World Renewal Brazil & Community Church Brazil

Karine & Roberto have a baby

2012-01-14T14:31:00.000-03:00

Edward Nicholas was born to Karine (Tele's daughter) and Roberto on January 9th. They are currently in England and will return to Brazil sometime in February.

Community Church Day at Word of Life Camp

2011-10-16T11:07:00.000-03:00

Every year on the Brazilian holiday: Children's Day, all of the community churches in Brazil get together for one big camp day. This tradition started in 1999 and this year was the first year that Tele Moraes was not able to be there. He was in the US sharing about the ministry to all of our supporters. The camp day was an uplifting day of fellowship and games. The exciting new game that was added this year was paintball, and both young kids and older adults enjoyed shooting each other with paint at the sectioned off battlefield. For pictures please go to our facebook page at:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/World-Renewal-Brazil/58818349777

July Tele Talk: Summer trips

2011-08-24T16:06:00.000-03:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSlVVWFylgc

Back-to-Back Trips Educate Children about Christ

2011-07-18T17:40:00.000-03:00

Joesph Hook helping kids with their projects

From July 6 through the 13, Brazil welcomed a group of 9 visitors from Greensburg, Indiana. During their stay, they conducted 3 different vacation Bible schools in Carpina, Guadalajara, and Lagoa de Itaenga and brought a total of 37 children to Christ. Through their Bible lessons, craft projects, and activities, these kids were able to laugh together and be educated about the undying love of Jesus. Joeseph Hook, visiting Brazil for the first time, described his time here as a "life-changing experience." He had the most fun communicated with children and building his Portuguese vocabulary.

Brookville Road Youth Group

But Brazil only had 1 day to rest before welcoming a group of approximately 30 teenagers on July 15. These teens will work together in an English camp preceding the first week of school and also host a youth conference. The English camp will not only help Brazilian kids with their pronunciation, but it will also further educate them about the universal love of God. Following the camp, the teens will lead a youth conference. The Community Churches of the area each chose teenagers whom they felt were qualified to be leaders in their congregation and the conference will serve as a learning period to equip the Brazilians with knowledge to lead younger believers.

Assuerio Naque prepares for Mission to Africa

2011-07-06T21:25:00.000-03:00

Assuerio Naque, pastor of the Community Church of Ameixas, is getting the opportunity to live a dream that he's been shaping ever since he was seventeen years old. On July 3rd, Naque left Brazil to go to Mozambique, Africa. There, he will spend 32 days passing out leadership material that will help to prepare the pastors in Southern Mozambique for the challenge of planting more churches in the North. Then, in 2013, Naque will move his family across the ocean to begin his church planting mission.

The main focus of the mission, as Naque repeatedly stressed, was to "Train the leaders, plant a church." Although he set up his own time table of 5-7 years, Naque added that this was only his personal agenda; what God has in store cannot be known. Since that is the case, Naque is prepared to stay in Africa ten or twenty years, fully trusting in God's plan.

When asked what the biggest problem this mission might face would be, Naque said that the traditional religion of Mozambique would probably be an issue. Spiritualism is present everywhere, he said, even among the doctors. There has even been a history of violent situations from the spiritualists against missionaries in some cases.

Considering that Northern Mozambique has a high population of Muslims, Assuerio Naque commented that he didn't feel he would have any difficulty with them. In fact, Naque said that he felt a love for the Muslims because they are good people and family oriented, so they would not want to cause trouble.

Assuerio asks that everyone continue to pray for him and this ministry in Africa as well as for the power of Jesus Christ to be strong wherever he goes.

Tele Talk: Not something you want to miss!

2011-06-30T16:41:00.000-03:00

If you weren't tuning in Thursday morning (June 30) at 10:00 a.m., then you missed out on a fantastic program. Tele sat down and gave an extensive update on the recent projects of World Renewal Brazil which include the Oasis Rehab Center and the implementation of Celebrate Recovery into the church program. Tele also mentioned some of the other groups visiting this summer who will organize activities such as English camps, youth conferences, vacation Bible schools, and basketball clinics during their individual stays.

Tele took this opportunity to express his excitement over the arrival of a new missionary family this July. Rogerio and Susan Soares, plus their five children, will be joining us in the effort to bring families to Christ in the Carpina area. Their home is conveniently located within walking distance to a major public school in the area which makes it an ideal spot to minister to the local youth.

Once the general updates were made, specific questions about the Oasis Rehab Center arose. Tele pointed out the great need in Brazil for a place for addicts to go and find hope. Not just recovery, but a pure, solid hope in life. He pointed out that even the Brazilian government has recognized that they are steadily losing their youth to drugs and have appealed to the churches for help. The Oasis Rehab Center, Tele professed, will hopefully be the first of many centers in Brazil where men can go and to find the recovery they need and the future God desires for them.

When it comes down to the needs of the ministry, Tele gave a few things to pray about. First is that the Lord will bring forth leaders. These leaders are the ones who will go out and help plant more churches and bring even more people into the ministry. The next prayer request is for more financial support. The Rehab center, along with other programs, will only grow if they can get a steady form of financial support.

For a chance to ask Tele your own questions about what the World Renewal Ministry is doing in Brazil, tune in to the next Tele Talk on Thursday, July 21 at 10:00 a.m.

You can listen to the June Tele Talk here.

Brazil Welcomes Group from Brandywine Community Church, Indiana

2011-06-23T14:32:00.000-03:00

This past Wednesday, June 22, a group of four guests from Brandywine Community Church in Indiana kicked off what will be a short series of conferences that will help to start the Celebrate Recovery program here in Brazil. Celebrate Recovery puts a Biblical spin on the standard 12-step program that turns victims of addiction, abuse, and bad decisions into leaders for others to turn to. It offers hope and accountability, making it a widely successful program.

From left to right: Linda Ostewig, Jim Moreland, Nick Fiano, and Gina Colclazier

Prior to the conference at 7:00 p.m. Wednesday night, the group went out to explore parts of the Carpina area. The first stop was in the town of Tracunhaém where they admired beautiful clay statues and figurines. Following that, they visited a school in Santo Antonio where Jim, Nick, Linda, and Gina introduced themselves to a class of students and encouraged them to keep studying while always looking to God for guidance.

This group from Brandywine Community church will not be the only team making a difference in Brazil. Over the course of the next month, two more groups will also join us to share the love of Christ through activities such as a Vacation Bible School, English camp, and a new Sports program for kids. World Renew Brazil looks forward the arrival of these different teams and can’t wait to see what God has in store for all of them during their stay.

English as Evangelism, Africa and More Come to Christ

2011-04-06T12:13:00.000-03:00

English brings in over 70 people to the church of Acacias

This year the Community Church of Acacias has expanded its English classes and church services to two times a day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Right after the English classes finish they have a church service in English with a translator, to bring the word of God to those that came to the class, but would normally never go to church. We have three churches right now that have English as an outreach and would love to have even more, if we had the staff.

Emily and Lindsay show how to play chubby bunny during an English event.

March for Jesus

The churches in Lagoa de Itaenga (Pastor Ricardo’s town) are gearing up to do a huge city wide prayer walk through the town. They have called all the churches from the community and the surrounding cities to participate. The event will take place in June.

Come to Christ

Flavio was thrilled and is excited to see what God is going to do in his life.

The Living Stones program in Cajueiro Claro has been going strong for several months now and out of that has sprung up church services on Friday nights. Pastor Flavio (who runs Living Stones) has been inviting the people from the community to come. He always makes sure to stop and talk with the town drunk to invite him and he always says he will try to come.
This last Friday he actually came and told Flavio he would like to come again. Flavio was thrilled and is excited to see what God is going to do in his life. At the same service a man from the community told Flavio he was very sad because he could not participate in the communion bread and drink yet. He told Flavio that he knows what he needs to do and wants to come to Christ soon.

Similarly, Pastor Asuério Naque in Ameixas has been inviting a man addicted to drugs to church for more than three years. A few months ago this man finally came to church and gave his life to Christ. He is currently in the discipleship program.

His heart has always been for the Portuguese speaking country of Mozambique

Pastor Asuério will be going to Mozambique Africa in July. His heart has always been for the Portuguese speaking country of Mozambique. This 20 day trip will be the preparation trip for his family to move to Africa. Their goal is to get to Africa in 2012. In July, Asuério will be starting in south Mozambique then move on to the middle of the country for a week long pastor's conference. He also plans on spending time in the mainly Muslim northern region of Mozambique, where he has a strong desire to plant community churches.

Please pray for this trip and please consider how you might be able to help Asuério financially. For the July trip he needs R$2,500 ($1,560). He has raised R$600 ($375) from the community churches in Brazil, a difficult task because most of the churches are in poor communities. You can donate online here.

February Tele Talk conference call

2011-03-18T23:47:00.000-03:00

For those of you that were not able to attend, you can download the audio file for the last Tele Talk conference call.

Tele mainly talked about the Glory Sports ministry and the impact that the basketball team had.

Check it out at: http://wribrazil.com/Teleconferencefeb.mp3

ProPresenter Blessing

2011-02-26T23:14:00.000-03:00

Thanks to generous donations the ministry was able to purchase a site license for propresenter, which is a powerpoint type program that you can use videos or live video as the backgrounds.

The church in Lagoa de Itaenga just had an open air evangelism night partnering with the other churches in the town. This was the first time we were able to test out propresenter at a service. The service was amazing and nobody in this region had every seen such a program. It helped to draw in the crowds.
Pastor Ricardo preached on the love of God in John 3:16 and we had a closing song. When the song started playing we showed a video background of the crucifixion. It was perfect timing and as you looked around several people were crying. It was so wonderful to see the churches in this community come together to bring the love of Christ to the people.

For those of you that missed the Dialog with Tele, we will put that online soon.

Dialog With The Director of WRB

2011-02-11T23:13:00.000-03:00

Dear Friends,
On Thursday, February 24 we will hold a conference call for friends and partners of World Renewal Brazil (WRB) to share about the incredible work God is doing through Glory Sports Ministries.

Glory Sports Ministries exists to engage youth through sports activities with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Recently, God has provided some unique opportunities through the public school system to expand and reach more youth. We are receiving great favor among local principals who are excited about the work of Glory Sports Ministries because we provide an alternative to the drugs, prostitution and violence facing their students.
Join us as Tele Moraes, President of World Renewal Brazil, and Steve Turner, U. S. Operations Director for WRB, will be live in Brazil giving us the “play by play” of this and other exciting opportunities.
February 24, 2011 at 1:30 p.m. EST

If you would like to participate in the call, please email Jeff Turner at jeffroyturner@gmail.com and he will reply with the call-in number and passcode.
We welcome you to invite others who may be interested in hearing about what God is doing through Glory Sports Ministries. Please forward them this email and request that they also contact Jeff for the call information.
We appreciate your ongoing prayers and support for the people of Northeast Brazil and the work of World Renewal.

Tele

Celebrate Recovery gets a retreat home

2011-02-09T14:54:00.000-03:00

Celebrate Recovery is an outreach to addicts and substance abuse victims. Pastor Pedro who is involved with the newest church plant in Recife has always had a heart to start this outreach.

From Celebrate Recovery

The retreat was given to us for two years rent free. The ministry gets possession of it in March. It is a blessing to have such a wonderful place where addicts can get out of their bad environment learn about the life they can have in Christ.

From Celebrate Recovery

Christmas in Brazil

2010-12-23T13:02:00.000-03:00

Christmas time in Brazil does not mean snow and reindeer, but it does mean banquets and time spent with friends and family. All of the community churches will be or have already had their Christmas banquets. There is even an all church banquet for the pastors and leadership of the churches.

Each church will do something special and different for their banquets. Lagoa de Itaenga Community Church did a Christmas play with the kids that attend the church.

The Birthday Party for Jesus gifts are being handed out at the Living Stones programs and also we were able to stretch the gifts some to hand out at some of the churches with kids ministries like Pastor Ricardo's church in Lagoa de Itaenga.

Please consider giving to World Renewal Brazil this Christmas through the Online Donation site.

