Catching You Up to Speed...

Friday:learned slumdog millionaire dance, boys club, home visit, cricket, made dinner for everyone
Saturday:moved down town, worked out, showered and got dressed up, major storming
Sunday:team devotional, major storming, church, futbol game, world cup finals, major storming
Monday:team devotional, some storming, ran, girls from youth center, starting to plan, ice cream

I'll just fill you guys in on some of the major points of what happened since Friday and if you have additional questions about what I wrote above, feel free and email or post a comment on the blog and I will expand when I get some extra time. On Friday the boys got to play futbol with a few boys and spend some time with them in the boys club. The boys said that the kids were pretty mischievious and really didn't respect them and wouldn't allow them to form the teams but they instead picked their own teams. This culture is interesting and has presented us all with so many challenges in the planning and execution of things we are wanting to do. We are constantly on our toes and having to really keep in sync with the culture and the best way to just serve and love the people, knowing that there is a team on the ground here for the long haul and we want to make sure that we represent them well and don't cause any problems for them. This community is very tight knit where everyone knows each other. Reputations can be lost in the snap of a finger and typically when they go down the pot, there's no coming back. While the boys were with the young boys, us girls got to go visit the girl that we visited a couple of days ago and her brothers as well. It was a fun little visit as they wanted Anna and I to perform our dance that we learned earlier that day from Slumdog Millionarie. We were all bored earlier in the day so the boys and us girls found the dance they do to Jai-Ho in Slumdog Millionarie and definitely filmed a music video...absolutely hilarious...I promise to show you later on but it can't be put anywhere public due to the discression here. Anyways, the girl and her brothers wanted Anna and I to do it so we totally did and made fools out of ourselves, but we all had a really fun time and they all began to really open up to us. The boys wanted to teach us how to play cricket so we all went outside and played, which was fun. I had never played before or really seen it before, so it was a cool and cultural experience. The neat thing was that our host girl told us that the boys don't warm up to her friends very well and although Anna and I had done some things wrong in our visit (due to cultural standards), the boys were begging us to come back the next day, and the girl loves us and was laughing so hard the whole time we were together, so that was just God working in the midst of that situation. Oh how I love the favor of the Lord!

On Saturday we moved from the house we were staying at to the base for the organization we're working with. We are staying in a room with bunk beds and several girls in one room and community showers. I've been sleeping well so no complaints on my end. I think everyone is doing well here too, but we are just making commuting trips back and forth to the Muslim community in the car that we were given to drive, which is pretty cool. The team has trusted us with a car and a lot of freedom so that is super awesome. After leaving the Muslim community for the day we all took long showers and got all dolled up and went out to try and watch the Germany v. Uruguay game...Anna and I hadn't felt much like girls all week since we've been in super baggy clothing from head to toe in addition to having to pull our hair back everyday, so it was nice to put on a tank top, jeans and have our hair down and make-up on. It was also nice to wash my hair since it hadn't happened in a few days so that was a much needed thing. After going out we definitely went home and stormed it out with each other over some things, so that really began the storming process for the team that I talked about in the previous blog.

On Sunday I led a team devotional before we went to church. We traveled about 30 minutes to church and actually attended a very spirit-filled church that was awesome. We all loved the service and really had a great time of worship and hearing a couple from the church speak about some of their experiences in sharing about Jesus in their workplaces. It was a great time for our team to get to go to church and to go to one that was spirit-filled. It was great to just be in the house with other believers and really cry out to God. After the service the pastor announced that the church would be getting together later on to watch the finals of the World Cup at the church, but that they would also be playing a futbol match together before the game. Our ears definitely perked up, especially Anna and I since we've been unable to play as much as we've wanted to in the community we've been in. We decided that we'd do that and ended up having a great time. The boys were actually pretty good and the game was legit so that was really cool. They told me that I was the first girl to come to "Monday Night Futbol" (although it was on Sunday due to the game), so that was pretty cool becasue I was able to hang in with them well, and then Anna joined and did a great job as well. It was great to get to play and to really be challenged. It took a little bit of time for them to trust all of us that played, even the boys, but once we all proved to be "worthy" then we got more passes and more respect on the field so that was cool. All of the players weren't from the church so it was neat to see how the church was using futbol as a ministry as well. To all of their credit, the game was under control, no one was swearing or chewing the other out, and we really had a lot of fun. I believe God smiled on us as we were playing! :)

