Past Month and a Half

Alright, so I've been super slow in updating since I got back from my trip to the interior - in fact I've been to Peru and now back for a week since getting back from the interior. I've sat down to update this at least 4 times now, and the fact is, I just don't know where to start after over a month in the interior. So let me start with just an overview list:

• I traveled about 1300 miles by boat on the Amazon.
• I saw some of the prettiest sunsets I've ever seen - I tried uploading some pictures here on the blog but it was taking forever.
  
• I saw plenty of Toucans, Macaws, Monkeys, Snakes, and Freshwater Dolphins.
• I ate alligator, chicken feet, piranha, açaí, fruits that I have no idea what the names are, fresh Brazil Nuts and lots and lots of fish and rice!
• I made this food called farinha - it's a big deal down here!
  
• I played soccer, a lot.
• I preached 7 times - in Portuguese - for as long as 40 minutes one time!
• I took apart the engine of a Rabeta - it's the preferred way to get around the river, an engine that you connect to your canoe.
• I also got to pilot a rabeta for a good two-three hours on our way back from a community one day.
• I heard a lot of Eminem and Rihanna, Hey Soul Sister by Train, and some classic Linkin Park (my favorite).
  
• I was a translator for a group of Americans for about 4 days.
  
• Then I went to Peru for a training where I ate all the American food that I've been missing these last few months - Donuts from Duncan Donuts, Chips, Salsa and Fajitas from Chile's, Chicken from KFC, and Pizza from Papa John's.

So what exactly did we do?
We first went to a town called Alverães. Our stop there was only supposed to last about 2-3 days in order to talk with some missionaries there - unfortunately boat schedules aren't always the most reliable and we were stuck there an extra week before heading out to Santo Antônio do Içá. We stayed there for two weeks. We visited a few river communities while there, and met some current American missionaries that are also living out there. Then we headed out to Tefé, which is right next door to our original destination of Alverães. We were here during Carnaval, which is more or less like Brazil's version of Mardi Gras. We met an American team there and did a whole lot of evangelism. As I said earlier, I was a translator for the group! Then we came back to Manaus. I was here for about 4 days and then I went off to Peru for 5 days of training and, as I said, eating!

Prayer
"Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!" Psalm 67:3-5
Pray these verses over the people in Santo Antônio do Içá.

That's the quick of my last month and a half. I could go into more specifics, but I know that people a lot of times don't like long blogs, and a lot of the stuff we did was very Brazilian, I wouldn't know how to succinctly explain it all.

And I'm Off!

First off let me confess of a habit that I've developed since coming down here. It involves eating pizza. A few years back a wise man (Aaron Sanders - you can pay me later) talked me into putting a little Bull's-Eye BBQ sauce on my pizza. I thought it was strange, but I tried it, and I liked it. When I got down here I noticed that Brazilians like to put not barbecue sauce but ketchup and mayonnaise on their pizzas. My first response was, "Nope, No Way, Never!" But then I stayed here for another 3 months. And to be honest I like it! Ketchup and mayonnaise actually taste good on pizza.

Now that I've got that off my shoulders, let me tell you my plans for the next month or so. As I said in an earlier blog, I'm no longer doing my training here from February to April as originally planned - instead I will be doing one research trip (or if I have time two) up the Rio Solimões. So what will we be researching on these research trips? Well I'm glad you asked. Plain and simple, we're looking for river communities (think ~200 people living a very basic lifestyle) to send future missionaries. Our purpose in these trips is to find river communities where the Gospel has still not been brought. Some communities already have churches that are thriving, while some are not even open to Christians living with them. We will be stopping at three different river municipals (think ~10,000 people living in a more 'civilized' town on the river) in order to find out about the conditions of the river communities surrounding them. Hopefully, and God willing, we will be able to meet some people from these communities while we are staying in the municipals in order to find out more information about the spiritual state of their community. If things go real well, we'll accompany them out to their community to see for ourselves the possibility of sending American and/or Brazilian missionaries out there to evangelize and church plant. Does that make sense?

