The highlight of the month is our outreach to remotely located villages. You never know what to expect.
First stop is usually the village chief or headman. Once approval for our planned program is obtained toys and games are unpacked and children show up from every corner.
🇩🇪 Deutsche Version: hier 🇩🇪
1) Games & activities: Playing frisbee is a great ice breaker. Often parents and other curious grown-ups join the crowd and participate excitedly in the games offered, from tug of war to Kubbs, from wheelbarrow race to egg run.
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| Find the lollipop - great game to teach: follow instructions! |
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Tug of war
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| Tug of war |
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Digging in bowl of flour for sweets,
without use of hands
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| Follow instructions - find the sweets |
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Follow instructions to find the sweets
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Musical chair game
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Wheelbarrow race
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| Water race: who fills the container fastest? |
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Wheelbarrow race
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2) Singing & dancing: Fun activities are followed by singing and dancing time. Lutheran Church of Hope's vacation bible school (VBS) songs are used to excite children and to teach them important Bible verses/stories. Accompanying dance moves are a fun way to release some energy and young and old are participating with a big smile in their faces, exposing their white teeth.
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Team up and dance
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Dancing in pairs
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Clap your hands
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Kids and grown-ups enjoying our music
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| Ovahimba ladies showing off with their traditional dance |
3) Sharing the gospel: We conclude our day program with a bible story teaching time. Stories from the Bible are used to teach children important things like good social behaviors, from sharing and loving your neighbor to not stealing, lying and not being jealous. Introducing Jesus to unreached children is an important task during our outreach.
4) Feeding the hungry: Before we start our evening program we share a meal. Usually we bring rice and soup, occasionally frozen chicken, and maize meal (for porridge).
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| Our provided food disappears quickly |
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| Standing in line to get a meal |
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Patiently waiting for food
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| Hungry children waiting for their food |
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| Sharing a meal |
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| Sharing a meal |
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| Many hungry bellies need to be filled |
Popcorn is always a good transition to our movie night. My initial concern that the pot lid was missing was quickly dismissed. Super fun event watching the kids in heavy rain shower picking up the popping kernels from the ground.
5) Movie night: Once the sun set we start our evening program with some singing and dancing, a summary of the Bible story we have heard earlier, followed by a movie. We are using a big screen fixed with magnets onto our Landcruiser.
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| Preparation for our movie night |
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| Let’s sing & dance |
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| Jesus party time!!! |
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| Clap your hands! |
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| Our night accomodation adjacent to the village |
Often after our movie ends children start performing their traditional dances. Interestingly, most villages we have visited seem to have their own dancing style and songs.
The next morning we are heading to another village to start our outreach program all over again.
It is a great privilege for us to share the gospel with these unreached people groups and to entertain their kids in need and offer support through food & school education.
Thank you for your support, allowing us to provide our HopeKids with a unique and unexpected opportunity in their lives.
Here are more ways to help:
- Papa Ramon's Children's Home
- Papa Ramon's Private School
- Feeding program for street kids and refugees
- Village outreach
- School and church support
HopeKid:
- a child in need
- a kid without access to school education
- a child exposed to harmful traditional rituals
- a child in need of your help and support
More information about our work in Namibia can you find here:
