Bom Dia, Brasil!
First of all, I want to say thank you to everyone who has supported me and been praying for me concerning my excursion to to Brazil. God has truly blessed each detail of my trip. From packing, to flying, to extensive overnight layovers in the airport, to sightseeing and getting acclimated to the Brazilian culture, God has blessed, protected, and provided for my every need.
My flight down had no difficulties. I had two rather long layovers in Miami, FL and Manaus, Brazil. During the layover in Miami, I was able to enjoy the peace and quiet of a virtually empty airport. In Manaus, I met up with J and F and we toured the streets for the afternoon and evening.
The main attraction of the day in Manaus was an opera house built in the late 1800s according to the European styles of the day. One unique aspect of the opera house is that the majority of the materials and decor were imported from Europe. Even the wood floor in the ballroom, which was made of Brazilian wood, was shipped to Europe to be cut and polished and then shipped back Manaus and installed.
That evening we returned to the airport and boarded a plane for our base location It is difficult to imagine that I have only been here a week. I have had the joy of interacting with my two nieces. They are such a delight to play with. I have also enjoyed walking around the city and peeking in the little shops that surround the streets.
I went to the market the other day with F. We pulled into the parking lot on a rainy morning. But no need to worry about getting wet. There was a guy with an umbrella whose job was to escort people to the covered area. We walked through the covered area and into the market. It was outdoors, but a high roof covered it to provide protection from the rain and shade from the sun. Row upon row of fresh fruits and vegetables greeted us as we made our way through the aisles. People bustled back and forth selling their wares and buying groceries for their families. I heard someone let out a sharp whistle behind me. I turned and stepped out of the way just in time as a man carrying a heavy sack on his shoulder trotted past. We navigated the rows quickly and successfully avoided being trampled by enthusiastic merchants. When we had found everything on our shopping list, we made our way back to the car and safely home.
On Sunday morning, we joined some friends for an outing to the zoo. In America, such actions might result in missing church. But not so in this city. Here, the church has services approximately every two hours on Sunday. Each time, the same message is given. This is so that more people are able to attend. If they gave different messages, people would stay all day and there wouldn't be enough room in the building. Even when the same message is given, there are some services that are packed to standing room only. Anyway, because of the multiple services, we were able to go with to the zoo in the cool of the morning and then attend church at the 5 o'clock service. Another benefit to going to church at that particular time was that another missionary was there who could translate the service into English for me. She sat nearby while a couple of other visitors and I were given sets of headphones. She quietly spoke into her microphone headset and we were able to hear her in our headphones. It was very convient and not disruptive to others in the service. It was so encouraging to see such a large body of believers. The joy that radiated on their faces as they united in giving praise to God was inspiring. Even in the short week I have been here, I have been impressed by the church's desire to not only win souls for Christ, but truly disciple the believers in the church. This is even more impressive when you realize how many thousands of people this discipleship includes.
On Saturday evening, I went with J and F to their cell group meeting. This is where a large part of the discipleship takes place. Basically it is a Bible study group that meets once a week. Each group has an average of 10 people in it, including a leader and assistant. Each person in the church is also a member of a cell group. What a thrill it is to know that each week, there are between five to six thousand of these groups that are meeting together with the purpose of glorifying God and drawing closer to Him.
The Bible study was held in Portuguese. F translated some of it for me and my limited Spanish vocabulary kicked into play and help me pick out a few words here and there. But even though I didn't understand all that was being said, it was evident that the Holy Spirit was with us and He knows no language barrier. I had an excellent time fellowshipping with the people there, and communing with God.
I am so glad God has brought me to this land. It is so exciting to see His hand at work both in my life and in the lives of those around me.
My flight down had no difficulties. I had two rather long layovers in Miami, FL and Manaus, Brazil. During the layover in Miami, I was able to enjoy the peace and quiet of a virtually empty airport. In Manaus, I met up with J and F and we toured the streets for the afternoon and evening.
The main attraction of the day in Manaus was an opera house built in the late 1800s according to the European styles of the day. One unique aspect of the opera house is that the majority of the materials and decor were imported from Europe. Even the wood floor in the ballroom, which was made of Brazilian wood, was shipped to Europe to be cut and polished and then shipped back Manaus and installed.
That evening we returned to the airport and boarded a plane for our base location It is difficult to imagine that I have only been here a week. I have had the joy of interacting with my two nieces. They are such a delight to play with. I have also enjoyed walking around the city and peeking in the little shops that surround the streets.
I went to the market the other day with F. We pulled into the parking lot on a rainy morning. But no need to worry about getting wet. There was a guy with an umbrella whose job was to escort people to the covered area. We walked through the covered area and into the market. It was outdoors, but a high roof covered it to provide protection from the rain and shade from the sun. Row upon row of fresh fruits and vegetables greeted us as we made our way through the aisles. People bustled back and forth selling their wares and buying groceries for their families. I heard someone let out a sharp whistle behind me. I turned and stepped out of the way just in time as a man carrying a heavy sack on his shoulder trotted past. We navigated the rows quickly and successfully avoided being trampled by enthusiastic merchants. When we had found everything on our shopping list, we made our way back to the car and safely home.
On Sunday morning, we joined some friends for an outing to the zoo. In America, such actions might result in missing church. But not so in this city. Here, the church has services approximately every two hours on Sunday. Each time, the same message is given. This is so that more people are able to attend. If they gave different messages, people would stay all day and there wouldn't be enough room in the building. Even when the same message is given, there are some services that are packed to standing room only. Anyway, because of the multiple services, we were able to go with to the zoo in the cool of the morning and then attend church at the 5 o'clock service. Another benefit to going to church at that particular time was that another missionary was there who could translate the service into English for me. She sat nearby while a couple of other visitors and I were given sets of headphones. She quietly spoke into her microphone headset and we were able to hear her in our headphones. It was very convient and not disruptive to others in the service. It was so encouraging to see such a large body of believers. The joy that radiated on their faces as they united in giving praise to God was inspiring. Even in the short week I have been here, I have been impressed by the church's desire to not only win souls for Christ, but truly disciple the believers in the church. This is even more impressive when you realize how many thousands of people this discipleship includes.
On Saturday evening, I went with J and F to their cell group meeting. This is where a large part of the discipleship takes place. Basically it is a Bible study group that meets once a week. Each group has an average of 10 people in it, including a leader and assistant. Each person in the church is also a member of a cell group. What a thrill it is to know that each week, there are between five to six thousand of these groups that are meeting together with the purpose of glorifying God and drawing closer to Him.
The Bible study was held in Portuguese. F translated some of it for me and my limited Spanish vocabulary kicked into play and help me pick out a few words here and there. But even though I didn't understand all that was being said, it was evident that the Holy Spirit was with us and He knows no language barrier. I had an excellent time fellowshipping with the people there, and communing with God.
I am so glad God has brought me to this land. It is so exciting to see His hand at work both in my life and in the lives of those around me.
Another opportunity God has brought my way since I've been here a little tutoring. J and F's Portuguese tutor heard that I had heard that I had taught English in the past. She expressed interest in furthering her study in the English language and asked if I would be willing to help her while I'm here. In exchange, she is tutoring me in Portuguese. I am so thankful to God for the chance to teach English again as well as the opportunity to study Portuguese. I am looking forward to seeing what else He brings my way.
