Signing Out

LIFT has been in Speculator for just about 24 hours now and have seemed to recoup well. My main purpose in sending this last post is to share a photo with you. This is a group photo in front of one of their boats in the middle of a rain storm. I'm not sure what day it was taken, but you can see bits of Brazil in the photo.

Hearing stories of the trip in person has been great. These half-stories I've been telling here have found their other halves and I've enjoyed every minute of "story time".

I can honestly say I have loved (and by "loved" I mean LOVED) every minute of our email/blog journey together. BUT I like having the students here more, so we'll have to part ways and go back to letting them contact ya'll instead.

(You can click on the photo to make it bigger. Check out all the lovely faces!)

Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen. (Romans 16:25-27)

Home Safe

I just dropped LIFT of at their perspective houses in Speculator, NY! Traveling home wasn't as smooth as we hoped for, but everyone is here, safe and sound.

I got a call this morning from Tim T saying that our international student was stuck in Miami customs. We got word that they were going to let her through, but the process could take up to an hour. They finally let her into the country just in time for her to run to her first flight. She didn't make it in time, so they put her on standby. She did get on a flight, but she ended up traveling alone the rest of the day.

To make a long story short (because it's past my bedtime):
Group #1 landed in Newark around 2:30.
Our Polish student landed around 3:20.
Group #2 landed around 4:30.

Group #1 had some luggage issues and 3 bags were on another plane. Lord willing, they'll be delivered up here tomorrow.

I had the greatest time on the drive home, listening to stories about electric eels and life on the river. I can't wait until they get to share the stories with you!

I'll have one more update before I sign out. I want to send along at least one photo.

Airports

I just got off the phone with Tim T. and the group is in the Belem airport. They have a while to wait before their first flight (out of 4), but they are definitely on their way home!

Flight information (these are all local times):

Tonight they fly from Belem to Rio De Janeiro (5:50pm - 9:30pm)
Then from Rio De Janeiro to Miami (10:35pm - 6:20pm)

Tomorrow they split up into two groups:
Group #1 flies from Miami to Atlanta (9:25am - 11:20am)
Then from Atlanta to Newark (12:19pm - 2:40pm)

Group #2 flies from Miami to Atlanta (11:09am - 1:08pm)
Then from Atlanta to Newark (2:00pm - 4:24pm)

Group one will hang out at the airport until group two arrives, then they'll hop in the vans for the 4.5 hour drive back to Speculator! And I'm excited to say, that I'm privileged enough to be one of those van drivers! I'm terribly excited I get to see the group tomorrow afternoon and I'll be sure to share all your love with them.

I have two prayer requests:
1) This day of travel can be very critical for the group. This is when lessons are solidified and experiences turn into stories. Let's pray that the Spirit would continue to solidify His work in them.
2) This one is more specific, requested by Tim T. There are a lot of emotions floating around the group over the end of some things: the end of Brazil, nearing the end of LIFT and the end of some other things. Today is especially hard for them, so lets pray that the students as well as the Tims would be focusing on the eternal benefit of their circumstances. God's desire is Christ-likeness displayed in them; this should be our expectation and prayer.

Let's pray this for the LIFT group today:
I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 1:17-20).

Mini-sermonette not entirely relevant to LIFT: This is one of my favorite sections of scripture because it talks of the power of the Holy Spirit. As believers in Christ Jesus, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is now living within us working mightly. What is He working on? Molding us into Christ-likeness. The same, unimaginable amount of power that raised the God-man from the dead is constantly available to us so that we may glorify Him.

Thanks for reading once again. My next update will be short (either late tomorrow night or Saturday morning) letting you know the team is home and well.

Satellite Phones

I just got off the phone with Tim T!

The LIFT program has two satellite phones that are reminiscent of the "high-tech" cell phones of the late 80's. They can pretty much call from anywhere in the world and they sound like they're on the other side of the room. It's quite deceptive actually. How can someone standing in the middle Amazon jungle sound that clear?

Anyway, Tim said that he had to wait a bit to call because a huge rain storm came through and he couldn't step outside. He was looking at a magnificent rainbow while we were on the phone.

The group is doing well. Their days have been filled with work and their evenings have been filled with ministry. They've traveled around sharing testimonies, songs and skits with the communities they've been visiting. They end their days with peaceful rides on the river back to camp under the stars.

