Dear Friends

Thank you so much for all prayers and encouragements.  I am so sorry that I have not had much time to write on my blog but now I will tell you more about what I have been doing over the past 5 weeks.  The first week was training camp in Gainsville, Georgia where I met all 35some of my present teammates-who by the way are amazing!  That first week was filled with ministry seminars and team builders as we all struggled to learn each others names and where everyone was from.

After that we were off to Africa but before we could get to our final destination there were 2 days of travel of ahead of us, which was mainly comprised of a 9 hour flight to Germany, a 14 hour layover, and another 10 hour flight from Germany to South Africa.  That may of been the longest 2 days ever but nevertheless it was exciting because we were in Europe and on our way to Africa.

Now before I tell you about what we have been doing in Africa, I want to explain a little about how this is all working.  This first semester is called The Awakening.  It is a time of intense discipleship and spiritual growth, as we are taught, challenged, and prepared for the ministries we will be involved in.  IN the morning we have sessions with a different emphasis every week.  We have been learning about; the importance of living a life of complete surrender to God; discovering our identity in Christ; Spiritual Warfare; and the Spiritual Disciplines.  In the coming weeks our focus is going to shift to learning to study and teach the Bible.

After our morning sessions we go out into the slums and an orphanage to do ministry.  In the slums our ministry is doing street evangelism but it is more on a relationship level and many bible studies have lately arisen from the friendships that are being built.  We also are involved in children's programs, playing with street kids, and working in kreshes (African word for daycares).

In 2 weeks we will be dividing into 3 smaller teams.  The teams for the second semester will be going to either Kenya, Swaziland, or staying here in South Africa.  At that time we will be more seperated and do ministry as a team until Christmas break.

I hope you found this at least a little bit helpful in explaining what has been happening here in a more overall sense.  Next week I will try and write in a more personal (what's happening with me sort of way). Again thank you so much for your prayers they are very coveted!

With much love and by His grace,

Brianna

ps- If you wish to put a smile on my face getting mail is a very exciting thing and it only takes about 2 weeks for the mail to arrive and once I have your address I will write you a postcard back!