from all angles in all its lit up glory. The first 6 km were a breeze! Beautiful scenery and ABBA ringing in my ears, life seemed right. It was after 8 km that I started to feel a bit of pain in my leg, but I was still okay. The scenery of the sky line and lake kept changing and held remarkable beauty. When we turned at the half way mark it was completely different again. The Skyline now gave its own light and gave a totally new running inspiration! After 15km everything started to cramp up. I had pain in my legs in places I didn't know existed ! We kept on going despite the pain and finally reached the finish line. It was a big achievement! Although everything was sore for the next week, I felt great!

I hope You understand a bit more of the beauty of Chicago now and feel part of the city. In my next blog I will elaborate on the last week in Chicago, which is all about the Leadership summit!

Totally Random, humbling and funny (15 July 2009) Charlie

Wow! We are still having a great time in the North Georgian mountains. Atlanta has also been amazing. With a lot of fun filled experiences and heaps of joy. You will be seeing an Atlanta Issue by Charlie soon, but today I felt like telling you a story. You might have heard something about it in the precious blogs but this version is from the mouth of the humiliated party.

Life is an amazing, tough, learning experience. We learn from others, from our own mistakes and from things that randomly happen to us for a reason. That last sentence might have sounded weird but please stick with me here.

I want to take you way back to Phuket in Thailand.

And no, this is not going to be another story about my dad's Finger again. I have another story entirely. It was something that happened to me because of my own ignorance in part but also because of God's humor and love!

It all started in Germany... We were at a value store one day and we saw interesting specials that attracted our eyes. We were interested not only by some nice products but also by the price tag, only 1€. I think it was the first time we ever saw something in Europe for only 1€. We just had to buy something. My mother was thinking in the line of socks, again... But I had a different idea. I knew I would be going home in a months time so I made the proposition of buying a moisturizing lotion for my face. So that it can be smooth, you know... There are a few reasons why it has to be smooth but I like to go with this one: "My mother likes a boy with a nice and smooth face"! So after my heavy convincing ,my mother agreed, except for one important detail. I wanted the rose scented lotion but my mother thought it to be Unmanly. So I ran back into the store and without even thinking I grabbed the aloe scented one, more manly I presumed. The interesting thing about these bottles of lotion were that everything on it was in German. It didn't bother me though because I was confident in my mother's grade 8 German classes and she inspected the rose scented one and confirmed that it was body lotion. The only problem though is that I took another bottle...

We left that shop with a sense of accomplishment having bought something in Europe for 1€. We flew to Singapore and immediately to Phuket. Totally overwhelmed by the heat and beauty we drank everything in. Meanwhile I very diligently used my German lotion. In my mind my skin got smoother each day. The days went on, a few interesting things happened, my dad lost the top of his left index finger but you know that story allready. The one day I came home from the beach with a mild sun burn. Not really out of the ordinary, considering we were in Phuket, practically on the equator. One of us had to get sun burn one or other time. I wasn't afraid of a little sunburn, especially 'cause I have a nice German lotion to put on.

The days went on and to my surprise my face got redder instead of going back to normal, so I applied more of my lotion... As the days kept flowing by, this little sunburn worked itself into my neck. It began to get more uncomfortable each day. Not only did the ocean salt burn the tears out of me, but it also burned like a raging fire every time there was a bit of perspiration and in Phuket that is 24/7.

It got even worse with each passing day. Thus I added more lotion. Soon we left Phuket and flew to Singapore. Still, I had a burning sensation 24/7 and my face began to fall off, literally! It got so bad it is improper to write about it in a family blog.

Needless to say, my mother thought there was something fishy about the whole thing. So she suggested that I stop using my German lotion, I might be allergic to it or something like that. Sure enough, in only a few days the whole thing was gone. After all this my new layer of skin was white like a dove. I didn't care though because all the burning and face falling was finally over!

So I went home with a great relief, I didn't look like a monster. In Singapore I began to fear that I might scare my friends out of their faith when they see me! The Lord healed me in the last couple of days and I was very, very thankful.

