Ready to be stretched...

It's been over a month since my last update and there are a few exciting things that have happened in that time. In the middle of March, I graduated from a Leadership Course that I took the second half of last year. This course is essential for all who want to become cell group leaders and grow in the ministry here. It was a 5 month course with topics of Evangelism, New Creation, Christian Family and MDA vision (the discipleship and cell group system used in the PAZ churches). It was an excellent way to get even more involved with the work here in Santarém. Another big announcement is that I am now officially a cell group leader! I am very excited to have a cell group in my home now of all young girls!!! This has been my heart's desire for sometime now and it is very satisfying to see God bringing it to fruition. Also, becoming leader of this group has given me the privilege to have 2 more disciples. I now will be discipling 3 young ladies =). God is faithful!!!

Wednesday a team from ORU will be arriving and I will be very involved during their stay of almost a month. Our PAZ guesthouse hosts are currently on furlough so there is a group of us that are going to be helping a lot with the teams that will be arriving in the next several months. God is going to be stretching me for sure. With the arrival of the ORU team, I am going to be used a lot for translation during services. Sometimes this will include using a translator set and translating the church service for the team and other times it will include being up front as a team member shares a testimony or preaches. This will be a stretch for me in so many ways. I know the Lord will give me the strength to do this and I count on your prayers to hold me up during the next several weeks. Saturday and Sunday I will be translating for the ORU team during the youth/young adult service and Sunday during the main service. Sunday evening around 7pm we will be leaving on a boat trip to Vista Alegre which is located on the Maró River. It is a 20 hour boat trip from Santarém so we will have a lot of time to get to know each other and to rest up for our work. It looks like our main job will be to pour the floor of the church and also participate in cell group and any services they have while we are there. I will be the main translator for any house visits and church services. Once again God taking me out of my comfort zone! We will be back in Santarém on Saturday morning the 21st. The team will travel again but I will stay in Santarém getting ready for our summer interns to arrive at the beginning of June. On June 27th, I will lead the team to the city of Parintins (I went last year with the ORU team). We will spend about a week there helping the church and being involved in different ministry opportunities. As soon as we get back from Parintins, the interns will be here in Santarém ready to start the 2011 internship. I will try to get a blog update out between the trip to Vista Alegre and Parintins and again after Parintins before I run off with the interns haha!

Thank you so much for your prayers and financial support! I could not be here realizing God's call on my life without each of you. May God bless and keep you and yours!

Some pictures from my graduation:

Waiting for our names to be called

Receiving my certificate with my Pastor

Me!

With my friend, Darlen

My class and our teachers and pastors

Exhausting but incredible...

I think I have finally recovered from the two camps I worked at and participated in. The last camp I went to left me with a week long cold and completely wiped out for days but the time I had at both camps was incredible. February 24-27th I had the amazing opportunity to be a counselor for AcampTEEN (adolescents camp). There were over 400 youth that participated. I had a cabin of 9 amazing girls and my assistant counselor. God really blessed me with a great group of girls that didn't cause any problems and were very obedient! I was able to build some relationships with some very precious young girls and able to invest in their spiritual growth. Ministry time was amazing and I loved being able to just hug the girls and let them cry on my shoulder and pray with them. The presence of God was very real during the camp. One young girl gave her life to Jesus and I was with her to hug her and pray with her for over an hour as she sobbed. I felt like working at the camp showed me that my heart is truly for the youth. They are such a key part for the future of the church and the advancement of the Gospel in the world.

The following week, March 5th-9th I was able to participate in the Jovens camp. The camp was maxed out with over 500 participants. This time, I was able to relax and just soak in everything that God had to teach me and to do in my life. I was with my friends and made new friends as well. The theme of the camp was "Intimacy with God" and I can truly say that the presence of God was extremely present during this camp as well. God ministered to my heart so much in the 5 days that I was at the camp. It blessed me so much to see Him working in the lives of so many youth and young adults. God truly is doing something supernatural in the Amazon Basin. The youth here are hungry for God and to live in holiness and purity before Him. This is something so rare in the lives of so many Christians anymore and it is a tragedy.

