From Annie:

To My family and Friends,
It has been an exhausting first week in Namibia. We started with such high hopes of building Mount Sinai and have run into many road-blocks. Christa has the blueprint of Mount Sinai and it is quite beautiful. Her plans include a center for Mom’s to come for the baby formula as well as a counseling room, a boy’s and girl’s dormitory that will serve as a hospice for orphan children with AIDS and even a room for international nurses quarters when nurses want to come and stay to help work at Mt. Sinai. We are in the process of waiting for the municipality to approve the plans. Nothing seems to happen very fast here in Namibia. I do think it helps that American women are accompanying her to the different government organizations to assist her in the process. This is so very much needed and yet we seem to have to jump through the proper hoops to accomplish each small step. I was naïve to think it could happen so fast. We toured the land that Mt. Sinai will be built upon, but we cannot start building till we have the official OK. I realize now that we will not have the money to build the entire project. I will take home with me the blueprints so that I can share them with all involved. My hope is that we will begin to build before we leave. My wonderful friends in Holland have donated much of the money that will start the building and they have given us the idea to incorporate the press and other resources to get the word out that Mount Sinai MUST happen. Mary has her degree in political science and along with her computer skills we will help Christa start a website so that we can all communicate with her after we leave the country. When we are ready to build –first we must level the land—we are going to invite the Namibian newspaper, NBC, the first lady, and members of the community to the ground-breaking ceremony to celebrate the start of Mt. Sinai. Hopefully this will create awareness of Christa’s work. We will also help with writing grant proposals so that she can submit them to the many organizations here in Namibia in hopes of generating more funds for the building. My good friend Christa is tired but her faith in the project never seems to waiver. My heart goes out to her as I see what a struggle it is to accomplish this beautiful dream of hers. If one was to look up the word ‘networking’ , you would find Christa. She has gone to every source available to ask for assistance in Mt. Sinai. I don’t believe there is a person out there that is so dedicated to a cause like Christa is to the mom’s, babies, and children of Namibia. I know that I will not rest till I see Mount Sinai a reality!
Our second goal is to help Abigail at the family Hope Santuary Project in Hakahana community. This project is going well. I see the progress made from last year and it is so rewarding. The garden that we helped to create last year is going strong. They continue to have the plumbing problem of last year (the water pipes have burst and water is leaking), but this has worked to an advantage to both the community and the garden. The government has not fixed the pipes so people are able to collect water from this site for use in their homes and the community uses the water to water their big garden! I hesitate to try and fix the problem as it benefits the community and water is free! Abigail and Fiobe are helping to identify children in the community most at need and the money will go for school and food hampers for their families. We have decided to focus on 20 children (to start) and Mary and I will take these children on an educational outing as well as a shopping experience where we will buy school supplies, uniforms, shoes, and necessities for their families. We will also pair the children with ‘penpals’ from the U.S A.(Alex’s 3rd grade class). It is our hope that we can set up a sponsorship from the US for these children. Many of my kids from last year are now attending formal school!!!!!! We are also going to have the ‘2nd annual Easter egg hunt’ at Hakahana the saturday before Easter. This is my most favorite projects as it brings such joy to the children who need it the most. It will be an Easter party and we will serve special food that day and it will be a day just for the kids!!!
We are overwhelmed with—not enough time-not enough money-but we can do what we can do. I only wish it was more. My little baby is still at the hospital in Katutura-waiting to be adopted—now there are more babies. I only wish I could bring them all home with me. Out in the informal settlements the children cling to us like vines. I hug and kiss them and silently pray that God will Care for them. It is always the children that cause the ache in my heart. I think of starting an orphanage and know that it would be flooded with children within a day! It is the children that bear the burden of AIDS and poverty, remember them in your prayers! All my Love , Annie