PROJECT BRASIL

Luciana and Marcia in English class

Things slow down in Brasil quite a bit in January. It’s summer time here and many people take vacations during this month. Carnaval comes in the middle of February, and life picks up tempo after that.

The English for adults continues to meet during this time. Classes for kids will resume after they go back to school. I have enjoyed being part of Damon’s English classes. Damon has gone through certification and has a lot of experience teaching English as a second language. It’s interesting that he teaches almost exclusively in English, which challenges the students to learn at a faster pace.

I preached at the Catete church last Thursday night. It was a little last minute, but I had the opportunity to work with an experienced translator named Mariana. She did a great job. I preached on Lamentations 3:22-23 — The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases…

We posted a new photo album.

We had English class in Morro Azul last night. It was a class for adults. Right now Damon is teaching the students using a Kirk Franklin song.

First he gave the students lyric sheets and asked them to underline all the verbs in each verse of the song. He then discussed the meaning, tense, and usage of each verb.

Next, he had the class translate the lyrics into Portuguese. Then we discussed the meaning of the lyrics, and Damon talked a bit about how the words apply to our spiritual lives. The song deals with brokenness and emotional pain, a familiar topic here.

IMAGINE ME (Kirk Franlin)

Imagine me
Loving what I see when the mirror looks at me cause  I imagine me
In a place of no insecurities, nd I’m finally happy cause I imagine me

Letting go of all of the ones who hurt me
Cause they never did deserve me
Can you imagine me?

Saying no to thoughts that try to control me
Remembering all you told me
Lord, can you imagine me?

Over what my mama said
And healed from what my daddy did
And I wanna live and not read that page again
Imagine me, being free, trusting you totally finally I can Imagine me
I admit it was hard to see You being in love with someone like me
But finally I can Imagine me

Being strong
And not letting people break me down
You won’t get that joy this time around
Can you imagine me?

In a world where nobody has to live afraid
Because of your love fears gone away
Can you imagine me?

Letting go of my past
And glad I have another chance
And my heart will dance
‘Cause I don’t have to read that page again

I arrived in Rio yesterday, and have stayed busy since. It’s been great seeing so many dear friends again. Our neighborhood in Rio is much like a small town; every time you walk down the street you see people you know. It’s amazing that every time I arrive in Rio, I immediately feel like I never left.

Last night we had a great worship service in Catete. Today Damon and I had a meeting with Dr. Felix about a proposed renovation of the clinic in Morro Azul, then we spent the rest of the morning making in-home visits and praying with people. Tonight we’re going to a volleyball game which, amazingly enough, is a pastoral activity.

This is my first time to be in Rio at the same time as Damon in quite some time, and so it’s great to be able to work together with him. I’m impressed with everything that is taking place here in our community.

Brazil has overtaken the UK to become the world’s sixth-largest economy, according to a team of economists. The banking crash of 2008 and the subsequent recession has relegated the UK to seventh place in 2011, behind South America’s largest economy, which has boomed on the back of exports to China and the far east. (Here’s the story)

In Brasil, especially in Rio, flip flops aren’t just for the beach; they’re considered daily wear, almost like tennis shoes in the US. That’s why we are so grateful for Stone Creek church in Phoenix making it possible for us to give flip flops to about 100 kids in our community. These are good quality flip-flops, designed to last a long time.

Damon is also putting together a Christmas event for the church in Morro Azul. We’ll have pictures and details after the fact.

Damon and I usually touch base once or twice a week to discuss ministry related details and upcoming plans. But we’re both notoriously slow about blogging. I told him this week I’d post the update. It’ll be his turn next.

We had a great conversation last night. Damon preached in Morro Azul to a packed house; attendance has been up in recent weeks and we are grateful for this.

He also attended a Jujitsu competition last week with some of the other players from Morro Azul. His plan was to compete in the tournament, but a scheduling conflict prevented that from happening. Maybe next time. Also, after the first of they year Damon and a man named Luis will begin teaching Jujitsu classes in Catete, as an outreach ministry of the church.

A church in Arizona has agreed to sponsor this year’s Christmas event in Morro Azul. We’ll do it like we’ve done it in years past: presents for the kids, a special worship service, and a community-wide Christmas party with the traditional Christmas meal of hot dogs, soda, and cake.

We’re also talking to some groups about coming to Rio for a short-term missions trip. A couple of people from Damon’s church are making plans to come out in April; a couple of other churches are exploring the idea. This idea is much more do-able now that Damon is in Rio full-time. If this is something you and/or your group might be interested in, let us know.

If you haven’t liked us on Facebook yet, here’s the link.