Brazil 07

The guys are gone. It’s very quiet around here. My house is clean. No dirty clothes are strewn about anywhere or books left behind in the living room or piles of cups in the sink. Sorry, I don’t miss the mess, but I do miss the fun of having the guys around here. Our last two days together were special and am thankful that the Lord gave us good weather and healthy bodies to be able to traverse Belém a bit, eat at a churrascaria (all you can eat beef!) and even have time for a swim (Jer & Jack). Monday evening we spent talking about our experiences together and I am thrilled how the Lord has worked in and through EACH one of us in ways we never imagined.

Tuesday morning we arrived at the airport in plenty of time to check in, all of which went without a hitch. When their flight was called we prayed one last time together, gave our last hugs and off they went. A big THANK YOU to Jack, Jeremy and Tom for taking a month of your time to give to the Lord in this place. The Bible Center team is very blessed by all you’ve done here and by your testimonies of living for the Lord. THANK YOU to the three families who allowed their “boys” to come here. I know you have missed them terribly, but I’m sure you’re also proud that they wanted to serve our Lord in a foreign land. And thank you to Mt. Aetna Bible Church and all those who have supported this team financially and prayerfully. Please take the time to ask them personally about their experiences. Don’t settle for the mini presentation that will be given in church. They can’t possibly cover in a couple of minutes in church what they’ve experienced here so please search them out and get them to talk about their adventure because I know you’ll be blessed when you hear what the Lord has done in their lives.

Our team verse for the month is taken from Colossians 3:17 which states, And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

I believe that for the most part, we accomplished that challenge and may we continue to do so as we continue our adventure serving the Lord wherever we may be!

God bless you all!

Debbie

Jack

Today is our final entry. We went to church this morning and went through a grueling Sunday school with the adults. We had to go with them because they are starting to put a ceiling in the rest of the church. We got a lot of goodbyes from friends and then came home after the service was done. We then had our final meal at JB Porto. We came home, rested, packed up for the trip to Belem, and then had dinner.

TOM

How can I describe what happened last night? To say that the kids blessed our socks off would be an understatement. We were they’re honored guests. The Pan-Am games, was the theme of the night all the games and activities were centered around them. I medaled in the Little Piggy dance event. I’ll explain when I get home. There were gifts from the group and also from individuals. So much love. Also today after church was difficult with all the goodbyes. This afternoon I packed some pottery I bought for Sandy and then we watched the 3rd episode of Lord of the Rings. Tchao from CBA, and the adventure of a lifetime.

Jeremy

Last night was awesome hanging out with the youth group kids. We played games talked and I won a Gold Medal in the Pan-American Games. We then watched a slide show of the work we did and the times that we spent playing volleyball. Then this morning at church we said our final goodbyes to the kids that were at church and the adults. Then we went to JB Porto for lunch. And then we watched the return of the king. We are working on packing as we speak and we are getting ready to leave CBA for another year and spend a great day in Belem.

Tom
Looks like I’m batting leadoff tonight.Today was our last work day. We laid our brushes down at 4:30 for the last time. Then we gave Junior his gift, a Barcelona soccer shirt with his favorite players name on the back. We wrapped about 4 inches of duct tape thick around the bag it came in. It took quite a while to unwrap it. We finally played hearts last night. I had to teach everyone how to play. Jerry should be glad to hear that. Debbies not feeling well, you can pray that she’ll be better tomorrow. This trip was very unique in that we had more personel responsibility. We, Jack, Jer, and I all came up short to many times. Debbie is a tough task master. Hopefully we’ll come home better men because of her.

Jack

Today was our last day of work. Yay! We finished the cafeteria this afternoon. After we were done we gave Junior his thank you gift. It was a Soccer jersey of one of his favorite soccer players. We wrapped it in its shopping bag and then put duct tape around it (it’s a guy thing). Well All I can say was that the day went well.

Today was a wonderful day. We finished work today so that part of the trip is over. We know how have one more Saturday day morning kids club and one last meeting with the youth. We will then go to Belem for the day on Monday and then we will stay at the guest house and we leave on Tuesday.

Jack

Today was a good day. We got a lot done on the cafeteria. We now have all of the walls painted with at least one coat of paint and most of them have two.
After work today we played basket ball and soccer with the pastor’s kids. Tonight we will be playing Uno so pray for Debbie’s hand again.

Bye.

