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

Day 7 - May 12

Hello Everyone,

Monday, May 12. held a treat for us and the local school children. Jenny and I woke up early, at 9 o'clock, to head to the school to teach a little English! We visited 4 classrooms and each class was a different grade. Jenny taught them basic introductions. Then we taught them some English songs. The favorite one was "He's got the whole world". To our surprise the kids began to ask for autographs and pictures. It was a novelty to have Americans at their school!

In the afternoon a Pastor from Estrella (15 minutes away) came to visit. Jason has taught several times in his church. He was negotiating with Sammy to have Jason come and speak this coming week. Pastor Wagner brought his 17yr old daughter named Jessica as well, she remained with us for the remainder of the day, in order to practice her English.

Then we were off for our next adventure. Here in Brazil there is a plethora of shoe factories! We watched them make some leather boots. The work that is required for one pair amazed me! In my little western-mind, I just assumed that many of the steps we completed by machines, but almost every step was completed by hand. We recognized several workers from the church. The factory was hot, loud and the smell of glue can be a little overwhelming. Seeing the factory allowed us to see how where a large portion of the population work.

On our way back to Sammy's house we went to see the new property the church owns. It is a narrow but long piece of land...60 ft by 2 miles long. The view of the river, dam and surrounding country side is breath taking! After we took all our pictures it was time to leave... however, there was a little difficulty turning the van around. So Sammy went straight down the huge hill! We were all amazed at the little VW van bouncing down the hill. Then it was our turn to go down the hill. We stopped in to see Douglas and his family, they live on the property as caretakers.

After thanking the Lord for our safe return (PTL), we headed to the church. Jason taught a leaders meeting. His main focus was unity, the attitudes and promote and destroy unity described in Philippians 2. The meeting was actually a workshop with breakout discussion questions posed by Jason. Many of the leaders are looking forward to the second part of Jason's workshop that will be held on Thursday.

The fun did not stop after church. A local fisherman and his wife came over to cook some fish that he just caught from the dam we looked at yesterday. We had a fantastic fish fry! In traditional Brazilian style, many people joined us at Sammy's house. It was fun and crazy all at the same time! There were people everywhere! The fish was delicious and everyone ate till they were full.

The fishermen party left at 1am... BUT several others dropped by a few minutes later to practice some songs with Michael for the purpose of recording a CD the next day. Wow, brazilians love to fellowship. All the visitors finally left near 2:30am.

It has been neat to get involved with the local culture and to celebrate our oneness.

'Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!' Psalm 133:1

Despite our western-thinking and lifestyle, we are all Christians. Our hearts are united with the people here through Christ. This unity is fed by fellowship! Praise be to God for allowing us to spend time and pour into people's lives here in Brazil!

On Behalf of the Team,

Brittany

Day 6 - May 11

Sunday proved to be a busy day for all of us! It started off going to Francine's home for dance class part 2 . Michael attended, as the photographer, but we did catch him practicing his twirling! The kids love to dance! We would take turns listening to the music and teaching ballet and samba. Every so often, a parent would peak through the window to observe the dancing.

On our way back we stopped at Victoria's Birthday Party. She was celebrating her 9th Birthday! Apparently it was a big deal that the 'Americans' came to celebrate. Her family was so sweet. After singing 'Happy Birthday' in every language we could think of; everyone ate cake!

Then, Jonathan took us to the water dam. It was beautiful! We played around and took photos of this local spot. Then it was off to Sammy and Marcia's house.

Then we all headed to church for Sunday service around 7pm. The church was brimming with people, the mayor came, and all the guys from the Drug Rehab center were there. Michael and the band opened the service with a country rendition of Amazing Grace. After an intense time of worship, Jake preached from Philippians 1.

Jenny, Michael, and I, were whisked away to kids church. Without any preparation we taught the kids some songs and games. The major difficulty was not having translators. So, we sang "Head, shoulders, knees and toes" (in English and Portuguese) and played "duck, duck, goose" which was a huge success with the kids of all ages! Needless to say, at the end of the service we were exhausted!

Even though we can not always understand each other through words, it is the simple actions of kindness and love that draws people to the Lord. Never has the importance of love become so obvious.

'For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.' 2 Corinthians 5:14

As Christians we should be compled every day by Christ's love. For me, that means not only while being in a country where I can not speak the language and everything is resting upon demonstrations of love. We are continuing to work hard and laboring in love! It is our prayer that through fellowship and the acts of love people would be drawn to the sweet love of Jesus Christ. Love enough that He died for us!

