Brazil Spring Break 2009-Day 8

Greetings to our Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

As I sit here to write the final blog on our day of departure from the fishing village, I become aware that the promises contained in the Word of God have been fulfilled this week. I sit in the early morning hours under a thatched palapa on the beach outside our hotel, staring out at a calm sea. Old wooden fishing boats are gently bobbing up and down, as a few local fishermen row their flat wooden skiffs out to deeper water to provide for their family. Small swells are gently lapping at the beach, providing a rhythm to this new day, God's rhythm. Other than a few boats, a few fishermen and a vast blue ocean, there is nothing else in my field of vision...except for the cross; a tall, thin, irregular wooden cross erected many years ago out on the reef, maybe 500 yards directly offshore from our small hotel. This cross has been standing sentinel all week as our group has held early morning and late evening meetings under the palapa, serving as a silent reminder that Jesus is with us and in us this week. What promises from the Word has the cross fulfilled this week? After a week of serving with a servant's heart, God has given our entire team peace and contentment, mirrored by his gift of this early morning scene.

The power of God's presence in yesterday's events cannot be overstated; the emotions felt by our team, our pastors and our Brazilian brothers and sisters cannot be subdued. Yesterday was a day of Emmanuel: God With Us.

As our bus approached Pastor Josue's courtyard, the throng of children waiting at the gate, and of course escorting our bus by running gleefully alongside, was happier than ever. The robust cheers and laughter coming from these wonderful young children of God filled our hearts with joy as we got off the bus and jumped into the fray. Other villagers could not help but surround the entrance to the compound, as they have done every day, to experience in some way the Gold-given joy emanating from just inside.

Yesterday we planned an entire morning of sports; the children participated in a wide range of activities: American football, soccer, baseball, cheerleading, gymnastics, jump roping, ball games, tag, and any number of impromptu free-for-alls made up on the spot. These activities allowed our team to have some relatively unstructured, wonderful contact with the kids; hugs and shoulder rides were the order of the day, much to the delight of the kids. But the highlight of the morning was the last event; an all-out "paint-ball" type of dodgeball war, using cut up pantyhose filled with flour as the ammunition. clouds of white powder engulfed the soccer field, as the "grenades" found their target. You can only imagine the chaos which ensued, as the kids good-naturedly heaved the bombs at the opposing team. White flour covered everyone head to toe, including innocent bystanders. This event served as a perfect climax for the week.

After our good-byes with the children, our team settled back inside the compound with the team from McKinney Bible Church, who joined us for the day. Waska gave us an impromptu concert, followed by a wonderful presentation by Josue and Ceca about their dreams for the church and the village.

And then it was time to give back to all those who werved us so selflessly all week. The team gathered the pastors, interpreters and all those who assisted us this week and placed them in a circle; our team then knealt in from of them and washed their feet as a passage from the Book of John was read n English and Portuguese. Tears flowed freely on both sides of the circle.

Our team next grabbed garbage bags and set out criss-crossing the village, picking up trash and recyclables. The villagers waved from their porches, and seemed to really appreciate what God was bringing to their small community.

Late in the afternoon, as the sun was setting, the team set out for a small journey...along with hundreds of children and adult villagers who joined the procession to the beach. The dusty trail led through grassy fields, mangrove swamps, across rickety wooden bridges and through palm tree forests, until it opened up onto a magnificent vista of God's beautiful ocean. It was here, on the beach, where dozens of Brazilians, and 8 American teammates, came to be baptized on this beautiful day, to be witnessed by hundreds of villagers. Although our team had planned a small baptism ceremony, this scene could not have been scripted by even a Hollywood movie mogul; it was surreal, and God-given. What a magical place to publicly acknowledge that one has accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Talia Bailey, Kamryn Conway, boyd Bailey, Caroline Farmer, William Rattikin, Robbie Price, Ellee Conway, Mandy Miller, Grace Paukune and Jeff Rattikin were all either babtized or re-baptized in the blessed water. Pastor Josue stated that these waters were virgin; a baptism had never been perfomed in these waters, and from this day forward, this exact spot would be used for all future baptisms for evermore. What a humbling honor for our team; what an amazing ceremony that will never be forgotten. Kathy Paukune reported that she witnessed a butterfly, which is a sign of new life in the Christian faith, flitted around each person standing to be baptized, before, flying away. And this was a good ways offshore, where butterflys simply do not usually fly. Another sign of God With Us, an event planned by God before we were ever born. We were destined for this time, for this place, for this moment. Thanks be to God!

The day ended with another moving ceremony; this time the first communion in the history of the church was celebrated in the courtyard, shared by our team and dozens of supporters and villagers. What an absolutely sacred honor it was for our team to witness this important event in the life of this new Church.

I must sign off now, as the bus is waiting to leave for the trip back to Recife. A final note will follow in the next day or two.

Thank you for your prayers and support. We love each of you.

Obrigado, and Bom Dia1