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.