The Revelation

Tudo bom!

This journey began in Genesis, because the backbone that the covenants give the scriptures was also the spine of this trip. We preached of a God who was seeking to restore His creation, and that this God prepared a way for His Son through Abraham. We preached that the descendants of Abraham were Christ’s ancestors, and that the Christ was born from the family of David. We spoke of His eternal kingdom, in which the servants are the kings, the children are the example, and faith is the victory. This was our message and our mission… but then came the Revelation. In the last book this central theme runs from the beginning to the end: “God wins.” That was the Revelation that John received and it was the Revelation that we received. In everything that we witnessed, God was the victor. He broke barriers between congregations, restored lost souls, lifted the Spirits of the downcast, carried the burdens of the weak, gave money to the poor, united brothers from across the world, encouraged His Church, shattered the wall of language, sent his workers in safety, and sent his Spirit to dwell with us. These things are possible because of the work of the Christ. He opened the door.  He revealed the great mystery that is salvation.  He tore the curtain in two and opened the gates of heaven. He is the reason for the covenants themselves and the eternal blessing for their promise.  He is the reason for the mystery and its revelation.  He is the message for this world and the messenger that delivered it.  Praise be to God for carrying out His work to completion in Christ Jesus.  Truly, God wins.  We are witnesses.

Today, Sunday the 1^st of August, was the final day in Porto Alegre.  God blessed me with another opportunity to speak to the Church and of course I opened and closed with Deuteronomy 31:6.  While they stood and held hands I read, “Be strong and courageous.” Then we ate a final lunch and said our goodbyes to Delmar and his family.  Words cannot describe how much we will miss their family.  Please continue to pray that God will bless them.  This final blog will conclude with a message from each team member.

David: Thank you.  I am so excited that I have such an amazing trip to look back on for the rest of my life.  I know I will refer to this trip in many lessons and sermons.  God truly gave me a wonderful opportunity.  He did that by using you.  All of your support paved the way for this journey. May God bless you.

Kristin:  Thank you to everyone who has supported me on this trip! Weather you provided the funds for me to go to Brazil, or offered prays on our behalf, you have truly been a blessing.  I have been able to see God work in countless ways. His spirit has touched lives, including mine, and I am forever grateful for this opportunity! This trip has changed my life and I pray that God blesses each of you for the love you have shown.

John:  Thank you so much for all of your support!  The mission trip went muito muito bom.  We taught some English and had a great time getting to know the people.  Thanks for the prayers and God Bless. 

Randi: Thank you to everyone who helped us get here!  It was truly an amazing trip!  I know we have all been changed by this experience and I think the host church and our readers have been, too.  We had a great flight back and are ready to celebrate our homecoming tomorrow!  Again, thank you all so much!

Go With God

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” I had the privilege to stand and speak these words today.  We, as a team, were graciously invited to participate in a retreat that the Church in Agronomia was hosting.  Mark and Ju worked very hard to prepare for the weekend long event, but were working even harder while there.  When we arrived this morning at the camp, the amount of work that Mark and Ju were exhibiting quickly became evident.  Not only were they responsible for the Brazilian youth group, but also for the group that came in from Texas.  Since both groups were there, everything needed to be translated. Mark translated songs, games, prayers, and small talk between the groups.  I know by the end of the weekend neither Mark nor Ju will have a voice.  Then Mark stood and helped me deliver a message.  I opened with the words above.  When I looked out into the crowd and saw the team sitting with all of our new friends, I knew that the only way to avoid choking up would be to avoid eye contact.  At the end of the lesson I had everyone stand and I repeated the verse from Deuteronomy 31:6. “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Those were the words that I wanted to leave with them.  Then God, through Mark, Ju, and the others blessed this team beyond measure.  Duane, a man from Texas, led a prayer for the team, then Mark had everyone surround us to sing “We Love you With the Love of the Lord.”  As they were singing I began thinking the following things:  When can I group of people hold hands and sing to one another? When can a team of 4 visit a foreign country and feel right at home? And when can two men embrace for a full minute and cry with each other? When you are with God.  That point was not made more evident than tonight.  During every last embrace the Brazilians would grab our shoulders, look at our tear filled eyes with theirs, and say, “Go with God.” I know tomorrow we will leave this country, and I know that I may never see these sweet people again; however, no matter what anyone says, these people will always be close, they will never be forgotten, and every day we will continue to walk hand-in-hand. How is such a thing possible? All things are possible when you ”go with God.”

