I'm you're basic homebody. However, God, had different plans for me this December. He sent me on a short term mission trip to Brazil and used the trip to enlarge my world-view. In our first team meeting, we were told that flexibility would be our friend. I went to Carpina Brazil planning to play the piano on a music team and ended up sewing bags with 12-15 beautiful women. Women who love Jesus and are serving Him. As I watched the Brazilian young men and women lead in worship and felt God's presence even though I couldn't understand the language, I was blessed. I was enthralled as I heard Wes Davis and Gary Wright preach and heard Tele interpret. I was blessed and completely overwhelmed (and still continue to be)as I watched about 150 children open bags of Christmas gifts; probably their only Christmas gift. My appreciation grew daily for each team member, their talents and their willingness to serve God. I thank God for my experience, and I know that He put the right team together for the right time and in the right place. I encourage you to think about doing a short-term mission and remind you to pray for those who serve God in Brazil and other fields.

Post by Sue Brawner from Arvada, Colorado

The worship Conference is over in Brazil and most of the team is heading home. All except Frank Penna. If you missed out on hearing about the exiting things they did, go check out Frank Penna's Blog site.

Worship Conference

Check out Frank Penna's blog site as he is heading up the Worship Conference in Brazil
http://glorybrazil06.blogspot.com

Thanks & Prayer Requests

What a trip! Thank you to all who allowed Tele to come to your church or home. It was a great time of fellowship with each one of you. Tele is safe back home and sends his love to all. December 2-12 a group of Americans will be with Tele to give Christmas gifts to the Living Stones children. Again thanks to all who made this possible. Please pray for the group- that God will use them to reach kids and adults for Christ.

Keep praying for Lindsay & Jeff Turner’s visa to go through, they plan to return to Brazil by mid-January. Lindsay teaches school which starts February 1. Rachel Winzeler plans to return the first week of February for the commencement school year as well. Please remember to pray for her as she travels.

The summer trips will be coming up soon! June 30-July 7 for the medical trip and July 12-26 for the English/Construction trip. If you did not get the information package about the trip and want to go, call or email Steven Turner cell phone 317 840 1270 or steven7000@gmail.com

Tele is back in Brazil

Thank you Community Churches for all your support and willingness to hear from and have Tele speak at your churches. Tele made it safely back to Brazil with all of his luggage. Jeff and Lindsay are still in Indiana until they can get a new Visa.

Tele was very encouraged by his visit. Thank you again everybody who spent time with Tele!

Tele, Sundar, and Jeff & Lindsay made it safely to Indiana!

We were at Community Church of Southport over the weekend participating in their missions conference. On Saturday they had a "Taste of Brazil" and Sunday we joined them for their worship service. They did an amazing job of decorating and set out samples of traditional Brazilian food! Everything looked and tasted great! The atmosphere was so Brazilian that it really made us feel at home!

Please keep Tele & Sundar in prayer as they travel to Kansas for five days this week.

It is official the Fall edition of the Brazil Broadcast has gone to the printers. But you get the chance to see it before it is even printed.

Follow the Link here and download the PDF version of the Broadcast.

Also check out Lindsay and Jeff Turner's blog for a preprint look at the World Renewal General Ministries Brochure and the Short-term Missions Brochure.

Busy Times

The time is close. Soon Tele, Jeff, and Lindsay will be in the US. Don't forget to visit them and don't forget the Brazil Reunion .

Lindsay and Jeff Turner are working hard on the Fall Newsletter and various brochures. We don't want to give too much of the Newsletter away. Here are some quick updates.

Lagoa de Itaenga is now and official Church!
This is the outreach that Ricardo Silvia has been involved with since the youth in his Church asked to start witnessing to this town in 2003. (More about this in the Newsletter)

Children's Day















(David Moraes is writing an article about Children's Day for the Newsletter)


Cafe Impresso gets new tables and chairs!After a long time with boring chairs and tables from the Bible College, the Cafe Impresso has its own new stone tables with black stylish chairs. The Cafe also now has paid full time staff.
Now, here is the best part! The Cafe is trying to get a franchise such as Laça Burger (real steakburgers) to sell burgers at the Cafe. This would be a great boast to this business and bring in a lot more money for the Ministry. Carpina doesn't currently have any hamburger restarants.

God is good and has continued to bless this Ministry!
Watch for the Fall Brazil Broadcast!!

Tele's Surgery

What happened for you to need surgery?