Meanwhile my mother who was still in Singapore wanted smoother legs. She then decided not to let my German lotion go to waste. Needless to say her skin got rougher and tougher, looking worse each day, It was then that my mother put her foot down and decided to check the bottle once more. With some common sense and Grade 8 German she came to a shocking realization...

The great German lotion was actually great shower gel! Ha ha... You might be laughing hysterically at this moment but for me the news was an arrow in my bruised Ego. I then felt like if I was going to take the jump from my ego to my IQ at that moment I would fall to my death. Again, stop laughing...

The amazing thing about it is that I was hurting myself without knowing it. I actually thought I was doing myself a world of good but I didn't see the whole picture. It just proclaimed the fact that God always knows better and what is good for us. We might think that something will be good for us, but lets give that decision to God. You just might have read the label incorrectly!

I also learned the hard way that God keeps a close eye on the proud.

Psa 138:6 Though you are above us all, you care for humble people, and you keep a close watch on everyone who is proud.

Atlanta: My special day (Monday 6 July 2009) Charlie

Finally! It feels great to be starting a blog again!! I have been laying off them for the last two months because I only really started to feel like I'm back during the last week. The whole concept of the world tour is so surreal that it took me two months to totally realize again what was going on! I caught myself just standing in awe the whole time. Not only because of the beauty of God's creation everywhere but also because of the hope of good people and friendliness that still prevails. Yes, these last two months I've seen so much of God's character in other people that I have hope for this world.

Being on my feet again after floating off a bit I want to look back at the previous two months and take you with me on the road of beautiful emotion and awe.

I will start with my special day in Atlanta, it being my freshest memory, but in my following blogs I will backtrack and reflect on the rest of Atlanta, Toronto and Montana as well.

There are certain moments in life that you will regret because no one is perfect. Then there are other that are nice but are quickly forgotten and then there are moments that changes the course of your life forever and not only inspires you, but also influences your decisions for the rest of your life!

This world tour thus far is filled with such moments of utter joy and fulfillment that only God can give, but the past week in Atlanta certainly changed my life forever.

The most amazing part is that all that happened to me here in Atlanta can not just be defined by one moment but consists of my whole past and my plans for the future! You might ask, what has Charlie seen this time or what natural wonder is next? But the great thing about it is that is wasn't something from the world or of this world that captured me, but it was a decision to be a part of the One who is OUT OF THIS WORLD.

Yes, for the first time I have decided on my own out of obedience that I want to surrender my whole life and give everything to my Lord and Saviour! I realized that everything that matters here on earth is everything that was done for God's Kingdom. God's Kingdom is not part of the world we currently live in, but we can do everything we do for the Kingdom of God, if He Himself lives in us and through us. This decision was not taken here only, but was a process where I came to know God. You might ask again, but Charlie haven't you already given your heart to the Lord and my answer would be yes!, but I was always trained that way by my parents and it was out of their obedience that they raised me that way, not out of my own heart and mind. Thus I made the decision on my own not only to give my heart to the Lord but to die in myself and let Him live through me. Yes, on the 30th of June 2009 I got baptized!

Now that you know that happened I can elaborate more. The thing is God's Word has been secretly nudging me and nudging me whenever I read it, but I didn't see a time or a place until my family told me that we were going to visit Bruce Wilkinson in Atlanta. The Lord then secretly nudged me again and kind of told me that this was the right time. I thought about it a lot since that day but then I forgot about it when the tour started. In Canada however the Lord reminded me again of this date and place and I began digging deeper again. Still being unsure if I was ready for it. I prayed and thought it through a lot and knew that this was what God wanted me to do. I also realized that there are a few factors that have to fall in place for this to be possible. So I prayed to God and handed it to Him, if all factors fall in place and it is possible I will be obedient and get baptized.

