Hola! de Mosambique!!!

Hola! I am here safe and sound and loving EVERY moment. It kind of feels like I'm living in a dream and so far I have had little to no time to process so please forgive me if this first blog is not life shattering ;)lol. I know my life is being shattered right now...but I'm not even sure how to communicate clearly what it is like here.

Hmmmm....what is it like to be on a compound with 300 other people from all over the world who share the same heart's cry for more of God. I'll let you try to imagine. Crazy is probably an understatement. To be honest sometimes I feel extremely mellow in this place if that tells you anything. I am a small fish in a big pond. In some ways. In others I feel like this is the most natural place on earth for me to be.

I am already in love with the Mozambiquean people. The way they worship and cry out to God is unreal. Church on Sunday was three hours translated into three different languages. Tears streamed down my face as I opened my eyes during worship and saw little kids genuinely basking in the presence of God. I have never seen anything like it. Eyes closed, hands raised, some kneeling, some lying face down. Not because they were told to. Just because they love Him. It is powerful. When the men sing I feel like I'm in the closest thing to heaven on earth that there is. The worship goes on for hours and the dancing!!! The dancing is sooooo fun!!! I know one thing for sure. I am coming back freed up in the dancing arena! We dance all the time. All the time. There is so much joy here. So much joy. The sound system is awful, the floor concrete and the walls open but the Spirit of God is here and love is the reigning order. Really. I'm not exaggerating. I wish everyone could come.

I'm trying to process, trying to put my thought in a way that can communicate clearly but I'm not sure I know how. Words that come to mind are, SIMPLICITY, OVERWHELMED and MORE.

SIMPLICITY: because everything is so simple here. Simply the gospel. Simply Jesus died to save sinners. Simple belief. Simply dependent on the Holy Spirit. Simply worship. Simply laying down our lives. Simply obeying. Simply loving Him and letting Him do the work.

OVERWHELMED: because I've never seen or experienced anything like this. Love in action so purely. Motives so pure. So much of the Holy Spirit I can hardly stand it. So much joy and peace. So much kindness. So much faith. So much faith. Rubbing elbows with men who have raised the dead and not a shred of pride. So strange that the miracles are not the main thing. Love is. Miracles are commonplace. I was talking with an eighteen year old young man the first day. I was asking him questions about how he met Jesus, why he is at iris ect. He had been a Muslim before He met Jesus. He tells me as if it is the most natural thing in the world that God heals the blind and the deaf and broken bones. He is not extremely excited. It's just how it is. He laughs at me when I tell Him I have never seen anything like this and that some people in my country do not even believe in God. He just said: you just have to believe. It is normal here. That overwhelms me (and excites me). Also learning two languages is overwhelming but its getting easier. I'm determined to learn both as much as I can. Its so fun. At meal times I hardly ever finsh all my food because I'm in a conversation (can you call it that lol) with a mosambiquan boy or pastor and we are using our limited language skills and laughing our heads off at and with each other. Ah, the living arrangements are basic, they are nice actually. The vegetation is beautiful and there are bamboo fences everywhere. Very exotic and so beautiful. (I'll take pictures in a month or so and post them--I've committed to not taking pictures until I really know the people) The plumbing situation is tenative but it doesn't bother me...it's fine. The living quarters are tight but completely doable. I think the only thing that might actually be difficult for me here is not having alone time to pray and read my Bible. But I found a friend and we go in the morning to the beach and sit in seperate places and have alone time (which always ends in a conversation with a village boy and me learning more portugese and maqua--looking completely ridiculous and not minding it a bit).

I thought of the word MORE because so far this week has been far more than I expected. I really can't put it into words. This morning I watched the Iris children coming down the hill from their rooms led by their Mosambiquan papas. They were in their lines and they were all singing (at the top of their lungs) and smiling and once again I was just stunned at the beauty in front of me. 160 of them marching along and singing about the love of God. These are kids who had nothing...literally nothing... and now they have been adopted into the family of God. Now they have more than many American children. They have love, joy, peace, purpose and a family. Look at how the Lord is so good!!!

Heidi and Roland time has been invaluable. They teach our classes in the morning (that is if we can ever stop worshiping) I am truly humbled to be sitting under their teaching and their leadership. Heidi's stories are so funny and so amazing. I can't go into it all right now because my time at the internet cafe is running out but I am just so honored that they have invited us to be a part of all this. Google her name and buy her books if you want to know some of the stories. I will write more later. It looks as though I'm going to be able to easily write once a week...so until next time...press into Jesus. Know Him and tell the Holy Spirit He is welcome to do whatever He wants in you. There is no fruit apart from Him. None. In the end what we did in faith is all that really matters. Love you all!