He is With Me in the Migration!

He leads us beside awesome waters :)

Well, I am at the coffee shop to journal, and without a pen.  So probably this will be a blog, hahaha.  I guess if I bother to type it I may as well share it.  

I'm so touched by the kindness of God to speak to us.  His voice is just so kind to lead.  He loves us so much.  And I love the journey with him.  I love the mysterious way he reveals himself all the time.  After teaching about 4 times in Brazil about "hearing God", I think I am really starting to believe that he speaks to me all the time.  

I have really been encouraged by friends testimonies of all the different ways that God speaks to them.  He reminds us of his love in secret personalized code just for us.  haha.  For one he reminds through frequent sitings of ladybugs, for one its cardinals, for one its emotional breakdowns on mountaintops in various countries, for some its reoccurring numbers that we see everywhere with some kind of significance, a reminder, and encouragement.  Whatever it is, its this constant whisper, "I am with you always. I will never leave you. I AM with you."  

I am on a journey with the Lord.  I am watching for him and listening for him in the ordinary, everyday.

A few days ago, I was riding the train/bus from my friends in Fort Worth to my family in Allen.  It was my first time to be making the transfer at night at the bus stop in Dallas.  Things get a little interesting at night in public transportation in Dallas.  So I am standing there, and I notice the big number 121 lit up on the train.  And I notice it in that way, that I know is the Lord wanting me to pay attention.  So later I looked up Psalm 121, its all about the protection of the Lord. 

Ps 121:7,8 

The LORD will keep you from all harm—

he will watch over your life;

     the LORD will watch over your coming and going

     both now and forevermore.

Thank you God.  His promises are so sweet, especially when he whispers them to us and lets us know its real for us.  He is so personal.

Commissioned with love by the children Brazil

I went out of town visiting friends for the past 3 weeks.  And I felt that the Lord was going to give me some specific direction for the next steps for my life.  And I felt that it would be really fun and honoring to ask my parents to ask him for specific words about my next steps and wherever I go.  So I did.  

And this morning, one of the things God showed my mom was this revelation about how the Lord leads birds in their migration and seasons and they listen to him and follow.

Jeremiah 8:7

Even the stork in the sky knows her appointed seasons, and the dove, the swift and the thrush observe the time of their migration….

And the Sunday before I left Brazil 6 weeks ago, I had been really touched by a friend prophesying over me that I was like a bird in migration, who would come and go in the right seasons…

Thank you Jesus for confirmations.  And for speaking to us as a body.  Thank you that we prophesy in part and we get to share our parts and see more of the picture.  Thank you God for speaking.  And that you are always with me!  The great I AM.

Welcomed with Mangoes!

So it was really fun to have an opportunity to adventure with God yesterday to a place where we didn't know anyone or what to expect, and to just ask him to do what he wanted to do and to connect us with whoever he wanted to.  We went to a small community on a mountainside about 30 minutes outside of Fortaleza.  They were listed on the website as an unreached people group so we went to investigate :)  A man who gave us directions at the gas station in the town nearby said, "watch out for the arrows."  Which was funny except he didn't smile or laugh when he said it... but thank God, he was joking.  The people we met were very hospitable to us.  We weren't totally sure if it was ok to enter, so we just kept asking people on the side of the road as we went, "are we there yet, is this it, how do we get there, and is it ok to drive in further to visit...".  

When we arrived, we saw a church building, and were surprised!  Weren't expecting that.  The church has about 30 members, 20 from one family, and the rest from outside the reservation.  Its planning to close soon.  A lady was there cleaning and let us come in to tell us about the community.  

Then she introduced us to a 76 year old woman, Deuzete, who had an amazing conversion story and a mango orchard :)  She had lived there her whole life.  And about 15 years ago, was dying of throat and lung cancer and tuberculosis.  Her daughter tried to convince her to come to church to get prayer, but she said, "No, I hate believers!".  But she was healed, and now her whole family are believers.  And she is fearless.  She took anointing oil and prayed around a big tree where the village preforms rituals, one day before they were going to have rituals there.  And then they were all mad at her because they couldn't connect with spirits there!  But she said, "If my God is for me, who can be against me."

She showed us around her property and we picked 5 sacks full of mangos and other Brazilian fruits that I can't spell.  And she said, next time you come you can put your tents here, and we will have so much more to give you.  She was excited that for the first time a group of missionaries might come to her community.

They told us where the chief's house was so we went to meet him.  His wife, Luisa, welcomed us in immediately.  And talked to us, mostly looking at the ground, telling us about their community.  She and the chief, Daniel, don't really have an active faith.  They both claimed to believe in God in a general sort of way.  Their native religious leader just practices macumba now. (which is an african witchcraft/ idol worship which is common in Brazil)  And she was crying because thats not even native, nor the drugs that people have brought in.  Really it sounds as if they have sort of lost their identity.  And that their is almost no witness of the living God and real relationship with him there. 

We prayed with the chief before we left, for rain so that they can plant their crops (its been a super dry year in this state).  And he welcomed us to come back anytime.  

So we will pray for heaven's strategy for these people!  And can't wait to see how God wants to introduce himself.  It seems so crazy to have this little group, that no one has really gone to, right by a huge city full of many believers and all kinds of religion.  Like this tiny little forgotten people.  But they are not forgotten!  The light of the world is coming to them.

It was a simple and wonderful beginning.  A door cracked open...  What a blessing to participate.  Love will flood that place.  Thanks for praying for us!

Andrea

Fighting Terrorism - One Hug at a Time

We had a missions training weekend camp here a few weeks ago.  God brought some amazing Brazilian young people and youth who are really hungry for more of God in their lives, and we got to really encourage them in their dreaming with God.  It was a wonderful time of worshipping together and sharing our experiences and dreams and passion for adventuring with God.  I got to teach on hearing the voice of God, and we did some games to practice and stir up the gifts of God in each of us.  Then we took the bus to the beach for a treasure hunt :)

I decide to take a little notepad of paintings with me, in case I felt to give some art away.  Our enthusiastic friend Alyson, was talking with a young man for a long time, trying to excite him for a different life, with a God of love and joy.  While I watched them talking from a distance, I felt to give him a picture and took it to him and shared a word of encouragement with him, and smiled and blessed him and gave him a hug, and while I was talking with him noticed the tattoos on his arm:  the twin towers and a portrait of Osama Bin Ladin.   He seemed so touched by my simple gesture of blessing him, and his countenance seemed so surprised, and really affected.  It wasn't until the next day that I realized why he had been so surprised, and that he had tried to apologize for his tattoos.  I am clearly American.  And his arm clearly stated that he at some point in his life thought it was cool to hate Americans.  Little did he know, it was my greatest pleasure, and the most fun I had all day.  My favorite people to love, are those who aren't expecting it!  Because I think that is how Jesus loves, part of what is so good about his love, is that its so unreasonable and unexpected.