So it happened that we contacted Dr Bruce and asked where we would meet. He then replied that he now lived in South Carolina but will be able to come to us on the 30th of June. We didn't want to be a burden so we offered to drive to him but again he insisted that he should come to us. Excited by this I knew the first step was in place. It was only afterwards that I learned that He just finished with a big project on the 29th and started with another project the 1st of July in Atlanta! So the date in between was perfect!!! The next step was to get some kind of pool or large enough body of water. So we started looking on Google Earth for a pool close to our house. We found one a few blocks away, went to the house and knocked on the door. What happened next was interesting. A woman opened the door and greeted us. We then boldly asked if we could by any chance use her pool for a baptism. She then started laughing and said that this was hilarious. We asked why she thought so and she said that she didn't believe in God and now there is going to be a baptism in her pool, but somehow she just can't say no!!! Thus I saw God's image even in a non-believer.

Everything for the baptism was set. The baptist, the pool and my heart. Now we just awaited Dr Bruce's arrival. Little did we know then how special this visit was going to be.

He arrived just after 12 pm as arranged and greeted us with hugs and "my you've grown since I last saw you"! We just sat there as a family listening to each others stories and learning from each other. He gave my father amazing insight on the African Leadership Institute and I just sat there listening to the truth. We also laughed and discussed more casual things like the world tour (My father's finger- always the favorite) and enjoyed each other.

We ate an amazing lunch and still discussed certain things and talked about them. The afternoon was filled with the same laughter but also very serious discussions. The time then came for me to get baptized... I had a quick, meaningful discussion with Dr Bruce alone and he agreed, it was time.

As we drove to the house with the pool we would be using a surge of emotions began to bubble inside me and I knew this was what God wanted. I began to get very excited knowing that God wants to work through me.

We got to the house and again got a meaningful greeting from our host, again saying that such a request she just couldn't deny. We got in the water (luckily Atlanta is nice and warm) prayed together and before I knew it I left my old self in the water and began a new life through Christ.

I was overwhelmed and just stood there crying while the others were praying. The moment had past but the joy of serving the Lord had just began!

Me and Dr Bruce got towels and dried off the water. While we were busy leaving, he said that as the guy who baptized me he has the privilege to ask a favour. All of us agreed and he asked us just to come with him. So we went to put on some dry clothes and we were off, where to we didn't know. He then asked us if we could guess what we were going to do, giving us a few clues and making it a riddle. One of the things we discussed earlier that day was that we walk so much, there is nothing left of our shoes (laughing). At last with all information gained I sheepishly guessed that we were headed to the mall and that he was going to buy us new shoes. It was more a hope than a guess but he said yes and immediately we didn't know what to feel inside.

He took us to a Footlocker and said we may get shoes on one condition, we may not look at the price. This was difficult for us all especially my mom. At the end we all got shoes from heaven and we didn't know how to thank him. This new day just got better and better.

He then took us to eat dinner and just took the blessing on and on. Whenever we wanted to thank him, he just said that it was his joy to give out the Lord's blessings. The largest blessing of it all was still to come: He gave my dad 10 000 books for the African Leadership Institute and "The Namibian Dream".

Ultimately the Lord blessed me with a wonderful day and I thank him and stand in awe of him. I also know now I have an even larger responsibility to live His character. Although it won't be easy I'm looking forward to it:

2 Corinthians 3:18 (NIV)
And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Flashback: two months in my Mother land- 25 May 2009 (Charlie)

First of all ,it's great being back on tour! I realised that I was a bit behind on blog writing so here goes. Although I miss my beautiful Namibia and its people already, being with my family again is amazing. The moment I landed at LAX and saw their faces, I truly realised what they mean to me. I truly thank God for all my wonderful privileges, but I thank Him the most for the wonderful foundation of love, peace, trust, forgiveness and grace He has given me through my family!

Coming back to my time in Namibia, I want to tell you about the most significant events, but also give it an evaluation based upon expectancy and responsibility. Our lives hang on a thread. Only God knows when and where we will die! Because we can't plan the date of our death or choose at what age we want to stop living on earth, it is essential to give it your all, live your purpose and prioritise the things that are dear to you. One thing we can also control is where we will go when we die because of the gift God gave us in sacrificing His Son on the cross, the question still remains:" How many people will we take with us?"

