Our bags are packed...again

Well, this will be our last post from Brazil. We have thoroughly enjoyed this trip. God has blessed us abundantly with an amazing experience. We have made forever friends that if we don't see them again on earth, we know we will see them in heaven. We are so thankful for this opportunity. We are grateful for the Lord using us to minister to his people here in Brazil. And we are eager to get home to friends and family to share it all! :)

Thank you for partnering with us. Thank you for praying with us. Thank you for reading. We will see you soon in the states! God bless and pray for a safe voyage!

Working hard!

Today was a great day! Our tasks were to finish all the projects we had been working on as we were preparing to go do some tourist-y things tomorrow. Praise the Lord, most of the projects were done by lunch! Wow...the Lord is good! :)

Dave and Rebecca worked with a crew of teenagers and adults to pile gravel around the putt-putt course since we didn't have walls yet. As we were working, people kept coming around to help us. It was very awesome. We were done in no time! Then, Jeff, a missionary down here, went and got balls and putters from the rooms. I (Rebecca) made the first shot on the completed course and, of course, missed miserably! However, this opened it up and people continued to play on the course all day until it was dark. What a blessing!

After working on the putt-putt course, Dave said he heard the monkeys that live in the trees around Alcanse. So, Rebecca went and found a banana and sure enough, they were playing on a building/barn right next to the course. Rebecca was so excited to be able to feed them and get a good shot of them. Dave had been able to feed them before (and had named them Marco and Polo) but Rebecca had only seen them from a distance. So, seeing them close was exciting! Yay!

After feeding the monkeys, everyone descended upon the construction guys to help finish the painting. At one point there were about 10 people in one small room with rollers and paintbrushes. It was pretty funny. :) We were able to finish most of the painting by lunch time. Rebecca was also excited to get two loads of clothes washed and hung out to dry during this time. We still have a lot of stinky clothes to bring home but at least one suitcase can be stinky and one clean. :)

After lunch, it was wonderful to visit with some of the other team members without having to rush off for work. Rebecca discovered one of the other team members was a roommate to a former classmate of hers at Anderson and at Toledo Christian. What a small world! Then, David and Rebecca went up and took a nice long nap. It was a great relief to be able to rest while not being sick and not having lots of work to do.

When we emerged from our room we found Alcanse pretty quiet. People split up and went all over, leaving just 5 of us here to eat and play games. A great time was had by all. It is so nice to connect and fellowship. While we are looking forward to being able to leave whenever we want, eat when we want, and do other things that we deem important, it is nice to take life at a slower pace for now. Things will be fast enough when we get back.

So, mostly praises today. Praise the Lord that we were able to finish everything. Praise the Lord for good help. Praise the Lord for good fellowship. And, praise the Lord no one was sick today. Prayer requests for church tomorrow, that the Lord will continue to speak to us. Also, one of our group will be preaching. Pray for traveling mercies as we travel to Recife for some fun. Pray for Rebecca, as she either has lots of bug bites or is broken out...both of which are making her very uncomfortable. Thank you for joining us in this journey and praying with us. God bless and good night!

Two for the price of one!

Ok, since I haven't blogged in a couple of days I decided to do one blog on English camp and one on what Dave and been doing. So, while kids were swarming in English camp, the construction team was working hard to avoid the kids. :)

Seriously, it was a big challenge for the guys to keep working with all the children running around. However, they did a good job and got a lot done. On Wednesday, it was a discouraging day. All of the workers that were helping to pour the putt-putt course were pulled for English camp. This left Dave and one other person to load, mix, dump, and smooth the concrete. It was a really hard task that became even harder when the mixer broke. The guys then had to mix the concrete on the ground and it was drying almost as fast as they could pour it which meant it was bumpier than they would like. On top of all that, it rained too! Dave was very tired and very discouraged. However, they managed to get a new mixer toward the end of the day and they were able to finish pouring the putt-putt courses. Yay!

On Thursday, after sleeping for 12 hours, Dave had a different day. It rained off and on almost all day. So, Dave worked inside with the wood-working crew. He said it felt like a day off compared to the day before. He was still working hard to paint and sand the cabinets the other guys were building for the school.

