His delight

The Lord is teaching me so much already here in Brazil.  One of the most important things I have been learning is the importance of prayer.  We serve a God who listens to our prayers and delights in answering them so that He may be glorified!  This week God has answered so many prayers and I think now is a good time to recap them all:

1. Safe flights from Seattle to Dallas and Dallas to Sao Paulo.
2. So far, safety while I've been in Brazil.
3. My eyes were open while I was traveling--I got to meet a sweet old man who had an incredible testimony, a young woman in the Army reserves, little Adelaide and her mommy and sweet Maria who taught me some Portuguese!
4. So far, I have stayed healthy!
5. God has been glorified in many ways--I have been able to share my testimony and the Gospel at least once every single day that I have been here.  That means that over 100 people have heard the Gospel in the last 3.5 days!  Wowza!
6. When we prayed for the Gospel to be well received in church ministry, 4 kids accepted Christ that night.
7. I have been able to serve lots in Juca and Rose's home--I have been able to do most of the dishes each day, I get to help clean the house tomorrow and I will be cooking a few meals this week for the family.
8. I have been able to sleep at least 8 full hours each night.
9. We have had lots of family time over the last few days...we have gone out to lunch/dinner a couple times, Julia and I watched part of "Peter Pan" and "Avatar" yesterday afternoon and Julia, Juca and I watched "The Blindside" last night.  A couple nights ago, Julia, Abner and I went for a run around a nearby lake with a couple of their friends.  Julia translated for me at church this morning.  I got to go to the Mother's Day celebration at the school that Julia and Abner teach at.  Julia, Rose and I went to downtown yesterday because Julia needed new shoes.  Wow!!!  God is good  :)
10. We have been praying for extra rest for me because my body hasn't full adjusted yet...and this afternoon, everyone in the family is resting/napping!  So after this post, I get to catch up on sleep.  

I write this all down to remind you that our God really does answer specific prayers.  He is showing me His tender care for His children.  Which is why I beg you to pray with me for Rose's mother.  She has been in the hospital for three months, having undergone two different back surgeries.  Up until Wednesday, she was doing alright, but things have taken a rough turn.  Early yesterday morning, she slipped into a coma, which required a feeding tube to be inserted and oxygen to be turned on.  Around 3 o'clock this morning, she was moved to ICU because she spiked a fever due to infection.  Right now, they are administering antibiotics to fight off a UTI as well as an infection in the lungs.  Rose's three sisters are now in town and staying at the house with us because visitation hours are restricted in ICU.

Please pray for complete healing for Rose's mom.  Pray for comfort for Rose, her sisters and the rest of the family.  Pray that I am able to serve this family well in a tough time.  May my eyes be open to their needs.  More than anything, pray that no matter what the future brings, that this will be an opportunity for the saving message of Jesus Christ to be preached to the extended family.  Rose's mother is a Christian, so we have hope in Christ no matter what.

There is power in prayer, friends.  Wonder-working power.  Let us pray.

God continues to work!

Praise reports:

1. I got to share the Gospel and my testimony to a group of thirty 15-year-old boys today!

2. I got to go with Julia to the school she teaches at and watch their program for Mother's Day.  It was so sweet!  The kids sang songs and the moms loved it  :)

3. I am still feeling healthy!  Praise the Lord!

4. I have been able to spend time with the family over meals and hanging out in the evenings.  I love them!

Prayer requests:

1. Morning and evening ministry tomorrow, for hearts to be open to the Word of God and for lives to be changed.

2. Rosemary's mother is in the hospital in a coma and things aren't looking great.  Please pray for healing and for comfort for the family as things get harder and harder with each day that passes.

3. Continued rest...I'm still feeling pretty tired; I don't think my body has fully adjusted.

Overall, things are going really well here.  The Lord is doing incredible things through YMI Brazil and I am blessed to be a small part of it for these few weeks.  I will continue to keep you updated on what God is doing!  

Quick update

Praise reports:

1. First and foremost, last night at church ministry, 4 kids asked to receive Christ as their Lord and Savior!!!!

2. The kids here have stolen my heart.  I absolutely adore them; they bring me so much joy!

3. I got a full 8 HOURS of sleep last night and woke up rested this morning.

4. Juca and I have been able to minister to over 40 kids from just yesterday and this morning.

5. This afternoon is free and Juca and I are going to head into the big city (Sao Paulo) and explore/run errands!

6. I am slowly, but surely learning how to play soccer...and I really like it!

Prayer requests:

1. For God to be glorified in ministry this weekend (Sat. morning and evening, Sunday morning and evening).

2. Good family time tonight with Juca, Rosemary, Abner and Julia.

3. Continued prayer for health and rest for me.

I will try to keep these quick updates going when I have time.  It seems like a good way to keep prayer support up to date at home and it only takes a few minutes on my end. 

I am just so thankful for this time here.  Our God is awesome and mighty and worthy of praise!

Also, thank you to those of you who wrote in my devotional for this trip.  It is really encouraging to see your handwriting, and hear your heart behind the words.  Each and every morning and evening, God has been faithful to teach me what I need to be taught and to encourage me with His spirit through your words.

Well, for now, I am going to do some office work for YMI Brazil.  Thank you to all of you who are praying  :)

A day late :)

(NOTE: This is a blog I wrote yesterday, but am just now posting.  I will post another update soon.  Sorry there aren't pictures, it takes a realllllllllly long time to upload them! Watch for them on Facebook  :)

I made it!  I am safely at Juca and Rosemary's home in Brazil.  It is beautiful here!  I am praising the Lord for his goodness and his faithfulness to bring me here for a few weeks.