Tele & Heather Moraes to the USA

2010-10-29T11:59:00.000-03:00

With mission conferences right around the corner. Tele and Heather are headed to the USA. Here is a few places you can see them at:

Oct 31 noon to 130 pm at Brandyvine Community Church

Nov 13 10 am to 2 pm at Brookville Road Community Church

Monday, Nov 1 at Northwest Friends Church (9889 W 66th Ave. Arvada, CO) 7:00 p.m.

Wednesday, Nov 3 at Calvary Bible Church (220 S. Handley Wichita, KS) 7:00 p.m.

Thursday, Nov 4 Barclay College (607 N. Kingman, Haviland, Kansas) 10:50 a.m. chapel at Haviland Friends Church (205 N. Kingman)
7:00 p.m. at Haviland Friends Church

Reunitaria 2010 - Community Church Reunion

2010-10-18T14:05:00.000-03:00

All of the community churches get together once a year for a big camp reunion to play games and worship together. Since more of the churches do not have a baptism, this was the perfect time to baptize those who had gone through the course and wanted to express their belief publicly. This year we saw the Community Church of Paudalho win overall for the games. It was a great time of fellowship and friendship. Let's pray together that God will continue to bless and grow the churches in northeast Brazil.

From Reunitaria 2010

Frank Penna with new Evangelical Friend's Church in Brazil

2010-09-27T13:02:00.000-03:00

Frank Penna is in Brazil for 2 weeks to help encourage Pastor Valmir and the start of the first Evangelical Friend's Church in Brazil. It will be in the community of Santo Antonio (Saint Anthony) in the city of Carpina, PE.
They had an open invitation to visit the local public school. The video below is of the kids singing a song about Zacchaeus and then Frank singing part of his version. They invited everyone to come to the service on Saturday.

Invasion of Kids & Tele Talk

2010-08-26T10:10:00.000-03:00

We are already seeing the fruits of the short-term trips that came down in July. In the town of Lagoa de Itaenga, Pastor Ricardo's church, we had a VBS in early July. Ever since then the church has had more and more kids come to church on Sunday night for the service. Just last Sunday we had over 40 kids at church, there were so many that when it was time for the kids to go to their classroom it was decided that they should stay in the sanctuary and the adults would go to the classroom for the sermon.
This Sunday, August 29th, marks the church's anniversary and they are also holding their first mission conference. Pastor Asuério Naque will be preaching on Saturday and Pastor Tele will be preaching on Sunday.

Tele Talk Fasting for Brazil Families

Tele Talk - Summer Recap

2010-08-12T21:00:00.000-03:00

Accident on Father's day

2010-08-09T08:40:00.000-03:00

Yesterday was Father’s Day in Brazil and Tele Moraes was the guest preacher at Pauldho Community Church. On his way home a very drunk man walked out in front of his car. The man hit Tele’s windshield on the passenger’s side and was knocked off to the side of the road. The man did not break through the windshield so Tele was not hurt. Tele stopped the car to help the man. The man had a friend with him that was just as intoxicated who was trying to help the recently hit man across the road again. They were able to get the man to the hospital and despite a gash in his head the man is fine. Tele was able to talk to him about Christ and check on him again this morning. When Tele asked him if he was going to stop drinking the man replied, “Are you going to stop driving after this?”
Tele responded, “No, I am going to still drive.”
Then the man said ‘Well, I am not going to stop drinking.”
Tele will be going to visit him this afternoon again try to share the love of Christ Jesus.

Summer Trips

2010-07-30T16:41:00.000-03:00

The summer short-term trips seems fast and furious. At the end of the school semester there was an English Camp which was World Cup themed. Seth Bartal along with Paul Jessup lead the mini sermons and application times. They focused on which team are you on, God's team or Satan's team. The camp lasted 3 days and it went really well.

Not a day after the English camp was over did the Medical Clinic team arrive. After they sorted all of the medicine they got to relax and visit churches over the weekend until the clinics started on Monday. They had clinics for 3 days in 3 different towns. They ran a clinic in a part of the town of Carpina called Santo Antonio that the ministry will be starting an Evangelical Friends Church plant.

The medical teams saw between 500 and 600 people total this year.

Tele Talk - June Personal update

2010-06-02T14:13:00.000-03:00

Tele will be in the US until June 9th with a group from the International school of Carpina. This is the very first time we have taken kids from the school to visit the USA. Please pray for this trip and that they kids will have a better global perspective and see what is truly important in this life(Jesus Christ).

Tele Talk- New Living Stones

2010-05-12T15:53:00.000-03:00

New Tele Talk video is now live. Click on the picture to view from youtube.com

Timbauba Complete

2010-04-22T13:57:00.002-03:00

Video update from the Community Church of Timabauba.

Easter

2010-04-20T18:27:00.000-03:00

Last post I briefly talked about the Easter program at the international school, but now the videos are online. You can check them out at: http://internationalschoolofcarpina.com/pascoa.html

They are in Portuguese but it just shows how all of the ministry works together to show God's love. We have 3 different community church pastors playing the roles and an elder from the Carpina church. The roles are Harod, Pilot, Peter, and Judas. I still need to upload the video of Mary.

Community Church of Acacias

2010-04-05T14:39:00.002-03:00

Emily Taylor has a great update about the church that meets in the same building as the international school and seminary. This is the church that Tele Moraes pastors. Check out Emily's blog at the link below.

www.emilyataylor.blogspot.com

For Easter the International School put on some really cool plays for the kids. They were like mini plays, because there were stations that the kids went around to and listened to the actors talk about themselves. There was Judas, Peter, Harod, Mary, and a few others.

New Teachers for the Semester

2010-03-08T13:55:00.003-03:00

Ruthe & Paul Jessup have joined the teaching staff this semester and they have a fresh perspective on the ministry here in northeast Brazil. Check out there blog site at: http://thejessupsjourney.blogspot.com/

We are already looking for teachers for the Fall 2010 semester. If you are interested in more information about teaching in Brazil please check out the wribrazil.com/teach website and contact us.

A Praise from Frank Penna

2010-02-20T13:27:00.000-03:00

A significant new partnership has been formed between Evangelical Friends Church - Eastern Region and World Renewal to plant Friends churches in northeast Brazil. We are putting out a PRAYER CHALLENGE and call for people to pray with us for

FORTY DAYS (Tuesday, February 23 through Sat. April 3) for
FOUR HUNDRED communities within a days drive of Carpina, Brazil that do not have a gospel preaching church.
Our goal - 40 people praying daily with/for us as we launch this vital ministry.

If the Lord speaks to your heart about helping us in this way...SEND ME A RESPONSE in the next few days, and I will send you more information about how we might effectively pray together.

In Jesus' great grace,
Frank Penna
click on this link to view my blog: fpenna.blogspot.com

You can reach Frank at: frp.ph3@gmail.com

Tele Talk with the new school year

2010-02-01T21:33:00.001-03:00

Vacation has ended and the new school year for the international school has begun. Check out the video below as Tele Moraes shows you the new improvements to the Alcance and talks about the seminary and school.

Bibles for the Living Stones

2009-12-10T17:41:00.000-03:00

From Living Stones Bible Christmas Handout 2009

All thanks to a young girl from Brookville Road Community Church who collected pennies throughout the year, the kids from the Living Stones project were given bibles today. Over $800 was raised for the purchase of these bibles.

If one young girl was able to do all of this with just pennies imagine what you can do also.

The kids send their love and thanks for everyone of you who pray and support the living stones project. You can read more about this project or give toward it at: WRIBrazil.com

Evangelical Friends Church Partners with World Renewal Brazil

2009-11-18T19:26:00.000-03:00

The following is part of the e-mail sent to President of World Renewal Intl Gary Wright from the Evangelical Friends Church.

Dear Gary,

"Let's go!"

That was both the spirit and the action of our EFC-ER World Mission Board just yesterday, as we enthusiastically endorsed the plan to plant Evangelical Friends "Day One" churches in Brazil, beginning Jan. 1, 2010.

We are budgeting to plant the first EFC - Brazil church and establish the infrastructure for more.

We are looking forward to all that God will do to extend His Kingdom in the lives of men, women and children in one - and many more- of those 400 towns that do not yet have an evangelical church.

We join in glad partnership with World Renewal in this step of faith - together, joining God and enjoying His life-saving grace, love and power to change lives.

Blessings,
JPW

(Frank and Tele, we are so grateful to work in partnership with you, brothers!)

http://www.efcer.org/218

Pastor Assuerio Naque raising money for africa.

2009-11-02T10:22:00.000-03:00

Pastor Assuerio shares about his vison for going to Mozambique Africa where they also speak Portuguese.He wants to plant community churches there. You can watch the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_8bDN5zt7E
Pleas prayerfully consider giving toward Assuerio to help him and his family get to Africa. You can donate at our online shopping cart. Or visit Wribrazil.com for more information about Assuerio and how to support him.

Tele will be in the US

2009-10-05T11:37:00.003-03:00

TELE LEFT TODAY. Make sure to go see him at the open houses!

Come to one of the open houses for him.

Come hear what is going on in Brazil and visit Tele.

November 4th, 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM at Northridge Friends Church
I-235 and 25th St North in Wichita, Kansas (316) 838-7724

November 7, from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM at Brandywine Community

Church 1551 E New Rd Greenfield, IN 46140-7273

(317) 462-4777

November 14, at 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM at Brookville Road Community Church 7480 West US 52 New Palestine, Indiana 46163 (317) 861-3880

Tele Talk

2009-09-10T11:05:00.002-03:00

Tele Talk video is now up. watch below or go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glOShS3b61Y
This time Tele Moraes talks about some of the ministry's partnerships.

In this second Tele Talk video he talks about all the exciting things that have happened in his family. Watch below or go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcX-s-h_WmM

Lagoa de Itaenga English class outreach

2009-08-24T13:17:00.004-03:00

*UPDATE
(Last Sunday the young girl Wildauwany was able to go to church because her parents let her. This is a huge answer to prayer. Keep praying that her parents will continue to let her come to church and church activities.)

Last semester the pastor of Lagoa de Itaenga pastor Ricardo Silva asked Jeff & Lindsay Turner to start an English class on Saturdays at the church.The class had about 20 people in it and we did not charge for them to come. We did however expect a lot from them and attendance was strict. Every 2 weeks we would also have a fun event evening similar to a youth group night. During those nights we would always present the gospel in some way either by a bible study or mini sermon or through a story. Jeff and Lindsay were able to develop a good relationship with the core group of the class. The core group was about 9 people that always came to every single event.

This is part of the core group that came and helped out for the July Short-term Medical trip.

While Jeff and Lindsay were in the US for Jeff’s sister’s wedding the young girl in the core group accepted Jesus into her heart. Her name is Wildauwany. Her parents have been reluctant to let her come to the English classes or the youth group nights. Her parents are very Catholic and don't like their kids going to a different church even for a class. She has been sneaking out sometimes to come to events at the church. Pastor Ricardo has talked to her parents and has been encouraging Wildauwany to obey her parents. Please pray that her parent's will start allowing her to come to class and to the youth group nights.

We are about to start English classes for this semester. We already have about 50 people and we are splitting them up into 3 different levels. Emily Taylor will join us this semester as the highest level teacher, Lindsay Turner will be teaching the intermediate level, and Ricardo along with the help of Jeff Turner will be teaching the beginner level.

2009 Mission trip from the mouth of David Moraes

2009-07-30T16:18:00.002-03:00

Please check out the link to hear and see what this years mission trip to Brazil was all about and how it impacted the people in Brazil. Straight from David Moraes (Tele's son).

http://flirates.blogspot.com/2009/07/lifepost-3-its-been-while.html

English Camp/ Contruction 2009 trip

2009-07-17T20:43:00.003-03:00

The English camp finished after 3 days today. There is just one more work day until the group gets to have a relaxing free day and then head back to the USA. You can check out the pictures at:

http://picasaweb.google.com/Brazilmedical2009/EnglishCampContruction2009#
You can also read more about this trip from Rebecca & David Johnson at:
http://www.thejohnsonsbrazil.blogspot.com/

If anybody from the Medical trip would like to put up more of your picture please e-mail me at JeffroyTurner@gmail.com and I will give you the username and password for the Picasa website.

Please continue to pray for this group as they finish painting/making shelves for Tele's office and moving gravel to make the sidewalls of the miniature golf course tomorrow. They will travel back to the USA on Monday.

