Wednesday Pictures

Blake witnessing with a puppet - he did a great job!

Witnessing to street magicians - we just met up and started talking - one of them accepted Christ!

Jan sharing her testimony at church tonite.

Church.  I preached sitting down, as it was more relaxed in the home of one of the leaders.

Donne and Willie - He is not only an excellent translator, but also an 18 year old pastor in seminary who loves the Lord in a mature way beyond his years.

The host family for church tonite.  They open up their home each week to host the church, feed everyone, and give of the rest of their week to go out and share Jesus with others.  You could feel the presence of God at this house.

Church group from this evening.  Fellowship, worship, teaching, praying - God was glorified!

Church planters?  Yes.  Newly-weds?  Yes.  Director of the seminary in town?  Yes.  Two people who love Jesus, each other, and the people of Brazil?  Yes again!  Pray for them and their ministry as they take the light of the gospel into dark places every day.

Wednesday

Today we started out with arranged visits, then had lunch at a specific restaurant, then made more visits.  People came to know Jesus at multiple visits, and at the restaurant!  This was all in an area of a new church plant that is about 1 year old.  We had a church service in a home, and it went very well. 

Due to the time and exhaustion, more details will follow later!  Please continue to pray for the team as we make more evangelistic visits tomorrow in a rough area of town. 

Tuesday Pictures

4 Pastors

Eating dinner together before our church service

Brad leading worship

Donna giving her testimony

Joyce giving her testimony

Chris preaching

Worship after the service - we just started playing together!

Members of the church, translators, and our team

Tuesday

Today was an excellent day for ministry, and a long day for weather.  It has literally rained without stopping from the time we started until the time we ended.  Rain did not stop our plans for today, though it was less than ideal to be wet from beginning to end!

We spent the entire day in a part of Porto Alegre that has a baptist church.  The pastor arranged for us to make 20 visits, with our team sharing the gospel through translators all over the area.  We met at the church, then walked to different homes in the area.  Our team was recieved well!  While I do not have the exact numbers, I know that many accepted Jesus today! 

We had a service this evening that drew a packed house.  I (Chris) preached, and Joyce and Donna shared testimonies.  We seemed to connect well with this group of people.  Brad led worship with a guitar, I backed him up on drums, and Blake played the keyboards.  Blake is the 11 year old son of the missionary here, and this was his first time playing an American praise song.  He did excellent, and we did not even practice together!

After the service, Brad and I played drums and guitar with the praise band at the church.  We couldn't understand a word, but we played with them well.  Let's just say that they bring energy to songs that I have hardly seen before.  This time of spontaneous worship was incredible, and I know that God was glorified!

Tomorrow will involve much of the same as today, just in a different area of town.  Please pray for our witnessing opportunities.  I also would like to ask you to pray for my voice, as my throat is very sore from over-use.  Pray for our team to find physical strength, as our days are long and nights short. 

Monday Pictures

Be sure to read about Monday below!

The marketplace.

The town hall next to the marketplace.

Eating with a local pastor and translator.

Jan's new haircut!

Local church planter that we worked with today.

Monday

If the posts keep getting shorter and contain less detail, there is good reason - We started at 5 AM (4 AM at home) and ended today at 10 PM (9 PM at home).  Our team is tired physically, but alive spiritually.  Today was a great day of ministry. 

We began our day by serving a breakfast and sharing our testimonies with the workers of a teenage prison.  This prison is where the worst of the worst go, but the good news of Jesus was able to penetrate the darkness here.  Our team was able to interact with some of the teens present, and present the gospel.  We passed out many tracts.  Ultimately, we were able to come alongside a missionary who spends her time at the prison, and give her encouragement and help in this crucial ministry.

We then went to the center of Porto Alegre, which also happens to be the center of witchcraft and spiritism within the state.  Our missionary, Jeff, showed us just how pervasive witchcraft had become, in everything from magazine racks to seemingly normal shops.  Acknowledged or not, this place has a huge cultural influence on the people in Porto Alegre, as Satan has a firm grasp on too many hearts.

We then met up with a church planter and his family.  The church plant is in the earliest stages of forming.  The major strategy being employed right now is relationship building, accomplished by shopping and eating at the same places and meeting the same people over and over.  We were able to eat at the same restaurant twice, get our hair and nails done at a local salon, and share the gospel with multiple shop owners in the area.  We also made evangelistic visits to various groups in the evening, once again sharing the hope of Jesus with those who need it desparately.  Without going into a lot of detail, the church planter was able to quickly reflect on multiple things that happened today that he deemed "miracles." 

Please continue to pray for the team, for spiritual and physical endurance.  Pray constantly for the people of this city, that these churches would grow through the spread of the gospel message.  Pray for the workers and pastors of these churches.  They do not carry the burden to push back the gates of hell lightly. 

Be encouraged to go out in the next day our two, and INTENTIONALLY share what Jesus has done in your life.  You can do this in a few minutes through simply talking to others. 

Sunday Pictures

With the Pastor of the church we were at on Sunday.

Eating dinner before the service.

Worship service!

Eating lunch at the mall

At the market, getting a feel for the culture.

At the market.

At the market.  He played a leaf!

View of typical structures.

During our evangelism training and interpreter introduction.

