January Rewind

Global Warming

(Or Enjoying the Brasilian Sun)

Three weeks in Brasil flew by so quickly last month that we find ourselves double checking with each other from time to time to make sure it was real! Here is a ‘whistle-stop’ tour:

Field Conference: We worked hard and had fun, as we found ourselves doing all the things you normally do during VBS. Our responsibilities in the mountain jungle also included speaking for three of the evening services and heading up Fun Night. We thank God for the time we were able to spend with BGFM’s team in Brasil.

Denielle’s introduction to Brasil was definitely full of adventure and dominated by climate change. Not the kind of change that winter-bound scientists are touting these days, but the kind that is full of birds, bananas, and overgrown bugs. Each night we were serenaded by the croaking of frogs and then were sung awake by countless chickens and birds. More than the climate, we enjoyed the ministry God gave us along side His servants.

New Hope Retreat and Conference Center and Pacoti: During the next couple of days after conference we enjoyed the company of Al and Nadine Pierschbacher at New Hope. Still up in the mountains, we were impressed by the beautiful views and needy neighborhoods of Ceara’s high country.

New Hope Retreat Center is a new ministry that is being developed to encourage and train church leaders and lay people.

Alpha Christian School: The next five days were spent enjoying the hot, dry climate of Rio Grande do Norte. Lunch with a Brasilian family, fellowship with the school staff and church people, and encouragement from dedicated servants of God were highlights from our time in Mossoro.

Antioch Bible Institute: A road trip with Al in “Ol’ Bessie” to Paraguai was everything it sounded like. We were blessed to see first hand the fruits of a generation of labor in the gospel evident in the lives of hundreds of second and third generation believers. Antioch is in desperate need of teachers and laborers in general. We were encouraged by the faithful labors of the Lehrman family who work hard and produce despite the fact that their responsibilities demand more out of them than one family should be required to perform.

“Suburban” Fortaleza: Our last couple of days in Brasil were spent with a church plant in Caucaia. We felt like we’d stepped back in time for a few days to see the way church planting has been happening in Brasil for 60 years. Our fellowship was sweet with a young church and a youth group that is encouraging one another in the Lord. Our challenge was even sweeter through the faithful family that ministers there.

We count it a joy to have been able to spend this time in Brasil. Our hearts are challenged by the needs we witnessed; but even more, we are compelled by an urgency in the battle of the gospel that cannot be ignored. Wherever we look, even here in our own town, lives continue to be ravished by the sin that refuses to give any ground except to the cross of Christ. Thank you to the many of you who gave generously so that we could go.