Brazil Spring Break 2008-Day 4

Hello friends and family!

Greetings once again from Northeast Brazil! Those of you who have participated in mission trips before will be able to identify with, and probably predict, what this post will say. The first full day of a mission: After all the planning, all the praying, all the excitement, all the concerns, all the butterflies, what will happen? Will we connect? Will we be able to communicate? Will the day go smoothly? Will the children be disappointed, or scared, or worst of all, indifferent to our efforts? Well, our God is an awesome God, and with Him all things will work for His glory. Today was a day that reflected his glory, his power, his love. Today was, in a word, spectacular.

After a morning devotional, our team boarded vans at 8:30 a.m. for the short trip to the fishing village. The village is remote, to put it mildly. From the highway, we turned off onto a small dirt road and travelled several miles to the village. Along the way, the scenery could not have been more beautiful. We rolled through a forest of coconut and mango trees, with wild birds of paradise flowers blooming in every direction. The village itself is made up of small bare whitewashed single story structures lining the narrow dirt roads, and is situated next to a series of mangrove swamps leading out to the ocean several miles away. Pastor Josue's mission home consists of a small walled-in compound, with individual rooms (un air-conditioned sleeping quarters for traveling missionaries)lining the interior dirt courtyard. At one end of the courtyard is an open-air covered activity space, where meals are served and programs are presented. Across the road from Pastor Josue's compound sits the ever-popular soccer field, a dirt field with wood tree limbs fashioned into goal posts. The soccer field seems to be the community meeting place every afternoon, where the locals play soccer or socialize along the side. However, no soccer game can last much later than 5:30 pm, as at that time the mangorve swamps begin to flood the entire field as a result of the nearby ocean's high tide.

OK, so now you have a mental image of our surroundings. Upon arrival, the group got busy preparing for the first of two daily programs. We felt relieved that under Nancy Conway's leadership by example, a group had stuffed 250 bags of snacks assembly line style for today's two sessions. The team split into three groups, each of which were responsible for a particular age group throughout the day. The youngest children (5 years old to around 7) were led by the Lee and Rattikin families; the middle children (8-10 or so) were led by the Conways, Hulls and Paukunes, and the oldest kids (11-13) were led by the Newberry and Meadows families.

Ready or not, here they come! At 9:00 am, the doors to the compound swung open and in filed around 100 children for the morning session. Each age group met their host families, and a good natured rivalry soon developed, with each group chanting their team name at the top of their lungs. Order was restored shortly thereafter, as Father Josue, Leciu and Pastor David gathered the entire group for singing and prayer. The children belted out their local Christian songs, and had a great time with allthe hand and body movements accompanying each song. The songs were a blast! The kids' spirit filled the compound, and the American missionaries really got into the thick of things, joing the kids in singing, dancing and praying.

After the group assembly, the children split into their individual "teams" (Red for the youngsters, Green for the middle group, and Yellow for the oldest kids). The three groups moved between three activity stations as the morning progressed. The first station consisted of a skit put on by Mary Sharpe, our wonderful Brazilian friend and translator Cibelle, and Georgia Rae (Gigi) Hull and Elle Conway. Gigi and Elle put on a wonderful presentation related to the message that while there is no imitation of the real God, we are made in the likeness of Him and put on this Earth to further His kingdom and bring Him glory. Cibelle and Mary translated the skit in Portuguese, and the children really showed their understanding of the message. Mary and Cibelle continued by reminding the children that the only thing God asks us to do is love Him with all our heart.

The second station consisted of crafts, where the children constructed mirrored ornaments with the theme of "Reflect Jesus". Toni Meadows and Elaine Murphy did a wonderful job in keeping the craft tables furnished and organized, lending a helping hand and hug wherever needed. The children also posed for some individual portrait photographs taken by Brent Hull and Kathy Paukune, which will be presented to their mothers at the Mothers Dinner later in the week.

The last station consisted of Recreation, manned by the athletic examples of our fearless leader Brandon Boehme and Pat Murphy. The kids and adults had a great time, lining up for tag-team races carrying inflatable rings and dribbling soccer balls.

At the end of the session, the children reconvened in the activity area for more music and prayer. At the end of the morning, each child was presented with their craft, a snack bag and various small gifts. They left the compound with smiles on their faces and promises to return.

Our team took a well deserved breather for a few hours before the afternoon session. Once again, we were treated to some magnificent local dishes, and a very hungry crew was not shy in going back for multiple helpings! After savoring the success of the morning, our biggest question was, where will we find the energy to do it all again this afternoon? The weather was extremely hot and humid with little breeze, but we hardly noticed as we relished in the smiles and hugs from the children. But at break, the heat began to make itself known. However, not to let the enthusiam wane, Nancy Conway again organized an assembly line for tomorrow's 250 snack bags, this time manned by many of the younger children. They whipped the job out in no time, and we were ready to go.

If any of us questioned whether we could drum up the same enthusiam for the afternoon session, we quickly recieved our answer as the gates swung open for an entirely new set of children. This group had already heard of the fun had by the morning crew, and bolted in full of enthusiasm and expectation. They sang, they smiled, they lifted up everyone on our team. More team chanting broke out, conga lines veered through the courtyard, and team songs, team dances and team handshakes were abundant.

The day ended at, you guessed it, the soccer field, as the local teens were waiting for the Americans and the translators from Recife. Another spirited game broke out, with key performances delivered by Markham Paukune, Oliver Newberry, Jackson Hull, Austin Meadows, Megan Meadows and Margaret Lee. Intimidation was the name of the game for the 40+ers as Brent Hull, Huck Newberry, Jay Meadows, John Conway and Jeff Rattikin dared the Brazilians to burn them (the Brazilians were, how should I put it...successful at that...often...). Mark Paukune and Pat Murphy teamed up with Matthew Lee, Mack Newberry and William Rattikin to teach another group of locals the American brand of football. The locals caught on quite well!

So there you have it; a full day's worth of activity in honor of our God. And God was indeed present with us; he appeared in every heartfelt hug, in every smile and in every laugh. It was a day that gripped the hearts and minds of all of us on the team. It was a day that will change the future course of the lives of all of us fortunate enough to be called to give our hearts to the children of Brazil.

Obrigado, and Boa Noite!