The time has come...the end is here...and all those other final words...

The end of Brasil 2014 has come. Well, almost.  We have landed safely in Chicago, chowed down on an amazing breakfast and are currently on the road, headed to Columbia.  But, to recap the end of our time in Brasil, here are some of the highlights….

Sunday marked the end of the older youth English camp, with over 40 students in attendance this year.  Instead of the usual 20-30 aged campers, this year the majority of the campers were considerably younger, but still a great group of participants to have around!

For the first time in the years we've been in Brasil, we were able to witness 4 participants come to Christ during the weekend!  What an exciting and encouraging thing to be part of!  Continue to keep these 4 (and the other campers) in your prayers, for continued growth, passion, encouragement; as well as Pastor Denis & Pastor Leondro as they now invest in helping these students grow in Christ. 

Conversation clubs went very well, with campers quickly opening up and not only talking in English, but asking questions that showed a deeper interest than just the text we were studying.  So awesome to see thoughts provoked, questions arise, and hearts stirred.

Another American pancake breakfast + French toast (yes, the irony was not lost on us) was enjoyed by all, this time leaving no leftovers!  Needless to say, those of us cooking are hoping there will not be another event soon requiring 400+ pancakes!!

Campers left, albeit reluctantly, Sunday afternoon around 2:00 pm, leaving our team a bit disappointed and yearning for more.  We cleaned up camp, took down decorations and got ready to head to church.  The entire team, except for Pastor Conrad went to preach at the church in Mogi, where the team had the opportunity to present a very powerful skit, and we sang one of our vocal pieces, and Pastor Denis closed out the service preaching. 

Though the week was a great week of ministry, full of excitement and encouraging things happening, we were all pretty worn out and ready for a bit of rest, and thoroughly enjoyed crashing at the beach in Bertioga Monday.  It happened to be one of the best days of our time in Brasil temperature wise, which was an added bonus.

Tuesday was another low-key sight seeing opportunity, heading to Campos de Jordao, after enjoying yet another great lunch in the Panziera's home.  Their family even headed to Campos de Jordao with us as a farewell send off!

Wednesday including packing up, cleaning up, and an hour or two of  last minute shopping for families and friends back home.  Erika (Pastor Denis' wife) treated us to a delicious Brasilian favorite, Pao de Quiejo in their home before heading to the airport.

We did all manage to make the flight, and at this point have landed safely and are currently on the road back to COMO, but of course, not without a little excitement!   Because of some communication errors, and traffic accidents leading to substantial time lost on the road, and then even more complications at the check-in desk, we heard the 'loading now, closing doors now, final call now' comments for our flight, and were "those" people racing through the airport in hopes of making it on the flight.  We did all make it thankfully!!

More pictures later, but for now, please plan to join us at Grace Bible Church THIS Sunday, August 10th, in both the 8:00 and 11:00 am services to see part of the program we presented in Brasil,  hear testimonies and enjoy Pastor Conrad share the message.  

Busy Beavers...Brasil, Thursday-Saturday

The last day of School Programs was Thursday. We greatly enjoyed (and were amazed!) at the ability to even get in the schools to present the program.  Some were private schools, some were public, but none were Christian, so the opportunity to present the Gospel was even greater.  In every school, the students and staff were all very gracious, kind, and extremely welcoming, and at the very least, the contact person we had for getting in the schools was very aware that our program was strictly Evangelical / Christian. 

Thursday evening our group was able to experience more fellowship and interaction in the homes of some dear Brasilian friends! A small group of us attended a 'Carnival,' or party announcing the beginning of another English class, for a very sweet and supportive family from the church in Mogi who own an English school.   They experienced Brasilians of all ages who were more advanced English speakers, and were even placed on a panel where they fielded all sorts of questions about USA, English, and why we were in Brasil!

The remainder of our group were invited to an dinner / BBQ Brasilian style in the home of another active member in the church here in Mogi. Meeting their lovely family, hearing their story, and spending time getting to know them in the context of their home was a great opportunity for our team to experience family life at home….Not to mention some AMAZING BBQ!  Poor Pastor Conrad was disappointed he was not with this group! They graciously sent leftovers home for him to taste though!

ENGLISH CAMP ROUND #2!!!

Friday marked the beginning of another crazy, tiring, but very awesome weekend of English Camp, this time for the older youth, ages 13-30.  This year the schedule included an American dinner as well as an American breakfast, so we began our day by running quickly to the grocery store.  And by quickly, I mean within 3 hours we had the items we needed and we were headed back to camp!   Shopping in another country, with another language, AND a different measurement system is always fun!

We took a few minutes to regroup and fine-tune the weekend plans then we began the cooking adventures.  The American dinner menu included a Soup Bar, with toppings, cornbread and garlic cheese bread on the side.  Traditional Vegetable Beef Stew, Broccoli Cheese Soup, Potato Soup, and Pastor Conrad's famous chili completed the soup bar.  When asked which soup was their favorite, EVERY student member on the GBC team said Broccoli Cheese, MacKenzie said Vegetable Stew, and Josiah & Pastor Conrad of course said Chili!! A few of the Brasilians were brave enough to try the chili, most refused because they assumed it would be very hot (it wasn't at all!) but by far, the Broccoli Cheese Soup was the camp favorite! 

Needless to say, though the meal seemed simple enough, something was lost in figuring out measurements and we WAY overcooked, leaving the Brasilian kitchen staff laughing at us (politely of course!) while scrambling to find a way to store the leftovers. We probably should have realized we had too much when we could barely fit 4 VERY large stockpots on the stove, but dinner was a hit and we're just thankful for leftovers instead of running out of food!

Friday night camp festivities included worship, games to get to know one another and the dinner.  Many of the participants at this weekend camp know at least a little English, while others actually know quite a bit. 

SATURDAY….Following breakfast, the campers enjoyed a time of worship in which a couple of our group were able to jump in and sing in English, and our entire team performed a drama that tied in well, accentuating the testimony portion of one of our members. 

English conversation groups are the highlight of the weekend for our team and for the majority of the participants here.  We use English as the bridge and reason for having the conversation groups, but they are based on the reading and further study of a passage in the Bible. Most are shy about their English at first, but quickly warm up and participate by reading and answering the questions about the passage.  All the passages are aimed at showing who God is, demonstrating His vast love, and act as a springboard for further sharing the Gospel. We will have 2, maybe 3, of these throughout the weekend.

Saturday included several hours of games and free-time in the afternoon, where we played our annual game of whiffle baseball, followed by an intense game of soccer while others cheered on! This year the Brasilian staff is hosting what they call a "Fantasy Dinner," or what we would call a Costume Dinner on Saturday night, just to add extra fun to the weekend! We are all looking forward to see how this plays out!

Tomorrow will be another bright and early morning, with our team cooking the annual American breakfast of Pancakes, always a hit!

PRAYER REQUESTS:

*That the conversation groups would be an opportunity to talk further about the Gospel

*That the testimonies we give, the songs we sing, the dances and dramas we present, would be glorifying to the Lord, and would speak of His goodness, grace and mercy in our lives

*Health…the weather has almost been as drastic as Missouri's, with our trip beginning very wet and cold, and today ending up so hot some of us were considering swimming!