English Camp; Prayer

Tomorrow starts English Camp and it looks like it will be the biggest one that we have had so far.  The fab four have passed out 3,000 invites and this morning invited about 200 more students to come (of which about 100 said they were coming).  We also have two buses from other cities that we know are coming to English Camp so conservatively we are expecting 200 people minimum, and possibly a higher end of 4-5 hundred.  That's a lot of people!  The format is we get together in a large group and sing a song or two in English and Portuguese to practice.  Play a large group game or do something in large groups to get everyone involved and then share the Gospel or testimony and start learning English.  In English classes we will learn English, talk about America, and then have a Bible lesson where we will talk about Jesus and have conversation.  This whole process we will do this roughly 3 times a day Saturday with game time and hang out in between and once on Sunday morning.  It would be great if everyone would be praying for great conversations and that we would adjust well to the number of people who come to camp as we do not know how many to expect.  We are also asking for prayer that people would feel involved and wisdom to handle unexpected things.  Finally be praying that this is a great opportunity for the church members to get their name out there and that they can reach people's hearts more than the Americans as this is their home.  Thanks for all you prayers.  We love you all.

The pictures are from Happy hour and schools in Taio

Oi!

This is Rachel, Hannah, and Sarah reporting live from the bus. We're on our way to Taio to spend the day sharing the gospel and our testimonies in schools. Then we'll also have happy hour tonight where Brazilians come to just hang out with us.  Last night everyone must have had too much to eat because as one van attempted to chug its way up a mountain the engine decided it needed a nap. Everyone had to walk home through the mountains while fending off bears and vicious flying squirrels... Just kidding :) it was only a thirty minute delay and everyone got back on the van and home safely. Okay now on a more serious note... We've had an awesome trip so far and God has been teaching us and changing the lives of many people. We're excited to see how God will work through us during the English camp. There have been many times where we were nervous or didn't know what to say, but the Holy Spirit has been with us every time. It's an amazing feeling to be used by God. Especially because a lot of the students have never heard the gospel.  Everything has gone well so far and we give all the credit to God because we know that what we're doing isn't through our own power but God's. With that, here are some things you could pray for. :)  -We're all pretty exhausted so pray that we have energy to stay focused and to have a servant's heart for God. -Patience  -Health  -Being able to fight Satan's lies -Staying focused on the purpose of the trip These are a few specifics but please pray for our team in general as well. Missing you all at home! -Rachel, Hannah, and Sarah P.S. from Rachel, I love and miss you mom and dad! Give Bear a nuzzle from me and eat a basket full of breadsticks for me in my name;) P.S.S from Hannah, hey mom and dad! I miss you all so much! Give my love to the boys and Jake and Jersey! Hope you're getting used to me being gone since this could become a regular thing ;) love ya!  P.S.S.S. from Sarah, hi mom and dad!  I miss you and love you and tell everyone hi. Also, I hope you aren't missing me too much because I'm considering staying here forever. ;) love you! TCHAU!! (chow for those of you that don't speak Portuguese, which we are now fluent in.)  :)

Oh, Happy Day! Ricky and J Barr got in last night. Unfortunately, their luggage did not. Although our new team members may start to stink from a lack of change of clothes, it's great to have the whole team together. We went into more schools today. I thought it might get old going into the schools, classroom after classroom, but every time it's amazing to see the Spirit at work. There have been so many opportunities to share the gospel in the classrooms or just when we have free time with the students. It has been so easy to form relationships with the kids at the schools. They're excited to ask us questions and always ready to take us on in soccer. Here's some exciting news: our girls TIED a soccer game at a school last night! Although I'm holding on to the hope of procuring a "W", this might be the most we can boast of this trip. Tonight we are hosting "Happy Hour" at the church. We've invited the classes we've visited to come. It will be a time for them to ask more questions about the gospel and keep forming those relationships. God is definitely at work in this city. With that we ask that you pray against any attacks on the spreading of the gospel and weariness. THANKS! -Samantha 

It ain't Dull in Rio Do Sul

This is a picture of Sam sharing her testimony at a school.  Everyone is really excited about what God has been doing with us in the schools here.

Today we split into four different groups and went to several different schools in the area in and around Rio do Sul. One group of us went to Dalfovo School in Rio do Sul, where we talked to classes of mostly High School aged students. We were able to play games, ask and answer questions, tell testimonies, and even share the gospel here! The students were very receptive and had many captivating questions for us to answer...but the thing that really made the day amazing was this English teacher, Eduardo.   I had the opportunity to go into his English class twice, once in the morning and once at night. He not only allowed us to share our testimonies and share the gospel extensively in his class, but actually elaborated on the importance of faith and encouraged his students to dwell on what they believe about God, Jesus, and their relationship with him. He wrote a wonderful quote on the board (In English since he is an English teacher) that said, "A man without faith is like a classroom students." Needless to say, the Holy Spirit was at work in this school and in Eduardo's classroom. His presence  there was undeniable and could be felt, and seen in the faces of the students who were truly pondering the gospel message that almost all of them had just heard for the first time!   It is clear to me already because of this and other examples that God has put us in this town and in this role as partners with Celivres Church quite specifically. We are opening doors for Eduardo and Brazilians like him who were maybe just waiting for a good opportunity to share their faiths with others. I believe that God will continue to utilize us in this role, because it is exactly what our mission is as a church! We are equipping and helping fellow believers share the gospel with those in their own towns, so that they can continue an effective ministry long after we have gone back to the United States. This is the true power of missions, and we are seeing it being accomplished here in Brazil in full divine force.   All Glory to God,   Hayden Florom  

School Days

What a day! We all woke up this morning to a LOT of rain. It rained all night here and it didn't stop until this afternoon. This morning was the first early morning we had. Last night Nate and I moved into a new host home, because the kids in the house were begging their mom to let us stay so we switched. Turns out the family speaks no English at all, and they can't understand our Spanish.  We rely on hand signals and smiles. At about 8 a.m., me and a team of about 12 departed for a school about 30 minutes outside the city. When we arrived, the kids were very excited and surprised to see us. In groups of about 5 we went into separate classrooms to speak to the kids. One person shared their testimony, and a couple people described the differences between man and God, and how we can have a relationship with God. It was obvious that God was giving us the words to say because they paid attention to everything that we said! Other groups of people went to other schools, and spoke in multiple classrooms at the same school. This morning we spoke to 5 classrooms alone, and this is just day one! The atmosphere here is very alive. Everybody on the team is eager to go out and speak to more people, and we are going to another school this afternoon to speak to even more schools. This is a strong team, and I have a lot of great friends here! Nate and I are crazy roommates, actually he is the crazy one. Sammy had the great idea of keeping a "captains log" or journal that all the boys keep. We are making amazing progress here spreading God's grace and love. Happy late fathers day to my dad! I miss you and love you Mom, Dad, Shannon, and Phil. Keep praying!  ~Sam Potter

Level two team arrived well and it was good to have their energy and see some familiar faces. Today we had Happy English Day at a park in Rio do Sul where we were able to spend time with students from all the different schools that we promoted in. It was really encouraging to see a good turn out and to see everyone be intentional with what they were doing and making sure they included the brazilians and reached out to them to get to know them. It was a good time and then at night we just hung out at the church. Some good stuff today and already seeing God at work on the first day. Pretty cool to see. Thanks for prayers and also be praying for ryan as we took him to the doctor last night and got him meds because we found out he has pneumonia. Pray for quick healing for him so he can rejoin us and also Ben and Jesse arrived safely this night from their long journey. Thanks for the prayers. - Jon