Brazil Spring Break 2008-Day 5

Good evening to all our online teammates!

We would first like to thank all of you who have posted such wonderful comments to our blog. I cannot tell you how much it means to us that you are taking the time out of your day to read our posts and respond with your greetings, your prayers and your support. I'll tell you, something is happening down here in Brazil, and those of you supporting and praying for us from home are as responsible for this movement as those of us on the ground here in Brazil. Believe me, whatever you guys are doing at home, keep doing it!

We knew going in that today was going to be an ambitious day, with two sessions of Vacation Bible School, a Teen Night for the village boys and a separate Teen Night for the village girls. And just to make sure we got the most bang for our buck, God delivered another typical coastal Brazilian summer day, with high heat and high humidity. Obviously, the stage has been set for His greatness to shine through!

One thing your prayers produced today was bigger crowds! We were thrilled to see that not only did the children from yesterday show up again, but a number of new children as well! We ministered to around 125-150 children in each of our two sessions today, and they were even more fired-up today than yesterday!

In addition to our three station rotation described in yesterday's blog, the highlight of today was a dental hygiene segment planned and orchestrated by teammates Dr. Ron and Cynthia Lee. Ron demonstrated proper brushing technique for all 250 children, with a sense of humor and "bedside manner" that we would all love to have in a Dentist. After the demonstration, the children were assisted in brushing their teeth by their Family Hosts, and returned for a fluoride treatment by Dr. Lee and his merry band of volunteers. Yes, Ron was somehow able to draft some on-the-spot dental hygeinists in the form of Cynthia Lee, Nancy Conway, Kathy Paukune, Cameron Newberry, Isabelle Newberry, Marylin Newberry and Dr. John Conway to administer the fluoride treatments. Each enlisted technician resembled a miner, sporting a light strapped to their head as they administered the treatment. All in all, the Brazilian children did a great job of brushing their teeth, and most (but certainly not all!) went with the flow and accepted the fluoride treatment with a big smile. While examining their teeth, Dr. Lee noticed much need for future dental treatment, especially in the 5-9 year old age group. Along with other medical professionals, he is looking into the possiblilty of future trips to Brazil, where they can deliver complete and definitive dental treatment to the villagers (such as extractions, root canals and other vitally important procedures). It is our team's hope that we have made at least a small difference in the children's understanding of dental health. Many thanks go to Ron and Cynthia Lee for their efforts in bringing this effort to fruition.

Our daily assembly line was once agin at work, but sans Nancy. It seems our large contingent of young women have taken over the duties of stuffing snack bags on their own accord, freeing Nancy up not for a break, but for yet another assembly line. The snack bag sorority consists of Kamryn Conway, Elle Conway, Gigi Hull, Harriett Hull (hey Harriett, why did you and Caroline R. switch nametags today? You blond haired, blue-eyed girls look too much the same anyway, without confusing us old-timers and family members!), Margaret Lee, Grace Paukune, Caroline Rattikin and Hilary Rattikin. Once again, the bags were stuffed and stored in an amazing display of American work ethic. Meanwhile, Nancy drafted the "more mature" princesses on our team to prepare supplies for this evening's Teen Night. Hair brushes, nail polish and all other forms of female paraphernalia was spread across a long table for organization into individual packets for our guests.

The two VBS sessions today were incredibly rewarding. After some initial apprehension yesterday, a sense of peace and familiarity set in today. The kids were as excited and boisterous as ever, but today some walls were breached, some connections cemented, and some God-given love began to take over. William Rattikin felt an urge to give a local child one of his favorite toys, a miniature (palm-sized) skateboard. Initially, the local boy did not understand that it was a gift; but once he understood, he carried it with him all day, to the morning session, to the afternoon session, and again to the Teen Night session this evening. God's spirit revealed itself to seven year old William today. Elaine Murphy tells of a wonderful blessing she experienced today. During lulls in the action, Elaine loves to show the children pictures of her family and her dog. One particular older girl was enamored with the pictures during the morning session. Much later, in the middle of the afternoon session, Elaine was called to the gate of the compound. It seems that the young girl from the morning session had returned to the compound, bringing with her a number of her "elderly friends" (grandmother aged) to view the pictures. The friends were so moved by the pictures that they were each called to embrace Elaine tightly. They were touched, Elaine was touched, and so goes the Spirit of God in this world. Another example? Perhaps the tiniest little 5 year old girl in the village arrived yesterday afternoon, but did not stay long as her fear of the unknown caused her to leave after a short time. Did she show up today? Of course she did, and after some loving from Mary Sharpe as only Mary can do, the beautiful little girl (her name is Victoria, isn't that bonito?) was an excited young lady for the rest of the day. She doled out hugs to all comers, she LOVED to give high fives, all the while requesting to be held in the arms of an American missionary. Young Victoria is what this trip is all about!

