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.