Back from Brazil

I returned on Monday from a 10-day mission trip to Brazil. It was a pretty incredible experience. A group from my church, Knox Presbyterian, traveled to Castanhal, Brazil to work with a church there supported by Knox. We were greeted with open arms by the church. The care and love they showed us that week was overwhelming. It was such an honor to work with them that week, and to get to know them better.

We spent our week helping to build a foundation and begin construction on two new classrooms for the church. We also helped out with crafts during the Vacation Bible School. The VBS is an outreach not only for the kids in the church, but also for kids in the surrounding neighborhood. Both the building project and the VBS went really well - God certainly had His hand in both!

God blessed our entire team as well, as we all got along so well, and suffered no major mishaps (apart from a clumsy fall on my part, resulting in a scrapped-up foot and a cut on my leg). Even with my fall, God provided as we had a nurse on our team who was able to make sure I was all bandaged up properly.

Some of the more memorable moments of the trip:

• Drama in the Miami airport, trying to leave the country. Between lost baggage, an accidentally checked passport, and a thunderstorm, it was amazing we ever got off the ground!
• Being greeted by the smiling faces of the Jantz family as we wearily disembarked in Belem, Brazil. Their warm welcome was so appreciated!
• Strong Brazilian coffee each morning - half strong coffee, half hot milk. Yum!
• Breaking rocks under the hot sun. Sometimes it just feels good to get all hot and dirty and sweaty, and then to get all clean again!
• Seeing all the smiling faces of the kids at VBS.
• Singing fun VBS songs in Portuguese.
• Getting to know all the incredible people at the church...their vibrant faith is so amazing!
  
• The above-mentioned clumsy fall on the sidewalk.
• Having an air-conditioned hotel room.
  
• Brazil nut ice cream, chocolate pizza, Guarana, pacoquitas, and homemade coconut freezees.
• Daily devotionals on humility, harmony, and servanthood.
  
• Taking a sunset cruise down the Amazon river.
• Having dinner overlooking the Amazon.
• Walking through the Amazon rain forest.
• Having a street vendor ask us if we were going to vote for Barack Obama.
  
• Getting to know better some of the great people I go to church with.
• "The book is on the table".
  
• All the great home-cooked meals.
• Not getting sick!
• More airport drama in Sao Paulo - and being incredibly thankful that one of our team members could speak some Portuguese.
  
• Realizing that one day I will see all these dear people again - even if that day is not until we're all standing around God's throne, praising Him together (in Portuguese of course!)

I'm sure there's much more I could post, but I'll include just a picture or two:

The church

Our team

Just the ladies, in our necklaces.

Amazon sunset