Today, they were able to paint all the putt-putt holes green. Down here it would cost close to $3,000 to put the indoor-outdoor carpet or something similar on the putt-putt courses to create greens. So, they had to paint them. Dave is hoping to raise the money to purchase this down the road, though.

Tomorrow, the whole team will be working to finish the construction projects so we can have some fun things before we leave. It is hard to believe we have already been here a week and are working closer to the end of our trip. Our time here has flown by and yet has crept as well. We are looking forward to things and people (and dogs) at home but are excited to be a part of the ministry here.

A few praises and prayer requests to finish out. First, praises that my headaches and sickness are gone! I have been able to fully participate in the English camp without complications. Second, unfortunately, it seems there is something going around as many have been getting sick. Thankfully, everyone is feeling better. Please pray for everyone to stay healthy the rest of the trip. Since I've gotten here everyday there has been someone who has had to stay in their bed all day. This is no fun, for sure! Third, praise the Lord for all the work we've gotten done. Please continue to pray we will get it all done tomorrow. Fourth, pray for the family members back home. Some of the team has been here for 3 weeks and homesickness is setting in. They are missing their families and their families are missing them. Fifth, pray for traveling mercies. If everything goes as planned we will be traveling both Sunday and Monday to do activities and then to go home.

Thank you for the encouragement that you are reading our blog. I will try to be more faithful for the next few days as we finish the trip. God bless you and good night!

Sorry

I (Rebecca) am so sorry we haven't blogged. The last few days have been tiring and full. However, I will try to post some more pictures today to make up for it. :)

So, English camp has come and gone. We had around 45 kids, give or take, and lots of leaders. Most of the children at the English camp were from the International School. Also, most of the Brazilian helpers were teachers or workers at the International School. So, they all knew each other. The first day was a little frustrating. There was a cultural gap in expectations and what actually happened. This was really to be expected, though, so after some praying, debriefing with my Mom and wonderful husband, I bounced back. One of the things that was difficult was most of the instructions were given in Portuguese. This was hard because, obviously, I don't speak Portuguese. The great thing is I learned a LOT of Portguese this week. :) I am learning how to say things and I can understand a lot. My background in Spanish is a big plus in this.

Another thing we Americans had to adjust to is how competitive the Brazilians are. Now, I thought I was competitive. However, compared to the Brazilians, I am mild. :) The teachers were the most intense. They would strategize and coach from the sidelines, like they were soccer coaches or something. I got a little flavor of what it must be like when they cheer for their soccer teams around here. Passionate is definitely a word you can use to describe the Brazilians.

The structure of the English camp consisted of two teams, competing in games and participating in workshops. There was a bible story everyday. Then, in the afternoon, I played "Jeopardy" with the kids in order to help review the story. This also helped them practice English because I required the answers to be in English only. The children also learned how to play recorders, sing songs in English, and did crafts. The facility that houses the International School along with our rooms is spacious with lots of yard space. This really helped facilitate the camp well.

The two teams were called the foxes and the pirates. On day 1 the teams had to come up with a chant, a song, two captains, a banner, and a color. My team was the pirates. Dave and another pastor were the judges for the best song, chant, and banner. It was fun to participate but the noise was deafening. I think my ears were ringing for the rest of the day! :)

We also had two game times that varied between an hour and 2 hours for games. This is a LONG time for games. Really, the whole day was intense and exhausting. The kids started showing up around 7:45 and didn't leave until after 4. Whew...

Anyway, the games...This was interesting. Brazil is a country where relationships are really important and winning is almost the most important as well. So, explaining games meant that there were long discussions about rules, questions, more discussions, and then you start playing. Then, during the play, they would stop and discuss more. For the Americans it was a little frustrating at first. Then, I decided to just realize it was part of the culture and I grew more tolerant. The hard part is, we didn't really know what they were talking about because the long discussions were always in really fast Portuguese...usually more than one talking at a time. However, once they started, the games were pretty fun and provided lots of neat pictures.