This was my fuel for going back in these two months, I wanted to serve others to the best of my ability, encourage and enlighten. Yes, in earthly terms I went back to play rugby, but God saw an opportunity for so much more! Thus these two months in Namibia were not going to be a piece of cake or like my dad likes to say, "It won't be Mickey Mouse, son."

I came in Namibia with the expectation and warmth of seeing my friends and eating red meat! Luckily the first few days I stayed with the Du Plooys, so both of my instinctive expectations got realised in the first two days! I had a Steak dinner and got to see my friends at a surprise party the next day! This was a wonderful beginning to my time at home. To add to that beginning, we had rugby practises on the Friday and Saturday just after my arrival. It was great to see my team mates again, but unfortunately the bad jet lag I got made it tough on the body, little did I know that this was the start of a tough physical battle. After a lovely weekend with A.J. and family I headed to my grandma's and started an amazing and blessed time with her!

The next Monday morning it was time for school! Yes, I loved being back in the whole school environment, but from the word go I had to adapt to the new conditions. I did work hard on my own overseas but the teachings were in many cases based on notes and although I had the basic knowledge of the syllabi, I did not know all the new kinks and format, thus I had to do everything from the beginning with only a month to the exams! This put me through a little bit of stress but I soon developed an action plan to approach this hurdle: Hard work. I put in a lot of extra hours and although this was tough I knew it was a preparation for things to come in my life.

Moving past the school, we practised rugby a lot and I enjoyed it with all my heart and battered body. Our first games as an u/15 side came the next weekend at the H.T.S. tournament. We were suffering from a few injured players, but we still managed to bring home the trophy. Although we won, we didn't play good rugby thus we had a lot to work on before the AFFIES tour.

In between the rugby and School I enjoyed a lovely time with my grandmother. I ate a lot of red meat and Namibian "braaivleis" and listened to a lot of very interesting old folk stories that I never heard before. We also went to restaurants, a luxury I didn't have overseas.

The training for the Affies tour went well and before I could take hold of the time we were on the bus. Now the interesting thing about this tour was not only the high quality of rugby we were up against but also the fact that we had to write exams on the tour! I pre prepared pretty well but we all know that the studying done on tour was not going to be much and when studying it is not going to be effective. Besides the Rugby and the exams an even greater challenge laid before. I had to pick up the spirits of the team and deal with tension. Yes, in our closely knit set up there was a brewing of tension between certain parties like in any relationship around the globe. We had unhappiness and conflict and unfortunately this cost us dearly. The first game we played was against Pretoria Boys High. This was a gruelling encounter like we expected it to be. Many points were walking around like they say but neither of the teams could capitalise on them. Before we knew it, we were 10 points down at half time. The second half needed a change of mind and of heart. It happened but we were still three points behind when the siren sounded- the last play of the match was in our hands... We went left and right on the field just retaining the ball on numerous occasions and then after two minutes of play after time was up we dived over for the try! It was a memorable and blessed win. Unfortunately it was the last highlight of that tour. We lost the next game badly which was our first loss as a team. The next game we should have won but lost it at the end creating a losing streak of two.

It was tough on the team but strangely that was just what the doctor ordered! Everyone was humbled and forced to put their differences aside so that we could come back stronger. That for me outlined the fact that God makes everything work out for the good for those whom he loves!

On this tour I also had the opportunity to enjoy a day with my Family that lives in Rustenburg, the Potgieters. This was excellent and very, very special.

Before I knew it we were back in Windhoek and finishing with our exams. My last two weeks there flew by and I utilised it to the full. The last few days with my grandmother was great and very enjoyable. Our relationship got even better like most of my relationships. I focused on building and not breaking anything down

Time flies and I said goodbye to Namibia again and went on the Jnr. Sport tour. Like all tours with WHS this was amazing. Here I picked up on my social life and got to spend not only fun time with the people around me but also very serious talks that the Lord used to change my life and theirs.

