The end of phase one...

So I know that I've been really bad at keeping this up to date and I wish I could promise that I will do better in the next two months, but the truth is that soon we will be heading out to the outreach phase and the odds of finding an internet cafe just down the street are slim to none...but who knows...God can provide anything we need :)
As I keep saying we've really been learning alot in the classroom. Over the past few weeks we've been enjoying the teachings of a couple from England. They are in their 60's and have taught on a variety of topics, from the Sermon on the Mount to the Tabernacle to Knowing God. As you may imagine, with them coming from England and with me coming from the U.S. they have teased me not a little about my "american-ness"--spelling differences, foods, the War for Independence--especially since I sit right in the front. But I'm mostly just thankful that I can understand them perfectly clearly (some of the African students have not had it so easy).
So you are probably wondering what the outreach phase involves, so I will try to sum up. The basic goal is to preach the gospel. We split into two teams that will be going to two different locations and using various methods to convey the message that Christ taught to those we meet. In the villages (think rustic--maybe drawing water from river/lake possibly), we will do dramas, door-to-door evangelism, mercy ministry, children's ministry, pretty much anything you can think of... It's really exciting to think of being able to put into practice all that we've been learning over the past three months. At the same time however, it's somewhat bittersweet bcause it means that of the 25 other students that I've grown close to in my time here, I will have to say goodbye to 13 of them for two months, since we won't be near enough to visit during that time.
We had sad news this past weekend, one of the students went home to Benin over the weekend and while he was there, his father passed away. The father was a strong Christian, so that is comforting, but of course the separation is difficult. Please be in prayer for Franck and his family.
Well, time is almost up, please keep praying for us as we prepare to head out into the practical portion of our training. God Bless YOU!
~Rachel~