What makes this trip really special for me is that one of the three municipals where I am going is most likely where I will be living, full-time, come June. So when we stop at this municipal, we're not just looking for hypothetical purposes, but I'll actually be looking for myself a home! While in the municipal we'll ask about some surrounding Ribeirinho communities to see if there is any one community in particular that appears to have a real need for a missionary and that will be willing to accept some missionaries in the future. As you could imagine, I am very excited to be living out on the river - and even more excited about knowing a lot more details about what exactly my job will look like having gone to where I will be spending a year doing missions work.

So, when does this start? Well, tomorrow! I'm leaving tomorrow, and will most likely be returning somewhere around March 15th or so. So this trip will give me a little over a month of solid Brazilian culture and language (no Americans on this trip, so I'll be speaking only Portuguese!).

So, please pray!
Pray first off that God would lead us to people to talk to and communities where they still know nothing of His sacrifice of His Son on the cross. Paul says in Colossians 4:3, "Pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ." Pray for this foremost - that God would open up doors for His people that He created to know Him and worship Him.
Pray for my language. I praise God that language is going well. I've gotten many complements that I'm sounding "more Brazilian. This could mean that I actually sound Brazilian, or it could just mean that I sounded terrible when I first got here! At any rate, pray that God continues to give me His grace in communicating with people around me. I've been told to be prepared to preach while I am in the interior - in Portuguese! Pray that language would not get in the way of God's Word being taught, and of God being worshiped.
Pray for peace of mind! I'm being thrown into a lifestyle completely contrary to the 'normal' American lifestyle. Pray that I would adjust and enjoy doing life differently.
Pray for safety for myself and the Brazilian who I will be with. At one of the municipals we will actually be teaming up with some Americans from Florida, so pray also that they have safe travel.
In the end, just pray that God would be glorified and that we would be His faithful servants.
I most likely will not have internet until I return in March, so thanks for the prayers, I'll definitely be needing them.

Two Stories

I haven't updated this in a couple of weeks. I've been trying to wait until I found out some specifics for next month, but that hasn't happened yet. So I figured I would write about two stories from the Bible that have made me think a lot when I last read through them. They're both from the Old Testament with one being one of the most famous stories from the Bible and the other being one that I think I was never told. They both have a current theme though - which is the glory of God to be known amongst all peoples.

The first story is the story of David and Goliath. Reading it this time through, I didn't see it so much as a fight between David and Goliath, or even Israel and the Philistines, but rather a fight between the God of the Israelites and the gods of the Philistines. We see that Goliath challenges the Israelites and they react in fear. They've forgotten two important words of encouragement that were given to them before entering the promised land. The first, found in Deuteronomy 7:1-2, is that God would give victory to the Israelites in the promised land so that they might inhabit the land. The second, found in Deuteronomy 31:6, is to "Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you." They were to be strong and courageous because God would give them the victory. But, how do we find the Israelites in 1 Samuel 17 when Goliath steps forward to "defy the ranks of Israel?" "Dismayed and greatly afraid." In steps David. David seems to remember when the rest of Israel forgets. He makes it known that Goliath is not simply defying Israel, but "the armies of the living God." He puts God back into the equation where He belongs. Knowing that it is the Lord who delivers, he says, "The Lord... will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." It's always about God. It's not about David and his own strength, it's about the God of Israel, the Lord of Hosts, the God of Creation. Then comes my favorite part. It's the answer to the question, "Why?" Why is God going to deliver David from Goliath and Israel from the Philistines? David says that it is so "that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel." Love it. God was not just interested in the Israelites for the sake of the Israelites. He was using them that His glory and power and truth may be known throughout the whole earth!

