New York, New York, New Jersey, and more New York..
This last month for me has been filled with "ministry" to friends and family, which really is living life with them...through the joyful, the celebrations, disappointments, and pain...
I am still gathering paperwork to apply for the new Visa, and spending lovely time in the presence of the Lord.
Next destination: Springfield, MO from June 1-July 22nd.
Friday, May 29, 2015
Friday, May 8, 2015
Visiting America
I am back in the United States after 6 months of traveling and ministering in different states in Brazil, Columbia, and even an area in Peru...
I send my love to friends and family in different churches and areas of Brazil as we await my return to you all!
Join me for a moment as I share some culture adjustments..
Sometimes when I am in public, I forget that I can have a two-way conversation with people, and we actually understand eachother.. During a walk through a nearby neighborhood, I found myself greeting people with "Oi"..they looked at me funny.. I thought they were funny for "wasting water" by spraying it on their really green front yard..
This is the 5th night that I have hopped under a comforter without having to spray myself down with bug spray-- wait a minute, I haven't needed a comforter in 6 months..
I have begun to think dish washers are overrated, and so are hott showers... Okay, maybe I really enjoyed the hott showers the first few nights..I think it's because I actually feel cold in the States...
In fact, since the evening I left the city of Sao Paulo, I didn't remove my jacket for the following 30 hours..
I drove a car yesterday for the first time in 6 months with the prewarning, "I have not operated a vehicle in a while, but tudo bem, we'll be just fine..." While my family member insisted on suggesting how to drive, I laughed and said, "Try being in Brazil traffic..people actually use blinkers here and they stay in their lanes!"
Oh, Brazil...you have left your impression.
I can't find cold Acai anywhere I search..
The mangoes just don't taste the same here..
And I still haven't decided if I should throw my toilet paper in the garbage can or the toilet...
All of this to say, what a pleasure to serve the Kingdom from the States and abroad. The adjustments we experience going from culture to culture are simply that...adjustments. It isn't about what we have and don't have..Here's the truth: We are blessed when we have learned to be poor in Spirit, and pure in heart; when we hunger and thirst for righteousness; are meek and merciful-- peacemakers, people who have learned to mourn, and persons who are persecuted and willing to embrace it..
I have spent time ministering in church buildings, traveled lengths to bring the Gospel to different groups of the Indigenous Ticuna tribe; spent nights and afternoon hours holding children in the dirt, and listening to life stories from women in prostitution..
I went with the mindset of teaching them, and I returned with the reality that the Holy Spirit was using them to teach me what it is to be blessed...
If you have stayed updated, I have been invited to work with Shores of Grace ministry long term as a full time missionary, and I have started to walk down this road...
We are located in the Northeastern part of Brazil in the state of Pernambuco. Our base is located on the outskirts of the city, Recife. Click here to see a map!
Why I am in the States this time?
I need to apply for a new Visa to return and stay longer in Brazil!
What will I do in the States?
I have asked the Holy Spirit to set my agenda while I am here. Other than waiting for a new Visa, plans so far look like this:
Visit friends and family in cities in NY, and in Springfield, MO.
"Itinerate"--raise prayer partners and funds to return to Brazil and remain.
Start my first album project in Springfield, MO.
Raise awareness about the organization I work with, and promote support for our work in Recife, Brasil.
Gather donations of items and work materials for the financially poor communities we work with.
If you would like to help with any of these things, or you simply want to chat, feel free to contact me through facebook or email! Click on the Contact tab.
I send my love to friends and family in different churches and areas of Brazil as we await my return to you all!
Join me for a moment as I share some culture adjustments..
Sometimes when I am in public, I forget that I can have a two-way conversation with people, and we actually understand eachother.. During a walk through a nearby neighborhood, I found myself greeting people with "Oi"..they looked at me funny.. I thought they were funny for "wasting water" by spraying it on their really green front yard..
This is the 5th night that I have hopped under a comforter without having to spray myself down with bug spray-- wait a minute, I haven't needed a comforter in 6 months..
I have begun to think dish washers are overrated, and so are hott showers... Okay, maybe I really enjoyed the hott showers the first few nights..I think it's because I actually feel cold in the States...
