Friends

This week was our last week of lecture phase. Last night we had a special dinner as a DTS, students and staff. It was a good time. :)

The DTS girls- staff and students

 

On our free day this week I got to go to Olinda. It has a cute, touristy area in the town, and has a great view of Olinda, Recife, and the ocean.

 

Joy and me

 

New Zealand/Samoa team

Andrea, Gabi, Rodrigo, Priscilla, and Sara (team leader- Natalia is missing in photo)

Recommended Reading

A part of our curriculum for DTS includes reading, and reporting on, a few books. The last one that I just read was "A Cry From the Streets" by Jeannette Lukasse. This is not the first time I've read this book (actually I believe its the fourth time), but it seems like every time I read it I see something new. It is filled with lessons on faith, trusting God, God's heart for children, the value of family, and it is a testimony of God's faithfulness!

So, I would recommend any and all of you who haven't read this book yet to read it. (If you attend Metzler's you can find it in the church library.)

Impacto

This weekend a group of approximately 100 people from YWAM Recife, King's Kids, and a local church, went to the city of Caruaru about 2 hours away for a weekend of proclaiming the gospel and sharing with the people who were gathering for one of the large parties of Brazil. We joined up with three local churches and ministries to go out and share Jesus with people in the city.

We did several presentations in different locations and times during the weekend.

this is the King's Kids group

This is the DTS group doing a dance

Then between presentations we would split up into little groups, mixing our group and the local church groups, to go out and share with the people on the streets.

Sunday morning we split into two groups and went to two different parts of the city. We walked around and prayed, and also did a little presentation. We found some boys who were hanging out on the street and invited them to see a drama that we wanted to share with them.

On the way back to the bus I took a moment to be a little touristy perhaps. :)

We spent alot of time hanging out on the street and sharing with people, we didn't share with these two ladies though. haha. (Flavia, me and Mari)

Here are some of the team sporting their bracelets that we used, and also gave out, to explain the steps to salvation and God in a snapshot. (Ed, Maria, Thiago, and Carol)

 Most of the DTS group

In the evenings we went out to the streets to pray, do presentations, and personal evangelism. Before presenting our dances and dramas we had to do some stuff to get people's attention. Check out the video below to see what some of the guys did in the evenings to draw a crowd, and it worked!

 It was a very busy weekend. It was stretching to go out and evangelize in a different culture, approach, and language., but it was good.

Food for Thought

We served food, and we were left with alot to think about. Yesterday morning a few staff and a few students prepared a meal for 7 girls who live on the streets. Some of the street team went out and brought the girls to the base for this special meal.

After the meal we did a little activity where we paired up one staff or student with one girl from the streets, and we were supposed to tell each other about one of our dreams. One of the girls told her partner that her dream was to be happy. 

Her dream was to be happy. 

Let me tell you just a little bit about her story (for I do not know much of her story). She is twenty years old. She has a four year old how lives with her mom, a three year old who lives with the father in another country, and her third child was born and died last month (as I understand it). I can't imagine what she has gone through in her life. Her dream is to be happy. True happiness, real joy, can only be found in our Savior, Jesus.

The hope of YWAM Recife is to start a home for girls after the World Cup. 

Please pray in the workers to join this great work of rescuing, healing, and restoring through Jesus' love and gift of life in him to the girls who choose to leave the streets and join this project when it gets started.

Ramblings

Here we go with some random thoughts. Hopefully it gets more serious as it goes. :)

So, for you entertainment I asked Mari to take a picture of me washing clothing today. 

(After the tarantula check. lol)

Here is a rainbow that appeared the other day. A reminder of God's faithfulness.

I recently switched my quiet time spot. I previously was spending my time with Jesus on a bench near the driveway. It was a good spot for rainy days, because it was under a small roof, but not so great for distractions with people and cars going by. So, my new spot is at a picnic table facing the forest. The super cool thing about this spot is that I see monkeys! Its also a distraction, but a fun one, and might I say, better one.

Speaking of monkeys, here are some pictures....taken by one of my classmates a week or two ago.

The guy on the right looks like he's sticking his tongue out at the other guy, not sure what's going on....

And one more pose before returning to the forest. 

Last week our topic of the week was "Who am I?". We talked about our identity and who we are in Christ. It was a good week. On Wednesday we had an assignment. We were supposed to write a letter to our Daddy, and then listen and write a letter back from Him to us. It was a good time, writing to God, then I had a difficult but good conversation with him in between letters about an area of unbelief in my life, then I wrote what I trust he was saying to me. It was really good.  Our Daddy is so good and full of love and wants to talk to his children!

This is for all you soccer fans...

...and evangelists and intercessors! :) For those of you who may not know (since soccer isn't nearly as widely watched as some sports in the United States), World Cup 2014 will be hosted in Brazil! There are stadiums in various major cities, Recife being one of them. The cool thing about the one in Recife is that it is almost in YWAM's backyard! What a wonderful ministry opportunity!

YWAM is planning to take advantage of this ministry opportunity and is already starting to intercede and prepare for this wonderful opportunity. Please join in prayer for YWAM Recife and YWAM Brazil!

This picture is taken from the primary school, on the base property. (the stadium is in the backround of the picture.

 This is a closer view of the stadium.

 

Blessings

Today I received several blessings. Yesterday I found out that instead of having an all-day choreography practice today, we have the day off! It was great to sleep in and relax. Then this afternoon I was blessed to be able to go to one of the missionaries' house to use her washing machine! I didn't appreciate such a commodity until I had to start washing all my clothing by hand. To think, all you have to do is throw the clothing in, put some soap in, push a few buttons and wait for it to be done, clean, and nearly dry! :) After washing clothing by hand, trying to wring it out the best I could, and hang it out, I have a new appreciation for the washing machine (and I've only been washing clothing by hand for six weeks, many people here do it all the time). Not only did I get to use her washing machine, I was blessed through spending the afternoon hanging out and talking with Laura. It was a good time. Thank you Jesus for the blessings you've given me today!