5000 Miles for What?
I am sitting here in Porto Alegre, Brazil 5000 miles away from what I call home. Myself and 15 other co-laborers have pushed pause on life for 10 days to go and I must say that as one of their pastors I swell with pride as I see them in action. My heart feels as though it is going to explode as I watch them at work... I am beaming with pride.... Living WORD ( to me just THE WORD) is truly a blessed church.
Well Wednesday was an interesting day... one that stretched technically into Thursday! it was a fairly slow starting day but if we had only known what was to come. In the middle of the afternoon we arrived at Villa Nova, a church pastor by Pastor Magioli (better known as the Mag to me) to do some visitation and outreach. It is a sight that I never get use to... the favelas (slums). In this particular favela you don't see it until you arrived at it. The housing is rather rundown and lower class as you approach the top of the hill but nothing prepares you for the transition in scenery you are about to see. You reach the pinnacle of a hill and at the top starts the favela. Yesterday as we entered the favela we saw a man digging a foundation for his new "house" (approximately 20x10), kids running in the streets, horses pulling a cart full of mostly trash and sewage running down the road. Honestly there is no America comparison and because of that for first timers it is quite a shock. The sights, smells and sounds produce sensory overload that shocks the system into a reality that something is terribly wrong with all this. However once you maneuverer your way through the streets and makes you way to homes made of strategically placed plywood, cement, brick, and mud you start to realize that these people are very much like you and I... searching, needy and wanting life to have meaning. There is a joy in some eyes and hopelessness in others.... the difference is obvious it is simply Jesus. There is hope beyond the hell that engulfs them. Well we made our way back to the church. Villa Nova is a church that is full of life. It is located in an old garage with no heating or AC but to be honest for all of us it was the heat that was lacking! It has been freezing during the services and most of us cannot wait to get in the van to pump up the heat... forgetting the reality of those we just ministered to and worshiped with. A 2 mile walk with a house with no running water much less heat. It all is hard to process even in reflection. Well the service was amazing... Richard brought the heat from the WORD. Praise the LORD for him. Well our night was finished... so we thought!
We got back to the hotel around 11 pm and our night had just begun. I am mostly an innocent bystander
Well as we sat there a young woman approached Barbara with a very concern look on her face... Me and DR ED Smither thought we were in T-R-O-U-B-L-E! I was poised to blame everything on him. Then this seemingly confident woman broke into tears and what followed could only be explained by the supernatural. She admitted that she stood at a crossroads and made the decision to make one last attempt to find God once again. She said she had prayed for God to send someone to her that was a stranger that she could trust so she could get help and share her story. As a team we all prayed for her, then Barbara and Terri Currie ministered to her (so humbling to see these godly women ministering to a broken woman in her time of desperation) after some time I began talking with her and the conversation stretched on until 3am and what we saw was a metamorphosis.... a broken, worn out, tired, depressed child of God transformed by the healing power of the gospel! She said it felt as though she had been released from a prison! HOW DOES THIS STUFF HAPPEN!? God at work ALL around us! Barbara, Terri and myself met her again this morning to give her some direction in God's WORD after which we were able to get her a new Bible. She is going to church with us tonight. Pray for her... her name is Jena.
So 5000 miles for what....well this is one afternoon and night of explanation... Love you guys! Talk with you more later.
Jason
Well Wednesday was an interesting day... one that stretched technically into Thursday! it was a fairly slow starting day but if we had only known what was to come. In the middle of the afternoon we arrived at Villa Nova, a church pastor by Pastor Magioli (better known as the Mag to me) to do some visitation and outreach. It is a sight that I never get use to... the favelas (slums). In this particular favela you don't see it until you arrived at it. The housing is rather rundown and lower class as you approach the top of the hill but nothing prepares you for the transition in scenery you are about to see. You reach the pinnacle of a hill and at the top starts the favela. Yesterday as we entered the favela we saw a man digging a foundation for his new "house" (approximately 20x10), kids running in the streets, horses pulling a cart full of mostly trash and sewage running down the road. Honestly there is no America comparison and because of that for first timers it is quite a shock. The sights, smells and sounds produce sensory overload that shocks the system into a reality that something is terribly wrong with all this. However once you maneuverer your way through the streets and makes you way to homes made of strategically placed plywood, cement, brick, and mud you start to realize that these people are very much like you and I... searching, needy and wanting life to have meaning. There is a joy in some eyes and hopelessness in others.... the difference is obvious it is simply Jesus. There is hope beyond the hell that engulfs them. Well we made our way back to the church. Villa Nova is a church that is full of life. It is located in an old garage with no heating or AC but to be honest for all of us it was the heat that was lacking! It has been freezing during the services and most of us cannot wait to get in the van to pump up the heat... forgetting the reality of those we just ministered to and worshiped with. A 2 mile walk with a house with no running water much less heat. It all is hard to process even in reflection. Well the service was amazing... Richard brought the heat from the WORD. Praise the LORD for him. Well our night was finished... so we thought!
We got back to the hotel around 11 pm and our night had just begun. I am mostly an innocent bystander
Well as we sat there a young woman approached Barbara with a very concern look on her face... Me and DR ED Smither thought we were in T-R-O-U-B-L-E! I was poised to blame everything on him. Then this seemingly confident woman broke into tears and what followed could only be explained by the supernatural. She admitted that she stood at a crossroads and made the decision to make one last attempt to find God once again. She said she had prayed for God to send someone to her that was a stranger that she could trust so she could get help and share her story. As a team we all prayed for her, then Barbara and Terri Currie ministered to her (so humbling to see these godly women ministering to a broken woman in her time of desperation) after some time I began talking with her and the conversation stretched on until 3am and what we saw was a metamorphosis.... a broken, worn out, tired, depressed child of God transformed by the healing power of the gospel! She said it felt as though she had been released from a prison! HOW DOES THIS STUFF HAPPEN!? God at work ALL around us! Barbara, Terri and myself met her again this morning to give her some direction in God's WORD after which we were able to get her a new Bible. She is going to church with us tonight. Pray for her... her name is Jena. So 5000 miles for what....well this is one afternoon and night of explanation... Love you guys! Talk with you more later.
Jason
What a way to start my day! What an inspirational story about Jena. God is truly good. Brings people into our lives when we need them most. More and more we see that nothing happens by chance; all in the Master's plan! We just have to surrender ourselves to it. Thanks for all your labors there and thanks for sharing some of your uplifting moments. Blessings, Vergie & Clint
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Praise the Lord for his Healing ways. Our Heavenly Father is a God of 1st, 2nd, and last chances. Have prayed and will pray again for our restored Sister in Christ, Jena. Praise the Lord for such a fruitful Trip. I'm looking forward to returning to Brazil with Living-Bread Ministries. May our Lord receive all the Glory !!
Jeff Kowatch
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WOW!!!! Our God is amazing!! What an uplifting story that I needed for today. Thanks for sharing, and we'll continue to pray for you all, and now Jena is on our list! Love to you all!
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