The next story is one that I don't believe I was ever told. It's found in 1 Kings 18 & 19. It involves the death of 185,000 soldiers, so I really don't know why I was never told about this story as a Junior High boy! Before getting started we need to know that Assyria is a very powerful nation, has just taken over the northern kingdom, Israel, and they are knocking on the door of Judah seeking to take it over as well. Hezekiah, one of the most God-fearing kings that Judah had, is the current king of Judah. The story starts with the leader of the Assyrian army, who is speaking on behalf of the king of Assyria, threatening the Israelites, or rather, the God of the Israelites. After mocking the Israelite army for being small (18:23), he then boasts that no one - not even God - can save the Israelites when the Assyrians attack them (18:29-30, 33-35). Hezekiah is scared knowing that the Assyrians are a strong force. So how does he react? He doesn't run away, or try to fight in desperation. Rather, he turns to God. The prophet Isaiah encouraged Hezekiah that God would defeat the Assyrian army. Then the king of Assyria sent messengers once again to Israel saying: "Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, devoting them to destruction. And shall you be delivered? Have the gods of the nations delivered them, the nations that my fathers destroyed, Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar?" This Assyrian king is belittling Israel's God to the false gods of the other nations they had conquered. He says that Israel's God will not be able to deliver them. So Hezekiah prays. Just like David, Hezekiah has confidence in God and knows that God will fulfill the promises He made to deliver the Israelites. So just what exactly does he pray? "So now, O Lord our God, save us, please, from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O Lord, are God alone." Here we see it again. Why would God provide victory for the Israelites? That ALL the kingdoms of the earth may know that the God of Israel is the only God! So did God deliver? Of course, in a miraculous way! The Bible tells us in 2 Kings 19:35 that the angel of the Lord (who some believe to be a preincarnate Christ) went out that night and struck down 185,000 of the Assyrians! That's a LOT of people! Needless to say the Assyrians ran away. And why? That ALL the kingdoms of the earth may know!

I love these two stories. Maybe it's just because I am now a missionary, but every time I open up my Bible I see that God's purpose from Creation to Revelation is that ALL peoples would know Him and worship Him as the only true God. Pray that God would use me to make His glory known amongst the Ribeirinhos of the Amazon Basin. Pray that I, like David and Hezekiah, would be faithful and obedient to God that He might use me for His purposes.

New Year - New Plans

One of the "Missionary Quotes" they gave us at training in the states was: "Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not break." This new year has brought in some new plans for me down here in Manaus. Maybe not new plans, so much as delayed plans! The original scenario had me doing three months of language training here in Manaus. Then I would start my two month missions training in February with me going out to live on the river sometime in April. This has since changed for a number of different reasons.

So, the new plan! I am almost done with my language training, just about 2-3 weeks left of it. Come February I will not be heading to training as originally thought. Rather, I will begin a two month voyage all over the Amazon basin! The key word here is flexibility, because the plans are still not set in stone for February and March (and potentially a little spill over into April). However, the basic course for now will be for me to spend the first 2-3 weeks with my roommate going up the Rio Negro here in Brazil to do some research. Our goal would be to find some locations for future Amazon Racers and to find out a little bit about the Evangelic presence in the Ribeirinho communities where we will be stopping.

Then, when I return sometime around mid-February, I will be going out one more time, but this time for a month and a half up the Rio Solimões with a lady named Ioli - a Brazilian who is one of the leaders of the Amazon Race project from the Brazil side. Our first stop will be a little town located right next to Peru. We will likely spend over a week there doing the same type of research mentioned above at some of the River-Communities surrounding the city. From there, we will ride a boat back to Manuas, stopping along the way at 3-4 other communities to do some more research.

This will bring me to April, where I will have 2-3 free weeks and, drum rolls please, MY PARENTS ARE COMING! I'm so excited to get to show them my new home, and introduce them to some of my new friends here. Not to mention I'm super excited to just be able to see them again and hug them and talk with them - face to face, not computer screen to computer screen! Then, in the beginning of May, my two month training will start. Then in July I will most likely be heading out onto the river to live in a Ribeirinho community and tell some people the Greatest News that they could ever hear.

So, the next few months are going to be very different from the last few months, and very different from the original plan - but I know that I am right where God wants me and if he'd rather me do some research trips first, then I'll gladly do some research trips first!