Sunday Update

Today was full from start to finish.  We began our day by going to the Dunson's apartment for evangelism training with our interpreters.  This took us through until lunch, so we went to a mall food court and ate there.  We had a few moments to browse some stores and get some local candy.  Even more importantly, we had an opportunity to get to know our translators as we walked and talked together. 

After the mall, we went to a local market that is set up in a park each weekend.  There were many people there, and it gave us another view of the culture.  Once again, we had time to spend with our translators, getting to know them better and working on our communication together.

We went straight from the market to an established church that is about 7 years old.  The church had experienced some fast growth, but through a series of bad pastors, the momentum has been lost for some time.  The church is just now beginning to pick up steam in growth and outreach.  In the past year, they have baptized 13 new believers.  We worshiped together, and were reminded that God is praised by every tongue and every nation! 

We had multiple opportunities to encourage the congregation.  Donna and Joyce shared testimonies, and I (Chris) preached a message.  All of this was done through a translator, but the Holy Spirit was at work!  I also had the opportunity to meet with Gissele and Clarrisa (not sure about spelling), twin sisters who lead the children and youth ministry of the church.  It was incredible to see the simliarities in ministry despite culture and distance.  Our conversations are not finished, and this is a neat opportunity for me to pass on the seminary training I have been blessed to receive.  Gissele was also the translator for me during the message, and she did an excellent job with a hard task! 

Our team is tired, and the week is just beginning!  We have to be ready to go in the morning at 6 AM.  Pray for our team as we go to a juvenile prison.  We will have an evangelistic breakfast with the workers from 7-8 AM, and then spend time with the inmates. This is the first time the missionary here has had any contact inside the prison, so pray for everything to go smoothly!  We will be helping out a brand new church plant that is just beginning in the afternoon and evening tomorrow.  Pray for our converstaions to lead people to know Jesus, and that our gospel presentation will not be jumbled in our tranlations. 

[I am having trouble adding pictures, so I will hopefully get them up later tomorrow.]

Saturday Night Culture

Jeff and Blake took our team to a restaurant that would make vegitarians tremble in fear, and meat-lovers leap for joy.  The name of the restaurant is Galpa Crioul.  Even better than all the meat and sides was the desserts, which include pineapple and some type of tapioca and cream sauce.  Needless to say, the food was great, and everyone ate plenty of food!

We also had the opportunity to experience a little bit about the cowboy-culture that is unique to our state in all of Brazil.  Dances that are still true to their mid-1800 heritage were performed by a team of 4 guys and 4 girls, complete with costumes from the era as well.  This is still a large part of the heritage, as about 60% of the 15 million people in our state still preserve the dress and dance.

The significance of the mid-1800's comes from a time when Rio Grande do Sol (our state) fought a civil war with the rest of Brazil, over the price of salted beef (if you're keeping score at home, that is beef jerkey!).  Our state is also known for its heritage of cattle farming, coming from a mix of cultures as it was settled.  Ultimately, what we learned from this experience is that the people from this area have a proud past, and many times can be stubborn to a fault.  Such information will guide our evangelism throughout our stay.  Also, in case you want to read more, click on this link to learn about the particular state we're in - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rio_Grande_do_Sul. 

We begin our training in the morning, working with translators and going through the most effective way to share the gospel with those who have not heard.  We will visit a craft fair in the afternoon, followed by a church service in the evening.  Our team will be sharing testimonies and preaching, so remember everyone in your prayers as we figure out what to do and how to do it best!

The Steak House

Our group in front of the Steak House

Blake, who at the age of 11 is fluent in 2 languages!

Brad sitting next Jeff, our missionary on the field!

The dessert was awesome!

Joyce enjoying dinner and her camera!

Donna and Jan getting ready to chow down!

Our entertainment for the evening - they were really talented!

Finally Here!

Well, we have finally landed in Porto Alegre, Brazil.  After eating some lunch, changing out money to the local currency, and riding to our hotel, we have a few moments to relax.  We are going back out for dinner this evening, to get a taste of the local culture.  Pictures to follow later!

The trip down went well, at least as can be expected when spending hours upon hours in a plane.  Our trip started with a flight from Indianapolis to Miami on the smallest plane possible.  I (Chris) was crunched up and stuffed into a seat, to the point that I looked at the seat belt and thought, "Why bother?" 

After landing in Miami, we all ate a quick dinner, then it was time for our flight on the big plane.  It took our team 8.5 hours of flying to get to Rio.  We were supposed to sleep on our overnight flight, but sleep was hard to come by.  After landing in Rio, we had about 1 hour to wait for our flight to Porto Alegre.  The gate of departure changed about 5 times, and eventually we found out that we were to wait in line for a bus.  The bus drove us out to the plan, and we walked up portable stairs to board our last plane.

Our missionary family that we are working with have been excellent so far.  Their names are Jeff, Cam, Blake, and Parker.  They have been in Brazil as International Mission Board missionaries for the last decade.  Please continue to pray for them!  You can link to their website, and more specific prayer requests for them, at the side of the web page.  Just click on Team Gaucho!

More updates to follow as soon as possible.  Thank you for your continued prayers!

Welcome!

Welcome to the Hebron Baptist Church Brazil Mission Trip Page!

Please continue to lift up the team in prayer during this time of packing and last minute preparations.  You can see the team members on the link to the right.

Beginning Saturday, June 4, this page will be updated each night.  Check back each day to see what the team has been doing.

Blessings!