Because the dental segment took some time to administer, our team had a number of opportunities to pull small groups of children aside and discuss the life and message of Jesus through the use of an Evangecube. An Evangecube is somewhat like a Rubik's Cube, and is a highly effective method of breaking down language barriers by describing the Good News of Jesus Christ through pictures. The children seemed enamored with the device, and loved to work their own way through the story.

The day ended with a skit put on by Mary Sharpe and the entire Newberry family, depicting the fall of man resulting from the sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

Once again, the team found energy we didn't know we had. All of us admit that we have been acting in ways that are WAY out of our usual comfort zone, but this week, it all seems natural. There IS an energy that is dictating our every move, and your prayers, and God's supreme majesty, are orchestrating a special event in the lives of hundreds of people (our team included) here in Brazil.

Luckily, Brandon saw fit to ask the vans to arrive at 4:30 p.m. today, thereby negating any possibility that the local teens could inflict any more damage to the 40+ers on the soccer field. The Men of our team are all hobbling around, repeating the phrase "No Mas, No Mas, No Mas" for some reason. I imagine that after a day's rest, we may make one last effort to relive our glory days, while at the same time being showed up by our own offspring. All is as it shold be here on the Northeast coast of Brazil!

Of course, someone has to seek medical attention on every trip, and this trip it was our beloved Pastor Anthenor, who was showing off his God-inspired karate skills and ended up in teammate Dr. John Conway's room getting a ligament (or something, I don't know a ligament from a leg) sewed up. Hey, brother Anthenor, we've got you covered on this trip; feel free to utilize Ron Lee as well :)!

Tonight, as advertised, a number of teammates worked very hard to put on a meaningful Teen Night for the village teenagers, and by all accounts, their efforts were rewarded. All female teammates in 7th grade or above set out this evening to serve the village's young women. Cibelle, who has been reaching out and connecting with the local children all week, led a simply sensational discussion with around 30 village girls about the fact that they are each beautiful, special and unique in the eyes of God, and to respect God's perfect design for their lives. Lindsey Rattikin, Hilary Rattikin, Caroline Rattikin and Kamryn Conway performed a dance set to words and music, relating to the fact that each girl is a beautiful princess. The village teen girls then sat in a circle and read a story from the Bible where Jesus washed the feet of his followers. Our temmates then proceeded to wash the feet of the village girls, gave foot and hand massages, and manicures. Each girl left with a gift bag and a chance to pick out some special jewelry for themselves. The young women of the village simply loved and appreciated the evening, and our team owes a heartfelt thanks to wonderful Cibelle, who has a gift for reaching out and touching the Brazilian youth of all ages. Thank you, thank you, Cibelle!!!!

Not to be outdone, approximately 50 teen guys met and discussed what it means to be a man in today's world. Brandon Boehme, Jay Meadows, Mark Paukune and Pat Murphy shared their thoughts and experiences with the young men, and it seemed evident that those young men went home this evening with a renewed understanding of their role within a family. Apparently, the young men were exposed to a part of Americana tonight that they have never experienced before: the grand old game of horseshoes. The boys could have played horseshoes all night if poosible, and it seems that a new hosreshoe pit will need to be set up next to the beloved, and flooded, soccer field.

One really cool ("legau" in Portuguese; the Brazilian boys LOVE this word!) event on the horizon: 16 year old Lindsey Rattikin is putting together what promises to be one incredible slide show on her MacBook for tomorrow night's Mother's Dinner, with an encore performance for the children. Lindsey has been busy collecting digital photographs from teammates each day, and has constructed a pictorial montage set to the best in contemporary Chrisitan music. This particular group of teammates has proven to be some exceptional photographers, and I hope each of you will have an opportunity to view our "Spring Break Mission Video". We have had several requests to post photographs on this blog, but due to some rather slow connection speeds and the wealth of quality photos, we have decided that it may be best to put up a website upon our return with a combined set of images from this week for your viewing, and downloading, pleasure.

Tomoorow is another big day, with two VBS sessions and the long-anticipated Mother's Dinner.
Thank you again for all your prayers and support, and we pledge to keep doing our thing if you keep dong yours!

Obrigado, and Boa Noite!