Uquena (round 2), Congresso da Paz and more

A couple of weeks ago, I participated in a 2 day trip to PAZ's camp to help control the erosion at the beach and then back to the community of Uquena. Joining with fellow missionaries, Isaiah & Erin, Betty and Katie, we led a team from California and our 3 summer interns to do construction, children's programs and health clinics. The first 2 days, I worked in the health clinic translating for a doctor and physician's assistant. It was nice to have a change of pace and I really do enjoy translating. We saw a little boy that had a broken arm for several days and the team was able to get him set up with a sling to help until he could get to the city the next day. The last 2 days of the trip I led a team of young people in working in the local schoolhouse. In the morning we worked with children around 5 years old and in the afternoon with children ranging from 6-12. We put our brains together and came up with some lessons based off of crafts that one of the young girls prepared. One lesson we did how we are fearfully and wonderfully made and the children decorated their names. The other lesson we did was about the Lord being our Shepherd. The children made little sheep. Two of the evenings we did services and I was able to translate testimonies for a few team members. I praise the Lord constantly for the supernatural ability He has given me to speak Portuguese. To His glory, I have received numerous compliments on my Portuguese from Brazilians. It really is a blessing. The trip was wonderful and many people gave their lives to the Lord. This community has definitely grown a fond spot in my heart. It looks like I will be returning once again at the end of this month with another team.

July 2nd, 3rd and 4th was our annual Congresso da Paz. This is an evangelistic crusade held in our local soccer stadium. There were many healed and saved this year!!! Praise the Lord! For a more detailed story about this years Congresso, follow this link: Congresso da PAZ

Since the Congresso, I have been working on organizing and scheduling activities for Rebecca, Caroline and Corrine (summer interns), getting back involved with my cell group and church. I recently started a 5 month leadership course at church that meets every Thursday night. I am enjoying the course and excited about getting more involved. I am also very excited to have my FIRST family member visiting. My cousin Emmaline arrived yesterday to spend 3 weeks here with me. The next 3 weeks should be packed with working at camp, a boat trip and lots of adventure.

Quick story: For my class at church, we had a homework assignment to share the Gospel with someone using a bracelet with different colored beads that explain salvation. I was asked to share at a missionary kid's cell group with about 8-10 kids ranging in age from 5-12 or so. I shared and at the end had them bow their heads to give them the opportunity to ask Jesus into their hearts. Praise the Lord, every single one raised their hand to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior! God is good!

Thank you all for reading and praying! I appreciate you and would love to know how I can pray for you. Please feel free to leave a comment or email me with any prayer requests. Now enjoy some picture from the last few weeks!

The interns and me :)

Rebecca and I working out at camp

Translating for the health clinic

Precious

Let's go Brazil! In the middle of nowhere watching the World Cup using a generator...sooo much fun...and they won this game :)

Our home for about 4 days

With the younger children

With the older children

Two precious little boys!

Aline

Me and the local teacher

I love the kids!

Our team!

Hundreds giving their lives to Jesus

Big theatrical piece about the life of Joseph at the Congresso

Uquena, World Cup and more

A little over a week ago, I returned from a river trip with a team from Journey Fellowship in LA and several others to the community of Uquena, located on the Tapajós River. This village has a population of around 200. We had the job of getting the foundation of the church made and starting the brick work. It was several days of very hard work in the blazing Amazon heat but it was all for Jesus and His kingdom. Since I am not very strong my jobs on the construction site were easier but it was still hard work for me. I helped unload hundreds of bricks from our boat to take to shore, worked with rebar, shoveled a bit, broke bricks in half and made the runs to get the afternoon snacks for the team :). During the construction work, there was also children's programs going on with a fellow missionary, two of our summer interns and a personal guest of a missionary. Two evenings, we were able to hold services in the community. Team members shared testimonies and one evening a team member preached. The second service we held, I was able to translate for the two team members who gave their testimonies. The power went out right at the beginning which was interesting but calmed the nerves of all of us in front :). What used to be a huge fear for me (being in front translating), is slowly becoming familiar and I am enjoying it more. I am happy to see the Lord using me in this aspect. The second service, 3 adults gave their lives to the Lord and during the week around 30 children made decisions as well. It was such a blessing to travel with this team and also to visit this community. The body of Christ is growing and it is so exciting to meet more brothers and sisters from different places and walks of life.

