Fw: Blog 12

 

Title: Best of
We are finished with our work in the villages. Below is the "best moment" from each of the students.

 

Patrick Blocker – My favorite moment was the night of our first village. I was running late to the meeting, and it didn't matter because our students had it done. They were amazing initiators! More than 100+ folks came to Christ that night and Michael Shapleigh became an international star.

 

Cody Scott- Greetings mom and dad from Brazil! I have too many good experiences to number talk about here. I will tell you later with the three hours I have filmed. Greatest consistent moment might be taking a shower on the back of the boat turning around and seeing the majestic Amazon river behind me. See you soon!

 

Sierra Anderson- Not sure it's possible to name a favorite moment but I will settle for a couple, haha. For one, living on the Amazon River has been unreal! Waking up in a hammock, falling asleep to the sounds of the jungle, and open showers (in your bathing suit) at the rear of the boat- UNREAL! Next best 'moment' for me would be our last village stop where I met  a girl named Angela who was about my age and had a precious 6 month old baby boy named Carlos.

 

Alyson Ryall-"Oi" as we say here in Brazil! I have always loved travelling internationally & have been blessed enough to have traveled to a number of countries over the past few years but I must say that I am absolutely amazed by what I have seen & experienced here on the Amazon. It is virtually impossible to choose just one experience to highlight however, this afternoon in VBS I was greeted by an elderly woman who made a lasting impression on me. She pulled me aside from the kiddos who were hanging on me like monkeys & she asked to pray with me. She told me that she has never seen her grandchildren's faces light up like they were when they were playing with us & learning from us. She then insisted on taking a picture with me so that I would remember that it was not only the children who appreciated our efforts but all of the villagers alike. Can't wait to fill you in on every little detail when we get back…I'm off to tutor one of our translators named Lucas in English now! LOVE.
(oh and we will soon have a new hammock to enjoy during the summer) 

 

Sawyer Stone- Too many amazing moments to pick out just one.  The first day that we visited a city, our nightly event surpassed all expectations.  150+ kids showed up to dance, sing, watch puppets, and listen to PB's chair speech: "I LOVE these chairs! I don't see who MADE it, I don't try to BREAK it. I just sit!" Yesterday, in the village, for some reason Cody had an army of 200 kids that would chase and bring down anybody that he wanted.  When the thunder of feet came my way, I didn't know what was happening, and soon enough I was attacked by every one of the kids!

 

Maddy McAuliffe- Hi mom and dad  The only way to really say it is that the two worlds are incomparable.  Out here we have no cell phones or facebook to distract us and it really brings out the true beauty in people.  I've seen such beauty in the people of the villages we've visited, and just as much pure beauty in the other people living on this boat.  Today  I was sitting with the sweetest four year old girl in my lap, and we both were watching Nico and Michael shoot water balloons into a crowd of Brazilian children.  I stopped and just looked at this little girl for a moment, and she looked at me, and I don't think I've ever seen someone so innocent and beautiful in my life.  It opened my eyes to what really matters in our lives.  This trip has been unbelievable and breathtaking in so many ways. 

 

Claire McCormack- There have been few times in my life as peace filled at this time in Brazil. Words cannot even begin to justify this experience. Each person has been impacted in a unique and powerfully passionate way of their own and each story brings to life this experience we all share. While serving and loving the people in the villages has been incredible, it is the moments spent with this team that has impacted me significantly... like the number of hours spent laughing- from the second we roll out of the hammocks looking mighty good, to the nap time songs sung to each other and the stories we fall asleep to…  or singing at the TOP of our lungs off the back of the boat while showering in our bathing suits with friends… or waking up to the sun rising and sharing those unforgettable moments together… or 2,000 pictures we have taken together… or the friendships that have been set on fire from this trip.  Let's just say that the videos and stories can't do justice to sharing the truth about the hearts of the people here and their passion for loving the Lord and serving others.

