To Everyone,

Well my time in Namibia has drawn to a close, and it really was one  of those life changing experience's. It was one of those experiences  that makes you realize  how powerful children can be in their own way; just their smiles.... I  have been  in South Africa for two weeks, and looking at the pictures i have brings me flying right back to those children.

In my last week in Namibia I had some of the most amazing wildlife experiences. One  day i walked out of my house to find ( I am not exagerating at all!!)  a 10 foot  long, 6 inch wide python. (It was killed the night before by a friend/  fellow worker. He thought it would be funny to see how i reacted. It  was insane! It took 6 children to lift the thing up for pictures, it  was just mind blowing. Also that SAME day we were given a little  little baby monkey that  one of the workers found all dirty on the ground. So me and the snake  boy (Patrick) kept it with us all day. It was soo cute, it would just hop along after you if  you walked away from it. It refused to sleep unless I held it in my arms, then when it feel asleep i would try to put it down and it would  freak  out and jump back in my arms. ( I have pictures of both of these creatures  i will try to send.)

As you can imagine it was quite hard to leave the children. Just  knowing i will most likely never see their little faces again, and  even if i did make it back, some of them might not still be alive. It  tore me up inside in a way i have never experienced before, or ever imagined I would feel.

Last night, an HIV positive lady i met here in Durban sang me a  song, "The killer is strong and the victim becomes weak. The killer  remains and the victim just fades. We must remember the victim so one day the killer can be made  weak." That song was really powerful for me just thinking about the  children i left behind.

 In Kenya i will be helping to implement some intense programs aimed at helping those  people who can not help themselves given their current economic and  social conditions. I will be working on feeding programs, vitamin  programs, reviewing and working on a previously started sustainable  livestock/agriculture program that is alot like that provided by the "Heifer Project." I will also be working with a land  clearing/developing program, a "Teach a man to fish program", Free  Medical Clinic, and on Sunday's an open form where people can bring their problems and together try to work out solutions. I am not sure if i will be able to e-mail in Kenya, but If you would like to know more about any of these programs or would like to be a  part of this. I will be able  to send e-mails untill April 5th. Just send your questions, comments, concerns  to charlie@hopeunites.org . The prayers and support you have all given  have been monumental and i appreciate them more then you know. I would  especially like to  thank my immediate and extended family for all their support. As well  as Gael Orr, and the staff at Hope-Unites.

In His name,

Charlie Elliot-Bearce

 

Mom, and others

 

   Thank you for the interesting e-mail it gave me something to think about while i was crocodile hunting. It has been crazy here

 

  Somone from the States donated a lot of money on the stipulation that the ten oldest girls come to america for a month and sing at a bunch of different churches. So they have been preparing for that since i arrived and left at the begining of this week for the States. The problem is the one lady who is sort of in charge is the one taking them to the states and in order to fit all the girls she had to take the two big cars. and in oder to drive them back here two of the volenteers had to go too to drive the cars back. The airport is about 13 hours away and they had to get the passports and other things in Windhook (where the airport is). SO the long and the short of it is it has been me and one other volunteer here in charge. But the other Volenteer has been teaching so kinda just me.

 

 There is usually a Namibian lady who is very smart and cabable and she kinda of handles the staff, but she has been out sick most of the week. SO it has kinda been me with 43 kids, and the staff (The staff are mostly friendly but not really  independent). It has been kind of like being captin of a ship. Everyone comes to you with everything, but at the end of the day you can smile knowing no one died under your watch.

 

  No matter how long the day is though, seeing the kids smiling, or laughing or when im walking down the hallway and feel something leap onto my back and climb up to my shoulders it kinda is like yea... today was a good day. 

 

I have been doing a lot of hard labor to get ready for the flood. The orphange is literly right next to the Zambizi river (like 15 feet away) Which is very beautiful, and gives us water. But it is also the rainy season and the river has already started to flood (one of the staff told me it has'nt flooded this quick since 1964) So we've been filling sandbags and fixing the roads. Eventually we will have to park the cars in town and use a boat to get back and forth.

 

The crocodile Hunting has not been successful. I onlt had time to try on Sunday but i am hoping to go out tonight.  Many snakes have been killed though. Crocodile hunting consists of tieing a goat by the river and sitting in a tree with a shot gun for a couple hours untill the Croc comes and makes a grab for Buckwheat (the goat i use for bait because it is loud). Soo its kinda boring but pretty and a nice time to rest.

 

I have been driving to get supplies when needed. Its kinda of interesting to not know which side of the road im supposed to be on. But i'm good with the stick now and can pretty much dodge anything!

 

The Children really make everything worth while. They are all really amazing kids. This one girl Im absolutely in love with! Her name is Marsalla and she is about 3. She has these pudgy little cheeks and has a smile that just melts your heart. the other day she had fallen and came running in crying with a bloody knee. It was strang to have to pull back and go get gloves before i put a band-aid on here, instead of just scooping her up in my arms....

 

on Saturdays we take the TV over and the children are aloud to watch a movie. They watched all dogs go to heaven  and now the children all yell "Charlie may i have a good night kiss" its a part in the movie. It is kinda hard not to smile when there are tons of little kids yelling for you as you leave the orphange each night

 

Well im late and the power is about to cut off anyways so i love you all and hope all is well.

 

-Charlie