There's just one more week of ministry left in Presidente Prudente...
I've still got about two weeks left in Brazil, but as far as I'm concerned,
my trip is only a week longer. I say this because when I leave Prudente, it
will be as if I have left Brazil. I have made so many friends here and now
Prudente seems like another home to me. Sao Paulo will not be the same,
all my friends here will still be in Prudente... I know that it's going to
be very hard to leave come Sunday night.
Last week was good, it was so full of rich experiences. The beginning
of the week was cool, I got three letters on Monday! It was funny because
all three of them came from last year's AACF core members, people whom I
worked with, supported, and were supported by through so many things last
year in Davis. It was awesome to know that even though we are all over the
world, in four different countries this summer, that we can still support
each other as brothers and sisters. To work with them last year was such
a blessing and a gift from above and I am glad that we can continue to
bless each other. It gave me great encouragement and made my day.
I had a lot of fun in my classes, especially last Thursday and Friday.
I compiled a list of slang words, complete with definitions and examples.
When I finished it, the dictionary was three pages long! I have wanted to
use my slang so bad since I've been here... I am not used to it anymore!
Can you believe that? I called Amy in Adamantina to ask about a craft and
she greeted me with a, "Hey, what's up?" I was in total shock, I didn't
know how to respond to that! Anyway, we had a fun time learning these new
words. Now they are fully equipped with my favorite slang words like
freebird, ghetto, dude, jacked up, whack, and all the others. I think I
deserve some credit here, some of these words are very hard to make
definitions for!
Of course, we are learning other more important things in my classes
(besides slang). I want to challenge my students more to live for Christ.
It is so hard to see what God is doing inside of people
because we have no idea as humans. Sometimes I get frustrated because I
want to see results, I want to see people come out on fire for God, but as
my mom reminded me, perhaps I am just planting a seed for something I will
never harvest. We are still singing worship songs in my classes. That's
something that they like and have a passion for. It's great to be able to
use one of my passions in serving to minister to them in some way. It is so
cool to hear them singing "In Your Hands" after class, before class, etc.
I think that song is going to be part of my legacy here, just like it is up
in Davis.
The Bible studies have been really good sometimes and oh so frustrating
at other times. Sometimes students say how much they appreciate the studies
and how much they have been blessed, and other times... Sometimes I throw
a question out and get blank stares! That's hard when you want to convey
something but you can't do it in words. I know that they have words on their
heart but it won't come out in on the tongue, that makes things difficult.
But God calls me to do these studies and I have to trust Him that somewhere,
somebody is getting something out of the effort that I put forth to serve.
I have come to the conclusion that my Bible studies here represent my whole
trip in a nutshell, but I will explain all that to you when I get back.
Please continue to pray for my studies, there will be two more by the time
that you get this e-mail.
God continues to really bless my friendships here. I want to meet with
all of my friends before I leave, but I don't think that there is enough
time to do all that! My free time schedule is rapidly being filled up. I
want to go so many places, visit with so many people, do so many more
things... When you stay somewhere for five weeks, you get to know the
people pretty well. My interactions are improving as my Portuguese is
getting better. I am working on my grammar now and my vocabulary is
improving. Of course, I have had a lot of help. One of my friends,
Matilde, has been like my mom. We went to a farm last night for night
service and she was asking me to read signs, teaching me vocabulary as we
saw things from the car... I felt like such a kid all over again! I felt
like a kid growing up in Brazil. I was playing with a kid (7 years old,
speaks Portuguese, English, and Japanese!) and he told me, "You're not
American!" I asked him what I was. He replied, "You're Brazilian!" Geez,
have I adapted and embraced the culture that much?
As it turns out, I had another "message" that I had to prepare for the
adult/college Sunday school class. This time I used Matthew 6:25-34 and
talked about not worrying. This one was a little easier to prepare because
it was a combination Bible study/testimony. I focused on the idea of not
worrying to the point of where the worries take control of your life and
you have other gods above the one and only God. It was something easy for
me to relate to, as that was a big reason why I am in Brazil at this very
moment. From there I went on to share about my decision to come here. It
was difficult at times to share things that are so personal about me,
feeling like I am laid open for everyone to see. But I just hope and pray
that by this openness, people can relate to my struggles and see that God
changes hearts, that God gives strength, and that God provides. Ahh, God's
provision, that's something that I still have to trust in when I get
back and look for work! Well, this is getting kinda long, I still have to
prepare Bible study and do a couple other things. Yup yup yup, that's all
and I'll talk to you again soon!