Here's a quick recap of the last couple days:

Yesterday morning I left for Dallas at 7:15am.  I had asked everyone to be praying for opportunities to minister while traveling and God was faithful to answer.  I ended up meeting an older gentleman from Alaska who has an incredible testimony.  We talked the whole plane ride and laughed lots.  He thanked me for serving the Lord and even offered to buy me breakfast on the plane!  What a blessing. 

Later on in the flight, there was a young mom  sitting behind me who had a 15-month-old daughter named Adelaide.  Right around 11 in the morning, this sweet little girl hit nap time and it was game over!  She wanted to be up walking around, but there was turbulence and it forced us to be in our seats.  After screaming for about ten minutes straight, I remembered that I had brought a tiny little stuffed animal.  I offered it to sweet little Adelaide and she took it and cuddled it until she fell asleep on her mom's lap.  So cool how God used something so small to serve a purpose.

I arrived in Dallas around 1pm their time.  My flight for Sao Paulo wasn't until 8pm, so I had a fair amount of time to kill.  I spent some time sleeping in the airport and I rode the tram around the airport full circle twice...ahaha.  Hey, it was a great time-killer!

I was so ready to go when the time came.  The airplane to Brazil was HUGE!  I had forgotten how large planes are for international flights.  I was blessed with a window seat and it was lovely.  God had his hand on everything...as I started to talking to the woman sitting next to me.  Her name was Maria.  I found out that she was born in Brazil, moved to the states and learned English.  She is now a professor at the University of Iowa and TEACHES PORTUGUESE!!!  So, I took advantage of this God-given opportunity to learn a little bit of Portuguese!  Ahhhh.  God is so good.  I got to share with Maria about YMI and what I was going to be doing in Brazil.  We had some great conversation!

Upon arriving in Sao Paulo, Rosemary and Juca greeted me with warm smiles and big hugs.  I love them already!  We made it to their house around 10am this morning (6am Seattle time).  It is beautiful here.  They live in a mountainous part of Sao Paulo covered in exotic trees and flowers.  I'll post pictures later  :)

They have been gracious to give me some down time to rest today and then tonight starts full-time ministry!  I can't wait to see what the Lord has already done here and to see what he is going to do in the next few weeks.

Prayer requests:

1. That the Gospel is well received tonight during church ministry.  I will be giving my testimony and presenting the Gospel.

2. That I am able to serve well in Juca's home.

3. That I can get some rest today and tonight so that I may serve best tomorrow and in the days to come.

4. For God to be lifted HIGH!!!

Praise reports:

1. God used me on my flights, just as we had prayed!

2. I made it safe and sound.

3. I am still healthy!

4. I was able to get about 5 hours of rest on the flight to Sao Paulo.

Thank you for supporting me through this!  As I serve here, be encouraged to serve wherever you are!  The same God who is working in Sao Paulo is working in Seattle, Federal Way, Kent, Simi Valley, Santa Barbara, Torrance and everywhere else  :)

5...4...3...2...1...

BLAST OFF!!!

 

So...training is over as of 9pm tonight!  I was blessed to train alongside my [new] friend, Taylor, over the course of the last 2.5 days.  YMI did a wonderful job covering a whole lot during that time and I am blessed to have these three days leading up to my launch to Brazil.

Tomorrow morning is an early start for me...I am being picked up for the airport at 4:30am!!  What a wonderful way to wake up--knowing that I'm on my way to Sao Paulo  :)  That said, this post will be short.  

I would love it if you would praise the Lord for these things with me:

1. A wonderful few days of training

2. God has replaced my nervousness with excitement

3. A new friend! (Taylor)

4. I get to do one last load of laundry tonight before I leave  :)

5. The Lord has provided financially above and beyond what I could have imagined

I would love it if you would pray for these requests with me:

1. A safe flight from here to Dallas and Dallas to Sao Paulo

2. Safety while in Brazil

3. For my eyes to be open to people while I am traveling, not just once I get there

4. That I would stay healthy while I am there

5. For the Lord to be glorified above ALL

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your support and encouragement.  I will do my best to update here as much as I reasonably can.  

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."  Acts 1:8

Time flies...

I've heard it said that "time flies when you're having fun."  So I must have been having a TON of fun these last few weeks because I was convinced that I was leaving for training for Brazil on Wednesday (the 16th)...BUT...yesterday I found out that I leave for training this Sunday (the 12th) and fly out to Brazil on the 16th.  Haha.  Needless to say, the last 24 hours have been filled with speedy shopping, frenzied packing and lots of laughter.  I'm not what most people would call "forgetful," but this situation sure did give me a few giggles.

Anyway, praise the Lord for His grace and mercy--I am almost completely packed and ready to go.  I'm going to soak up the next 48 hours with my family before I leave.  I can't believe it's almost HERE!!!  

Please follow my blog as I venture off to Brazil for a month.  I will update this as frequently as possible (I'm hoping at least a couple times a week).  My hope is that you will be able to hear about my joys, my challenges and how God brings me through it all.  I will also update this blog with prayer requests and praises! 

Brazil.....HERE I COME!!!!

Messy Madness

This is my life right now...

 packing...

 packing...

and MORE packing.

This year I have lots to be thankful for.  The Lord is teaching me more and more each day about who He is, how He works and what it means to serve Him faithfully.  My room is a mess and I am eager to get home in less than a WEEK.  However, I am going to miss "my girls" who have simply become my friends, late night talks, laughing til my abs hurt and rooming with Abbie.  The Lord has blessed me greatly this school year.

Now, here I stand with just a semester left of school.  I will be a college graduate this December and I will start grad school in January.  Lots of big changes are ahead of me.

But for now, I am going to live in the moment.  I'm going to soak up the freedom of a messy room, empty drawers and a busy schedule.  This is what God has ordained for me for today, and I will choose to be joyful in the midst of the mess.  

My God is still on His throne.