Another post will be coming soon...stay tuned...

Prayer requests:

- Driving lessons...I am learning how to drive a standard car. Please pray for safety and that I would learn how to drive well.

- Car...I am believing for the Lord to provide a car for me within the next couple of months. Public transportation is getting more dangerous and also expensive as many days I have to go to several different places.

- Finances...Believing for the Lord to continue to increase my monthly support.

- Health...For the Lord to keep me healthy and free from all sickness.

Enjoy a few pictures from the AcampTEEN and Acamp2011:

First night with some of my campers

Adolescents praising the Lord!

Gleice, Iza and I

Cabin 1!!!

Jovens camp

With one of my best friends Hanna on the last night of camp

Karol and Manu from my cabin

Camp x 2...

I have been back in Brazil for almost 2 months now and a blog update is way over due! Some of you may remember that my first month back was filled with 2 conferences. Both were for leaders in the mission and the church. The first conference was out at our camp and was a wonderful time where I helped serve each day in the snack bar and I loved it :)! The second conference was 3 weeks long and was a training on how to pray with people about past sins, issues, etc so they can experience true freedom in Christ. It was an exhausting 3 weeks but the teaching was so good. Since then, I was able to get back into the swing of things with my "normal" ministry. I started working with the adolescents at church every Thursday night, am getting more involved in cell group ministry and discipleship and currently revamping our intern program which I coordinate. This year I will have the help of a fellow missionary, Micah, as we seek to make a truly life-changing 2 month program. If you would like to see the blog Micah set up, go to www.thepazexperience.wordpress.com. We plan to have the interns blog during their time here so that future interns can see what the program is straight from people who have experienced it.

The next couple of weeks will be pretty crazy as we have our two youth camps happening. AcampTeen, which is our adolescent camp (ages 12-18), begins on Thursday evening. For this camp, I will be going for the first time as a counselor. I will be in a cabin with 10 teenage girls and will be responsible, along with another counselor, to do devotions and spend Thursday - Sunday with them. Most of the girls will be younger because our other camp is for older youth and once most of them get to 15 they go to the other camp. Please pray that the Lord will use me in the lives of these young girls. Also, pray for all of the adolescents that God would be moving in their lives and preparing their hearts for this time away with Him. I know we are going to have a lot of fun and that God is going to do great things.

Returning from AcampTeen, I will most likely need a couple of days to recuperate from waking up at 5am and not sleeping until really late haha. The next Saturday, March 5th, I will be going to Acamp2011, which is the "jovens" camp. The age range at this camp is anywhere from 15 til ??? Basically, there is no age limit. It is kind of like youth and young adults/singles mixed together. Anyways, this time I will be participating and just soaking in the ministry time and having fun with all of my friends. I will be in a cabin with some of my best girlfriends and I am looking forward to 5 days of fun and fellowship.

One thing to note is that the Jovens camp is held during the holiday of Carnaval. Camp is used as an alternative to the parties and such that will be going on all over the city of Santarem and country of Brazil. Carnaval translated means "flesh party" and it is very true to its meaning. Please pray that people will come to know the Lord during this time and pray for God's mercy here in Brazil.

Thank you so much for your prayers and constant support. Look for a blog update in a couple of weeks all about AcampTEEN and Acamp2011.

Here is a link to a video for AcampTEEN: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cV0qjjIVJaM

Here is a link to a video for Acamp2011: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdS9dXjfTeY

*They are in Portuguese but it will give you an idea of where I will be going :)

If home is where the heart is...

