We're Finally Here!!!

... That's what I kept saying to myself today. We took a taxi, then a bus finally out to the country, finally away from the busy city! We walked for about ten minutes in silence - no taxis honking! - until we reached a small, thatch-roofed, wood structure... The countryside is breathtaking... dirt roads, lush forest, and rolling hills. The small structure was the Nazarene church, and with our team, Parfait, Berenje, and Rita (the NYI treasurer) we doubled the church's adults! Parfait preached and we sang and danced to worship, then did a small skit for the children and got the parachute out. My favorite part of the day was walking the dirt road to the pastor's home, holding hands with two precious girls, thinking... this is how I imagined our trip would be! The hospitality was wonderful. We shared a meal at a table for eight under an awning of of branches and the leaves of a passion fruit tree that kept the rain from getting us wet. We ate le foutou, a banana and plantain mix, with fish and a spicy sauce. It was wonderful to worship with this small community of Nazarene believers!

On Friday night this weekend we shared The Jesus Film with a community in the slums... They taught us a French phrase to invite people and we walked around... Then around 300 people came to see it! Jordan issued the call at the end, and while no one went forward, many prayed the sinner's prayer out loud, and we have great faith that the Holy Spirit was planting seeds in that community!

On Saturday we spend the day at a youth competition for the district involving singing, preaching, and Bible quizzing! We were sweating pretty badly about three hours into it, and I finally looked up and realized heat was radiating doan from the metal ceiling! You can pray that our team fights the nausea we feel in the extreme temperatures or with very strong smells here... It may seem silly, but it really affects our ministry when one of us isn't feeling well! The competition/hot box lasted from 9-3, so we were pretty tired afterward! Fortunately the World Cup has begun, so now we have another activity for our free time!!

We covet your prayers and I firmly believe that God is actively working through you half way around the world! Tomorrow we're leaving for a two-night trip to Divo where we will share The Jesus Film... Expect another update Thursday :)

Love,
Paige