Why, hello there! It appears as though internet does work here in the Amazon! Me and my partner, Jailson, arrived here in Santo Antônio do Içá at about midnight Saturday night/Sunday morning. Santo Antônio is a city of about 30,000 people. We're living here in the city until we get permission to move into one of the nearby communities. We've had a busy 5 days since we got here. Sunday we ran around town and preached at different churches. Monday we went fishing - we scored about 20 fish and 2 pretty bad thunderstorms in a little unstable wooden canoe. The highlight was catching Piranhas in the nets and then trying to pull them loose while, clearly, being careful that they don't leave their mark on your hand! Tuesday we went and visited our (potential) community. Pray that God opens doors there! It was so wonderful to sit down in the houses of some of the people there and make some chit-chat. Of course, while there my mind was running wild as I looked at each person thinking - "Could he be a church leader here in a year?" or "Could she be a missionary here in a year?" Pray for big things! Wednesday we helped one of the pastors here in town run some errands and what not. Then today, we made it back out to the community and had a wonderful time talking with two brothers who each were probably about 35 years old. We told them we would return there on Sunday and asked permission to do a little Bible Study with them. They accepted! So, this Sunday could be the start, or on a prayer of faith perhaps I should say will be the start, of God doing big things here!
So, having mentioned prayer, let me give some prayer requests! While reading through some of Paul's letters here recently I decided to note each time he said that he was praying something for someone or was asking for prayer for something. I decided that if Paul was praying something over the churches that he was planting, it wouldn't be a bad idea to pray them myself or if he was needing prayer in some area I'll be needing it too. Then I decided I'd pass them along so ya'll, also, could be praying for the same things. So, in order of Bible reference, here they are:
2 Corinthians 1:11 - You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.
Ephesians 1:15-21 - For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
Ephesians 6:17-20 - ...and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.
Philipians 1:9-11 - And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
Philipians 4:5-7 - Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Colossians 1:9-12 - And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.
Colossians 4:2-4 - Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.
1 Thessalonians 1:2-3 - We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:25 - Brothers, pray for us.
2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 - To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Thessalonians 3:1-2 - Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you, and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men. For not all have faith.
1 Timothy 2:1-2 - First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.
Philemon 1:4-6 - I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.
I know I already threw a lot out at ya'll, but one more text - and I apologize, it's a big one! In this text Paul does not explicitly say pray for me in this or that, but it is his departing words as he left the church leaders of Ephesus. Obviously not everything that he says would pertain to me. However, pray that I conduct my life in such a way as to be able to have the same mindset and say some of the same words that he says:
Acts 20:18-35 - You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews; how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again. Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all of you, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish everyone with tears. And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. I coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
There's No Place Like Home...
And I'm back from training, and leaving tomorrow at 2 for the interior. Though most likely the boat will be leaving much later than 2 - probably more like 2:30 or 4:10. But anywho, let me quickly explain how training went these last 2 months.
It was not quite as rugged as I though it would be. We purchased a lot of food and had a lot of churches donate boxes full of rice and beans, so food-wise we were secure. We did some fishing, but rarely were we dependent on our catch for that day or that weeks food. Having said that I did learn to fish using two types of nets - one the kind you throw and one the kinds you set in the river and wait for fish to entangle themselves. We had a period of about 2 weeks where they locked the bathroom doors - meaning that all showers were in the mighty Amazon and all potty breaks were in the jungle! I won't go into much detail on that one. We also cooked and cleaned with the river water - making coffee out of it leaves a pretty bad taste in the mouth. For just drinking water purposes, we did have a filter. I learned that gas and fire don't mix very well - nearly losing two of my toes. We did a lot of canoeing, gardening, volleyball and football. About half of the time we cooked over an open fire, which only serves to complicate washing the dishes!
But Spiritually I learned a lot more. We had to memorize 20 Bible narratives. From as long as the creation account of Genesis 1:1 - 2:3 to as short as the blind beggar being healed in Luke 18:35-43, we hid 20 of them in our hearts. Then we took these narratives on the weekends to a nearby community called Nossa Senhora do Livramento. There we did a lot of door to door evangelizing using these stories. We would walk up to people and simply ask, "Can I tell you a story?" Then we would tell about Jesus and talk about it afterward. It was very encouraging to see God at work there. I would say that in the 5 weekends we went there, the 6 of us were able to see around 15 people come to know the Lord for the very first time. Our first Sunday there, I would say there were about 10 people in the church. On our last weekend there were about 25. Praise God! We had services in people's front yards, around their pick nick tables and up on top of hills overlooking the river. One weekend we did a kid's club - and against my will I was the leader of the kid's club! When it started at 3:00 we had 2 kids. When it ended at 5:00, 40 kids walked away having heard the Good News!
This training definitely was a blessing and I now feel a lot more prepared to go into a community and start from the ground up. I learned a lot about what it means to really depend on God and hear His voice. Nothing I can say will cause a person to turn from sin to Him, but my obedience and the power of His Holy Spirit can change a heart of stone to one of flesh. Pray!
