A Day Marked in Infamy

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Closing day. A day marked in infamy. A lot of emotions are marked on these days, and it is never easy. Leaving new friends, brothers, and sisters behind.  I know I speak for everyone when I say it feels like we just got here, but now we must leave. Yes, I know that was a little cheesy, but I’m okay with that.

I thought I had my highlight when laughs, but the real highlight was, of course, tonight. All week we have sung We All Fall Down, but tonight as the verse started the kids were kind of quiet, and muddled, but as soon as chorus was played; a blast of voices blew me away and I froze. I was broken by God’s promises as they all flooded into my heart and mind. I’ll admit I shed some tears as I tried to help lead hand motions. So being the typical American guy I hid my face to the ground so no one would see.  I have played guitar in worship bands for a few years now, and I can’t think of a more powerful reaction from a group of individuals, and they were kids. Not saying I’ve never had a meaningful worship experience before, but a lot of times I forget that children are so unique and unpredictable. No, I don’t know if the kids fully understand what they were singing, but the way they were shouting and the way the Brazilian teachers taught made it hard not to believe.

One of the pastors said we were like the disciples, and that we were the answer to his prayer.  Another pastor I got to chat with personally…with the help of Estela translating… among countless other people thanking God and us for coming from so far away to be disciples and teaching others so they could teach the children. 

Next, after the cleaning was finished, the Brazilian portion of Team 2 ran in singing: “Don’t Stop Believing” with a sign that also said don’t stop believing. They also sang a Christian good-bye song, which basically stated that we were all one with Christ.

This morning, while sitting in with yellow group, the teachers told Danielle and myself, they are glad for and proud of us for being there. I was amazed at love they have for our team.

I know this is a random blog, but I’m not a blogger, and my head is still spinning from the love and support I received from a group of people who has no idea what words came out of my mouth.  I know I’ll never fully fathom the impact that my team, team 2 has planted this week and what team 1 planted last week. I just wanted to share some of the things that impacted me in one single day that I’ll remember for a lifetime! I thank God for the opportunity to be here and serve Him and the people of Brazil!

-Matt Brown

Nicole-The people of Brazil are amazing, loving, and so cheerful. I’ve made so many new friends and I will miss them all. The kids have been so much fun and have learned so much about Christ. Duck, I miss you! Two more days in Brazil! I’m going to make the most of them.

Stephen- I will never forget Maira’s story about her coming to faith in Jesus and Heirson calling me his big buddy. Luke 5:17-26.

KatieRose- Floored by the tears, hugs, and sweet words of our new Brazilian friends. Enjoying each moment left in Brazil.

Haley- Hearing all the creenzas sing “Vim Para Adorare Te” tonight was something I will never forget.

Mary Ann – Tears are a reflection of impact.

Wilson – My heart is heavy for the people we’ve met. Lots of Hugs, Lots of Tears, Can’t wait for the chance to be back here. Our time in Riacho Fundo II was truly short and sweet. Carpe Diem.

Rubenacker-  How about the church being packed out into the streets to celebrate the week and all God has accomplished? How about praying with a camper that he wouldn’t wake up every morning with headaches as we stood in line for camp to start? How about praying with one of our Brazilian volunteers that her husband will come to accept the gift of salvation through Christ?  

Juliana – Got egged and was given about a thousand hugs for my birthday. Last day of camp reminds me how much I love this place and how my heart desires for these people to know the Lord. 

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Starting with a Blank Page

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Starring at a blank page with nothing blank about what is in the minds fueling the fingers of today’s blog post. Team 2 is sitting in Brasilia traffic sandwiched between bumper-to-bumper lanes on either side. We have patches of dark clouds overhead with splashes of sunlight peering through them. This was one of two immediate reminders on Day 3 of God’s faithfulness once again during Olho no Olho. The other reminder came packaged as three jumping campers. As we drove away from Riacho Fundo just a few blocks from the church these meninos from Team Amarelo were awaiting our departure. As if they were sending farewell waves for the day with joyful anticipation that surely matched ours that we will have the opportunity to reunite tomorrow. Brent said it well today in our debrief… “I’ve got exciting new and I have sad news. We have one more day of camp and we have one more day of camp!”

