If the title didn't clue you in, this will be my last post before outreach. I won't be bringing my laptop with, so I probably won't be doing any blog updates in the 7 weeks I'm there.
HOWEVER, I have made a Mail Chimp e-mail list, which will allow me to send out mass e-mail updates to specific groups. If you would like to be added to an e-mail update list, send me your e-mail address on Facebook or e-mail me at christopherpaulhickey@yahoo.com (because of some weird Yahoo policy, the first update I send may show up as spam and you'll have to un-spam it or something, according to Mail Chimp's website). The updates will be shorter than my average blog post, and may just be a prayer request, or a short story of something cool I saw or did, or something I recently learned. I'll still have this blog for a bigger update every once and awhile though.
Now that that's out of the way: We leave for Nigeria this Wednesday (tomorrow). As I write this, it is less than 48 hours away. I've paid off all my outreach fees, the visas arrived yesterday, and I'm mostly packed. I am at this point extremely excited and ready to leave ASAP!!!
I spent all yesterday deep cleaning the kitchen (wiping and scrubbing every surface, organizing pots and pans and oils, cleaning after dinner) as one part of our massive "Leave the building looking better than we found it" movement. It was actually pretty fun, even if it was suuuuuuper grimy. The building is looking pretty spick and span, but we're finishing the last few projects today.
It's starting to feel kind of empty around here. Quite a few people who were living here are not going on outreach. Some are going to college, some back home to work for awhile before their next big move in ministry, and some aren't sure what's next. But it seems every day someone else leaves. That's another reason I can't wait to leave for outreach...this unusually quite building is a constant reminder that the lecture phase is over, and people are moving on.
I really don't have a lot of time to add much more, other than some prayer requests. On every outreach team, mine included, we still have some students who don't have all their money yet. Some are still trusting God for thousands of dollars (although not everyone is leaving this Wednesday, some teams don't leave till Saturday). Please pray for God to release those finances for those who are still in need. Prayers of thanksgiving would also be appreciated for our visas finally arriving and for the money that has come in already would be appreciated. And lastly, one of my outreach team members, Glori, is headed back home to Tanzania today with her sister Asifiwe. It was cheaper for them to go home for a few days and then get flights within continent to their respective outreach locations (plus they wanted to see their family again before their next big adventure). Please pray for safe travels for them, and that all the money they need would arrive in time for them to join us on outreach.
Other than that, please just continue to pray that the hand of the Lord would be over our whole team as we travel about a country that none of us know much about, and we prepare to carry the intense responsibility of teaching God's word to hundreds of people! I'm sooooo excited!!!
If I had more time, I'd go on and talk about the last few weeks of the school. However, I will say this: We made it! We read through the whole Bible in 4 months. None of us are experts, obviously, and each teaching left us with more questions about the book than we had beforehand. However, I think that's kind of the point. They wanted to make us into life long learners, and they succeeded. I want to keep studying the Bible and continue to learn all I can from it's pages.
I have learned so much already, but it's just a sliver of what each of the 66 books has to offer. And now I'm ready to go share what I have learned with others, who will in turn share it with others, who will in turn change their nations! That's the beauty of Word.
God's Blessings,
Chris
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