I'm finally getting settled back in to my office and my responsibilities, after traveling to Santarem, Brasil for ten days. It's been a few weeks since the trip, but many of the weeks events are fresh on my mind, and I want to write it all down before I forget.While we were down in the Amazon River basin, I was a part of training believers to use an evangelism tool called the "Evangecube," aka "E-cube." The church that I taught had about 500 leaders and their friends there. Seven people received Christ after I went the through the demonstration of sharing the gospel with the cube. It was awesome! Raquel, my friend who translated for me, did a fantastic job, and was very sensitive to the Spirit when it came time for the invitation. I didn't catch everything that she was saying, but she was right on, and God used the two of us in a great way that evening. I pray that the leaders of the group go out from there and continue to share the gospel with their friends, families, and co-workers. It is such an easy and functional way of sharing the gospel--anyone could do it.
Also, we did two organized basketball clinics. My new friend (and roommate for the trip), Frank Lopez, who is an NBA clinician, came along with us and led the clinics, and Steve Sloan, Aaron Sloan, and I helped "coach." He is excellent at doing what he does, and he modified his usual routine to emphasize spiritual life guidance in connection with the drills the students were performing. It was special to witness his blossoming in this new kind of ministry. At the second clinic, we had 64 students receive Christ after Frank shared his testimony and Dave McClamma shared the gospel! This was even more amazing because of the students' attitudes when we started. It felt like they were forced to be there. They were grumbling and cutting up, but Frank won them over, and by the end they were all asking for his autograph. He was swarmed, and we all left before he was done signing stuff. The clinic was a first for us in Brasil, and I hope we can continue to do these in the future, because they were so effective. Sports serve as such a universal language, and basketball is gaining popularity in Brasil, so it's a no-brainer.
On a side note, Frank has an interesting story when it comes to travel. He shares the given name (Francisco Lopez, Jr.) and birthdate with a convicted "terrorist" of sorts. See here. Therefore, everytime Frank attempts to reenter the U.S., he is detained by customs agents and interrogated. Before we left Miami for Brasil, Frank presents us with all the newspaper articles just to give us fair warning that he would be detained when he returned. Apparently, our government let the guy go, and he has committed several more crimes since, and now he is a fugitive--and they don't have a picture of the man! I'd like to say I'm surprised. Just as predicted, when we returned to Miami, the customs agent swiped Frank's passport and began typing (never a good sign). Agents came to take him to the "room," and he was questioned for a few minutes. This time was quicker than most, according to Frank. He was back with the group before we finished getting our baggage. Fun times!
I had the opportunity to lead worship for a few different events. I have learned a few songs in Portuguese, like "Poder Pra Salvar" (Mighty to Save) and "Unico Caminho" (One Way). Hillsong has had many of their songs translated into many languages, so they are a huge help in this area. Friday night was probably the most special for me, because we did a riverfront outreach event, and I was privileged to play with my friends from the Igreja da Paz worship band. They are such a talented and sincere group, it is a joy to play beside them. I led "Mighty to Save" and "God of This City," and then we did "Open the Eyes of My Heart" in both English and Portuguese, which was awesome. It's a beautiful thing to hear the praise of God in different languages, yet saying the same thing. I imagine it will be something like that when we see Jesus face-to-face.
On Thursday, we went out on the river to take food and provisions to several river villages who had been affected by the severe flooding of the Amazon this year. It is an eye opening experience, because they live in such simple and poor conditions on the river. At one stop, we took a loudspeaker and announced that we had provisions to pass out, and the people came by their canoes, dugouts, and fishing boats to our boat. We had a pastor from one of the villages there with us, and he was such a blessing and encouragement to all of us because of his faithful service to the gospel out on the river. After we shared the gospel with the people from each river, he spoke personally with the people and told them that he wants to be their pastor. He wants to serve them. It was beautiful.
To close out the trip, we took a fun day-excursion into the jungle. We did a mini-trip in April, and went into a different area of the jungle. This time, we hiked five miles up to the top of the highlands area to see the giant sequoia trees. What a truly amazing (and tiring) experience. It is a privilege to walk where most of the world will never have a chance to walk, and to see things that many people will never see. What beautiful, untouched land! The largest sequoia tree that we saw was ancient, and it required thirty people, with arms outstretched, to surround it. It was massive! I felt like a dwarf standing between its buttresses and looking up. I had heard about this tree in April from Nelus, our guide, but seeing it is another story. There were several trees that were close to this size, and it is just breathtaking. It is difficult to describe, or for the pictures to do justice to the enormity of these trees, simply because one must back up so far just to get the tree in the shot!
We hiked a total of ten miles that day, from the river to the highlands and back, and everyone was exhausted by the time we got back. It was so worth the hike. I would do it again in a heartbeat. I only wish I could do that sort of thing more often. The more I work in an office, the more I long for being out in the woods, out in the quiet of nature, without the technology and the noise of our busy world.
I love Brasil, and I cannot wait to go back and see my friends and their beautiful world in the Amazon.
