Day 14 - May 19

Day 14,

Monday, 19, 2008

Today, our last full day in Brazil before we head to airport tomorrow, proved to be more relaxing. As usual we all slept till early afternoon. With a cup of coffee and chatter the day began! Our lack of events was a nice change from the fast pace.

As the day continued, Sammy and Jason drove to Lajeado to put new tires on the car. While they were waiting for the car, they went to Jason´s favorite coffee/pastry shop, keeping the Cappuccino going till the last day!

Meanwhile, Marcia and I commandeered the VW van for our own road trip. We drove through some beautiful Brazilian countryside and then headed by some cute little towns. We ended up going to a little place in Teutonia. We enjoyed some quality discipleship over the entire afternoon! We ended up hiking to a point where hang-gliders jump off the mountain. Talk about an awesome view! It was a great afternoon to just relax, laugh, and encourage each other. Definitely one of my favorite memories from the trip!

Upon our arrival back home Jason and Sammy were leaving for Estrella a Church Jason has taught several times in earlier trips. It has awesome worship and 400 in cell groups! Pastor Wagner was delighted to have Jason bring the word (guess all his negotiating paid off). After the message, Jason hung around with the congregation talking with two potential interns for Maui till 10:00pm before heading home.

It was a day full of activity but still refreshing!

"For they refreshed my spirit and yours also. Such men deserve recognition." 1 Corinthians 16:18

Marcia and Sammy have refreshed the spirits of the team. They are so encouraging and work hard for the Kingdom! I pray that they have refreshed your spirit with how God is moving in Brazil! Let us keep them in prayer, pray they stay refreshed in the Lord!

On behalf of the team,

Brittany Wurst

Day 13 - May 18

Day 13

May 18, 2008

Our last Sunday proved to be a hodge-podge of events. We started our day with a few visitors, but it was definitely a slower stream of visitors. Jason used this time to place the finishing touches on his sermon. We were also preparing ourselves for the numerous goodbyes we would face at the evening service.

In the middle of the afternoon, Marcia, a lady from the Church and I worked on filming an instructional ballet video. This 40 minute video will be used in the hopes of starting a ballet ministry. It is prayer that ballet will boost the girls' confidence; also teach them how to present themselves in a confident and respectable manner.

While I was catching my breath from the ballet video (who knew talking and jumping could leave you breathless), Jason had some visitors. This cute little local couple made Jason Brazilian Haupia. They used less water, as a result the Haupia was very rich. Jason made sure we all only ate small pieces, insisting it was so we did not get sick from the rich taste (but he probably was guarding it for himself to eat later!)

Before we knew it, the time had come to leave for Church. So, we left on our last journey to the Church. When we arrived, the church was packed! There were people to the left to the right, in front and behind! It was a great sight to see the church overflowing with people!

Following the praise and worship, Jason and Sammy dedicated a baby and a little boy to the Lord. Then they presented diplomas to 11 of the 18 graduates from Sammy's nine month leadership class to the congregation. They prayed over them and charged them with service to the Lord. Then Jason preached from Philippians 3: about two kinds of righteousness (ours or God's) encouraging the church to run the race, not looking back but pressing on. Upon the conclusion of the service, Jason, Sammy and Marcia spent time praying with many many people. Then it was time for us to return home. With many tearful goodbyes, hugs, kisses, and exclamations that we should stay, we left for Sammy´s house.

Sammy´s mom made some awesome Arabic food for dinner! The Pastor from Novo Hambergo and his family, close friends of Sammy and Marcia, came to eat and spend the evening with us. Although the food was different than anything we have eaten, it was delicious! Jason and I were surprised that everyone was still having a merry time at 3am! Regardless of the late hour, the evening was a splendid time of fellowship, filled with laugher!

I am reminded of the verse that Jason shared with the church.

"But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ" Philippians 3:20

We as Christians have citizenship in Heaven! This brought comfort to my mind. Challenging me to live heavenly minded, but knowing that all my brothers and sisters in Christ, I will see in Heaven!

On behalf of the team,

Brittany Wurst

Day 12 - May 17

Day 12

May 17, 2008

Saturday day started off with a few moments of quiet along with some study time, but then some visitors came over! We really enjoy getting to fellowship and build into the lives of people here!! The house was buzzing with people while we prepared for the evening.

One of the visitors to our house was a city council member. He heard Jason, an American is in town so he came over to learn about the 3 acre church property which members of Hope Chapel gave the down payment for. Jason was cordial like a politician, informed him of his last 5 consecutive trips to this city and the spiritual /financial investments his church in Maui has made to this city.

Around 5:30pm Jason, Sammy, and I went to meet a huge group of believers to promote a Christian youth event in the local community center , affectionately called Jesus-val (not carnival). Lined up down the road were many cars, with balloons tied to them. In the front of the line was a truck with loud speakers and a huge banner that said Jesus. At 5:45 everyone piled into the cars and the 'parade' began. Every horn was honking, people were cheering and the loud speakers were playing music and extending an invitation to the event. For 20 minutes, the line of cars drove up and down the main street and several side streets. It was a whole new level of loud! Upon the completion of the 'parade' we returned to Sammy´s house.

