Brazil

Team Leader: Robyn

Team Members: Jennifer, Cynthia, Jessica, Megan, Nichole, Julia, Courtney, Paige, Savanna

Task: Partner with Book of Hope to put on drama productions in local schools and distribute Bibles.

Update #1:  Wednesday, May 5 – We have arrived safely with all of our luggage. We met are fieldworker and ready for bed. – Robyn

Update #2:  Thursday, May 6 – Hello All! I am currently writing to you from a hotel lobby in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil! The girls are still getting ready and will be downstairs soon, and then we will head off to our first day of training and learn more about how and where we will be serving here. Please pray for continued health and healing for Nichole's ear infection. We will try to check in again very soon. – Robyn

Update #3: Sunday, May 9 - Boa Noite (Good Evening) from BOH Brazil!  Currently, I am sitting in Filadelfia's (our church in Limeria) sanctuary, our final destination. We just finished an incredible youth service consisting of a group of about 200 young adults. Despite the fact that the service and worship were in Portuguese, the Spirit moved powerfully through a drama we were able to do and Nichole's testimony. He has been so faithful and there are plenty of translators to help us get by. It has been so amazing to finally be interacting with Brazilians; the people we have been praying for since October.
 
Since you last heard from Robyn we have been training up a storm. Although we know a lot of the One Hope dramas, new programs have been created to penetrate Brazilian culture and customs. We are learning dramas in Portuguese, but also finding new ways to minimize how much speaking we do, which means we must do a better job with our body language and be more convincing in our acting!
 
There are two main ministries we are doing while we are here: Aquila Circuits and School Distributions. The Aquila (Tent) Circuits work like a Vacation Bible School. We use one of the "Books of Hope" (BOH), to explain different parts of the salvation story and the kids rotate tents to discover new truths in God's Word. We have our first Aquila Circuit tomorrow! We have been practicing our roles, while also training Brazilian volunteers from Filadelfia.
 
School Distributions consist of either individual classrooms or assemblies. In the classroom setting we will split up our team in about 4 groups, do an icebreaker, a drama, a testimony/application, and then distribute the BOH child to child. This will take around 15 minutes per class. Then we move on to the next room. In an assembly, we would all stay together, and the whole school will gather in a gym, auditorium, or an outside field. We will do an icebreaker, 2 dramas, and 2 testimonies/applications.
 
There are 3 BOHs we are distributing, and they are divided by the three major age groups we are working with: 9-11, 12-14, 15-17. These age groups coordinate with a theme that Brazilians feel is the major issue/struggle within that age group: Self-Esteem, Repeated Violence Among Peers (Bullying), and Making Wise Decisions. It has been so interesting to hear the field workers pick apart their own culture and discern what are the problems that need to be addressed.  The Lord is using our testimonies to strengthen our message because we can relate to these kids.
 
We are all healthy, and we are definitely being fed well!  Filadelfia has been so hospitable, and we have been blessed with how attentive, nurturing, and generous they are. We have also been blessed by our BOH field worker, and the people that travelled with us from Sao Paulo. Thank the Lord for their patience and perseverance. They are working even harder than we are.
 
Prayer Requests

• Pray that the Spirit continues to move in the hearts of our team and in the hearts of the locals. It is scary having to share painful things in our past, but the Lord has given courage in the times it has been needed.
• Pray that our Aquila Circuits go well, and that the language barrier does not hinder our ministry, but only provides the power of God to work even more through our fumbling tongues. He is strong where we are weak.
• Pray for strength for the girls. Our schedule has proved to be much more strenuous and exhausting than I ever imagined.
• Pray we rely on Him to provide energy and excitement as we interact with the children.
• Pray that He uses us in spite of us.
• Pray that the girls continue to have incredible encounters with their Creator. I have never been more confident of His provision and the faithfulness of His promises.
• Pray we are being filled with the Word of God and the Spirit so that we are able to continue to pour everything we are into this ministry and these people.

Thank you for support & prayers. We love & miss you!  - Jenny

Update #4: Monday, May 10 - HOLA!!! There is so much that has happened in the past 2 days as God is at work here in Limeria and at the church Filadelfia. We have been put in so many situations that have been unexpected but the end result has been the Gospel being spread and hundreds of children hearing that "Jesus loves them!"

