G's Rants

Excerpts From My Journal

March 24
Sao Paulo was interesting – we had to take a bus to another airport. 90 minutes later – we were there with 50 minutes to spare. The lady checking Steve in freaked us all out by saying there were no more seats on the plane. She was right – there weren’t but she was wrong in that we had them all! So it all worked out.

Arrived at the camp around 4.30. Driving with Thomas is an act of faith. I’m so glad I know Jesus and have life insurance.

Gave them their new projector – Connie took the manuals home and read them. The new toy is quite a hit! We are tired but “home.” At least it feels like home for me – my 3rd trip in 2 ½ years.

March 25
Starting at noon – 150 Brazillian teens will arrive here. We’ll play sports, eat, and worship with them. Do you know how freakin’ cool it is to sing praise songs in one language and hear it in another? This is a glimpse of heaven. And tell me why I waste money and time doing other trips besides missions?

Tonight we are going to tell the students about Schatzy moving. Not ideal but you know – nothing ever is. I’m doing this for Kayla. I don’t want her walking on egg shells the whole week. We are in each other’s personal space all week.

PM
Everything went great. They are sad about Kayla...not Mark. Can't wait to tell him that when we get home! So the growing consensus is to let Mark go to NWA, keep Kayla and Ryan here. I'd vote for that.

March 26
Gramado – city about an hour and half away. Country side was beautiful. Sharp drops forming cliffs and rolling mountains, thick forest. Reminds me of pictures of Hawaii – but without the coast.

We did find this cool ice cream bar where you served yourself and they weighed your creation for your price. People were extremely nice even though I think we were the only English speaking people around. Found a LAN house, threw out a little blog – hopefully will get another chance this weekend.

March 27
Easter – Feliz Pascoa in Porteguese…or however you spell that.

Long day – Amy and I went to the early English service at Central Baptist Church in Porto Alegre. We doubled the attendance. It was interesting – a woman preacher from Canada. She did a great job.

Interesting concept trying to do an English service. On one hand, they think it is a need. And it might be. But I’m not sure I would do a “service.” A small group I could see, but then I think I'd learn Portuguese.

March 28 Day's Blog
Well it happened last night. Had a student wear a shirt we asked him not to wear - an "I love Lesbians " shirt. On one hand, it's the perfect sentiment to project. I’m not sure how our Brazilian hosts would appreciate it. We also told him to be in the room at 11.

11:10 – in he walks. Steve tried to deal with it discreetly. We decided he would not go with us today to the school. I wish it had ended there. He came in the room and talked back to Steve. Wasn’t a good thing. I jammed him pretty hard.

The bottom line - nothing is ever this kid's fault. There are always mitigating circumstances. So he stayed behind, helped Hugo and Junior clean up the camp and poop-baskets.

Angela showed up at camp today. Her English is broken, her heart is golden. Beautiful Brazilian woman. She will be with us all week. She isn't a believer - yet!

March 29
Morungava – town just outside the camp. Michael Wenneker and Garrett Williams were asked for autographs and marriage proposals all day. One kid was obsessed with Kayla – who isn’t, right? Every ten minutes he asked about her.

The school is very poor - no air or heat, computers, foreign languages, or specific job training classes. There isn't a computer on the grounds. No school teams, gym, or "lab."

We got picked up from that school by Thomas and the Florida group, South Biscayne Baptist Church. Mike Tisdale is the student pastor. They looked tired. Very tired. I wonder if we looked that tired when we arrived?

PM
The students went to another school while Mike, John, Danielle, Matthew, Bobby, Christina, and I went to the “studio” to do the Word of Life television show. I am now freakin’ famous. Ha ha.

I rode home in the Mystery Machine – the camp VW bug bus. What a sweet ride! We need to do a "Pimp My Ride" show on it.

Another huge spiritual warefare thing awaited me tonight. A different student, a different distraction. Time to circle the wagons and go to battle...on the knees kind of battle.

