Another Note From Matt in Brazil

Good news. William showed up today. It seems like it is very hard for him to be here, as though he questions if he should be away from him family. Hopefully they are able to find another dump community. There were two murders in the community last night. This time someone tried to invade a home and some of the bandits in the community chased them down on motorcycles and killed them. I don’t have all the details yet, so things could be different. I am struggling to hold back the tears as I tried to comfort a little girl that misses her mom. She is probably about Madeline’s age. I showed her the pictures in my wallet. She was in the cute little pink outfit with a couple of holes in her dress. I guess just seeing her touching at her dress and crying really was hard considering that they are in such a tough and violent world and they have feelings and sadness just like all little kids.

These boys are so tough. I’ve never seen kids so quick to punch each other in the face. And they hold their fists like they know how to fight, not the way American kids fight. I’m having some breakthroughs with my guys. I won one guys (this googly-eyed guy that I was kind of scared of) dessert in “poker” but I decided to let him keep it. They love my magic trick and I wish I had gone to Mike for more card tricks before I left. I meant to, but ran out of time. Keep praying. We really need it. The Pastor in my cabin talked with the guys about not being so crazy at night. Last night they were throwing shoes and doing other things. I tried to keep my eyes open as long as I could, and tried to sleep in a defensive position just in case. I put my mattress near the Pastor, but ultimately he doesn’t come down very hard. I was ready to stay up all night. I ended up falling asleep and then they all woke up at 4:30am. you don’t want to be the only one sleeping. We’re having a sermon right now. The problem is my guys will sleep through it, and then they will get dessert/snack, and then I have to get them to go to bed. It’s been tough communicating, but I’m getting better. I’ve realized speaking English in a hispanic accent doesn’t help them to understand what the English word means. I haven’t showered yet. So far I am swimming in my clothes as I don’t want to get near the showers. Tomorrow I’ll probably change clothes and go the last two and a half days without a shower. matt

More Updates From Brazil

“Oi” from Brazil!!

 

We are excited to share about our first day of camp and what we’ve been up to the last couple of days.

 

Sunday, we had a church service with all our different teams: the team from Assis, the team from Belem, and our team from Reston Bible. It was a blessing to join together in prayer, worship, and communion.  What a very small glimpse of heaven, but what a precious one…to stand next to brothers and sisters in Christ, worshiping and praying in differrent languages to the same God. How encouraging it was to see the Lord unite people, as only He can. As we work together at camp, we all strive to be “like-minded, have the same love, and be one in spirit and purpose.”

 

We spent the rest of the Sunday preparing for camp the next day. As we pre-assembled crafts, moved mattresses into rooms, swept out cabins, and set up chairs, we remembered that we are also called to be faithful in the small things.

 

Monday, our first day of camp was hectic, as was expected, but went well. The kids arrived after breakfast and we hit the ground running. The theme for camp this year is the “Fruit of the Spirit,” and I think as a group, our prayer would be to actively reflect Christ in showing these children “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Please pray that all of our actions would point these precious children towards Christ.

 

We always try to plan for camp to the best of our abilities, but realize that we need to be flexible when unexpected things happen (like the torrential downpour we had during our game and craft time . These things are continual reminders not to rely on ourselves or our past experiences, but to rely on the Lord, realizing He is in control of all things, expected and in the unexpected.

 

Please join us in prayer as we begin our day tomorrow.

• For adequate rest to start the new day fresh–many are exhausted after our long first day
• For the children as they are continually exposed to the gospel
• For those who are saved to see the process of sanctification in their lives

Thank you all for your prayers!! We look forward to sharing more of what the Lord is doing here in Benevides!!

 

In His Love,

 

Happy Anniversary to My Lovely Bride!

Happy Anniversary Honey! I had a great time last night reminiscing about how we met and how our relationship has developed and grown. My prayer has been and always will be that we will continue to grow closer to one another as we grow closer to Christ. I love you.

Computers on the Fritz

To those of you who enjoy my random bloggings, my computer is on the fritz.  Therefore, my time in front of the computer is relatively limited.  Thus little is going on, on the blogging front.  Hopefully be back soon.

The First Saturday of College Football!

In the great scheme of things, this is pretty inconsequential – but did you know that today is the first Saturday of the college football season?!?!?!?!?!?!?  Summer is almost over and the fall is almost here.  And, of course, fall is the best time of the year in central North Carolina.

Anyway…I’m excited about college football.  But, let me spiritualize this post with a “Verse for the Day.”

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Ephesians 4:29

Have a great day of football watching and building others up!

Sad but True

Have you ever thought about how committed we are to our sports teams?  It seems that a lot of people are more committed to their choice of sports teams than they are to their spouses, friends, jobs, etc.  A little scary isn’t it?   (Thanks for the insight Ayrton!)

Enjoying the Weather

I wish I made more time for stuff like this – I was able to get out to a middle school girls softball game today! I was really impressed with the skill level of these young ladies! I think today’s athletes are better than when I was in school. I’m pretty sure I couldn’t have hit the ball as hard as a lot of girls who played today! Anyway…one of our students from the Bridge was playing today, Dani H. She got on base all three at bats while I was there and stole several bases! Her team was up 12-3 when I left! I hope they hung on to win! Way to go Dani!

I hardly ever miss church but…

My grandmother is turning 95 this week! I am very fortunate to still have 3 grandparents living. And Grandmother Rose turns 95 on Monday. She was born the year the Titanic sank! Isn’t that amazing? And she is an amazing lady and still possesses (did I spell that right?) so much vitality. She lives (with one of my uncles) in the only home I have ever known her to live in. Remarkably, she hasn’t driven a car since she was maybe 16 years old. I’m told that she crashed into a mailbox while learning to drive and immediately decided that driving was not for her. She raised 4 children, taught piano lessons, and played piano at church for most of her life. She didn’t put up with a lot of nonsense from her grandchildren. I distinctly remember her locking me out of my own house as a child because she felt I should be outside playing instead of watching TV.

Anyway…we are celebrating Grandmother’s birthday on Sunday so I am going to miss church! Typically, whenever I miss church, let’s say, while on vacation, I still try to attend church wherever I am. I love church. And I love being in church – connecting in worship with God and connecting with others on their spiritual journey. I also like to visit other churches to experience different worship styles.

I won’t be able to atend any church this Sunday, but due to my church addiction, I will be there to help set our church up on Sunday and then scoot out early to be with Grandmother.

Anyway…I hope whoever reads this will not miss the opportunity to be at church somewhere this weekend!

About Last Sunday Night

This past Sunday evening I was invited to one of the “Connection Groups” at our church. I want to applaud Matt and Lauren for their leadership in this group. These guys have such amazing hearts for God and such a heart for people. Matt and Lauren really love their neighbors and their group members. They are such great models of friendship, service, community, and Christ.

While I’m throwing out the priase, let throw a little out to the others that were present that evening as well. It was really great getting to hang out you guys and gals from church that I often don’t get a chance to see outside of Sunday mornings. I wish I could attend all the groups all the time. There are so many amazing people at our church. Our lives are so different, but we share a common spiritual journey that unites us. Anyway…Andy, Beth, Melany, Travis and Jennifer – I had a great time hanging out. I hope we can do it again soon.

Before I forget…

A friend of mine has shared a couple of cliches/quotes with me recently that I enjoyed. I didn’t want to forget them (and if you know me at all, I forget almost everything. I really think I have a handicap that will never be diagnosed). Anyway…here’s what he says:

“I may not be much, but I’m all I think about.”

and

“God is either everything or He is nothing. He can’t be somewhere in between.”

That second quote is not exact. I may need to get some clarification. But, you get the point.