Sunday, May 9th, we were originally going to have our first Aquila Circuit, but some tropical rain beckoned us to be flexible, so we spent the morning training for school assemblies. We also had some really needed team time. It's been such a whirlwind of getting settled, meeting our fieldworkers, training with the Portuguese volunteers, and just adjusting to being on a new schedule - so unfortunately, team time has been harder to work in. We spent about 2 hours in confession, petition, and brokenness together. Afterwards, I was just completely overwhelmed with God's faithfulness as His Spirit continues to encounter each girl individually. It was a moment we were able to purge fear, anxiety, distrust, and pride - giving the enemy no room to have a foothold in any of our lives. I have been so impressed by how devoted each of the girls has been in having quiet times every day with the Lord; they are so aware that the Word of God is our shield but also our sword. They are also incredible prayer warriors for this city and our ministry, but also for each other. They shoulder each others' burdens, pray over each other before we enter our classrooms, and rejoice in each others' experiences & encounters with Christ. It is an understatement to say that I have been so immensely blessed by these women, and as I write this I am just so thankful for the people who have impacted them, supported them to go on this journey, and are continually praying for us while we are here - YOU.

Sunday we also go to tour the city! We went to "downtown" Limeria and got to enjoy 2 different parks. It was so nice to get out and stretch our legs. Also, a few of the youth group students came with us, so it was an opportunity to spend some more intentional time with them and hear about their home. That night, we experienced our first church service at Filadelfia. OH. MY. GOODNESS. We had heard the church was big, but no one could have prepared us for just HOW BIG it actually was. There were at least 4,000 adults who attended, that's not including any children or youth. Their worship reminded us of a Hillsong concert. It was incredible. They saved us seats in the front, and they scattered translators among all of us so that we could get the main points of the message. The Brazilians have so much zeal, so much passion. It was so encouraging, and also quite contagious. We all felt so refreshed worshipping with them, especially as we are becoming more and more aware that God is the same here in Limeria as He is back in the States. What a concept, right??? But it is actually in our face here. It is real. And He is using people in this Brazilian church to send them all over the world. We have just been blown away by the power of God and how He is moving in this church.

Today, Monday, May 10th, we had our first day in the schools. We performed for the age group 9-11, which is the David Book. It was so exciting to finally do what we have been preparing to do for so long. Our team was split into 4 groups, that way we could get to more classrooms at a time. Each group does a game in the classroom, applies the game to a real life situation, shares a personal story relating to that situation, and then distributes the book to each child. We also got to participate in one of the break times with the kids, similar to a recess, and we literally almost got mobbed by the kids they were so excited to see us! We felt like celebrities and smiled for dozens of photographs. It is just so assuring seeing them love us back as they tried to desperately communicate with us. Thankfully, hugs go a long way and as we were leaving, children were still trying to cling to us. We got to visit a Brazilian Wal-Mart on our way back to Filadelfia, and we all bought some yummy Brazilian snacks. There was also a stand outside Wal-Mart selling coconut water and something delicious called "tapioca." It was similar to a crepe, but it was made from cassava root flour that melted together as it was cooked on a griddle. Then they filled it with amazing sweets, like shredded coconut, condensed milk, nutella, and bananas. Heaven in the shape of a quesadilla. We went back to Filadelfia after our errands to prepare some materials for the Aquila Circuit on Saturday. Tonight, Robyn and I surprised the girls with letters from their friends and family. Thanks for making that possible! It was a very special time for the girls.

Our schedule is very similar to this from now on. We will be doing school distributions in the morning and afternoon, and then having to the evening to rest and prepare for Aquila Circuits on the weekends.

Ciao! - Jenny 

Update #5:  Friday, May 14 -  Bom Dia!

Since our last update we have been in many classrooms and schools throughout Limeira sharing the Livro da Vida with children as young as 2 years old and up to 17 years old—and we still have many more to visit! We are continually learning to channel our willingness to obey and serve the Lord into being flexible and constantly adapting our ministry to have the greatest impact for each group of children we meet. We have the advantage of capturing the attention of any audience here simply because we are different and speak English; this gives us plenty of great opportunities to use that attention to share God’s love. We have invited many young people to come out to Filadelfia’s youth service on Saturday, so please pray that they will come and hear the full gospel and make a decision to follow Jesus.

We are growing spiritually within our group, both in our team time and as individuals in our quiet time with the Lord. He is working on our hearts to remove anything that would hinder us from fully loving and serving Him. The Lord is using each of us to speak His truth and comfort into one another’s lives, ultimately increasing our long-term spiritual growth. I am overwhelmingly blessed by very tangibly seeing God work through his daughters. All of the girls have been able to share their testimony of God’s faithfulness in their lives and have thereby pointed other younger people to Christ. Please continue to pray for our spiritual, emotional and physical endurance to finish this leg of the race.

