Brazil 2010

Len and Diane Warden

Our journey in Brazil began several years ago when we met Len Warden at one of our church's annual missions conference. It was there that the seeds were planted for us to take a trip to Brazil in June of 2010.  Upon returning home, we began to pray for the people we met as well as an opportunity to return to Brazil.  Little did we know how quickly God planned to answer that prayer!  Jeremy returned in February 2011 with a team to minister to some Indian tribes in the Amazon jungle. Below is an account of our trip in June 2010.

Our Team to Brazil

Days one and two:  June 17^th-18^th

  
    Praise the Lord, all of the travel details went very smoothly.  Phillip, Jeremy’s brother, brought us to the airport in Atlanta around 5:00 PM on Thursday. We had the nicest man help check us in and getting through security was quick and easy.  We had time for a good dinner at TGIF.  Jeremy was concerned that we may not be able to eat very well on the trip, so he wanted to make sure to have a good “last American meal”. Needless to say we ate better in Brazil than we’ve ever eaten here!  Our flight was scheduled to leave at 9:35 P.M. and about 11:00 P.M we finally took off.  Other than the long wait, the flight went very smoothly.  We arrived in Sao Paulo about 9 A.M.  Getting through customs was very easy and after waiting a while for our luggage we met up with four of our team members.  From there we had to catch a flight to Belo Horizonte.  There was a computer glitch that caused a little delay, but we were able to still catch the flight and arrive on time.  Len, Diane, and Pastor Fernando Pedro picked us up from the airport in Belo Horizonte. We had a short drive to their house in Lagoa Santa (Holy Lake).   Everyone we met was so warm and welcoming and the country is absolutely beautiful.  I’ll never forget Fernando’s daughter running to greet us with a great big hug! We had a lovely lunch at Len and Diane’s.  A lady from their church cooked lunch for us each day we were there.   After lunch we were able to visit and rest a bit before the first English weekend. 
     I can not say enough about the effectiveness of the English Encounter Weekends. What a wonderful way to meet people and begin building relationships for Christ.  Everything was very well organized, overall very successful, and not to mention a lot of fun!  The weekend began with dinner and then a short welcome program.  We all introduced ourselves with an ice breaker game where you say your name and an adjective that begins with the same letter as your first name.  We were “Big Bonnie” and “Jumping Jeremy”.  It was a great way to learn everyone’s name and also introduce the Brazilians to some new English adjectives.  The theme of loyalty was also introduced.  It was interesting to see how this theme would unfold throughout the weekend and eventually lead to discussions about our loyalty to Christ. 

     We discussed synonyms of loyalty (faithful, devotion, allegiance, trustworthiness, constancy, reliability, fidelity, dependability, steadfastness).  We also defined antonyms and briefly discussed disloyalty.  We talked about what we are loyal to (family, friends, work, country, beliefs, sports teams, brand names, etc.)  Diane asked Jeremy to talk about the importance of loyalty at the fire department.  It was a powerful and effective example of the importance of loyalty. 

Virginia

     My roommate was Virginia and Jeremy’s was Higor.  Virginia speaks very little English so conversation could be a bit difficult, but we still had a great time.  She’s a nurse mid-wife.  Because of the limited English skills at this particular Encounter, Len and Diane choose for us not to formally share our testimonies, but God provided countless chances for us to share our stories.   Despite the limited English, the conversations were rich and we had great fellowship. The very first night I was able to share with Virginia about some of my physical struggles.  Her nursing background helped her understand and I was able to share with her how God has sustained me.  Jeremy and his roommate connected immediately.  Higor is 17 years old and they were two peas in a pod.  Frances, Higor’s mom, is an English teacher in the community and most of the participants at this first weekend were her students.   

Higor

Day 3, Saturday June 19^th

     Saturday begins with breakfast at 8:00 AM followed by a program at 9:00 AM.  During the program times we had a variety of activities such as skits, games, and singing.  I loved the Mr. Bean clips.  The Brazilians would watch and describe what was happening for us Americans who had our backs turned.  Based on their description we had to explain what had happened in the video.  Needless to say English Weekends are filled with laughter!  We would also always have a morning and afternoon coffee break – we could really get used to this!
     On Saturday evenings they always have a “special treat” which is usually Karaoke, but this weekend was a little different.  One of the Brazilian participants was a musician and he brought his band to perform for us.  They performed lots of pop Brazilian music as well as some good old American rock and roll.  After they were finished they invited Janice and Gary to come sing.
     After the concert we had a marshmallow roast.  It was a lot of fun to teach the Brazilians how to make smores.  I remember some of them being so excited to actually get to make smores like they had “seen in the movies.”  After the marshmallow roast we all turned in for some much needed rest.