Medical trip 2009

2009-07-09T22:30:00.003-03:00

The medical clinic came to a close today. They were able to do all 4 places this year and even with the heavy rain on Tuesday and the mud roads they had to drive through on Wednesday they managed to go to all 4 locations. You can check out some of the blogs at:

Brazilbuds.blogspot.com

We have pooled a lot of our pictures together and you can view them at:

http://picasaweb.google.com/Brazilmedical2009

Short-term missions groups arrive

2009-07-03T19:38:00.002-03:00

From Missions Groups 09

The first and second waves of missions groups have arrived. Kenny Smith along with Bill Swanson will start building cabinets and other various things tomorrow. Frank Penna is also with here and he will be helping with the construction and some of the seminars.

From Missions Groups 09

Charles Taylor, Andrew Taylor, Laura Hedrick, Leah Neeb, Joey Rogers, Andy Flink, Eli Parker, Lindsey Green, Kristin Lathrop, Collin Russell,Seth & Kari Bartal, and Judy Todd. will be helping with the Medical clinics that start on Monday. This weekend the group will be visiting several churches and participating in a few of the church services.

From Missions Groups 09

Please continue to pray for the mission trips and that God will use everyone in a mighty way.

Hubert Nolen and Steve Turner back in the USA

2009-06-25T16:00:00.003-03:00

The India trip is over. Pastor Hubert Nolen and Steve Turner have arrived safely back in the USA. Steve says "Take 1000 people put them in your house and you have an idea how crowded India is. 70% poor 20% middle class and 10% ruling class. Also trash everywhere."

From India 2

You can check out the pictures at :http://picasaweb.google.com/wribrazil/India1#

http://picasaweb.google.com/wribrazil/India2#
http://picasaweb.google.com/wribrazil/India3#

From India 2

Steve Turner and Pastor Hubert Nolen in India

2009-06-13T18:03:00.003-03:00

From India

Please Pray for them while they are in India. Steve Turner will only be back in the USA for 6 days before he leaves for Brazil.

Pizza Fundraiser

2009-06-04T18:26:00.003-03:00

From Tracunhaem Pizza fundraiser

The Community Church of Tracunhaem had a big pizza fundraiser this month. It was a huge success! They raised over R$1,000. A lot of different churches were attending and the music was provided by a baptist church from the town over. David Moraes was in charge of making the 100+ pizzas and Pastor Anselmo along with his wife were the hosts of the event. Thanks to everyone involved and let's hope they do this again.

1st Annual Women's Conference

2009-05-17T18:14:00.006-03:00

Today was the very first women's conference for the community churches of NE Brazil. There were women from all of the community churches attending. It was a big turn out and a very well organized and spirit lead conference.

Here's what Lindsay has to say on the event:
The conference started at 9am with a praise and worship time lead by a mix of women from various community churches. This was the first conference of it's kind for the women of Community Church Brazil. Four keynote speakers lectured on a verity of topics from finances to the historical roll of women in the church. Between speakers we broke off into small group prayer and discussion groups. Kattia Silva (Pastor Ricardo's wife) organized the event brilliantly. She has had a vision for women's ministry of CC Brazil for a long time. This year only women in leadership and pastor's wives were invited to participate, but in the future the event will be opened to all community church women. I left with the other women at 4 feeling uplifted and excited about the future of women's ministry here in Brazil.

To follow up with the conference there will be a women's monthly breakfest on the second to last Saturday of the month, starting next week! Exciting things are ahead for the women of Community Church Brazil!

Prayer for Visa

2009-05-05T13:57:00.002-03:00

Emily Taylor has been trying to get a work visa to come help teach down here at the International School of Carpina since December. The government here is very slow and it took Jeff & Lindsay Turner almost 2 years to get their visa. We have learned a lot since then and have better contacts. Right now Tele is in Brasilia (the capital of Brazil) to try to get Emily's visa approved. We need a lot of prayers during this time. We really need Emily down here ASAP. Please pray that she gets her visa.

Living Stones helped

2009-04-13T15:00:00.002-03:00

Living Stones from Jeffrey Turner on Vimeo. Click on the link for an HD version.

For more information about Living Stones check out WriBrazil.com
You can help support this ministry by writing a check to World Renewal earmarked Living Stones Brazil and mail to:

World Renewal Intl.
P.O. Box 399
Greenfield, IN 46140

Summer Trips

2009-04-02T11:23:00.002-03:00

Summer is coming and it is time for short term trips to Brazil. Come with us on a trip that will change your life.

The medical trip is July 3 - July 11 2009, join Dr Taylor in giving God's grace to the people of Brazil. You do not need to be a medical professional to help with this trip. Just have a willing heart to love the people and be a servant to others.

Construction and English camp trip is July 11- 21. You only need to speak English to help in Brazil. Painting is the biggest job that needs done on the trip. You also will be teaching English to eager people wanting to learn how to speak English.

For more information about the summer trip email wribrazil@gmail.com or call Steven Turner 317-840-1270

God can use you this summer in Brazil.

CCT Tracunhaem construction

2009-03-25T13:15:00.003-03:00

As promised I (Jeff) finally got over to Tracunhaem to take pictures of the construction. For those of you that don't know the story, this land was given to the community church free of charge. The only catch was they had to start building on the land by December 2008. September rolled around and they still didn't have the money to start building. But because of the wonderful generosity of the members of the community churches in Indiana they were able to start building just in time.

From January Shot term Trip

The empty bags of concrete from the flooring.

From January Shot term Trip

The new flooring that was just put in.

From January Shot term Trip

They plan on holding their first church service in this building next month.

Community Church of Tracunhaem

2009-03-11T10:42:00.003-03:00

I (Jeff) am going to try to get over to the Church sometime this week or next to check on the progress of the church construction. Until then, here is a video I took last January when the Pastors were here.

*edit The trip has been delayed because of Lindsay getting sick. She is almost fully recovered but still needs a few days. She had the stomach flu.

First ever "Tele Talk"

2009-02-25T23:25:00.002-03:00

Tele Talk 2/25/09 from Jeffrey Turner on Vimeo.

This is the first of hopefully many "Tele Talks" where you get the updates of the ministry and school straight from the mouth of the Director of World Renewal Brazil Pastor Telemaco Moraes.

This video covers what the churches do during Carnaval, news about the international school, and how Tele's family is doing. I hope you enjoy it and feel free to leave feedback and let us know what aspects of the ministry you would like to hear about.

Dan Downer sick

2009-02-04T17:38:00.004-03:00

Pastor Dan Downer who has been in Brazil for a month now, is sick and leaves tomorrow to the US.
He ate some bad cheese and has been in bed all day. He started feeling bad today around 10am. Please pray that this passes and he will be good to travel. He has gotten some medicine and is being well taken care of.

*UPDATE Dan got home safely but was still feeling sick the last time I talked with him. Continue to pray for his recovery and for God's plan for his ministry.

*UPDATE 2 According to Edna Chestnut: "I was just talking with Dan and he has been bedfast since his return from Brazil. He has terrible back pain and numbness in his legs."

Community Church of Timbauba interview

2009-01-26T10:22:00.001-03:00

Timbauba Community Church interview from Jeffrey Turner

If you attend Brookville Road Community Church then you got to see this video yesterday at church. For the rest of you, I have posted here. Click on the title of the video to watch an HD copy.

Dr. Lake History of Community Church

2009-01-20T10:15:00.003-03:00

15 years ago the first community church was started in Carpina Brazil. Last Sunday all the Brazil community churches got together to celebrate. The main speaker was Dr. Charles Lake the founder of Greenwood Community Church (the very first community church). You can watch his sermon that explains the history of the community churches. It is in 4 parts. The second part has the history story in it.

Continue to pray for the Pastors as they visit the community churches in Brazil.

Pastors arrive safely

2009-01-17T17:08:00.003-03:00

The January group has arrived safely with all of their luggage. They didn't get to much rest today as they will be going to the very first service in Cha de Alegria this evening. Tomorrow is the 15 year anniversary celebration. Then in the evening Pastor Charles lake will be preaching at Grace Presbyterian Church in Recife. During the week it will be a little more relaxed. The group will be visiting most if not all the community churches. Jeff will be taking video fotage of the new construction in Lagoa de Itaenga, Tracenheum, and Timbauba. Until then pray for this trip.

Pastor Ricardo's Mother Passes away

2009-01-11T19:07:00.004-03:00

Pastor Ricardo Silva's mother passed away yesterday. She had diabetes and went into a coma after having to much sugar. She died shortly after going into the coma.
We are unsure if she was a believer. She didn't raise Ricardo and only was with him in his early years. She was living in Lagoa de Itaenga, the same town Ricardo's current church plant is in. Please pray for the family and for Ricardo's step brother who will be living with Ricardo and Kattia now. The step brother is 14 years old. This is a big step for Ricardo's family and is very similar to when Tele brought in Ricardo to his family.

EDIT: It is still unclear if Ricardo's step brother will be living with them. It will be their responsibility to make sure he gets a good education but where he lives will be up to him. There are several relatives that he is going to stay with for a while before he decides.

Fire on the Hillside

2009-01-08T14:41:00.004-03:00

This was the view from the Alcance (Ministry HQ) a few nights ago.

Every season they burn the sugar cane fields to drive out the snakes and clear it out. The actual stalk doesn't burn. So after they burn it they can go in and harvest it a lot easier. But, burning it also hurts the ground and environment a lot.

Dan Downer is traveling to Brazil today to spend a month here. He will be helping with electricity and other things at the 3 Church construction sites. Pray for safe travels and God to use and take care of him while he is here.

Lagoa de Itaenga Construction

2008-12-19T17:23:00.004-03:00

The Church in Lagoa De Itaenga has been blessed and was able to purchase 2 plots of land. They were soon blessed again from a large donation and they have been hard at work constructing the Church building. They have been working for about 6 weeks now and 3 of those weeks were spent on digging the foundation. The soil in the area is extremely tough to dig in.

From Lagoa De Itaenga Church Construction

They pour water into the foundation ditch to soften the soil.

From Lagoa De Itaenga Church Construction

They plan on having a big auditorium for the service and then a classroom on the side. Right now they have most of the walls up for the classroom and bathrooms area.

From Lagoa De Itaenga Church Construction

Missions Overview 2008

2008-11-15T14:18:00.002-03:00

Bad economy?

2008-10-13T16:45:00.002-03:00

Even though there is a lot of bad news about the US economy the value of the dollar has gone up or the value of the Real has gone down. What this means is it is a good time to give to the Brazil ministry. 1 month ago the exchange rate was $1 us dollar to R$1.5 Brazilian Real. Now it is hovering around $1 to R$2.5. This is huge and means the money you donate goes twice as far as last month. Praise God in this time of economic trouble.

Accredited

2008-09-08T12:36:00.003-03:00

The seminary is now accredited by the Associacao Evangelica de Educacao Teologica na America Latina (AETAL) 2008.

Praise God! This will bring a lot more students to the seminary and is a big step for the ministry. Pray that God will continue to bless the students and the people they impact. We are currently working on gathering a list of students and information about their college track and goals. We are trying to make it easier to sponsor a Church planting pastor from the very beginning.

BRCC Mission Team Returns Home Safely!

2008-07-31T16:31:00.004-03:00

We made it! With all people in tow and a few items of lost luggage, the BRCC mission team returned home safely to the warm embrace of family and friends. Thank you so much for your prayers and support during our time in Brasil. The Lord was exceedingly faithful in all He commissioned and appointed us to do while in Brasil. We look forward to sharing the joy of our trip this Sunday, August 3rd! If you are not able to join us, you can download the .mp3 recording at www.brcconline.net on Monday.

Blessings!

Day 16 BRCC Mission Trip

2008-07-31T16:16:00.005-03:00

Day 16 Activities

This morning we are finishing up packing, room cleaning, replacing desks in the international school classrooms, moving mattresses to be returned and separating sheets and pillows that we will leave here for future use. We’ll enjoy a brunch at 10 am followed by final room inspection and closing comments from the staff. At 11:30 we will begin loading our stuff on the bus and saying our good-byes to the Alcance staff. Our flight is scheduled to leave at 4:05 from Recife. We’ll see you in Indy on day 17!

