Well I have to say thanks (or Obrigada) to you all for staying tuned to our adventures/mission here in Brazil. It is so great to come on here and read all of your comments, your words of advice (especially about the cats that was very good advice :) and your encouragement!
It is hard to believe that our second week here in Salvador is quickly drawing to a close. We are still getting more people signing up to read with us which is great! Like Justin said the rain has been making it hard for some of our readers to get out but there is always something to plan or do and so we are still kept busy.
The party last night was so much fun! I am so impressed with the Brazilians for their ability to meet complete strangers and immediately be the best of friends. Many of our readers met each other for the first time and right away were laughing and joking together. Watching them sing their anthem was one of the best things. They were all so into it jumping and moving around pretending to drum etc. it was just so great. Kresten took a video so maybe one day you will all be privilleged enough to get to see it :) Apparently there anthem has like 5 or 6 verses and can go on for quite awhile - we only heard 2 or 3 verses I think...
Something that is so great about preparing lessons to read with people here (paying careful attention to the words, trying to understand from the point of view of someone who maybe hasn't heard it before, going slowly etc.) is that you notice things that really hit your self too. And then when you are working through the lesson with your reader they say things that just really make you think or make you see things in a new way and it so cool. That at the same time as I am hoping and praying that something that I can say will help or affect someone so that they might understand Jesus better I am being taught and renewed as well. Today I was reading with someone from a lesson in Luke chapter 9 where Jesus talks about the suffering He will go through and the fact that His followers must be prepared to suffer as well. I asked my reader Why she thought followers of Jesus would have to suffer? She said she thought that it is through suffering that we learn and through pain that we grow (she said if we are smart that is :) And then she said She thinks that when you have Jesus in your life that you are given "new eyes" and you no longer see trouble and suffering in the same way. That Jesus changes our outlook on life and that because of Him we are able to Endure! So yeah that was very encouraging to me and I thought that I would share it with all of you :)
Love All the Way from Brazil,
Sarah
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Sarah,
ReplyDeleteLoved your thoughts in your blog. Seeing scripture with new eyes is one of my favourte things about LST, too. I have several serendipidous moments that are clear in my memory when truth hit me in a new way as I spent time with a reader. I remember in Tallin, Estonia when I saw so clearly the extreme difficulty of Jesus' temptations. Hunger, I understood, as much as a three meals a day person could understand, but I never really "got" the seeing the world temptation...until my reader said, "Jesus sees all the people who are not in His kingdom." WHAT??? PEOPLE??? That was the key: Jesus was agonizing over all the people who were still in captivity of Satan's power. He longed to gather them under His care and authority. Satan was offering Jesus a short-cut. All those people could be His, without the agony of dying-all it would take was a quick little bow and "bingo" they were His. It was tough. It was tempting. But Jesus, as much as He loved those lost ones, knew there was only one to be worshipped-His Father. The shortcut looked good for the moment,but He knew He would have to trust in His faithful Father's plan, which was no easy "way".
We continue to pray for you and your team-that you all will come away with "new eyes" from your 6 week adventure-That many seeds will have been planted from your efforts. Blessings to you all.
Thank you for giving of yourselves in Brazil.
Alicia
love to all of you
ReplyDeleteyou are all in our thoughts and prayers
again so good to be in touch this way
Your post made my heart smile Sarah. I pray each and every day for you, Kresten, Ryan and Justin. Thank you for sharing how God is revealing himself to you as you read with your new Brazilian friends. I remember clearly the same kinds of experiences that you described above. We go thinking that we are going to teach them and yet we come away as the ones having been taught. May God continue to teach you and to stretch and grow you. Love to all of you!
ReplyDeleteHi Justin,
ReplyDeleteKeep up the amazing blog, but more importantly your faith and encouragement to others. What an outstanding experience for Kresten, Ryan, Sarah and you. Make sure you say hi to Sarah - ask her if she remembers your crazy high school teacher whom she met. Keep teaching and keep learning. You cannot do any better in life.
Stay well. Regards from OP and Winnipeg,
Renee Kaplan
praying for you all strength love and peace
ReplyDeleteHey. This is Kevin V. I am at Sarah's parents. Having a great visit.
ReplyDelete