Next, Sammy, Marcia, Jason, Caleb, Caleb's friend and I went to dinner in Lajeado about 30 minutes away. We ate at a nice Italian restaurant. It is one of Jason and Marcia's favorite places to dine. Never have I ever been served so much Italian food in my whole life! It is the same style as the Brazilian BBQ, where the waiters keep coming up to the table with different dishes. There was everything from original pasta, chicken, steak, to pumpkin pasta! We all ate till we were full. Then we just enjoyed the atmosphere of the restaurant.

After dinner we made our scheduled stop to attend the Jesus -val event around 10:00 pm which we had promoted earlier in the day with our car parade. The event was organized by two local churches. Even though it was cold, most people were enjoying the music and dancing to stay warm. It was an honor to share my testimony with that group of Christian youth. I challenged them to get real with the Lord and seek Him! After a few more songs and a prayer, we headed to the warmth of Sammy´s house, of course with visitors! Our prayer is that the seeds of the gospel shared thru song and testimony will bear fruit.

As I reflect upon this evening, it is wonderful to see this generation excited about the Lord and wanting to bring others into fellowship with Him! Jason commented that it reminded him of the Jesus movement in the early 1970s when he and Craig Englert etc were doing the same things.

"Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe."

1 Timothy 4:12

Praise be to God for the zeal these young adults have to know Him and make Him known! May we be inspired by them…It is my prayer that we as Christians would live everyday with zeal and passion for the Lord!!

On behalf of the team,

Brittany Wurst

Day 11 - May 16

May 16th

Day 11

Friday was a day to replenish our souls! The sun was shining and the air was warm. Jake and I spent the afternoon enjoying the sun in our respective rooms. Surprisingly we did not have any afternoon visitors. So, we took advantage of this time, to study the word and prepare for upcoming messages.

After our replenishing afternoon, it was time to head to the church. It was a Brazilian country music night. A local band played songs, even some from the CD Michael and the guys made, that just made everyone want to get up and dance!

The 'Naughty School' as we affectionately call came to present some choreographed dances. Their first dance was a hula, which they gleaned from the 2007 mission team! In the second dance, their costumes made them look like little munchkins! In both dances they did a great job! It was truly impressive to see their talent.

In the course of the event, I shared my testimony with the crowd. Challenging them to come into fellowship with the Lord and also, to get real with Him! The evening continued with Christian dance from the church kids. There was also a traditional Gaucho dance, presented by the young ladies of the church. The dances were awesome! The fellowship was great to! Jason spent the majority of the evening drinking Chimarr'ao (South Brazil hot tea). After all the organized dancing, the crowd was content to dance the night away.

Our evening did not stop there. After a quick break at Sammy´s house, we headed out to the property owned by the church for a youth afterglow evening.. Huddled in a little shack, braving the cold was a group of about 20 young adults. They were cooking meat and onions on something similar to a wok. The shack provided a nice shelter, but it was still cold. Sometime after one o'clock, I shared a word from 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. This encouragement was followed with a time of prayer and worship. The evening came to an end around 2:30am.

Watching all the dancing and hearing all the music at night, reminded me of this verse.

`And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him` Colossians 3:17

How important for us as Christians to remember that everything we do is for Him! The little kids hula, the Gaucho dancing and even the country music was all for Him! How awesome to see people use their talents to bring Glory to God!! Yet, we must remember that everything, every step, word, and breathe is all for the Lord Jesus! This is a truth that I sometimes need to be reminded of. It can be so easy to just do things with out thinking and forgetting that I represent Christ. Let us be Christians that rejoice in the Lord, glorify Him at all times and do everything for Him!

On behalf of the team,

Brittany Wurst

Day 10 - May 15

May 15, 2008

Day 10

Thursday was a day of fun. My first adventure of the day was going with Francine and Mayara to the local school and inviting the students to the ballet class that was to be held later that evening. We headed out around 2pm. I was under the impression we were going to one school, but I was wrong. We went to three schools! We would knock on the doors, speak to the teacher, and then they would allow us come in and invite the class. I would speak in English and Francine would speak in Portuguese, then there would be a brief demonstration of ballet. The kids were very excited and would ask all kinds of questions! It was so fun to see the kids from the church at school! They would wave frantically and just smile!

We also stopped at the hospital to visit a 14 yr old girl named Karina. She will be in the hospital for three days. The doctors are still trying to determine what is wrong with her. The hospital had six people to a room (lucky we have Maui Memorial), much different than US hospitals.

Finally, almost three hours later, we returned to Sammy's house! We walked all over this town, uphill, downhill, uphill, uphill (there seemed to be more uphill than anything!) But it was fun!

Meanwhile, Sammy, Marcia, Joel (their young adult pastor) and Jason spent the afternoon challenging, encouraging and tackling pastoral issues!