On behalf of the team,

Brittany Wurst

Day 5 - May 10

Hello Everyone,

Day five snuck up on all of us, before we knew it was one o'clock in the afternoon! At two o'clock Jenny and Brittany headed out to teach dance to some kids at a 15 year old girls home named Francine. It took them an hour to walk there because on their way they stopped to say hello to everyone they knew on the route they took! Jenny and Brittany choreographed a dance for the kids 10 and under. They had a great time and the kids were very well behaved!


Meanwhile, Michael went to soccer practice. He was able to share from Psalm 1. He used the illustration about Kaka and Renaldo, two brazilian soccer heroes, their opposite lifestyles and urged the kids to heed the Pslamist instruction to "not listen to the counsel of the wicked, stand in the path of sinners and to not sit at the feet of scoffers....but rather to delight in the Law of the Lord".


Jenny was able to teach an English class at the church later that evening. Those who attended all learned the song "I am a C" and introductory phrases such as "Hi, my name is____" They were all delighted and showed off their English skills to Michael, Jason, Sammy, Marcia and Brittany.

Our last event of the day was the largest one. As Jenny describes, "Saturday night was the big `youth event´ at the church. By ´´youth´´ it meant everyone from the community showing up." Kicking off the night was a Brazilian band with Samba music. It's rhythmic smooth sound quickly won the crowd over! Next up was Michael with some country music. It was a great blessing to hear him lead out with songs like "I saw the Light" and "Amazing Grace" while everyone danced along.
In the back of the hall were some fundraisers, amidst them were the little caps for sale that Jenn Terk taught them how to make during the 2007 trip! The kids performed dance and drama for the crowd which also were taught by the 2007 team! Then Jenny challenged the crowd. She spoke about how Paul wrote to Timothy while he was in jail, encouraging Timothy to stay strong in the very faith that had cost him everything.

Day 5 was much more than just giving some Bible speeches or proclaiming the gospel. Like Paul, who not only imparted the gospel, but his own life as well, because they had become very
dear to him (1 Thessalonians 2:8)..we feel the same way about Bom Retiro Do Sul.

On behalf of the team,

Brittany Wurst & Jason Spence

Day 4 - May 9

Today we headed up to the Maranatha Center, an official Teen Challenge center, situated about 15 minutes away (by car). The Maranatha Center offers a yearlong program for men to sober up from drugs and meet the Lord. All of the men are there by choice. We were taken on a tour of the center. We saw everything, from the pastry kitchen, the sleeping quarters, the soccer fields, the work-in-progress (the new building), recycling center, gardening and poultry house! Oh, we even saw their home-made gym. Jason even did a few sit-ups to work off all the BBQ!! All of us agree with Jenny when she said, "But this drug place we went to was AMAZING! It's self sustaining for the most part -with the exception of the electricity. Everyone who lives there and is being `treated works. They have a farm and animals and a recycling place to make money. They also have a bakery and they sell the baked goods in the city three times a week to make money to build new buildings. It's pretty amazing!" Michael shared a devotional about integrity with the men of the Maranatha Center. The men were encouraged by Michael's word. Then it was back in the VW van.
Our next stop was a little community located down a dirt road, called Mundo Nuevo (New World). In this small community are about 40 people who regularly attend Sammy and Marcia's church in Bom Retrio. A small group meets every week in a small ohana. The Mayor has given an old school building to Sammy and Marcia to plant a church. However, right next to the school building is a Catholic Church, and although a priest only comes once every two months, they are very resistant to their presence. Yet, despite this persecution they are continuing to meet in their weekly small group and even make the trip every week to Bom Retrio.

Next we headed to the church! Michael taught the second part of his women's self-defense class. Jenny and I aided (possibly distracting at times...) Michael with the instruction. The women learned how to escape and defend themselves!

Afterwards a large group of young adults came over to Sammy and Marcia's house. It was awesome to see them print, cut and handout lots of flyers promoting the youth event scheduled the next night on Saturday! This group of young adults is definitely mobilized and taking leadership in the church!

What a challenge for me, and the rest of the young adults. Are we rising up and leading? Jesus said "come and follow me." If I am honest, to many times I let others carry the brunt of the ministry work... is this young adult generation learning from the older generation that are currently leading the church? Are both groups taking an interest in each other? Let the older generation teach and instruct the younger generation, not being afraid to give the young adults responsibility...let us, the young adults, be a generation the rises up and carries the message of Jesus to the Nations! "

"And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others" 2 Timothy 2:2

On behalf of the team,
Brittany Wurst