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.