During devotion last night, Stephen challenged us from the book of Luke 5. We took a few minutes to consider pride and selfishness verses faith and boldness. Jesus healed a man from a life confined to a mat by the faith of his friends. They knocked out ceiling tiles with believing hearts that despite obstacles, Jesus had power to bring life to legs that did not have the power to carry their friend independent of them. Not only had He been healing bodies, but hearts in the many chapts/year prior, but many had missed the Messiah amidst the miracles. The ones who had been attending religious services and had been memorizing Scripture (Pharisees and teachers of the law), missed Him! Have we been and are we willing to knock out ceiling tiles with and for the community of Riacho Fundo?

The day started a little later than our previous two. Our orders were to be ready to drive out at 6:28AM. We were ready, but our drivers were not… they were nowhere to be found. As we started to strategize alternate options to get to the church, we heard the sound of four wheels rolling on the red clay gravel drive. Today the sunrise greeted us before we left instead of us watching Brasila wake up en route. That extra 15 minutes of sleep goes a long way when you get to do the Round Up four times in one day!

Campers seemed to arrive earlier today which worked well as we had pallets of verde, azul and amarelo paint ready to prepare campers for Wacky Wild Wednesday! Standing outside for prolonged periods turned out to not only be fun, but provided incredible opportunities to have intentional conversations with campers. We are appreciating our translators minute by minute.

Lessons are being clearly communicated. Our campers are clinging to Christ-centered 3AMs. Our Brazilian volunteers are knocking it out of the ballpark… although they don’t really have ballparks here, but the meninos will understand that more after experiencing American baseball in Man Land tomorrow. It has been exciting to see the adjudantes (jovens = older teenagers) serve so selflessly. God is using them and growing them along with the campers (and  the Team)!

Thanks for the prayers. Big day tomorrow! Expectant.

Grant- Singing “Here I am to Worship” in Portuguese with a room full of Brazilian kids is incredible. Also listening to Mark have a two hour conversation with an 8 year old Brazilian on the way back to Agua Viva is really entertaining. Love you Mom, Dad, and Jared!

Matt Brown- I have no words to express the way I feel about this place and opportunity, therefore I’m forced to make one up……..scrumtralecent! but seriously, I wish it wasn’t our last day.

Reese White- too tired to go to camp today so she played at the farm with Angela; swimming, coloring, and and getting her feet stained with the red dirt of Brazil. She really wants to go for the last day even though it’s a 5:30am-12:30 am day!

Wheeler- Couldn’t even wake this guy up for camp this morning, tried twice.  He also enjoyed a day at the farm. His favorites were the vacas (cows) and swimming and eating TONS of rice and beans every meal.

Kylie- A fun story from small group, a girl says she cries every night going to bed, but last night she prayed to Jesus and he took away her fear!

Mary Ann – Being recognized for her integrity brought tears to Odine’s eyes.  After a comical communication struggle, Weverson gave me the “awkward turtle’ hand signal. Haha.

John IV- he is currently doing pushups but rocking it out at Man-Land and enjoying translating and acting crazy today at Wacky Wednesday.

Stephen – Having an incredible time with Weverson and Herison, two volunteers with us at Rec.  They also think I am a famous American basketball star, so I’m trying to keep that going.

John e Trudy –We have now attracted quite a few onlookers from across the street…today the workers from the local bakery came over to see what was happening and even the two men from the bar across the street watch us everyday. Pray for little Abraao (Abraham) – he is one of our campers and his dad runs the local bar across the street. It’s a joy to serve our Lord in this beautiful country!!