I had migraines every so often and my digestion felt like it was "off." I kept getting worse over the weeks and went to the emergency room in Recife on the 28th of September. When I got there they ran some tests and performed an ultrasound. The ultrasound revealed that my gall bladder was almost as big as my bladder. They decided that they would cut me up the next day.

What did the doctors do?
The doctors performed a laparoscopy on me. They removed my gall bladder and four gallstones, one as big as two marbles put together. I was in the hospital for around 24 hours total. I stayed in Recife for another week to recover more.

Did anything unusual happen?
The doctors were surprised that I didn't have any of the typical symptoms. I didn't have a fever, intense pain, or a high white cell count. They only realized the need for the surgery after they saw my enlarged gall bladder on the ultrasound. Dr. Santos really took good care of me. A former student of his was going to operate on me, but Dr. Santos arraigned for a colleague who went to school with him to work on me instead.

Now?
The Lord really blessed! Now I feel great. I can eat anything and I have no migraines.

I want to thank our friends for their prayers and concern. I am excited to be coming in a few weeks and see many of you personally! I also want to make sure that everybody is invited to the Brazil reunion! ( see post right before this one)

Brazil Reunion

Tele, Jeff, and Lindsay will be coming to Indiana in November so lets all get together.

When: November 11th
10am-4pm
Where:Steve and Ann Turner's house
9925 E 12th St
Indianapolis, IN 46229
(317)895-8171

Please RSVP!! (so that we know how much food to have.)

Come and find out about, latest happenings are in the Brazil ministry, the 2007 mission trips, and about how you can get involved more in this ministry.

If you would like to spend personal time with Tele or Jeff and Lindsay please call
(317) 840-1270 to set up a time to get together.

Quick Update

Tele is still in Recife recovering and relaxing after his surgery. When he gets back I will have him post about his surgery.

Roberto's Car is in the shop to be fixed and he has been sick this past weekend. He went to the Doctor today and is coming back to work at the print shop this afternoon. So, hopefully things will slowly get back to normal.

Lindsay and I are doing fine, but miss having Tele and Heather around and I am ready for things to become normal again. At least for a little while.

Thank you for all your prayers during this time!!

Post by Jeff Turner

PRAYER REQUEST

Tele Moraes is in the hospital for pains in his stomach that he gets after eating. They told him his Gall Bladder was enlarged. He is currently on antibiotics and if that doesn't help then he may have an operation either today or tomorrow. Heather and the baby are at the hospital with Tele.

Please pray for the Moraes family and Tele's speedy recovery.

/EDIT Tele is having the surgery this afternoon.

Tele's surgery went well.
He did have his Gall Bladder removed through lazer surgery. He had a bit of respiration problems afterward but is fine now and is out of the Hospital but still in Recife.

Some of Tele's kids were on their way back to the Alcance Brazil after visiting their father in the hospital when they got into a car accident. A tire came off the vehicle in front of them and hit their car. Everyone is fine and nobody even had a scratch on them. The car had some bad damage in the front but should be fixed. We are thanking God that the accident wasn't bad.

Spotlight: Lagoa de Itaenga

Wow, it has been 13 days since our last post! Please forgive us in our tardiness in delivering ministry news. Time seems to pass at least twice as quickly around here and before we know it we need to update again. The ministry remains as busy as ever! There is a constant stream of new things to do and areas to serve.

Spotlight: Lagoa de Itaenga

Three years ago a group of youth from the Community Church of Guadalajara came to their pastor wanting a place to serve. At the time Guadalajara had an outreach two hours away in the town of Amexias. Every other week, five people piled into Pastor Ricardo’s car and headed for that community. The young people, unable to go to Amexeias, requested permission from Ricardo to work in another community where they saw a need. Three years later Pastor Ricardo and three other volunteers are still traveling 30 minutes away to Lagoa de Itaenga for a street-side Bible study and program for children. Presently they have 30 children and 14 adults attending.

This widely Catholic community has not been easy to reach. This community’s perversion of the Gospel through Mary worship is a chief example of the atmosphere found in many Catholic towns across Brazil. There is profound oppression of the Christian church in this community. Last year Community Church held a special outreach in Lagoa; as soon as the Catholic Church got wind of the event they hired a loud-speaker truck to spread propaganda against the Community Church. They claimed that the church was a cult that preached lies. Ironically this brought more attention and a bigger crowd to the outreach! This past summer the ministry invited healthcare personal from the US to hold medical clinics in the community. This has given a lot of credibility to the ministry there and opened up new doors to serve. Community church has shown that they care about the people in this community and want to invest in their lives.