Easter Sunday was great. They had a sunrise service on the the roof of the boat before attending church. This was a really sweet, encouraging time for them. After the long, Spirit-filled service the team walked inland quite a ways and played soccer with some Brazilians on a full-length soccer field. By the end of the game it was pouring rain and the group loved every minute of it.

Installing the water filters at different homes along the river was very eye-opening for the LIFTers. Some the families are in extreme poverty, owning next to nothing. The way that the church shares Christ to these people through community development is a great example for these future leaders. They install water filters, bringing clean water to impoverished areas and opening up doors for evangelism. The follow through with solid discipleship and start up cell groups connected to churches. The Lord is clearly working through Project Amazon and this is very encouraging to the group.

Today, the group was scheduled to continue installing water filters, but are taking a day of rest instead. Some of the group are sick and some of them have minor injuries (running around the Amazon basin barefoot...). Having part of the group out of sorts, is throwing the rest of the team off, so a day of rest was ordered. Let's pray for the LIFTers today that they would rest well and that illnesses wouldn't spread.

Tomorrow the team will celebrate Ken T's (Tim T's brother) birthday, then head into Belem. They fly out of Belem Thursday morning and should be back in Speculator, NY Friday night!

Tim said that he would try and call either tomorrow or Thursday, so there should be at least one more update from Brazil and one or two more after the group arrives home.

Monday Update

Tim O (TO) called his bride today, so this update is really coming from Courtney.

Today, the group spent the day installing water filters at 15 different sites. Apparently, each filter weighs 300 pounds; I'm sure this was a sight to see. They'll be installing more water filters tomorrow.

If you remember, last night the group split up and visited 3 different churches; they went very well. I'm not sure about the other two, but Emory preached at one of the services (most likely the service TO attended) and did a great job. At this point in time all the LIFTers have shared their testimonies across the Amazon basin and have done an excellent job.

Courtney's email to me was filled with exclamation points. This tells me that TO was really encouraged to share what's been going on. The group is doing well and has seen God working in mighty ways in Brazil. We can praise the Lord for this.

Thanks for praying!

Easter Sunday

Happy Resurrection Sunday everyone!

Tim T called this afternoon (I am sad to say I missed his call, though. He left a message) to give a quick update on the days events.

This morning there was an Easter service at one of the churches along the Amazon River. It was quite long, complete with some baptisms and communion. Tim T preached and Ken T (Tim's missionary brother) translated; Tim said that this was really special for them.

The point of Tim's call was to inform us all about this evening. The team will be splitting up into three different groups and going to different churches this evening to participate in their church services. There will be some singing, some testimonies and some of the students will even be preaching. If I didn't miss the call, I would be able to tell you who was preaching, but let's be praying for all of the students tonight. Leading a congregation in corporate worship is a great privilege, but can also be challenging.

Let's also be praying for the group as they round the corner to their last leg of the trip (they arrive back at their original base camp (the orphanage) on Wednesday and start traveling Thursday). This is a crucial point in the trip where some of the LIFTers can start "checking out" and disconnect from what's in front of them. Let's pray that our mighty God would give them the strength to finish well.

I pray that we would all finish well; let us press on in prayer.

Saturday Update

We heard from the group again, after a few days of quiet. They've been doing similar things for the past few days: working on church buildings alongside PAZ missionaries and Brazilians and having some church services.

Yesterday they had a church service where worship involved some samba line dancing, which was (I'm sure) enjoyed by all and very encouraging to the group. Tim O. preached and some of the students told their testimonies.

Today is a day of rest for the students. They've been in Brazil for just over a week now and this will be the first real day of rest they have. Let's be praying for them today as they recoup from their week of hard work. There is another service today and Ken Trezise will preach.

Tomorrow, Tim T will preach at the Easter Sunday service and then the group will head out on the house boats for a few days.

Monday and Tuesday, the group will be traveling up river to deliver water filters to communities with no clean water.

All in all, the group is doing well, but they're becoming more and more aware of the spiritual warfare around them. This is the most important thing we need to be praying for this weekend.

Please Pray:
That today's day of rest would be encouraging to the group.
For the men preaching at these services and for the LIFTers as they share their testimonies
For the communities that the group will be visiting with these water filters; that the gospel will be clear to them
Pray against the work that Satan is doing in Brazil and in the group and for strength and encouragement for the all the believers down there.

Thanks for reading and happy Easter!

On Being Dirty

When LIFT (and I) went to Nigeria last semester we practically stayed in the Marriot of Jos.

Except for two nights.

Our second and third nights in Africa were spent away from our compound visiting orphanages. We were in awe of the generosity offered to us; the families that ran these small orphanages gave up their own bedrooms for us to stay in.

For two nights we were immersed in poverty, complete with no running water and sparse electricity run from a generator. We were mentally prepared to be dirty. When push came to shove, however, some of the ladies weren’t emotionally prepared to be dirty.

When the modern-day convenience of being-able-to-shower-when-you-start-to-feel-gross slipped away as we immersed ourselves into these two families, we started to feel out of place. Personally speaking, I found that I was constantly aware of how dirty I was. I didn’t necessarily mind that I was dirty (we were in Africa , after all), I minded my awareness of it. It was affecting my relationships and demeanor and I knew it.

At the time, I thought the only solution to this new form of selfishness was a hot shower. Now I see that by the power of the Holy Spirit, the solution was living inside me. Christ died on the cross for that selfish attitude so I would no longer have to be enslaved by it. ___________________________________________________

Before she left last week, I asked one of the girls what she was least looking forward to in Brazil. She responded with something I didn't expect. On top of the spiritual tension the group was expecting to face, her biggest anxiety was selfishness. She didn't want to focus on herself, especially in the area of cleanliness.

While I haven’t heard this from the group personally, I have a strong hunch that we can be praying specifically in this area. As we pray for the Brazilian people, the ministry of the LIFTers and the sanctification of all, let's also pray that the issue of being dirty wouldn't hold the group back from anything.

The Lord can use dirt to sanctify. Cool.

Wendesday Update

Greetings! This update will be a bit long, so I'll try and break it up into sections.

Yesterday: As you remember, the group worked on some general maintenance for a few church buildings and docks. They split up into teams to do this.

One group was painting the insides and outsides of "windows" (heavy-duty shutters that keep people from going through the openings). The paint is to prevent insects from eating the wooden shutters and to prevent them from rotting.

The other group was installing a dock from one of the churches out to the water so that during the rainy season people can get off their boats and walk to the church without getting wet. This group was also installing "windows", and Tim T was painting the Logo for Project Amazon (PAZ) on one of the buildings.

Last Night: The LIFTers attended a Tuesday-evening church service where all the leaders throughout the Amazon basin meet. There is excellent communication from pastors down to the smaller cell groups as they are trying to build leaders in groups; this was great for the LIFTers to see. One of the pastors asked the group to share for about a 1/2 hour (spontaneous - no planning allowed!). The students were strangely hesitant to share, even though they've all done so as a part of our program before; they've been encouraged to be ready to share whenever the opportunity arises. Tim T admonished them a bit (in his gentle prodding manner), and eventually Sarah, Chris and Bri shared testimonies (with a translator). The entire group sang three songs in English, one of which the locals knew in Portuguese. The words were translated for the other two songs before they were sung. The people loved to hear how God was working in our youths' lives.

It is very evident that the Brazilian believers are very sensitive to the power of the Holy Spirit and are open to his work in their lives. During their debriefing time, Tim T communicated that he had been frustrated with our group's hesitancy to step forward and share their stories. He then asked for their forgiveness, confessing that he had pushed them when perhaps they weren't ready, rather than being an encourager. Through his humility, the students came to a place of confession and repentance; they didn't do what they should have: what they'd been trained to do in stepping forward to share their stories. Last night a lot of individual prayer and journaling took place as they searched their hearts and surrendered. The Holy Spirit is working in the group as they press into God. Ken Trezise (Tim T's brother, a PAZ missionary) encouraged them in this: that the Holy Spirit is working through the group in a powerful way. . .he can use all of us, and we need to step forward and start sharing, stepping out in faith. The students received this word from Ken with grace.

Room & Board: There are no beds where they are so when it's time to sleep, they find hooks (they're everywhere!) and hang their hammocks. I wonder how the group is faring with this; I'll be sure to ask when I talk to them. The menu has been 100% authentically Brazilian: great beans and rice at times, lasagne made with very salty ham, plenty of meat, lots of one-potmeals served over rice, rice with every meal.

Today: The group is doing the same types of things today, working on church buildings.

All in All: Yesterday I mentioned the team was wonderful. Today, we have word that the novelty of 3rd-world living is wearing off getting more difficult. While the team is still doing quite well, some are becoming less and less excited with "showering" in the Amazon river and washing their clothes by hand. Kathy T suggested we try and guess who's actually washing their clothes and who is just wearing dirty clothes. (-:

Prayer: Please continue to pray! I mentioned back on Monday that we need to be praying that the Holy Spirit would be working in the group. What is really encouraging about this particular update is that we see the Lord abundantly answering that prayer; let's thank Him for that and continue to pray for the group's sanctification. Also, let's pray that the group would be comforted by the Holy Spirit and their community as they are becoming more uncomfortable with their living situations. For now, Kathy T has been the one communicating with the group (read: her husband) and sending me the updates. So far, I've just been reading about the group (as you have) but I can tell, even through this meager communication, that the Lord is indeed working. I am incredibly encouraged by this and convicted to pray more. I hope the same for you.

Tuesday Update

If there were a theme to this update, I suppose it would be "wonderful". The team is wonderful. The Tims are wonderful. Brazil, I hear, is wonderful this time of year. (-:

The group loved traveling up river yesterday morning; The trip was slow, peaceful and full of the beauty only found on the Amazon. I must say, I eagerly anticipate seeing the pictures upon their return (I'll be sure to share a few with you!).

They set up base camp yesterday and plunged into the river for their evening shower. Last night, some slept in their hammocks on the land and some of the group slept on the boat, where it was a bit cooler (temperatures are hitting 90-95 degrees during the day and I'm sure the humidity level can't even be imagined).

Today they're building a dock, installing windows and finishing up church buildings that have been started by Brazilian pastors and other mission teams that have gone down. Their hands are definitely needed to continue the construction; the Brazilian pastors struggle because the churches are growing but there's just no money for building construction.

All in all, the group is doing wonderfully well. This brings me great joy and I hope it does you as well.
Photo courtesy of Project Amazon

Monday Morning Update

We heard from the group last night and all is well down in Brazil.

Friday they went to the dump to share Jesus' love practically. The people they brought food to in the dump live there, collecting items to sell so they can have money to live. These people also share their dump-home with vultures who constantly soar around in search of food. Many of the students had not seen such dire poverty before this; it was a moving experience for all.

Sunday, they attended a service with amazing worship, all in Portuguese. Tim said the highlight was watching the women, dressed in long white dresses, dancing in worship- very sweet and totally directed at the Lord.

The students prayed over the American couple who is hoping to keep moving ahead with the orphanage in which the LIFTers have been sleeping. Presently the plans are "hung up in red tape" with the government. As our group prayed over these two, the Lord moved mightily and spoke to them with great words of encouragement. The missionaries were full of positive thanks to our group and to God for how their spirits had been lifted through this sweet time of prayer!

As of this morning, the group left the orphanage and traveled up river about two hours (on a boat!). The plan was for them to leave at 6am, so they should be at their destination as you read this, setting up base came and prepping for work this afternoon. We'll have more information on their new home for the next few days when we hear from them again.

Please continue to pray for the students! We can assume that this time in Brazil will affect them in some manner, but we want them to come home different, not "affected". God-glorifying, Christ-likened change can only come through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Hammocks in an Orphanage

We just heard from the group; they did make it safely to their base camp (just east of Belem, Brazil) and are resting from their long trip south. Apparently their second connecting flight was very similar to the first (a quick turn-around time with hurried legs in the airport). That's the kind of stuff that makes traveling very exciting.

Their home for the next few days is a building that's currently being turned into an orphanage. There are no beds, so each member of the team was given a hammock to sleep in (please take a moment to ponder the awesomeness of this; it makes me want to go buy a hammock).

The organization that LIFT will be working with for the next two weeks is called Project Amazon (PAZ). Their mission is to glorify God, fulfilling the Great Commission by planting nationally led churches, emphasizing:

• The making of disciple-making disciples
• The training, equipping and sending of nationals
• Ministering to the whole person: spirit, soul and body
• Focusing on the Amazon Basin

Tonight, the group will relax and recoup with some orientation meetings.

Tomorrow (April 4), they will be going to the local dump to feed the poor who work there, then they will be leading a service for the youth in the evening.

Sunday (April 5) they will pack for the next leg of the trip (ten days on the river) and go to church.

