A plea for praise and petition

Last night, by nearly anyone's standards was miserable.  I went to bed with a stomach ache around 10pm and woke up around 12am sprinting to the bathroom--I was both kinds of icky sick.  I couldn't keep anything down and I couldn't keep anything in.  I probably got somewhere around 45 minutes of sleep total between 12am and 8am.  Fun, right?  Not so much.

In situations like this, I am so tempted to get frustrated...I was not able to go stay in Sao Paulo like we had planned today, I didn't get to participate in any soccer ministry today and I simply don't feel well.  I...I...I.  That's the thing...it's not about me.  It's never about me!

"His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, but which he as granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire." 2 Peter 1:3-4

God, through his Holy Spirit has given me everything I need for life and godliness with NO conditions!  On the best days, on the worst days, on the healthy days and on the sick days, I have the ability to choose godliness.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, JOY, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.  And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." Galations 5:22-23

The gift of the Holy Spirit is that in these times, I get the privilege of having joy!  I get the privilege of showing patience to those around me, even when I'm tempted to snap at them.  I have the privilege of giving thanks always.  Because right now, I have a roof over my head, a bed to sleep in, running water, my own bathroom, clean water to drink, people who are praying, my Bible, clean clothes, time to pray, time to encourage, and for goodness sakes, I'm still breathing! I'd say it's time to praise our Most Holy God.  It's not very often that life slows down enough that I get to enjoy all of these things at one time.  But today, in my icky sickness, I do.

Man, our God is most gracious, isn't He?  Wow.  

I tell you this to encourage you that no matter what is going on in your life, with Christ, you have the opportunity to choose godliness, to go against the grain, to become a humble servant in the worst circumstances.  

I am asking you to pray for quick healing for me, but I'm also begging you to take time to praise God for his grace, that he would put me in the situation and give me no choice but to rely on him.  That right there, is life to my soul.

Wednesday update

Praise reports:

1. I got to sleep a whole 8 hours last night!  I really needed it.  I'm feeling awake and "with it" today.

2. Last night I got to go to a futsal tournament and it was so much fun!  I'm quickly becoming a huge fan of this sport.

3. Tonight is "family night" and we are all getting together to watch the Brasil vs. USA soccer game  :)  It will be a friendly rivalry (Juca's promise).  I'm excited to have some quality time with family because...

4. TOMORROW I head to Sao Paulo for the next 4 days!  I will be living with another couple families during my time there.

Prayer requests:

1. I am starting to feel a little sad about leaving.  I have grown to love this place and the people here.  I have less than a week left :( Please pray that my time left here will be well spent and full of life!

2. Pray that I will be a blessing to the families I will be staying with this weekend.  Please pray that somehow we will be able to communicate even though no one speaks English and I don't speak much Portuguese.

3. Pray that Monday and Tuesday are great days with the Cerpe family.  They will be my last two days in Brasil.

Continue to pray that I have opportunities to share the Gospel and to share my testimony.  Pray that the Lord will change hearts and lives.  Pray that God is glorified!  He must become great and I must become less.

Love you all...see you [soon].

Time to breathe!

Once again, life has been crazy here and this is the first time I've had a chance to update!

Praise reports:

1. Against all odds, Rose's mom has come out of the coma.  The doctor says that physiologically she is doing better, but mentally, she is still really out of it.  Nonetheless, it seems that the antibiotics are working and the outcome is looking a little bit more hopeful!

2. This weekend was filled with family time!  We played Xbox Kinect on Friday night and it was so much fun  :)  

3. I had the incredible opportunity of going into the city and seeing "downtown."  I got to ride the bus in (with Juca, of course) and then take a mototaxi back!  There were moments of nervousness, but overall, it was wonderful!

4. Tonight I got to play soccer with a bunch of girls close to my age from church.  I got to share my testimony and hopefully encourage some believers.

5. Tomorrow night I get to go to my first official soccer game!  Yayyyy!

6. I am thoroughly enjoying my time helping at the school.  The kids are so much fun and Julia has been so great at letting me participate, teach and be involved  :)

Prayer requests:

1. Continued to prayer for Rose's mom.  God is healing her as we speak, but she still has a long way to go before being "healthy".

2. Prayer for health for me...I am around little kids all day every day and they are walking germs!  Lots of sickness is going around right now (it's winter here).  So far, my immune system is holding up well!

3. Pray that I would be sleeping well at night.  The last few nights have not been very restful and it is making the days a lot harder to get through.