Juliana – We got a surprise visit from some volunteers from Team 1 (Diógenes, Alvaro & Jessica). What a joy to see them one last time. J

Nicole – I had a great time today. Debora’s like my new best friend. I messed up my Portuguese today and had all of Artes laughing. Can’t wait to see tomorrow.

Danielle – Sad tomorrow is the last day, but excited to see what God has in store.

Angela Rubenacker – I’ve been holding out to mention that my legs got really sunburned on day two. Good news is, they don’t hurt anymore. Never underestimate the power of SPF everywhere.

Brent:  Thanks for all of the birthday wishes!  Had another great meeting today with a future potential partner here in Brazil.  A lot of potential for us here!  Praying for big things!

Angela F:  Well, I have officially gotten all of my Brazilin documents up to date.  You think the DMV is bad in the states….  

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Terrific Tuesday

“The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective” James 5:16.  We were reminded of this truth as one of our Brazilian volunteers, Odine, told us we needed to pray for more campers.  God answered her prayer in a big way. Today we had over 110 campers that came despite the early morning rain.  The energy in the room was electric as we taught the song “Hands up” and sang yet another amazing “Round Up”. 

Today the theme was “Vida ao Maximo” or Life to the Max.  Our brave members Stephen and Mark ate the BOMBA, Brazil’s version of the Big Mac as Maíra explained that Jesus doesn’t just want us to live a “bread and cheese” life, but life to the fullest in him. It was amazing to hear their little voices shouting in Portuguese “I live because Christ Jesus lives in me”.

There was no rest for the weary in between sessions as we all brought out our inner rock stars as we filmed for our music video (final product to come, you will not want to miss).  Cars, dogs, and passing walkers all stared at us interestingly as we danced and lip sang our best in the streets of Riacho Fundo. 

The afternoon session was almost at capacity as we packed our room full of excited campers.  We made parachuting dinosaurs, the girls went to the nail salon and made their own barrettes, we played doghouse and lifeguard and jellyfish at rec, and made maracas at art. 

At the end of each session we were reminded why we are really here.  Beyond brightening someone’s day, just having fun, playing games or singing songs…. We exist to be a light to these kids who may be in dark situations.  As we discussed today what steals our joy from having life to the max in our small groups, the campers wrote out these joy-stealers on paper.  Our hearts broke as we prayed over these requests.  Kids that are hungry, with no fathers at home, family members using drugs, parents who constantly call them bad names, who experience bullying at school, kids who are sick, who wish their family members could become Christ-followers.  It is a beautiful thing to hear audible prayers rising to our father in both languages as we prayed for these kids’ situations. Please join us in praying for the kids of Riacho Fundo.

Today also had several moments of fun celebration for Brent for his birthday! Banging pots and pans at 5:45 am, the entire camp singing “Parabens Pra Voce” to him and all 60 something of them giving him a hug, while the kids in the back of the room shout “look how red he is turning!” And, word on the street is Dona Gon Gon (our amazingly talented, sweet, tender cook) is preparing some amazing surprises for him tonight.

As I ride back on the bus in the pouring Brazilian rain, I am beyond thankful of the opportunity God has given us.  This is not just a “mission trip”.  I am praying that no one will just return to life as normal when we hit US soil.  I am asking big things of God that he move mightily in our team and give us a clear direction of what we are to do during and with this experience.  This may be some of our first experiences of fatherless children, children facing hunger, abuse and extreme poverty.  Like Proverbs 24:12 says, Once our eyes are opened we cannot pretend we do not know what to do.  The Lord holds us responsible to act. 

After another bumpy hour on this Brazilian road, we will be back at the farm to partake in the amazing dinners we have had. We ended camp today at a sorvete (ice cream) shop and we all tried interesting flavors of popsicles.  The boys have been doing over 100 push-ups at nights to work off the pounds Dona Gon Gon is trying to pack on them!

Ate Lago from “Chee-me dois”!

