Week 7

Hello friends and family!

It's hard to believe I've been here for nearly two months! Half of me feels like I just got here and the other half feels like I've been here forever.

Bible study with the P-6 and P-7 kids went great again this week. We continued through the book of John. We read the passage all together once, then I read it a second time. One of the boys had several questions, some of them regarding things we had talked about the previous week. Two of the kids, a P-7 boy and P-7 girl took charge and nearly word for word repeated to him everything I said last week. And it dawned on me: they are really listening to every word I'm saying. The kids proceeded to bring other scripture to this boy's attention (Scripture I had no hand in teaching them) to back up what they were saying. It was amazing to see the excitement in their faces as they explained to their friend the truth that they fully know and believe. They are so hungry for the Word, and absorbing it like sponges.

I don't know why it took me so long, but I have discovered a couple of truly wonderful Indian restaurants in town. I went to one by myself and visited the other with a group of friends. (That was a fun night. The US, Britain, Germany, and Holland were all represented in a night filled with Indian food, laughter, and a viewing of Nacho Libre. I forget how great that movie is. "Did you not tell him that they were the Lord's chips?") I am truly in love with Indian food and I will not be surprised with myself if I start eating it at least once a week.

Every day I take a boda (motorcycle taxi) to the school where I work. There are always many bodas near my house, but I've come to favor a driver named Ali. He takes me to the school most days, and we talk a little bit during the fifteen minute drive. The first time I met Ali, he told me that he knew I was a Christian because I dressed appropriately, not like the Peace Corp girls. Hahaha. Anyway, this week, I asked him about his faith (I assumed by his name that he was a Muslim, and I was right). He told me that his faith was not really something he chose, but rather the way he was raised, so that's the way it was going to be for the rest of his life. I worked up the nerve to ask him what he thought about Jesus. He told me what he knew about Jesus, basically the first several chapters of Matthew. He told me that he was curious about Jesus and wanted to know more about the Bible. "Do you think I could ask you questions about the Bible some time?" he asked. I exploded with joy. I told him that he could ask me questions on our drives and that we could hang out with some of my missionary friends to talk about Jesus. I'm so excited!

On Saturday, I took one of the IChooseYou girls to lunch to get to know her better. We chatted over burgers, then went to the local swimming pool. It was loads of fun and we are making plans to hang out again next week!

I got the opportunity for a quick Skype call with some people from Greenhouse, the discipleship school I participated in last year. It was so great to see their sweet faces and give them a quick update on what's been going on here. Greenhouse was such a great experience for me and I am becoming more and more aware of how much I learned from the teachers. From basic evangelism to discipleship to relating to and understanding the needs of the people you work with, so much of what I need to know on a daily basis was taught to me in Greenhouse. It was wonderful to see them and be encouraged.

Also, I killed a spider with my bare hand.

Until next time!

Em