Day 4, Sunday June 20^th

     On Sunday the theme of loyalty takes on a more serious tone.  We still had our share of laughter, but the focus is narrowed to discussions about our loyalty to God.  We watched video clips about David, Jonathan and Saul.  We also watched one about Judas and Peter.  After each clip we would break into one on one discussions where we had the opportunity to connect with the Brazilians on a deeper level. My final one on one discussion was with Arnaldo, and what a joy it was to talk with him.   I loved hearing the story of his experience of adopting two brothers – what an inspiration!  The joy that radiated from his face and heart is indescribable.  The weekend ended with an awards ceremony.  Virginia won the award for the “most improved” and Arnaldo won “Best overall.” 
     That afternoon we returned to Len and Diane's house to rest and watch Brazil play in the World Cup. Everything centers around the world cup in Brazil!  I sat on the front porch with Sally the dog and listened to the fireworks, horns, and various noise makers as people prepared for the game against the Ivory Coast. 

      That evening we all attended the Alliance church in Lagoa Santa where Fernando Pedro is the Pastor.  Although we didn’t understand the language of the service and worship, we clearly understood the presence of the Holy Spirit.  It was so special to be able to worship with precious believers in a foreign place. 

      During the service Gary and Janice shared and they challenged us to ask God to reveal anything to us that may be keeping us from feeling God’s love and to ask the Holy Spirit to show us what disrupts the loving relationship we can have with God. 

Host Family, Cris and Fernando

       After church we all went our separate ways with our host families.  We had the pleasure of staying with Fernando, Cristiane, and Bhruna Souza.  Cris and Bhruna spoke almost no English, but the fellowship was still sweet.  Fernando had better English skills and we were able to easily communicate with him.  They are believers and the bond that we have in Christ Jesus was very evident.  They took us to the supermarket where we got dinner to take back to their home.  Fernando works for a Metal Manufacturing Company, Cris is studying to be a physical therapist, and Brhuna is seven years old.  Sitting down to have dinner was a fun experience.  They placed all of the breads, pastries, etc. out on the table and said “go ahead”.  I said, “No, you first”.  They said, “No, go ahead.”  We had no clue what to do; there weren’t even dinner plates – ha!  Well they showed us how they eat a typical Brazilian dinner and it was very good.  They also have a maid, who is probably the best cook I’ve ever met!  I thank God for the connection we made with this precious family.  I pray that we can maintain a relationship and see each other again.  

Bhruna

Day 5, Monday, June 21^st
     We thought we’d be working at Len and Diane’s today, but we were pleasantly surprised with an “easy” day to rest and recoup from the weekend.  Even though we had an “easy” day, it was still a day full of seeing the Holy Spirit at work.  We began the day with singing and devotions at Len and Diane’s with our fellow team members.  Then several of the Brazilians from the church came and took us to lunch at Penela de Pedra, the pot of stone. We rode with Pastor Fernando and his family – what a precious family! The food was delicious, and more than you could ever imagine.  Near the restaurant there was a little farm that we had fun walking around and taking pictures. 
     Later that afternoon Diane had a lady coming over to show us her handmade jewelry.  The story of how it all transpired is clearly the work of the Holy Spirit.  Diane met her a while back down by the lake.  Every Saturday different vendors sell their “wares”.  Diane asked if she’d like to come to her house when the American ladies were there and she said yes. Diane gave her Len’s business card with the Men of Integrity logo on it.  Some time passed and the lady could not remember why she had this card, but her husband was very interested in the Men of Integrity and he had her call the number.  She called and they finally made the connection about the jewelry.  So, she came today and it was so much fun to see all of her beautiful work.  This was definitely a “God thing”.  What a great way to have her into Len and Diane’s home and begin building a relationship and feel comfortable in their home, the future church building. 
     Monday evening we all returned to our host families.  Their maid had prepared the most delicious dinner.  We had a roast and potatoes with a delicious sauce, rice cooked with broccoli, the best salad, and a lemon dessert – yummy!!  And of course coffee or tea with dessert. 

Day 6, Tuesday, June 22^nd

     Every Tuesday and Thursday morning Fernando goes to Frances’ house for an English lesson from 6:30 – 7:30 AM.  I admire the dedication!  He came home after his lesson and took us to Len and Diane’s.  After our team worship and devotions we began working around the house and on the new church building.  Jude and I started scraping windows.  I’m so thankful for the sweet conversation we were able to have while scraping paint and stickers off of the windows.  Of course we had the normal coffee break and then another delicious lunch.  The guys had the tough job of beginning to work on the trench for the new bathrooms. 
     Tonight we had another delicious meal cooked by Fernando’s maid.  He joked that his wife Cris is a great food “warmer”, and I joked with Jeremy that I could get used to the idea of having a maid!