-Kylie

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Reese- She loved getting wet in the rain at rec time and playing hand games with the Brazilian girls. She also loved painting nails in Girls Club.

Wheeler- (3 ½ years old) is thankful to have Papa with him on this trip who takes him to the snack shops near the church for Cheetos and popsicles.  He loves playing soccer with the little boys.

Kylie- favorite moment of the day was with a camper Karoline.  I loved holding hands with her and speaking broken Portuguese as I told her that she was a Princess of God and loved extravagantly by him as I painted her nails.

Juliana – I was mistaken for a native Brazilian twice today! Oh, and I loved the way God held off the rain for camp, but used the clouds to keep the day a little bit cooler for us.

KatieRose- Loving the moments where God taps me on the shoulder and reminds me that every situation is a purposeful slice of His big picture.

Stephen- Today I bonded with some high school Brazilian guys over the moonwalk and Michael Jackson.  Their moves were impressive.

Wilson – favorite moment of the day: Hernando coming up to me with his friends saying Jackie Chan and having one of the biggest smiles I’ve ever seen. Shout out to family and friends!

Haley- dancing through four rounds of the Roundup, playing with beautiful Brazilian children, and finishing off camp with an ice cream stop…what a great day! Love and miss you Caleb!

Mary Ann – growing closer to the Brazilian volunteers and enjoying being outdoors helping with Rec each day. Shout out to family and friends back home!

Danielle – Enjoying every moment with amarelo!!

John e Trudy – thankful to be serving the Lord in this wonderful country together…we left in the rain this morning and drove home in the rain but in between during camp there was no rain. God is good all the time. All the time God is good.

Mark – many language endeavors today with the Brazilian children.  Attempted to lead a class with Matt B. with no translators or Brazilian; also spoke with a camper for one hour who knows as much English as I do Portuguese.  So blessed to be here and thankful for the opportunity. 

Larissa-  SO HAPPY to see what God is doing this week.

Rubenacker – my heart is swollen for the children and community God has planted us in this week! Please keep the prayers and praises uplifted on our behalf – God is bending His ear to both.

Grant- I am having an awesome time! It was hilarious today to hear kids call Wilson Jackie Chan and Matt Harry Potter. Thanks for the prayers, Love you Mom, Dad and Jared!

Matt Brown- “Hey little girls, EL Bean-0 goes in paper-plate-O! “ Yes, I know my Portuguese is a little rusty. Connecting with and making kids laugh when you can’t even speak their language is incredible!

Angela- I had a crazy day with the Blue Team.  Had to “lay the smack down” with the morning group as Mark would say.

Brent- Had a great Brazilian birthday.  It was an adventure being hugged by all the campers at one time for a HUGE Birthday gift!

Nicole – Had a blast today. Adoleta!  I had fun singing with the girls and making maracas.  I very much enjoyed my coco picola! God is doing great things in Riacho Fundo. J Missing everyone. Love you Mom! Kelly you da best!! 

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Speechless...

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There’s something you must know…this is my first time in Brazil. The one word I would use to describe my experience so far is ‘speechless.’

It’s my response to seeing the land and the people. It’s the expression on my face when I’m trying to understand Portuguese. It’s the cry of my heart as I watch and listen to my brothers and sisters singing to the same God. Speechless.

Well, here’s what’s happened since the last update. Sunday night we were able to be a part of the church body in Brasilia at Memorial Baptist Church. The people welcomed us, and the pastor shared with the church why we were in Brasilia. It’s very encouraging to know that our brothers and sisters are lifting us up in prayer as we lift up another part of the body in Brasilia.

After the service, we went to dinner at a local pizza place. There are several unique experiences to note from the pizza place.

·      People eat dinner late – it was after 9pm

·      Various pizzas are brought to the table – buffet comes to you

·      Dessert pizza has cheese on it

The most notable experience from this pizza place was when the servers started distributing these metal saucers shaped like cymbals to everyone in the restaurant. Then an Italian song came over the speakers, and everyone started beating the metal cymbals together! Hahaha! It was so loud…and fun! And, it happened twice.