At 7:30pm we headed off to the church for the 2^nd part of the leadership meeting. Jason expounded on James 3:17. He spoke about what it looks like to be a wise leader. At the end of the meeting, they broke into discussion groups. How healthy it is to pull the church leadership together for visioncasting, affirmation, discussion and prayer.

Next, at 9:00pm was the ballet class! There was a pretty good turn out for ballet. Present were four girls from the schools we had visited! (What a relief, to see our hard work pay off!) The class started with the ballet basics and then we started with some jumps. Even though some people had a more difficult time with the steps, they had a great time anyways! Again the fellowship was awesome!

While the girls were dancing and praising the Lord, Jason spent time with a Brazilian who speaks ok English named Vinicius Guzzo, a 19 yr old who wants someday to be an intern at Hope Chapel.

At home, around 11:00pm, as usual we had guests joining us for dinner and fellowship. This time it was Pastor Marques and his wife. He pastors a cell church in Vera Cruz about 45 minutes from here. Jason, Sammy and Marques conversed over coffee, thus keeping the Cappuccino ministry alive while the women carried on our own conversations.

Finally around one o'clock in the morning our guests left and most of us retired to sleep. However, Jason stays on Hawaii time and for him it was only 6pm so he hangs out with whoever has energy and in tonights case it was Marcia who picked his brain with questions thru the early morning.

We have been blessed with good weather, health and the opportunity to encourage lots of people here.

"In God we boast all the day long" Psalms 44:8

On Behalf of the Team,

Brittany Wurst

Day 9 - May 14

May 14th, 2008

Wednesday proved to be a slower paced day. A welcome change for all of us! The weather was amazing here!! We all spent a majority of the day catching up on emails and preparing our talks for the coming days!

Even though we did not venture out of the house, we did have some company for a few hours. Many kids came by the house on their way home from school. Sometimes they ask questions but it might take hours to understand the question and to answer them. Nonetheless, it is a delight to have them around. Even though there is a language barrier the fellowship is still important.

At 7:30pm we had a teaching session for men and women. Jason went upstairs and spoke to the men from 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 about the five commands each man should obey. The men broke into groups to discuss these commands. Downstairs, I did a teaching about being a woman who fears the Lord. As women we can not hold anything back, but live each day for the Lord. Thus having a willingness to move out of the familiarity of 'sin' and walk in fellowship with the Lord.

Believe it or not the women's session went shorter than the men.

Uncharacteristically, when we go back home we had no afterglow meetings. We had no visitors awaiting us... so while we ate dinner, Sammy watched his Red soccer team on TV lose the game that would have put them in the semi-finals. It was a tough loss for him....kind of like how the Dallas Cowboys loss in the first round of the playoffs early this year.

It was a nice and restful day for us. Sometimes, I find it difficult to find the time to just rest in the Lord. It can so easy to try to rush around and just be busy doing things! My mind will just race with everything that needs to be done, and I can get caught up in the business of life or even ministry.

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." Psalm 46:10

We are called to be about His work, but we need to fellowship with the Lord...and the interesting thing is that when we "rest in the Lord" the "nations will praise Him".

On behalf of the team,

Brittany Wurst

Day 8 - May 13

May 13, 2008

We woke up on Tuesday and Michael was picked up and taken to work on recording a CD. He has become quite the country music star here in Brazil! He and some of the local guys put together a CD that has four tracks that are bilingual, English and Portuguese. Everyone is so excited about the CD.

While the boys were busy recording the CD, Jenny, Marcia, Francine and I went to the nail salon. We had a 1.5hr appointment having our nails and toes painted and a foot massage for $8.75 and we spent some quality time with the local girls. At times it felt like a giant game of charades! For this price, Jason says he is going to make an appointment!

Our next stop was the all-day school. The principal was delighted to show us the brand new building that has been built since the the last visit of the 2007 mission team. This specific school is different than the surrounding schools, because the students attend a full day. The other schools go from 7am-12, or 1pm-5pm. As a result of the general dysfuntion of many of the parents combined with the kids lengthy days, some of the kids become more rambunctious and act out. Thus, earning them the name of `The Naughty School` by Toni Spence. Do not worry; they are not all problem children, making the name a little unfair. Jason closed the tour with a prayer of blessing and strength over the principal as she navigates the responsibilites of adminstration, faculty and the challenges of the children.

In the evening, we headed to a church 2 hrs away in Novo Hamburgo. It is a church plant by Sammy where Jason has taught before. Gathered in a building that resembled a warehouse, was a group of believers! It is a family church that has a heart for seeking the Lord and brings people into fellowship with the Father! Jason preached and Sammy translated.

What an awesome thing to see the Lord worshiped in another language! To think people all over the world are praising the same God!

"Praise the LORD. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever "Psalm 106:1

The people here might not have the mega churches we have, but they know how to Praise the Lord! They might not have a lot of material things, but they give their all for the Lord! What a challenge for us, as blessed Americans, to be thankful for what we have. Praising the Lord for the gifts, talents and lives He has given us! Let us all Praise the Lord, for He love us!

On Behalf of the Team,

Brittany Wurst and some editorial license by Jason Spence