tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77036415331625921382024-03-04T23:01:36.809-06:00Volunteers For ChristVFC is a non-denominational, non-profit ministry focusing on bringing the good news of Jesus Christ to Brazil primarily through Children's Programs, Church Planting and Christian Camping. We set up this blog so that you can hear from the real people involved in this ministry.<br>
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<u><a href="http://www.vfcbrazil.org"><strong>www.vfcbrazil.org</strong></a></u>Volunteers For Christhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03187332127098179455noreply@blogger.comBlogger142125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703641533162592138.post-69179644973764298742013-08-09T05:59:00.000-05:002013-08-09T05:59:11.044-05:00FencesWe are entering our final day at Kid's Place today. This week has been eye opening to me (Tim Brock) of the fences or barriers I place in my life. Every afternoon at Kid's Place there is a group of kids that come and stand at the fence that separates Kid's Place from the outside world. They all have different stories but similar backgrounds. In appearance, our background Volunteers For Christhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03187332127098179455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703641533162592138.post-59930329592398862322013-08-09T04:54:00.000-05:002013-08-09T04:54:00.781-05:00Too busy to blog!As a general rule, I like to keep a journal for myself (Josh). However, I find that during the days I have a ton going on, I don't have time to do it. I fear that much the same is happening to our team in Brazil. Our lack of regular updates is NOT due to lack of great ministry and growth. It's because we haven't had the time to write. Sorry.
Yesterday was another Volunteers For Christhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03187332127098179455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703641533162592138.post-67533515527219314042013-08-07T18:43:00.001-05:002013-08-08T05:25:39.219-05:00God's intricate plans
I wanted to share with you a wild story of God's sovereignty over decades. It's a story that stretched from Recife, Brazil, to Fort Worth and back again several times.
In the 1950s, an American family lived as missionaries in Brazil. One of their ministries was running Christian camps for Brazilian children. Busloads of children attended these camps year after year in São Paulo. One of those Volunteers For Christhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03187332127098179455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703641533162592138.post-87994494753133810472013-08-06T19:15:00.000-05:002013-08-06T19:15:29.685-05:00Tuesday Evening Update
Wow! What a great day in Brazil. Thank you for those of you that prayed for us! Tomorrow (Wednesday) we are back with the kids in the morning and then having the afternoon with the teenagers to do a scavenger hunt and then watch a movie in the evening with them. The goal will be to build relationships and share the gospel.
Although there are many great stories from theVolunteers For Christhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03187332127098179455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703641533162592138.post-16756702355891875612013-08-06T09:34:00.000-05:002013-08-06T09:34:21.888-05:00Tuesday Morning
Bom Dia!
Hello from our team to everyone back in the states! We are so overjoyed to be in Recife with our brothers and sisters in Christ! Praise God that we arrived safely and with no troubles when traveling all the way from the US to Brazil.
God has been so faithful to us during these first days in the city. We arrived at the Recife airport and immediately met our friends from theVolunteers For Christhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03187332127098179455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703641533162592138.post-81809094793208087312013-08-06T09:30:00.000-05:002013-08-06T09:30:07.976-05:00Monday, August 5, Evening Blog
The morning began with long a gentle rain, much needed seeing as our host church collects the water for us to wash our hands with. Praise God, because rain was but a quick prayer yesterday, and an answered one today, twice.
We met as a group to read the word of God and commit our day to Him. We continue to ask for boldness, to share His love and truth, the joy of His salvation.
Day 1 at Volunteers For Christhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03187332127098179455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703641533162592138.post-25359772448002105612013-08-05T04:33:00.002-05:002013-08-06T19:15:51.194-05:00How can I, unless someone explains it to me?There is a great story in Acts 8, versus 26-40 about God telling Phillip to go up to an Euthiopian on a chariot. The man is reading as he rides. He's reading Isaiah, and Philip runs along side and asks him if he understand what's he's reading. The man says, "How can I, unless someone explains it to me?" Great question. Stephen proceeds to share the gospel with Volunteers For Christhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03187332127098179455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703641533162592138.post-48158597562087817202013-08-04T18:56:00.000-05:002013-08-04T18:56:02.054-05:007 a.m., flight to Brazil
It is 7am on the airplane (still 5 am in TX where we left yesterday at 4:45pm). Josh here.
I am trying to think of a good analogy for what to compare this feeling to right now. We have been praying over this trip for months -- for some of us, over a year. And now, we are "here." I suppose we'll be "here" when we get to Kids Place, but you get the idea. Is itVolunteers For Christhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03187332127098179455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703641533162592138.post-34784785147813295882012-06-16T09:56:00.002-05:002012-06-16T09:56:47.682-05:00Delayed in RecifeOur flight out of Recife has been delayed by several hours, so it is uncertain whether we will actually arrive home tonight or not. We've been hanging out at the Recife airport, where we were graciously given phone cards, food vouchers and free internet access to use while we wait. The flight is currently scheduled to leave at 1:45 p.m., which would put us in Miami awfully close to the time for Volunteers For Christhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03187332127098179455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703641533162592138.post-12496085764372224092012-06-16T04:33:00.000-05:002012-06-16T04:33:08.015-05:00Friday: Josh
I (Josh) am writing this blog from our bus as we drive back
to our hotel to shower before heading to our final dinner. Earlier today we said goodbye to the children
of Kid’s Place. It was hard to say
goodbye, but we leave excited for what was accomplished in Coque this past week
and what God will continue to do in this city.
Praise God that aside from one sore throat, we have Volunteers For Christhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03187332127098179455noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703641533162592138.post-11526440845370600712012-06-14T05:29:00.003-05:002012-06-14T05:29:52.075-05:00More photosVolunteers For Christhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03187332127098179455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703641533162592138.post-28305425315568154582012-06-14T05:06:00.003-05:002012-06-14T05:06:31.552-05:00Photos
Keyse brought her picture of last year's CCBC group with her to Kids Place on Monday!
Playing guitars and sharing the gospel while the soccer game goes on nearby.
Teaching
(There are much better photos taken by the "real" photographers on the trip, but we are having some issues with uploading -- we'll keep trying!)Volunteers For Christhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03187332127098179455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703641533162592138.post-38530801749048432702012-06-14T04:36:00.003-05:002012-06-14T04:36:47.405-05:00Wednesday: Sarah
Each day that we are fortunate enough to spend here in Recife, Brazil, is an incredible blessing. God has not only been doing amazing works in the lives of the Brazilian people, but He has also been changing the lives of the Young Couples' Class. In these few, short days, we have learned so much about the power and plans of God.
I know that many of you are familiar withVolunteers For Christhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03187332127098179455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703641533162592138.post-21953655356840664332012-06-13T17:49:00.000-05:002012-06-13T17:49:18.710-05:00Wednesday: Brittany
Today in Coque, we visited a family of a single mom and 9
children. We planned on telling the family about Jesus Christ, but much to our
surprise we left feeling more encouraged by her faith in Jesus Christ. The
Cunninghams and Hunnicutts were able to witness a Brazilian sensation singer in
this home. Zoaria the mother we visited, her daughter encouraged us so much
through the gift of song God Volunteers For Christhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03187332127098179455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703641533162592138.post-65164663941702627992012-06-13T17:42:00.001-05:002012-06-13T17:42:48.043-05:00Wednesday: Josh
Good morning! Josh
here. I am writing to you on Wednesday
morning while the rest of our team teaches the kids in their classrooms. We just concluded our morning worship, which
included some of the kids doing a dance presentation for us. Really cool.
I wanted to share with you (the parents, siblings,
supporters and friends) what yesterday afternoon was like from a Volunteers For Christhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03187332127098179455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703641533162592138.post-56947503000830931972012-06-13T05:36:00.001-05:002012-06-13T05:36:09.547-05:00Tuesday highlights: Matt
After another great morning at Kid’s Place, the guys’ afternoon started with soccer. Brandon has noted that there are a bunch of frustrated former athletes on this trip, so it should be no surprise that we’ve found our way to the soccer field numerous times already. Nothing like a bunch of Brazilian tweens and young teens to keep us humble!