...then I have more than one home. I am currently in the Atlanta airport waiting for my next flight in my journey "home"to Brazil while earlier this morning I left my "other home" in Virginia. One "home" means family and friends who have been apart of my life for a long time, comforts and conveniences of the US and being in my culture of birth. My other "home" means another type of "family" and friends including my fellow missionaries and the Brazilians I have come to know and love, a different culture and people in which I find myself often more comfortable with than my own and the place God has called me to be to share the love and saving power of the Gospel!

I am coming back from almost 2 months of a furlough that has been such an incredible blessing in my life. I can truly say I took advantage of the time I had to reconnect with friends and family and to also make new friends. The Lord opened the doors for me to speak at a few different churches and to some different groups of people. My previous entry was about my first month of furlough so I want to catch you up briefly on the second month.

In December, I was able to make a trip to Liberty University to spend a couple of days with my sister at her apartment and get to know her school and some of her friends. I was also able to spend some precious time with so many extended family members and to reconnect with friends that I haven't seen in years.

I was blessed to be able to share at Igreja das Nações Unidas a Brazilian church in Richmond. My parents were amazed at how while speaking in English at some of the American churches I seemed a tad nervous but at the Brazilian church speaking in Portuguese for over 20 minutes I transformed into a totally different person. I think I am Brazilian at heart :). I was also able to share at Calvary Chapel in Richmond, a church my family was a part of for a few years. It was so nice to see old friends and be encouraged by the body of Christ. An old friend of mine from high school invited me to share with the youth at her church which was a surprise invitation but was proof once again of God being faithful and opening up doors.

The second half of December, I was busy spending lots of time with my family. We were able to take a family vacation to NYC and boy did we have fun. God even showed us favor with the weather. It was cold for sure but each day was sunny. We didn't have a drop of rain or snow which was such a blessing. All of the snow came after we left and just in time for us to have a "white Christmas". I am so thankful to God for my family and the time I was able to spend with them in the past couple of week. Saying goodbye was definitely hard but skype will help us get through :). Now it is their turn to visit me in Brazil (and anyone else who wants to come just let me know).

Please keep me in your prayers as I continue my journey back to Brazil and get back into the swing of things. A couple of days after I get back, I will be participating in a leadership conference for about 5 days out at our camp and then will jump into a 3 week training for deliverance.

As the new year begins, please consider how you can be a part of the work in the Amazon by supporting me with a one time gift or regular support. May God bless each of you in this new year of 2011 and may it be the best year yet for you and your loved ones.

Some pictures...

With Erin and her Christmas tree @ school

Pastor Geriel introducing me to share

With some special ladies from Calvary Chapel

In Little Italy, NYC

Lady Liberty

Helring ladies at Rockefeller Center

On the ferry from the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island

Sisters in Central Park

Don't see this in the Amazon ;)

With my Grandmere

Twins...we love Brazil!

US Trip Part 1

I cannot believe that I have been in the US for almost a month already. The time is flying and I am sure that has to do with the fact that I have been quite busy so far. I would like to share briefly some of the highlights of my trip and a few photos to go along. Some of my time has been spent just resting and refocusing for next year and the work God has in store for me in Brazil. I spent a week in FL which was absolutely amazing. For those who don't know, I lived in southern FL over 10 years ago and this was my first time back in as long. It was such a wonderful time to catch up with old family friends and to be able to share in person about the work God has called me to in the Amazon. While in FL, I was also able to participate in a conference in which I was trained as a prayer counselor. It was such a special time as I was not only trained but also ministered to. I am very excited to be able to use this training as I minister to young girls in Brazil. After coming back from FL, I was given the wonderful opportunity to share at Mount Pleasant Baptist Church (my home church) about the work in Brazil. God was very faithful and I know He is and will be opening doors for prayer and financial support. This past week, I have been busy spending time with my family getting ready for Thanksgiving, shopping and all those sorts of things. I truly treasure the time I have with them because soon I will be heading back to Brazil. Here are some pictures of my trip so far:

Gotta take advantage of the yummy food :)

Retreat

Sharing at Mount Pleasant

Sisters on Thanksgiving

Ready for Thanksgiving!