Sunday was a late night followed by an early Monday morning to begin our first day of camp at a new church in Riacho Fundo II. Dressed, fed, and ready to experience our first day with campers, we arrived at the church and began setting up. The Brazilian volunteers arrived excited and ready for the day, too! Before you knew it, the campers were lining up at the gates, registering, getting their nametags and wristbands, and entering the main room where they were greeted by friendly faces.

The morning and the afternoon sessions were a blast! From dancing to cheers to learning new songs, to hearing Maíra share the message to skills, the Lord was at work amongst us. Even though I could not understand everything being said, I knew the message being shared. It brought joy to my heart just to see the volunteers get excited and communicate the Good News to these children, to engage in conversations with the campers throughout the day, and to really pray with and for these children in their community.

Flavia, a volunteer, shared a story at the end of the day about going to pick up children from the nearby housing area. In this particular area, families are trying to put a roof over their heads and live very simply. The parents work and are unable to bring the children to the church. When the bus pulled up, lots of children came running out wanting to go to camp. They ran out of room on the bus and had to turn some of the children away, crying. This is hard to hear. But, I find peace and hope in the Lord knowing that these children are not left behind. They have the opportunity to hear the Good News from their friends that did come. The volunteers at this church can begin to build relationships with the families in this area. I pray Ephesians 3:14-21 over my friends at the local church, that they may live in the truth that He is able to do immeasurably more than they can think, ask or imagine.

Thank you Father for this opportunity to see You in the lives of my Brazilian brothers and sisters.

-Mary Ann

 Nicole- Well I found out girls love to talk in any country. I had three girls trying to talk to me in Portuguese.  They would talk so fast and I would say “No Intendes” , with a big smile on my face. Thankfully Angela started to translate for me and help me understand. They were so sweet and we learned a lot from each other. Shout out to my first graders. Stanley is enjoying Brazil. Love you mom!

Stephen – I will never forget the sound of Brazilian children singing “Here I Am To Worship” at the top of their lungs in Portuguese.

Danielle –  Grateful for my new Brazilian friend Odine. So glad the round up is back in my everyday routine!!

Wilson – Apparently, the kids think I’m Jackie Chan. I’m okay with that… Day 1 was a blast. Thankful for what God’s doing here in Brazilia.

Mark – 1.  So apparently some of my campers said I look like a Brazilian; much to their dismay my Portuguese is way below par. 2.  Currently teaching Wilson Yang how to become more gangsta #challenging 3.  We showed up today and the Lord absolutely showed off.  I pray that we continually show up and remove ourselves from the picture so that He may be all that is present.

Rubenacker – “Chegou, chegou, chegou para ficar. O verde e’ a cor, que veio pra ganhar!” Proudly chanting Time Verde’s new cheer  all day– thanks Brazilian partners.

Juliana – The Round Up never fails to bring a smile to my face. Today was a great first day, well done for the glory of God!

Haley- Today I tried to speak Portuguese to a camper. She started laughing so hard that she cried. True story.

Grant- Today was Awesome! The Brazilian kids said I had a funny accent and my Portuguese sounded funny, and Brazilian Pizzerias are the best! I love you Mom, Dad, and Jared, thanks for the prayers!

John White III – Saved the day by running to the papelaria for page protectors. :)

Matt Brown-  Grant: “When are we going monkey huntin’?” It was absolutely amazed to watch our Brazilian teachers teach the children about Christ, even though I cannot speak Portuguese! It was truly a blessing! P.S. Jimmy, Mark is safe for now……………. :)

Brent – Great first day of camp in Riacho Fundo II.  Had a great time practicing some of my Portuguese today with the campers.  Can’t wait to see what is in store for our team this week.

Angela- It is very fun to be with a new group of campers.  These kids are excited about camp and I can’t wait to see how they change throughout the week.

