Hey Everyone!!!! Here is a brief overview of how my time in Brazil was! Enjoy reading it and looking at the pictures!

My trip to Brazil was the best 8 days of my life so far. I loved being in a different culture with different people and landscape. The trip there was slightly hard because of its length. It was an 11 hour plane ride and I couldn’t really sleep because of the size of the plane seats.

    We got there Friday morning around 8 AM. After eating breakfast we spent some time talking with the missionaries that would be with us the whole trip. We also took our stuff to where we stayed and freshened up a little bit. We were staying on the property of a ministry they had called Vinde Meninos. This ministry reached out to the local poor kids in the area. These kids literally had hardly anything. They lived in shacks, some of which only had a roof. Their parents were into drugs and prostitution. So these kids would come to the property and they would be taught Bible lessons and songs. Some of them would learn how to play the recorder and some would read. They also played outside. So Friday afternoon we spent time playing with them. We played soccer and gave them balloons. They loved the balloons! It was a lo of fun spending the time with them. That night we had a cook out. Basically it was beef, chicken, and pork on sticks that were cooked over the grill. It was so delicious! That night was the first time I had Guranua. It is a Brazilian soda that tastes amazing!
    On Saturday we went shopping in Atibia. That was ok, mostly what made it hard was the rain. We had to walk around in the rain, and most of us got soaked.  Stuff in Brazil wasn’t much cheaper then it is here in the states. Certain things were more expensive. Cars and technology were more expensive. The food generally was cheaper though.That night we went to a Brazilian steakhouse. It was so good! They served us all kinds of meat! I didn’t know what I was eating a lot of the time, but it tasted good so I ate it. The waiters would bring the meats to us on spits. If we wanted it they would cut it right of onto our plates for us. I felt so fat!
    Sunday we spent some time in Sao Paulo working with some city kids. It was fun to spend time with them and sharing God’s love with them. That night we went to a church and sang for the congregation.
    On Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday we went to a camp property and had a camp there. Everyday some public schools would bring the kids there. We would share the gospel with them and sing songs and do some dramas. After that we would play with the kids all day. It was a great experience getting to know the kids and bonding with them. These kids don’t have many people in their lives that show them love. So it was really special for them to have someone that wanted to be there and play with them. The gospel was given everyday to the kids. Everyday we had a few hundred kids show up. Unfortunately we don’t know how many kids trusted Christ, but we do know that the seed was planted in hundreds of hearts.
    Wednessday I stayed at Vinde Meninos and helped out there. It was cool to see the kids again and spend time with them. They were happy to have guys to play with because there are no guys that help with that ministry. One of the things we got to do for the kids was give them a good meal. Some of them might not get much food back home so its good for them to be able to have a good meal. We sent all the leftovers home with them as well.
    Friday was our last day there. We went to the camp property again, but the schools canceled because of rain. So we had some time for ourselves to hang out and explore a little bit. It was really nice. I hiked through some of the trails in the jungle. We also were able to spend some time with the students that were studying that Word of Life in Brazil. They had a evangelism seminar that weekend and they held it at the camp property. They were really good at soccer and wanted to play us. So a bunch of our team played them in soccer. I didn’t because I’m not good at all. Most of the time I was in the woods or on the boats.
    We got up early Saturday morning to go back to the States. It was sad to have to leave Brazil. I loved it there.
    I learned several things while on this trip. I was able to see first hand a lot of poverty that we don’t see in the states. It was interesting to see poverty and wealth so close together when I wasn’t used to seeing it in the states. The culture was a little different but not to much. They drove cars that I wasn’t used to seeing and the roads were a little different. The buildings were designed differently. Even though there were many differences, I saw that people are still the same. The people there had the same needs and same anxieties. They were the same as us here in the states but just in a different place. They still needed Jesus as much as anyone in any part of the world does. I also saw how the missionaries there lived out the ministry. They didn’t just do ministry, it involved every part of their life. They were totally devoted to it. That was encouraging for me to see, but it also challenged me to live my life that way as well. I need to live my life the same way. My identity isn’t my own anymore. My identity is found in Christ.

A view we drove by

Our team listening to the kids singing for us

Playing soccer

Me sharing the gospel

singing a song

More soccer

ICE CREAM!!!

Kid playing Frisbee