Day 15 BRCC Mission Trip

2008-07-31T15:59:00.005-03:00

Missionaries of the Day

Sarah Wells
This is Sarah’s first trip to Brasil, and she is finding the transition into another culture a little challenging. “It’s a very different culture. Things that are acceptable in America are not always acceptable in Brasil, and it’s hard to remember all of them.” Despite the challenges, Sarah is realizing how much she is needed here. “When we were sweeping the parking lot and cleaning the walls, it seemed pointless at first. But, when you get done, you can see the difference and you realize ho much you have done.” Besides serving around the Alcance, Sarah is helping out with the English camp and performing in SHOUT. She would like to add that, “I miss my mom, especially when I talk to her or here about her, but I’m having fun.”

Paul Lappe
This is Paul’s first trip to Brasil. He enjoyed getting to know some of the folks at the Alcance. “The one thing I enjoyed about Brasil is the people. Like Lucas and Jonas- they are so nice and fun to be around.” Also Paul is really moved by watching the people’s faces during Shout! "I could see that they were getting the message even though they were reading a translation.” The Lord did a mighty work in Paul’s life on the trip, “The Lord was leading me to give my testimony and to get baptized while in Brasil. It was an awesome moment.”

Day 15 Activities

Today was filled with lots of packing, preparation, last minute flip flop factory and Guaraná runs plus a stop over for Mike to see the French Fry lady and the Churro man…. Pastor Paul wrapped up the trip talking about spiritual things that had taken place on the trip as well as some tips on getting acclimated back into the routine at home. While the Alcance was a buzz with preparation for leaving, Steve Turner headed for the airport after a 34 day stay in Brazil. That evening, the staff at the Alcance prepared a feast for us including steaks, kabobs, and cinnamon pineapple on the grill plus brownies and Ice cream plus a wonderful pineapple dessert. We enjoyed ourselves at Tele and Heather’s place including swing dancing and a few rousing games of duck-duck-goose. (yes.. that's right..) That evening, the Taylors (Emily and Paul) went to the airport for their trip home and the rest of the group finalized their packing for the next big day.

Day 14 BRCC Mission Trip

2008-07-26T12:55:00.007-03:00

Missionaries of the Day:

Alex Romoser
When asked about his first trip to Brasil, Alex said, “Well I have never seen wild ducks roaming a town before.” Alex has been working on various construction projects around the Alcance and he is enjoying working with all the people who work at the Alcance. “It’s cool to see how much the people work and how they are so pumped about the Alcance and the work they are doing down here.” In addition to his work down here, Alex has been growing. “When I’m here, I am able to take the focus off myself and see the bigger picture. God is teaching me that I need to stop just having head knowledge and I need to make it heart knowledge.”

Eli Parker
On Eli’s first trip to Brasil, he has been enjoying the differences in the culture as well as the beautiful countryside and the people. “I love to help these people and that motivates me to work.” While on the trip, Eli says that God has really been speaking to him. “God’s been helping me sort my life out and giving my directions. I came here with a lot of questions and God has been giving me answers. One time during worship, God really just told me that he loved me and that answered so many questions. It felt really great.”

Sarah Taylor
Sarah is enjoying many things about her first trip to Brasil, including the hills, the frogs, and the food. “I love how creative Sylvia is with leftovers.” Sarah has been having fun working with everyone during the English camp and SHOUT performances. “I love working with everyone and knowing that we are working together for a good cause.” While here, Sarah has also been enjoying the devotionals. “I am learning different ways of study so I can find my favorite way for when I do my devotions at home. I have gotten a lot closer to God through the devotions and just being with all the people.”

Day 14 Activities
Today was free day began with a quick breakfast followed by loading the bus for a beach a few miles North of Recife. It was a welcome break for us as we had presented Shout! for the last time on this trip and are winding down the projects at the Alcance. We first went to a beach for snorkeling but because the tide was too high, we spent some time shopping and browsing the beach shops. After that, we loaded the bus and headed to another beach to ride the waves and body surf. The waves were fantastic and everyone had a great time. We boarded the bus and came back to the Alcance around dinner time.

Day 13 BRCC Mission Trip

2008-07-26T12:43:00.006-03:00

Missionaries of the Day:
Sarah Brown
This is Sarah’s first time in Brasil and she finds it really different from America but “it’s easy to catch on.” Her favorite part of the trip has been performing SHOUT at the Alcance. “It was cool to see people that I recognized and to see the people getting into the performance.” While in Brasil, Sarah has been learning about working for the Lord. “It doesn’t really matter what work you’re doing. You just have to remember that it’s all for Him, and if I’m working for God, I need to do my best.”

Logan Lane
This is Logan’s first trip to Brasil, and he is loving every aspect of the trip. He has been doing a lot of painting as well as helping out with the English camp and SHOUT. Logan has really been struck by how much God has changed him during this trip. “Before I cam on the trip, I was on the edge about following God 100%. I was worried about raising the money and I was worried that I wouldn’t get to go. But, God showed that He would provide and now I’m on fire. It’s awesome. I have changed a lot and I can’t wait to get home and share how this trip has changed my life.”

Jenna Brewer
This is Jenna’s first trip to Brasil and she found it surprising that there is so much English writing all over the place. Jenna has been performing in the musical SHOUT and she has really enjoyed this experience. “It’s cool that even though they can’t understand what we’re saying, they get the point of the musical. Their faces show that they understand what’s going on.” While here, Jenna has also enjoyed the devotional studies and the times of worship. “The worship is very cool. They aren’t just worship services because people actually think about what they are saying.”

Day 13 Activities

After breakfast, we worshiped with the church that is held here at the Alcance. Logan, Eli, and Paul each gave their testimony. As an act of dedicating their life to Christ, all three of them got baptized during the service!! The afternoon had soccer, volleyball, swimming, naps, and other relaxing activities. That evening, we went to the Community Church in Carpina and performed Shout! for last time. The group was sad it was the last time to perform it but was very excited that many people were touched. After packing up, we returned to the Alconce snd played cards and ate at the snack bar.

Day 12 BRCC Mission Trip

2008-07-26T12:35:00.006-03:00

Missionaries of the Day:

Laura Hedrick
This is Laura’s first trip to Brasil and one of her highlights has been the English camp. “I loved being with the kids and seeing their eagerness to meet us and learn. I saw how much they wanted to communicate with us. It was cool how they helped us learn their language and how they learned ours.” While here, Laura has been learning many lessons about her faith. “God has shown me that I can do anything through Him. I have to fill myself with the Holy Spirit and God’s word so I can better teach others about it. God has taught me that He is always there and when I obey him, I’ll be blessed through that.”

Chris Hanselman
On Chris’s first trip to Brasil, the thing that has stuck out to him has been the food. “It’s a lot different. The food is more bland because there’s not as much salt, and there is a lot of rice.” Chris has been helping with the English camp and with construction projects around the Alcance. “It was fun getting to work on the wall and being able to say that I helping make that. I felt like I was able to do something.” While here, Chris has been enjoying the devotional studies on the book of Acts. “It’s nice to have quiet time in the morning to get my thoughts in order. I like studying Acts and getting to see real life people working for God. It’s not just a story, and I can apply it to my life.”

Noah Parker
On Noah’s first trip to Brasil, he has been struck by the kindness of the Brazilian people. “I didn’t expect the people to be so nice. They are very welcoming and helpful, especially Duda. I feel bad sometimes because I am here to serve, but Duda always ends up helping me out.” Noah has also been enjoying the beautiful countryside and the food, especially the steak. “It’s extremely rare, but really good!” While here, Noah has also had the opportunity to see parts of Brasil while riding on the bus, including the homes of many people. “It’s just amazing that people can live in these conditions while we complain even though we have all we need. I am learning to appreciate all I have back in America, especially toilet paper...”

Day 12 Activities

This morning was pretty much our last day of our set routine. We had personal time with God and then small group. Today we are trying to wrap up the projects that we have been working on over the last few days. Due to the weather, it is taking a little longer to get the Alcance’s perimeter fence painted. Overall, the weather has been very nice, with light rain showers almost everyday. In the evening, we performed Shout! in Carpina’s town square. What an experience! A band performed before us and a choir sang after us. We were able to witness to a large number of people as they walked around downtown.

Day 11 BRCC Mission Trip

2008-07-26T12:19:00.007-03:00

Missionaries of the Day:

Luke Wesseling
Luke is enjoying his first trip to Brasil, especially all the soccer. “I like playing. I never played in America and here I play everyday.” Another highlight for Luke has been the English camp. “I liked the eagles vs. giants rivalry and all my sixth graders. The kids were fun and easy to play with. They thought you were cool no matter what you did.” In addition to working with the kids in the English camp, Luke has been learning about relying on God. “During one of the quiet times, I was reading in Acts and a verse really jumped out at me. I realized that I was relying too much on my talents and strengths instead of relying on God and what He has planned for me.”

Josh Fern
While on his second trip, Josh has been playing lots of soccer. “I really enjoy playing soccer with the Brazilians and getting to know them better.” Josh is also looking forward to going back to Carpina and performing SHOUT. While here in Brasil, Josh has been learning a lot. “I wasn’t going on this trip for the right reasons and the first night of worship changed that for me. This trip has helped get me back on track with God. I’ve been learning basically what the musical teaches. I need to be more bold with my faith and I need to live it out everywhere.”

Day 11 Activities

Some people were a little slow getting out of bed this morning, but the unique baked bananas at breakfast were fun to start the day off with. Devotions went well, followed by small group. We learned our work details and got to work. Painting, moving, sorting, cleaning, washing and constructing continued to take place. After lunch, the rest of the afternoon was free time. Some played soccer and other games, talked, or napped. After a prayer session, we left for Tacunhaem, where church members fed us supper. Shout! was performed in an open air gymnasium. The attendance of the event was our highest yet! We continually pray that lives will be touched not just tonight, but contacts will be made and each community church will grow. Once we had safely gotten back, the snack bar was opened and many played games.

Day 10 BRCC Mission Trip

2008-07-26T12:05:00.007-03:00

Missionaries of the Day:

Casey Ruble
Casey is really enjoying her first trip to Brasil and doesn’t want to leave. “The people down here are so different from Americans. They are so spirited and full of life and I really like that.” Casey’s favorite part of the trip has been performing SHOUT and she is looking forward to performing it in more places. While in Brasil, God has also been teaching Casey about trust. “Going out to different places and being in the Brazilian communities gives you an interesting feeling, not scary, but very different. I am learning to fully trust in Him since I don’t have parents down here to protect me and to confide in. I have to remember that no matter who is around me, He is constant.”

Justin Cochran
On Justin’s first trip to Brasil, he has been surprised by the food. “I actually like their food, especially Sylvia’s food.” Sylvia is our cook here at the Alcance and Justin spent the first week helping prepare the food in the kitchen with Sylvia. “Sylvia is fun to joke around with. We like to tease each other and its always fun working with her.” Besides helping cook, Justin has been working on construction projects around the Alcance. “Working with the Brazilians is fun and I really get the feeling that I’m helping them. They are always working and it’s great that I get to be a part of that.” Justin has also been learning about staying focused. “God has been telling me to stay focused on doing stuff to glorify Him, not just for fun. It’s also been really cool to watch how people on this trip have grown closer to God. That is really cool to watch.”

Chris Madren
One thing Chris has noticed on his first trip to Brasil is the drivers. “They don’t stop. They just keep going no matter what.” Chris enjoyed working with the students at the English camp and performing SHOUT for the pastors and English camp students. “The kids were so into it and the whole crowd was interactive.” While in Brasil, Chris says he has been getting closer to his friends here and learning a lot about his faith. “I am learning to be bolder with my faith in talking with my friends and I am learning to be a witness instead of being just like everyone else.”

Day 10 Activities

After our morning meal, we went to devotions and small group. We studied to first part of Acts Chapter 6. Following that, the work projects resumed, many that were the same from yesterday. We cleaned up and got ready for the musical, but before we left, we had a small worship time. At 6pm everyone left for Lagoa de Iteanga. One of the pastors there showed us the plot of land in they hope to build a new church building.

