Day 8

Cody Hall: When writing on this blog,I wanted to say something Inspirational wellll I could think of anything,so I am just gonna tell you about myself.
When I left for this trip I was thinking what can I do to change a life for christ? what can I do to help others?
I was always thinking of me...What can I do..I listened to myself and heard I,me,myself continually.But as Iv been on this trip..I see more and more it was nothing to do with me..NOTHING it is always God! who was,and is,and is to come. Iv been in wounder of how God is working through me...working to change lives through me and with me...I just let go and let God take my words and my thoughts and it has been life changing!!
Also the love for one one another on this trip is amazing we have grown as brothers and sisters in Christ Sooooo much you can easily see it from miles away.

Tahner Pinkman Well yesterday Steve Spellman, Hannah W., Taylor Fries and I went over to the town of Lontras. Just about half an hour away from the town of Rio Do Sul that we are currently staying in. We went into four different schools, I think, but they all seem to run together in my mind. We worked with younger kids, ages ranging from five to eight or nine. It was a really neat experience for me personally, a lot of the kids were from out in rural farming communities. But the neat thing was that very few, if any had ever heard the story of the gospel before and I loved being able to share it with them for the first time. Please pray that these kids understood clearly the message we were trying to get across because it is the most important thing that they have ever hear or ever will hear in their entire life.

Today we’ll be going into more schools, so pray that the students will be attentive and open to the gospel. Also, please pray for our group as a whole: that we will continue to have renewed strength every day, as some of us are beginning to get run down a little bit.

Liz Merrett: My time here in Brazil has been like nothing I have ever experienced before. It's the weirdest thing. We have signed autographs, had pictures taken of us, and where ever we go we're stared at. It's definitely taking some getting used to, but to be honest, I don't mind it!

On a more serious note, this morning, Andrew, Ryan,Bianca, (one of our translators and my roommate) and I all went to a school in Lontras, a small town west of Rio do Sol. In the mornings the classes are more elementary-aged students. We went to 3 classrooms and when we shared the Gospel Bracelets the kids really quieted down and paid close attention. They had many questions about Nebraska and our lives. The children were so excited that we were there and we received many hugs and kisses goodbye.

Ryan Pramberg: Hey Lincoln! I personally just wanted to thank everyone for the prayers that are continually following us and thank you for being such amazing prayer warriors. Because of the time you and us have spent on our knees God has honored those and we have seen many amazing things occur. Personally the best parts of this trip have been threefold. The first was being able to pray for 20 minutes with the adults of the church. Jon and I had them in our English group during camp and we took the time to pray for the camp and thank God for the amazing things he has done and will do. Even though I did not understand every word there was a power in the air that was undeniable and a joy to experience. The second for myself was listening to what others have been learning so far. It has been sweet to push others to be uncomfortable and then hear how they were used and how they went ahead in faith! Muito Legao! Finally, on a more selfish level, I go the chance to go to two classrooms without a translator…I was the translator with Eric Rock. That was so difficult but so cool because Eric and I both were given great clarity and somehow stumbled through the whole 50 minutes in Portuguese. Crazy! So thanks again for all of your prayers, they are with us wherever we go and I thanks you! See you Monday!

Andrew Goode: Hey everyone! Just wanted to share a little bit about how God has been using me. On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights we are having “Happy Hour” at the church. This is where people can just come to the church and hangout for a couple of hours and play games and talk about whatever they want. I met this guy named Beto at the English camp and he came to the Happy Hour Monday night. As I began to talk to him he shared about his addiction to drugs and alcohol and how they consumed his life. He said that he had been clean for 20 days, but just before that happy hour he used again and he was feeling very alone/bad. I prayed for him and then we began to talk more about his life and how God is his comforter and everything. Then towards the end Ricky came up and we all talked and then prayed again when we all left. He rides bikes, and hopes to help little kids get out of drugs and that lifestyle through his dirt bikes. We talked for about 2 and a half hours Monday night and then he came back last night(Tuesday) and we talked about for 2 hours in broken English/Portugese. He has accepted Christ as his Savior but is still struggling with the hold that drugs have on him. He asked me and others to pray for him so that would be much appreciated. I will see him again tonight at Happy Hour and I would like prayer for him and me for the Holy Spirit’s words and direction. Thanks for the prayers!!

Robb: This trip has been a huge blessing to me. Seeing the gospel shared with so many, and being able to share God’s good news myself with the people of Brazil truly makes me feel a part of what God calls all believers to do in Mathew 28:19 – 20. Yesterday, a girl named Tailine had been identified in her class as being a Christian. During an impromptu soccer game, I was able to talk to Tailine and hear the story of a miracle in her life involving a brain/spine tumor that was removed, but later came back. Her church prayed for her during the 11 days from her initial visit to the appointment where the doctors would determine the course of action. When she returned, the tumor was gone. I was able to share the gospel message with her friends that were listening by using the bracelets we brought. We gave Tailine a handful of extra bracelets with the understanding that she would give them out after she was bold in sharing the message others. In return, she took a bracelet off of her arm that they had made at her church and gave it to me. Please pray that God will use Tailine in amazing ways as she shares with others.

Today at lunch my birthday was celebrated with the team and so many of my new Brazilian friends. The cake had sparklers and two candles in the shape of a “0”and “4”. I’m not quite sure why they chose those numbers.

Please pray that we finish our race here in Brazil well, and we look forward to taking the boldness of sharing our message and our heart of service back to Lincoln.