Riiiiiipppple Effect

Facebook albums from our trip will definitely be pretty sweet, but our favorite memories cannot be seen in the pictures you flip through or any of the videos you watch. Seeds have been planted in the hearts of Brazilians and Americans alike. This was no ordinary Spring Break trip.

Two words that were spoken consistently as we sat to debrief as a team this morning were…ripple effect. We may be headed home, but we’re thrilled to know that God’s presence is staying in Sao Sebastian. His work is not done. The team learned the words to “God Of The City” in Portuguese and the words ring true in our hearts as we leave – “You’re the God of this city, You’re the Lord of these people…Greater things are yet to come, Greater things are still to be done here.” We also unpacked a good bit about the ripple effects that our time with the Brazilian children and adults will have on our lives at home and at camp this summer. Here are some comments I jotted down during our meeting.

We were:

-amazed at how powerful God’s love is

-saw utter proof that God can break down any barrier

-impacted by the children’s ability to be content in any situation (with their poor living conditions)

-surprised how in just 4 days with the kids we became so comfortable in their surroundings (so much so that going to the fancy mall last night felt uncomfortable)

-blessed to see the parents reactions to us when we met them and told them how great their children were

-ready to work harder to intentionally develop relationships with campers this summer

-thinking more about how we can see God use the small things (even though we have every resource at our disposal doing camp at WinShape)

One of the best things about working with this team is that every member of the team has also committed to work another summer at camp so our chances to serve together will not end when we part ways in Atlanta. We’ll have the chance to remind each other what we learned and to challenge one another to implement our take-aways in practical ways in our roles at each camp. At this point we’re feeling like we are going to be a rocking camp staff thinking about how well we feel like we can connect with campers with whom we can fully communicate!

The closure was really sweet and we finished in just enough time to pack up the vehicles to head to the airport. And WE GOT TO SEE Team 2!! We were the biggest, loudest spectacle of the week or maybe the month at the Brasilia airport!! There were hugs aplenty and the enthusiasm was rich! It was a true joy to see their faces light up even after hours of travel! It was a passing of the torch of sorts. Our prayer is that Team 2’s ministry even far exceeds what we were able to accomplish.

You can guarantee that this loud, crazy, fun-loving team will not see life the same. We hope you enjoy having them home and that you take the chance to ask them what they loved and what they learned. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you for your prayers!

Posted in: