We are going to Brazil!

We are going to Brazil!

Yes, we are going to Brazil. Well, you say, wasn’t that the plan for the beginning? It sure was but without a plane ticket, we ain’t goin nowhere!

The situation was that our money was tied up, we have supporters that request a tax break(and rightly so)that meant that we had to send any checks we get to San Angelo to be processed and they mail them on to us. In the meantime, good ticket prices come and go, but mostly there weren’t any really great priced tickets. But God knows and I felt the need to talk to a real person at American Airlines. I called and began the process with a very nice gentleman who hooked us up to a great price only problem being we have to fly out 9 days later than we originally had planned. We reserved the tickets.

When I alerted my director and told him of our plight, he was more than cordial and said we would miss orientation and that Brazil was not like Americans, in that, Americans are fast paced and hurry, hurry. He said we would find Brazil quite the opposite. We needed to have lots of patience. I think God was already working that into us, and for good reason.

I came up with a plan, or I should say my daughter came up with the idea to be “skyped” into the orientation, wow, what a great idea, why didn’t I think of that?

Now when I think of an orientation, as I’m sure you do, you think of the first day of a new job or the first day of a class, where you get there and have a ton of papers to fill out, meet your new co-workers and have an hour lunch break. Not so with this orientation, as I found out and PR probably had a great chuckle over that request. When I suggested this idea to him he promptly said that the first 2 weeks of this orientation would be “out in the streets” of Brazil, getting a feel of the place, where we will be working, meeting our “team” and getting our living arrangements set. Not your typical orientation.

So, we will miss a lot of the crucial first days, but God knows and He sees everything and I hope our “team” is sweet and happy to have us and can speak some English and will help us get our bearings, which I’m sure they will be.

Last week I had lunch with a sweet lady and she was so kind as to purchase a Portuguese Living Language dictionary, CD’s and a book to follow along with the CD’s for Pauline and I. We listen to it daily and while driving in the car and we are having a lot of fun learning this difficult language.

PR, also told us that the internet in Brazil is hit and miss, so hopefully on the days I can write my blog it’s hit! I will try to keep this blog up so all our friends and family can follow this amazing journey God has us on! Boa noite e Deus benzer,,,(Good night and God bless)

God's Provision

How do I begin to share this amazing journey that God has put us on? When You think of the amount of money it takes to go on a mission trip 1700 miles from home you can get really nervous about the funding, unless of course you are dependent on a God that owns everything. Unless you have been given the clear direction from this amazing God
we serve, to serve Him in Brazil.

We were never really concerned about finances because what God calls for He pays for. Now someone might say, well how does He pay for it? To them I say through people His people and sometimes just people in general.

Before I even began this journey, I received a nice sum of money for a birthday gift, thinking this is the down payment for my far in the future trip ti Italy(something I have been wanting to do for many years)but not so, right after this gift arrived I got the heavenly notice that Brazil was where I was going and not for a vacation but for the greater good of the Kingdom of heaven!

I could write and write about how God has been supplying for both myself and Pauline but I will suffice it to say He has been providing in so many ways that have both amazed us, surprised us and down right brought us to tears and to our knees.
When we least expected it, from people we never expected it from, to people we haven't spoke to or communicated with in a year, He spoke to them and they blessed us and said "it is a privilege that you are allowing us to sow into the kingdom of God through you, so thank you for including us", to them I say NO, thank you for believing that God would use us to do His work!

Until next time, we remain, in His service forward to Brazil!!

Unforgiveness

I felt led to write on the subject that was spoken of today in my church. So many people today that I know are so bound with unforgiveness. It makes me very sad for them because they think they are hurting the person that hurt them when in fact they are only hurting themselves.

Remember Joseph in the bible, the guy with the coat of many colors? His brothers were really hateful toward him because he was the youngest and the favorite of his father Jacob and he was also very handsome and had a great body, yes the bible does say that, not exactly as I put it here but it does say that. So when they were out one day, tending to their chores they plotted to kill Joseph, but instead one of the older brothers said lets just sell him to the Egyptians and so they did. He was 17 years old when this happened to him, fast forward 20 years, he is now 37(read the bible to get the rest of the story and how he got to where he is now)Genesis Chapters 37-50 yes a long story but so very interesting.

At this point Joseph is a very important man in Pharaoh's house, in fact the only one above Joseph is Pharaoh himself.

Did Joseph have a reason to be hurt, angry, bitter or mad, he sure did. BUT what Satan meant for harm, God used for good.

It's all about perspective. If you fear God, you don't have to fear people or their actions. The fear of man is a trap.

Whenever you REFUSE to embrace bitterness you make God the author of your story. When you are bitter you give those that hurt you the pen to write your story.

When you refuse to embrace bitterness that your enemy sends to make you weak, you reverse it's power. When you hold on to what your enemy has done to you, you give them power over your life.

Lastly is this, When you walk in forgiveness you discover no one can do anything to you that God will not turn to your good.

I hope this has brought a new perspective to anyone out there that is holding onto unforgiveness, look what Jesus did for us, He is the all forgiving one, don't you think if He can forgive us we can forgive others?

Entertaining Angels!

Hebrews 13:3 "Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels."

Sometimes you have a plan and then God comes in and totally changes the whole scenario for you. This is what happened in our apartment last night. Pauline and I had a plan, I was to take a shower and go to bed early, we both were up very early that day. Pauline was working on computer and getting letters written.

As I was finishing up my shower I heard some voices in the living room. When I came out I saw 3 beautiful young women sitting there with Pauline and I was invited to join them, and I'm so glad I did, it was destined to be.

It is a long story on how these women came to be here at this time but lets just say, it was a "God" thing and they followed His lead. He had words for us and it was through these ladies that we were to hear them.

As I sit here remembering the prayers, the songs and the encouraging words not to mention the prophesy that they brought forth for both Pauline and myself, it could only be God orchestrating such a night!

"We would be honored", they said "to wash your feet", if you have ever been blessed in such a way then you know exactly how we felt. They sat at our feet and did as Jesus did when He washed the disciples feet before He gave the the great commission of going out to preach the gospel to all the world. That is exactly what these women did for us, we am the ones who felt honored.

The words that they spoke over us were life-giving. Words that we knew could only come from someone who heard from God, He knows our hearts and our inward desires and needs, these ladies spoke life into us.

I only hope and pray that they know how blessed we feel and we thank them Sara, Jenny-Jo and Denise for having such a listening ear and obeying Gods direction.

Never turn away strangers,,,,,,,,

The next journey begins,,,,Brazil or Bust!!

Ok so once again I start a blog about yet another journey. The difference is this is a journey God is sending me on, not one that I put myself on. So, here we go, I will try my best to keep you all updated.

So, most of you, my friends and family know what has transpired in the past 6 weeks, but if you don't and you are somehow living under a rock or haven't heard I'M GOING TO BRAZIL. There I said it, not just me but my rommie Pauline as well. I have all the necessary information in a support letter that by now a lot of you have received, if not, give me time YOU will get one! Not only to ask you to help send me on this journey but to seriously request your prayers, God answers prayers, I know it and you know it, so pray!

Before all this came to pass, I had plans to do some foot surgery, bunions and a large cyst that had decided to plant itself on the top of some nerve on my foot. So, that was going to go to. I told my physician/surgeon my plans for Brazil and she said "oh sure, you will be ready by then". So, I went ahead with the scheduled surgery.

Everything my doc told me about this surgery has come to pass. She said the first few days she would "snow" me with good drugs, ha that was sooo true! Y'all I had to stop at McDonald's on the way home after the surgery, I had my friend Liz stop and I actually walked in went to the rest room and got back in the car, I have no idea how I did it or how I walked on crutches to my apt. without falling flat on my face, but I did!

So, that was true, I was on this medication for several days and was coming out of the anesthesia slowly but surely and started remembering things. My doc also said this surgery would hurt like H-E double hockey sticks, but I was like, having no pain, until the last few days, and it all started and she was right and then some. But I have come along very well in the healing process and even doc said she was very impressed with my healing(it's all God)and I will be ready by July 28th to get on that plane with a fully recovered foot to travel the hills of Belo Horizonte, Brazil

Pauline and I are at the point of writing support letters, getting Visa's and packing our things to go to Brazil for 6 months. Wow, now that I say that out loud it is extremely exciting. Although we are leaving family, friends, parents and selling our "worldly" goods, we know it is the thing God has called us to do, we both have a peace that passes all understanding in our heart.

We both feel that God is sending us to Brazil to learn from these people something more, something we can bring back to our own country. God doesn't show us the whole picture, we have to go by faith and believe God's plan is the best plan and we have to seek His face daily to learn the next step. This is another step of faith we take daily, I like adventure and this is certainly an adventure instituted by God for His glory.

The Next Adventure: Brazil

Hello there my friends and Blog followers!!
Let me first say that the amazing thing about being a Christian is that you never know where God may take you, IF you are willing to listen and to do His will. Sometimes His will is not our will and when He asks us to do something, it's not always easy and most times we have to think about it. God wants obedience, He wants us to act upon what He is telling us to do, doing nothing or ignoring His desire for us is disobedience and therefore we are sinning against Him.
Several days ago my life was humming along, nothing exciting going on, oh I had a few things coming up that had my thoughts and concerns. For example, the students I cook for will be graduating and that leaves me wondering what I will do for the summer. I did obtain my nursing license and therefore I thought(I)would of course be working as a nurse somewhere in Broussard of Lafayette. Next I am having surgery on my right foot, a simple procedure but it will require some time off for healing. I'm also looking forward to a trip to Florida with my granddaughter Julia. So when I got the nudge and I mean it was a very big nudge something I couldn't ignore if I wanted to, to go to Brazil, I was blown away to say the least!
As I go day to day, it amazes me how God orchestrates everything flowing in that direction. Everything I read pertains to His love and His direction and His provision. I could have never come up with this plan on my own.
So, this is the beginning of something big, it is not just about Brazil but what God has in store for us when we return. He is going to be teaching and training us in something great to bring back to the states to teach and train others. I wholeheartedly believe this.
What God calls for He provides for, I can't wait to see how He is going to work all this out. I'm trying to let Him do it all but sometimes my human nature gets in the way and I want to help Him out, then He gently reminds me, He has my back!

Monday morning we have two dates, one with a sweet lady from our area who is in Brazil right now, finishing up her 6 months. We plan on a skype date to pick her brain. An E3D staff member who made all the arrangements for the 6 students who went to Brazil for a 3 week period just recently. Between the two we should find out about finances, airline tickets, where we fly out of and where we fly into, simple stuff, haha. Stay tuned I will be blogging frequently to keep all of my blogger buddies up to date!

Run The Race!!

As I was reading my devotions today I was strongly impressed to write about it. That's how God works with me, He gives me a nudge and He forms my words. Today the devotion I was reading was titled "watch where you are going" and it was about running a race. It was about a runner and how he was accidentally tripped up by another runner, but he picked himself up and with an amazing burst of speed continued with the race and was able to catch up with the lead runners and with only 20 yards to go he gained 3rd place, good enough to qualify for a place in the finals! Just then he looked over his shoulder to his left, when he didn't see anyone, he slowed his pace. To his great surprise another runner , charging hard, passed him on the outside only a yard before the finish line, eliminating him from the final race! 1 Cor. 9:24 says "Do you know that in a race, all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way to get the prize!"
We all have our own private race to run. Jesus Christ is at our finish line, He is our prize. Sometimes, don't we look at our lives and say " wow, I'm not doing so bad, I can slow down a bit, take a week off of church, take a day from reading our bibles or praying", NO, we can't slow down, we need to continue this race to the end. Don't falter, don't look from side to side or back(remember Lot's wife,Gen. 19:26). Our adversary the devil, is roaming the earth like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour, 1Peter 4:8
Watch where your going!