The Lord is SO Faithful!

The past week has been really good and relatively normal (normal weeks have been in short supply this year). My teammates went to Pepe, English classes, Bible studies, Home school, and other regular ministries on our schedule which was really nice. This week one of my teammates, Jess, and I noticed God's faithfulness in our ministries and the fruit He is allowing us see in this part of our trip and I would just like to tell you all about some of things were are seeing.
First, in one of my favorite ministries, basketball, a guy that has been consistently coming to our study received Christ one night after our study. John Michelle, the man who started basketball ministry in this zone, talked with Alex one night after our study and in the end Alex received Christ. That alone is amazing but this past week as I sat at basketball ministry and observed Alex I could see that he is changing. His demeanor was lighter and his eyes a little brighter and I am so thankful for what the Lord is doing in his life. At Skola Di Vida, a place my teammates and I teach English, we were having some difficulty with a boy who although is incredibly smart, he would not listen, would sometimes not do his work, and who was just hard headed. Some of the kids we teach have really difficult home lives, and although it is frustrating during class as we teach and they do not act respectfully sometimes, we must remember that we do not know everything that they are going through and we must pray to have grace with them everyday. Never the less, this boy we had difficulty with this past week was completely different. A few weeks ago I felt like he would not look me in the eyes or listen but this week I noticed him looking me in the eyes, listening, participating and it was really beautiful. Next, in the zone we do house studies with outside the city ("na fora"), as they call it, we are seeing a lot of growth. With one study it was simply that it felt more like group studying God's word instead of just teaching, in one the teaching touched a woman's heart and she wants us to start a study in her home, and in another the girl we are meeting with is asking questions and seeking after the Lord. Lastly, the Lord is showing himself faithful in my teammates lives as we are looking to what next year holds. He is giving direction and opening doors for our futures and we are thankful to see Him guide us and excited to see where he leads us in new phases of life. There are a few other testaments of God's faithfulness from our team and ministries but these are a few I have noticed over the past week. God is so faithful and so good. As Jess realized and shared with me this past week, we may have had a really rough beginning with tears and lots adapting but the Lord is graciously allowing us to see some fruit from our time here and I just wanted to share a little bit of what the Lord is showing us here in Cape Verde.

Please continue to pray for our team as we seek the Lord and strive to be a vessel for Him. Also for our minds to be present here this week during ministry as we are beginning to plan for next year and our next steps. We love it here, but sometimes it is hard to not be consumed with home trying to make plans for next year. We need to be praying to be present everyday and to ask God to help our focus to be here. Another prayer request would be for the Italy team that is here with us. As many people may know, the corona virus has impacted Italy and that impacts the team here as they have plans to return to Italy in late April.
- Two times in the past two days I have heard a message about how the Lord has created a time for everything under the sun. Although this is a great comfort, it reminds me of the trust we must put in the Lord for the Italy team, our time here, next year and more. Pray that my team and I will trust the Lord and His timing for this year and the next.

Long Time No Skreve

02-17-20

It has been a really long time since I've written a blog and I'm sorry for that. In the past couple of months a lot has happened. Lots of laughs, lots of new experiences, lots of lessons of which I am very thankful for. The Lord has truly blessed me with five months (so far) filled with learning and growth. Over the past few weeks I am seeing some lessons the Lord is teaching me, and just how he has allowed me to experience new things for His glory. I feel like I am constantly learning of God's sovereignty and being reminded that I really can rest in His plan. Even the struggles I have he knows, and it is really comforting to know He has a plan for everything. It is also comforting to know that God reveals struggles and allows us to go through difficult or stressful times so he can teach us more about himself, ourselves, and others. The past couple of months have been really full leading to some stress, but a lot of growth and fun.  Full of new things like the Italy team joining us here in Cape Verde, new additions to my schedule, and new island experiences.

The Global Year team from Italy has joined us here in Cape Verde for 90 days due to their visa only allowing them to remain in Italy for 90 days at a time and leave the country for 90 days in order to return. There are seven of them including their leader, two girls, five boys - evening out our original seven girls and two boys but I really love them so much!! They arrived January 8th and since they have arrived our teams have truly meshed and we are a really big family. It has been so amazing to introduce them to Cape Verde and share our experiences and skills to work together to serve the Lord. They have challenged our team to bond and explore more as they are really close and love to be adventurous. One really obvious way they have helped us here in Cape Verde is just the simple fact that because our team has grown, our ministry opportunities have grown as well. We are involved in a couple more house studies, another English class and other opportunities. I am really thankful to have the Italy team here. It is really nice to have other people in the same stage of life as you, experiencing the same thing as you so that you can grow and learn from each other.

With the Italy team's arrival, my schedule changed and I am now focusing on teaching English with Jonathan, and Emerson, from Italy, and Jacob who has been in Cape Verde. This has been a challenge but defiantly a blessing. I have loved getting to know my teammates, new and old, better and learning how to organize and execute a basic English class. We teach Tuesday through Friday in two locations: ICCA, and Skola di Vida. We have been teaching in Skola di Vida for a few months now and will continue but classes at ICCA are new and are going really well. So far our focus has been on teaching them some basic, using songs and some fun interactive games, along with ending our classes with a Bible story to teach them about Jesus.

One last new thing has been the opportunity I had to go on a short term trip to the island called Brava. Brava means "wild" or "untamed" and it is exactly that. The island is mountainous and beautiful and also known for it's flowers. This is the smallest island in Cape Verde and has a very small population and an even smaller population of believers. Although the island was the first reached with the gospel, there are few true believers and only a Catholic church, and a Nazarene church present on the Island. A few teammates and I, two of our Pastors, Judjuka and her husband from Brava and another woman from our church set out for Brava on a five hour boat ride. We arrived safely and with a mission that we would visit Judjuka's family, do house visits/evangelism and just try to sow seeds and water seeds that have been sowed. Our trip was only four days including travel, but it was a really special time. I was humbled by the people's openness and hospitality, and walked in awe at how our pastor sang with us and how he easily recounted Bible stories in homes. Our time at Brava was sweet, and uncomfortable, but we got to see how the Lord is working in their hearts. We were able to witness a few people coming to Christ and encourage those who are already believers. I left feeling full, yet challenged that my faith needed to grow and thankful for the time I got to spend with my team and leaders. My favorite part was spending time with my Pastors, Pastor Manuel and Pastor Scho. They are so strong and lead with such joy yet with an ferverence for the Gospel and Jesus. I am really thankful to have been able to spend time talking with them, singing, and just walking with them.

 Please be praying for Brava. The people there do not really have leaders other than themselves to grow in their faith. Pray that a fire would start in their hearts to share what they know and a fire to grow in God's word and their relationship with Him. Please also be praying for my team as we continue to mesh, work and grow together.