P.S: Kaka, thank you for blessing all of our lives…  Gulherme, a minute’s embrace was not long enough.

This blog is for Saturday July 31^th,  and it is not the last blog.  I will soon post a blog to talk about the entire trip.  Thank you for your love and support.  We can’t wait to see you all again!

At the End of a Rainbow

Tudo bom! It has become difficult to return to this blank canvas.  I want so badly to paint a picture for you that will bring you the purest image of the time we have spent here. However, I feel as though I am being repetitive as I type about the many great things that have occurred, but for my sake endure the repetition and act like you still like it ha ha.  Today began with enjoyable reading sessions, and with a special trip to Rhian and Talitha’s house for lunch, where  we enjoyed some excellent chicken lasagna.  The reading sessions today were like the fizz in an already full glass of coke.  They were the perfect ending to a great month here in Brazil.  John and Randi finished the Luke workbook with Vinicuis and Julie, and I wrapped up my study in Matthew with Thais.  Vera enjoyed a final walk with me in the gospel of John, and Kristin had good news about her session with Viviane.  Viviane has just started coming to the sessions, and today she asked Kristin, “What is this religion?”  Kristin told her that it is called Christianity.  Viviane showed great interest and asked even more questions about Christianity.  In the end Kristin told Viviane, “There is a group of people who meet here every Sunday morning to talk about Jesus and to praise God.  If you would like to come I’m sure you would learn even more.” There is a good chance we will see her here this Sunday morning.  Neat, huh? Doesn’t that put things in perspective.  Doesn’t that make the Church real? I was so excited to hear about that conversation.  Tonight after all of our reading sessions, we held our final party here at the Church.  Again we had this place packed with Brazilians, Texans, soft drinks, laughter, balloons, music, and good food.  We again circled up to praise God.  I taught them all the English song “Good is So Good” and we finished with everyone singing it in English together.  Then Delmar prayed over the whole group.  After the party, Delmar and his beautiful family came upstairs to our apartment area.  They sat with us and we all reminisced about the trip.  We had written them a letter, prepared some food, and prepared some songs for them.  We had just started singing “We Love You With the Love of the Lord” and almost immediately there were wet eyes.  After Delmar read the letter, we sang to them yet another song.  This one was actually taught to me by Delmar himself.  From early on in the trip Delmar patiently worked with me and John as we struggled to learn the basics of guitar playing.  I thought tonight would be a great night to reward him for his hard work so I played, if you call it that, while the group sang. 

At the end of a rainbow, you’ll find a pot of gold
At the end of a story, you’ll find it’s all been told
But our love has a treasure our hearts always spend
And it has a story without any end

At the end of a river, the water stops its flow
At the end of a highway, there’s no place you can go
But just tell me you love me and you are only mine
And our love will go on ’til the end of time

Sure it was probably written for a pretty girl who Earl Grant liked, but love is meant to be shared, even intimate love.  Peter, Paul, John, Jesus, etc. all tell us to love each other deeply.  The love that we have for this family is truly a treasure, a story without any end.  After the song we gathered and prayed.  I prayed for the family and for all that they have done for us.  I also prayed, and am still praying,” That you, father, will generously give the treasures of heaven to this family.  Do not hold back as you give to these people.  Let there be nothing left on the earth, or in heaven by the time you are done blessing them. ” Needless to say, there were more wet eyes by the end.

