Debrief

Hey y'all! I'm back home in Texas now; it's bittersweet. Brazil will always have a piece of my heart. However, I am glad to be home with my family before heading off to Florida once again. Being reunited with them was sweet food to my soul. As I was preparing to leave Brazil, I wrote out some questions that help me debrief and sift through all that happened this summer in the Amazon. So here are a few of those I wrote:

1. (Here's the broadest question of them all.) How was the internship?

It was wonderful. Working in the AVM office during the semester gave me a better understanding of what it looks like to run a mission-sending agency. Doing things such as calling team leaders, writing an article here and there for AVM's newsletters, getting out information about the ministry, and building a database gave me administrative experience that will help me in the future. Also, representing AVM at booths during a pastor's conference and my school's missions conference taught me to articulate clearly what a ministry's vision, activity, and operation is. There were also multiple benefits of simply being in the office with the AVM president as he met with chairmen, helped team members register for visas, informed people about what AVM does, skyped the Brazilian side of AVM, and more.
The international leg of this internship continued this learning experience. Living with AVM's mission coordinator for the first week involved doing many tasks in preparation for an American short-term team that was to come in. We did everything from grocery shopping and buying Bibles to meeting with accountants and boat managers. I enjoyed being somewhat of a helpful shadow to her as she shared with me what it is she does for AVM. Going through these tasks submerged to a good degree in Portuguese and the Brazilian culture opened my eyes to what's involved in the field-side of running a missions sending agency.

Then, of course, there was actually being on the boats with the teams, engaged first-hand in the actual efforts of AVM. This truly captured my heart. We held Bible studies with local pastors, village leaders, and villagers. We had the privilege of working alongside Brazilian pastors who invest their lives into the villages we worked in. VBS-type children's ministry, soccer, games, and house-to-house visits were also part of the agenda. The relationships built through these efforts were life-changing. One of the trips held a medical clinic as well. This allowed me to see hundreds of villagers helped physically through a clinic of two nurses and two translators. With limited resources, AVM was able to provide medical care for many lives along with sharing the gospel with their patients. The Brazilians as well as the American teams that came in taught me daily about what missions is: glorifying God in all nations.

2. What were some things you learned about missions/missions sending agencies (such as AVM)?

• There's much more that goes into it than meets the eye. There is considerable preparation needed for a single team to come in and get onto the river. Grocery shopping, boat and dock arrangements, cook and crew, village permission to visit, flights, transportation, translators, interviews, team training, boat manager, scheduling, etc.
  
• There are always more people to reach. I learned that even with all of the efforts of AVM and similar mission organizations, there are still 2 to 3 times more villages than what we've visited that are not reached with the gospel. The work's not over!
• I learned more about follow-up and working with local Christians to reach people in a long-term manner. Supporting the existing church.
• This lesson was reiterated: ministry is people. That means different personalities, problems, needs, attitudes, strengths, weaknesses, etc.

3. What are some things you learned about leadership in missions?

• The name(s) of the game: Intentionality! Investing in people. Teaching. Serving. Communication. Servant leadership. Edification.
• I learned to count ministry as a joy and not a task. I saw many examples of how to have this attitude and how this demeanor naturally infuses into the team.
• Another reiterated lesson was the importance of knowing how to handle conflict in an appropriate, humble, prayerful manner.

4. What were some activities you did in children's ministry? What were some topics studied in Bible studies with local Christians in the villages?

• In children's ministry we played many games with the kids, including duck duck goose, tag, jump ropes, frisbee, American football, soccer, and more. We presented the gospel to them, sometimes using the E-Cube or crafts such as making bracelets with colored beads that each stood for something in the gospel. Face-painting accompanied story-telling to illustrate Biblical lessons. The children participated in role playing and skits of Biblical stories such as the creation of the world, the fall of man, Jesus' sacrifice, Jonah and the whale, and more. We also did a lot of singing praises in Portuguese, as well as some in English. Testimonies of team members were also sometimes given to tell the kids how Jesus has changed their lives. One team even had VBS material to teach the children from, which went really well.
• Some topics that were studied in Bible studies throughout the summer were: salvation through faith in Jesus alone, having assurance of salvation, baptism, marriage, the roles of the church and the government, an entire outline of Scripture-Old Testament to New, church doctrinal confusion, daily Bible intake, prayer, accountability, putting off the old self and putting on the new, and more.

5. Summarize your experience in Brazil in three words.

• Learning. Endurance. Refining.

Third trip on the river

Hey y'all! More apologies for my lack of blogging. WiFi is few and far between.The third and, sadly, final trip on the river was full of God flexing His muscles and showing His power. We went to one village for a couple days, and then to another one, Villa Sao Jose, for the rest of the week. It was great being in one place for so long. We had more time to invest in people there.

The picture is of a sweet boy in Sao Jose named Christiano who quickly became our friend. The two girls were helpin' me get him to smile for a picture since he has special needs. As the team and I were walkin' down the street, Christiano was out on the porch of his house. He sees us, bursts into a smile so bright it could light up the whole village, waves, and invites us in! His mother was out on the porch with him, and we introduce ourselves to them both. The World Cup was on- Holland vs. Uruguay I think- so the men were inside watching the game. A window to their living room was open, leaving the TV in full view. We were able to come up onto the porch and watch some of the game through the window. Soon, a team member starts a conversation with Cloudisa, the mother. I overheard Torrie, my team mate, telling her about salvation in Jesus. By the end of the game and their conversation, Cloudisa says she wants to trust Christ as her Savior! We asked her why, and she said that she had never known what it meant to have salvation. She said she went to the Catholic Church in the village, and they had never taught her how to be saved through Jesus Christ. But now that she understood that it is by faith alone in Jesus alone (Romans 10:9-10, John 14:6), she wanted to make a decision to trust Him as her Savior! Praise God :)

After this visit, we were able to go back to her house and have a Bible Study with her. We studied Ephesians 1:13-14 among other Scriptures. A belief that was common in this village was that you could loose your salvation if you do something bad or continue to sin after you trust Christ. We got to show her that the Bible says we are sealed with the Holy Spirit as evidence of our faith and salvation. We spoke with her about the importance of reading the Bible, praying to God, and many other ways to know God more.

