Brazil: The Impact

Going into second year, I was greatly looking forward to Missions Reality. It was the talk of all my roommates the year before, and it was something that I really thought that God could use. When it came time and we heard about all the different trips, I quickly figured out which one I wanted to go on. I stress the “I.” After that I “prayed” about it, but honestly, I had made up my mind and I knew which trip I would be going on. God had a plan also.

Although I selfishly pursued Brazil, God totally blessed my support raising. I don’t have a big church, but when I got the newest directory, I was surprised to see that I had sent out over 70 letters to friends and family. After sending out the letters, I knew that I would easily get the money. However, from all the letters that I sent out, I only had about two responses from them. I wasn’t angry, but I was highly disappointed.

Despite not getting support form my church family, God REALLY blessed me in getting money. I got money from people I didn’t expect to. I got money from people I barely, and in some cases, didn’t know! I even got a significant amount from my favorite camper from the Island and Snow Camp!

When it came down to it, it was Thursday, the day before all the money was due. Up until that time I had been praying that God would give me peace, and not let me get worried about the money. And He was faithful, I wasn’t nervous at all. And just like that, Thursday dinner I had all my money in, and around $150 over!

Going on the trip I was so excited about all that I was going to be doing! Again, I stress the “I.” I prayed before hand that God would prepare the hearts of all my teammates, the people we were going to be seeing, and even my heart. But again, it was a lot about me.

Looking back now I can see that the trip started off as a lot about me, but God really worked in my heart and showed me how selfish I truly was! I am ashamed to have to write about all the negatives, but God was faithful, and He really glorified Himself through the whole process.

From all the different ministries we were involved in, Creative Hands at the landfill, to local churches, to Igarape Grande the River Community, to the Tribal Ministries Headquarters, God really worked in my heart and gave me a new, previously, unfound passion for the lost.

I have always known that I need to share the Gospel, and I have sometimes really felt burdened to share the Gospel with people I knew didn’t have the Lord. But never before have I had such a passion as to want to spend all of my days reaching those in a community as I have with Igarape Grande.

Going to Igarape Grande was an amazing experience! We loaded a boat, and spent the next two hours traveling up river to the civilized community. The ride itself was adventurous, but the view was even more intense! I spent a great portion of the time taking pictures so as to remember the trip for later on, but I also spent a good amount of time questioning and learning from, a now good friend of mine, Levi. It was a spiritually invigorating time, as well as thrilling. Once we got there, it was like the community stole a part of my very being. I instantly fell in love with the place. It may have been the scenery, or the time spent playing soccer, or the good times spent swimming around in the Amazon river, or the exotic fruit, or the love of the people, but whatever it was, it has taken my heart, and forever it will be help by them.

The past two years God has really been working on my heart as far as missions are concerned. Three years ago I would have greatly opposed anyone that would have told me I was going to desire to share the Gospel with a lost world. But now, all I can see myself doing is reaching the lost and dying. This last year specifically I have felt called to be a missionary at the up and coming Word Of Life Bible Institute in Korea. I love the people, the language, and the food. But something about the River Community has really captured my heart.

Korea is one of the leading countries in sending missionaries, were in Amazon region of Brazil there are 30,000 river communities alone that do not have the Gospel presented to them! And that is where my desire and passion now lies!

I have spent a lot of time talking specifically about the River Community, but that is because it has meant so much to me. However, Missions Reality as a whole was a truly life changing experience. The entire tea was draw n together under the connection of the Holy Spirit, and kept thriving because of the love that Christ enables us to have. Someone said it well, that the trip was characterized by love. Love for one another, love for the people that we were sent to, love for the God that we desire to glorify.

This trip may have started off selfishly, but God sure had other plans. He showed me how much we, as Americans, have and waste. How much we whine and are never content. How much we say we will go, but won’t when it comes time.

I now no longer desire to live this life for myself, but to glorify, surrender, and live for the One who has saved me from eternal damnation. First Timothy 1.12 talks about how God has appointed us worthy, and despite our previous life styles, we can (and all have been called) to give their entire lifes over to the One who has called us here below.

