August 1

Greetings from Brazil!!!

Our team arrived safe and sound yesterday after 13 hours in the air and 2 hours on the bus. A few bags are missing but we hope to see them by tomorrow. We were able to spend time with the children during the afternoon, for supper and at a special service during the evening. We are all touched by their open affection and welcome! The Extreme Makeover has begun - today we got started putting on a roof and repainting the dining hall inside and out. Thank you for your prayers! Here are some pictures from the first couple of days.

August 2

Our Work Continues!

Today we were back at work on the roof and with the painting. The children seem intrigued by our efforts. We were thrilled to hear today that an official in nearby Campinas (population 1 million) has granted us a permit to conduct an outreach program at the Hippy Mart this Saturday! More pictures!

August 3

Gloria Deus!

It's been an incredible 24 hours! Lorrae and Genine have been sharing their stories with the teenage girls at the orphanage and two girls have now invited Christ into their hearts! Gloria Deus!

Today we sent a team to the regional hospital in the nearby town of Jaguarunia. The hospital administrator gave us a very warm welcome and personally escorted us around several departments as we sang worship songs in Portuguese. They are looking forward to our return next year.

The men on the team met with a Christian alderman and other Christian officials from the City of Campinas. We held a short service with a message from Pastor Gordon and a time of sharing and prayer in their offices. We were all encouraged by this exchange! We later met with Pastor Paulo Feire at the Assembly of God in Campinas for a presentation about a special school that we will visit next week.

Our work at the orphanage also continued today. We've almost completed the addition of two rooms to the boys dorm.

This evening our team conducted a special service at the orphanage including singing, drama and puppetry. Many of your gifts and donations were given to the children tonight. They are overwhelmed by your kindness and generosity!

We are encouraged by all that God is doing here! Hopefully we can post more pictures tomorrow.

August 4

Campinas

Our day began early with an outreach program at the Hippy Mart (similar to Olympic Plaza in Calgary with lots of market stalls) in the city of Campinas. An outdoor sound system helped carry our singing and testimonies to the hundreds of people in the complex. Many gathered to watch our dramas. Our team of translators helped us talk to individuals and families in the crowd, sharing testimonies and praying with some. Several Christian Brazilians approached us with a word of encouragement.

In the afternoon, we joined with a Nazarene church team at a prison for boys. We were allowed to keep our Bibles but everything else including belts and jewelry were left in the car. We gave three 1-hour presentations of dramas, singing and testimonies to about 3 dozen boys. They sang some Christian songs with great enthusiasm! It was hard to see these young lives in this situation but we are encouraged by the weekly visits of the Nazarene team whose goal is to have every boy leave the prison knowing the Lord. Steve and Gord were able to pray with one 9-year-old boy with a very tragic story. We are thankful that God is a bright light in this darkness.

In the evening, we attended a Portuguese church service where once again we were able to share our message with testimonies, drama and singing. Although we didn't understand much of the Portuguese sermon we did appreciate joining them for communion and hospitality after the service.

As we got 'home' at midnight we were thinking that we didn't have any time with the children today.

Thank you for following our reports on this web page - apparently there have been more than 300 visitors since we left. It is a real blessing to know that your thoughts and prayers are with us. Questions or messages for the team can be emailed to team@bmtn.org .

Hopefully we can post more pictures later today.

August 5

Domingo

Sunday started off as a day of rest. In the evening, a small team went to a large Assembly of God church in Campinas where Gord brought a message. A larger team was scheduled to participate in the service at another church but our guide took us to the 'wrong' church. God is amazing! We arrived there after the service had begun but were warmly welcomed. After one testimony and a skit we were invited to continue with a full presentation of dramas, singing and sharing. It was obviously a great blessing to this congregation and we felt the presence of the Lord. We look foward to other 'surprises' God has for us this week!

