outside

It's so refreshing being able to be outside the entire day. I realized a couple days ago that I am usually outside from 7 am to 9 pm each day.  Our class room is under this open hut where I spend most of my time during the day. Although it's hot in the sun when you are under the shade it isn't that uncomfortable. Then most days I am visiting with people, ministry, hanging out in this open prayer hut that we have that looks over the Indian Ocean or going to another class. 
I live with 13 girls. I'm so blessed by the girls that I live with. I was super curious how this was going to work to sleep 6 in a room but it really isn't that bad.  We get pretty exhausted at night and wake up pretty early.  Who knew that there was a 6 am time every day!( back in the states i usually show up to work between 10:30/11am)We work in teams when it comes to the bugs here. I can't believe how big some of them are. It's like they are super sized or something over here. Yesterday we found a cockroach that had a body size of two of my fingers hanging out in one of our bathrooms. Unreachable unless we had a broom. Which we did. So  I stepped in that bathroom, swatted at it to come down and then ran screaming out the door, through the path of encouraging girls (who then followed me) while one of them  bravely stood back and then took their shoe and killed the flying beast.  It was quite the event that took at least 15 mins of prep time before we put our plan into action. It especially was quite the event since I went screaming out of the house and my capulana almost fell to my feet (i was wearing shorts but i still showed my knees)..and by almost, I mean it may have. 
Class is just rich with the love and teaching that we get to receive. I sooooo craved raw worship for the past couple of months and it is such a joy for me to be in this kind of music everyday. They are really fluid when it comes to worship and style which I like. Everyone takes turns so it's really fun to experience the different gifts that people have. Class can be pretty intense. It's like getting fatter and fatter each day (and I'm not talking about the beans and rice I eat for two meals) You have this amazing worship, peel yourself off teh floor, get the teaching in you when then there is a response/impartation, peel yourself off the floor again and then just repeat once or twice. Monday and Wednesday evenings we have night classes and then we have late optional classes during the afternoon if there is a speaker that we could like to hear more of. then add in a couple of dance parties, fire tunnels, flowing tears and that would be your typical day.
We are on the series of love (!!!!!) It's about asking ourselves what does love look like.  In the teaching she has been describing  how love can be a type of service, how love can be obedience and how love is faith. The teaching has been so balanced and they have really given us the freedom with any thing we hear or any teacher that comes in to process it ourselves and take away what we feel for each individual person.  The open school hut has these clayish roof thingys on top. The hut is on this hill up by a wall in the base. Kids from the village next to us usually throw rocks at teh roof. it sometimes sounds like thunder. (they can be pretty big rocks) there is this joke if you feel called to be a martyr to go sit in the certian sections of the hut. Usually someone will go and chase away the kids or ask them to stop. One day it happened again and this time the head gal was there teaching. So she started talking to them in their lanaguage on the mic.  I got such a kick out of it thinking these kiddos really did it this time. They now have the momma talking to them. When she had finished, she turned back to face us She smiled and giggled and said "I just invited them to lunch" It struck me. I was so suprised in her reaction and then really surprised at what my reaction at first was.
Everywhere there is a place to minister. From the second that we walk out of the base we are surrounded by kids, the village is literally right outside the walls with people so hungry...and hungry for love. Teams each weekend are going out to the bush bush, people are always doing treasure hunts in the villages and there is always a need for teams to go anywhere when there is a need. We are assigned to be on teams for outreach and you can always join other groups if you want. i will share more stories and testimonies another post.
For prayer:
a. I leave for the bush bush on July 5!!!!!  Please be in prayer for me in this! I leave on Thurs and will stay until Sat or Sun.  We go anywhere from 2-8 hours into the bush and at this time I m not sure if we will enter a village that already has had the gospel shared or not. I would love prayers of protection, favor with the chiefs to allow us to stay and open hearts as we plant churches, visist the huts to pray for the sick, and show the famous film :)
b. Protection from sickness. With over 4,000 people (2500 kids on the base each day for school, the rest pastors, students, and staff) there is a lot of stuff that can spread. Right now, half of my roomies are sick with this really bad cough. Healing for them and continued protection for me.
Thanks!!!

Lovey yous!