Jeremy
Today was fun . . . we got to sleep in a bit because we had prayer time in the morning. We painted the inside of the cafeteria. While I painted all the little small holes in the walls from the outside and I was in the sun, it was extremely hot. Then we went in for lunch and break time and then I spent the whole afternoon painting the holes as well. Jack and I played basketball with Junior and Luiz André until Junior had to leave and then Jack and I played soccer with Luiz André and Luiz Paulo. Then I made dinner which was macaroni and cheese and Hot Dogs. Now we are getting ready to play a game.

Tom

Hi! It‘s fun now that we know how to get your comments. Heads up for the Costa Rica team don’t forget the Shuey’s pretzels. They love them. Also, I wish I was going with you. Say hello to everyone for me and I’ll be praying for you guys. Highlight of the day- a monkey showed up on the back porch while we were having our team meeting this morning. He was after the bananas we had ripening there. We’re all starting to get anxious to come home. Miss you all.

Jack

Today is going to be a really long entry. I got on first so that I could get to the good stuff. Today was a vacation day for us. This morning we went on a boat trip to a new church on the river a ways. IT WAS AMAZING (the church and the trip there). This church was by far nicer than any church that I have seen so far in all of the time that I have been in Abaetetuba. After we finished looking at the church we went to a tile factory just a little ways up river. There the people showed us how they make the tiles and how the clay is processed. Then we met a young lady that makes clay fruit that looks so realistic that you could almost taste them in your mouth. She made other things to like a swan and a dog and a parrot and a giant shrimp. All of them hand sculpted and painted. After we left there we went to the house of the pastor’s mother in law. There we went swimming in the river and drank fresh coconut milk, right out of the coconut. The ride back was a little uncomfortable though. Because of the way that the wind was blowing, all of the spray that the boat was giving off (and believe me, there was a lot) was thrown right into our faces. Debbie, Jeremy, and I got soaked. After we got back, we took showers and ate lunch and then went to take a nice long nap. After our nap we went into town. When we got back we had dinner and then group devotions. After devotions Debbie had a surprise for us. (I just want to say right now that I am so sorry for all of you that have been giving us comments so faithfully (*cough*, Bruce) that we haven’t responded) Because Debbie went online and found all of the comments that you guys have posted for us. Somehow we managed to miss all of them until now. But boy was it awesome to get all of them in one shot. We will now be checking for comments (now that we know how) more often.

P.S. Thank you all for posting your comments and reading this blog. It is really encouraging to know. Tom HERE IT IS .THANKS FOR ALL YOUR COMMENTS It only took us 3 weeks to find them. The boat was totally different than other yrs. It was one of those long, low jobs with a big diesel motor. It really flew.The tide must have raised 5 feet in the time we were on the river.The swim was fun but you had to be careful because the tide was sneaky swift and we kept getting swept down stream. We spent the afternoon shopping,yuck. But we had to get gifts for Junior ,Guislene,Guisele 1 and Guisele 2.It went well especially after we found this really neat soccer shirt for Junior.

Jeremy
Well they covered just about everything. Thanks for the comments and keep praying. Jack is a BLog HOGGIE

Jack

Whoo-hoo.
Today we got most of the inside of the cafeteria painted. We got up and had a regular breakfast and got right to work. We got three walls and part of a forth done before the day was over. After work, Jeremy and I played monkey-in-the-middle with the pastor’s kids. But in true Brazilian fashion with a soccer ball and soccer rules. By the way, it poured today. Not the normal run-of-the-mill Brazilian shower mind you. We must have had twenty inches of rain come down on us in about 1 hour. It made giganto puddles everywhere. This made our soccer game that took place later a bit more interesting. We probably had the muddiest game in the recorded going of monkey-in-the-middle.

Tom Just after we started work this morning Junior grabbed my hand and dragged me outback by the jungle. He heard monkeys in the trees for the first time since we got here. They really took off high into the trees. The monkeys in Costa Rica are completely different. They challenge you and make a lot of noise. Debbie surprised us at supper with bacon and eggs. What a treat. I’m still waiting for E-mail from all my friends at MABC and others who are reading our daily blog. One way communication is no fun. Later chicos!

Jeremy
They pretty much covered everything. We worked and then had tons of fun with Pastor Luiz’s son Luiz Paulo and Luiz André. Jack and I played with them and we had a type of monkey in the middle going and it got pretty fun because we would go in to tackle the person for the ball and you would slip and fall. I went to kick the ball in the middle of a puddle and when I kicked I pulled a Charlie Brown and landed right on a root with my butt . . . it hurt. Debbie made bacon and eggs for dinner and it was delicious. Today was American food day because we also had Hamburgers and French fries for lunch, well today was a good day.

