Monday, October 22, 2007

Prayer Requests from Brazil Presentation

The following are prayer requests raised during the Brazil Presentation on Sunday October 21:

1) Edinaldo - Balance between ministry, family (five children in school), and business (he and his wife own a luncheonette); pray for his leadership of the work in the interior of Acre

2) Cooperation between the three pastors in Tarauaca and Feijo (Edinaldo, Francima, New pastor coming from Sena Madureira

3) EBC's invitation from the IMB to become the Strategy Coordinating Church for Acre, Brazil (strategy coordinating church is the only IMB representation to an unreached people group)

4) Couple to work with children and train children's workers during next mission trip

5) Youth involvement in Brazil mission work

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Monday thru Thursday, (Oct 1-4)

Earlier in our stay, the ProLink Hotel owners had asked if we would be willing to dedicate their hotel. So, Monday morning found us up early asking God to bless the owners in all of their business dealings; that their hotel would have a reputation for hospitality, service, and integrity; and that those who stayed inside their walls would find rest and peace. In this family, the wife of the owner is churched. To our knowledge, the other members are not.

After a quick trip by Edinaldo’s home for one last goodbye, we were on the road to Rio Branco. Instead of prayer-walking, we began prayer-driving areas as we returned. One area that had captured our attention was the small community that was forming across the river from Tarauaca. To our knowledge “Tarauaca-East” [our naming] has no church so we have begun to pray for a new work there. We were able to enjoy “pothole pavement” until we were east of Feijo where we immediately encountered muddy roads due to the rains Sunday evening. The mud was sufficient to cause numerous trucks to slide into the ditch and force us to run in 4wd--indicaters that travel on BR 364 would soon be challenging--we were heading back at the right time. Later in the morning, we traveled beyond the effects of the recent rain and the mud turned to dust, which wasn’t a problem for the five folks in the cab but a nuisance to the rider in the rear. This was pretty much the same as last year except we had brought along a “poofy” [pear shaped bean bag] to serve as a body cushion and allow one to stretch out. Between the poofy and Theresa’s pillow, the guy in the rear was in good shape, especially when all passengers became airborne on the sudden dips/bumps in the road. Road conditions this year were much better and the group even reminisced over our adventure last year being a thing of the past, as the current road improvements will eventually make the way for year-round travel. We arrived in Rio Branco without incident after 7 hours or so of travel…not too bad.

The afternoon was spent completing last minute shopping and packing for our 2am flight to Manaus. As in the past, we left lots of clothes and medicines to be distributed to those in need. Good thing too or else we would have had to pay extra to transport all those havaianas [flip flops] back to the states. Numerous friends came by Monday night to say goodbye and wish us well. Soon it was too late for guests and we finished our final preparations and departed for the airport. Even though Bruce is doing well in communicating in Portuguese, we all appreciated Aaron being involved to ensure there was no confusion as we checked in and secured our ticket changes. After a final prayer, we said our goodbyes to Aaron and entered security to begin our trip home. Much to our relief, the flight to Manaus departed on time, as we only had about an hour to arrive/process/check-in for our flight to Miami.

We arrived Manaus a few minutes late but with a plan, Bruce would go secure our tickets and wait for Joe/Theresa at security while they secured the luggage. Things were going great for Theresa and Joe until they got to the ticket counter and Bruce conveyed they wouldn’t let us board and it attributed to timing—control of luggage going through customs???.

After the reality of our situation settled, we made contact with local IMB missionaries and Ken agreed to come to the airport and help us get rebooked for the same flight on Wednesday. It was a blessing to have Ken come to our aid. Soon all travel arrangements were made, including van transportation to the airport the next morning. He took us to the Hotel Brazil, pointed out a couple of eating options, as well as internet cafes, a few notable sights, and a list of contacts if we needed further assistance. Ken had a network of Brazilian associates that assisted him with mission teams visiting Brazil. We were receiving “standard” treatment and it was much appreciated.

After a short rest, we hit the streets of Manaus. First an internet café to catch up on news and then a sit down meal at a restaurant. Traveling days usually consist of granola bars and crackers and we still had several days to go so a good meal was in order. Oh yea, on our first trip out a man walking along side of me said, “you’re a missionary aren’t you?”. This wasn’t the first time I had been surprised by someone speaking English but this encounter was a little startling. After a short pause, I admitted as much and shared that we were only in Manaus overnight waiting for a flight and were currently looking for an internet café. He helped us and then went on his way. After some internet time, dinner, an ice cream break, and more internet time the evening was over.