We have had a couple small set-backs but are all feeling well now (though we could maybe use more sleep), but please pray for our fieldworker, whose extensive travels are beginning to catch up with her and is feeling a little under the weather. Otherwise, we are being very well fed (everyone is enjoying Brazilian food) and are very well taken care of by the extremely hospitable church here in Limeira who is looking out for our comfort every day and for whom we are so grateful.   - Robyn

Update #6:  Tuesday, May 18 - The newest update we have is that we FINALLY pulled off our Aquila Circuit! God answered our cry for more volunteers, and Filadelfia members gave up their whole weekend in able to help us wherever we needed. Our first circuit was Saturday, and right away we knew the Enemy was at work trying to keep us from completing the tasks God had laid out for us. Our primary location we had planned on holding the Aquila Circuit was occupied, which would have been a good reason in itself to feel defeated, but we only used it as an opportunity to pray harder knowing that God's plans were more perfect than our own. We were led to a different location which was even better than the first one. We set up in a really tiny playground in the middle of some Limeria slums, which made us very accessible to this entire neighborhood of children who desperately needed to hear that Jesus loved them.

I was so proud of my team. It was definitely the hottest day yet, and no one ever had a chance to sit down for hours, but each relied on the Lord for strength and endurance. We feel so privileged to be exhausted every night, because we know the Lord is giving us opportunity after opportunity to advance His Kingdom. We were able to do another Aquila Circuit Sunday afternoon, and then Sunday night we helped out at the youth service at Filadelfia. We entertained about 500 kids for 3 hours as we shared testimonies, performed dramas, engaged in conversation, and even had a time of dance where the kids taught US some of their favorite routines to some Portuguese songs. Needless to say, we were exhausted by Sunday night and encouraged to hear that today, Monday, would be a day of rest and team time.

We were able to see a Brazilian marketplace today. It was a great cultural experience for the girls who have never been overseas before, and it was exciting to use some of the Brazilian coins that have been burning a hole in our pockets.  We also got to see more of Limeria as well and taste some yummy Brazilian ice cream.

I am sure you are all curious about what Brazilian meals have consisted of....first of all, there are 2 essential ingredients that always make it onto our plate for lunch & dinner: beans and rice. The church has been providing all our meals, and our cook is WONDERFUL! He even made us chicken nuggets one night! The girls have all been trying new local fruits and vegetables, as well as eating classic Brazilian dishes such as Salgadinhos & Feijoada. We are all huge fans, so for all the parents out there - better start your research because we may never go back to hamburgers & pizza.  =) 

Some more prayer requests:

• Pray we FINISH STRONG in this last week of ministry. We are visiting a deaf school & also an orphanage.
• Pray for emptiness of self and surrender of our flesh.
• Pray we continue to trust in God's flawless plan & direction as we try to be flexible to constant change.
• Pray that we are sensitive & discerning to the Spirit in which students to follow up with.
• Pray that God's strength is manifested in our exhaustion and that we continue to pour ourselves out as a drink offering to the Lord.
• Pray that each of the girls continue to encounter God & discover the desires of His heart; may they discern and soak up all that He is revealing to them here in Brazil.

Thank you for your prayers....we feel them. They give us strength as the Lord reveals His faithfulness through your faithfulness in supplication. Thank you for your partnership and dedication to our ministry.

Peace. - Jenny

Update #7:  Friday, May 21 - Hello everyone!  We have been in more schools this week doing presentations about how God created the family. We had the opportunity to go to another high school on Wednesday which was a big growing and stretching experience for all of us spiritually. We began to immediately feel spiritual warfare and some opposition to us coming in and bringing the word of God. The primary example was that the principal of the school was not the happiest person to see us, and was unsure about letting us come. Thankfully, we did gain admittance and were able to do one very large assembly for around 400 to 500 teenagers. This was a bit intimidating, but we were all in fervent prayer for the Holy Spirit to inhabit that place and take over where we felt incapable. The girls who were giving their testimonies for this presentation had some heavy things to share and so we, along with Pastor Fabio and all of the Brazilian church members, who had accompanied us, were praying constantly for them. The Holy Spirit most definitely did show up and worked in that time and place despite our fears. What is most exciting of all is that one of the Brazilian church members, Davis, talked with a group of girls after the presentation and shared the full gospel with them and asked if they wanted to pray to receive Christ, and 2 of them did!!!! Then a couple of our girls got to pray with these 2 girls directly after they received Christ! What an honor and privilege it is for us as believers to help lead another into the loving arms of Jesus! We returned to the Filadelfia that night just overflowing with praise and worship to God as we rejoiced over all that the Lord had done in the lives of those young people. The greatest thing is that we don't know how many more young people who were there had a seed planted in their hearts and minds that will lead them to be more and more curious about the Lord, and to seek out his truth by talking to other people at their school who are believers here in Limeira. We are overwhelmed by his goodness.