Jeremy
Today was a normal Sunday we slept in a little bit. Then we went to church and had Sunday school (which is how they do their church services in the Church) in the little children’s classroom because they are putting a roof underneath the tiles in the sanctuary to keep it cleaner and to look nice. The service was good, Debbie taught (because the pastor was at a conference all week) and Tom gave his testimony, which went well. We went to JB Porto for lunch and then we watched the Incredibles when we got back. Then Jack and I played soccer for about an hour and a half with pastor Luiz’s sons. Then when we went inside and it started to rain and thunder really hard and the power went out but its back on know. We had leftovers for dinner because nobody was hungry after JB Porto. And that pretty much wraps up our day we have devotions later on tonight and then back to a full week of work (Which is our last).

Jack

Today went well. We had to do church in one of the larger classrooms because the church is having a new ceiling put in. It was kind of cramped but we survived. Debbie taught Sunday school today. I could understand it better because she speaks more slowly than most Brazilians. The pastor asked her to teach because he only got back from a long trip early this morning. Jeremy and I got a heated soccer game going with Pastor Luiz’s sons. About 15 minutes after I got inside the power went out. It was out for a while and came back on at about 6:00. We had leftovers for supper and our devotions afterward. That was the day. Tom Today was a special day for me as Debbie asked me to speak about missions in church. I had a couple of days to prepare so I just laid it out before the Lord and meditated on my missions experience and he gave me all I needed to say. Devotions tonight went well as we’re studying the life of Christ. Only 2 more Port. classes. I’ve got top get studying as it’s hard to keep up with Jer and his photographic memory and Jack with his fluency in the language. I’m the dummy in the group. We just found out we may be going up the river on Tuesday with Junior. Hope that works out. Tutles from CBA.

Jack

Friday was a great day. We worked in the morning and took the afternoon off to prepare for the youth that would be coming. Jeremy and I shared our testimonies with the youth and a few of the other leaders give their testimonies after that. Afterwards we played a fun game. But they asked before game time was over if we could play hook tag. So we played that for a little while until snack time. Snack time consisted of Brazilian whoopee pies and soda. Everyone seemed to like the snack and Jeremy is now becoming a renowned cook. As we were eating it started to rain. It poured. So we played a game that everyone could play sitting down. It has a lot of rules so I won’t get into it. After that everyone went home.

Today was a Kid’s Club day so we prepared for club and brought the kids in at 9:30 a.m. The verse that we learned was Acts 1:8. And the lesson was about Pentecost, when God sent His Holy Spirit to indwell believers. Our game was a glorified version of tag.

Tom I’ve got to tell you about “ THE GREAT WHOOPEE PIE DEBACLE’ First let me say that Jeremias spent at least 8-10 hours on this double batch of WP. He was up til 11:30 pm baking. Then Debbie in her great wisdom gave us off Fri afternoon to finish the WPs and allow the boys to complete working on their testimonies. I decided to step in at this point to help Jer complete his task. We had about 70 cookies that had to be covered over nite (Thursday) so Jer put them on top of each other in a big plastic container. By Fri pm they had all melted together and we were running out of time. Jer pried a few off the top but the rest were a big brown blob. He used a spatula to break off hunks of pie and we laid them on waxed paper. Then it was time to make the frosting. We didn’t exactly have the same ingredients the recipe called for but this is the mission field and we made due. I had no idea that sugar and lard were the main ingredients. Anyhow they turned out great! The kids loved them. Jer’s a natural in the kitchen. Four hrs after we arrived here 3 weeks ago Jer knew every word in the Portuguese language that had to do with food. The boys did a GREAT job sharing their testimonies.

Jeremy
Friday night with the youth group was great. We played a modified tag game and then we played hook tag again because they liked it so much from last week. We then came back to the house and had whoopee pies and guarana (Brazilian soda pop). Then it started to rain and we played a game where everyone sits in a circle and somebody is in the middle and the person in the middle has a rolled up piece of newspaper and they call out names and the person has to tap the person whose name was called before they call someone else’s name and then they are in the middle . . . the kids enjoyed it. Then we slept in this morning and then we had kid’s club which was a blast. We played the same tag game with the kids as we did with the youth group. We rested in the afternoon until a bunch of the youth group kids came over and we played volleyball for about two and a half hours and then we came in and had sandwiches for dinner and now we are talking about what we will do for our fellowship night