As far as specific prayer requests go, first off is the language. Praise God that the language is going very well. Last night at church I honestly understood a good 90-95% of what the pastor said. Praise God that it's no longer one stream of Portuguese that all runs together, but I'm actually to a point now where it has slowed down and I can understand the words that are being said. I'm able to have some more extended conversation with some of my friends. I'm not anywhere near fluent, I still have a lot more to learn. So pray that I will continue to add to the vocabulary and be able to talk about deeper things and eternal things.
Continue to pray also for some of my friends that I am making playing basketball. The one I had blogged about earlier asked me last Thursday if he could come with me to church on Sunday (today). I was extremely excited that I didn't have to even bring it up. Unfortunately, he just called me to tell me he was going to go play basketball instead of coming to church with me tonight. But, continue to pray for him and others that I am getting to know. Pray that I could learn the Portuguese needed to communicate Christ to them. Pray that my lifestyle and attitude would reflect Christ even when I don't necessarily know that language. Pray that God would open their eyes and heal their hearts for the sake of His name and His glory. Pray that I may have boldness.
Pray that the time I have left here in Manaus would be meaningful - that I would live my life with purpose in learning Portuguese, getting to know Brazilians, and, most importantly, becoming more and more of a disciple of Christ each and every day as I grow in my knowledge of Him and obedience to Him.
Pray for the trips that are coming up - that God prepares peoples hearts and that Chris and Ioli and I have opportunities to share Christ's love as we conduct these research trips.
Thank you all for your prayers!

The Most Important Lesson I Ever Learned

One time I listened to a Francis Chan sermon titled something along the lines of "The Most Important Lesson I Could Ever Teach." I was expecting some mind blowing truth that would cause me to see everything in a new light, that would change the way I live, the way I think, the way I feel. I was expecting him to tell some story from the Bible that I had probably already heard but bring new truth to it that I had never seen. I was expecting something revolutionary. He says at the beginning of the sermon, "If this were the only lesson I ever learned it would be enough." And then he gave it to me. I have forgotten a lot of the scriptures that he used in the sermon and all the illustrations. I've forgotten the jokes he told, but I remember the most important part, the most important lesson. The lesson was how to read the Bible for himself! How to spend time alone reading Scripture and studying Scripture for himself.

When I first heard this sermon, I agreed with it. Of course I agreed with it! It was not quite what I expected, but it was good. Then I learned how to read the Scripture for myself! When I first heard the sermon, I had never read all the way through the Bible. I had never opened up to Genesis 1 and finished in Revelation 22. I heard his sermon, but I didn't really understand it. I didn't grasp it. Then I went to missionary training this past July. Each and every day I was bathed in the Word of God. Whether by my own reading or by the talks of other men and women, each day I spent anywhere from 1 hour to 5 hours studying and meditating and memorizing Scripture. This was when the passion for the Word of God began.

Then when I arrived to Brazil, I decided to read through the Bible. This last summer I read through the Old Testament, reading through all the books that I had never read before. But I decided when I got here that I wanted to read through all the pages of the Bible. From Genesis to Revelation I wanted to get a grasp of the Bible in its entirety. So, mid-October, I started reading Genesis. Then I moved onto Exodus and so on, reading from 10-15 chapters a day. Today I started Romans. And oh, how thankful I am for the Word of God - the Bible! I know I've quoted this verse on this blog before, but once again, a verse that I love is Psalm 16:11, "You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore." Every time I open open up my Bible, I am spending time in the presence of the Creator of the Universe, the Sustainer of all things! And in this there is fullness of joy. I could not begin to describe how sweet the times have been while I have sat in the presence of our God. I couldn't even tell everything that I have learned and what all God has showed me for the very first time. I do know that my passion for reading the Bible has grown tremendously. To find God in Scriptures, to hear His Words and understand a little bit more of who He is, what He has done and who I am is humbling, refreshing, and purpose giving.

I am so thankful for the Word of God. Here - where all the singing and preaching is in Portuguese, and I go to church and fight to even understand half of what the pastor is saying - I have learned to find joy, and strength, and peace within the pages of Scripture. I have learned to worship Him in what He has done throughout history and for the promises that He gives us even today. And what a great lesson it is. I am so thankful for guys like William Tyndale, who literally gave his life that I might have the Word of God in my own tongue. To be perfectly honest, when I first heard that Francis Chan sermon, I kind of looked past it. But now that I have learned to treasure God's Word, it is that life changing lesson that I was expecting. It is what gets me through each and every day here with out family and American comforts. In reading through the Bible I have learned more each day about depending on God. And in Him, there truly is fullness of joy! Thank you God for Your Scripture!