If someone were to ask me about second year, I will now tell them, that if for no other reason than for God to work in their lives over the ten days of Missions Reality, it is all completely worth it!

Brazil

I just arrived back from Brazil, and I have been o encouraged by what God did in my life, the lives of my teammates, the lives of the BI students in Brazil, and in all the hearts of the people we came in contact with!

The trip just flew by! We left on the 29th, and we arrived to Palavra De Vida Norte on the 30th around 12 pm.

Here is a brief overview:

Saturday we went to the Landfill ministry, Creative Hands, and got to play with kids, love on them, and share Christ with them.

Sunday we went to two different churches. One in the morning and one at night. After the evening service we went to Pizza Hut and ate some good pizza.

Monday we went to the River Community. That is where my heart lies. We went two hours north up the Amazon, to a community, Igarape Grande, that can only be reached by boat. We spent the night there, sleeping in hammocks. While we were there we were not allowed to share the gospel outright, but we could live it. And live it we did. We played soccer with the kids in the rain, went swimming in the Amazon, and I got to help Jonas, a local guy, work making charcoal.

Tuesday we spent the morning in Igarape Grande, but we left late morning to head back down stream. After the two hour trip we stopped and ate at a nice Brazilian steak house right off the beach. And ended the day by swimming in the Amazon. But before we got to the swimming, Ryan Williamson baptized Jessica Pezzente, Josh Salinas, and me in the Amazon! How many people can say that?!

Wednesday we went out to a ton! of public schools. Brazilian laws say that all kids are allowed to religion class. Some schools do not have money to pay for a teacher for that. That is where M.E.B.E comes in (It is a Portuguese acronym so it will not translate properly, but means teaching and evangelizing the Bible in public schools). It was an intense day, but it was well spent!

Thursday we started the day off early, 5:45, and headed to a Tribal Ministry headquarters, were we got to learn all about tribal people, there culture, and there thinking. It was really enlightening! After that we got to go out shopping! You could barter the price, but things are more expensive when you are a Gringo. after that we went to a school for boys. The school went to the streets and rescued the boys from living in destitution, and works hard at what it does!

Friday morning we had a missionary panel board where we got to ask questions of the local missionaries. It was a learning experience! They were all so alive for God, and done for whatever God had in store for them.

Then we left.

Leaving was hard, I didn't want to. God really laid the River Community people on my heart. The are 33,000 river communities in the Amazon alone. Only 3,000 of those have any gospel presentation. What about those other 30,000 communities?

I believe that is what God has called me to do.

I will write more on it later,

but when the time comes,

are you going to be ready to help share the gospel with a lost world?!

Brasil

(In case you were wondering, that is the Portuguese way to spell Brazil. Portuguese is the language they speak in Brazil, it was founded by Portugal, unlike other South American countries).

I do not know how many of you know that I am going to be going on a mission trip. But as part of the Second Year curriculum at WOLBI, is a mandatory missions trip, also known as Missions Reality.

There are 7 different trips. Quebec, Canada; Hungary; Argentina; Ukraine; LCM (Local Church Ministry, different churches on the south east coast of the states); Brazil; And OAE (Open Air Evangelism) to New York City.

We leave tomorrow.

To say that I am excited is a vast understatement.

As a way for the first years to get involved, we hold a Missions Reality Chapel for the whole school to go to. In today's chapel the Brazil trip presented one of the songs that we will be performing while in Brazil. The song is "Above All," but sung in Portuguese, with Sign Language to go along to it.

At first I thought that I would just tolerate Signing, but I soon became fond of it. It is even kind of fun! (You knew all along Adele!)

(I was going to upload the video here, but it is not working, I will try when I get back, or maybe a new one from down in Brazil!)

Acima de Tudo (Above All)

The trip costs just over $2000, I didn't know how I was going to be able to raise all that money. But luckily I didn't have to worry, because God had it all under control! (Matt. 6.31-34)

Among the ministry opportunities that I will have while in Brazil, I will be going to a local landfill (where many children unfortunately have to live), going down stream with a riverboat ministry, and be teaching local school children about the Bible.