Pastor Ricardo’s heart is undeniably in Lagoa de Itaenga. He is currently in the process of training up leadership to take over at the Community Church of Guadalajara. He and his wife hope to transition out of Guadalajara slowly so that they can serve full time in Lagoa de Itaenga.

Prayer Requests for Lagoa:

Please pray for a woman in one of the small groups there. Her husband is abusive and has frequently put his family in financial and physical danger. He called to tell her that he will be returning from São Paulo this month. Please pray for her family’s safety and for God to work in this situation.

Emme, the musical group from Word of Life, presented a Gospel message program in Lagoa recently. Please pray for those who made a decision for Christ that they seek discipleship.

Things here in Brazil seem to always be in reverse of things in the US. In the US the first weekend of September marks the last holiday of the summer. Here in Brazil the 7^th of September is the last holiday of the winter. The ministry enjoyed a long weekend of celebrations starting on Thursday, Brazil’s Independence Day.

Thursday there was a Community Church wide soccer tournament. Five churches turned out to compete. Carpina Community Church left with the win. The program began with a presentation by Word of Life Brazil’s Emme group (a musical performance group that travels all around Brazil). It was an exciting time had by all. Families turned out to cheer their pastors and friends on.

Guadalajara playing Timbauba (black)

Guadalajara playing Carpina (blue)

The celebrations didn’t end there. On Monday, the city of Carpina celebrated their founding day. There was an amazing parade that lasted all day. The Guadalajara Community Church sold water to raise money for projects. They were able to raise about R$100!

The ministry was also donated radio equipment this weekend. They were able to completely start up the Radio Station with what was donated.This is the Radio Station we got the equipment from.

The Word of Life Emme group has been doing programs at the Community Churches this week. They were at Guadalajara and Paudalho the last two nights.

We had 22 decisions for Christ at Guadalajara!

We recently interviewed Pastor Assurio on how he feels about being back in Brazil. He disclosed his thoughts on returning from Africa and about his family’s future in both Amexis and Africa.

How does it feel to be back in Brazil?

Feliz. We are happy to be here. It is good to see friends and family again. We want to return to Africa of course, but it is good to see them again. I feel split in two sometimes. I feel like I am here and in Africa.

How are you feeling about moving to Ameixas?

For us to move to Amexias is a big challenge, an exciting challenge though. We know that it is God’s will for us now.

How does your family feel about the move to Ameixas?

My family feels the same. We are excited about moving to Ameixas. We are on the same page with things. We are looking forward to things getting quiet again [Assuiro’s family has been really busy since returning, they have had a lot of appointments and dinners to keep].

What are your hopes for the future of the Community Church of Ameixas?

We have a big opportunity to get close to people. Never before has a pastor moved to Ameixas to minister [pastor’s have generally just traveled there on weekends]. We are not important people, but I feel that the church will grow because God will bring people. We don’t know how long God wants us there; God may want more time. We feel like God will really use us to make a big difference.

What are your hopes for a future in Africa?

We don’t know where God wants us - maybe South Africa, maybe Mozambique, or maybe another country. When return to Africa the first thing we want to do is plant a church. Many ministries may be born after that, but the first priority is to plant a church. There are many big cities with large Portuguese speaking populations. We want to reach to those people. The church will have services in Portuguese and in English. There are many people who are in these cities who want someone to talk to in Portuguese. I was able to mentor an Angolan guy. I helped him to learn the Bible and now he won’t put it down. It made me really encouraged to know that I helped him.

How is your family reacting to traveling and moving so much?

My kids are good kids. After being in Africa for 5 months, they fit right in and made friends. They tell me that they want what God wants. My wife is very understanding. I want to be like my wife, I think sometimes she has the real vision. She tells me all the time “I want to be where you will be. God’s will is good for us, where ever in the world He wants us to be. ” She feels like she can contribute more to the ministry now. She ministered in South Africa to women and children. She hopes to do the same in Ameixas. I know that if we are together in life we will have fewer troubles within our family.

Post by Tele Moraes

Here we are. September is around the corner and the summer holidays are literally over. Down in Brazil July is always a time for us to see God doing great things among His people. We gather together, Community Churches in this country work with members of the Community Churches of Central Indiana. It has been like that since the first Short Term Missions trip in 1993 in the very beginning of the Carpina Church. It was no different this year. The Lord poured His blessings daily as we joined forces to reach the lost and mature believers in Northeast Brazil. The Holy Spirit once more strengthened the group through his power. Jesus’ love was shared by words and deeds once again.