March 30 Day's Blog
We visited schools today and we got to visit some people in their homes tonight. They had or have been visiting the local Baptist Church, were poor and needed food, and none of them had a relationship with Christ.

Intense. One story here but many more happened - one of the 19 year girls who we visited had a year old child. Intensely involved in the occult.

Steve B. and crew went, told their stories, asked her if she wanted a relationship with Jesus. She said yes she did. She prayed, Steve blessed the house and her room.

They went next door to similiar circumstance when word came back that the 19 year old girl went blind and into convulsions once she accepted Jesus. Steve and the crew wanted to go back and help but their interpreter/guide said this:

This is normal for those who accept Jesus who have been in the occult. She is going through the spiritual surgery. We will pray for her and she will be fine in a few days.

The other home visits were just as fruitful and intense. Overall we have already had close to 20 decisions for Christ.

March 31 Day's Blog
We did half a day camp today. Thomas presented the Gospel and about 70 hands went up saying they made decisions.

We then went downtown to do street evangelism. We had one man respond to Christ. You could literally see his face change. South Biscayne saw a couple others accept Christ. The skies opened up and it rained hard for about an hour. So went to the indoor market, bought around 10 kilos of coffee. Life is good!

Street Evangelism - at the risk of sounding heretical - I question it alot. There is no chance for lifewalking afterwards, no chance for unpacking issues and deepening of their faith. How much of the responses are genuine? Is the "package" we sell short of the true story? Is it Christ like to "father" spiritual children then leave them as orphans?

April 1
April Fools. I hate this day. This one didn’t start out well either. Some wonderful person pushed Harry’s clock back 30 minutes. So, I got up at 6.30 – which was really 7. Shower, prayed, journeled, read until 7.30 – which was really 8. Which was also the time the bus was leaving for our last school visit. So I missed breakfast.

Viamou was the name of the city we visited. Which means "I saw the hand." The school is very poor. The kids don’t seem to care though. They laugh, tease, smile, and hang all over us. They are loving and extremely curious. They are also a proud people – Brazilians. Every classroom we were asked what we thought about Brazil and Rio Grande de Sul.

They are a beautiful people. They are extremely lost. They love to love, dance, and experience life. They are incredibly relational – not entirely impressed with much.

April 2 - ENGLISH CAMP STARTED LAST NIGHT
Things went okay last night. Actually they didn't - I didn't get in the bed until 2.30 AM. Let's just say it wasn't the Brazilian's fault.

Proud of Clay last night. He was wronged and saw the whole thing but went to apologize anyway. That blew up in his face too. Then he rolled his eyes at an adult. Well -good life lessons I got to unpack with him later.

There are times when you are right and you seek peace anyway.

There are times when you seek peace and it blows up in your face anyway.

There are times when you are right, you seek the peace, the wheels fall off the wagon but you maintain your focus, keep chasing Jesus.

He's going to be an awesome leader in the kingdom.

The whole situation did cement some things for me. If a student is mature enough to apologize, accept it. Love on him, praise his insight and courage then go grab a coke with him or see a movie. Don’t jam him. Don’t preach to a student who gets it and is trying to make it right. That just demoralizes him more.

Recognize the heart, disciple the heart. Don't necessarily let the actions distract from that.

Tomorrow is another day. God, I love you. Thank you for the crucible.

April 3
We had 3 more decisions for Christ last night. That makes 99. Dang. Sounds more spiritual to say 100. ha ha.

Seriously - we go home today. I am ready and I'm not ready. I'm ready to sleep in my own bed and get about 6 hours straight. That would be awesome. I'm not ready to go home and deal with life. I could just have the kids shipped here.

Lord, thanks for the hard, fruitful encounter with you these 11 days. Make it a marker for us all, grow those decisions for you up, garner around them disciplers to lifewalk with them.

posted by Grant @ Excerpts From My Journal on 4/11/2005 09:00:00 AM