On a different note, at the community we were able to see a couple of monkeys and there was even one monkey who rode around on a dog's back. I didn't believe until I saw it!

Here are some pictures from the trip to Uquena:

The work begins!

Samuel, Angelica and Aline

One of my favorite things!

With the local workers' daughter, Adara

Translating for Kathy

Translating for Malachi

A group shot

Ready for alligator hunting with my kid's life jacket :)

Breaking bricks

This young lady accepted Christ while we were visiting.

Cooling off in the cold stream!

Catching a ride :)

Love it!

The good life!

In other news, it is WORLD CUP time!!! As most of you know, I live in football (soccer) country and oh how exciting it is at a time like this. Brazil has won 5 World Cup titles and is looking for #6! I never was a big fan of soccer growing up but there is something so exciting about watching the Brazil team. I think it is the passion of the Brazilian people. I have my Brazilian flag flying, my green, blue and yellow T-shirts and my noise makers for the games. Here everything shuts down during the games...literally. There is not a car, bus, bike, motorcycle or person on the street during the game. It is a ghost town until Brazil makes a goal and off go the firecrackers and noisemakers. As soon as the game is over everyone is back on the street and with the past two games being wins for Brazil the celebrations go on for hours. I love it! Go Brazil (and USA haha)!!! I pray that the passion that the brazilian people feel for soccer would translate into their spiritual lives and they would have that same excitement and passion for the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ! Amen!

Well, all 3 of our PAZ summer interns have arrived and are staying with me. The next month and a half will be filled with boat trips, work days, ministry and of course fun. Please pray for this time for strength for me physically, emotionally and spiritually. Always on the go can be draining but then so rewarding.

I don't talk about this often but I would like to encourage you to pray about joining in the ministry here in the Amazon by partnering with me on a monthly or quarterly basis. Even if you can only help with a one time gift right now that is a seed being planted. My monthly expenses are a little higher than before because I have my own place now and I really need more support to be able to continue strong here in Brazil. Thank you so much for those who already have or are currently supporting me in prayer and financially. It is a huge blessing and an investment in the lives of the people here.

Blessings!

Claire

Trip to Parintins -- conquering fear and growing in ministry!

So my latest missionary adventure was to the island city of Parintins situated on the Amazon River. 3 years ago as a short term missionary with Project AmaZon, I went as part of a team to Parintins and I loved it. I made some great friends in 2007 and was very eager to get back to work and see everyone. This time around, the trip would be slightly different. I would lead my first team by myself and praise the Lord everyone came back in one piece :). Leading the team from ORU was such a privilege and a lot of fun because they are in my age range (at least that is what I tell myself...not ready to admit that I am almost 25!) We arrived in Parintins to 2 brazilian families who have only been in the city themselves for 2 months but they were the perfect example of true servants. I cannot truly express my gratitude for everything they did for us. During our stay, we worked mostly at the church's campgrounds painting the dorms and a new kitchen. The team was also able to minister in 2 Sunday services in the city, one youth service and one service in a smaller city called Vila Amazonia. For the first Sunday service, we had an American missionary translate one of the team member's (Peter) sermon so I only had to get up in front and introduce the team and their skit. Just from this short time in front, I was shaky with nerves. I have never been a fan of talking in front or being the center of attention. Little did I know that God was about to break me out of my shell and help me overcome fear and cause me to grow. The American missionary (Angie) became ill while we were in the city and I was needed to translate 3 services up in front of everyone. Listening in English and translating into Portuguese for the brazilians! I prayed beforehand that God would give me a clear mind to think and also calm my nerves. Praise the Lord I did not get shaky and my mouth didn't get all dry and sticky (ha). There were a couple moments where my mind went blank but overall it went very smoothly. Now I know that I am capable. Sometimes we need that extra push to step up and grow. Once again, I will end this post with pictures of my time. I don't have any of the painting because other people got those and I haven't had a chance to get those pictures yet.

