Brazil Spring Break 2009-Day 6

Boa Noite from the Fishing Village!

It has begun. Without question, God's presence in this ministry and in this village is now becoming extremely visible; the signs of God's direct involvement in the day's activities are so pronounced that they just cannot be denied or explained in any other way. An electric feeling is starting to overcome each missionary and Brazilian, and you can seemingly feel the power in the air.

Last night, the first teen night program packed the house, as over 100 teanaged boys and girls cheerily filed through the gate. The teens were mesmerized by Pastor Josue's words, by Cibelle's skit and by the interpretive dance performed by a Christian dance group made up of village teens. The crowd was so moved that Josue asked if anyone would like to receive Christ into their lives. As is the case with most teen groups. the response was slow to form. But Joseu explained that to accept Christ's invitation is a show of strenth and maturity. The more he spoke, the more teens came forward. In the end over 40 teenagers placed their trust in Christ that evening. As you can imagine, the scene was quite emotional, and the compound was filled with the Holy Spirit.

The team was in much better health this morning, but we knew we were in for another hot day. Ken led the group with his usual on target inspirational message, and the team set out with a firm resolve and light-hearted spirit.

The team knew early on that today's VBS would be special. As the bus approached the compound, children ran alongside waiving, yelling and laughing, and a huge group of kids started cheering when they saw the bus approaching from 500 yards away. Awesome!! The theme for today was to Love your Enemies, and at times the kids even cheered for another color group! Wow, how inspiring! Storytime involved a skit manned by Matthew Lee, Robbie Price, Patrick Farmer, Boyd Bailey and William Rattikin, replicating the story of the Good Samaritan.

Anne Green, Kim Jones, Sonya Bailey and Carol Jean Nicholaison kept ministering to the participants in the art/sewing side project, and Cindy Boehme, Maura Rattikin and others began another successful side project for a group of teens, introducing them to the art and importance of journaling. I told you our plans were ambitious this year, and we're not done yet!!

At break the team was treated to another surprise when a favorite from last year, Pastor/Lawyer Anthenor and his children passed through the gate! Anthenor has been a great friend and important legal ally to VFC for a number of years, and the team was ecstatic to see him. The boys jumped all over his son Yugo, and the girls beseiged his daughter.

The relationships between missionaries and the kids are deepening in a big way; it is such a joy to hear the kids riding their bikes up to the bus chanting one person's name, or requesting through the gate that a certain missionary come out and spend time with them. The team had a number of opportunities today to lead small groups through the Evangecube story, and the kids responded amazingly. Through their smiles, their songs, and their hugs, you can tell that Christ has touched their heart this week. They are so eager to feel, witness and share God's love; again, the energy passing from Brazilian to American and back is truly electric! This village is changing from the ground up; you can see it and you can feel it.

A late afternoon soccer game broke out, and the Americans, fresh off a two day benching, actually performed fairly well! Those missionaries and villagers not in the game were on the sidelines, sharing laughs and hand games (of the thumb wrestling and rock, paper, scissors variety). Great camaraderie was felt by all.

And then it was time for one of our most important outreaches; the Men's Night Dinner. It is one thing to have success with the children and the teens; it is another thing to successfully make an impact on over 100 seasoned men who live their lives according to local custom centuries in the making. The men of the village are typically fishermen who perceive themselves as macho, independent, and in no need of assistance. But they are lost, with no answers, and no real hope in their mind. The evening began well, with the men filing in and really enjoying games of horshoes and bocci ball. Josue and staff cooked up some truly excellent skewers of steak and chicken. 13 men of our team attended the event, and made a point of asking the guests about their life, their livelihood, their families, and their dreams. When asked what they would wish for if anything was possible, most of the men had a hard time seeing themselves as anything more than simple fishermen just subsisting. But when really pressed, they began to dream of the establishment of a fishing cooperative for the village, with a warehouse/freezers and larger boats/motors, allowing them to greatly expand their fishing territory and quality of their harvest. Again, it seems that there is a strong opportunity for some micro-finance investments to significantly impact the future of this community, and VFC intends to follow through!

But the best was yet to come. We may look back on this evening years from now and point to Ken Miller's discussion with the men as a key turning point in the lives of the villagers and their families. Simply put, Ken knocked it out of the park! His message of what it means to be a real man, well-translated by Anthenor, tugged on the conscience of everyone present. It would be impossible to believe that most men did not go home, consider what they just heard, and begin treating their spouse, kids and themselves with more love, pride and respect. And it would be surprising if the men do not begin to seek out Pastor Josue to learn more about God's love for them as they are, and the free offer of eternal life through Jesus Christ. Just as last year's short term mission directly led to the start of the church, it is very apparent that this year's trip will not only build up the new church, but also bring about significant transformation in the teens and men in the community. All this for the glory of God!

As you can see, all your prayers are being answered this week, tangibly and directly. This team thanks you for your prayers, and asks you to help us finish strong. With tomorrow's always emotional last day of VBS, coupled with the second teen night, a lot of life-changing opportunities await.

God bless you.
Obrigado and Boa Noite.