Its going to be a long month...

Didn’t sleep last night. The wind was howling and there were strange things going bump in the night. I was frightened to my core. My body literally hurts from shivering so intensely. I listened to my ipod to drown everything out and drifted off until some other noise jolted me awake. If I weren’t so confident that this was a test from above, I’d be out of here quicker than a cricket!

B made pancakes for breakfast and we ate as a team (B, Sylvia and Alejandro, and myself) and prepared for church. I emailed my mom and I sure hope that she doesn’t worry too much. Pray for her peace of mind! B and I talked about some of my concerns and I feel much better. I took a little walk around the compound and I feel less afraid about sleeping now! Hallelujah!

Church was nothing short of PHENOMENAL! When we arrived, there were about twelve of us there. B reminded me that no one has a watch, so they sing people to church! THE VOICES! They are everything I’ve dreamed of and more! The boys drum and the girls dance and everyone sings! I don’t understand much other than Jesus and Amen, but I know that they are all shouting their praises and it fills my heart with joy!

The woman pastor is wonderful and her daughter has a voice that would give anyone chills! Beautiful! There is a girl with cerebral palsy and a little albino boy who has some sort of disability. It looks to me like FAS, but I’m not sure if the signs are the same in Africa as they are at home. I went to Sunday school with A and S and loved it! The kids are TOTAL hams for the camera and they are so excited to learn about Jesus!

B and I watched a movie together and caught up with each other and then took a tour around the town of Balama. A couple of the boys wanted to play with me so I took Bert! out and they loved him! They fed him leaves and took silly photos with him. I wrote words in the sand and they helped me with my Portuguese. We have much to learn from each other!

I took my first bath in the Moz! It was nice! Heated water on a little gas burner and used a cup to pour it over my head. Had the windows open and bathed to the sound of Balama!

There is a long week ahead of us. I am praying for sleep tonight.