Loving These People

This has been a great week! Our weeks are beginning to fly by and it is crazy to think it is almost November! This week was filled with Pepe preschool ministry, spending time with our friends that are quickly becoming family, and learning the language.
Our daily ministry at Pepe this week was very good. Although we mostly just help out where we can, as the language becomes easier and our relationship with the kids are growing, spending time with them becomes more enjoyable and easy. They are sweet (most of the time) and being there for them in the morning is a sweet ministry.
Some of the sweetest parts of the week for me are spending time with the friends we have here in Cape Verde. Most of them are currently from the church, but spending time with them and getting to know them allows us to be more at home here. One of the best ways we spend time with our friends is worship practice on Friday nights and this week we had practice on Saturday as well. I look forward to this time because we grow closer to the people in the church each week at practice and learn more Portuguese/Creole from the songs we sing. I have enjoyed being part of the worship team at our church in Sao Filipe as we learn new songs each week, some of which we know in English and some we do not, but each week we make a stronger relationship with members of the church that are key parts in the church ministry. Learning and practicing the songs also has helped us pick up more of the language in an easy yet effective way. I also, of course, just love to sing and think singing is fun in another language.
Language has really been coming along. Although my speaking is not great, I am beginning to understand at least pieces of what is being said. A prayer request here would be that when we are in situations to listen to Creole or Portuguese that we would really listen and stay focused because that is a hard task sometimes. We currently have Creole class two times a week on Tuesday and Friday but honestly being in situations where people are speaking Creole around my team and I helps us learn I think as well as class. Learning the language has been a challenge but I have really enjoyed it especially since communicating is becoming easier and easier each week.
In the upcoming week my team and I will be involved in teaching some English and PE classes in Pepe a couple days a week. This will be a new challenge, but I know we just need to pray, prepare, and do our best. We will also be involved in teaching English at the "eschola di vida" (school of life) in zone 4 of Praia. I am excited for this but at the same time do not feel quite ready. I know there will be new challenges this week, but they are simply things that my team and I will need to trust the Lord with daily. (which is easier said than done)

Prayer Requests:
- preparing for our teaching responsibilities
- staying focused on ministry here
- taking every opportunity

These past couple of weeks have been great!!! We are beginning to have more ministry and are forming more relationships with the people at the churches which makes being here sweet. Last week was not quite as busy or eventful as this week, but this week has been awesome! Last Saturday  my team and I went with Brazilian missionaries (that are here for 15 days) to evangelize in an area called "zone four." Although we did not do much talking, it was cool to see evangelism here and observe the the gospel being introduced to new people. I have loved working with the Brazilians this week. They work very hard and are here to do whatever they can. Although they do not speak Creole, they do speak Portuguese which people understand and most can speak. The rest of this week has been more normal as we are beginning to get involved in ministries here. We worked in Projecto Pepe this week which is our preschool ministry we work in from Tuesday to Friday 8:00-12:00. We have mostly helped manage kids, play with them, and just assist in any way we can but this upcoming week we will begin to have responsibilities like teaching a little bit of English and teaching PE. Tuesday nights we are currently involved in a basketball ministry that I have come to love. I never thought I would like basketball but I really do! We play basketball for a while then have a Bible study in a neighborhood. I have enjoyed basketball even though I have never really played before. It is a new experience but is just fun. Thursday I was involved in a follow-up Bible study in a home in zone four. Again another new experience, but I thought it went very well. People from my church, Pastor Elton, and a girl named Ana and I entered a man's house and discussed sanctification. Pastor Elton and Ana walked through a paper discussing sanctification after becoming a believer. How this is a process we all walk through daily with the Lord. Although the study was in Creole or Portuguese and some of it may have been translated to me, I really loved it. It was also encouraging to be able to pick up some of the language while being there or being able to read some of the devotional paper when Pastor Elton asked me too. Every sentence or few words I can understand during the day is a small victory and I love it! I have enjoyed learning a new language even though it is frustrating at times. Getting back to this week, Friday part of my team and I participated in worship practice for our team. Jess played guitar, Kyle played some piano and Lindsey and I sang. I am excited to be making friends with the people involved in worship and to be involved closely in their worship on Sundays. Saturday, the team and I went to participate in a mini-Olympics where kids came to a home in zone four and we had organized games that corresponded with them learning John 3:16 and the salvation bracelet colors. This ministry was fun, dusty, and left me sunburn. This was one of the main times this week we worked with the missionaries from Brazil which has been a joy this week. Today we went to church, ate lunch, then went to the interior of the island for another church service. The interior of the island is a little over an hour drive but it is beautiful. Although the Island is usually brown, right now it is green because we have had rain making the view today amazing. Church was good, I did not understand the message but that is okay. You can still see the people genuinely worship and see how they interact with each other and us. Their greetings are so warm here with hugs and kisses. One interesting story from today: while in the interior, we entered the home of one of our friend's mom's home where we were offered food. The piece of food I picked up being pig ear. I took a bite, nawed on it, and when they were not looking gave the piece to our friend Michael and put the piece of pig ear in my pocket that I had attempted to eat. We were only in that home for a few minuets, but it was definatley a new experience that I am sure will happen again.  are so many new experiences that I enjoy and of course some that are hard or uncomfortable. It is all a learning experience and I know God will be teaching my team and I how to trust him for faith, patience, and how to trust him for each day as we miss home and are sometimes uncomfortable or stressed. I am excited for this year as I become friends with people here, learn the language and know God will grow me this year.