Jumpin’ for Jesus

I’m fixin’ (Southern for “getting ready”) to hop on an airplane and head to the really deep south again.

Ubaúna is calling my name, and not being one to ignore that call, I’m going to Brazil in just a few days.

The Seed of Hope initiative that Gospel for Brazil oversees is moving along at quite a clip. For example:

• The town has ceded to GFB a community building that will be used as kitchen and cafeteria for feeding the children. Equipment (stove, refrigerator, freezer, etc.) needs to be purchased; tables, chairs, pots, pans, plates, utensils, etc. have to be procured; cooks and helpers need to be hired; and, the building needs a “cosmetic” face job.
• A house has been given to GFB to use as the Seed of Hope House. Measurements need to be taken, plans drawn up and temporary actions taken to make the house usable. We will undertake serious remodeling during the trip scheduled in August.
• Communication between sponsors and children need to be “tweaked.
• We’re inviting all sponsors to send letters to their children and we’ll be bringing back letters from the children to their sponsors.
• We’ve been invited into several different communities to see works that are in progress and participate in them. An evaluation needs to be made in order to determine the Spirit’s direction.
• Strategies that can’t be handled long distance concerning the building need to be addressed.
• We have the opportunity to include more children living in the proximity of Ubaúna in the Seed of Hope program. For those who’ve seen Paxólas, the areas are even more destitute, if you can fathom that!

So, we’re jumpin’ for Jesus onto an airplane that will whisk us away to the interior of Ceará.

Ummm… could we have you to begin praying now?

Thanks!

Earthquake!

There has been an earthquate in Ubaúna measuring 4.0 on the Richter Scale.

The primary shock occured around 2:00 a.m. Friday night. There have been more than 100 after tremors that have occured since then until this morning (Saturday), most registering less than 2.0.

This picture, taken yesterday, shows people staying outside rather than go back in their houses. Quite a few people are on edge.

Talking with folks there this morning on the phone, there are walls cracked and ceiling slats broken. The tremors were strong enough that my mother-in-law said it caused her mouth to shake as though she was on an electric motor. Some families slept on the sidewalks and are saying that they will continue to sleep outside rather than risk have the roofs come down on them while sleeping should there be additional tremors.

Classes in the schools in the area have been canceled so people could use them as shelters.

According to a Civil Defense spokesman quoted on the national news, “The population is going to have to get used to this because the possibility of it [earthquake] happening again is great.”

Though it is in Portuguese, there is a video that came out on the local news with some footage of the aftereffects of the earthquake. Click here to see it.

Appears that quite a welcome is being prepared for our arrival there this week!

Fall of the dollar

An interesting phenomenon is occurring in Brasil… the dollar is dropping like a rock!

I’m not an economist; from a logical perspective, it makes no sense. I know the dollar is falling worldwide, but you’d anticipate it being stronger in the weaker economy of a nation like Brasil.

From a real perspective (pun intended: “real” is the Brasilian currency), this impacts us dramatically. It makes everything more expensive.

As an example, ticket costs to fly to Brasil during prime time has increased an average of $400 over four years. It has increased $200 over the last year alone. Day to day operation of the church plant in Ubaúna has gone up almost 12% since September 2007. In practical terms, if something cost us $1000 in September, it costs us almost $1200 today.

This simply means:
1) We need to be on our knees more
2) We need to expand our support base
3) Satan must really be mad
4) Is this going to be a phenomenal victory or what?!

I never ceased to be amazed at how God allows us to play in his game, especially when it seems by the world’s standards that we don’t have a chance of winning. The win is so much sweeter!

Brasil coming at you

Just got off the phone with pastor Marclei, the lead pastor at the Grace Refuge church in Fortaleza. He’d just gotten off the phone with pastor Áudrey in Ubaúna. They were both giddy that pastor Joe and deacon Paul were getting ready to head south to do some major kingdom planning with them next week.

I knew that if Marclei knew I was coming, he’d want me to “give a word” at Grace Refuge. Well he knows and now the word is mine to give. What’s really interesting is that they also want to hear from deacon Paul!

We will have been up for over 36 hours when this happens! (Paul, how’s that Portuguese coming along?)

Trips to Brasil are always interesting…

Guest blog… Pastor Áudrey, Part 2

Part 2, continued:

There is darkness over the entire region that is centered on Ubaúna. Families have lived in conflict for years; hate is passed on from generation to generation; relatives don’t speak to each other; horrible acts are committed against family members. It is an “evil empire” that had diabolical roots extending deep into the lives of the inhabitants.

When we began the church here in Ubaúna, especially with the children, we noticed that there was an inability of them to relate to each other. There was intense prejudice. Folks in town didn’t associate with those on the “other side of the tracks” in Paxólas and the kids amplified that sentiment. Fighting was common. It was heart-breaking. But it was the inheritance that had been passed on from parents to children, an environment of hate.

Something began to change as people began to hear the Word during the worship services. Little by little the hate began to diminish and people began to relate to each other. Today it is gratifying to watch the children playing, praying and seeking God together.  They walk down the street, arm in arm, singing songs of praise. Everyone knows where they are going or where they are coming from – that “church that talks about Jesus.”