In other news, 2 of the summer interns have arrived, Caroline and Rebecca. They are living with me for two months. Please pray for us and the team heading out to the river community of Uquena. We will be starting a church building and doing children's ministry. We leave Sunday afternoon and return on Thursday evening...stay tuned...

Now for the pictures...

Chico, the monkey out at camp :)

Me with Pastor Samuel and his wife Fatima

The family I stayed with (L-R) Ana Cristina, Ana Rosa, me, Kleber and Ana Beatriz

Kleber opening up a pod that has a kind of nut inside it. This grows in a tree and when it is ready the bottom falls out.

Lunch time at camp!

Translating Maria's testimony at the youth service

Apparently a little nervous here ;)

Service in Vila Amazonia

Leaving the vila on the barge to go back to Parintins

Translating for Peter at the Sunday service

Group of friends!

Very special friends!

Blessings!

Claire

Youth Encounter was Tremendo (Tremendous)!!!!

Last weekend, I worked the Youth Encounter that I talked about in my previous post. Although very tiring, the weekend was a success and all glory be to Him who sits on the throne! Lately, I have been feeling so completely humbled, honored and blessed to be a part of God's kingdom and His work in Brazil. The count of youth on the retreat was over 200 with about 130 being girls! We had our hands full :). Over the weekend, I did a little bit of everything. On Friday afternoon, before the youth arrived, I helped in the kitchen cutting lots of onions (crying was involved haha) and then later cutting the fat off of huge slabs of beef (gross...all for Jesus, right?). Over the remainder of the weekend, my roles included washing lots and lots of dishes, translating for our awesome ORU Team that was such a huge blessing and prayer & ministry support. I was able to pray with several young girls over the weekend which was a real encouragement for me. I am amazed and saddened by how much people of such a young age have already experienced of bad in this world. Lots of hurts to be ministered to. At the end of the weekend, we had a water baptism for the girls who wanted to be baptized. There were so many girls that several of us workers had to help in baptizing them. I was so excited to get to baptize some of these young girls. One of the girls is a part of the children's cell group that meets where my cell group meets and I was so privileged to be able to baptize her. An exciting part of the weekend is returning for the 7pm service at church on Sunday. Everyone was decked out in the Brazil colors (world cup is coming soon) and we went into the church singing and praising for all the Lord did over the weekend. Since a picture is worth a thousand words...here are some from the weekend...

Washing dishes :)

Girls session

Baptizing Renata

Yay!!!

Me with Tamires, a young girl I was able to pray with and also water baptize.

Arriving at the church!

Renata and me at church

O Encontro é Tremendo! (The Encounter is Tremendous!)

Well, I have to run and get packed. Tomorrow (Saturday), I leave with the team of 7 from ORU to go to Parintins. I will be back May 31st with many stories to tell. Please pray for our safety and for the Lord's work to be done!

Blessings!!!

Ready...Set...GOOO!!!

I feel that my life right now consists of getting ready for the next few months. Here at the mission, each of us have our times that are busier than others and mine is arriving. I am really excited for the next few months because it will involve a lot of hands on ministry (as opposed to behind the scenes stuff), meeting new people from the US and Brazil and seeing what God has in store. The specifics of what I will be involved is not completely decided yet but I hope to keep everyone informed regularly as I believe there will be many praise reports and blessings to report!