Shout! was put on in an open air school gymnasium. This way, many of the students were able to come to the musical. We counted over 500 people there! The cast did an outstanding job staying focused through all of the distractions. Even if just one life was touched by our presentation, it is all worth it. When it was over, all of the cast were asked for autographs and were treated like movie stars….

Day 9 BRCC Mission Trip

2008-07-25T22:25:00.003-03:00

Missionaries of the Day:

Nick Hurd
On his first trip to Brasil, Nick is enjoying the differences in the language. “Breaking the language barrier was easier than I thought, especially with the English camp. I have enjoyed walking around the city and hearing everyone around me speaking a language I have no idea how to speak.” In addition to the language, Nick has been enjoying his experience helping with SHOUT. “It’s cool watching the Brazilians watch SHOUT. I like watching their reactions to what’s being said or when something funny happens.” While in Brasil, Nick has also been learning about trusting in God. “I’m thousands of miles from home and I can’t do anything about what’s going on. I have to trust that God will take care of me.”

Ben Rogers
On Ben’s first trip to Brasil, he is learning about what it’s like to be the minority. “It’s something you can’t truly grasp until you experience it. It’s fun though, especially when friends teach you Portuguese words.” Ben is also enjoying the many experiences he has been having including learning the metric system, breaking a hammer, getting used to early sunsets, and riding a donkey with David. During one of the worship services, Ben said he heard God speaking to him. “He is telling me to be a light to the world and that people should be able to see God through me.”

Brittany Key
This is Brittany’s first trip to Brasil and she says, “The frogs here are humongous!” Brittany has been enjoying the countryside which she describes as “looks a lot like Kentucky or Tennessee with a Latin flavor.” Besides working with the English camp and helping out with SHOUT, Brittany has been learning about not worrying so much. “During one of the devotional times I was reading a part in John and it really spoke to me. Jesus was saying don’t worry about anything, just focus on me. I have to let Him take care of it.”

Day 9 Activities

Today was a great day for many reasons. Two of those reasons were going to the blanket store and a Brazilian grocery store. Many stocked up on cookies, snacks, and pop. Work projects continued such as organizing storage rooms, cleaning walls, painting rooms, building the wall, and still others. We have worked very hard and accomplished a lot. During devotions that evening, we looked at how Peter and the other early believers felt a strong sense of unity and the consequences of lying to God. During dinner, we put on a special romantic meal on for Pastor Paul and Amy in order to celebrate their 18th Wedding Anniversary, which occurred a few days past.

Day 8 BRCC Mission Trip

2008-07-23T10:22:00.010-03:00

Missionaries of the Day:

Andrew Gregory
This is Andrew’s first trip to Brasil and he has enjoying the culture of Brasil. “I really enjoy the open buildings and the openness of the different shops all along the streets.” Andrew also has been enjoying the work he is doing down here. “I love this side of ministry – being here and doing work for God. It’s like I’m getting to put my words into actions.” Andrew said that while he has been here, God has been teaching him to be more spiritually aware in every situation. “With everything that has gone differently than planned, we’re constantly relying on Him through prayer so that we can do His work.”

Leah Nebb
This is Leah’s first trip to Brasil and she is noticing all the attention. “I didn’t realize how much we would stick out. The people really study you and they notice what you do.” Leah has really been enjoying the English camp and all the little projects. “The kids were so excited to be there. They were excited to jump on us, play with us, and just be with us. I really feel like I’m helping and contributing.” In addition to the work, Leah is really enjoying the devotional studies on the book of Acts. “I love learning about the excitement of the early church and how bold they were with their faith. It really ties in with the message of SHOUT. It’s just so amazing being here in Brasil because there aren’t as many distractions. During the worship times, you can really feel God’s presence.”

Day 8 Activities

We began a new routine today: a late breakfast followed by devotions, small group, than service projects. Some of the projects included painting, laundry, cementing, sweeping, and others. In the afternoon, we left early to head to the town of Ameixas. It was a two-hour journey, but with fun laughing, the ride went fast. At Ameixas, we set up the Shout! equipment and handed out flyers for the performance. The facility there was gorgeous. It was neat to see the church that many of us had donated money towards. As for the performance, we had technical difficulties, but made it through. Everyone was very appreciative the message. Once we returned to the Alcance, there was an amazing time of worship. It is so awe-inspiring to think that the same Spirit that moved through the early church, which we continue to study, is moving through us during this time.

Day 7 BRCC Mission Trip

2008-07-23T10:22:00.005-03:00

Missionary of the Day:
Paul Taylor

This is Paul’s third trip to Brasil and he has been playing a lot of soccer with the Brazilians. “Brazilians are so competitive. They never get down and I like playing with that competitiveness.” In addition to playing soccer, Paul has been helping with the various construction projects around the Alcance. “Building the wall for the play area was cool because I’d never really done anything like that before.” While here, God has been teaching Paul about patience. “Not being patient has always been one of my downfalls and here in Brasil everything goes a lot slower and it’s not as planned out. I’m learning the power of prayer, so when I get frustrated I have to settle down and just pray about it.” Paul would like to add, “The steak place was awesome. That was the most and best tasting steak I’ve ever had in one setting.”

Katie Romoser
Katie has been learning a lot on her second trip. “I’m taking in more of the culture, land, and people this time. It’s more personal and I am more open to the differences in the cultures rather than shocked by them.” Katie has really enjoyed the English camp. “It was a great experience interacting and connecting with the students. It’s cool seeing that we are similar even though we live in different countries.” In addition to all she has been doing, Katie is learning important lessons about prayer. “I have been learning how to bring my requests before God and how to start praying more for others and not just for myself.” Katie looks forward to all the opportunities that the trip will still present and says she is thankful that she is able to come back and serve in Brasil again.

Day 7 Activities

Today was a sightseeing/tourist day. We traveled to Recife where we toured an old jail that is now an indoor market. We also visited Olinda and some open-air markets, vendors, and shops. There were many old historic buildings there. Dinner was AMAZING! We called it “The Meat Place.” At this unique restaurant, the servers brought slabs of meat to your table. There was a HUGE salad bar. Plus, it was all-you-can-eat! The variety of meats, seafood, desserts, fruits and veggies were exquisite.

When we came back to the Alcance, we had a great worship service. We sang songs and really grew closer together. What a cool experience this whole trip has been so far!

Please continue to pray for our strength as we move through our trip.

Day 6 BRCC Mission Trip

2008-07-23T10:18:00.006-03:00

***editors note: Thanks to Sarah Gish for providing the remainder of the interviews.

Missionaries of the Day:
Kristin Sprague
This is Kristin’s second trip to Brazil and she has been surprised by how many of the people remember her. She has found it easier to adapt to the differences in the culture this time around and has been enjoying all the work she has been doing. “I’m more aware of how much I’m making a difference in people’s lives whether it’s through cleaning or working with kids or just talking with them.” Kristin enjoyed the English camp and being able to work with the children. “It’s cool to see how happy they are with the simple things here. The kids are more fun to play with because you don’t have to work to keep them entertained. You can just have a lot of fun with them.” Besides working with the children, Kristin has been learning about serving. “You don’t have to be anything special to be able to help or have an affect. I love being her and helping with whatever they need me to do.”

Matt Fern
On Matt’s second trip to Brazil, he has been enjoying seeing the differences in the Alcance. Since the 2006 trip, the Alcance has been retiled in a lot of places and many of the rooms have been converted into classrooms, libraries, storage areas, and a computer lab. In addition to these changes, the Grafica (an internet café) has been moved to the Alcance and a recording studio has been put in. Matt has enjoyed all the opportunities to serve in Brasil. “The work projects are strenuous, but when you finish, it feels like a great accomplishment. You know you’re doing God’s work.” God has also been working in Matt’s life while here. “God has been showing me that before I came to Brasil, I had a lot of anger stored up for no reason. I saw that I couldn’t do anything to serve Him until I gave that up and over to Him.”

Day 6 Activities

Once again, this morning was an early one. The Shout! cast traveled to the community church of Guadalajara. The performance went well and afterward, the church cooked us lunch. It was entertaining to experience a cultural lunch. The people back at the Alcance were having a worship service with the church that meets here while we were performing Shout. They were also able to enjoy the cultural meal, because we brought some back for them after Shout.
Most of the afternoon was free time and each person enjoyed relaxing or playing games. We then got cleaned up and went to different churches. We felt God moving in mighty ways even though we spoke in different languages. Some sang, gave testimonies, or mimed. We all enjoyed the chance to be involved in the churches we helped to plant.

Day 5 BRCC Mission Trip

2008-07-23T10:17:00.005-03:00

Missionaries of the Day:
Caleb Hunter

Caleb is finding his second trip to Brasil much more exciting than the first. “I got to go back to Tracunhaem and share my testimony again. I got to share how I had grown since the last time and that was really cool” Caleb is also having fun seeing the little ways that God is working in this trip. “Before I came down, I worked on computers with Steve Turner. When I got down here, Jeff had hurt his arm and they needed someone to help him with computers so I was able to do that. God had prepared me for that kind of work.” In addition to helping out with the computers in the Alcance’s computer lab, Caleb has been performing SHOUT. One of his highlights was performing at Amexias church. “It was exciting to see the Amexias church and to hear the students there talking about their faith after the performance. It was beautiful to see them seeking God and growing in their faith.”

Sarah Gish
Sarah is enjoying her second trip and reconnecting with the people she met on her last trip. “ It’s so good to see those we met 2 years ago and see how they have changed and in some cases how their English has improved!” Sarah is a big fan of the food here. “The red beans and rice are to die for. One particular dish we were fed was called Feijoada” After one of our Shout presentations, our friends at Guadalajara (where Duda and Sylvia attend church) prepared this traditional meal created by the slaves. “It was awesome!” Sarah is also encouraged through the bible study we are doing as it picked up right where she was studying before she left. “A group of us have been praying for the trip and studying Acts before the trip. It’s amazing how the combination of Shout, the study of Acts and our prayers all point toward being bolder about our faith! I want to carry this home with me and live it out when I go to college next year.”

Day 5 Activities

Today was the final day of English camp and the kids enjoyed finishing up the week with fun games. The children liked the water games they played in the pool and the games they played with their small group leaders. The preschool children enjoyed playing at the playground and singing songs. As the English camp was going on some of the guys were working throughout the Alcance. They were helping to do various construction projects.

We also performed the musical Shout for the campers as practice for our future performances! The Spirit moved as we ministered to them through a new way. It was exciting to watch their faces light up at seeing “Americans” express their love for Christ!

A number of students played soccer after the English camp was finished. We had a great time taking on some of the Brazilians. After the game of soccer most everyone jumped into the pool to cool off. We then got cleaned up to go out for pizza. It was an upscale all- you- can eat pizza restaurant that had its own unique charm. Ben holds the record with 15 whole pieces of pizza! Afterwards we came back and played games. Some of them were tag, cards, and charades.

Enjoy some additional photos of the trip.

May God Bless you!

Day 4 BRCC Mission Trip

2008-07-23T10:13:00.012-03:00

**editors note- Sorry for the delay..it's been busy busy here! Thanks Alex Romoser and Laura Hedrick for the daily activity updates starting today. We'll try to catch you up as soon as possible.. Pastor j

Missionary of the Day: Rachael Sexton

This is Rachael’s second trip to Brazil and she is enjoying seeing all the changes that have taken place since she was here 2 years ago. Along with all the excitement of being on a mission trip, Rachael is really enjoying working with the first graders in English camp; especially little Dadi. “He knows English and can understand it” says Rachael “but he’s shy about responding.” Her quiet time has reminded her the verse in Romans 8; ...nothing can separate us from the love of God. Sometimes it can be hard to be with a bunch of people over a long period of time, but she knows that in Christ, the Lord encourages me to love everyone like He loves me.” She is also excited to perform Shout and looking forward see how the Lord will use it.

Day 4 Activities

Today was the second full day of English camp. The children enjoyed participating in wheelbarrow races, various water games and mini- soccer. The children also played two versions of cheerleader. It was fun to see all of the kids, both Brazilians and Americans, helping to teach each other the rules to the games. It is cool to see that with God there really is no language barrier. The construction crew continued to work at the new playground site. They mixed and laid cement, as well as built brick walls using traditional Brazilian methods.

