“Life isn ’t about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain .”

A carrot, an egg, and a cup of coffee… You will never look at a cup of coffee the same way again.

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose. Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word. In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, “Tell me what you see.” “Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” she replied. Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, “What does it mean, mother?

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

“Which are you?” she asked her daughter. “When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?” Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you.

When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Think about it: Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

Let me first say that the view from the German hall in the YACC is undoubtedly one of my favourites in Lüderitz and as the sun set on a balmy Monday evening it sent warm rays of light into the room and onto a crowd of Buchters, eagerly awaiting music and solidarity from Vocal Motion Six or VM6; a five part male voices group. Formed just over 11 years ago VM6 have dedicated their musical career to spreading a positive message about HIV/AIDS awareness and have been touring communities, churches and schools across Namibia since 2007 as part of the ‘Living Positive Tour’.

The show itself began in the same way that many events do; with the National Anthem. This time however instead of a slightly abashed crowd of people crooning along to a crackly recording, the anthem is truly done justice with five strong male voices singing in close harmony. The evening then quickly progresses with a series of ballads, which show off the soaring range of the groups vocal talent, interspersed with a number of inspirational messages regarding HIV/AIDS; don’t be afraid to get checked, accept your status, look after yourself, don’t stigmatise and, the AIDS awareness mantra, practice abstinence and use protection. However, the most moving moment of the evening came from a young woman, a rape victim with AIDS, who was brave enough to stand on stages across Namibia and say ‘Here I am, I have AIDS but I am still a normal person’. Her message was both inspiring and bittersweet and, I noticed, brought a tear to many an eye in the room.

It is my opinion that music is one of the most powerful tools available to mankind so the idea of using it to teach people about an issue like HIV/ AIDS, which affects nearly every single person living in the country, is a hugely important one.

The VM6 Tour was sponsored by American Organisation PEPFAR, they released their first album about five years ago and are currently working on a new one.

Friday, 20 February, was yet another exciting day for Luderitz’s Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) and soup kitchens! Over 20 OVC, parents, and soup kitchen coordinators assembled in the Dance Studio of the Luderitz Youth Centre to receive donations of hygiene products and meal packages from the ever generous Luderitz Church Alliance for Orphans (CAFO) Committee, a branch of the CAFO Head Office. There again to lead the event were Luderitz CAFO Committee Members Rev. Jan Scholtz, Chairperson, and Sr. Elizabeth Wilskut, Volunteer.

After welcoming the crowd and leading a short prayer, Rev. Scholtz and Sr. Wilskut called the OVC up to the front, one by one, to receive their pack of hygiene products (consisting of soap, face cloths, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and Vaseline). The children giggled with delight as they got their gifts, and some were so excited that they quickly scurried off and had to be called back to pose for a picture. Following this the parents of OVC were brought to the front and given additional donations of fortified rice and soy protein meal packages. The Luderitz CAFO Committee made its final gift to three members of local soup kitchens, in order to assist them in their care for the vulnerable; each received at least two boxes of the meal packages, or over 30 kg of food each.

The hygiene products were from an earlier donation from the American Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (reported on last year), while the meal packages were given to CAFO by an American volunteer charity based out of Minneapolis, called Feed My Starving Children. The Deputy Director of the CAFO Head Office, Ms. Nicolette Bessinger, travelled to Luderitz on 10 February to deliver Luderitz’s share of the donation, a whopping 154 kg of food! The Luderitz CAFO Committee gives its most sincere thanks to these charities and the CAFO Head Office for enabling them to give care and support to Luderitz’s OVC.

This set of donations is just one of the many that the Luderitz CAFO Committee has already given and, as always, will continue to give so that our OVC receive the care they need. The committee calls on all community members to look into their hearts and offer their support in this great endeavor. As CAFO’s motto goes, “We want to see all children fulfilling their Godgiven potential,” and thus the committee will not rest until this aim is met.

February is famed as the month of love and as a tribute to this we decided to test out the most romantic tipple we could find; Love Potion comes in a tall slim bottle and markets itself as ‘the new age drink that dares to be risqué’. A topless man adorns the garish rainbow coloured label (one of the main attractions for buying it I would have thought) and the spirit cooler inside is a bright, lurid pink, the colour of valentines hearts. The drink itself is heroically sweet and sticks in the back of your throat much in the same way that Tango does. And did it provoke any wild declarations of love? An anonymous bunch of roses or a Shakespeare sonnet? No chance mate, this syrupy mixture scores a poor 4 our of 10.

Hot Sex

The second of our two drink special suits me much more; Hot Sex is a cream liquor with hints of nutmeg and ginger that warm your throat. Imported from San Francisco, U.S.A the caramel coloured drink is not too sweet and is served best over ice or mixed with whiskey. The drink has recently stopped being exported to Namibia so there are only a limited number of them left in the country so get it while you can. Whilst this may not be my favourite drink in the world it is proof that all those single-on-valentines-day people can still have Hot Sex and for that I’m giving it an 8 out of 10.