August 6

School in the Slum

Today, we visited a school recently established in the middle of a slum by a group of local churches. Travis Lacey is very involved in this ministry. The children loved our dramas, singing and stories! After a lunch of rice and beans we divided into four teams - one laid some donated sod beside the school while the others visited about 12 families in their homes. This slum is controlled by drug lords and the people live in fear of them. Conditions are heart-breaking - 1 or 2 room homes built from concrete and old plywood with a metal roof. Amidst it all the people are amazed that we would travel so far to bring them our message of hope. We were encouraged when visiting one home where a Christian mother and her 14 year old daughter greeted us by saying "I don't know you but I love you". She brought out her Bible, shared some verses and prayed with us. To see their faith in such desperate conditions is an example we will always remember. This school will help to bring light to a place that is very dark.

Thank you for your continued prayers and for your email messages. Your support is a great encouragement to us all. We are halfway through our time here and there is still much to do.

Here at last are some pictures from the last few days.

August 7

Public School and Downs Syndrome Center

Today started with a presentation at a public school in Campinas. Last year's team visited this school and since then the Principal has come to know the Lord. About 150 children watched our skits, stories and singing. We're looking forward to returning next year. In the afternoon, we visited a Downs Syndrome support center where we provided puppetry and singing to about 3 dozen individuals ranging in age from infants to age 55. Our construction team is working hard to complete all of our projects before we leave.

August 8

Another Busy Day

It was another busy day. The construction team got a lot accomplished! One other team visited a hospital in Campinas and a third team visited two public schools. The hospital team were able to sing and use the puppets in the lobby and in the emergency, pediatric and cancer units. The children joined in the singing and learned "Jesus Loves Me" in English. Several men and women approached us asking for prayer. The school team made two 45-minute presentations to about 200 attentive students at the first school. Once again they expressed surprise that we had come all the way from Canada to meet with them. A few students made a point of coming up after the presentations to tell us which church they attended. There was also an opportunity to pray for two Christian teachers at that school. At the second school we made one presentation to about 150 more lively students who later asked the team for autographs. This evening we were all able to get together for pizza. Hopefully we will have more pictures tomorrow.

August 9

Teen Challenge

This morning a team visited a nearby prison for boys. Paul van Opstal (Lar Feliz Pastor) delivered the message and our team gave their testimonies and performed skits. We had an opportunity to pray with the staff and boys and a number of boys made decisions for Christ. We were able to play soccer with the boys. Construction work at the orphanage continues with just a few things left to complete. In the evening our team visited the Teen Challenge recovery center for men. We were given a very warm welcome and were amazed at the passion expressed in their singing. Our team shared testimonies and dramas. Three men from the center shared testimonies and their closing song was something we won't forget.

August 10

Nazarene Youth Event

We spent our day at Lar Feliz working on various projects and spending time with the children. In the evening we travelled to nearby Paulinias to participate in a youth event with about 50 youth from the Nazarene church. The evening was led by the youth with Claire acting as the MC and Kurtis delivering the message. We were able to share our testimonies and present several dramas. The music was excellent and we all enjoyed worshipping together.

August 11

Back to the School in the Slum

We returned to the school in the slum and presented our testimonies, dramas and puppets to a new group of students. In the afternoon we assisted with a mobile medical and dental clinic at the school and were able to visit some families in their homes. Some of our team joined the Lar Feliz children at a gospel concert. In the evening Paul and Jill invited us all to their home for dessert.

August 12

Sunday Services

A small team met to sing outside a Catholic church at 8am. Another group attended services at an Assembly of God church. The afternoon was spent with the children at Lar Feliz. Steve and others built a gaga ball frame - tomorrow we will show the kids how it works. In the evening we attended Pastor Paul's church to present our dramas and testimonies and to celebrate Fathers' Day. Gord gave the message and the fathers on our team shared their thoughts about being a father.

August 13

Lar Feliz

We spent the day at the orphanage - completing last minute painting and construction. In the evening we met as a team for a bbq, Brazilian style. Here are some pictures from our last few days.

August 14

Our Last Day in Brazil

We completed our packing and cleaning, purchased souvenirs and spent some last minutes with the children. We leave Brazil confident that God has used us far beyond our own expectations. The hundreds of people we encountered and our many individual experiences leave us forever changed.