Life in Brazil

a teaser.......

Hey everyone.....

I have some great photos from the weekend that I plan to get up soon.  I'm a bit under the weather so hopefully tomorrow some time you will see them along with some new pics from my classes in Ilha Bela.

Here's a little teaser......

 

see you soon........

Carnaval Retreat 2011......

 

Well hello there.....I'm back from the beautiful countryside of São Paulo where we were for our church retreat.  I think I speak for everyone in saying that we enjoyed fun activities, wonderful fellowship and delicious food.  It truly was a blessed time to spend these days together as a church family.  Honestly at some times it felt more like a youth retreat than a church retreat with the fact that there were 70% youth and 30% adults and we had some new young people attending which was great.  However, I must say that I can't remember in recent history when we have experienced such spiritual warfare as we did at this retreat.  You name it.....bad attitudes, not being able to sleep, practical joking gone bad, arguments, drama (of the exaggerated kind) and the list could go on.  I could sense what you might call a "spiritual barrier" a few days before we were to leave as well as struggling with a sense of not wanting to go on this retreat.  Well bright and early Saturday morning we were packed, on the bus and heading out.  This sense of a "barrier" continued up until mid-day on Monday with a real break through taking place that night during the "foot washing" service.  It was amazing to sit back and watch everything unfold and God work in the lives of people.  I was especially touched because seven young people approached me to either wash my feet or say what I meant to them....it was hard to hold back the tears.  All the spiritual battling was worth it in view of what God did that night. 

Here are some pictures I was able to get on film hope you enjoy....

 

one of many competitions....

 

Aaron preached a series from Romans.

Soccer..... 

 

and more soccer.....

 

Each group put together a skit to share.......

 

here's another group....sorry mine didn't get pictured.

The group with the most "activity" points. 

   My team had the most points for memorized bible verses.... 

 

and we ended up winning the whole competition....WOO HOO!!

 

Please pray for Michel..... 

 

and Guilherme.....

 

 and Alex....

 

and how God is allowing me to be an "American auntie" to them.  Who knew that I would be privileged to have "Brazilian nephews"?

notes.....

 

note to self:

"You have once again successfully gone way too long without posting for your readers.....congratulations."

Even after writing out a month long plan of posts and keeping to it for the most part I hit a bit of a snag.  Some ideas seemed great in theory but then when it came time to write....I was like, "Who are you kidding?  Are you really going to write about that?"  Then there was a bout with a lack of motivation followed by a couple of days of being down in the dumps further intensified by feeling quite lonely.  Finally coming up out of it a couple of days later to discover that "no, indeed it was not merely my emotions....but the enemy's spin on my emotions."  Which resulted in doing some much needed seeking of God, internal probing and cleaning out.

Needless to say....walking a day in my shoes is never easy....and I'm amazed at the stuff I'm still working through and the internal lies that were planted so long ago and continue to be worked up to the surface.  Yet God is gracious and won't allow those lies to remain undealt with....so we continue with the work.

On a lighter note......I've been writing and makes lots of notes lately.  Here are a sample of some.....

 

I've started doing private English lessons with Debora and Rosane which is a huge stretch for me given that even though I speak the English language it doesn't make me an expert.  I like to look at it as an opportunity for me to be learning right along with them and surly it can only help improve my writing.

 

Saturday morning we leave for our all church retreat.  We will be heading up to the interior on the other side of São Paulo to a nice quite place in the countryside.  The house is quite nice (from the pictures I've seen) complete with swimming pool, soccer field and a large area for playing games.  We will be staying there until Wednesday noon.  The country of Brazil is all geared up for Carnaval which is purely a four day feeding frenzy of the flesh.  Not exactly something any of us want to be a part of....so every year the church puts together a retreat so we can "get away" from it all.  I would covet  your prayers for this 4 day excursion as there are some individuals accompanying us who are not Christians.  We are hoping that this time is an opportunity to grow closer to the Lord as well as with each other.

I definately will be taking my camera so be looking for an update later next week.

and the girl preached.......

 

God's Word was preached.....people were blessed.....and she lived another day to tell about it.....the end.

PS.....she's just too tired to write much else about it.....maybe more another time.

social calendar......

 

 

 

This week has included many "social" interactions.  Monday I had Bible Study with Rosane, Tuesday Dave, Carol and I went bowling with our friend Eiza and her kids, Wednesday and Thursday Carol and I were out in Ilha Bela and Vila Esperança and last night we were over at Michel and Thatiana's.  I was teaching Thatiana how to make brownies and she made a "torta de pizza."  It's made in a baking pan with a layer of dough on the bottom, mozzarella cheese, slices of ham, tomatoes, more cheese and another layer of dough.  You bake it in the oven for about 35-40 minutes and voila.....dinner is served.  It was SO good.....and of course I'm going to get the recipe.

We had an enjoyable time visiting and playing games....in fact we arrived at home around 12:30 this morning....ouch for a 41 year old body that is used to being in bed between 10:30 and 11:00...but I'll live.

I have to....we have another "social" event tonight......a wedding.

What do you have going on this weekend?

my head in my hands....and a lot on my mind...

 

as in I'm preaching this Sunday....and just when I was wrapping up the study I was doing on Matthew 5:13-16 last week God decided to change things.  Last Wednesday I found myself sensing God wanting to go in a different direction and with that a completely different passage...oh boy.....enter in Romans 12:1-2.  I found myself saying...."what is going on here?"  Yet I kept sensing this was the passage and that I needed to go with it.  When I sit down to study a passage I never come to it with an idea of what I think it will say....I always approach it with..."God what are you saying  through this passage?"  I was taught a long time ago..."we don't bring our own ideas to a passage nor try to make it say what we want it to say....we allow the Scripture to speak for itself." 

And it does.....always.

I just finished the study this morning.....I'm going to take tomorrow off and let it all sit in "the cooker" until Saturday.  You know...God has a habit of doing this to me.......just when I think I'm going to get a "head start" on prepping a passage for a sermon..it never fails...we end up sitting together the day before I'm to preach the sermon flushing it out into outline form.  It often times puts me on pins and needles.....that is until I see what God begins to do.  He takes all the studying and preparing and weaves into what He wants to say......and something tremendous happens......

God reveals Himself.

Please pray....for the congregation of people at Vida em Cristo...I believe God has something for them....for me....I've been dealing with some spiritual attacks...and I took a fall last week and ended up with some bruising and soreness but I'm better now....but most importantly that I would speak boldly on His behalf.