Held in the spacious and airy Penguin Restaurant the weekly buffet meal is the perfect way to wile away a few hours and grow a few dress sizes. The room itself is large and filled with light with a wall of windows looking out over a bright green lawn and blue bay beyond it. Every table is delicately arranged with a light green table cloth and simple white china whilst the various decorations and paintings, the largest being a one-walled mural of jackass penguins thus giving the restaurant its namesake, give the whole room a nautical theme.

But enough of that! Along two walls of the restaurant are two long tables with white table cloths and these are the most important things in the room; this is where the food is. Heaped high with tasty treats are platters upon platters of food; fish, meat, seafood, vegetables and puddings, so much that it’s virtually impossible to try every dish! Starter choices include an array of cold meats and fish, raw, smoked and cooked, any form of salad you can imagine, from fresh tomatoes and feta to pasta salad to potatoes and mayonnaise, to three bean salad to coleslaw, and, The Buchter News’s personal favourite, an oriental platter complete with miniature spring rolls.

The options for main dishes are equally as extensive; budding foodies can choose their own cut of meat from a sizzling hot pan and choices include chicken, Kessler, beef (which is fantastically salty), lamb and pork. For the most part the meat is delicious, tender and well flavoured but come too late to the buffet and you may find some of it a little dry as it lies out on the cooker. To accompany your meat there is rice, potato wedges and several stews which will leave you full to bursting. However it has to be said that this buffet only has limited options for vegetarians as, as with almost anywhere in southern Africa, the main meal focus is on the meat.

Whatever you do don’t eat too much for your first two courses because the selection of deserts at the Nest Hotel buffet is so good it is one of the few things in life that can actually be described as sumptuous. As most of you know I have I horrendous sweet tooth and it always fills my heart with joy when I see the dessert table, laden with lovely sweet things. Depending on whether you’re in the mood for cake or tart there is a dish that will suit you and in addition there is always a large bowl of fresh fruit salad. My personal favourite is the Nests chocolate mousse; gloriously thick, rich and creamy it’s like taking little spoonfuls of calorie-rich heaven, HAVE THIS!

The Sunday buffet at the Penguin Restaurant runs from 12.30- 2pm every weekend, costing N$85 not including drinks. Please be aware that dish options will vary from week to week.

If you would like to put our taste buds to the test and be reviewed by The Buchter News please contact us on info@buchternews.com

What do you like about Lüderitz?

“The people are friendly and the town is beautiful when clean” Koos “I like the waterfront, Shark Island camping park, Agate beach recreational park. They are all very pleasantly laid out, clean and easily accessible. Diaz Point has also developed amazingly and offers a nice get-away. So does Kolmanskop. I appreciate the old buildings being renovated – it makes the town look very picturesque.” Birgit.

“The peace & quiet” Estelle

What would you change about Lüderitz if you could?

“I would like to see more shopping centers in Luderitz like Shop rite, Ackermans, Dunns, Foschini etc, as we are tired of going to Windhoek just for shopping and the population of our town is really expanding.” Laura

“The town needs a desperate clean- up operation and to keep it clean. Also if you walk through or over our mountain areas- e.g. Diamond Mountainyou can see it is covered with empty tins, bottles etc. If the schools could perhaps rotate with cleaning up these areas on a quarterly period this will help tremendously. This could be done by handing each scholar a black bag and maybe paid N$ 1.00 -N$ 2.00 per bag.” Luffie

“Don`t build soccer stadium with grass field! We are situated in the middle of the desert with limited water resources, a wind that blows the sprinkler water all over the place, guaranteed sun shine for at least 300 days a year and no natural rain fall- seek alternatives like an artificial lawn or indoor sports facilities.” Erich.

“The water coming out of the sewage treatment plant is wasted. It should be brought to good use and more places should be made available where young people can go to entertain and educate themselves” Renate

Since July 2007 I must admit that the rehabilitation system, in my personal opinion, was so far conducted in a way that allowed each and every individual to see the difference and change in their lives.

I personally would like to thank Supi Kallie and Nurse Sandra Oriman. Thanlkyou to Gregory De Vries, it was an experience and a life lesson to have your support and guidance. ‘Greg’ you are simply the best, you will always be the best example of a ‘changed life’ in my life. Keep up the best and live your life to the fullest.

Love, peace and happiness Douglas from Gibeon

If we refuse to live and serve alongside those living with AIDS, then we have no claim to be serving Jesus Christ, so we must see our lord Jesus Christ in AIDS infected people.

This is a practical application of Jesus’ words: “I was sick and you took care of me … Just as you did it for one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it for me.”

Jesus’ parable is a call to people to have compassion for those that suffer hunger and thirst, those who are poor, those who are naked and sick and those who are imprisoned. Reaching out to these and caring for them should be out reasonable worship. John 4.20 puts it succinctly: “Those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, can not love God whom they have not seen.”

To worship God and serving people are not to be seen as two different things, but as one. God has arranged things so that God comes to us and we go to God through people. It is a logical reinterpretation of Jesus’ parable in the context of the HIV/ AIDS pandemic. That the compassionate service rendered and empathy shown to the infected and affected is to be seen as service rendered to Jesus Christ.