 

Sarah Taunton:  This week God has blessed me by letting me become more acquainted with all the wonders of who He is.  He is bigger to me after this trip to the remote people of Brazil.  He has created so much more than what I see every day, and He is sovereign over all of it.  Telling the story of how God changed my life and made it better was so fulfilling.  These people's faith is so simple but still so big.  No one I talked to rejected the opportunity to accept Christ as their friend.  The coolest thing I got to do was share Christ with a mother who was hesitant to accept Jesus because she prays for her baby every day to be healed of her skin disease and the baby is still sick.  She decided to accept Jesus anyway, and before we left I asked if I could pray for her baby.  She was excited about that, and I think it meant something to her that someone wanted to pray for her baby other than just herself.  I also appreciate the little things God reminds me of – smiles and joy and excitement and beauty are universal. God's love is universal.  It was good to be reminded of what we live for – the story of what God did for the world. We live for the story.

 

Nina Williams- This week by far has been the most amazing and rewarding experience of my life. As a team we have all grown together and all have something to bring back to Dallas when we return in just two short days. My favorite moment of this trip would have to be in the first village where we had hundreds of people attend our worship service. The high energy of that night and the people's commitment to Christ simply can not be expressed properly in words. I know it is a night that we will all remember and brought smiles to everyone faces. The one thing I learned from this trip is that a smile truly speaks a thousand words and that God made us all in his image so we can pass on his joy through a simple smile. A smile simply lights up a child's face and the children of the Amazon whose faces were lit up this week I will never forget. Thank you everyone who made this experience possible and I can not wait to share all my stories.

 

Mel Canizo Bueno- I am the first translator to do this, so here we go. When we got on the boat I was so sad because I wanted so bad to go to the other boat and I cried when I went to sleep. But as I meet the guys and see the work they were doing I just felt blessed to be their translator. It is awesome to see a team so hard-working and I am so proud of them. They did their best and it was amazing to see everything they did on the villages. Amo voces guys!

 

Nico Stirling – My favorite moment has to be watching Michael Shapleigh give autographs to little Brazillian children after PB told them he was one of the best soccer players in America. He literally had a line of probably 50 kids asking him to sign a paper, their clothes, and their arms. One of the kids asked a translator if he was on Playstation because he wanted to use Michael as his character.

 

Matt Church- My favorite part of the trip was not any specific moment, or any specific day, but the relationships built with all of the members of the mission team and the families in the village.  I love the fact that most everyone on this boat started out as strangers, and by the end we had all become family.   Words would do no justice to describe how much I have come to love and respect each and every person here. Throughout the whole trip, everyone has shown selfless humility completely leave their comfort behind and do things that they normally could not have done, and I cannot say enough good things about them.  I truly can see God's love overflowing here in the Amazon, and it is going to be very difficult to say goodbye to all the translaters, Brenda, and Warner.  Also I really enjoyed witnessing first hand PB's "casting lots"/gambling addiction.  I will continue to pray for him even as we get back to America.

 

Ayana Fletcher-Tyson – My favorite part of our trip is a very special moment that happened in our second village. Early that morning at the first VBS session I befriended a little girl named Inesh, and when I saw her at the second session we got to spend even more time together. While we were presenting to the kids, I sat with her, and continued to attempt to communicate with her. After our presentations were over and all the kids had run off to play games, she asked me the same question repeatedly. Finally, I got a translator to tell me what she was trying to say to me; it turned out that she was asking me to pray with her.  I took her over to a corner, and first I prayed in English, and then she prayed with me in Portuguese. I felt so blessed to be the person she asked to pray with her, and it was such a joy to my heart to hear her prayer.