The power of reconciliation, of unity, is arriving in Ubaúna by way of the Good News. It has begun with the children in a powerful way and is spreading to the parents.

Know that the Gospel of Jesus is real and we believe in its power!

May God bless you,
Pastor Áudrey

Guest blog… Pastor Áudrey, Part 1

The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind—
   Just as you, Father, are in me and I in you,
   So they might be one heart and mind with us. —John 17:20 

“One.”

A BIG request. Larger than life. More difficult than raising one from the dead. Jesus was clearly asking the impossible. Even he stated that a house divided couldn’t stand. Some theologians try to make an intriguing point that this was the only prayer Jesus offered up that wasn’t answered. But what do you expect from theologians…

Now, the Word states that God heard Jesus and that unity is actually available to us. Just look at all the effort Satan pours, quite effectively, into creating division; that is proof of what might be.

So what’s the problem? What keeps the church from being unified? Could it be that the problem lies with our commitment? Jesus said that if anyone wanted to follow him that they needed to pick up their cross and follow him. This requires denial; letting go of YOUR life in order to secure ETERNAL life, trading selfishness for selflishness, converting love of self to the love of community.

Denying one’s self means putting aside that we want to do in exchange for what God wants. More directly, it is a life that is dominated by an attitude, under the Spirit’s power, that is balanced in everything without “me” being the driver. In biblical terms, it is a life guided by the Spirit.

“Picking up your cross and following” is a big order. If we don’t do it, we miss out; if we do, we have a real fight on our hands. Denying ones self and putting yourself in the hands of a majestic Being isn’t something we immediately jump to do.

Picking up the cross implies a metamorphosis, a rebirth, a fundamental change. Death is involved – Paul uses the idea of the old nature dying – and death involves forced change. It is the cross, and what it implies and delivers, that is the death-delivering agent (“if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation,” 2 Cor. 5:17). Encountering the cross creates change; it is the crossroad that represents the end of one life and the beginning of a new one.

Please understand: if you adopt a lifestyle of “dying to self,” you are going to have a problem. But, though it may be painful to you, it will create a miracle… oneness.

Unity is the largest expression of the power of God available. It is capable of destroying the very gates of hell; it can radically change lives; it can transform the earthly into the heavenly.

And how does one access this expression of God’s power? The Gospel. It is the Good News that enables the denial of self, brings about reconciliation and generates unity,

And, “thank you Lord,” it is this power that has arrived in Ubaúna!

…to be continued

Look at what you’re doing!

Your support is putting Bibles into the hands of new believers in Ubaúna!

You are such a blessing to folks you’ve never seen.

Thank you!

Rain, baby, rain!

Prayers are being answered! The first significant rain has finally fallen in Ubaúna (the first in over a year!). Keep requesting it!

Talkin’ with the man

No. Not THAT man, but OUR man in Ubaúna — Áudrey.

He called last night because he was wanting “to burn some promotional minutes” he’d gotten when he renewed his cell phone contract. Not one to throw water on a burning fire, I gladly indulged his whimsy.

He’s started a Bible school that meets on Sunday morning and he’s been having between 18-21 adults showing up out of pure curiosity. People are telling him that no one has ever done anything like that in Ubaúna. He emailed me one of the lessons he’s taught… dang! He’s going for the jugular! Most Christians here would probably crawl out of the room if they had to sit through it. The topic he sent me: The Responsibility of a Sinner.

He is pumped about the upcoming planning trip. He even has prepared a special place for Paul to sleep (this ought to be interesting). This is going to be a killer trip!

It is becoming obvious that we are going to have to do something soon about a building. The landlord is making lots of noise about the noise the church is making. Put this one on your prayer list.

It rained, really rained, for the first time this season yesterday in Ubaúna.

Andréia’s birthday is on March 7 so we’re going to party big time because that is the day we will arrive in Ubaúna. We’re gonna hit all the hot spots in downtown Ubaúna! If you would like to make her day, drop her a note at her email (andreiafeitoza AT gmail.com — please use the little “@” sign where the word “AT” is with no space on either side of it; this is so the spammers don’t slam her inbox by grabbing her email address with their little robots and spiders). Even though she doesn’t speak English she would be overwhelmed to know that people are actually thinking about her.

“To do” list

Lots of things on the horizon.

• I’m heading to Ubaúna with one of our board members, Paul Tyndall, in two weeks. This is a planning, strategizing, dreamcasting trip. Very quick, hard on old bodies but extremely intense. I’m pumped big time!
• We will unveil a big project very shortly.
• The new Team Ubaúna rocks! Dang! We met Saturday night and I’m quite impressed. We leave on July 9 for the village.
• A series of guest blogs by pastor Áudrey will appear any day now.
• New full-time worker? There is the possibility of another evangelist moving into the Ubaúna area. Details to come as they unfold.
• Rain. Ubaúna needs rain in a bad way.
• A mind-blowing video is in the makin’ and I am so stoked about being able to use it to rock the world in Ubaúna. Kudos to Travis (who you’ll hear more about…)
• GFB will be displaying at an Easter play. More details coming…

Heavens to mergatroy!