Day 1

So far, there has been a lightness to the burden carried by the team on this mission trip; I don’t say that to diminish the weightiness of the call – only to say that God has already upheld His promise that, “His burden is light, and his yolk is easy”. We’ve all arrived in good spirits in spite of the fact that our two leaders weren’t able to join us right away and the reception from the collaborating church’s pastors and members was absolutely heart warming. When we arrived at the airport in Fortaleza we wondered if the church family was there, so when we saw our four names floating across the hands of the seven people waiting just outside of the arrival gate we all felt  very relieved.  

The Team:

He thought that we were going to have to call a cab but got greeted with this instead...

Fausto Bonilla

 He was relieved to finally get to the end of this part of the journey...

Jiho Jang

He was happy to have his name written in large font on a sheet of paper - yeah, he felt pretty important...

Jermaine Tai

He was wondering, "Is that my name?"

Oliver De La Cruz

Our trusty steed

Lucas

We went straight to the hotel from the airport and passed by many interesting sights, people, and smells along the way and (although I don't know the language) I got a sense of a looming question of, "what next?" lingering in the heart of the city at large.  The large gap between the wealthy and poor could barely be distinguished, aside from the few expensive cars on the road because of the general aesthetic of the city. I've been seeing articles in various periodicals that comments on Brazil as one of the great 'emerging markets' of the world, but being here made me see that Fortaleza, Brazil had not yet experienced the full benefits that the burgeoning economies of the larger cities of Brazil had known.  It also opened my eyes to the truth that the people that we were passing by were not just 'consumer units' of some economy, but rather souls that hung in the balance between two kingdoms.

After we quickly dropped our bags off at the hotel and freshened up a bit we headed for some much needed food and refreshments at one of the pastor's homes.  There we had the opportunity to fellowship with the family that we would spend a good amount of time with in the days to come. There was good food, staring contests, and some new friends.

Hod Dog, Brazilian Style

Staring Contest

The New Friends (Jiho and Luan)

After the fellowship, we decided to spend some time in prayer at Pastor Lindembergh's church.  We came in to find the congregation in the middle of a lesson in Revelation and we sat and listened to the teaching in the beautiful Portuguese tongue.  We were introduced to the members, we were each given the chance to say a few words, and we prayed and went back to the hotel for some much needed rest.  

Pastor Lindembergh next to Oliver (in blue and white shirt) 

An immense blessing that we’ve experienced here so far is a comradery between the team that we didn't have to work for at all.  There is a awareness of a deeper duty that trumps the inclination to want to complain when things have gone awry. I think that I speak for us all when I say that, it has truly been a joy to be a part of the ongoing fellowship that this missions trip has brought on.  Suffice it to say, we are all looking forward to see what God will do through us in the coming days – and we are totally and completely excited to be a part of this great work of God in Fortaleza, Brazil!!  A few things to pray for:..

1.   Complete healing for Jiho’s upper and lower back pain

2.    Continued strength and love amid and between the group

3.   A safe stay, and safe travels throughout the city

4.   Oliver's continued strength, patience, and ability to interpret for everyone while we wait on Beth to arrive from NYC, and... 

Fortaleza is like any other city, but the issues thereof are magnified given the economic and social unrest that has plagued most of Brazil for so many years.  There are many people working hard, but when the median take-home salary is approx. $300/month it is difficult to overlook the wide path of so called ‘easy-money’.  We know that God says to all those who labor to come unto Him for TRUE REST so please...

5.   Pray that God will use us to compel them to come and receive that beautiful rest that we have had the honor of entering into by His grace - answering that aforementioned question of 'what next' in the most profound and meaningful way starting with the poor and broken.