Trudy – Girl World…it’s the bomb! Just to see these precious little girls, their smiles and hear their cute conversation- is refreshing to see and hear. Please continue to pray for transformation as each days goes by.

John IV- Favorite quote.. Brazilian volunteer “Do you guys like the Americans that have come to help us” little Brazilian boy “Yes we like them all… even the Chinese guy”

Kylie- LOVED today. Awesome how God answered prayers of a sweet volunteer for more children to come this afternoon and how she praised him for answering her.   Fun day with the girls in girl world talking about being on Jesus’ team.

Reese- “my favorite thing was getting wet by the sponge at rec.  I also liked the croco-gee-lho song and playing tic tac toe and hangman with my new Brazilian friend.”

Wheeler- loved his new friend Luiz, getting pushed on the skateboard in the streets of Riachofundo, and getting taught on the guitar by Jonas.

KatieRose- After a hilarious language lesson from Time Azul’s Mariane y Alice in Girl World today, I now consider my Portuguese proficiency to have moved up to the level of an 18 month old. Also loving spending time outside of Camp with our incredible translators.

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Nothing like a Sunday in Brazil!

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Teaching the Brazilian Volunteers to engage the senses of children

Gurl World Training - Team 2

Man Land Training - Team 2

An Italian surprise at dinner... May one of the most fun dinner many of us have ever had!

Blog for Sunday, March 12, 2012

Oi! I am writing this as we are traveling down a dirt road on our way to Church in downtown Brasilia. I’m constantly amazed at the beauty of this country.  We are surrounded by farmlands of rolling hills and clear blue skies.

We spent the day today training the Brazilian volunteers and preparing them for the upcoming week of camp. The people here are extremely kind and are excited about the opportunity to reach out to the kids in the community this week. Trudy shared with me that the Church we will be running camp from has been praying for a way to reach the kids in their community. It was soon after that WinShape contacted them asking to run a camp for the kids in their area. God is Awesome!

One thing I have greatly enjoyed is getting to know the Brazilian volunteers. I am sure the translators are tired of me asking them how to say certain words, but I am thankful for their kindness and patience. We had the opportunity to worship with the Brazilian volunteers in Portuguese last night and today.  It was a powerful experience that left us in awe of God’s power and grace. We can’t wait to see what God has in store for this week and we pray that he will use us to reach out to these kids and their families.

Thank you for all the prayers back home in the states. Please continue to pray for us as we prepare for the first day of camp tomorrow, and pray for the kids, that they would come with an open heart and leave changed at the end of the week. 

Deus e maravilhoso! Tchau!

We were not able to get the "status" for everyone as they all wrote them down and we left them at the farm (where we have no internet access).  We will post everyone's tomorrow!  We are working on getting in the grove of things...

Haley- loved playing with Play-doh with Amanda and can’t wait to meet the kids at camp tomorrow!

Mary Ann – Brazil is a wonderful country. It’s been great spending time with the people and preparing for the first day of camp.

KatieRose- very encouraged to be picking up bits and pieces of Portuguese and to see how smiles and hugs transcend language barriers. Looking forward to Camp!

Stephen – In two days, I have played baseball with Brazilians, played guitar while others sang in Portuguese, and learned a few phrases of my own.  I am also reminded every time I stand up of the spacious accommodations from the flight over.

Kylie- What an amazing time its been! Our kids have been loving it here. What a sweet time with the volunteers we have had before camp begins!

John IV- What a great joy being back to Brazil, this was home for me for ten years and each time I’m back the Brazilians remind me what it is like to be truly thankful and joyful in all we do!

Rubenacker – Giddy about linking arms with our Brazilian teammates to be a part of what God is doing in a community I am confident is going to steal our hearts… starting tomorrow!

Brent - Really excited about Team 2 being here, although I find myself missing team 1 as well.  Hope you guys got some rest upon returning to the states!

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