During the first week of the Medical Clinic they saw more than 800 people in Lagoa de Itaenga, a town where Pastor Ricardo is planting one of our newest Community Churches. Everyone who came had the opportunity to hear the Good News. Doctors, nurses, and support staff ministered through personal testimonies (Dr. Taylor alone told them about his journey with the Savior at least five times), preaching of the Word of God, on a personal basis, as well as public presentations of the Gospel. On the last day we took the whole group to the “big dump” in Carpina. That is a place where people try to survive collecting trash. Life conditions are subhuman, but their souls suffer from an even worse condition than their bodies as they desperately need the Lord. The team was so focused on the mission and so loving to the people that the impact caused by them in the community still echoes two months later. I am sure many started investigating the Gospel by what they heard and saw in Jesus-folks that day.

Youth Conference was the next challenge for the new group of nearly 30 young people and their leaders who came to minister for two weeks. They work very hard for three straight days, getting the last details taking care of. As the Conference took place and those kids begin to teach the material, they made an impression in all of us. Their love for Christ combined with the determination to accomplish God’s call in their lives give the Brazilian kids an incredible sense of responsibility to live a deeper relationship with Christ.

English Camp took place under a lot of expectations from all of us. Once more the Lord used the team in a very special way and a boy by the name of Felipe gave his life to Jesus.

The highlight for our pastors and elders was the Leaders Conference with Pastor Hubert Nolen from Brookville Road Community Church. The Lord spoke to all of us and we were challenged deeply from the Word of God.

I want to thank all of you who came to Brazil this summer, as well as those who faithfully prayed for their ministry and helped them financially to make their trip possible. You were a blessing in God’s hands and His people were strengthened because of your obedience. May the Lord richly bless you.

In Him,

Tele Moraes

Post by Steven Turner

I am Steven Turner, field rep for World Renewal Brazil. I want to thank everyone for their prayers for the summer season and the various short-term mission trips we had. I went to South Africa to visit with Pastor Assuerio, the Brazilian missionary who has been living in Africa for 15 months. My main goal was to see how he was doing and how we could help. After spending a week with him and his family, it was made clear to us that they needed to return to Brazil for a time. The leadership in Africa was poorly assisting his family and Assuerio needs more support.

I could see the impact that Assuerio is having though. I was able to meet a great young man whom Assuerio had led to the Lord. I also met with AssuerioÂ’s Bible class. They were really sorry to see him go. Keep praying forAssuerioo and his family (see the blog-post after this to see the latest news).

At this time I am working to raise AssuerioÂ’s support to the $1500 a month level. South Africa people mostly get about by personal car. In the week I was there, I only saw two taxies and two buses. It is dangerous to walk more than a couple of blocks.

Please send any financial support to:

World Renewal International
P.O. Box 399
Greenfield, IN 46140
Earmark for Pastor Assuerio

Bits of Blessing

Acacias Community Church

The community Church of Acacias continues to grow. There have been new faces almost every week.

Last Sunday there were several visitors, including a family that hadn’t stepped foot in a church in a very long time. The woman’s father was a protestant pastor and her husband grew up Catholic. When they got married they stopped attending any kind of church. Now that they have children, they want a change. They said we don’t have a church, or a religion, and we don’t want that for our children.

They got very excited about the church. They were both interested in the school and the outreach of the food baskets that the church gives to the poor in the community. The husband already wants to tell everyone he knows about the ministry. The husband, a well-known businessman in the area, said I’ll advertise for you, you need to get the word out about your church!

Brazil by Caleb Ross Hunter

Peace of Brazil

Young and old together

People all so real

Loving one another

Living what life is

Time goes very slow

Under cloud of rain

Or under heat we know

With no complaint of pain

Living as only one

Beautiful land around

Giving waters of life

That only Brazilians found

In one who ends all strife

Living life in Him in brazil

Brazil is so amazing! The whole experience is something that I’ll never forget. We had so much fun; I’m definitely going to miss it. The Lord did some amazing work through us!

Rachel Sexton

My experience in Brazil has been a time of growth in my relationship with Jesus and with fellow believers in Christ. There are many events that took place that will always remain close in my heart, but I will for sure, never forget the wonderful roommates I had – Sarah, Mary, & Emily Dewing (plus a few extra sleepovers). I will never forget both the hilarious and serious conversations we had each night in our room! Thanks for being an encouragement in my life! I love you ladies!