--more later after a nap. Sorry guys!

River trips #1 and 2

Hey yall! I'm sorry that I'm a terrible blogger! It has truly been full throttle for the past two and a half weeks. Lots of energy and not a lot of WiFi. I’ve been out on two trips on the river so far, and have loved it!

The first trip was with a team from Westside Baptist Church in Gainesville, FL. They were fantastic people. God really blessed me to have the privelege of working with them. I expect that the friendships I made with Westside will carry on past the Amazon. We visited three villages on the river and were able to have teams for VBS-type ministry with the children, discipleship Bible studies with Christians and ‘seekers’ (someone trying to find truth) in the community, sharing the gospel in the homes of the villages, and a medical clinic. We had two nurses with us, one from Westside and the other from Brazil, and they did an incredible work helping the people. We saw three couples decide that they wanted to get married after a discussion about God’s design for marriage. We talked about what God intended for marriage and how living together without being married is a sinful lifestyle. So they said they wanted to obey God, get married, and then make their faith public to their village through baptism. Wow. Others from the village were baptized as well :) Praise God who works in men's hearts! Here's a story from the first trip:
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One of the soon-to-be-married couple’s son, a boy named Ikaru, trusted Christ as his Savior with us in VBS after we got to present a thorough, Biblical presentation of the gospel. Now Ikaru was the kid in the group whom I wished was mine only so I could spank him and sit him in the corner. If any of you have worked with children, you know which kid I’m talkin’ about, ha! But there was something in his face when the gospel was being presented. This routy little boy who tested me all morning was paying attention. He bowed his head when invited to, and prayed to receive Christ as his personal Savior. When Dayana, my friend and translator, asked him why he accepted Jesus, Ikaru responded simply. “I’ve always wanted Jesus to be my best friend, but I never knew how.”
So a little later that day, Ikaru came over and wanted to play with my little E-Cube (a cube that folds out and has pictures that go along with certain points in the gospel). So I let him, and he told Dayana the entire gospel while going through the pictures. She told me about it and I asked if he would tell it to me. So he did! It was amazing how well he had listened and remembered! There were about five guys in their twenties outside throwing the American football, so I asked Ikaru if he wanted to share the story with them. He said yes, so we went out to them. I told them Ikaru had something to say, and he shared the gospel with the five guys and the gaggle of little boys who followed us outside! Then Ikaru ran home. Amongst the little crowd, Dayana and I didn’t see where he went. We asked one of his friends where he went, and the boy took us to Ikaru’s house. We got there to find Ikaru sharing the gospel with his mother and grandmother. This little boy was so excited about his new best friend and wanted everyone to know about Him! He went to a Bible study with his parents about baptism and decided to get baptized on the day of his parents' wedding/baptism. It was beautiful.
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Then came a day in Manaus and then leaving to pick up the second team from Temple Baptist Church in Mississippi. Again, fabulous people. Three BCF graduates, too! Represent! An aspect of this team that was special was that it was all men except for two women. I was surprised at first, since over the past four years, I've mainly seen more girls than guys on my mission trips. To see these men lead out in ministry on the river was a blessing. We visited a few villages in a different part of the river and did much of the same ministries. We were met with hospitality and openness in each village. The Amazonian people have stolen a piece of my heart that I'll never get back. I don't want it back.
The team got to engage the people through children's ministry, sharing the gospel in homes, and FUTBOL (soccer)! In most of the villages, there was a chance to play with the Brazilian men. This was a great plug into the culture and share the gospel for this team. They had a ball! VBS was incredible as well. We were able to implement a skit that the kids acted out to tell the story of Adam and Eve's fall (man's separation from God and need for a Savior), and the crucifixion/resurrection (God's provision of a Savior). The children were extremely attentive and engaging each time! God worked in marvelous ways. The focus and enthusiasm of the Temple team was encouraging and contagious to both myself and the villagers.

God's ancient work has been a thick, running theme of this summer in the Amazon. This is the idea that God has been at work long before we got to Brazil, and He will continue to work long after we're gone. This second trip was no exception in showing this. The team was able to worship with the villagers in multiple church services held in schools and homes. During one in particular, the village leader's wife, along with all the villagers present, sang for us a hymn in the tribes' native mother language. Standing there, listening to a room full of people sing praises to the one true God, my God, the God of the Bible, brought me to tears. A team member and I rejoiced in the excitement of being in Heaven one day, listening to praises in every single language on Earth! What a promise.

So now I'm uploading new photo's on facebook (check them out for more stories and such). I'll be leaving tomorrow with the third team of my time here- also from Temple Baptist in Mississippi! I've heard from the second team that this new one will be more youth and college-aged people. They sound like a well prepared bunch, and I'm excited to get to serve with them on the river! Until next time I have WiFi- love y'all!

**Please pray for the continued discipleship of Amazonian Christians. Pray for the church leadership in place in the villages to be refreshed in teaching the Word of God to their people, and that the people will have a passion to put off the old self of sin and put on the new self in Christ.**