And Kokos from the other bus!

From Joel Forth:

Dear Kokos back home, Amanda and I, having been inspired by all the recent engagements, have decided to one up everyone and were married last night on top of the Waterberg Plateau. Peace out suckas! ~Joel Forth

From Amanda Coulter:

I am one with the Bobejaan!!!!! (Baboon in Afrikaans) I am a Bobejaan princess! Really though, it has also been so exciting to have been reunited with our beloved Mascato brothers and sisters. It is such a blessing to have some come along and continue the tour with us, and I cannot wait for all the adventures that are still to come. ~Amanda Coulter

From Jenica Hagan and Lisa Bromley:

Jenica is excited because we’re going to see ‘kitties’ today [cheetahs]. Brommer’s excited because she covered herself in dung on top of the Waterberg Plateau to attract wild rhinoceroses, who proceeded to eat African Berries from the palm of her hand. It wasn’t a pleasant experience per se, but it was definitely worth it . . . Ok. None of that actually happened, but it makes a good story, doesn’t it? In all seriousness we are having the time of our lives, and are seriously considering not coming home. As I write this, Jenica is painting her face in hopes that the cheetahs will accept her as one of their own . . . we’ll keep you posted on these new developments. [Hi Mom!] ~Jenica and Brommer

From Kaeley Thompson:

Hey Everyone Back Home!!!! Well, Africa has been the most exciting and unforgettable experience of my life!!!!! It is so beautiful here in Africa and the experiences I have had (including the “messed up” dreams from my Malarone) is something that I could never forget. The people I have been traveling with have really made this experience way more exciting!!!! My favorite experience was when we went to Hanganeni Primary School and we sang to the young children in the courtyard and were interrupted by the lovely and sandy east wind. I swear I am still washing sand out of my hair. But seriously I have never been touched so deeply by those children and their beautiful voices. I hope everyone back home are having a good summer and I miss home and some of the people but I am going to love coming home and sharing everything I have experienced in full detail!!!!!!! Sorry for those that might have to go through that!!!!! ~Kaeley

From Ruth Stubbings:

Africa. Wow. I have been having some amazing flashbacks from my childhood. From the sugarcane fields and the bamboo trees, to the baboons on the side of the highway, to the markets and the smells in the air. I’m excited to see what the rest of our adventure can bring in terms of creating memory flashback of Malawi, where I spent the first five years of my life. So far we have been very spoiled here. The food has been amazing and delicious and the accommodations have been more than luxurious and welcoming. We are now heading to some more remote areas of Namibia, Zambia and Botswana, so I’m really looking forward to seeing some of the “real” Africa. Yesterday we saw two traditional women walking into a gas station. It was a strange combination of old traditional world meets new world… can’t wait to have more of these experiences. Can’t wait to show all of you my pictures! Love and you and miss you all back home!...Ruth

From Sam Snider:

Hey to everyone back home. Being here in Africa is such a great thing. I love it here so much, although being away from the people I love the most is really hard. So much has happened while we are here. I am sad to say that I have not taken as many pictures I as should have take, but that’s okay. Stories will have to do. For sure one of the best things that’s has happened here was singing for the schools. I love to see their faces and the joy that we are bringing to them. It’s a joy and a half. Reminded me of mission trips for sure. I loved going to the primary school the most. They were so cute and loved to cuddle and just be close to you, not to mention the long lasting memories of them. Being in this choir has taught me a lot: to love and cherish everyone moment that I have with them. I am missing so many people at home and I can’t wait to see you all again. Stay safe and pray for me… love love <3 sam snider

From Josh Mckeown:

Hey hey hey to all my friends and family! This trip has just been beyond words for me, and I am enjoying every moment. From the boat trips with dolphins to our amazing concerts and seeing the baboons on the road, this has been a breathtaking experience. I have learned so much already and excited for the experiences to come. My favorite part so far was our experience at the elementary school where we gave very disadvantaged kids school supplies and we were able to share music with them. It was such an emotional experience for me and a lot of choristers. I will never forget that for a long time; it reminded me so much of my mission work, and reminded me really of why I loved working with kids and sharing love with them. Well, enough with the emotion, I proclaim myself “King of the Bobejaans!!” and send so much love to Mom and Dad and all my friends/fam at home. I MISS YOU TONS! xoxo - Josh

From Geoff Wallace:

Howdy everyone! Namibia is an amazing place. Everything about it – the landscapes, the geography, the food, the languages, the animals, and the locals – is unlike anything I’ve seen or experienced before. So far I’ve had a fantastic time. I’ve mooned Etosha from atop the Waterberg Plateau, vomited down Dune 7, exorcized my pet peeves, and bought (and eaten) some of the strangest fruit I’ve ever seen. If all that can be done in a week, I can’t wait for the next three! -Geoff

From Nathalie Dugo:

Hey friends and family! Hope everything in North America is great! Here, on the complete other end of the world, the group has accumulated some wonderful memories thus far. It still hasn’t completely hit me that we’re ACTUALLY here! It feels so much like home and I can’t help thinking that you guys should all be here with us. Yesterday many of us experienced an interesting phenomenon: the lack of doors to the washrooms and showers in our Luxury Suites. Needless to say we all feel way closer now. (sarcasm). haha. Everything we have done has been amazing and I am having difficulties choosing one single “wow” moment since there have been so many! I am so excited so see what the rest of this tour has in store since it just keeps getting better and better! Oh one more thing: I’ve only taken about 8 rolls of film and maybe 200 pics on digital so far. I will be sure to step this up because that’s just sad. Love and miss you all! ~ Nathalie Dugo

From Jessica Wu:

Hi everyone! Namibia has been awesome- Swakopmund is such a pretty city, and it has been great to see friends in Mascato again! I was lucky enough to billet with Sandra and Reggie from Mascato, and they’ve been beyond hospitable. Yesterday, we spent the night at the Waterberg Plateau just outside of Otjiwarongo. I climbed up the plateau and am ridiculously proud of myself because I hate hiking…the view at the top was almost worth it. Anyway, we are on our way to see the cheetahs and go to Etosha to see elephants, giraffes, and hippos, I think. This tour has been amazing so far, and I can’t wait to see what else is next. Hopefully not too many of us experience many more side effects from the Malarone pills. I hope that everyone at some point in their life gets to see beautiful Namibia and experience the friendliness of the people here. It’s also been quite an eye-opening trip, in visiting that primary school in the temporary housing part of Swakopmund and realizing that I have been so lucky to grow up in Canada and have what I have. I hope everyone back home is doing well, and I wish you were all here with us!!! Mother and Father- I’m fine. Have not contracted polio or malaria. I do, however, have sand EVERYWHERE from climbing so many dunes. Love, Wu.

From Jenica Hagan:

Sadly, we could not pet the cheetahs here. I have been told that in a couple weeks we will be at a place where we can pet some cheetahs and then my cheetah dreams shall be fulfilled. Also this place lies to children! Inside the information center, they had a list of the fastest African animals (Cheetah #1 at 110km/h) and the fastest animal in the whole world (Peregrine Falcon can dive at speeds up to 360 km/h) but then they stated that the second fastest land animal in the world was some antelope at 86 km/h… I may have failed math, but something’s not right there. How dare they try to pull a fast one on me! ~jenica Editorial note: What? Adds up to me!

From Gaylene Beach:

Hi to everyone at home! I can’t believe that it’s already been 13 days since we left Edmonton! I am falling in love with this beautiful country. The landscapes, the buildings, and the food are all so incredible, but it’s the people who are making it feel like home. One of the highlights of the trip for me was when we went to Hanganeni Primary School. When we walked into the courtyard the children were all lined up and singing. We encircled them, and sang for them, and they sang for us. I’ll never forget those smiles, and those hugs. The views here are breathtaking. Last night we climbed up the Waterberg Plateau as the sun was setting – it was incredible! I am doing really well, and am so thankful for each new day here. I am thinking of all of you at home! Love, Gaylene

From Elena Schellenberg:

On Sunday, the original members of Team Olson participated by singing in the morning service at the German Evangelical Lutheran Kerk. It was a fabulous experience to be a part of. Most of the service passed us by in a blur of German, but the occasional English sentence helped orient us as to what was happening. On the altar, there was a beautiful woven parament. Tova asked Klaus Peter, the pastor and our billet, if we could see the place where the paraments were woven. Graciously, he phoned over to the Karakulia Weavers and arranged a tour of their shops for all of us on Tuesday. Tova, Lael, Kiva, Elena, Lloyd, Carolyn, Marcelino, Jonnie, Corrie, and Cheryl all made the trip to the weavers where they took us through the whole process from start to finish. Wool is sheared off Erongo sheep and then washed three times at the farm before it is packed in bales and sent to the weavers. Once at the shop, the bale is again washed by hand where it is carefully pulled apart to remove any remaining refuse. After the wool is dry, it is dyed. The dyeing occurs during this stage because once the wool has been spun, it is impossible to get the colour all the way to the center of the skein. After another long drying process, the wool is spun by hand into large spools of wool. Around the shop, skeins of wool in every conceivable colour and shade were on display. As for the pictures, the weavers can take anything and transform it into a woolen rug. A photograph, a digital image, a piece of art are all ways that images have been sent to them so that carpets can be made. Once the pattern is created, the correct colours must be chosen with great care. Then the weaving begins. By hand, the different colours of wool are all melded together to create original pieces of artwork. The incredible thing is that there is no front or back – each side is exactly the same. The absolute best part of the whole trip was the chance we got to sing for the weavers. It is well known that while these people work on each carpet, they sing. However, before they would sing for us, we had to sing for them. Sweet Spirit and Dinasi Ponono rang through the hall upon which, we were blessed with two songs sung by the weavers. Song, the universal language, united us all!
Elena for all of Team Olson the extended version

From Ian Trace:

Hello to everybody back home. So far our tour has been an amazing experience. Swakopmund is a beautiful city…and I can say that from a somewhat unique perspective – as I was freefalling from 10 000ft above during our first free day about a week ago. I’m not sure how to describe the experience of skydiving. I was never really scared…a bit nervous in flying in a plane with no door, and watching Carolyn (the only other person in choir who took the plunge with me) get sucked out of that door at 10 000ft. The thing I remember most about the freefall experience was the whistling noise in my ears... just like the noise you hear when somebody falls off a cliff in a cartoon. But once the parachute opens everything goes silent and you just float to the ground. That day also involved sandboarding and quadding in the dunes, so I can for sure that I was well introduced to the sand of the Namib desert, both on that day as well as the day we climbed dune 7 and had an evening “dinner in the dunes” with Mascato choir (I probably still have part of the desert in my shoes). Of course we are here to sing and we have had some amazing concerts as well…I’ve really enjoyed singing with the Mascato choir – they have such a full rich sound and some great voices. We’ve seen many other great views and I’ve met some great people as well. I’m excited to continue this trip and keep the new adventures coming! – Ian Trace