The spirit in the camp was also a lot better. We were eager to come back from the losses and were eager to do the Lord's will and play for him! Naturally with that mission we did well and had great wins in our first two games but lost a tight one in our third game. All in all I had a great tour and I know now that the team is ready for a great season.

I want to end off with a special thank you to everyone who made my time in Namibia special and who really showed me love to make it very enjoyable!

As for now, we are in Whitefish, Montana, U.S.A. We just came from an amazing Alaskan Cruise and one of my other family members will write more about that.

God Bless

From freezing to steaming 23/2/09 (Charlie)

I am now writing from a very hot Phuket, thinking about the interesting physical exercise scenarios thus far, happy to share them with you! Before I do that, I just want to talk about a few things that's going on in my mind and in my heart.

The last few days have been like a rally: of emotions, time, traveling and finally relaxation. Some of those emotions were laughter and happiness inside while at other times they were regrettably exhaustion, impatience and worry. My mother already shared all our travel frenzies with you and thus you can understand the above emotions. I felt unsure inside with all that was going on around me but then, during one of my silent times with the Lord last week, I felt in my spirit that the Lord said to me He knows my thoughts and feelings and He will be there to comfort me. It was then that He gave me Acts 2:25 "Nothing and no one will let you stumble"! It was then that Jesus' teachings hit me, "You of little faith". I realised then that I just have to have more faith in Him and trust Him to guide me and to protect me. From there on , after asking the Lord's forgiveness, I began to enjoy everything to the full again, not stressing or worrying about future road blocks, but giving it to the Lord and deciding to praise Him no matter what.I was stealing my own joy, because I was thinking about myself and not about the people around me who were also having a tough time traveling. God came through for us thus far and I believe that He always will!

Having talked about that I decided to write about all our perspiration and exhaustion. It began in Switzerland... My father (previously manager of my WHS rugby side) did not want to send back an unfit son to Namibia, especially because the reason for going back to Namibia was to play very tough rugby. Thus me and Tinus started jogging and running in the mountains. Those first few jogs were devastating. Not only because I was unfit at the time but also because of the high altitude and because everything was up hill. The icy cold weather didn't help either. I didn't know my fingers and ears could burn that way without heat, sometimes after a jog I couldn't even stretch my frozen face enough to smile... At the end I enjoyed all the mountain running a lot not only because I knew it was great exercise but because I had a breathtaking view every time.

When we arrived in Germany about two weeks ago, it was a whole new experience again. Being in the woods with a slight drizzle and no snow(not for long) me and Tinus decided to go and jog in these woods. Except for still being very cold, everything was different. We had no view, just trees. When it snowed the following few days there it made all the jogging in the woods even more interesting and more tiring. Leaving Germany with all it's traveling and driving to Frankfurt and back I knew that my exercise routine was going to go up a notch, in toughness and degrees Celsius.

Arriving in Singapore with all the humidity and searing heat I knew this was going to be a mental battle, but I was determined to win... "Traveling is amazing" I thought when standing without a shirt on the beach in Phuket after our first jog. I was sweating all over after a steaming hot, blazing fast run. No more cool mountain jogging. This was extreme! What made it more exciting and tough was that my Father got a whistle and wanted to see sprints... A lot of them... Although this wasn't easy I tried to slow time and think about God's grace and goodness to give me a healthy body to use all energy and to move most of my body on full capability. This made running exciting and gave me the feeling of freedom.

I am glad to inform you that my father is going to another gear with me and that it is going to get a lot worse. I Praise God and trust in Him.

Till next time I write, be faithful with your time with the Lord and trust in Him because He is There for you as well(Psalm 11 - 13)! Sorry That is all for today, I have to go and run sprints now! God bless!

Charlie

P.S. "Come on Charlie you can do it!

Swooshing in Suiss. 27 January 2009 (Charlie)

What is the climax of happiness? Some might say giving away money,some like spending it, others may say that traveling is the ultimate. A Russian would say it is when the KGB come to your home looking for Ivan Ivanovich and you say Ivan Ivanovich lives next door. A family man would say that there's nothing like being with your family and all of us are born to like spending time with our Father in heaven.