Following this, we got another cultural experience playing soccer with many talented Brazilians. The teams were Americans vs. Brazilians. Guess who won? Neither – we tied. After dinner, there was a Shout! rehearsal.

Continue to pray God's blessing of strength and health for the team as we prepare to share the love of Jesus through our work projects and the musical!

Day 3 BRCC Mission Trip

2008-07-17T23:00:00.003-03:00

Missionary of the Day: David Nolen

David has been looking forward to Brasil for quite some time now. Since this is his first trip, he has enjoyed the thrill of seeing first hand what he has heard from his dad, Hubert. “It’s really inspiring as far as getting to know what God is doing down here and seeing him work.” David was part of the team that helped the English camp today. “I really enjoyed the team work that was required to make it all happen” says David who also sited several opportunities to work with fellow mission team members and Brazilian staff. “ I really learned a lot from teaching the 9th graders at the English camp.”

Day 3 Activities

Today was an “early morning” getting up at 7 for Breakfast to prepare for the English camp at 8. The English camp is a series of games spoken in English from singing songs like the "The Hokey Pokey" in the K-1 grades to water balloon volleyball all designed to create a “natural” method of communication between the campers and our missionaries. Before a student can play or receive a prize, they must say it in English.

Also, construction projects such as painting shelves in the new children’s library for the international school, the building of a 20 foot long brick wall for an additional playground and finalizing the set for Shout were taking place during English camp. The team really went all out today! On the spiritual side, we continue to work through the devotional we brought with today's theme centered around Jesus' instruction to Peter; “Feed my sheep” and how each of us are here in Brasil to feed Jesus’ sheep.

Of course, no day is complete without a day of soccer and a few rousing games of Euchre, snacks (at the canteen) complete with Guaraná.

Please pray for the team's strength as the days get longer and more active. Click here to enjoy some additional photos of today's activities.

Blessings to all!

Day 2 of the BRCC Mission Trip

2008-07-16T23:00:00.006-03:00

Missionary of the Day: Brittney Sweet

This is Brittney’s first mission trip. Today she spent a full day at the Alcance and got to bond with her friends while she worked on sorting and organizing the things we brought from USA. When asked about the highlight of her day she replied, “We started a devotional and had an amazing worship service to finish our day. I also enjoyed learning a little bit more about the culture when we went to visit the flip flop factory. The colors and multiple patterns were really cool.”

Day 2 Activities

Our day began with a hearty breakfast of fruits, meat, cheese, bread, pastries and eggs. Following breakfast, one of our major tasks for the day was to organize and sort the materials we brought in trunks so they can be distributed throughout the School. We also prepared for the upcoming English camp with direction from our friends from the Alcance by distributing the work and what will be taught as well as dividing up activities of the day. Mike Mills and crew worked on construction projects while others cleaned up around the Alcance. Amy, Pastor Jay, David Moraes and Roberto began preparing the backdrops and translations for Shout!

Of course, no day would be complete without a little soccer (football) followed by dinner, devotionals and some worship time. We finished off our day with singing a rousing version of Happy Birthday to Sarah Wells who turned 16 enjoying some cake and a nice swim in the pool! (see photos..)

Please pray for the team as they encourage the Brazilian English campers with the love of Christ. Also pray as we prepare and adapt the translation of Shout so it will be understood and received by the Brazilian people.

Enjoy a few pictures of the day.

Blessings to you all!

38 arrive safely to Carpina, Brasil!

2008-07-15T20:33:00.012-03:00

What an exciting (and thankfully uneventful) day of traveling for the BRCC Mission team. Although there's not much to report on the misson trip itself, I thought you might enjoy some candid shots of us along the way.

Saying good bye....

Waiting for the plane in Atlanta (after being delayed for 2.5 hours... they were troopers)

We made it to Brasil!! (we're in Rio!)

The race is on! "Moving" from Delta to TAM in Rio.

Cramming us and the luggage on the bus.

We made it!

Keep watching for updates! May God bless you as you pray for us!!

Medical Team has left

2008-07-11T13:09:00.004-03:00

The medical team left really early this morning to go back to the USA. The team was able to help about 1,000 people. After Cha de Alegria they went to Pauldalo then to the Dump in Carpina. Here are some pictures from the Dump.

The medical teams started seeing people at the Dump in 2006. Before they helped out there, the local medical clinics wouldn't go there. But now since this ministry took the step to help this community the local medical clinic sends people there each month.

Dr. Taylor was able to sit down and talk with the local medical clinic staff after the Dump clinic. The staff usually only stays an hour and a half and sees 200 people. They said it was very good and amazing to see the US team take their time with each person and the love that the team showed toward the people.

Prayer request

2008-07-07T13:53:00.002-03:00

Frank Penna's father passed away and Frank had to leave Brazil early. Please pray for his family during this time. Frank Senior's funeral is Wed. 2 pm at the First Friends Church, Denver CO. The below mortuary is handling the service. WRI will send flowers.

Olinger Crown Hill Mortuary
7777 W 29TH Ave Ste A
Denver, CO 80033-8129
Phone: (303) 233-4611

Medical Clinics Starts

2008-07-07T12:19:00.003-03:00

First medical clinic was in Amexias. It is a town about an hour and a half away from where the group is staying. They got a slow start because of the rain and not a lot of people knew about the clinic, but as soon as word got out it was very busy. They saw just under 300 people. Click on the pictures or the Picasa link to the left for more pictures of the clinic.

Today the medical team is at a town called Cha de Alegria. The community church of Paudalho has an outreach in that town.

Medical group arrives safely

2008-07-04T17:08:00.003-03:00

All 8 people on the medical short-term trip have arrived safely and are already hard at work sorting medicine for tomorrow's clinic in Amexias.

Emily's Impressions

2008-07-02T10:32:00.001-03:00

Jeff has decided that it's high-time I write a blog. I don't like writing. We fought. He won. So, with a black eye and a bloody nose, I am writing this blog.

The past 3 months have been full of new experiences. Moving to Brazil brought new people, new opportunities, and a new culture. My experience here is beginning to become a little more "normal" but the first few months here wasn't quite that. While most people come here after months of prayer and preparation, I came after 2 weeks of prayer and preparation. While most people come after preparing so much that they just want to get on with it and get down here, I came trusting the Lord but not quite sure what I thought about the whole idea of being in Brazil for an extended period of time. Over the past 3 months I have learned a lot about the ministry here. I have become excited about the work that God is doing. I have made new friends. And the Lord has taught me a lot about trusting in him even when my mind calls it contradictory. God has provided me with everything I need. He has given me purpose and a reason to be here. He has given me good friends. He has given me joy and he will give me a future.

Just to give you a little idea of what I've been up to down here, I've been teaching Kindergarten, 1^st, and 2^nd grade at the International School, 2 classes for children in nearby towns, and 1 class for the teachers at the school. I've kept busy but not too busy to neglect the playground. Over the past few weeks, Lindsay and I have designed a new English program for the school. We are very excited about the possibilities that it brings for next semester. We are praying that the Lord will use it to his glory and that the English program will grow with the school. The next month brings forty-some Americans. This is gonna be a crazy place. But it's going to be a lot of fun, especially considering that part of the group is my family.

~Emily Taylor

Safe & Sound

2008-06-25T17:16:00.002-03:00

The first of the short-term trips have arrived. Kenny Smith, Frank Penna, and Steve Turner are safely in Brazil enjoying guaraná and fresh fruit.

Kenny is here to build several bookshelves and other wood working needs. Frank is here to assist Kenny and also lend his voice talent to several of the Churches. Steve is here to coordinate the trips and be the go to guy for everyone.

The Medical Team comes next! July 2nd.

Intl School Program

2008-06-17T15:12:00.004-03:00

School is almost done. Just one more week.

Right before Easter, the International school kids went on a field trip to Olinda and other historical sites. This program last Friday was to show off what they learned from the trip. Some of the kids had special projects they did on the field trip. This was a good way to present to the parents what their kids did and what the school is about. Now we just have one more program to do this Friday. It will be a world culture program.

No Camera No Service

2008-06-12T11:11:00.002-03:00

I (Jeff) have been without a memory card for me camera for 3 weeks or so. I just recently was able to borrow a memory card but I have yet to be able to get good pictures for the things that have happened. So no pictures until I get another chance to go to the locations.

The Community Church of Lagoa de Itaenga was in trouble this month, because they found out that the place they were renting was going to be sold. They were being kicked out and in this small town there wasn't any other place to rent. But, God is good! Through one of Pastor Ricardo's relatives they were able to purchase land for cheap in a good area close to downtown. They had R$3,000 saved up already for this land and only needed R$2000 more. For a while they thought there was some money with the World Renewal Headquarters for Lagoa de Itaenga, but there wasn't any. They only had 3 weeks to raise this money or they would not be able to purchase this land.
While Pastor Zecarlos (a retired pastor that helps with this church) was on a trip to his home town of Sao Paulo, he received a gift of R$2000 for the new Church building. Well the money is going to buying the land which needs to be paid for before the Church can be build. God provided!

Don't forget that we need your help with building the new Church in Tracunhanhém.

A little way to say Thank you to people in Ministry

2008-05-28T14:36:00.005-03:00

This summer there are over 40 people coming to visit WRBrazil on short-term trips. Each of those people will be allowed one personal bag and one bag of ministry items.
This is a great opportunity to supply the ministry with things that are difficult to get here in Brazil and also bless the people in ministry here.

The devaluing dollar has made travel more expensive than ever and the short-term missionaries (many of which are teens) are struggling to meet their expenses.

And so, we still need help purchasing and gathering many of those items.

Here is a list of families in ministry here in Brazil and some items they might enjoy. Everything on the list is just a suggestion, please feel free to personalize.

Please pray and consider picking one or more of the families listed. We have never done this big of a list before and we really want to show the people in ministry here that we appreciate their lives in Christ. We are praying that we will be able to give a gift to every family on the list.

Please contact Steve Turner at (317)840-1270 if you decide to participate in fulfilling part of this list.

P.S. I believe the Pen Drives have already been purchased for these families.

Moraes Family (Tele, Heather, Karine, David, Alyssa, Johnny, Christopher)

Special Teas, Bath & Body Works stuff/ Victoria's Secret - smelly-good stuff

Marshmallows, Folgers coffee

Fig Newtons, Whoppers, Twix, Sour Skittles, Jelly Belly Jelly Beans, Dove Dark Chocolate, Crunchy JIF peanut butter , Cool Ranch Doritos (or any other flavor other than cheddar), Maple Syrup and/or Maple Extract, Mugs (Heather has a mug collection), Dr Pepper & Diet Dr. Pepper , BBQ sauce, Chile Powder, large sized cinnamon container, cream of tarter, chocolate chips, Poptarts (not strawberry), Cheese & peanut butter crackers, Stickers, Taco Shells (hard or soft), Pepperoni

Ricardo Silva & Family (Kattia, Rebeca -2)

Baby clothes/Shoes (2T-3T)

Toddler toys

Mountain Dew

Body spray, lotions, etc.

Chocolate

Pop Tarts

Cool Ranch Doritos

Peanut Butter

Jewelry

Sour candy & other unique candy

English kid’s CDs & DVDs

Non-English games

Home décor items (wall hangings, placemats, coasters, etc.)

Dona Lucia & Family (Roberto, Roberta, Roberto Jr, Renata) – Principal of the International School & teachers, graphic design shop

Cool Ranch Doritos

Birds of prey books & stuff (English or Portuguese)

Peanut Butter

Body spray, lotions (Bath & Body Works)

Candy

Jalapenos

Home décor items (wall hangings, placemats, coasters, etc.)

Assuero Naque & Family (Mariam, Lorena -13, Tiago -15) Ameixas’ Pastor

Body spray, lotions, etc.

Pop Tarts, Mt Dew, Dr. Pepper, candy

Play Station 2 games

Home décor items (wall hangings, placemats, coasters, etc.)

Arthur & Fiancée (Jaciara) – Guadalajara’s Pastor

Sour candy & other unique candy

Home décor items (wall hangings, placemats, coasters, etc.)