Thank you so much for all of your prayers and support. I need to boost my monthly financial support and ask for each of you to prayerfully consider joining with me on a regular basis as a financial partner. There is a link on my blog to give online or you can go to www.projectamazon.org for more information on how to give. Blessings to all of you especially during this Holiday season!

Here we go...

The past month has been a whirlwind. My dear friend and soon to be fellow missionary, Rachel, stayed with me for about 3 weeks. We were short term missionaries together at PAZ in 2007 and since then she has come to visit twice. Lord willing, she will be returning in 2011 to work full time with PAZ. We had a great time visiting and doing all sorts of fun things during her stay.

Next week, I will be participating in the 10th annual MDA Conference here at the local PAZ church. This is a conference that draws pastors and leaders from all over Brazil to Santarém. I participated two years ago and am very excited to participate this year. The conference will focus on the discipleship and cell group model that our church uses. It is primarily to train leaders to be more effective in their cell group ministry. We even have a speaker from the US, Ralph Neighbour coming to speak. In a few short days, Santarém will be filled with people from all over Brazil who are hungry for God.

Some other news that you may or may not know is that I will be in the US from November 4th thru January 1st. I will be using these 2 months as a time to share with as many churches, groups, people as I can about the ministry here in Brazil in an effort to raise more monthly support. If you know of anyone who may be interested please let me know as I am working on a tentative schedule for any speaking engagements or visits. I will be making a trip to Florida November 10 - 17th to visit friends and participate in a workshop. I would love to see as many of you as possible during my trip. Also, I would really like to keep my expenses during my trip as low as possible. If anyone knows of a car I can use while I am in Virginia so that I can be flexible to make visits, etc... please let me know as soon as possible. Also, I will be flying to Fort Myers, FL and would like a vehicle to drive while in FL. Any help in finding or borrowing a vehicle would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you so much to each of you who take the time to read my blog, pray for me and to those of you who support me financially. If it weren't for your participation, none of this would be possible. May the Lord bless and keep each one of you!

See you soon!

My Field Trip to...

São Paulo. Most of you have heard of São Paulo and know that it is one of the largest cities in the world. I am not talking about that São Paulo though but rather a community located about an hour and a half outside of Santarém. A few weeks ago, I set out on a field trip with classmates from my church leadership class to put into practice what we were learning in the classroom. We had several different things going on in the community from dental and medical clinics to children's activities to home visits and evangelism and even haircuts for the men. I was able to work with the children and also take some pictures of the different activities. I started by visiting several homes inviting children to come join in the activities and then I worked alongside one of my classmates ministering to the children. A few children prayed to receive Jesus in their hearts' for the first time. The groups that made home visits also reported several decisions for Jesus! It was a wonderful day hanging out with my classmates and serving the Lord. Here are a few pictures from the day:

Our children's group!

Isaura, head of our mission health team, explains the health clinic

Painting faces!

Precious!

Fellow classmate giving some haircuts!

Our group in front of the bus used for the dental clinic!

I would like to ask for prayers for a couple of different things. First, I am going to be opening a group for young adults on Saturday evenings in my home. The group is evangelistic and the purpose is to eventually become a cell group. Pray for the Lord to use me and that the hearts of each one who participates will be open to the word of the Lord. Second, one of my roles in the mission is team support when we have teams from US or Canada. This next year, I will be even more involved because our guest house hosts will be taking an extended furlough during our busiest team season. I was given the challenge to learn how to drive a stick shift and not only a stick shift but our mission van called a Kombi. I am very nervous about driving here as traffic can be crazy with motorcycles, bikes and pedestrians and also bad road conditions. Please pray for the Lord's protection over me as I learn and that I will learn quickly. Here is what I will be driving:

Can you picture me driving this??? haha!

Blessings!