Presentations in the Schools

Tuesday ended up being a very full day, and for the first time since leaving Columbia, no one in the girls dorm room uttered a word after returning to the camp! After breakfast we traveled 30 minutes or so to a Junior High / Highschool in Suzano, a neighboring town of Mogi Das Cruzes.

Here in Brasil, the schools are amazingly very open to receiving outside groups, even Protestant / Evangelical groups.  This year Pastor Denis had lined up several schools in which they were openly desiring having our group present. 

Tuesday included two presentations at the same school, morning and afternoon, with two separate groups of students. Total number of students present topped somewhere around 800 junior high & highschool.  Wednesday was another school, this time a private school, (private doesn't necessarily mean Christian students) and a smaller group.  Thursday will include one or two more schools, where the same program will be presented. 

Tuesday also finished off with a dinner hosted by some very fabulous hosts in their home.  The entire team plus 10+ other guests enjoyed a delicious home-cooked meal and a great time of fellowship!  Such a treat to be invited into their homes!

The program itself includes a fun dueling of the piano between 3 of us, a dance, vocal trio, drama, testimony, and wrapped up with a very clear presentation of the Gospel.  Though this is not a scenario for seeing immediate results, seeds are being planted, and all of these students are being invited to the upcoming English camp this weekend, where there will be even more opportunity to present the Gospel clearly. 

Please continue to keep the team in prayer….for clarity, for unity , and especially for health, the cold weather has meant that a couple of us are fighting colds and sore throats.  

Monday--Becoming Drama Professionals!

In Brazil children only attend school for half a day, leaving many kids without an adult at home while parents are out working.  To fill this gap for these children, and to provide opportunities for under-privileged kids, Camp ABECAR runs a year-round camp for these kids aimed at keeping the kids off the streets, out of trouble, and in an environment where they experience Christ-like and loving teachers and  staff that share the Word of God with them.

Normally our team has the opportunity to assist these wonderful teachers in their daily activities with these children, doing games, crafts, music and just loving on them.  However, this Monday the bus wouldn't start, canceling camp for the day.  After looking further into what it would take to fix the bus, the staff realized that while the bus isn't running would be the prime opportunity to replace the seatbelts to get the bus back up to city code, meaning there will be no Making A Difference Camp for the remainder of the week. 

No Making A Difference program opened up a free day for our team to concentrate on prepping for the program we were presenting during the week as well as working through activities and plans for the upcoming English camp.  We were all delighted when the Tarretaccas suggested a break to go for ice-cream and coffee!  Both the ice-cream and coffee were AMAZING!!  Some had pistachio, others guava, and some stuck with traditional American flavors of strawberry and chocolate. 

And a day off wouldn't be complete without a bit of sprucing up….so the team cleaned up the remaining mess from camp in all the dorms and chapel.

The evening found all of us rehearsing for the presentation at the local schools, putting the final touches on the dramas.  A theater major was called in to help us beef up our acting skills!!  Though intimidated at first, he was a GREAT help in fine-tuning the acting skills of some not-so-professional-actors! (And, he was a perfect excuse to order Brazilian pizza at 11:30 pm!!!)

Sunday in Brasil...

Today began bright and early with a camp tradition of an American breakfast, prepared by your very own Brasil team….you all did know that part of our training included mastering culinary skills, right!? Like flipping pancakes!?  Yes, we did the traditional pancakes & syrup and scrambled eggs for breakfast. We would have loved to add bacon, but here bacon is VERY expensive, if you can find it.  I think the kids enjoyed it just fine without bacon though!  The Brazilian staff did not enjoy our American coffee however!! Making it without sugar, sugar and MORE sugar is quite unheard of here!  We enjoyed a few cups ourselves, then we noticed the staff sneaking the remaining coffee and mixing it with their super sweet traditional Brazilian coffee!

After breakfast, the kids headed off to chapel one last time, played a few more games, opting to stay out of the rain today, and finished with a lunch around 2:00 pm. Tears were shed, hugs were given, and Facebook names exchanged.  It is amazing the connection that can be built between two people even when languages are different.

It has rained non-stop since we arrived here in Mogi, apparently we brought the cold and wet with us?!  They say it was sunny and warm before we arrived!  We're not sure what to believe as every year we come it's cold. And wet. Did I mention cold!? Especially at night.  Needless to say, some of us were very happy that mom & dad made us pack that extra jacket we didn't think we needed….but I won't mention any names! 

The afternoon was spent brushing up on the dramas, music and dance presentations for the evening service, napping and just resting up a bit. 

Our team of 9 split up in the evening and headed out to 3 different churches.  Some of us went to the church in Mogi, where Pastor Conrad preached in the evening service, some of us went to the church in Suzanno, where we shared in song, and the rest accompanied Pastor Denis to Sao Jose where Maddie presented in Dance.  

Is it Day 2? Or Day 3? We're a bit confused...

Yesterday complete the second day of the Kids English Camps, but our 3rd day in Brasil. The day was complete with lots of laughs, LOTS of wet and muddy clothes, and thankfully, no injuries!  In between some fabulous meals and chapel times, the kids participated in a camp wide scavenger hunt, running up and down the hill, and by hill, I mean mini-mountian!  It's quite the little hike, especially if repeated multiple times in a day! 

(The picture really doesn't do it justice!)

Despite the cold, damp rain ALL DAY LONG, the campers had a great time of playing in the rain!  A makeshift giant tarp turned water slide was set up, and occupied the campers for quite a while, as well as an obstacle course installed all around the camp as well, followed by none other than some good ol' pie in the face games! 