Wednesday morning we enjoyed a breakfast at the hotel being careful about the food and beverages that we consumed. This would be our last meal in Brazil this year. Every meal presented opportunities to eat something new often without full knowledge/appreciation of how our systems would respond. This year found all of us eating more items than in the past but we refrained from being too adventurous because we knew too well that the reaction could bring a significant disruption to our plans. Other than Joe’s two afternoons of the “Pepto-prance” all had done very well.

Miguel Bruce, our van transportation, arrived on time at the hotel and we were soon at the airport saying goodbye to another critical contact for our future unassisted trips into Brazil. After getting past the disruption/delay to our travel home on Tuesday, we began to look at this time in Manaus as an opportunity to learn. We took away many insights about the numerous differences with the interior due to its size and business base.

We arrived early at the airport to ensure we had some flexibililty in case issues surfaced regarding our ticketing/departure, there were none. We again spent time on the internet contacting family, life groups, and other who were praying for us and our travels. It is amazing that we can communicate almost instantly to share and receive information across huge distances to different countries/cultures. We plan to make the internet a part of our mission to Brazil by beginning and sustaining communication with our partners in country. We have a long way to go in this area but expect it to be a valuable tool.

The flight to Miami was not without significance. Theresa was seated by a young Brazilian lady that spoke English and was soon deep in conversation with Francesca. Joe added a comment from time to time but it remained a conversation between two Christian women. Theresa learned of Francesca living in the US as a student for several years (age 15-17) with a Christian family and that that was her current destination. She would arrive in Houston just a few hours after the funeral of her “American” father and stay for several weeks to help her “American” mother, Jo, with personal matters and to pack for relocation. It was obvious that this was a Christian family that had been a huge influence on her own salvation and current growing in Christ. The conversation covered both personal life and corporate life in their different cultures. Francesca was a child psychiatrist and had recently relocated to Portalera in northern Brazil. The long flight to Miami was consumed in conversation and was soon over but not the relationship with Francesca. It was her first time traveling internationally alone so we moved through customs, baggage claim, and check-in with her to ensure no problems on the last leg of her flight. We even shared a first American meal together before her departure, a hamburger at Burger King. This encounter was one of many that God orchestrated and we will have to wait to see how it fits in to His plans for Brazil.

Our arrival time in Miami prevented us from flying to Pensacola so we spent the night and resumed travel on Thursday morning but not without additional weather delays. Regardless we were in Pensacola around lunch time and was greeted by Rhonda, our team member and chief interface officer stateside this year.

Monday, October 15, 2007

Saturday (Feijo) and Sunday (Tarauaca) Activities

We did the paint talk Friday night for a large group of students/adults and had five persons trust Christ and conversations with several more. These folks were given Bibles, told to begin reading in John, and to return on Saturday night for followup. We retired to our hotel and two rooms, Joe and Theresa in one, and the rest of the guys having a “Walton” evening.

Saturday morning was used to prayer walk more of Feijo. Bruce, Ashbel, and Wilson had the opportunity to share with a grandmother and two grandsons, one of which had been one of the first people we talked to when we entered Feijo on Friday. Both of these boys made decisions to trust Jesus. Also as Ashbel shared the gospel, Wilson was using scripture to share with the grandmother about how to raise her grandsons. This was just one of many instances where Wilson displayed a missionary heart. One other thing before moving on. Last year the team stopped in Feijo to pray for God’s work and our role the next year [2007]…we had stopped in front of the home of the grandmother.

Before their departure that morning, Theresa, Joe, and Aaron spent time with the wife/owner of our hotel to learn more of the area, of her faith, and build a relationship. Later while prayer walking, they started a conversation with a group of young girls and learned of a cult religion they were involved in which had a church in their neighborhood. This church was the only one in the immediate area and may be the reason for the lack of evangelical churches in this part of town. This was not the first time the Vegetal religion was encountered in Feijo and it warrants further research to understand its teachings.

