The Power of God's Love

The Holy Spirit is definitely at work in Brazil. Catholicism is the dominant religion, but the evangelical population is around 55 million or 25% of the population and is growing every day.

I just returned from a mission trip to Brazil. I am so thankful that I was able to be used by God. I felt like I was in a Spiritual cloud, and was just being an outside observer of the Holy Spirit at work.  My teammate, Tom Boorde, and I worked with two churches for ten days. We were part of the Friends of Good News Missions. Our team of 11 people was made up of Baptists from Greensboro and High Point, North Carolina and Tampa, Florida. It is the 25^th year of this ministry. We were given the privilege of aiding the pastors in the work they had started. Pastor Anderson is 35 and has been at his church for 5 months. He has taken over the leadership of an after school program for at risk students also.

Pastor Anderson and many of the young people of the church took us out to visit family and prospective members of the church. One of the families we visited will always have a special place in my heart. We entered the home and as we proceeded to sit down, we saw a person in the bedroom with an oxygen mask on his face. His sister told us he was her brother.  After her husband finished eating, all the family of twelve gathered around. Some were sitting on the couch and others standing in the doorway.  I started showing them the Evangecube. When I revealed the section about the resurrection of Jesus, I told them about my friend’s daughter passing away, and how she placed her ashes at the base of a waterfall. I shared with them how we felt when we came back to take a picture and saw butterflies around the ashes. I conveyed to them that now I always associate butterflies with the resurrection. When I asked them to pray and accept Jesus into their hearts and lives, all of them prayed. Afterwards I asked them to give us their names so we could pray for them. I also asked the sister if it would be alright to talk to her brother.

She took us into the bedroom, we watched her strain her back to pick her brother up and put him in the chair. He could not move or speak, and she said he had been bed ridden for five years.  When she got him in the chair, she pulled him forward to stretch his legs. He began to boohoo like a child. It broke my heart. I began to tell him of God’s love by showing him the cube. I told him one day he could be in heaven where there would be no more pain or sorrow. I asked him to bow his head and to pray after me, I looked to see if he was praying, and he was making a gurgling sound in his throat. I know in my heart he accepted Jesus as his Savior. He started crying again, and my teammate, Tom, told him in heaven there would be no more tears. The sister gave me a big bear hug, and we all left with hearts full with the precious power of God’s love.

Humbleness

   “…Don’t think you are better than you really are…” Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.”… Be patient in trouble and keep on praying.” “Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!” Romans 12: 3, 11, 12, 16

 

I am getting ready to go on my mission trip to Brazil. We are reading scriptures every day to prepare us. We read Romans 12 to remind us we should be working together as a team. I will be paired with a pastor, an interpreter, and my teammate, Tom Boorde, who has been to seminary. We will be going to do evangelist work. From what I’ve learned we will be leaving our hotel from 1pm to 3pm and may not return until midnight. I am a morning person so this will be hard for me.  I am not lazy, and I am usually very enthusiastic when serving the Lord. I get so excited sometimes I talk before I should. I went out with my church evangelist team. I was paired with a couple from our church. Before he could tell the lady about Jesus, I jumped in and told her why were there and asked her if she had a church home. My Aunt Ann said I move to a different rhythm. So I need to match my rhythm to that of my fellow laborers for Christ.

 

Tom called me and prayed for our trip and the people of Brazil. He said we will pray every day before we go out. I believe as He does that we must saturate our evangelist efforts with prayer. I pray I will work in harmony with him and with the people we meet. I don’t want to be too proud when dealing with them.  I guess I think I have the best approach to leading people to a personal relationship with Jesus. 

 

I am asking people to pray for me that I will keep my mouth shut when I am supposed and let the Holy Spirit do His work. I am supposed to be praying while my teammate is presenting the gospel.   We are trying to bring hope to the people of Brazil. I want to be totally dependent on the Lord and allow the Holy Spirit to convict the lost of their sin. Lord, please help me to wait patiently and humbly for you to work in the heart’s and lives of the people of Brazil.

 

Poem -Rooted in Christ

 

 

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”  John 15: 1-2

 

Pruned

Disciplined, cleansed

Cutting, tuning, refining

Tried, challenged, grafted, formed

Clinging, abiding, bearing

Produce, Render

Fruitful