This is My Story, This is My Song

Tudo bom! I hope your day was as good as ours. Today we were invited to Talitha’s house for lunch tomorrow.  She is a sweet girl from Church here.  So tomorrow we will go to her house to eat lunch.  I know I say this almost every time, but today’s reading sessions were great. Gulherme worked hard in his class tonight and completely finished the Luke workbook.  He finished just in time, because tomorrow we are having our final party.  Kristin brought great news about her session with Rachel.  Today Rachel told Kristin that she has enjoyed the Bible studies so much that she is going to continue reading here with Ju after we leave. Kristin also got to help Mary with her first steps in the English language. John had a great session with Wagner and Rhian, two guys who played soccer with us last night.   Randi and John also had a group session with Vinicuis and Julie and they said it went really well.  I am wrapping up a study of Matthew with Thais, and am excited with Vera because she finished her study of the book of Luke.  Great things are happening here.  I am witnessing great things.

The following is an update concerning futbol here in Brazil:  John and I did get to enjoy our last game with the guys last night.  Since there were so many people, we divided into three teams, but as promised John and I got to play with the Brazilians.  We played the Texans and won big.  Playing on the same team as these guys makes you a better player.  I was able to put in 3 goals.  One for my mom, one for Kristin, and one for sweet Lucia.  John had incredible stats.  He assisted on all my goals, picked up a couple more assists, and scored himself.  Ha, and he was playing defense.  As far as the other game is concerned.  Internacional did win their game.  That puts them within one or two games of being the champions.  I correct my mistake from last night. 

P.S: I missed having Kaka today! I think I will have her tomorrow though!

For those who have extra time.  Jesus was a good man right? I don’t think anyone would debate that.  I mean people all across the world consider him to be a good man.  A great teacher.  An amazing leader.  Yeah, but I have a question.  Have you ever seen a good man throw a table.  Have you ever heard a good man yell at another man, “HYPOCRITE!”  When you are teaching people the story of Jesus, do you begin sweating under your shirt knowing that you are going to have to defend your Lord in the next chapter? Do you shrug your shoulders and say, “I don’t know why he did that. Sounds like he was angry.” In literature all heroes have their vices.  All have their weaknesses.  This is a story isn’t it? Heroes fall.  A greater man would have asked kindly for them to leave the temple.  A greater man would have pulled the Pharisees aside and rebuked them quietly.  Isn’t that what we think even if we don’t say it? Now, if you think that this next section is going to contain all the answers, then you better stop reading.  This is just what I think.  “God came near.” John says that Jesus pitched his tent here among us and lived with us for a while.  He was here with men.  Ah, but if a King were to step down from his throne to have a face to face chat with me, would he no longer be a King? “Through him all things were made.”  This is what is said about Jesus.  So if the creator of the world enters his creation, is he no longer the creator? That is one approach that my mind often takes.  Jesus is God, whether he is here or There.  The God who threw the Red Sea over hundreds of men, can throw a table out of a temple. My mind also goes another route as well.  What is love?  Is love a blanket and a kiss on the forehead?  Yeah, maybe for your baby girl. In a world where the word “stupid” is inappropriate and where raising your voice will get you thrown out, there is little to no room for correction.  We have made it a sin to rebuke a man, not God. Everything Jesus did was an act of sheer love.  His rebukes both challenged the thoughts of the wicked and defended the position of the righteous. They cleaned the house of the Father, and they cleaned the minds of the cheaters.  “If anyone causes one of the least of these to sin, he should have a millstone tied around his neck and be thrown to sea.”  The leaders in Jerusalem at that time got it easy then from the man who spoke those words.  Jesus did anything and everything to protect his flock.  We all find that the greatest men to ever live were those who could attract children to them one moment and fight hard the next.  And fight not for themselves, but to protect others.  When William Wallace mooned the English army he wasn’t trying to make them laugh. When Jesus yelled at the Pharisees he wasn’t wanting them to smile either. When Jesus flipped tables in the temple, it was for the correction of the evil men, but also to liberate those oppressed by them.   When he called the Pharisees hypocrites it was for their benefit, to be corrected, but more so for the benefit of those who were oppressed by them. He fought hard for his flock.  He lived to make a path for them to reach the father, and in his death his work was made complete.  We can try to defend his actions, and we can question his behavior, but in the end the King who came here remains King.  And eternal love, which he personified, always accomplishes its task with perfection. Therefore, if you watch the following link, hang your hat on those two promises.     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRU8gGkxVNk

For the Championship

Before I begin talking about today, I have a few comments about yesterday.  If you re-read the blog for yesterday, and actually read between the word “reading” (wow that was alot of reading), then you will find the highlights of yesterday.  Yes, a bird actually pooped in John’s hair. 