The more I write about this, the more I cannot wait to see what God is going to do, not only in the lives of the children and adults we minister to, but also in the lives of my teammates and I!

I honestly started pursuing Brazil, because I wanted to go, see lots of cool things, and travel more. But now, thinking about the children that go to bed hungry and dirty, lonely and desperately, cold and ashamed. I want only to help them. I am not that fond of children. But those kids that have nothing, I have a heart for.

We Americans have SO much. We HONESTLY take it for granted EVERYDAY! Sure some of us don't have as nice of things compared to some friends, maybe wanting a new I-pod, or the newest cell phone. But these kids don't even have enough clothes to keep themselves covered. They lack enough money to buy bread... some don't even have parents.

I am not trying to hate on those around me, I include me in this listing. I so often want new shirts, cause my other ones are "old." I save up to buy a new camera, so I can have memories. I look forward to my next trip, cause I love to travel. But these kids have next to nothing, and yet we sit around. They are not that far away, and we may even know someone who knows someone that we could send money to to help them, even $20 is better than nothing.

Did you know, that 85% of the world survives on $5000 or under- a year!

That is poverty here in the states! Yet most of the world does it. If we sent even a small amount, on a regular basis, how much good could come of it?

I am not just talking momentary, daily needs, I am talking about eternity.

Do we really understand that? Eternity. We all spend it somewhere. Either in Heaven or Hell. Americans have become callous to that fact. But there is a world out there that needs Jesus just as much as you and I! One payment of $20 could help fund a box of Bibles making its way to Ecuador, that ultimately makes its way into a poor home, that leads the father to Christ, that later witnesses to his friends and family.

I am not just making this up, these are real accounts, with real people all over the world. There was a story that I heard that hasn't left me since.

A group was going through the Gospel presentation in a tribe in Africa, and at the end, told anyone that wanted to that they could receive the free gift of salvation. Many raised there hands. After leading them in prayer he told the group that whoever wanted to could come forward and get a Bible. the only thing was they had to agree to read it. People gave their word, and took the Bibles. Sometime later, a man came back to the group and asked for another Bible. Being in short demand, the missionary questioned him and asked him why. The man replied "I went forward to get a Bible so that I could use it to roll up and smoke with it. But just like I agreed, before I would roll a page I would read it. I smoked my way through Matthew, Mark, Luke. And John smoked me."

Did you see that? The man may never have had any previous knowledge of Jesus Christ, but the Bible is so impactful, so self-edifying, so powerful, that all the man had to do was read it!

I have many more things that I want to say, unfortunately time is short, and I leave soon with many things left to do.

But I want to leave you with this.

We look at history, there used to be so many GREAT missionaries. William Carey, Hudson Taylor, Cameron Townsend. But we don't see things like that anymore.

Why not?

Because no one goes.

Students graduate from seminary and go to a prospering community, with a "safe" job.

I don't want that.

A popular song lyrics goes "I will go Lord, send me."

How many of us see that, sing it, and are never moved by it. I challenge you, if you do not really mean the words that are on the projector during a Sunday service, do God a favor, and DON'T sing them. God wants people that are committed to Him. He wants people that are willing to go. Wherever that may be. Maybe even your neighbor. I want to write about it later, but what is your mission field? It is right where you are. Go across the street to that disturbing neighbor, and share Christ.

Remember we are all dirty, rotten, sinners. But one thing we have that a majority of the world doesn't have, is grace. We are SAVED by GRACE! (Eph. 2.8-9)

If we were all willing to go, even to the neighbor we hold a grudge against, think about how the world would be different. There are many out there looking, praying to SOMETHING to just to know there is more. There is more, and we have it, so go preach it (Rom. 10.17)!

I have no idea what God has planned for this trip, I do not know what is going to happen, other than GREAT and MIGHTY things. And that is okay, God is all knowing, I do not need to know.

I could die.

But one thing I am okay with, is dying a martyr.

"The blood of the martyr is the seed of the church"

Better in my book to die a martyr, than to die in a bed of old age.

I often reflect on what God is going to say to me in heaven, and the six words I want to hear are:

"Well done good and faithful servant."

What are you going to hear when you get to heaven?