Leaders Unite!!

This last weekend we had a Leader Retreat with the new DRIME Benin leadership team! We met with them on Friday night and all day Saturday. We had so much fun together!!! Here are a couple of highlights:
o We started the retreat by teaching them how to play Charades and Pictionary and they LOVED them!!! They got sooo into both games!! Our cheering and shouting was so loud that our landlady came up to see if someone was having a fight!! Oops!!! :) But it was very fun to play with them and watch them get so excited!
o On Friday night, we made them Sloppy Joes for dinner! Of course they had never had them before so the 3 of us watched in anticipation as they took the first couple of bites. And....they LOVED them!! It’s a good thing we made a lot because they ate a lot!! We had to use baguettes instead of hamburger buns so they were a little different but I must admit...we are excellent chefs!! :) And then we made them crêpes on Saturday and they loved those too!
o We started some in depth drama training with them. Training does take a little longer with them and it is hard to get them to show expression, but when they do show expression it is sooo cool!!! One of the leaders in particular has one of the biggest smiles I have ever seen! When he smiles in a drama, I can’t help but think that everyone should have such pure joy when they see “the man in white!”
o We started deciding some DRIME Benin specifics with them this weekend (ie. The dates and times when they would do ministry and practices, and when the DRIME Benin year would start and end). It was really exciting to see the ministry really start to take form here!!! And it is sooo crazy that I get to be a part of it!!! What a blessing!!
o I led a session on leadership! I was kinda nervous about it because I had to try and do it in French! I felt confident about the material and I have led sessions and talks on leadership before but this time I had to do it in FRENCH!!!! But it went well – we had some really good discussions! I definitely didn’t use perfect French but they understood everything I said so I’d say it was a success! :)