In fact, since the evening I left the city of Sao Paulo, I didn't remove my jacket for the following 30 hours..
I drove a car yesterday for the first time in 6 months with the prewarning, "I have not operated a vehicle in a while, but tudo bem, we'll be just fine..." While my family member insisted on suggesting how to drive, I laughed and said, "Try being in Brazil traffic..people actually use blinkers here and they stay in their lanes!"
Oh, Brazil...you have left your impression.
I can't find cold Acai anywhere I search..
The mangoes just don't taste the same here..
And I still haven't decided if I should throw my toilet paper in the garbage can or the toilet...
All of this to say, what a pleasure to serve the Kingdom from the States and abroad. The adjustments we experience going from culture to culture are simply that...adjustments. It isn't about what we have and don't have..Here's the truth: We are blessed when we have learned to be poor in Spirit, and pure in heart; when we hunger and thirst for righteousness; are meek and merciful-- peacemakers, people who have learned to mourn, and persons who are persecuted and willing to embrace it..
I have spent time ministering in church buildings, traveled lengths to bring the Gospel to different groups of the Indigenous Ticuna tribe; spent nights and afternoon hours holding children in the dirt, and listening to life stories from women in prostitution..
I went with the mindset of teaching them, and I returned with the reality that the Holy Spirit was using them to teach me what it is to be blessed...
If you have stayed updated, I have been invited to work with Shores of Grace ministry long term as a full time missionary, and I have started to walk down this road...
We are located in the Northeastern part of Brazil in the state of Pernambuco. Our base is located on the outskirts of the city, Recife. Click here to see a map!
Why I am in the States this time?
I need to apply for a new Visa to return and stay longer in Brazil!
What will I do in the States?
I have asked the Holy Spirit to set my agenda while I am here. Other than waiting for a new Visa, plans so far look like this:
Visit friends and family in cities in NY, and in Springfield, MO.
"Itinerate"--raise prayer partners and funds to return to Brazil and remain.
Start my first album project in Springfield, MO.
Raise awareness about the organization I work with, and promote support for our work in Recife, Brasil.
Gather donations of items and work materials for the financially poor communities we work with.
If you would like to help with any of these things, or you simply want to chat, feel free to contact me through facebook or email! Click on the Contact tab.
Sunday, April 19, 2015
Prodigal Daughter
I recently witnessed an amazing display of the parable of the prodigal son. This version has been renamed appropriately to ´´The Prodigal Daughter´´ ..
Every week our team visits a very popular street in a town here in Recife, Brasil, known for its prostitution. The way we minister to these women and men on the street may take different forms, but our mission is simple: to call home the prodigals...
When I first arrived to Recife almost 3 months ago, I met this particular daughter briefly. Shortly after we met, she made the choice to leave the job she had at the missions base and return to the streets. Each time from this point on, when our team sees her during our street visits, we embrace her. We speak love over her with open arms for when and if she decides to return home...
I am so comforted to know this is how the Father approaches us, His children.
Daughter, son, it´s time to come home. Come as you are.
Yesterday, this daughter arrived at our base.
It was a day of rejoicing in the Heavens, and at our base. In fact, she is sleeping in the same room as I am. The reality hit me yesterday: In the same room that houses missionaries who have left their lives to help rescue others is one of these woman, sleeping safely... Powerful to the say the least.
This morning, Jesus reminded me again of His great love..
This newly returned daughter wanted to surprise her friend, one of the other women who also works on our base who left prostitution last year. I walked downstairs in perfect timing to witness the moment of return and surprise when the front door opened and the friend saw the recently returned daughter standing inside our base. The friend grabbed the prodigal daughter with such passion and relief hugging and kissing her while rejoicingly crying outloud in Portuguese many thanks to Jesus for bringing her friend back. I couldn´t help but start crying myself. Heaven was on earth in that encounter, literally.
This is the reality of God´s heart toward every person, not just the ones in prostitution. His response is the same. He will be always in intercession for us to return home just like the friend at our base who prayed over her friend´s return..And regardless of when and if our return is a fixed return, the response will still be the same when He sees us making our way back home...
Excitement, rejoicing, a loving embrace, and with kisses...