All during the camp the children were competing for points. They would win spirit points, points for winning, points for everything. On the last day (today) the points were all added up and a winner was announced. I was very excited - not as excited as the Brazilians, though - that the pirates won! Another part of the end of the day was the announcement of the best captian, the best camper, and the best teacher for boys and girls. I was honored that the children chose me as the best female teacher for the camp. When they called my name every camper started chanting "Ha-be-ca, Ha-be-ca!" They said Habeca because in Portuguese, they pronouce R's as an h sound. I was close to tears in honor. It was very humbling. All in all, it was great experience. I learned a lot and worked really hard. My brain is full of Portuguese phrases and my heart is full of the desire to learn more!

Interesting burgers

We worked hard again today, trying to finish the putt-putt course. Everything was on track until Rebecca got sick. She ended up having to stay in the room, by a toilet for half the day - even skipping lunch. Meanwhile, Dave worked hard pouring, shoveling, smoothing, etc. Then, about 2 in the afternoon the concerete mixer broke. They mixed about 2 more batches by hand but the concrete was drying before they could pour the next part. So, they had to halt the work until they see about getting a different one tomorrow. Please pray about this with us. It discouraged Dave greatly as they were on track to finishing the pouring part today.

After Rebecca started feeling better, she was able to work on getting things ready for English camp tomorrow. We are expecting around 40 - 60 kids from 8:30 until 4:30! It's pretty intense. I am looking to be thoroughly exhausted afterward. The pastor organizing it is doing a great job.

For dinner, Steve took us to this place called Boca Loca. It is an interesting place, to say the least. Their "burgers" are big enough for 4 people to eat. From the things I could see there was egg, hamburger, hot dog, peas, carrots, corn, cucumbers, onions, potato chips, and some sort of sauce all chopped up and served on a humungous (sp?) bun. Dave and the rest of the group really seemed to like it. I (Rebecca), however, ate 3/4 of mine (that was all I could stomach) and then ordered a regular cheeseburger.

After dinner we rode with the last van full of people and they managed to talk Steve into stopping for some ice cream. Steve misunderstood which one we were asking about, however, and stopped at a smoothie/milkshake/health drink store. Now this was interesting because Steve spoke the most portuguese and I was the one with the second most (with my 4 or so phrases and Spanish!!). It was comical. The girls were cracking up at us. :) Everyone else got milkshakes but I got a pineapple juice mixture or something. Lost in translation...oh, well. Steve promised to take us for ice cream tomorrow night. :) LOL

Prayer requests for today. Please pray for English camp. We have a great opportunity to help minister to the workers (not all are Christians) and the children. Pray for the construction crew. Pray for the cement mixer to either be repaired or that they are able to get a new one. Pray that God's name would be glorified above all else!

Thank you for praying with us. It is amazing to share with the others how many people are praying for them! God bless you all. :)

P.S. Dave is trying to be like Dad Heisinger by finding colorful insects to play with. Repeat after me: Bright colors = poisonous! The Brazilians were worried about Dave playing with this caterpillar because they were sure it was poisonous and would hurt if he touched it. Fortunately, we did not find out if this was true or not. Man and caterpillar went unharmed. :)

Working hard!

Today we don't have much to post but that is only because we worked so hard! David helped set the scene for pouring concrete this morning while Rebecca went on a hunt for some souvenirs. Some of the people have been here for over 2 weeks and they were making a one-stop tour of a particular store I wanted some things from. So, I went. However Rebecca not working this morning was well made-up for this afternoon - and she has sore muscles and blisters to prove it! :) On the way back from shopping, I asked the person in charge if there was a possibility of getting a concrete mixer. He said no, that the mixer was in Recife being used. I continued to pray about it and as we rolled into Alcanse, a truck was pulling out. It had delivered our sand AND A CONCRETE MIXER! God is so good!! Even the leader thought there was no way to get a mixer. Praise the Lord!

Well, while the guys got the mixer hooked up to water and electricity, I worked with another lady, Sally, and we finished putting the shelves back together and reshelving the books in the library. Then it was time for lunch. After lunch, the back-breaking work began! I volunteered to help out with the cement mixing, gravel hauling, sand lugging, shoveling, smoothing extravaganza. Whew! It is back breaking work. However, the mixer made it all worth it! We were able to pour 4 of the 9 holes for the putt-putt course! Praise the Lord! We are hoping to get the rest poured tomorrow morning so that the children coming for the English camp on Wednesday won't damage them.