Around 2:00 p.m., a group of 23Volunteers For Christhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03187332127098179455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703641533162592138.post-4136395120913228252012-06-13T05:14:00.000-05:002012-06-13T05:14:50.797-05:00Tuesday: Liz
Good evening, good afternoon or good morning to those of you
reading,
This
morning we were at Kid’s Place and today we got to have praise and worship time
with the kids. It was so much fun! The kids were so excited and energetic, it
was a joy to watch and listen to them praise our Creator. Since today Volunteers For Christhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03187332127098179455noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703641533162592138.post-64550180421807706822012-06-12T05:27:00.001-05:002012-06-12T05:27:17.017-05:00Coque Visit: Kayla
First let me say a huge wow! This experience
already has been God filled. Today we met the children of Kid's Place that are
participating in VBS, there are so many precious souls this ministry works
with. They children are learning about "Real Heroes" of the Bible, in
our particular lesson we are teaching about Joseph and his coat of many colors.
The way Joseph handles difficulties and sticks Volunteers For Christhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03187332127098179455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703641533162592138.post-28904203329418952032012-06-12T05:20:00.000-05:002012-06-12T05:20:07.832-05:00"What Just Happened?""What just happened?" That's what was running through our minds when we walked out of the home of one of our Kids Place students yesterday afternoon. Wagner was at school, but we spent almost two hours talking with his grandmother, who cares for him, crammed into their tiny home on a small couch/bed and up the stairs. The walls were covered in pictures from calendars and magazines, ranging from Volunteers For Christhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03187332127098179455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703641533162592138.post-58880862496154845402012-06-11T19:30:00.000-05:002012-06-11T19:30:39.559-05:00Monday, Kids PlaceDay One at Kid's Place (KP) is in the books! Josh here. We'll have guest bloggers starting in the morning, but I wanted to get a post up as soon as I could!
Most of us got a great evening of much needed rest. Our family slept for 11 hours!
Our morning started with devotionals on the balcony of the hotel. Great time of worship and focus before heading to KP. We Volunteers For Christhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03187332127098179455noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703641533162592138.post-77256744681380503302012-06-10T16:30:00.001-05:002012-06-10T16:30:24.024-05:00PicturesHere are a couple of pictures from the afternoon. If you click on the pics you can see them larger.
Unpacking the bags in the Kids Place dining room.
Church on the beach
Volunteers For Christhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03187332127098179455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703641533162592138.post-28798182684595163772012-06-10T13:27:00.004-05:002012-06-10T13:27:41.019-05:00Getting Settled in in Recife
Just a quick check-in to let you know that we have arrived
safely! We had a fun surprise at DFW when we were able to cross paths with the
CCBC group arriving from El Salvador. They were going through the glassed-in
customs walkway above us, while we waved at them from below on the way to our
gate. There’s a great photo of the meet-up on Facebook. We’ll see if we can
post it here later.
We Volunteers For Christhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03187332127098179455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703641533162592138.post-34838954084885660552012-06-08T21:33:00.001-05:002012-06-08T21:33:54.851-05:00Leaving tomorrow!I wish you could meet these young couples heading to Recife, Brazil tomorrow. Many of you know at least one of the couples in the picture up top there, but I wish you could know them all, as well as the ones you can't see there. You would be inspired. God's hand is on this group and Josh and I (Amy) are so fortunate to see it all up close.
This trip really started months ago when we announced Volunteers For Christhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03187332127098179455noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703641533162592138.post-62860630323968002542011-07-14T23:18:00.001-05:002011-07-14T23:18:57.663-05:00Sem Chuva. Without Rain. Or Hand Sanitizer.First and foremost - the rain stopped. While our friends in Texas are praying desperately for rain, we were praying equally hard that it would quit. Guess we know who's closer to God - we've had two incredible days of great weather and you guys are still praying for rain.
This has been such an amazing and crazy experience on so many levels.
Have you ever seen a Brazilian swim?  Volunteers For Christhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03187332127098179455noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703641533162592138.post-19255212561714112922011-07-13T22:31:00.000-05:002011-07-13T22:31:38.606-05:00Headline Options - "Noah Called, He Wants His Boat Back" or This Little Light of Mine.We think we figured out why this place is called a Rain Forest. From the time we landed in Brazil up until this morning - it has rained. The forefathers that planned the city of Recife, while I'm sure they were fine fellows, they cut a few corners by not throwing money away on something frivolous like a drainage system. When we landed in Recife, after a blessedly uneventful Volunteers For Christhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03187332127098179455noreply@blogger.com1