Chocolate

Carlos Antonio– Guadalajara’s Pastor

Sour candy & other unique candy

Chocolate

Pen Drive

Christian music CDs

Laptop

Jorge & Family (wife, Debora -13, Jorge Jr-15)– Timbauba’s Pastor

Sour candy & other unique candy

Music items (CDs, sheet music, etc)

Home décor items (wall hangings, placemats, coasters, etc.)

Chocolate

Lotion & smelly-good stuff

Anselmo & Family (Carmem, Livia-5, Neto-8) – Tracunhaem’s Pastor

Sour candy & other unique candy

Toys – Barbies & Hot Wheels

Home décor items (wall hangings, placemats, coasters, etc.)

Chocolate

Augustino & Family (Nadja, Milena-5) - Seminary Director

Sour candy & other unique candy

Toys – Barbies

Home décor items (wall hangings, placemats, coasters, etc.)

Chocolate

Daniel Junior & Family (Sisters – Aninha, Patricia, Cacau)– Paudalho’s Pastor & Living Stones program there

Jewish heritage items

Haircutting scissors

Lotion & smelly-good stuff

Tea, candy

Home décor items (wall hangings, placemats, coasters, etc.)

Silvio & Fiancée (Rafaela) – works at Carpina’s church

Sour candy & other unique candy

Non-English games

Home décor items (wall hangings, placemats, coasters, etc.)

Chocolate

Valmir & Wife – part-time pastor

Sour candy & other unique candy

Non-English games

Home décor items (wall hangings, placemats, coasters, etc.)

Chocolate

Josemar & Wife (Marcia)– Carpina’s Pastor

Sour candy & other unique candy

Home décor items (wall hangings, placemats, coasters, etc.)

Chocolate, candy, etc.

Gilson & Fiancée (Valdilene) – Acacias’ Pastor

Sour candy & other unique candy

Home décor items (wall hangings, placemats, coasters, etc.)

Chocolate, candy, etc.

Orlando & Family (Flavia & baby)– Acacias’ Pastor

Baby Girl clothes (1 year old)

Sour candy & other unique candy

Home décor items (wall hangings, placemats, coasters, etc.)

Chocolate, candy, etc.

Paulo & Family (Eline, Raquel – 14, Rebeca – 9, Daniel -8, Davi -5) – missionary family at the International School

Sour candy & other unique candy

Home décor items (wall hangings, placemats, coasters, etc.)

Chocolate, candy, etc.

Jewelry

Body lotion & spray(Bath &Body Works)

Pastor Jose Carlos & Family (Eunice, Fernanda) – missionaries & teachers

Sour candy & other unique candy

Non-English games

Nice household items (placemats, table clothes, home décor items, etc)

Chocolate

Body lotion & spray (Bath & Body Works)

Ivana –Bible teacher & Vice-Principal of the International School

Jelly Belly Jelly Beans

Home décor items (wall hangings, placemats, coasters, etc.)

Dove Dark Chocolate, Peanut butter

Body lotion & spray

Christian music –Michael W Smith, DC Talk, 4HIM

Portable CD drive

Edjane – Seminary receptionist & community outreach

Sour candy & other unique candy

Home décor items (wall hangings, placemats, coasters, etc.)

Crunchy Peanut butter

Mountain Dew

Body lotion & spray (Bath & Body Works), chocolate, candy, etc.

Geselia & Family (Laurindo & Daniel-9)– Receptionist & teacher at the International School

English games

Computer games

Home décor items (wall hangings, placemats, coasters, etc.)

Craft supplies: sewing supplies, ribbons, beads, etc.

Legos, candy, chocolate

Duda & Family (Karina & Gabriel-7) – Maintenance Man for Alcance, seminary student, & irreplaceable!

Sour candy & chocolate

Body lotion & spray (Bath&Body wks)

nice pair of boy’s shoes – size 6 1/2 -7

Clothing items (men’s small, woman’s medium, child’s medium/large)

legos, Hot Wheels, candy, chocolate

Pen Drive, Notebooks, pencils, pens

Home décor items (wall hangings, placemats, coasters, etc.)

Carlão – Carpina’s Pastor

Sour candy & other unique candy

Non-English games

Chocolate

Pen Drive

Notebooks, pencils, pens

Airton & Family (Silvana & Joyce –age 3) – Teacher & guard at the International School & seminary student

Sour candy & other unique candy

Body lotion & spray (Bath & Body Works)

Clothing items (men’s large, woman’s medium, toddler)

Toys

Pen Drive

Toddler shoes

Notebooks, pencils, pens

Nice household items (placemats, table clothes, home décor items, etc)

Chocolate

Silvia & Lenilson – Cook at the International School

Sour candy & other unique candy

Nice household items (placemats, table clothes, home décor items, etc)

Chocolate

Body lotion & spray (Bath & Body Works)

Purses

Edmilson & Natali – Acacias’ Pastor & worship leader

Body lotion & spray (Bath & Body Works)

Pen Drive

Christian Soundtracks

Sour candy & other unique candy

Nice household items (placemats, table clothes, home décor items, etc)

Chocolate

Peanut Butter

Edilene & Ci – Cleaning ladies at the International School / Alcance

Sour candy & other unique candy

Nice household items (placemats, table clothes, home décor items, etc)

Clothing Items (women’s medium & large)

Chocolate

Body lotion & spray (Bath & Body Works)

Jose Carlos & Family (Mana, Lucas -15, Jonatas -13)

Sour candy & other unique candy

Clothing Items (men’s small & medium, women’s medium)

Nice household items (placemats, table clothes, home décor items, etc)

Chocolate

English books – easy chapter books

Video games

Body lotion & spray (Bath & Body Works)

Rachel Winzeler- Teacher at the International School

Games: Connect 4, Candyland, Sorry, UNO, Shoots & Ladders, Clue, Gestures, Twister, Mancala, Haircutting scissors (3 pairs), Horseradish sauce (Arby's), Maple syrup, BBQ sauce, Taco sauce (Taco Bell), Whip cream packets, Cream of tarter , Ranch sauce

Books that have changed your life!

Projector (for Paudalho)

Good magazines

Celso & Family (wife & toddler -3) – Paudalho’s Pastor

Sour candy & other unique candy

Nice household items (placemats, table clothes, home décor items, etc)

Chocolate

Body lotion & spray (Bath & Body Works)

Israel & Family (Andrea, Tiago -14, Carla – 11) – Teacher at the International School & Word of Life missionary

Sour candy & Chocolate

Clothing Items

Nice household items (placemats, table clothes, home décor items, etc)

Body lotion & spray (Bath & Body Works), Pen Drive

Emily Taylor – Teacher at the International School

Contact solution

Borax

Orbit Sweetmint gum

Peanut Butter

Smooth JIF peanut butter

Milk chocolate chips

Gummy bears

Lindsay & Jeff Turner – Teacher at the School & IT/Communication- Othello (game), 2-3 cute Hand Puppets,

ESL Survival Kit # 1 by Elizabeth Claire

ESL Smart by Margaret Bouchard

Children's board books/baby books

Toddler toys (2-4yrs old)

Plain tortilla chips, Taco seasoning,

Peanut Butter Dr. Pepper, Pop Tarts, Gummy worms, Mint Chocolate Oreos, Jelly Belly JellyBeans,

Karine Gone

2008-05-19T14:45:00.002-03:00

Karine Moraes has left Brazil to go to England. She will be staying with family there until August. Then she will be going to Hungary where she will study at Word of Life for a year. Please pray for her time abroad.

Spotlight: The Community Church of Tracunhanhém

2008-05-12T12:40:00.004-03:00

The Community Church of Tracunhanhém has been around for 7 years. It has been a very prosperous Church in attendance and raising God loving people. They have been meeting in a rented building this whole time, which is located on the 2nd floor of a Business. The building only holds about 110 seating people and there is no room for the youth group or a nursery. The Church has only standing room every Sunday and sometimes there isn’t even that room left.

Knowing all of these limitations and understanding that this could harm the work there, the Church decided to search for a land in the city to build a Church to assist their needs, however they didn’t have all of the financial resources for this and in spite of this, they believed that God would supply their needs. In that search they found many places but they always had a negative answer about them. It was very difficult to hear “no” after “no”! They almost lost all hope. It seemed that they never would find the land. It seemed that they should adjust to the limited structure of the building where they were having their meetings. However, to the eyes of God it was not the end and in the year of 2006, when the Municipal City hall of Tracunhanhém, in the Mayoress of the municipal district, knowing their need and recognizing the importance and influence of their Church in the local community, she made a donation of a land of 894 m², downtown – it was a better location than all the lands that they had already consulted. In the donation term there is a clause that determines that the church would have to begin the construction project within two years, in other words, until the end of 2008.

Recently their Council board of elders decided to choose a multifunctional structure for their church building, where they will have a sportive space which will be available to the community and to preach the Gospel for a large number of people. And they will be able to meet for Bible School and each class will have its own space. They hope to give a more comfortable and enjoyable atmosphere for their members and visitors.

However, it still remains the challenge of the construction, because they only have this year for it or otherwise they may lose their land. The project they dream of is about 80.000 reais($47,000), which is much more than they are able to rise. And there is still the fact that the initial cost for the acquisition of the prefabricated concrete block structure is of approximately 25.000 reais($15,000), however they have faith that the same God who made great things in the History of His people (Ex. 36.4-7), is the same who is able to make the same today among them.

Will you Join the Community Church of Tracunhanhém in faith by praying for and if God leads, to donate to the Construction of the Church building. They need to Build the prefabricated concrete block structure by December 08, which is about US$15,000 or they will lose the land.
To Donate send a Check made out to World Renewal Intl and Earmarked Brazil Tracunhanhém Building project.
P.O. Box 399
Greenfield, IN 46140
Or
You can Donate online. (under Description write Brazil Tracunhanhém Building project.)
Click on the Link HERE to Donate online

Giving Opportunity

2008-05-05T14:18:00.000-03:00

What is Living Stones? What do they really do?

2008-04-22T11:36:00.003-03:00

The purpose of Living Stones is to provide the poorest children with a safe place to keep them off the streets. Some of the activities they aspire to offer are tutoring, specialized classes (cooking, music, etc.), a Bible study, fun games, and a hot meal. It is the goal of the ministry for every church to have a successful Living Stones program and for the new church plants to incorporate the program as a main part of their outreaches. This, unfortunately, is rarely the case. Few churches have the resources or manpower to maintain the programs. The programs start well, but the funds run dry. Many times they are even unable to scrap together enough money for food for the children. Church volunteers help greatly, but most communities need an all day program - requiring a fulltime staff.

Despite these obstacles, the Community Church of Pauldalho has been able to keep its doors open to children. In Pauldalho, the project receives government aid and there are some workers who are paid by the government as well. It’s so exciting that the government is actually paying the church to reach out to children, but it’s not perfect. The government here doesn’t always pay the bill. There are many times that the government money won’t come and suddenly there is no money for food. The government doesn’t pay for any books, games, classes, or any other activities. If there is any need other than food the staff pays for it out of their own pockets.

The three women who run the project (and are sometimes paid by the government to do so) are members of the Community Church of Pauldalho - Cacau, Mamau, and Patricia. They act as social workers for the children under their care as well. They do house visitation and if a child is being abused or neglected it is their job to be an advocate on the child’s behalf. That is all that is done by the government. If it wasn’t for their visiting the parents (or grandparents) and asking for the abuse to stop nothing would be done. Children here are not protected from abusive parents.

Rachel Winzler has been helping out at the Pauldalho Living Stones project on Thursday afternoons for the past 3 months. She invited Emily Taylor and me along a couple of times to help teach some basic English words to the kids. This last Thursday we went to visit some of the homes with Patricia and Cacau. They were all tiny, home to very large families, and very dirty. The last one was the most difficult. It was home to a family of 12 - a small two room house that had no electricity, no plumbing, and no running water. The walls were splotchy brown from years of human touch and dirt. Filthy mattresses, piles of grimy clothes, and an old van seat served as the furniture. When we arrived the whole place was filled with smoke from someone cooking in the back. The shy children sat watching us as the 60-year-old lady of the house talked about her troubles through her blackened teeth. She told us how her grown children and grandchildren depend upon her begging for their daily bread. They often had to forgo purchases of “luxury items” like soap, conditioner, or shampoo in favor of rice. The adult children could help, could get menial jobs, but don’t.