Day 7, Wednesday, June 23^rd

     On Wednesday mornings, the men have their Integrity meeting at a hotel near Len and Diane’s house.  We got up early for Jeremy and Fernando to go and I had the pleasure of having breakfast with Diane.  We were able to see several toucans in the tree right outside her kitchen window.  God’s creation is amazing!  It was great to have some one on one time with her and get to know each other better.  She’s such a gracious and fun lady.  I’m so thankful God has given us a relationship with her and Len.
     We started the day with our usual team worship and devotions.  Today Gary led and shared with us from John 3:16.  He challenged us to put our names in place of “the world” and to put the names of the people we have met.  After his devotion we broke into small groups to pray.  I had the pleasure of praying in the hammock with Jude and Gary.  It’s so precious to come into the presence of God with brothers and sisters in Christ.  We had only known each other a few days, but the bond of Christ is so strong! 
     Today we finished the windows and started painting the fence.  Later, while the guys watched soccer, Jude, April and I took a walk around the lake.  We enjoyed taking pictures and talking.  We didn’t see any capivaras, the world’s largest rodent, so later on Diane drove us around the entire lake and we got some great pictures. 

Capivara

     On the way back to Fernando’s house Jeremy said that he thought he knew his way around town now – oh no! I knew this was not going to be good.  I don’t know who likes to joke more, Fernando or Jeremy.  So, needless to say, Fernando said, “OK, you be my guide.”  This was not good for someone who gets car sick easily!  I suggested several times that Fernando “fire his guide”!  We drove all over town and ended up on top of the mountain where Fernando showed us where they will be building a new house in a condominium community.  As soon as we got back to the house, we showered and they took us to the mall in Belo Horizonte.  The mall was very similar to ours here in America.  We were amazed at the prices of things like shoes.  They were outrageously expensive! 

Day 8, Thursday, June 24^th

     Today began with April leading devotions.  She reminded us of a great lesson about trusting in God from Mark 9:14 – 29.  She reminded us to look to God for our help first, and then take our concerns to others for prayer. 

      Our work today consisted of putting on the first coat of paint in the new sanctuary.  We also worked more on the fence and helped clean up for the chuhascu, a Brazilian BBQ.  All of the attendees from the first English Weekend and members of the church were invited to attend.  Anderson and Leonel cooked all the meat for us and it was amazing.  The food at the chuhascu was probably my favorite from the entire trip. We had a great time of fellowship with our new Brazilian friends and it was not easy to say goodbye. 

       This was our last night at the home of Fernando and Cris.  We exchanged info and made our “deals” to visit each other again.  We pray that one day we can return to Lago Santa. 

Day 9, Friday, June 25^th

     Cris and Brhuna brought us back to Len and Diane’s for the final time.  We said our goodbyes and it was so cute to see Bhruna all decked out in her gear for the Brazil game.  After our time of team worship, Chip led devotions from Ephesians 6:10-12.
     We traveled to the Belo airport and took a flight back to Sao Paulo.  From there we took a bus to Ubatuba.  It was a beautiful drive down to the beach, but I’m so thankful that my team members were sensitive to my motion sickness and let me sit up front!  I’m also very thankful for Dramamine! 

      The format of the second English Encounter was very similar to the first, but it was very interesting to see the different dynamics of a new group of people.  Several Brazilians of this group had been to English weekends before.  Len explained to the group how English weekends are more about relationships than actually learning English.  Relationships are what lasts forever and are the most important things in our lives.  This was a great reminder for us!  My roommates for this weekend were Rachel and Silmara.  They are former college roommates and we had so much fun together.  Jeremy's roommate was Denis, a very sharp 21 year old.  

               

Roommates, Silmara and Rachel

Jeremy's roommate, Dennis

Day 10, Saturday, June 26^th

     Today we watched a clip from the movie “Hachi” with Richard Greer, talk about a tear jerker!  We discussed why animals show more loyalty than humans.  Loyalty is a quality that we all care about, and it’s unconditional for animals. After this video clip we discussed the following questions:
     1.    Do you think animals are more loyal than people?
     2.    Describe what you are loyal to.
     Another video clip we watched was from “The Lord of the Rings”.  Frodo was trying to take the ring to be destroyed, but Sam made a promise to never leave Frodo.  Frodo struggled with the decision to return the ring alone or not, but Sam was willing to be loyal to the death.  After this clip I had a one on one with Patricia and we discussed the following questions:
     1.       How important is loyalty to you?
     2.        Would you be willing to be loyal until death with someone else?  
It was such a joy to discuss these questions with her.  She’s a believer and has been to English weekends in the past.  She attends church with Danilo, the English weekend coordinator in Sao Paulo, and helps with the worship at their church.