Basketball Buddies

One HUGE praise that I have, is that I have found a group of guys who play basketball at an outdoor court about 5 times a week. It may sound a bit unspiritual for basketball to be a point of praise, but a praise it is! It allows me a chance to meet some new Brazilians, to practice my Portuguese and learn new 'sports-related' terms, to get out of the house and have something to do, and to enjoy playing a game that has, more or less, been a big part of my life up to this point.

Anwho, I was playing on Friday night (I believe my team won 5 games and lost 1 for those who wanted to know) and as I was leaving one of the guys caught up to me and we started talking. We ended up going to a Shell gas station convenience store (yes, they have those here!) to get some Guarana Bare (a drink like coke made with seeds of Guarana that has a lot of caffeine). After that, we hung out a little bit more. He speaks a little English, but I understand his Portuguese a lot better than his English. His mom is Catholic, he believes in God, but he does not go to church or have a personal relationship with Christ.

We played ball together again last night (Monday), then caught the most recent Narnia movie afterwards. He is really nice, he even invited me to come celebrate Christmas with him and his family on Christmas Eve.

Be praying that God would use me to get him involved in a church and to have that first encounter with the God of Creation! I have started memorizing the Roman Road in Portuguese so that maybe I can start talking to him a little bit about Christianity. Pray that I could learn some of that 'religious jargon' in order to talk to him about our Creator and our Saviour.

Pork and Cheese

Where has all the time gone? I started my missions training at the end of July, and it is already December!? Time has flown by. I've been here in Manaus now for a little over a month and a half. Thank you for all of the prayers and messages that I have been receiving. It is definitely encouraging to know that people are thinking about me and lifting me up before our Heavenly Father. Thank you! A lot!

The main question I have been getting from people is what have you been doing? So let me give you the average week so you know more or less what my life looks like right now. Monday through Friday I have language training from 9:30 - 11:30. My language teacher and I have a book and usually we spend one hour going through some book pages and one hour talking (in Portuguese), or going through Bible stories to learn some of that 'religious jargon.' This morning we actually made some 'creme de maracuja' which, I believe, would translate into passion fruit cream!? It was like a fruity pudding made out of passion fruit - very delicious! Then the rest of the day is up to me. Usually I'll spend an hour or so studying more Portuguese, an hour or so studying my Bible, and some time watching TV in Portuguese to continue working on listening comprehension.

Last night my roommate and I went down to Ponta Negra, which is a popular strip along the river here, to do some storytelling. I memorized the story from Matthew 4 of Jesus calling Simon, Andrew, James, and John to be 'fishers of men.' After I told the story to one guy, I asked him if he had any questions. He asked what it meant to be a fisher of men. My first thought was, "I don't know if I could really explain this in English, how in the world will I do it in Portuguese!?" But, I explained as best as I could talking about discipleship, then I let my roommate, who is fluent, finish it up for me! It was a good time last night and I think we are going to start going down there to tell stories on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We met one guy last night who started crying when talking about his life - be praying for him. He's a vendor down there and hopefully we can talk with him some more next time we head down there.

The weekends are usually somewhat busy. I go to a church here named Nova Igreja Batista. They have a singles service on Saturday nights that runs about 700 and a normal service on Sundays that runs about 2500! Pretty large! But I like the people I've met there and we usually end up hanging out before services and after services.

So far so good. I'm definitely feeling ready to go to training and start doing the 'real' work that I came here to do, but first I've got to patiently be working on that Portuguese and learning that culture. Ya'll can be praying that I would have this patience to be content where I am and give 100% to language learning. Also, pray that I continue to have opportunities to be with Brazilians and learn the language by hearing them and talking with them. And last, but not least, next Saturday I will speaking at a youth service at a different church, so pray that God would give me the words to say. Thank ya'll!