Everything said, what is the ultimate for me? I like to have a bit of everything. Traveling to a different destination, Spending every hour of every day with my family and most of all spending hours in my Heavenly Father's arms. You might say it sounds unfair that I have all of this, but isn't grace always a bit of unfair happiness on earth!

Looking towards the future where everything isn't always going to be this way ,I know that having the right attitude and reacting out of the Spirit will always fend off a burning arrow heading your way, even if it is a stray arrow. That's where I am now. I'm working hard at the relationships with the people around me, trying to give them the benefit of the doubt, but at the same time reacting out of love and a soft heart and not out of self righteousness and revenge. It is not easy and I still fail a lot but I know I can accomplish everything through Christ who strengthens me.

The hard part over with," what have I been doing here in the Swiss Alps?" Other than working hard at my school work in the mornings, the afternoons are filled with laughter and excitement. The most fun of all: two bobsleigh like plastic snow sleds that is not only fun because of the amount of snow but also because we have an immense amount of slopes to go down.

I don't know how fast we go, but it is a bit fast for comfort. One wrong turn and you are sent flying through the air into the soft snow. That's probably why we enjoy it so much. Me and Dawie race often and he always ends up winning me while he is accidentally going backwards. I guess that's because he actually fits in the thing...


Other than swooshing, me and Tinus go on daily up hill jogs with spectacular scenery and immense fresh air(It is not as wonderful as I am trying to convince myself).



We also drive down the mountain to go shopping for food once we have sunlight. These drives are amazing, not just because of the shear hugeness of the mountains but because of sights like seeing vineyards covered with snow and castles and churches on every small hill top.

I have to work now, so enjoy everything you do, even though you are running uphill!

Experience of a lifetime! (Charlie)

30/12 – This was d-day. I thought about a lot of things in the few hours before the flight. I thought about my friends, my house, my school, my family, the food, my country and it’s wonderful people, all the things I was going to leave behind. Namibia and its surroundings are my comfort zone. Here I can be me and I can live to my full potential. Realising this I knew that this tour was important for me at this moment in time because I will be making new ground and breaking out of my comfort zone. I will make sacrifices and learn the ways of other countries in God’s beautiful Creation. Now the excitement was too much to bear.

We boarded the plane and I kissed my country goodbye. Now it was time to broaden my horizons.

31/12 - Although the flight was a bit shabby the thought of landing in London made the cramps better. That day we gave it our all. Firstly we left the father of the house with the luggage while the rest of us went to Buckingham palace. Immediately London’s history hit me like a pan on the head. It was amazing to gaze at buildings older than many countries. This made me realise that many people admire works of excellence. That is why we should be Excellent in everything we do to fight for the Kingdom of God.

That night we were very tired and slept straight into the new year.

01/01-02/01 – These two days we went flat out at London again. We travelled the subway with great ease and enjoyment. On the first of Jan we went to Greenwich by boat on the Thames. Here we visited the royal naval academy, the National Maritime Museum and the Observatory at Greenwich were we stood in the western and eastern hemisphere at the same time. To be on the Greenwich Meridian was amazing. Now for the first time in my life my watch is exactly right… Then we rushed to the Queen’s theatre(stopping halfway for 30 min to buy a fridge magnet souvenir for my mother) because that night we saw a London musical, Les Miserables, the longest running, most widely shown musical of all time!! This was amazing!

On the second day of the year we got even more astonished by flying in the London Eye and by seeing the Big ben and Westminister Abbey from close by! We also treated my future engineer brother with a visit to the tower bridge and tower of London. To top the day off we went to a local market and tasted the most wonderful British and Irish Cheese…

03/01 – This day we almost missed our flight to Paris, bringing a bit of adrenalin in! We gave Paris our all visiting the Notre Damn and the Eifel. That night we caught a train to Gap entering a new phase of the tour.

I felt I had to give my own account of the first few days but now my mother stopped me to start with school! I will chat again.
Signing out from Switzerland.
Charlie (14/01/09)