On their way home

I had a quick email from Bob today - closing services went well. The plan for today was to just hang out with their churches, and spend the day tomorrow as a team - sightseeing and debriefing somewhat before they head to the airport for the long flight home. I'll post more when we get back from the airport on Wednesday...pray for safety in travel...
Michelle

Saturday's news

Today Leah used the Ecube to share in large group of vbs, yesterday I used the Eball. Last night we had the celebration service here and it was a hard thing knowing our time is short here, even though we are ready to see family.

Tonight we had a service on a busy street corner, try that in the US. I spoke, the youth danced, it was fun avoiding cars.

Tomorrow morning I preach, Luana (Bob's interpreter from 2006) is supposed to come, pray her heart is open. Leah is at Ivson s church for a friend day service tonight, pray as she shares.

VBS

Hey Chelle,
We are just finishing up the first day of VBS and had over 400 kids. Tomorrow will be more because some are still in school today.

Last night Marcos and some of the others took us to a church in the Rio area to see a play called "Judgment House" it was very good and very moving. I will have to write about it more when I get home. However, the basic idea is that you walk through 8 scenes set up in different areas of the church. So far that church has had 15000 people go through it and over 300 decisions have been made as a result. Way cool, need to try it at our church.

Still not getting much sleep, but we are doing okay.

We will do VBS tomorrow and Sunday. Tomorrow evening we will have a street service and I will speak, Sunday morning I will speak also. The other churches are coming tonight to celebrate the work that has been done. Joe and Matthew´s church had a service planned so they won´t be here.

I will try and write more tomorrow, but wanted to drop an email to everyone. Keep up the praying it is being felt here in a mighty way.

Belated Birthday wishes

I am late with this - but yesterday was Liz's dad 50th birthday - she had asked me to post it on here & I forgot till this morning...so:


HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROY!

Remaining Schedule

This should get us thru the rest of the trip:

Friday:
PIBAP, IBVF, IBJB - (9am till noon) - home visits
PIBVR - (10am till noon) - home visits
PIBVR - (2pm till 5pm) - home visits
IBVF - (2pm till 4pm) - home visits
PIBAP - (2:30pm till 5pm) - home visits
IBVF - (7:30pm till 9pm) - evangelistic service (missionary speaking)
PIBVR - (7:30pm till 9pm) - evangelist service
IBJB - (7:30pm till 9pm) - drama service

Saturday:
IBVF, PIBAP - (9am till noon) -home visits
IBJB - (9am till 11am) - home visits
IBJB - (2pm till 5pm) - home visits
IBVF - (2pm till 4pm) - street invitation/parade
PIBAP - (2:30pm - 5pm) - VBS/home visits
PIBVR - (3pm till 5pm) - Impact in the streets
IBVF - (7:30pm - 9am) - Youth evangelism service

Sunday:
PIBVR, IBVF, PIBAP - (9am till 11) - Bible study/services (missionaries speaking)
IBJB - (9am till 11) - Evangelism in the streets
PIBAP, PIBVR, IBVF, IBJB - (7pm till 9:30) - all churches celebration service

Monday:
each church has a free day to spend with their missionaries - sight seeing, souvenir shopping, whatever they chose

Tuesday:
whole group back together for city tour to Christ statue, Sugarloaf mountain, lunch together before heading to airport for the long flight home

Wednesday:
Brandon, Bob, Liz, Matthew, Leah and Joe arrive in San Francisco; Rachel arrives back in Arkansas... home with their families

field news

From Bob:
Hey Sweetheart,
it is 5:20 here and I just returned from some visits and also visiting a school. Leah and I were able to get into the school earlier today and invite kids to the VBS, but the administrator stopped us from sharing about Christ (she is catholic) it is actually okay to do it in the schools here, but she prevented us. So we made the most of it by handing each child an evangelism bracelet and told them to come to vbs and we would explain what the colors mean. I went back this afternoon for the other classes and invited them the same way, many remembered me from previous years and wanted to come up for hugs and shake my hand (my interpreter said they were treating me like a celebrity).

Visits are still going good, but it is hard to get those from a catholic background to know the difference between head knowledge of Jesus and heart knowledge of Jesus. Keep praying as we all share.

I heard that Joe preached last night at his church and the service was great. They have been doing a lot of visits and the church is really working them.

Last night I spoke in VR and there were several decisions made for Jesus and many that had strayed away from church that committed to return. One man I shared with on a visit and had prayed to receive Christ came last night (awesome to see the commitment in him) he came forward because he wanted to makie his decision public.


From Rachel:
I am swell. Today was a hard day. It seems that when it rains it pours. We had a translator that barely spoke English and a lot of close minded people on visits. I just found out that I have to preach at church on Sunday again. Be praying for me. Yesterday we went to the English class and it went very well. I think that we answered a lot of questions about God and Americans. I am good. Tired but well. I have walked up several hills that would put the Ozark mountains to shame though.

a picture

From Brandon:
My interpreter in this picture name is Andy she is 18 this is her first time speaking like this. She is doing very good.We have many good updates, Christ had many victories Tuesday. We had a man give is life to Christ who was looking for something and he found yesterday. We had very similar life styles before Christ and God used my story and we cried together. God is awesome. Keep praying for us.

From Bob:
We just returned from out afternoon visits. Today Leah and I had various results. Some we planted seeds and/or watered seeds. I visited a lady I had visited in 2005, her son had just died when i was here in 2005 and I shared with her and her daughter-in-law. They did not accept Christ then. Today when I arrived she gave me a hug like I was her son and said she wanted to see pictures of my sons (she remembered i showed her in 2005). we had a great visit, I prayed with her and watered seeds already planted, she is less hard then she was in 2005. She owns the corner bakery by the church, so, yes we had cake! And she wouldn't let me only have one, I had to insist I didn't need another after she made me eat two pieces. The other visits today we had a few salvations (yeah), and we had a couple people that were already Christians and are deciding to get back to God and the church.

Tonight I preach here at Vila Rosali . Pray that God uses the message to draw people to Himself. I don´t think I have gone to bed earlier than midnight this week, keep praying for Leah and I, that we get enough rest and that we keep focused on the goal.

Leah has been doing great. I was able to be on her last visit today (it was a drop in visit, we saw a couple ladies on the street and took the opportunity), the ladies did not receive Christ (one was already a believer) but they were encouraged by Leah´s testimony and she delivered it well. We have been having a lot of fun.

Last night was the Oscars, Marcos would say something in English and I translated it into Portuguese, the crowd was laughing a lot. I had written out all my parts, a whole page. It was a lot of fun. Leah was the one that would read the name in the envelope, she read all the names great and everyone had a blast.

One phrase they had me saying over and over was: Nao dessi a pedeca cair - do not let the hackey sack fall. The award was a brasilian hackey sack. The meaning is 'keep up the good work'.

From Michelle:
I have asked Rachel for a report on how she is doing, and have asked Bob for another report from Joe & Matthew to keep us all updated on their trip...interesting news on getting the church bus parked at the San Francisco airport - seems we needed the temporary permit when I dropped everyone off the other day, as well as when we go back to pick them up! TSA regulations prohibit anything as big as a bus left unattended within 300 feet of any airport, and we would have had to had proof a $5 MILLION liability insurance policy. So, we will have to caravan down instead, which is no big deal, just means that Brandon's wife, Leah's husband and myself will have to drive down on Wednesday to get everyone home.