So what is the big take away? What is the big idea that I learned these last two months? Home and Hope. It's funny. When I was in the community, I couldn't wait to return to our training camp. When at the training camp I couldn't wait to return to Manaus. While in Manaus, I think of and can't wait to return to Texas. I even had a dream a few nights ago that Manaus got a Whataburger! I've had some hard days and I've really had to ask myself a lot these last two months: Where is my home? And where does my hope lie? And it is this hope that gets me through the hard days. My home is not in Manaus. My home is not in Clute, Texas. My hope is not in returning. My hope is not in eating a Honey Barbecue Chicken Strip Sandwich. My hope is not even in talking with my friends and family. My hope is firmly rooted in hearing my God say, "Well done my good and faithful servant." My hope is constantly set on the eternal joy and rest I have awaiting me in the afterlife. My home is in heaven - the better country that the men of faith looked forward to. This is the sure and steadfast anchor of my soul as the writer of Hebrews puts it in chapter 6. I've cried. I've longed to have heart to heart conversations in English with my friends who know me better than I know myself. I've longed to hug my family. I've had days where I just felt spiritually dry. On these days I ran to God - my refuge - and found strong encouragement. I have learned so much these last 8 months (almost 9 now) here in Brazil. I've learned to depend on God. I've learned to find joy in His presence and not in the things of this world. I've learned to cherish His Word as the fountain of all treasures. And I've learned that the eternal far outweighs the temporary, fleeting things. And I know that the next year that I have in front of me will only be harder. But as hard as it becomes and I know that reward in it will be grander.
It was not quite as rugged as I though it would be. We purchased a lot of food and had a lot of churches donate boxes full of rice and beans, so food-wise we were secure. We did some fishing, but rarely were we dependent on our catch for that day or that weeks food. Having said that I did learn to fish using two types of nets - one the kind you throw and one the kinds you set in the river and wait for fish to entangle themselves. We had a period of about 2 weeks where they locked the bathroom doors - meaning that all showers were in the mighty Amazon and all potty breaks were in the jungle! I won't go into much detail on that one. We also cooked and cleaned with the river water - making coffee out of it leaves a pretty bad taste in the mouth. For just drinking water purposes, we did have a filter. I learned that gas and fire don't mix very well - nearly losing two of my toes. We did a lot of canoeing, gardening, volleyball and football. About half of the time we cooked over an open fire, which only serves to complicate washing the dishes!
But Spiritually I learned a lot more. We had to memorize 20 Bible narratives. From as long as the creation account of Genesis 1:1 - 2:3 to as short as the blind beggar being healed in Luke 18:35-43, we hid 20 of them in our hearts. Then we took these narratives on the weekends to a nearby community called Nossa Senhora do Livramento. There we did a lot of door to door evangelizing using these stories. We would walk up to people and simply ask, "Can I tell you a story?" Then we would tell about Jesus and talk about it afterward. It was very encouraging to see God at work there. I would say that in the 5 weekends we went there, the 6 of us were able to see around 15 people come to know the Lord for the very first time. Our first Sunday there, I would say there were about 10 people in the church. On our last weekend there were about 25. Praise God! We had services in people's front yards, around their pick nick tables and up on top of hills overlooking the river. One weekend we did a kid's club - and against my will I was the leader of the kid's club! When it started at 3:00 we had 2 kids. When it ended at 5:00, 40 kids walked away having heard the Good News!
This training definitely was a blessing and I now feel a lot more prepared to go into a community and start from the ground up. I learned a lot about what it means to really depend on God and hear His voice. Nothing I can say will cause a person to turn from sin to Him, but my obedience and the power of His Holy Spirit can change a heart of stone to one of flesh. Pray!
So what is the big take away? What is the big idea that I learned these last two months? Home and Hope. It's funny. When I was in the community, I couldn't wait to return to our training camp. When at the training camp I couldn't wait to return to Manaus. While in Manaus, I think of and can't wait to return to Texas. I even had a dream a few nights ago that Manaus got a Whataburger! I've had some hard days and I've really had to ask myself a lot these last two months: Where is my home? And where does my hope lie? And it is this hope that gets me through the hard days. My home is not in Manaus. My home is not in Clute, Texas. My hope is not in returning. My hope is not in eating a Honey Barbecue Chicken Strip Sandwich. My hope is not even in talking with my friends and family. My hope is firmly rooted in hearing my God say, "Well done my good and faithful servant." My hope is constantly set on the eternal joy and rest I have awaiting me in the afterlife. My home is in heaven - the better country that the men of faith looked forward to. This is the sure and steadfast anchor of my soul as the writer of Hebrews puts it in chapter 6. I've cried. I've longed to have heart to heart conversations in English with my friends who know me better than I know myself. I've longed to hug my family. I've had days where I just felt spiritually dry. On these days I ran to God - my refuge - and found strong encouragement. I have learned so much these last 8 months (almost 9 now) here in Brazil. I've learned to depend on God. I've learned to find joy in His presence and not in the things of this world. I've learned to cherish His Word as the fountain of all treasures. And I've learned that the eternal far outweighs the temporary, fleeting things. And I know that the next year that I have in front of me will only be harder. But as hard as it becomes and I know that reward in it will be grander.
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