There are currently 60 children being served at the Living Stones of Pauldalho, but the need is so much greater in that community alone. The Living Stones program is an ever-changing organism, as soon as the ministry attempts to define the project there is some variation, but as long as there are children with needs, the churches will be looking for ways to help them.

Visit: http://www.xanga.com/rwinzeler for Rachel’s take on our visit and for more pictures click on either picture here

2008-04-14T13:29:00.003-03:00

Anselmo was ordained as a Pastor this last Sunday. Congradulations to him for finishing Seminary.

The World Renewal Brazil Website is coming along nicely. Most of the headers are finished and the content just needs to be proof read a bit more. Check out the site at WRIBrazil.com.

Lindsay and Emily have started to teach an English class in the newest Church plant of Lagoa De Itaenga. It will be ever other Saturday. The first class had about 7 youth attending. The youth really enjoyed it and we expect twice the number for next class. The same day the English class is there is also youth group. Jeff helped out with the youth group and the kids played the Nintendo Wii after a short Bible study. It was a lot of fun to see the kids faces when they were playing Wii Sports Tennis.

We got to visit the Community Church of Ameixas this Saturday and you can see pictures here.

New Teacher

2008-03-31T10:51:00.006-03:00

Emily Taylor has arrived safely from Africa.

Emily had been ministering in Namibia at the Children of Zion Village (an orphanage). Now, She will be spending 3 months here at the International school of Carpina. When Emily gets settled in here I will have her write a post about her impressions about the Brazil ministry.

Church Spotlight

2008-03-24T13:01:00.003-03:00

Post from an Interview with Pastor Assuerio

Community Church of Ameixas

The Community Church of Ameixas is the furthest inland Church plant for World Renewal Brazil. It is a good three hours away from the ministry headquarters (Alcance Brasil). This Church was originally started from outreaches by the Community Church of Carpina and the Community Church of Guadalajara.

The Town of Ameixas is a very poor place that is dominated mostly by the Catholic Church that emphasizes Mary worship. This has made it extremely difficult to reach the people of Ameixas with God’s love and they have a difficult time understanding a “personal” relationship with Christ.

Since Assuerio has come back from Africa about a year and a half ago, he has been ministering in this small town along with his wife, Miriam and two kids, Loriana and Tiago. This Church a few years back received a generous donation and they were able to purchase land for a permanent Church location. But, it wasn’t until this January that the dream of building the church was fulfilled, when a group of 50 Baptists from Rio de Janeiro drove up to help build the Church. With the financial help from the Community Churches in the US and from individuals the dream of a Church building became a reality.

There are a lot more Picture Here

The Church is still fairly small with about 30 people attending the main service, but the impact that Assuerio is having in the community is growing. Assuerio has 5 house Bile studies that lets him teach the gospel on a more one on one basis. The Churches main service is Saturday night and then on Sunday night they hold a Bible study. That study is split into two groups that meet every other Sunday. It is setup this way in order that the whole family can come study God’s word. One week the wife will come while the husband watches the kids and then the next week the husband will come. This works out really well in this poor community where they can’t pay someone to look after their young kids and the Church doesn’t have enough people to help watch the kids yet. Along with this Bible study there is small group Bible studies on Wednesday night and then a prayer meeting on Thursday night.

Last week Assuerio was talking about a young couple that was at one of the house bible studies when Assuerio was talking about creation and the beginning of sin. He also went into how Jesus paid the price for our sin. After the study was over the girl of 17 said with tears in her eyes that before this study she had never believed that God even existed. When Assuerio asked her what changed she responded by saying that something inside of her changed and she can see the truth now.

God is working in this community and has Assuerio here for a special purpose even though Assuerio’s heart is still yearning for Africa. He has expressed that no matter what he wants to do the will of God. He has prayed that if he isn’t suppose to go back to Africa that God take away the desire that is in his heart for that country. Assuerio still has that passion and desire in his heart for Africa and would like to head back there in 2010 Lord willing.

Quick summary of Assuerio’s Africa desire

In Mozambique Africa they speak Portuguese along with several tribal languages. Assuerio has always had a heart for these people and when he went to South Africa he made several really good contacts of strong Christians serving in Mozambique. His desire is to go to Mozambique and start a Community Church and also raise up leaders to start other Community Churches in that country.

If you feel lead to start supporting Assuerio and his family as they guide the town of Ameixas to the Lord and start to transition toward heading back to Africa near 2010 please send a check earmarked Assuerio-Brazil and make out to:

WORLD RENEWAL
P.O. Box 399
Greenfield, IN 46140

Happy Easter

2008-03-20T12:01:00.002-03:00

It is Easter time and for Brazil that means a week off of school. The International School of Carpina had school on Monday and Tuesday but it really was one big Easter celebration. You can see all the fun here.
Also, Rachel Winzeler got a chance to sit down with the people involved with the Living Stones project at the Paudalho church. You can head over to her blog site and read about the needs of that ministry.

Trip Information

2008-03-10T13:34:00.003-03:00

It’s that time again time to think and pray about summer mission trips to Brazil.
This year the medical/construction trip is July 3-11 cost of trip will be airline ticket plus $1300.

Come join us of the great adventure to Brazil.

Come to Brookville Road Community Church at:

12:15 PM March 16, 2008
for information and to sign up.

Need direction call Steven Turner at 317 840 1270

Tele & Christopher

2008-03-03T14:40:00.003-03:00

Everybody likes cute baby pictures!

2008-02-25T10:48:00.007-03:00

Gilson working on building the Scaffolding

Pastor Ricardo Silva received a generous donation of $500 and he is using that money to make scaffolding to rent out. Construction is all over the place in this region of Brazil and Ricardo has taken the parable of the talents (Matt. 25:14-30) and is putting it into practice by stretching that $500 to eventually bring in a lot more money. Since the US dollar is dropping in value things like this need to happen to stay at full support. Ricardo's goal is to make 100 scaffolding units. He is really close to his goal and is only lacking a bit more money.

If you would like to help with the purchase of the scaffolding material
please send a check earmarked Ricardo Silva scaffolding project to:
World Renewal Intl. PO BOX 399 Greenfield, IN 46140

Here is Ricardo's baby girl being cute Ricardo's wife Kattia is the one passing her

Ever expanding

2008-02-17T16:58:00.000-03:00

The new school year has kicked off and the Alcance is full of young children and new teachers. There are 57 students this year with more to come in the next month. The International school has been a huge success these past 3 years and it just keeps getting bigger. With the popularity of the school, the ministry has been able to reach a whole new group of people. God's Word is truly being spread in creative ways.
Speaking of creative evangelism the Community Church of Acacias is starting a youth group program tonight and the main draw is going to be the Nintendo Wii video game system brought here by Jeff & Lindsay Turner. (This most likely is the only Nintendo Wii in northeast Brazil) Pray that God uses this as a great tool to bring young people to Christ. We have high hopes for this. David Moraes will be a big part of the youth group leadership. He was going to ask his father, Tele if they could start one and before he could ask, Tele came to him asking if he could help start a youth group program. Praise God!
Jeff & Lindsay Turner have arrive in Brazil safely and are starting to get more acclimated to begin back. Lindsay has already started teaching at the International school and Jeff is helping out at the school this year also. Jeff is also busy finishing the networking at the Alcance and getting better communication setup for a new website. Also, more blog posts should be coming a lot more frequently. (Maybe I should stop talking about myself in 3rd person too)
I will try to update the Google Map of the Churches with more up to date Prayer requests.

Post By Jeff Turner

2008-01-21T00:30:00.000-03:00

Dear Friends and Supporters of World Renewal Brazil,

What a crazy, but awesome year of watching God work saving lives, growing disciples, teaching truth, restoring relationships, building trust and serving the communities of Northeast Brazil. More specifically, four areas can be highlighted to demonstrate a little of what He has allowed us to be a part of through your prayers, service in short term missions trips and financial support.

The International School has successfully completed its second full year of service to the upper middle class families of Carpina. The ministry headquarters called Alcance Brazil houses the school as well as the Bible Seminary. In 2007 thirty-nine students were enrolled in Kindergarten through fifth grade in beautifully remodeled and decorated classrooms. Parents of the students even donated materials and labor to upgrade the common areas and bathrooms to make it safer and more attractive and Americans, British missionaries, and Brazilians worked hard to create a fun, attractive and safer playground.

Two new church plants have grown in amazing ways. Ricardo da Silva and his team of young people from his church in Guadalajara traveled to Ameixas every week to go door to door, hold home Bible studies, and meet in the street for worship until they were able to find facilities to rent. The congregation has grown to about 30 people and they now have a new pastor, Pastor Assuerio Naque, who moved there with his family recently. Land was purchased and their new church building is being finished this month due to the generous gifts from central Indiana Community churches and the labor provided by 65 Brazilian believers from Rio de Janeiro who have taken off the month of January to build this church using their own brick masons, electricians, painters, plumbers, cooks and clean-up people. The whole community is seeing this cooperative effort and love demonstrated and we expect to see the building packed out January 26^th at the dedication service. (Pictures are in the last post)

Meanwhile, Ricardo and his team began knocking on doors, holding Bible studies and worship services in the streets of Lagoa de Itaenga. When the American medical team held a medical clinic there two summers ago they were able to expand their outreach and win the hearts of the people. A small house downtown was rented and recently Ricardo and his family moved to the town. His team from Guadalajara still comes to help disciple new believers and lead worship music for about 25 attendees.

Praise God! Tele and his family have a new house. By the end of this month they will be in it. For two years they have been living in three small hotel rooms at the Alcance, sharing a small makeshift kitchen with other ministry partners that live there. Even in their new house, though, ministry will be happening. Tele and Heather plan to host a neighborhood Bible study starting with two families that have expressed an interest already.

Last summer both short-term mission trips were a huge success. The medical team led by Dr. Santos from Recife, Brazil, and Drs. Chuck Taylor and Steve Flink held clinics at Carpina’s Big Dump and at the Community Church of Carpina. About 800 people received a medical exam, worm medicine, a months worth of multi-vitamins, and Tylenol plus medicine for their specific ailments. Forrest Craig, Josie Potter and Paul Taylor assisted by taking blood pressure and weighing each patient. Many others helped with crowd control, registration, entertainment, and passing out medications.

The construction team from Brookville Road Community Church consisted of Pastor Greg Ruble and his son, Garrett, Jesse Schwedler, Forrest Craig, and Steve Turner. Together with some of the Brazilians they installed a wireless internet system, built a lower cabinet for the reception desk area, stripped paint from a large iron gate, mixed and laid asphalt paving across the front of the Alcance property, broke up old bricks in Tele’s new neighborhood and used the pieces to fill potholes, and demolished a hallway wall to provide access to the new Print Shop office. On the weekends they visited churches, shared testimonies and fellowshipped. Of course, they also got to go shopping for souvenirs, go to the beach and eat at a Brazilian steak house.

I want to thank everyone for not only praying for and supporting the ministry in Brazil, but for praying for and supporting me in this endeavor. It has been a privilege and honor to represent the Brazil ministry to the Community Churches since 1999, making the needs and vision of the ministry known.

It is my desire that as you read of all these activities and achievement that God has allowed us to be a part of, you will be compelled to participate. Come join us. The water is great! Please take the time to look over the following suggested ways you can help.

Perhaps you would like to help raise money by sending me your used ink jet cartridges for recycling or donate gently used stuff that can be sold on E-Bay. Contact me at 317 840-1270.

To receive weekly prayer updates or information about the summer Mission Trip, July 3-11, please send your e-mail address to wrbrazil@gmail.com.

Sincerely, Steve Turner, Brazil Field Representative

The Church from Southern Brazil has arrived

2008-01-09T19:58:00.000-03:00

They are very busy building the Church in Ameixas and spreading the good news of Christ in that town.

The work has started in Ameixas

2007-12-29T16:09:00.000-03:00

The Baptist Church from Southern Brazil will be arriving on Jan 6th to complete the Church in Ameixas.

Brazil Update 2007 Video

2007-11-27T20:34:00.000-03:00