 

Julia Biebighauser – I have absolutely loved getting to love on the kids in these villages! Helping out with Vacation Bible School at each stop has been my main job and I have had a blast.  Every time that we pull up on the boat, all of the children come running up with the biggest smiles on their faces. They follow us all the way in, play obediently, and help us pack up everything to load back on the boat. The kids at one village even ran alongside the boat as far as they could, screaming goodbye. Our group is so blessed to be able to impact these kids and just seeing the looks on their faces is the most rewarding thing in the world. I can clearly see the Lord working through us to get the love of Jesus across to these kids and I am so sad that today closed our adventure. Miss you Mom and Dad 

 

Michael Shapleigh – My favorite moment was Wednesday in the village when Nico and I were invited by the guys to go play soccer during VBS.  We went through a few trees and then came upon an open field that was surrounded by trees in the middle of the jungle.  Once we started playing, it started pouring.  The moment was so surreal.  The blue sky, the lush green grass, the waterfall of rain, and just guys playing soccer in Brazil – it was a perfect moment to enjoy God's creation.  I am so blessed to experience the relationships we build with all of the people we encounter, and for the opportunity to see part of God's creation that most people will never see.

 

Emma Killingsworth- This trip has truly been the best experience of my life, and it is so hard to pick out just one moment as my favorite. One that did stick out to me, however, was yesterday during the Women's Ministry. As I was sitting there painting an elderly woman's nails, I realized that this is such a simple task that people do for us in America all the time, and we take it for granted. Let me tell you, it was not the most fun job in the world, but it was definitely the most humbling. When I was finished she looked at her nails and then looked up at me, then her eyes just lit up as she gave me a huge hug. This woman was so happy and thankful for my horrible attempt at a manicure, and it seemed to mean the world to her. I guess the point of all of this is just that it made me realize how often we just go through the motions, taking everything we have for granted. All of the Brazilians have the best attitudes and just pour out their love on you, even though you are a complete stranger and can't even speak their language. We should all learn from these people, and take some time to spread out love and appreciate the simple things in life.

 

Alissa Windle – When I first came here I had little expectations because I didn't know the treasures this land would hold or the secrets within its thick forests. Through it all, the Lord led me on an adventure through his beautiful creation. I was given the opportunity to capture the smiles and stories behind the eyes of Brazil's people through family portraits. It was beautiful to take their picture and give it back as a gift. While the picture itself may not seem important, this captivating land will view those photos throughout the years and remember God's love that followed these pictures. The truth these pictures hold of a greater love can never escape their grasp. The beauty of this fact blesses my heart because I know even though we were only with each village a day, our impact will not be soon forgotten and the seeds the Lord planted this week will continue to grow. What more can I ask for than Brazil's people to praise the name of the Lord and bring him glory? The Lord is faithful.

 

Chelsea Reckell- It is virtually impossible to pick out one experience that stands out from the rest. It seems as though everything is connected with each other and there is not one event that could be taken out of the trip and not have it affect the rest. So here are some of my highlights: Yesterday I was able to go out with the evangelism team in a small village and talk to the people in their homes. I was able to pray with some families to invite Jesus into their life after explaining who he was and what it meant. While doing this we had an elderly lady come up to us and tell us how grateful she was for us coming to the village. She also explained that her granddaughter had been healed from missionaries praying with her, so she was overjoyed people kept coming back to their village. I have also enjoyed being with the kids in the village. They have so much joy in them over simple things that it has been really easy to feel God's love in the villages. I have also enjoyed watching Warner pull teeth, or "surgically remove" them. He is a very gifted man and has a heart for God. He is also one of the funniest people on this boat and always has a smile on his face. We are so lucky to have him with us on this trip. Lastly, the team bond is like glue on this trip. Everyone here has a heart for God and has truly extended themselves out of their comfort zone. We all get along so well that we are like our own family. From alligator hunting to puppet shows together it is evident God handpicked every member of this team. The leadership has also been amazing PB, Abby, and all the translators have been so helpful and efficient. God has been so good to us and his love and grace has been evident. God Bless.   

 

Katye Rohr- Oi mom and dad, friends and family! This trip has been absolutely amazing and every moment has been a blessing. I know that one of my most favorite experiences from this trip was after a morning of VBS we would go back to the boat for lunch and the kids would follow us and wait for us to finish eating so we could play! I loved being a part of the VBS team everyday and getting to pour into the hearts of the children in the Amazon.  This has been an eye opening experience and a blessing to love and share life with God's people in Brazil. Love you all!