The other praise for today was that it was overcast. You wouldn't think this would be a praise but it was already really hot and humid. Sun just would have added difficulty to an already hard job. So, we are thankful for those things.

Some other things we are thankful for are that another member of the team, Bill's, daughter had healthy twins back in Kansas today. I know this weighed heavily on his heart. So, this was a great encouragement to him to announce the births of these precious ones! We also can praise that the English camp plan seems to be going nicely. We are excited to expect around 40 - 50 children Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday all day. Please pray for the hearts of these little ones to be open to the gospel as well as English. Also pray for us, as workers, to be able to prepare all we need to prepare. I know I have a large part to prepare for and little time in which to do it.

So many of you have written encouraging notes or even just sent messages that you are praying. Thank you! Also, thank you to those who are praying but haven't even said anything. We can feel your prayers. God bless you all and keep praying! :)

Worship day

Picture 1: feijoada

Picture 2: Dave and I at the Tracunhaem church meal

Picture 3: Some of the kids in the ministry group. The only English they knew was hello, my name is ---. What is your name? Nice to meet you. It was so cute!

Wow...that's the word I can use to describe today. We had a busy day but it was wonderful and challenging! First, after breakfast, we had church at Alcanse (that's the name of the compound...I finally figured out how to spell it!). It was a small but vibrant congregation. There was a large number of children in uniforms best compared to a Girl Scout or a Boy Scout uniform. However, the words were different. We learned during the church service that a couple in the Alcanse church has taken on a task of ministering to the poor in another city. They couldn't afford to join Boy Scouts so they made something similar but tied Biblical truths into it. They also tied military discipline and English language instruction into this ministry. It was a neat ministry to see and I was particularly touched because they went into a poorer area and ministered to kids from broken homes. This, obviously, is similar to my heart so I will be keeping these kiddos in my prayers. :)

After church, we hopped into a van and drove to Tracunhaem. This is the area the children were from that presented at church that morning. I was excited to see the church because last year our home church of Brookville Road raised money to help build the building the church was meeting in. At this church they served a celebration dinner called feijoada (fey shwada). This meal originated from the slaves making food from the master's table scraps. The pastor, Tele, was concerned for our American stomachs so they prepared something different for the Americans. However, I tried one bite and Dave ate the beans and rice. It was....different. :) I found out that the dinner we attended was actually a fundraiser and a lot of the other community churches, including the Alcanse church, came to help raise money so they could finish building their building. I was so blessed to hear how the churches all work together. The goal of the pastors here is to plant 200 churches. Pastor Tele was telling us there is a state in Brazil that has 100 cities with NO churches. He also said that inward from the coast a lot of poor were neglected in the telling of the gospel. This seems like such an amazing ministry. I am excited as I learn more.

We were able to rest for a short time after the meal. Then, we met Pastor Tele and Pastor Andy (from our church) and drove to Timbauba. This is Pastor Tele's hometown. We left a lot earlier than the other groups and I thought it was just because it was about a 45 minute drive. However, we were pleasantly surprised to meet Pastor Tele's parents. His father is suffering from Parkinson's disease but we were all amazed at his silent strength and determination. We were also amused that although we couldn't understand what he was saying, he had a great sense of humor and caused Pastor Tele a lot of joy with some of his "ornery" comments.

From Pastor Tele's childhood home, we went to the Timbauba church. This building was BEAUTIFUL but the church family was even more precious. The Holy Spirit was obviously present in the people of this church and their worship was such a blessing. Then, Pastor Andy preached and challenged us to pray more consistently and to follow the ACTS model (adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication). Then, Dave and I both took the prayer challenge to pray for something everyday for 6 months. If you'd like to know what we committed to pray for, please ask. I am willing to share and have you pray with me. I haven't had a chance to ask Dave yet so I am not sure if he is willing to share but know we are praying faitfully, waiting on the Lord to show himself so He might glorify himself.

On the way back to Carpina (where we are staying) from Timbauba, we were priviledged to hear Pastor Tele's testimony of how he and his whole family was saved in 5 months in 1978. It was so encouraging. As I was listening to his story, we were driving through the Brazilian countryside, surrounded by sugar cane fields and I gazed up into the Southern Hemisphere's sky. What a mighty God we serve. He cares for our souls knows them better than the beautiful and numerous stars in the sky.

