I'm here!!!

Hey all!!!

I miss you all so much!!!

Sorry I was not able to send out an update sooner... internet access is hard to come by here :o)
I arrived safely in Pemba on Saturday afternoon after over 24 hours of traveling. The Harvest School staff met me and about 30 other students at the airport and we jumped on the back of a truck for our ride to the Iris base. However, the truck wouldn't start! So, we all jumped off and waited until some others could pick us up in smaller trucks :o) It was a very fitting African welcome!

After arriving on base, I moved into a small house with 10 other girls!! I am sleeping in a little room with 4 other friends, sleeping under a lovely blue bug net, and living out of my big red duffle bag! I love it! Kind of reminds me of my summers on the river... :o)

It is so beautiful here! Right now it is Mozaqmbique's winter, so it has only been about 80 or 90 degrees outside as opposed to 120! Everything seems so bright, including the red dirt and the stars at night. We live right next to the beach, so I have taken the opportunity to go swimming almost every day! On base there are always kids running around, some that live on the base and others from the surrounding villages. Most do not speak english, so I am trying to learn Portuguese as quickly as possible. Some of the older boys and some of the pastors in the bible school have been teaching me!

Tuesday was a national holiday here called Children's Day! It is a really big day at Iris, almost like Christmas! Thousands of kids from the surrounding villages come to Iris to get a hot meal of rice and beans. Then as they leave they get a small bag of candy and a balloon. I was responsible for dipping their thumbs in ink so that they couldn't try to get in line a second time :)

Wednesday was our first day of class. Monday through Thursday we have class from 8 to 1, and then Friday is our practical missions day. We have already heard some amazing speakers, including Heidi Baker, Will Hart, and Pastor Donweke, a man who has raised 5 people from the dead! I have been here for less than a week and have already been so undone by the Father's love!! I have also been exposed to poverty, sickness, and pain like I have never seen before and for which my heart breaks. I am praying that God will continue to give me more of His heart for His people, but most of all that He will give me a deeper revelation of His love for me. Will Hart spoke about God's love and said that the #1 reason we were created is to be loved by God. I want to know more of that love!!

I don't have a lot of time, so I need to go, but I will do my best to send another update soon!
I love you all so much! I have been thinking about you guys a lot :o) One of the hardest things so far has been being so far away without being able to talk to you all... I love you and pray that you are well and that God will continue to show you more and more of His love each and every day!!

Love
Erica