We are doing everything in our power to finish this race well even though the end is near and we are thinking of home. Please pray for us to remain focused on the Lord and to spend these last few days learning how to apply all that the Lord has shown and taught us, so that we go home changed people, more in-step with all that the Lord wants us to do and to be. We love you all and covet your prayers for us.  We are definitely seeing the fruit of your support! - Robyn

Update #8: Saturday, May 22 - Ola from Sao Paulo again!! We said goodbye to Filadelfia and Limeira this morning and are back to the city where we landed. We have just finished a day of touring Sao Paulo and also debriefing with each other and our field workers about the past 3 weeks. It was a day full of encouragement, commitment, and prayer as we reviewed all the Lord has done in and through us. We also did a count of all the children we were able to reach: 5,498!!! That means that every person on our team was able to hand out about 500 books! Praise the Lord for His provision and faithfulness. Here are some more specific numbers: 4-6 years old: 776 books; 7-10 years old: 2,245 books; 10-13 years old: 638 books; High School: 933 books; Aquila Circuits: 906 books. It is so humbling to think we were able to come into contact and share God’s love with so many. We have all been so aware of the fact that God didn’t ever NEED us here. He could have produced these amazing responses on His own, but He CHOSE to use us. Even when we were tired, selfish, or even poor stewards of the Seed that has been planted in us, He still used us. What a good and gracious God we serve. We feel so honored and blessed to have been a part of such an amazing experience. None of use are returning the same.
 
What’s even more encouraging is that Filadelfia has committed to following up with these schools and neighborhoods, using their youth volunteers as a means to disciple those who made decisions to give their heart to Jesus. Our team was able to be a part of training and equipping Filadelfia to continue outreach to their own city. It has been so amazing to partner with people who truly striving to carry out every part of the Great Commission.  We have also been so encouraged by the heart that Filadelfia has for the people of Limeira. What an example for us to uphold when we return home.
 
The past few days have been a blur. We had our last Aquila Circuit Friday afternoon. The turnout of kids was fewer than our other days, but we were still able to reach a group of kids that needed to be loved and filled with hope. We were working with one of Filadelfia´s other campuses, and afterwards we had a time of worship and a Brazilian BBQ. Filadelfia surprised us later that night with a service and a goodbye party. Our volunteers and our translators that have been helping us in schools and in the Aquila Circuits came to say bid us farewell, and many had gifts and words of encouragement as we continue ministry, just apart now. There were plenty of tears. We made commitments together, prayed over each other, shared memories, and broke bread together. It is hard to believe how close we have gotten to our Brazilian family in such a short amount of time, but we know this is because the same Spirit binds and unites us. We know we will see them again, and we have been so blessed by their graciousness and hospitality. They taught us so much about passion and serving with zeal. WE LOVE YOU, FILADLFIA!!!
 
Tomorrow, Saturday, is Nichole´s Birthday! We are going with our field workers and their families to see a Brazilian beach. It is a few hours away from the hotel we are staying at for the next few nights in Sao Paulo. The girls are very excited. Robyn and I have some special things planned for the girls as it is our last full day in Brazil. I really cannot believe it. The time flew! We all feel so privileged to have been completely submersed in ministry every opportunity we had. We have asked God to pour us out from the beginning, and although that was the case for most, we all feel more filled with the Spirit than ever before. I am so excited for the girls to go home and continue living missionally wherever they are. I encourage you all as their family, friends and supporters to ask about their experiences and how God moved in their life individually. I know they are anxious to tell you. =)
 
We may not get another chance to update, so I do want to say thank you for keeping up with us and praying for the things mentioned. We know you had just as much a role in our ministry here in Brazil as we did. Continue to pray for safety as we begin the trek home Monday. Pray also that the girls spend significant amounts of intentional time with their Creator, with each other, and with our field workers. These next couple days are so crucial as the girls are processing everything the Lord has accomplished in them and around them. Pray for discernment, wisdom, and a peace that transcends all understanding. Pray they listen to God more than they cry out to Him. Many of them are hurting and broken over leaving Filadelfia and our field workers, so pray for comfort and a healing, and that God reveals His purpose in this brokenness.
 
See you in a few days! Peace - Jenny

LAX Arrival:  Monday, May 24 at 11:59 pm from Panama City, Panama on CM 302

Parents, please make sure to keep your cell phones on and within reach Monday night/Tuesday morning due to our very very late arrival time the 24th. I am letting your daughters call you when we land at LAX, around midnight, to verify our timing and to make sure you will be at the globe at 2am Tuesday morning. Thank you!!!  - Robyn