I am writing the blog early today! Typically I write this around midnight Brazilian time, which means the first readers arrive around 10:00 P.M central time.  Today I am writing early because we have a very late night ahead.  John and I have been invited to play another soccer game.  The game will begin tonight at 10, Brazilian time.  John and I were honored beyond all belief when the Brazilians asked us to play again.  Since the Texas group is here the game will be Brazilians vs. USA’ians.  However, John and I were honored even more when the Brazilians invited us to play on their team! It will be hard for us emotionally to beat the Americans, but I don’t think it will slow us down any on the field. 

Gulherme just walked in so I need to begin my lesson.  He brought me and John coke and some chocolate candy.  He has some things he would like to say:   ” Today I will teach them how to play soccer.  Hi, I hope to come to the United States sometime soon. I hope I will get to see some of you when I come. Thank you, peace in Jesus!”

P.S: The championship game is not the game I will be playing in tonight.  The real championship game, which is for the South American champion is going on now between Internacional and São Paulo.  Inter is a team from here in Porto Alegre.  They are big rivals of the other Porto Alegre team named Grêmio.  John, Gulherme, and I are fans of Gremio.  That’s why Gulherme also brought us Gremio t shirts.

Reading Between the Reading

Cold Reading, Hot Reading, Shopping Reading, Reading Reading, Eating Reading, Reading Reading, Jesus Reading, Friends Reading, Laughter Reading, John Reading, Bird Reading, Poop Reading, Hair Reading, Nap Reading, Kids Reading, Loud Reading, Kaka Reading, Delmar Reading, Harry Potter Reading, Angela’s Reading, Dinner Reading, Gulherme Reading, Large Reading, Burgers Reading, Stuffed Reading, Talked Reading, Prayed Reading, Coffee Reading, Hyper Reading, Laughter Reading, Love Reading, Brazil… Reading

I Started Eating Pizza

Today I woke up, went on a run with Kristin and then got started on a great day.  Kristin had a great conversation with Rachel today about heaven and hell.  They are going to go on a search through the scriptures to find out more tomorrow. And Randi got into the word tonight with Vitoria.  Which can be hard to do because she likes to talk so much ha ha.  After our sessions we went with the group from Texas to a pizzeria.  Mark and Ju were excited about exposing us to such an experience.  When you arrive the barrage begins.  They immediately begin bringin out different types of pizza.  This place has over 50 recorded pizza types.  John, Gulherme, and I got into a competition right off the bat to see who could eat the most pizza.  Randi and Kristin surprisingly held their own as they quietly ate plate after plate.  Once we reached 12 slices of pizza I could see fatigue in both John’s and Gulherme’s faces.  I decided I would go all in for the win.  So, at 14 John threw in the towel, and Gulherme unbuckled his belt.  Gulherme took on another plate of pizza so I asked for more as well.  I put in three more and was at 16, but realized we were tied at 16 apiece.  So I grabbed another piece and quickly took the lead devouring the 17th as quickly as I could.  He had one piece still left on his plate and I was certain that he couldn’t finish it.  With only a few more bites to go he sat back in his chair.  Then he stood up and we hugged, I gave him an extra firm squeeze to rejoice for my victory.  As he sat down he grabbed the last piece and popped it in.  I would have put him in a head lock for stealing my thunder, but I couldn’t move to do it.  He gave me a high-five and in the end I was pleased to settle in a tie.  17 isn’t too shabby.  Between the three guys we downed 6 whole pizzas.  I have no idea how I’m gonna sleep tonight.  But it’s definitely time to try.  We are all really gonna miss Gulherme when we leave, we’ve gotten really close to him.  We are gonna miss everyone for that sake.  Love you all!

P.S: The title comes from John’s statement at the pizzeria tonight.  As we were eating a man from Texas noticed John’s cross country shirt.  He looked at John and said,” Do you run?” John moaned and said,” I used to, but I started eating pizza.  Now I can’t.” Ha ha.  John’s the man.