Debbie

I’ve just read what the guys wrote and feel that you need to know a bit more about last night’s youth group meeting which was held here at the Bible Center. Both Jack & Jeremy gave their testimonies to the youth about what it means to them to have a relationship with the Lord. Earlier in the day both of them were writing out their testimonies. I must say that it was a great encouragement to me to see two young people thinking through what they will say that evening to encourage the Brazilian youth to have a strong relationship with the Lord. Jack and I worked on translating his testimony into Portuguese and I was very proud of him for finding the courage to speak to the youth in their own language. It really was a challenge as it is intimidating to get up in front of people in the first place let alone trying to share your heart in another language! The Lord really gave him what he needed to do the job! I translated for Jeremy who also spoke from the heart. Afterwards I challenged the young people to tell others about what the Lord has done and is doing in their lives. It’s the easiest way to share the gospel because the story is our own. After the challenge, two people from the group gave their testimony. We, as a team, were very encouraged that others participated with us. I’ve been told today that one of the youth, who doesn’t know the Lord and was visiting the group for the first time, really enjoyed herself immensely. Our time together consisted of singing praises, reading God’s Word, a devotional, testimonies, prayer, games and food. She stated that it’s the most fun she’s had in a long time. Please pray for Jordana that she’d return to youth group and that the Lord’s Word would penetrate her heart.

Jack

Today was a good day. We worked on the cafeteria this morning. We only have one more wall to paint and then we just have to do little stuff before we can move to the inside. Portuguese class was great today. We learned how to say the date and days of the week among other things. Then later this afternoon we got to play volley ball with Junior, Gizelle, and the other Gizelle. It was really fun. Tom did sandwiches for lunch and we had Sonhos which means ‘’Dreams” for dessert. Dreams are a type of pastry that the Brazilians make similar to a custard filled doughnut.

Jeremy/Debbie

Sorry, you won’t be hearing from Jeremy today as he is presently up to his eyeballs in whoopie pie batter. He volunteered to make the dessert for the young people’s group tomorrow evening. It’s around 10:20 p.m. at the present time and he’s VERY tired and still has about a ½ hour to go yet. He told me to tell you that he agrees with what Jack has written above. I, Debbie, ask you to pray for Jack & Jeremy as they will be giving their testimony tomorrow evening to the young people. I’ve challenged them to be an encouragement by sharing what the Lord is doing in their lives. I enjoy listening to testimonies as it’s such a joy to hear what God is doing in someone else and encourages me as I know He is also working in me too.

The group is doing a great job. The exterior of my house looks wonderful and the exterior of the cafeteria/kitchen is shaping up too. Both buildings were looking pretty bad . . . but no longer! I’m so pleased to see how much they’ve done. What a blessing!

Tom’s up first tonight. Now that I KNOW SOMEBODY’S reading this thing I think I’ll write more. I just finished my Port homework. The rest of the crew is playing Uno so I thought I’d make a few comments. The painting is moving right along. We’re now on the dining hall/kitchen area. It’s rained some nearly every day, usually late afternoon, so it’s never disrupted our work T hat airport is where we had our 10 hr layover before we flew to Belem. We don’t see the news much so I didn’t even know about it. The boy’s must work on their testimonies before Fri nights youth group meeting and I must prepare mine for the Sunday service .Debbie is teaching the Sunday school lesson as the preacher is out of town at a Pastors conference.

Jack
Today was a normal day without accidents. We started working on the cafeteria right away today. We finished one whole side of it and got a lot of the other sides well on their way. Tonight we played Uno and Fast Uno. Fast Uno is like Uno but with different rules. Debbie is asking for prayer for her hand because one of the rules in the game is to slap certain cards and give a penalty to the last person to have their hand down. On Friday we will be having the youth group over again and we will be making whoopee pies for the snack. The Brazilians have never had this snack so it should be an interesting experience for them. Well Until next time.

Jeremy
Today was a normal day. We had no accidents and we had prayer time in the morning that lasted until around ten o’clock then we worked, painted the cafeteria. For lunch we had leftovers and a pasta and meat dish. I took a nap for break and then we went back to painting the cafeteria for the afternoon. We did that till five then Junior, Jack and I played soccer for a half hour and then it rained, so we stopped. I took a shower and then I made dinner which was a potato and beef hamburger helper thingy and instant mash potatoes. We played uno after dinner and now I am muito cansado (which is very tired).