Josie Potter

Emily Craig

We had such an awesome time! I’ve never experienced so many people come to the Lord in one place at one time. The Lord worked through all of us in a mighty way.

Also, one of the last days we went to this amazing restaurant – Ponteio – an all you an eat buffet and they bring huge sticks of meat around. I ate a chicken heart and absolutely loved it. It is probably my new favorite meat. Oh and, Forrest, David, Josie, and I shared our desserts. We had this amazing papaya crème. Umm – delicious!

Matt Fern

An experience that I’ll never forget: that is such an understatement. The beauty in the landscape, the people, and even the air you breathe is wonderful. I am so glad I got to come on this trip, share God’s Word, and meet new people. Thank you & God bless

Mary Nolen

This trip really showed me how God is the same God in the US and in Brazil and the rest of the world. It also made me realize the influence and responsibility that America has to the world. There were many awesome times of worship with the Brazilians, and many fun giggling moments with the girls!

Thanks to everybody that came on the Short-term trips this summer!!

Trip Wrap Up

The second American group left on Monday. We asked several of the teens and leaders to write a little about their experiences.

Wow! What a great time of ministry. Between the Youth Conference, English Camp, Basketball Camp, and construction, we are tired, but the Lord is good. He was with us every step of the way. It is so encouraging and exciting to be around and under the guidance and leadership of people such as Tele, Ricardo, Paul, and Hubert. The presence of the Holy Spirit is so evident in their lives and it is contagious. We are encouraged to go back to our community with no other purpose than to serve the Lord.
Royce & Shari Bryan

“Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from His love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender & compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving on another, and working together with one mind and one purpose.” (Philippians 2:1-2) I feel this goal was achieved during our time in Brazil. I fumble to put into words the memories made, and the emotions stirred on this trip. I will deeply miss the landscape, the food, but most of all the relationships established and the friendships created with the beautiful people of this country. He has filled me with an inexpressible joy, and I will never be the same again.
Because He Lives,
Carina Stahl

Saying Goodbye was really hard with time. We had made such great friends and had interacted with so many people that saying goodbye was very wet and very hard.
Megan Stiffler

God has used this opportunity to “open the eyes of my heart.” I now have a closer relationship with my God and my friends. I‘ve also created new relationships with Brazilians and people that came with us. I feel like God is right next to me. This trip will stay with me for the rest of my life. I pray that everyone can experience what I have.
Josh Fern

This trip was the most educational and most fun trip I have ever been on. When I left Indiana, I was filled with joy, but leaving Brazil I am filled with sadness. The reason being is I have made good friends.
Anonymous

Post by Pastor Hubert Nolen

(Originally written on 7-17-06)

Hi! Oi!

Wow! We have been here for 10 days and our Lord has been doing some wonderful work through the team, but the best work He is doing is in our hearts.

As I reflect back on our time here there are so many moments that have served my heart well! On Tuesday night after everyone arrived from the States we gathered for a time of prayer and worship! In a couple of hours we poured from our hearts praise and worship! It was a God moment that touched all of us and prepared us to be used! Over the last three days I have been blessed seeing God use these youth – they have taught seminars, given testimonies, did mime, and led in worship! The things I have seen would make any pastor or parent proud.

Last Thursday I was so honored to do a Pastor’s Conference for the pastors, leaders, and some of their wives, of the Community Churches here. These men and women spent the day with open hearts waiting to see how to better serve in their churches. I love to tell stories about what God has done at BRCC over the last 23 years! I am so blessed to be a Pastor at BRCC and to be able to serve such a wonderful group of Christ-followers, and to talk about the wonderful things God has done. There hearts were challenged to believe God to do in them what He has done for us! IT is not secret I have a soft spot in my heart for these honorable servants! It is my prayer that something I shared would help them to stay faithful in the difficult moments of ministry.

A LOOK BACK AT THE MEDICAL CLINIC

Post by Dr. Charles Taylor

Our recent trip to Brazil for a medical mission was truly a blessing! Once more I was able to stand back and watch as God made everything work out. Our first three days were spent at a school in Lagoa de I’taenga where Pastor Ricardo and a bold band of believers are already planting the seeds of a new church by holding weekly small group Bible Studies. The medical clinics started of with a bit of a challenge to our faith: Our crates with $1200 worth of Tylenol and adult and children’s vitamins were confiscated at Customs in Fortaleza. This type of setback is common when attempting medical mission work, and reminds us to trust completely in God’s provision. We are in Brazil to carry out God’s plan, not our own, so confiscated crates are His problem, not ours. Once again, we learned the lesson: God provides and accomplishes His will with or without our big plans (and sometimes in spite of our plans!).