Excitement, rejoicing, a loving embrace, and with kisses...
Daughter, son, it´s time to come home. Come as you are.
It´s not a concern in this moment that your travels have left you stained and dirty. Come home first, and then we can work out the details...
My heart rejoices with the Lord over our newly returned daughter. Seja bem-vinda, amor. Welcome Home.
Monday, March 9, 2015
I Want to Slay a Giant
There is a song with the lyrics, "I want to be like David, and I want to slay a giant."
What a prime example of how a heart feels when you carry Father God' s heart…
Let me explain…
On Friday nights, late into the evening, our team visits a particular street in a nearby city that is well known for its prostitution. If you simply look with natural eyes, you see women of different ages standing on corners, or in front of banks or stores dressed in flashy and inviting attire… their hair is fixed and sprayed, and their makeup is freshly on their face because most of them keep it on standby in their purse. Their feet are dressed in heels that serve to accentuate their exposed legs and backside..
You can stand at a distance and watch. Some people do. Some people are simply used to seeing this street adorned with such "scenery" that they walk past without a second glance. Cars and buses drive by as usual on their way home from work.. The pharmacy on the corner still operates according to its hours. Other persons across the street are waiting for their ride to return home so they can join their own families. Still others are walking past to dine at the nearby restaurant…Life continues as "normal". ..
And then other cars are there for a "drive-up". They blinker to the left lane and then slowly pull their vehicle to the curb nearest to the woman that appeals most to their taste... Flirting, negotiating, and then the woman walks around the side of car and hops in the front seat..
What are you feeling? Let's go there for a moment..
While standing on the street, or even sitting here in our missionary base writing this, I feel HUGE heartbreak as I remember the girl getting in the car; EVERYTHING inside of me is screaming "NOOOO, DADDY GOD, NOOO!". I suddenly remembered myself back in the States throwing the remote control at the screen yelling the same thing as I watched a similar scene of a trafficking movie. Here I am, and now when and if the girl makes eye contact with me as she gets in the car, I smile with love upon her, and I even greet the man in the driver seat. Maybe one of these days I will actually stand in front of the car with an outstretched arm and say "That's enough. You are both coming with me and we are going to have a "come to Jesus meeting" RIGHT NOW because you are way to valuable for me to simply smile at." This may work with some. Or, I may get run over. Furthermore, I may not have an opportunity afterward to talk with this woman because from her perspective, I just stole her children's breakfast from her hands…
I remember the lyrics as I converse with my Father in Heaven.. "Daddy, I want to be like David; I want to slay this giant. I want to see an end to this. I want to see these victims and perpetrators be released from the dark dwelling place that they call 'life' "…
So, what do you do? What would you do? Last Friday, I sat on the street floor with two girls. One girl was 28 years old, and single which is rare.. She began to share parts of her life with us, and explained how she is not ashamed of what she does. It's a good job because it pays well, and she's good at it… The other girl, also 28 years of age, has two children. After she shared some of her life with us, I took my hands off her feet, looked her in the eyes, and with passion and compassion, I began to tell her that Jesus is burning with jealous love for her, and this is the truth…and there is a way out. Several times she looked at me, eyes filled with tears..
These are not women made to stand on a street corner and sell their bodies for sex. These are women hand-crafted by God Almighty with purpose and passion; they are women created to enjoy sex within a covenant of marriage with one God-fearing and God-loving man. To look at any man, woman, child, or self differently than how the Father sees us is to miss the revelation of our identity.
This giant known as sex trafficking is happening everywhere, not just in Recife, Brazil. It's happening in Springfield, MO…it's happening globally. When you think of this giant, I hope you do not lose heart, or the perspective that each woman comprises the giant. There are giants everywhere that God has called us to come against, but we don't do it in our strength. This is my current workplace, and you have a workplace in which God has called you to bring the light of the Gospel to. I encourage you with David's words to Goliath, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel..." The truth is that our Father in Heaven is LARGE, personal, relevant, zealous with love for each of us, ridiculously passionate to see every person become liberated.. and He's absolutely in the business of slaying giants.