This is a challenge to all of us, as a community (including the church), to put its confession into actions of dedicated service to those who are suffering as a result of AIDS. Communities, and churches should become agents of God’s compassion, to take their worship out of their buildings and into this world of human need.

That’s why it is a great privilege to be serving God through serving our neighbours, because Jesus has added an exciting new dimension to it. When Jesus became a human person he joined himself to humanity. He took the stuff that we are made of – our common humanity – and he has forever since been joined to us. When we help those that suffer, we are serving our Lord.

It means also that we will not regard people in need as a nuisance, but as a means of loving Christ. We can not adopt a paternalistic attitude towards those who we help, since it is Christ we are helping.

We are challenged to see in our suffering fellows our way to God. We must see our lord Jesus Christ in AIDS-infected people, because as long as some members of the Christian body are infected and affected by HIV/ AIDS, all Christian believers are infected and affected by AIDS.

The community and the church must take up the challenge to identify with those who suffer, because we are all one in Christ. A theological truth that follows from this is that Jesus reminds us that our whole life as a community and church we should make a difference!

If we as a community and church have nothing to offer to the sick, the naked, the thirsty, the strangers around us, few would grieve if we disappeared.

There are many ways we can make a difference. Let’s make a start!

The key question this month is how do you deal with getting raped? BTS have found that a lot of people will go to the police station first. Whilst this is a good idea there are other options as well: have you every heard of PEP? Post- Exposure Prophylaxis refers to methods of preventing HIV infection after being exposed to transmission by blood or fluid from an HIV infected person. PEP itself is an ARV and should be taken within 72 hours from the time of exposure to HIV infection. If you are raped the doctors will put you on a short course of antiretroviral medicines to try and prevent you from becoming infected with HIV.

How does PEP work? Just like any other antiretroviral treatment PEP will help prevent HIV from entering the cells of your body and increasing in number, though it is not 100% able to prevent HIV infection PEP can prevent 80-90% of HIV infection.

When should PEP be taken? PEP should be taken with in 72 hours of being exposed to HIV but it is best that it be taken within 24 hours if possible .You need to report it to your nearest health centre and be directed to where you can access PEP. The sooner Pep is taken the better the chances of preventing possible HIV infection.

Why is PEP important? When someone is forced into penetrative sex, either vaginal or anal often a condom is not worn by the perpetrator which places the abused person at risk of HIV infection. It is therefore important that rape victims have access to PEP to prevent possible HIV infection.

How long should PEP be taken? PEP should be taken for a whole month. It is very important that you take all your medicines at the correct times and in the exact way that your doctor advises you.

Where can PEP be found? PEP is usually found at a health centre ,such as hospital or clinic. You may contact your doctor for more information.

Who can take PEP ? Anyone can take PEP, providing that you can prove that you have been put at risk of H I V infection through an accident or rape.

What is considered before you start PEP? Before you are given PEP, you may be asked some questions by the doctor attending to you to make sure that you need to begin PEP. Some of the questions she/he may ask you include: The details of what happened to you, when it happened, the possibility that the person who raped you had HIV, what your HIV status is and so on. You may be asked if you want to know your HIV status before beginning the PEP.

BTS Know : It is a good idea to know your HIV status before beginning PEP, if you are HIV positive and begin PEP and then stop treatment or fail to take all the medicines at the right times, you may develop medicine resistance. If you develop medicine resistance, this means that some of the medicines you take to fight the HIV in your body may no longer work well. This will affect your future treatment options. Once the doctor confirms that you need to get PEP, she/he will tell you what medicines you will need to take, how long you will need to take the medicines a n d what possible side effects the medicines may have on you.

This is sun smart month and you are reminded to wear your sunscreen. We do have in stock so please come and collect and smile your way through those hot days. Remember to get the younger generation to get used to wearing it when going outdoors.

We would like to inform the public how the money is put to good use: The upkeep of House Acacia in Windhoek where our Cancer patients stay for free during their six weeks of treatment. They get three balanced meals a day and free transport to and from the hospital. Cheap accommodation is also available for the next of kin. The Kimbies and food supplement needed to be supplied for patients. Kimbies are also available at cost price for Non-Cancer patients. Oxygen is purchased for our patients. Where needed, financial assistance is given In certain cases, some medical expenses are lightened for patients. This is after approval of the board. Sun block is sold at cost in our fight against skin cancer. A group of seven personnel receive a salary. They are: The CEO, Executive Assistant, and Medical Sister, Receptionist at the head office and a Matron and her two assistants at House Acacia. Please remember that these people are needed. Perhaps not by the reader but by the patients that need contact numbers, a helping hand and a voice on the other side of the phone reassuring them that someone cares. WE DO! CAN is a non profitable organization that does not get any assistance from the Government. We rely on YOUR assistance to help and all those volunteers who give us a hand when we really need it. THANK YOU and GOD BLESS.