4. Pray for God to be glorified, for unbelievers to come to know Christ and for believers to be encouraged!

5. Please continue to pray for Juca and his family.  Their ministry here stretches far beyond the boarders of Atibaia.  God has anointed this man for this purpose and it is our call to pray for him.  

Sorry this is short...hopefully I'll have time to update again soon!  To see pictures of ministry sites and other happenings in Brasil, check my album on facebook  :)  It is much slower to upload them to the blog from Brasil :)

Organized chaos :)

The last few days have been a whirlwind!  I haven't even had a chance to write a prayer update, but the Lord has allowed me a little bit of down time this evening to keep you all in the loop.

Praise reports:

1. Yesterday, 3 boys decided to make Jesus Christ their Lord and Savior!  Praise God!

2. We have been able to share the gospel and minister to over 175 kids!  This is what Juca does on a weekly basis.  It's absolutely incredible.

3. So far, no injuries and my health is holding up pretty well!

4. On Wednesday night, I had the blessing of cooking for the Cerpe family and some of Rose's extended family.  They requested tacos (they don't have them in Brazil) and I gladly prepared food for an army!  

5. We were supposed to have soccer ministry this morning, but it was pouring down rain and so we had to cancel...but the Lord opened up a door for me to be in the school today even though we had not originally agreed on it!  So fun!  I also go to help in the 1st grade class today for a little while  :)

6. I get to stay with a family next week for four days!  No one speaks English and I am so excited to be fully immersed in the culture.  I met Sane (Sunny) at soccer ministry yesterday.  She is a pastor's wife.  It the first time that this family has offered to host for YMI!  I am so excited.  They have three children and I am going to babysit for them one of the nights that I'm living there so that the parents can have a date night.  God is so good!

Prayer requests:

1. Please continue praying for Rose's mother.  She is still in ICU, but has been moved to an isolation room because she has contracted a highly destructive bacterial infection.  She is still being sustained by a feeding tube and an oxygen machine.

2. Please continue to pray for the Gospel to be preached and well received.  Pray that God is glorified and that His name is praised!

3. Pray for rest for Juca and his family this weekend.  They have been going nonstop and I know that everyone really needs some down time.

Once again, thank you for your prayers.  Thank you for your encouragement.  I wish I had time to respond to everyone, but God has kept me pretty busy here.  Please know that I read every comment on my blog and facebook page and on pictures.  Each time I get to hear from one of you, it brings a smile to my face.  

Love you all!

BREAKING NEWS...

 Ready for it???

Tonight I scored my first TWO soccer goals!!!!

Smile...God is working :)

It's been a couple days since I have posted, but that doesn't mean God hasn't been working  :)  I've just been busy with the family and taking advantage of every opportunity I have to do life with them.  Here's a quick update (as usual):

Praise reports:
1. The Lord allowed me to share my testimony and encourage believers at a small church in Atibaia on Sunday morning.

2. I was able to join the family at their normal church on Sunday evening--I was even able to understand most of it, thanks to the notes on the screen (Portuguese looks similar to Spanish on paper).

3. After church, the Lord allowed me to go to dinner with Julia, Abner and their friends at Subway (yes, they even have Subway in Brazil...)

4. Yesterday, God gave me favor with the preschool director at the school Julia and Abner teach at, and I will be helping out every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 8 to 5!!!  The kids are adorable and I love helping them learn English.  

5. Today, I am headed to the school once again and Julia and I get to play futsol with some older girls after school.  I'm praying for a ministry of encouragement to take place tonight.

6. I woke up to my alarm this morning and I had slept through the ENTIRE NIGHT without waking up!  That's the first time this has happened in over 2 weeks.  Thank you, Jesus!!!

Prayer requests:

1. Please continue praying for Rose's mom.  She is in ICU and now has pneumonia.  

2. Please pray that tonight, the girls are encouraged if I get to share my testimony and that their hearts are open to hear what God has to say.

3. Pray for Juca and YMI Brazil.  He has his hands full with ministry and the Lord continues to give Him strength.  Pray for wisdom for him and a spirit of joy even in tough family circumstances.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!  Our God is a mighty God and He loves YOU just as much as He does the people of Brazil.  

My challenge to you today is to consider who God has put in your life to minister to...maybe your spouse, children, friend, co-worker, boyfriend/girlfriend.  Don't take that lightly!  Be ready to serve wherever you are in whatever capacity God has given you  :)  

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.