Let me explain…
On Friday nights, late into the evening, our team visits a particular street in a nearby city that is well known for its prostitution. If you simply look with natural eyes, you see women of different ages standing on corners, or in front of banks or stores dressed in flashy and inviting attire… their hair is fixed and sprayed, and their makeup is freshly on their face because most of them keep it on standby in their purse. Their feet are dressed in heels that serve to accentuate their exposed legs and backside..
You can stand at a distance and watch. Some people do. Some people are simply used to seeing this street adorned with such "scenery" that they walk past without a second glance. Cars and buses drive by as usual on their way home from work.. The pharmacy on the corner still operates according to its hours. Other persons across the street are waiting for their ride to return home so they can join their own families. Still others are walking past to dine at the nearby restaurant…Life continues as "normal". ..
And then other cars are there for a "drive-up". They blinker to the left lane and then slowly pull their vehicle to the curb nearest to the woman that appeals most to their taste... Flirting, negotiating, and then the woman walks around the side of car and hops in the front seat..
What are you feeling? Let's go there for a moment..
While standing on the street, or even sitting here in our missionary base writing this, I feel HUGE heartbreak as I remember the girl getting in the car; EVERYTHING inside of me is screaming "NOOOO, DADDY GOD, NOOO!". I suddenly remembered myself back in the States throwing the remote control at the screen yelling the same thing as I watched a similar scene of a trafficking movie. Here I am, and now when and if the girl makes eye contact with me as she gets in the car, I smile with love upon her, and I even greet the man in the driver seat. Maybe one of these days I will actually stand in front of the car with an outstretched arm and say "That's enough. You are both coming with me and we are going to have a "come to Jesus meeting" RIGHT NOW because you are way to valuable for me to simply smile at." This may work with some. Or, I may get run over. Furthermore, I may not have an opportunity afterward to talk with this woman because from her perspective, I just stole her children's breakfast from her hands…
I remember the lyrics as I converse with my Father in Heaven.. "Daddy, I want to be like David; I want to slay this giant. I want to see an end to this. I want to see these victims and perpetrators be released from the dark dwelling place that they call 'life' "…
So, what do you do? What would you do? Last Friday, I sat on the street floor with two girls. One girl was 28 years old, and single which is rare.. She began to share parts of her life with us, and explained how she is not ashamed of what she does. It's a good job because it pays well, and she's good at it… The other girl, also 28 years of age, has two children. After she shared some of her life with us, I took my hands off her feet, looked her in the eyes, and with passion and compassion, I began to tell her that Jesus is burning with jealous love for her, and this is the truth…and there is a way out. Several times she looked at me, eyes filled with tears..
These are not women made to stand on a street corner and sell their bodies for sex. These are women hand-crafted by God Almighty with purpose and passion; they are women created to enjoy sex within a covenant of marriage with one God-fearing and God-loving man. To look at any man, woman, child, or self differently than how the Father sees us is to miss the revelation of our identity.
This giant known as sex trafficking is happening everywhere, not just in Recife, Brazil. It's happening in Springfield, MO…it's happening globally. When you think of this giant, I hope you do not lose heart, or the perspective that each woman comprises the giant. There are giants everywhere that God has called us to come against, but we don't do it in our strength. This is my current workplace, and you have a workplace in which God has called you to bring the light of the Gospel to. I encourage you with David's words to Goliath, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel..." The truth is that our Father in Heaven is LARGE, personal, relevant, zealous with love for each of us, ridiculously passionate to see every person become liberated.. and He's absolutely in the business of slaying giants.
Thursday, February 5, 2015
Jesus is Enough
Interview with Heidi Baker. Check it out!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVMwI5Hd0UE
Monday, February 2, 2015
Welcome to Recife
Arrived in Recife 2 days ago. Beautiful. A place of revival; I feel it in my bones.
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Traveling the Frontier of Brazil, Peru, and Columbia
My team and I just returned from a 3 week trip traveling the frontier of Amazon in Brazil, Columbia, and Peru. We ministered to many people, mostly of the indigenous tribe called the Ticuna. Beautiful people. We preached the Gospel in several communities and villages, healed the sick, and discipled, empowered and encouraged the believers already living in these communities. For stories and photos, friend me on FB or become a part of my support team (send me your email!). Blessings to you all!
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