Late afternoon, we checked out of our motel and made our way back to town to find the pastor of 1st Ingreja Batista and to meet the youth that made a profession of faith during the paint talk Friday night. We found pastor Francisma???? busy at the church and with plans for an evening service. We spent a few minutes telling him of our activities in Feijo and arranged a meeting for Monday at the home of Pastor Edinaldo. We then went to the park to wait. It wasn’t long before Bruce had engaged a group of youth and was sharing about Jesus. After listening to the gospel, all decided to wait before making a decision to accept Jesus. Regrettably, none of the youth from Friday night came back also. Our last task before departing Feijo was to find Pastor Gutierrez and provide him with some pre-addressed envelopes, stationery, and postage to facilitate communication with him. We located him at his Bible Baptist church, left the material, and began our trip home with Ashbel in the back of the truck and Wilson shouting “onsa [panther]” out the window…the bond between these two continues to build. We arrived at the ferry and joined a large transport truck and a pickup full of people. Turns out the pickup/driver was the same one we unsuccessfully tried to get out of a mud hole last year. Additionally, our basic ferry ride became a challenge because we were too heavy due to the transport truck and so got stuck on the river bottom. After numerous maneuvers with the ferry, the transport truck, and other boats coming to our rescue, we were able to get across and unloaded without further incident.

Sunday morning we arrived at the church early to lead the children’s program. Bruce and Ashbel took the younger ones and shared a Bible story. Theresa, Joe, and Aaron used the Evangacube to share the story of Jesus with the older ones and had two boys pray to trust Jesus. We also brought all of the children together, shared about the “salvation bracelets”. These were made by EBC students for various missions and were a big hit among the children. The bracelets were presented as a means of considering their own journey with God and as a tool to share what God had done in their life with others.

We spent the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon participating in the church cookout. It was a rich time interacting and watching their church family. We participated in one game which required you to list your name, another person’s name, and then a set of instructions to be accomplished by the other person…all in fun of course. After going through many requests and much laughter, they chose to reverse the game and apply the instructions to the requester and they pulled all of our names out of the hat to get things started. Bruce had to call for the ferry master (still asleep at 430 am) – Balsero!!!…in the same bass voice as Edinaldo. Theresa had to recite the alphabet in English, and Joe had to imitate the sounds of a boat motor…that was a big hit! After lunch they had a scavenger hunt and Bruce was elected captain of one of the teams with Aaron translating the clues and Bruce for the most part clueless…but they won and were rewarded a box of chocolates at the evening service (you never know what your gonna get)! Edinaldo’s church know very well how to worship, pray, and fellowship. They are eager to learn more about missions (evangelism) and ministry. What a treasure God has planted in the heart of His work in the interior. Pray for Edinaldo, his development of small group leaders, his encouragement of the other pastors in the area, and finally his development of other pastors for new churches in the interior. Pray for him and his family. He is a key person in the kingdom work in the interior—HE NEEDS OUR PRAYERS.

We returned to the hotel during the afternoon; a few hours later news of Joe’s Dad’s hospitalization and health situation reached us. After prayer, talking, and phone calls, it was decided we would return to the US early and depart Tarauaca early the next morning. We returned to church Sunday night for Aaron to do paint talk (present the gospel) and say goodbye to our friends. It was an anointed service as the church worshiped, prayed for the team and Joe’s Dad, and also said goodbye to Aaron as their IMB missionary…very special for all of us!

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Update

All,

Know our inputs to the blog have been lacking for several days now. Saturday found us fully occupied finishing our efforts in Feijo and traveling back to Tarauaca. Got back late, then up early Sunday to lead childrens program at 1st Igreja Batista, which was followed by worship/lunch at a members home. We returned mid-afternoon and learned that my Dad had been hospitalized. Further inquiries indicated his condition was serious with significant uncertainty about the outcome. Because of the uncertainty and knowing that further diagnosis was perhaps days away the team decided to return to Rio Branco on Monday with plans to depart for the US early Tuesday morning/arrival Pensacola Wednesday morning. We encountered problems in Manaus which prevented further travel and required us to spend the night. If all goes well we depart Manaus today, will arrive Miami Wednesday evening, and Pensacola Thursday morning. Will take steps to fill in the details of other days soon after our return.

We appreciate your prayers for our travel over the next few days, for Laura's travel Friday-Sunday, and for my family as we await diagnosis of my Dads condition. Thanks for continuing to stand in the gap for our Brazil mission endeavor and for my family.

Joe