Sunday Sunday

Today we woke up and went downstairs for worship service. We sang songs, ate the Lord’s Supper, read scripture, and prayed to our God.  After I gave a brief lesson on forgiveness we spent a lot of time just talking with the members here.  Clausius and his wife Pelar came to Church today.  I got to sit by him and worship with him.  I was so excited when he walked in; I know that he has been searching hard.  As we were worshiping he began to cry beside me. Looking back, I probably should have embraced him, but I lifted up prayers for him during the service.  We talked after service, and he has such great zeal in him right now.  Pray that his fire is never extinguished. After service we went shopping for lunch and the girls cooked another amazing meal.  I am very impressed with their work in the kitchen.  After lunch we went to the park.  We walked down the road stopping to shop at the street vendors’ stands.  While we were walking we got to listen to two men from Peru play some of their native music.  We were led by Daisy and Delmar.  Now we are all very very exhausted and eager for a good night sleep.

All God’s Children Singin

If today was a painting it was off the canvas.  It it was a song it rocked the charts.  But let’s just say that today was a smile and it lit up my face.  The early take off was much-needed because we had a lot to do today.  We left with Rachel at 8 from here to head to Gramado.  It’s a city about two hours from here that reminded me a lot of Gatlinburg.  However, it had its own very distinct flair.  Surprisingly, that flare is from a prominent German influence.  That’s right, the population here, in certain places, gets up to 90% German.  That’s not necessarily the case with Gramado, but you could definitely see German fingerprints. I really enjoyed the city, the shopping, the eating and the car ride there and back.  We ate gigantic hamburgers, and if you know me you know that I don’t use that word very often.  After the burgers, we went to a chocolate factory and watched a lady make white chocolate bars.  Once our mouths were good and wet, we went downstairs and got some for ourselves. The ride there was also a lot like the ride to Gatlinburg.  We winded through beautiful mountains, saw pretty lakes and streams, and got to see clouds from beneath, within, and above.  That part in the ride reminded me of a verse that some special people I know really like.  ”Part your heavens, O LORD, and come down; touch the mountains, so that they smoke.”  -Psalm 144:5-  After we returned we got ready to host a party here at the Church.  We had around 55 people in the auditorium tonight.  A group from Daingerfield, Texas came in today to join Mark in his mission work here.  They will be here for a week to host a VBS and a retreat.  The group of 18 added great energy to the party.  After we ate some snacks and played some games we got everyone in a circle and started singing devo songs.  After we sang a song in English, the Brazilians immediately followed with the same tune in Portuguese.  I know I don’t even have to say this, but those 30 minutes of worship were absolutely amazing.  I’m confident that in this I am speaking for the world we live in and for the heavens where the Lord resides.  We held on to each other and sang praises.  Looking around the circle I kept thinking about one thing.  This one song was on my mind the whole time.

And all the powers of darkness
Tremble at what they’ve just heard
‘Cause all the powers of darkness
Can’t drown out a single word
When all God’s children sing out
Glory, glory, hallelujah
He reigns, He reigns

At the end of the worship I quoted the chorus of this song to the believers that were gathered with me.  However, it is just as true for you as it is me.  When you praise God, you take part in this. It doesn’t matter where you are. 

P.S:  When Vó, grandma, heard the singing, she came into the auditorium.  She embraced Randi in the middle of the song and gave her an extra long hug. Randi’s still touched by it. 

Click on this link and for 4 minutes let God bless you : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8R9ZPT2T-I

Paper Money

Hello hello! Team Porto Alegre is coming off another really good day.  We had this place full of readers today.  I was really pleased to see the great number of people who came through these doors.  The highlight of my day came in a conversation with Vera.  We were talking about sharing our possessions with others and Vera said,” Don’t worry about money.  It is just paper.  Give to others and God will provide for you.”  The whole day was full of moments like that… But instead of continuing to type an update, I thought you all would enjoy something different today.  So if you click on the link at the end of the text you will be taken to YouTube to hear an update from us.  Thank you to all for your support and love.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_kUD3oPuMw