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!