Please pray:

• That the students will recover quickly from traveling so they are rested enough for their Brazilian adventures.
• That they would become acclimated with the culture sooner than expected.
• For wisdom and discernment for the LIFT directors as well as the PAZ missionaries.
• That in their excitement, they would remember that all good things come from the Lord and they would be finding their stability and identities in Christ alone.
• That as they minister, that the light of Jesus Christ would be allowed to shine brightly.
• For the people that they minister to, that their interactions with the LIFTers would push them toward a deeper relationship with Christ.

I could make a list of prayer requests that is 3 pages long, but I'll refrain for now. I'll also have more specific requests soon.

This is all I know for now. Posting will be light for the weekend, but be sure to dig around the Project Amazon website for more information on the Amazon basin.

Landed

While I haven't heard from them yet, LIFT should have landed safely in Brazil by now.

We did hear from them yesterday during their layover in Miami. Apparently their flight was an hour late getting there and they had to run around the airport to catch their connecting flight. I imagine it looked something like the scene from Home Alone except no one got lost.

I'll post more later, I just wanted to give you all a quick update.

Also, I've been sending out some email updates and some of the emails I was given are getting kicked back to me. If you want to be on the email list or think one of those emails are yours, send me an email so I can put you on the list.

christinaL[at]camp-of-the-woods[dot]org

The Team

Note: Blogger's time stamp is giving me a hard time. This was published Thursday, April 2, 2009.

Tim, at one point in time, talked about introducing the LIFTers here. Being the busy man that he is, he neglected blogging about the LIFTers and opted for interacting with them instead. I'll accept this as a viable excuse.

And I digress. Here are the LIFT 21 students:


First row: Tim, Jeff, Nellie, Becky, Brianna, Kristen and Dale. Second row: Sarah, Chris, Matt, Harim and Peter. Third row: Megan, Sherri, Erin, Emory, Justyna, Katie and Kim. Not pictured: Directors, Tim T. and Tim O.

Today is a day of travel for them; let's hold them up in prayer as they board three airplanes and spend over 15 hours in the air. Here is their route:


They fly from Newark, NJ to Miami, FL and from Miami to Sau Paulo, Brazil (it's in the same vicinity as Rio de Janeiro). Then they fly from Sau Paulo to Belem, Brazil, arriving at their destination tomorrow morning at 9:30 am EST (10:30 am for the group).

I tried to figure out how long it would take to drive from Speculator, New York, United States to Belem, Para, Brazil but Google had some issues with me wanting to drive that far. If someone wants to figure it out, drop a comment here.

Cheers!

Meu Nome è Christina: A Brazilian Introduction

Hello all,
As most of you know, LIFT 21 will be departing tomorrow for a two-week mission trip to Brazil. I will be taking over this little slice of the interweb while they are gone, updating you on their adventure. Some of you may know who I am and can assume my excitement in this new project of mine, but I suspect more of you have no idea who I am and how I'm connected to the LIFT program.

First, I am a graphic designer and photographer at CAMP-of-the-WOODS, the resort and conference center that the LIFT Discipleship Program is tied to under their parent organization, Gospel Volunteers, Inc. This is my eighth LIFT class I've been given the privilege to observe and interact with.

Second, last semester, LIFT 20 went to Nigeria. In a story that's entirely too long and only minutely relevant to this blog, I had the opportunity to go with them last November and act as their photographer. Since we've started a two-semester opportunity, we have 8 students from last semester doing LIFT again and subsequently traveling to Brazil.

Third, I love to blog.

In short, I am professionally and emotionally tied to this group. I love the students and my experience in Nigeria will give me an opportunity to understand their Brazilian experience better. Which means I can effectively communicate it with you.

This is a picture of LIFT 20 in Nigeria. Some of the students are missing, but it's the only group photo I ended up in.


So that is who I am. Now on to the more important stuff.

The plan: My goal is to update here more often than I hear from the group. In between actual updates, I'll be throwing in some random Brazil facts and maybe a Portuguese lesson or two. We'll have fun together, I promise.

The group leaves tomorrow morning; please pray:

• For sharpness of mind and the ability to place all their anxieties on the Lord as they pack.
• For their emotional preparation; that they would rest wholly on the truths of Scripture.
• For their spiritual preparation; that they would be walking by the Spirit and leaning on the Lord for wisdom and understanding.
• Pray Philippians 4:6-7 for them, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."