On Sunday evening we had some major storming among the group. We tried to talk it out before bedtime so that the sun wouldn't go down on our wrath, but unfortunately it did. :( I spent time in my bed praying and journaling and just asking God to convict me and speak to my heart about my attitude and my frustrations and what-not. I almost ended up setting the facility on fire as well as I decided that it would be a smart idea to lean up against a pillow over the floresent light that we each have on our bed...I started smelling a burning smell which ended up being a hole burnt through my pillow and also burned the outside of the bulb...I was thankful that I smelled it since I also have an allergy cold at the moment and so grateful that I did not start a fire because if it would have been on there any longer, I'm sure a small flame would have emerged. Thank you Jesus! When I woke up in the morning, I put on my worship music and began to read the Word and really continue to reflect over our storming. Last night I was literally ready to quit and leave my team forever and book a plane out of here. I was so angry and frustrated and had no clue how I was ever going to work with them. I told God that if marriage was anything like this then maybe I needed to stay single for the rest of my life...hahaha (but not really funny). It was bad. But thankfully God is faithful and He pointed me to an amazing set of scripture in Romans that really spoke to me and changed my heart. In our team meeting in the morning, I decided to apologize to the team and ask forgiveness on my end for my short comings and frustrations. I also told them that I'd like them to read the passages of Romans for us to discuss on Tuesday, so I think that will be great. You can just continue to pray for unity in our team.

Today was absolutely amazing. Anna and I were able to host six girls from the youth center in the Muslim community to our facility to play futbol, which never happens in this community...girls really don't meet together and they certainly don't go outside to a new location to meet with one another. That was a huge wall broken down. The girls ended up not being interested in futbol at all and we did some Tae Kwon-Do with them, and then opened up the gym for them to play pool and xbox. Anna and I were able to connect with the youth center leader and her friend that also works with her and she actually invited us to her house to talk more and get to know each other better. That was huge! We're actually going to go to her house on Thursday and she's going to pick us up so you can just be praying that she will see Jesus in Anna and I and that God gives us wisdom in the things we say to her and/or our responses to her. There are several key words we're not to say while we're here, so we really need to be intentional in everything we do and say. The girl from the youth center is definitely more modern in her approach to Islam and approaches the life of a Muslim woman a lot differently than the others in the community. She works with the girls on identity issues and also encourages the girls to do the things that they enjoy doing. We are really believing for her salvation since she has amazing reach with the community and the girls in the community. To be honest, she was the 100% best contact we could have made here to really help develop a relationship with her and really be Jesus to her. We're going to bring one of the girls on the team here with us on Thursday to meet with her since she is here long-term and will be here when we are gone so we're praying that they really connect well as well so keep that in your prayers. It's so amazing how God works. They found out that I sang and they wanted me to sing and told me that it was okay if I sang a Christian song so I ended up singing the bridge to Father of My Life, so that was really neat. We were able to share some things with them in addition to talking about neutral subjects such as human trafficking and also talked about their culture and the dynamics of home-life. I am just praying for the two girls that they will really see Jesus and accept Him as their Savior so that they can be apart of the Body of Christ, and also so they can partner with us in affecting these girls in the long-term. How amazing would it be if she was saved and was able to do identity with the girls from a Christian perspective instead of a Muslim perspective? Amazing!!! Continue to keep all of this in your prayers and I will update you all again in a day or two!

Love you much!!!