Then, we ate at this amazing restaurant in Carpina that I knew my dad would LOVE. It was smoked ribs, rice, beans, potato salad, and fresh veggies. Wow! Then, we had dessert and Dave declared that Brazil made the best flan. :) All the while, we were able to hear more of the heart of Pastor Tele and learn about Brazilian culture. It was truly a delight!

Tomorrow it is back to work. We found out there is a possibilty of a cement mixer somewhere. Please pray we can get our hands on it. This would make a seemingly impossible job possible. This would also encourage Dave as he has taken so much responsibility for trying to get this project done. I will be either painting or working with Dave on the putt-putt course. If we can't get a cement mixer, I am going to volunteer to help as they will have to mix the cement by hand. Yikes!

Please pray for traveling mercies as Pastor Andy is returning home tomorrow. Please pray for quick and efficient work as we try to finish the many projects that have been started. Please continue to pray for my headaches as they are continuing today. I was able to press through, Praise the Lord, but it is not comfortable.

Thank you for your continued prayers and encouragement. We really feel like God is doing big things in Brazil and we are excited to be here and a part of it. Please continue to partner with us. Continue to pray and, if you feel led, drop a line to us to let us know how God is working in your life. God bless and, until tomorrow, boa noite (good night).

Busy times!

First picture: Me painting some bookshelves in the library.

Second picture: Dave, Steve, and Bill planning the putt-putt course plan of action.

Today was a very busy day! We had so much going on it's hard to process it all. The activities started bright and early this morning with a 7 am soccer (football) game. For those of you who don't know the time difference, this is 6 am Indiana time. For the Americans playing, this was very early! What it meant for Dave and I was that we heard lots of activity because our room and balcony overlooks the soccer field. I was impressed, as I knew I would be, with the skills of the men playing soccer. Most of the players were pastors and their sons from churches around the area.

Then, we had breakfast. Let me just stop and say that the food here is FANTASTIC! Everything is flavorful. We have fruits and veggies with every meal (Yes, mom, I'm having my no-thank-you helpings of everything...haha). I have yet to be disappointed. Things are so colorful and the flavors are so rich! Yum... Anyway...back to breakfast. :) Pastors from all around the area and their families came and ate with us. It was a neat time of fellowshipping, even though I didn't understand most of it.

After breakfast, it was time to work. Dave and a carpenter named Bill started work on the putt-putt course they are building. Tele, the pastor, hopes to use it as a ministering tool for young people in the area. Come play putt-putt, hear the word. It's neat, really. Anyway, they started laying out the forms. Then, they filled gravel in the parts where the forms, though they were level, had gaps because of the uneven ground. They really would appreciate prayers as they have nine holes to make forms for, pour concrete that is mixed by hand, and have the hazards all by Friday! This is going to take a miracle for sure! But, we know God is all-powerful and able to do amazing things!

I (Rebecca) began gathering up things for painting. Last year, the carpenters came and built nice, sturdy shelves for the library as well as rolling bookcases for many of the classrooms. The paint they used last year didn't fit with the humidity and atmosphere. So, that means they all needed to be repainted. So, many of us cleaned, moved books, climbed through windows because doors were locked and the key couldn't be found, and eventually PAINTED! LOL....doing things at a slower pace is sometimes challenging but things can be learned along the way. About lunch time, I started to have an awful headache. I actually woke up with it but since I frequently get headaches, I just took tylenol, forced the liquids and moved on. However, this one was not so easily placated. I ended up having to lie down for a while. I didn't bring any of my migraine medicine because I haven't been taking it for personal reasons. Now, I'm wishing I did. However, I was able to get the headache to a dull roar, eat lunch, rest for a bit longer, and then finish out the work day. Then, I went for a quick swim in the pool, which helped cool me down.

Another part of the group was in a pastor's conference with all the pastors that came. Some presented, others just listened and participated. It's always hard to determine how things went in an international setting, but the feeling seemed to be that everything went well.

After resting for a bit and showering (pee-yew!) we had a wonderful dinner and fellowship time of games. Then, as we are heading to bed, the day is cooling off with a wonderful light rain. We have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow, visiting 3 churches. I am excited to experience more of the country and encourage the pastors in their home churches. Please pray for safe travel, wisdom and clarity for those preaching, and for my headache (which is till clinging on) to go away. Thanks for all the encouragement you've all sent my way! We really appreciate the support, more than you know! God bless you all and good night!