During the clinic we averaged 200 patients per day. The chief problems we treated were intestinal parasites, skin conditions (fungus, scabies, lice), high blood pressure, arthritis, anemia, allergies, respiratory infections, and ear infections in children. Even though our conditions were primitive, the people we saw were extremely grateful, and in fact, many of them were downright incredulous when told that they could pick up their medicines next door in the pharmacy. (“But I don’t have any money.”) Seeing the smile on these families’ faces as they walked backed from the pharmacy was priceless. They would wave to me, smiling for the first time. They just hadn’t believed when I was talking to them that I was really there only to love them.

Another very pleasant aspect of this clinic was working with a wonderful group of young people who worked tirelessly to keep the clinic flowing smoothly: obtaining vital signs and weights, directing patients to the next station, and in their spare time, mixing with the crowds and sharing Jesus’ love with them, giving the Brazilian young people a chance to practice their English. Daria (an LPN) and Hannah (a pre-med student at Taylor U. Picture to the Right) spent most of their time in the clinic with me, learning the very different approach to mission clinic medicine. By the last day, they both were able to evaluate patients and recommend treatment! I pray they’ll both be serving Jesus on the mission field in the future!

The last day of clinic was a real challenge for all of us: The Big Dump. That’s the name of the community. 43 families living in unspeakable poverty and squalor. Flies so thick you dared not keep your mouth open for long. But you dared not breathe through your nose for the stench. Needless to say, the sense of truly giving as Christ gave to us was much greater at the end of that clinic day. These folks had never seen a doctor or received any medical care whatsoever. There were no old folks at the dump: we treated almost no arthritis, mostly worms, infections, scabies, and lice. In a sense it seemed like a waste of time, since they would return to the same conditions that caused their problems in the first place. Situations such as these are beyond our understanding, but the people were treated to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, both in word and action, and appreciated it greatly.

What God will do with our efforts at Lagoa de I’taenga and the Big Dump is not yet known, but I can say confidently that we who went will never be the same. The opportunity to experience God’s strength in our weakness is no greater than on the mission field. Here in the States I have the illusion that I am in control and make things happen through advanced training and technology. On the mission field that silly illusion is stripped away, sometimes very uncomfortably, but always with great satisfaction in the end.

A great THANK YOU! To all who joined me in NE Brazil this July, and especially to the men and women of God who are doing His work year around in this fertile mission field. Our love and prayers are with you.

BABY TIME 2

Christopher Mark Jones Moraes

was born on 7/16
and arrived safely at Alcance Brazil today (7/18)


Heather was weak from giving birth so Paul Romoser and Mike Mills brought her upstairs
in a queenly fashion

Post By Kay Craig

Our first week is finished and boy! What a time we had!! As the Brazilian delegates began arriving a sense of excitement began to stir in me. This was the first day of the Youth Conference. All the days of preparing and praying was about to reveal itself.

Asking the U.S. students if they were ready I was met with a nervous “I don’t think so. I think it’ll be a mess!” But the Holy Spirit was faithful to not leave them and everyone felt His presence take a hold of them. The Seminars were well received. We found that the issues the Brazilians were interested in are the same ones we face and deal with also. “How does God view the Homosexual” was well attended. Worlds apart and yet so alike. Hopefully something that was shared will be a nugget these young delegates can take home and use.

My favorite parts were all the interaction… Worshiping together, playing games, eating, and getting to know each other. The U.S. students did a great job stepping outside their comfort zones. They struck up friendships using mime and their smiles. They also made efforts to learn key words and phrases. They spread themselves out among the delegates and sat with them in the seminars, mealtimes, and game times. Of course the Brazilians were just as hospitable and open to out friendships. The laughter and chattering of conversation was sweet.

The Youth Conference kept up at a hurried pace. The U.S. students got up early and stayed up late so they could spend as much time as possible with their new friends.

On Sunday evening it was our turn to go to their churches. We had the pleasure of seeing our friends again. They welcomed us with joy and warmth. With much laughter the familiar pattern of communicating through pantomime started all over again. It was great to see them all over again. Worshiping with them in their churches reminded me how heaven will be. Even if we never see them here on earth I know we will see them again.

What hope! So Exciting!