Resting in the Lord....................

The team had a great time of rest and relaxation at Porto De Galinhas Thursday and Friday. It was so nice to finally have a shower with hot water, water pressure, and without little frogs staring at you. We had a little shopping time and were able to ride the doon-buggies to the beach to see the fish and coral. Some even had opportunities to do water aerobics, take dance lessons, and play a mean game of beach volleyball! Napping in the hammocks was another popular past-time. Did I mention that we finally got to eat some Brazilian pizza!? YUM! Okay..........so are you thinking that this is supposed to be a mission trip instead of a vacation? The Lord's work never ceases, even in the midst of fun and relaxation. A few team members went back into town to pick up some necessities and were able to share Christ with an awesome young man that sat on the street making beautiful carvings out of cashew tree bark. Come to find out he already new Christ but had become disillusioned by people that seek to make a profit from "religion". We were able to encourage him and gave him a Bible in addition to buying a few pieces of his incredible handy-work. He was so grateful for the Bible he said he would read it and carry it everyday with him in his backpack.


On the way back to the hotel we passed a couple selling cashews out of a wheel-barrow on the street. You could tell from their dress they were probably Christians (they were completely covered!). Airton asked them if they were believers and they were thrilled to find out that we were believers too. She asked about our mission, hugged us, and said she had a Word from the Lord for Bonita. It was Psalm 40:1. This lady had no idea that this was Bonita's testimony scripture. Bonita hugged her and they began to cry together. It was such a huge encouragement for both of them. It was amazing to watch God work through perfect strangers that met on the street!

Did I forget to mention the surprise birthday celebration for Diego (our Brazilian dentist friend)? At dinner we all slipped in a pair of bubba teeth and had them bring out a cake for him as we sang happy birthday. Oh my..........talk about some ugliness........we laughed so hard. Wait till you see some of those pictures!

We closed our time with group devotions and reflection as we each shared some of our favorite highlights from the week. God did amazing things. We discussed what happens when you return home from a trip like this. How do you transition back to your world with the reality of distractions, problems to deal with, cell phones, family responsibilities, etc? The conclusion was that we have a mission everyday. We are to share Christ, be like Christ, and live it out in our everyday lives. God called each one of us to the life that we are living. We must seek Him and stay close to Him as we learn to balance the tasks He has given each of us to do in life. Boy, that can be difficult!
The love and laughter we have shared together this week is unforgettable. It is bittersweet to go home. How can we begin to thank You Lord for the blessings and miracles that we saw at every turn?!