       For our free time today we went shopping with the Brazilians in Ubatuba.  After dinner we had karaoke and then another marshmallow roast.  We stayed around the campfire talking and singing while Danilo played guitar. 

          

Day 11, Sunday, June 27^th

     On Sunday examples from the Bible are used to show loyalty.  We acted out the Bible story of Ruth and Naomi. “Your people will be my people and your God will be my God.” 

                Just as there is loyalty, there are also times when we are disloyal. After this discussion we watched the film clip about Judas Iscariot and Peter and discussed these questions: Why do we want to be loyal, but at the same time we end up being disloyal?  What causes that to happen?  We need to discover the key to loyalty.

Acting out the story of Ruth

                Len explained that he is not here as a pastor to convert anyone to another religion, but to help us come face to face with these principles of loyalty.  We were created to be loyal to God.  Genesis tells us that we were created in His likeness. God wants a meaningful relationship with us, but in so many ways we have become disloyal.  Jesus came to re-establish that loyalty, so that we can have intimacy with God.  The challenge for us to think about was this:  Where is your loyalty?

                For this final one on one I talked with Isabella about these questions:  Do you agree or disagree that each of us can be disloyal or loyal?  How important is loyalty to God to you?  Isabella has very limited English and I'm not sure if she's a believer, but I pray that seeds were planted in our simple conversation.  I trust God to water and nurture those seeds and to keep out the weeds of the evil one. 
               After we exchanged gifts and said our goodbyes, and in Brazil goodbyes last a long time, we had time to reflect on the weekend.  God impressed on our hearts to bring back a challenge for ourselves and our loved ones at home.  A challenge to ask, “Where is our loyalty?  A challenge to listen to God and respond with our actions! 

On Sunday night we had our team devotion led by Jeremy.  He challenged us to be like Peter and jump out of the boat and run to Jesus!  After the devotion we had a time of reflection.  Len reminded us to not just share good stories, but to have a time of motivation and crying out to God for the people we have met.  We shared stories about our experiences then bathed our new friends in prayer.  Diane reminded us that through these weekends, it’s not what we say, but what we do!

Day 12, Monday, June 28^th

               Before we loaded the bus to return to the airport, Len led us in a final devotion from Mark 10.  He commented how we have all shown an attitude “like a child” and it’s interesting how Mark ties this together with the Rich Young Man story.  We must become like a child to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.  Jesus is talking about children doing things from a pure heart and we should do the same.  Len challenged us not to loose this.  We must renew it daily to keep from becoming more like the attitude of James and John in verse 37. 

                Psalms 37:4 “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.”  When you delight yourself in the Lord, he’s going to give you some new purposes in your life.  God starts to change the desires of our hearts to the desires of His heart.  Len encouraged us to pray every morning:  “Lord, I want to delight myself in you and I know the desires of my heart will be a lot different”. He told us to go back expecting greater things than ever before in our lives . . . and we are!  God is alive and doing great works.  It’s amazing to be a part of it!

                We loaded our bags on the bus and began the trip back to Sao Paulo.  We stopped by the store to purchase coffee.  We had to get their before we stopped for lunch, because the store would be closing for the Brazil soccer game. We had the pleasure of having our final lunch at a Chuhascaria – DELICIOUS!  We were joined by Tim and Jolee Bubna, the directors of the Christian and Missionary Alliance in Brazil.  Chuhascarias are restaurants where all kinds of meat are cooked on large skewers over open flames.  They bring the skewers of meat to the table and slice it right onto your plate.  They also have a beautiful salad bar.  It’s more food than you can ever imagine! 

Watching the World Cup at the airport

                After lunch we headed to the airport.  We went to check in at the Delta gate and there was not a soul in sight.  Everything stops for soccer in Brazil!  Even the restaurants and gift shops closed down during the game.  It was fun to watch the game crowded around a little TV with 200 plus Brazilians at the airport.  After the game we said our final goodbyes.  The flight home was uneventful and we arrived in Atlanta about 5:30 AM Tuesday morning. 

                Words can not describe all that has taken place on this trip.  We pray that the seeds that were planted in the hearts of the Brazilians and our own would grow into a bountiful harvest.  Our hearts are full of joy and thanksgiving for all that we have witnessed during our time in Brazil.  With the most sincere hearts, we thank you for your love, prayers, and support.