The trip here...

I am feeling much more rested, so I can share more about the trip, now. First, there were several opportunities where the Lord showed his hand on our trip. We were delayed by about 45 minutes in Indy. We don't know why. However, the pilot "hauled tail" to use a DJ phrase and got us to Atlanta at almost the same time we would have originally arrived. This was good because as soon as we got to our gate, they began boarding!

Second, DJ and I were able to get an emergency exit row which meant twice as much leg room. This was a blessing! The flight was really long for me. I only slept in spurts, even though I took a sleeping pill. I was so tired but I just couldn't stay asleep. I found myself envying those stretched across three seats snoring! :) But, the Lord provided a rest day today so it worked out fine.

Third, when we arrived, DJ discovered he had forgotten his phone on the plane! We knew we couldn't go back and everyone around us that could help spoke only Portuguese. I was really praying. Well, I got through the paperwork phase faster than the other two and our pilots were coming through at the same time. I went up to one and told him of our predicament. He and another pilot stayed with me until we found someone who could help. This lady was walking towards us with a bag and she heard what we were asking. She said, "What row were you sitting in?" I told her and she pulled it out of her bag! Praise the Lord! We were so thankful!

Lastly, we all made it fine through customs. The guy made me open my bag and show him the computer monitor I was carrying in my travel chest I was the only one stopped. We were really thankful because the lady in front of us had to unpack all her bags!

Upon arriving, we drove an hour through the countryside. I was amazed by the differences and the similarities. In the US, when we came upon houses and neighborhoods, they were all symmetrical...almost identical. Here, if there is one building, there's one hundred all stacked on top of each other, carving out the hillsides. We didn't get to take a picture of these yet but we will try before our time is up. We also saw sugarcane, fields and fields of produce, and lots of people.

Our compound is wonderful. There is a pool and an international school in the same building as our room. Our room is nice and private with a bathroom and one of the only balconies! It has something else we're really thankful for...an airconditioner! Wow! The Lord has really blessed us.

Today, after lunch, we went out to the trees at the front of the compound and found we have tiny monkeys living in the trees there! I didn't have my camera but promise to try and get a picture of them before we leave!

We are told our schedule is packed from tomorrow until Monday so we are thankful to be able to rest today. Pray for our health, that we don't get sick. Pray for our hands to be willing ministers. Pray for us to be used by the Lord. And pray for us to be witnesses for the Lord! Thank you for partnering with us!

We arrived!

Praise the Lord, we arrived safely. We had some near complications but the Lord showed his hand! I will post more details later this evening. I am pretty fuzzy still. Thankfully, they gave us today to rest and recouperate. Check later this evening for more details and pictures! :)

Our bags are packed...

Our bags are packed, we're ready to go! Yay! It seems like the time has flown and we leave tomorrow around 5. Please be in prayer for our traveling mercies but also for the team members that will be flying back the day we arrive.

We have some praises to report already. I (Rebecca) was talking to one of the wives of a team member already down in Brazil and their flights down went very smoothly and they breezed right through customs. This was a concern as they were taking over-the-counter medicines and weren't sure how customs would handle it. Also, the time they have spent down there has been blessed. They really feel the Lord's hand in everything and are just so excited to be a part of his work. I can't wait!

This will be our last post stateside...the next one will be in Brazil! Yay! Keep checking and look for pictures, too! :)

David and Rebecca

Thank you!

Thank you, for those of you who have let us know you will be praying. We are overwhelmed with the response and ask that you continue to pray for us as the Lord brings us to your minds.We fly out at 5 pm on Thursday and will arrive 6 something am on Friday morning. I (Rebecca) am more than a little nervous about an all-night flight. We will try to post nightly to our weblog to keep you updated.

If you haven't joined our facebook group "Pray for our Brazil Mission trip" but want to let us know you are praying, please drop me an e-mail or comment on this post. You don't need to tell us but it's always nice to know we are being lifted up. Thank you for partnering with us. We look forward to telling you amazing things!

In His Service,
David and Rebecca Johnson