Pictures

Here is little Edelsine. You can tell by the picture that she is a feisty little girl. Though she is tiny , she is tougher than almost anyone else. As a soccer game was about to begin, one team
formed a little huddle and began praying to
God to help them win. MB walked over to them and said, "If you pray to God to help YOU win, and the other team prays to God to help THEM win, then who will God help to win?"
Edelsine smiled and said, "The one who scores the most goals, of course!"



Taking a break during a soccer game. This was on a Thursday when the game is more informal. On Saturdays, the girls wear nice orange jerseys and there is a boys team who have green jerseys. If a kid shows up consistently and has a good attitude MB will reward them with a jersey and tocks. Tocks is what they call cleats- a very valued possesion when playing on these stone and dirt fields.





Quincy and Alfrida. These two girls are always with each other and always smiling.












Salome playing with two hand puppets. Salome is a tough little girl and very helpful and will always stay late and help clean up.











Ricardo and Ivan finishing up a 300 piece puzzle. Ricardo has a bit of an attitude problem, but I find the more encouragement he gets, the better he becomes. Where he used to be mean all day long, he now cracks a smile at me and shakes my hand when he shows up. He will come around. Ivan is a great kid who works hard and keeps his nose out of trouble. Both are great soccer players.






Lovely Rita. Rita has got soul and loves to dance and sing. She has taught me one short little dance that whenever I attempt it she just points and laughs.










Suzmita and Alfredo, sister and brother. They are Herreros who live about a 30 minute walk from the BNC. Most of the children are from the Damara tribe but tribal rivalry is virtually non-existant. These two look out for each other and are fun to be with. Suzmita is a sweetheart who has a beautiful laugh and Alfredo is tough, but a softy on the inside.






Here is Wendy. She should be named the captain of the Pumpkins because she is one of the best players and a quiet leader. All that she does is play hard and shuts her mouth. She doesn't complain, even when playing against bigger boys, and often does better than those boys. On and off the field she is always smiling. Everything she does, she does well and her temperament is great.





Dear Martha. She is such a wonderful, responsible girl. Martha is always around to help out and clean up and she does it in a selfless way- expecting nothing in return. The only thing she doesn't excel at is soccer... she has two left feet and often messes the play up! Still, she is always the first one to show up. Saturday she came out of the game and was tired so I picked her up and was holding her when she fell asleep in my arms right on the side of the field. Just a genuine pleasure to be around.



This is from a few days ago when MB and Tara were singnig songs at the BNC. The kid in the foreground is Denzel, a crippled boy who can't walk and who is mentally challenged. He was so pumped up from the singing and the music that he held himself up b/w the table and the chair and began swinging his feet around. It was amazing to see.






Choosing sides for a soccer game. Mostly girls remain because it was a co-ed pickup game so many of the boys were picked first.











Climbing the fence to get to the soccer field. For some reason this picture would only show up in this direction which is a shame. The city walled of the soccer field so the kids just climb over it.










Carrying Sebastian home. We might have been drinking.


















Kristen and Me at La Dee Das. She is the one that went to Etosha with us and is my roomate along with MB. She is a volunteer here from Germany and is always smiling.













Ze Germans... Mark and Sebastian at a club. They are a lot of fun to hang out with. Mark reminds me a lot of Joker from Full Metal Jacket.











Whenever we leave in the pickup truck, a horde of kids jumps on the bed of the truck for a ride down the street.











Lining up for soup. Everyday at the BNC the kids get in line for one soup voucher. The portion is decent and for many kids it is their best, and possibly only, meal of the day.