If you're not familiar with the location here at ABECAR, it is a WONDERFUL camp set up, located at the top of a mountain, with many green trees, palms, and other tropical plants and trees all around. There is a breathtaking view of the city to one side, and the mountains to the other.  At the top of mountain, there is an administration building, which houses seminary classes and a radio station, as well as all management type offices.  A few steps away is the dining hall which doubles as a classroom during the week for the Making A Difference Kids program ABECAR runs year round.  Behind the dining hall is a couple houses and a large girls dormitory, where the girl campers stayed. 

Down the mountain a bit is a small dormitory, where our group is staying this year, and just below that lies another small dormitory.  A classroom, a maintenance shed lie just beyond, a few steps further down the mountain.  At the base of the mountain is a chapel, where we delighted in this fireplace last night, (YES! It really was that cold!) and, at the very bottom is another home, a water slide, a full basketball court, soccer court, 2 swimming pools, volleyball court, a small lake with paddle boats and canoes, and a large field with part playground equipment and part soccer field.  Oh! And even a mini golf area!

It is a wonderful camp setup that God has provided for ABECAR, and the amazing facilities here allow the Tarratacas and staff to do some great ministry. 

Campers settled in for a night of sleep a bit earlier than the first night, (they were up til 1:30am!) but managed to get to sleep around 1:00 am last night!  Apparently we Americans are the only ones that get tired after climbing the mountain multiple times a day!

Signing off til later…Your Brasil Team

WE HAVE ARRIVED!!!

Safe & sound in Brasil are we!!

Sorry for the delay in blog updates.  You would think a 6 turned 9 hour car ride from Columbia to Chicago on Day 1, and the 12 hour plane ride from Chicago to Sao Paulo, would have given ample time to write and update the blog, but alas, some of us had a difficult time prioritizing sleep and blog updates!

So, for a quick update on everything for those of you not yet in the know….

WHO is in Brasil right now? 

This year our team happens to be all students (girls too, as you'll see!) that attend Grace Bible's Youth Group. Here is a long overdue picture of our team below! 

(Back row Left to Right: Abi, Caitlin, Conrad, Debi, Maddie, Catherine, Cassidy. Front Row: MacKenzie & Josiah)

We will be assisting GBC's supported missionaries, Julie & Leandro Terrataca in Mogi das Cruzes, located about 1 hour outside Sao Paolo. Throughout the week you'll be hearing and seeing more of the actual ministry here at Camp ABECAR, but below is a list of highlighted activities that will be going on during the following two weeks.

Weekend Kids English Camp, ages 13 and under (Friday-Sunday)

Preaching & Presenting Drama, Music & Testimonies in the local churches (Sunday)

Drama, Music, Testimonies & Dance at the local highschools & the Making A Difference Program at ABECAR (Monday-Friday)

Weekend Youth English Camp, ages 13-30(Friday-Sunday)

Preaching & Presenting Drama, Music & Testimonies in the local churches (Sunday)

Day 1: Thursday, July 24: Chicago via the 'Big Red Van'

Because tickets were considerably cheaper this time through Chicago, and there was an added benefit of a non-stop flight to Sao Paolo, we traveled from Columbia to Chicago Wednesday afternoon. We finally pulled out of Columbia around 5:30 pm, and between stops and dinner pulled in Chicago around 2:30 am. Quite the long day! Needless to say, some of us fell asleep before hitting the bed!

Day 2: Friday, July 25: Fun in Chicago + 12 hours in the Air!

Today began pretty slowly, with most of us fumbling around for coffee while trying to recoup from another short night of sleep. A few cups in and some breakfast in our bellies and we were good to go.  We were able to spend a couple hours in downtown Chicago, sightseeing.  Though we weren't able to cram everything we had hoped to see in, we were able to stroll through the Moody Bible Institute campus,   catch a great view of the city from the top of the Hancock Tower, see a view landmarks from the ground and of course, eat some good ol' Chicago style deep dish pizza!

Arrival and departure at the airport was uneventful, and fast! We arrived, had no trouble passing through security and boarded the plane not long after.  Some of our team experienced their first flight ever, and most of our team was unable to get any sleep on the plane, but all in all, we are thankful for a very uneventful flight, and no issues getting through security and customs!

Attempting to cram our luggage into the cars proved to be an interesting but totally doable feat!  The car you see here is the largest of the 3 that graciously transported our items from the airport to the camp. So grateful for these 3 men, Pastor Leondro, his brother Junior, and Pastor Denis.  They are always so wonderful and accommodating to the massive amounts of luggage we bring, and the time they spend driving the Americans around Brasil!  Of course, I do have to add in our defense that a large amount of the luggage you see here contains items for our dear friends, in the name of Peanut Butter, Oreos, Pancake Mixes, Pancake Syrup and….more Peanut Butter!  Precious goods indeed!

Ministry began around 6:30 pm tonight, after we arrived at Camp ABECAR around 1:00, were treated to a delicious lunch, then took some time to unpack and nap for a bit.  Around 4:30 pm campers started arriving for the Weekend Kids English Camp, and by 6:30 pm camp was already in full swing, and your girls were already fast at work. They are fast learners, with previous French and Spanish classes being put to good use helping them to pick up a few Portuguese words here and there. 

As Day 1 and 2 have seemed to fly by for us, we would ask that you keep our team, the ministry here in Brasil, and all the staff involved in your prayers.  To be specific, here are a few ways you can specifically pray for us:

Praise for safe, smooth and uneventful travels so far!

Pray for good rejuvinating sleep

Ability to remain focused though tired

Health

Signing off for today….

Trip Video

Our video with highlights from the trip is now available!
Lakota 2014 Video