For now, we will just talk about what is coming up for me this month. This past week, I have been participating in daily prayer meetings at noon in preparation for an 'Encounter with God' weekend for adolescents. Some of you may remember that I worked one of these in November of 2008. I am so blessed and excited to be able to serve again. The Encounter will be held May 14-16 and I know that it will be an incredible weekend for these young people. Up until the day of The Encounter, my schedule is filled with prayer meetings, planning meetings and preparations. Please be in prayer for the safety and health of all the participants and workers, open hearts for the participants and a servant's attitude for all the workers. More to come when I return...

Next week, we have a team arriving from ORU. I will be involved with this team during The Encounter weekend and also toward the 22nd - 31st of May on a trip to Parintins, an island city along the Amazon. This trip is very exciting for me for a couple of reasons. First, when I came to Brazil as a short termer in May of 2007, I went to Parintins with a team from ORU. Since I was able to speak Portuguese fairly well at the time, I was able to make some great friends in the city. I will be returning exactly 3 years later and am beyond excited to see everyone. Second, this will be the first team and trip I will be leading alone (yikes). This trip is also different because we will not be taking one of our mission boats but will be traveling by line boat. I can't remember how long the trip is but I believe it is about 10-12 hours by boat. We will string our hammocks up and travel up the river. We will be doing a lot of evangelism on this trip. This trip will definitely be a stretch for me, as I will be leading, translating and be the main person responsible for the team. Please be in prayer for this trip that God would open up doors and opportunities for us in the local schools and wherever He leads. Also, as always, pray for protection and health.

Hopefully I can get an update done after The Encounter and before the trip to Parintins so I can keep these entries short and to the point :)

Blessings and please leave a comment below, email me or facebook message me if I can be praying for you about anything! I appreciate so much the prayers and financial support from each one.

Breaking down barriers...

On March 23rd, I set out on a trip with a team from Seacoast Church in South Carolina. We headed to the community Correio do Tapará on the Amazon River to work on the walls of their wooden church building. The local PAZ workers, Orivaldo and Vanda greeted us upon our arrival and soon after the work, physical and spiritual began. The community of Correio do Tapará is spread out and hás two clusters of homes. One cluster on one end and the other on the other end. The decision was made to build the church in the middle to be about the same distance for everyone. This caused some issues among several church members who wanted the church closer to their home. Please pray that this will not be a problem and that unity will be restored among the body of believers. We did not have a service our first night. On the second night, we held a service at the home of a local church member. I worked with the children along with Amie and Germaine of the Seacoast team. I helped translate as needed and we had a lot of fun playing games, face painting and sharing the Gospel message using a bracelet with different colored beads. On the third night, we traveled a little ways down river to the community Barreiras (meaning barriers). I only realized later the significance of this name. At the time of our visit, there were no Christians in the community. Talk about some barriers!? We went in with faith believing that would change. I worked with the children again and this time was able to share more candidly because of a smaller group. They listened attentively as I presented the Gospel. Three young girls (Adria, Mayra and Sílvia Helena) gave their lives to Jesus that night.

I was so happy to have played a small part in such an important moment in their lives. I found out the next day that one of the girls is the daughter of the president of the community of Barreiras and she gave her life to the Lord the day after the service. God is awesome! Our last night, we were able to have our service in the new church building! We did a program with the children in the afternoon to allow for everyone to participate in the evening service. Once again, we had a wonderful time playing and learning about our sins and the forgiveness of Jesus.

On the last morning, I was able to go evangelizing with fellow missionary, Betty and two of the Seacoast team members. We visited the home of an elderly couple with many health problems who had not made commitments to the Lord yet. Praise the Lord, after Betty’s presentation of the Gospel both accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. During the trip, 6 adults and 3 children came to know the Lord! What a blessing! This trip was incredible. I hope to return when the church building is inaugurated in September to see my friends.

I am also so thankful for the wonderful team from Seacoast Church. I made great new friends and look forward to seeing them again either in Brazil or stateside. I am truly blessed to be a part of the work God is doing in the Amazon Basin of Brazil. Those of you who support me in prayer or financially also are a part of this work. Please consider joining with me on a regular basis in prayer and financial support. These are very important for me to continue the Lord’s work here in Brazil.