Narrow is the road....

Our ReachGlObal Rio City Team is currently involved with coordinating details for a viability study at one of our ministry partners, a recovery farm in Sao Paulo. The hope is that they can raise fish and plants at the farm to become self-sustaining. We recently traveled there to meet with topographers and solicit their expertise in creating a topological map of the farm.

I was excited for this trip, as it meant that I would have some time to listen to the women there, something I always enjoy doing. My heart is always touched by this ministry and I love to be a listening ear. Everyone has a story and everyone wants to be heard and understood.

It was a privilege and honor to this time sit and listen to a full-time missionary who lives at the farm 24/7. Barb (not her real name) had shared her testimony (below) with me a month or so ago on a previous trip to the farm...

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For many years she had lived on the streets and was addicted to drugs. Her story of salvation begins the day that she heard the salvation testimony from a woman on the street. This woman had traveled to Sao Paulo on a short-term team and was out street evangelizing. While Barb did not receive Christ that day, she was drawn to this woman and wanted the peace she spoke about. She remembers that it was the beginning of her search for the truth about God and Jesus Christ. She subsequently visited the rescue stage of this ministry in downtown Sao Paulo and went through the 3 stage program: Rescue, Restoration and Reintegration, and ultimately gave her life to the Lord.

A few years later, God called her to serve at this same ministry full-time. She was given the opportunity to travel to Germany with the mission. She looked for this woman to share with her how she had impacted her life. She was saddened to learn that this young woman had died of cancer shortly after returning from that trip to Brazil. However, she looks forward to seeing her again one day in eternity!

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And so, our conversation this day centered around her challenges and difficulties in ministering to women in crisis who come to the farm to overcome their addictions and restore their lives.

So many women return to the streets, as it is all they have ever known. So many get pulled back into their past lives of prostitutes and/or drug users. Only a few choose Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of their lives and remain committed to Him. These beautiful women have passed through difficulties that I cannot even begin to understand. But Jesus does. And he offers hope and eternal salvation to those who find that narrow road.

As our team was returning to the city, driving the long, narrow and dusty road back to the main highway to Sao Paulo, it was a perfect word picture for me from God's Word..

Matthew 7:13 & 14 says,“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."

Please pray for Barb. Pray she can stay strong to minister in a difficult and intense ministry. Pray she has those times of rest to sit at His feet and soak up the Word. Most importantly, pray that through her efforts, many will find the narrow road that leads to life.

Serving together,

Diane

Coincidence?!!! Not with God!

They left their city of Des Moines, Iowa and all that was familiar to them. They left their two precious little boys in the good and caring hands of their parents. They traveled 6,000 miles. They took 3 different flights. They said, "Yes, God....here I am! SEND ME!

Adrian and Curtis arrived a bit tired...but VERY excited to jump into ministry and out of their comfort zones! How would God reveal Himself during this 7 day mission trip?!!!

Together with our Brazilian brothers- and sisters-in-Christ here in Rio, Adrian, Curtis, Jeff, Craig, Alessandra and I (Diane) spent a week evangelizing and sharing the gospel. We performed skits, shared testimonies, street evangelized and walked where Jesus would walk.

We presented the gospel simply and clearly. Without special props, without costumes, without face painting. Just the pure and simple and honest truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ!

We received many requests from Brazilians that we met on the streets...."Come....help our church! We want to do what you're doing"!!! Again and again we shared...."YOU CAN DO THIS"!!!!

When we step out in faith and say, "Yes, Lord, send me", it has been our experience so many times that he gives us some INCREDIBLE "coincidences". Maybe so that we see His power and we don't forget that it is all about HIM and not about us!

Curtis had this experience one day and I cannot forget about it! It made our whole team say...."WOW! Unbelievable"!

Curtis and Jeff sat down on the side of the street and began to talk to a Brazilian man. A stranger to us all, we had never met him before. He began to share that it was his lifelong dream to visit Des Moines, Iowa!!! REALLY! Had he heard that Adrian and Curtis were coming from Des Moines, Iowa?! NO! And he couldn't believe that that was where they had come from! But he did pay close attention to the message they were bringing!

Since Adrian and Curtis have left Rio, we have had so many Brazilians that we met ask us how they are and are they coming back? We have many new relationships because of their time spent here with us! Adrian and Curtis, thanks for saying YES to God and stepping out to serve with us!

Serving together,

Diane

Perspective from a Short-Term Team

Since the beginning of June, we have had the privilege of hosting 4 short-term teams here in Rio. One of the challenges after they leave is to try to put into words how God worked. I am always left in awe of His hand at work and at what only He can do!

So, it is with a joyful and appreciative heart, that I copy and paste the following perspective written by my dear sister-in-Christ, Deb, from North Coast Church in San Diego at the end of their 11 day short-term trip.
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Paradigm of a Mission

How do you wrap up a trip like this? We are currently on a plane flying back to our lives in America. It really is just too easy to say we have been impacted, we have a new appreciation for the lives we live, the comforts we have, the freedoms we enjoy. Too easy....heard too often, but we do.

It's too easy to go on about how amazing it is to be used by God. Too easy....heard too often, but we are amazed, and honored.

We learned a lot. I am certain every mission is individual based on where, who, what and when. If you go to Africa to dig wells or Israel to construct bomb shelters or Europe to teach English camps...you have a specific role. God may have His own plans but you also have a defined task at hand to accomplish and then can also be used in other surprising ways. If you go to just "share the word" the mission takes on a more unstructured flavor. Regardless, you are going into an area, meeting up with missionaries or ministry leads who live in country year round, year after year.

Our hearts are in the right place but I wonder if we are a bit misguided. We go to "impact" a culture, to help exact change. Really? In one week? In two weeks? Really? There are full-time missionaries and ministries working 24/7 to make change in these ares, the best we can hope for is to come along side them for a short time to encourage, to support, to let them use us. I guess I would tell every person headed out on a mission trip, and particularly every person leading a team - leave your expectations at home. Let God use you but also let the in-country ministry leads use you. They are embattled, tired, fearlessly fighting in spiritual realms we don't really experience. Our job is to shore them up, help them make new inroads. It should not be their job to show us a good experience, but our job to encourage and strengthen their work.

Because our team was focused on spreading the word of God, we are going to get the inevitable question...how many did you bring to the Lord? One? Twelve? A Roomful? The entire Country? I don't know and I am glad I don't know.

While we were in Country....11 Days
170 were gunned down
A bus was highjacked, 22 bullet holes in the side of the bus, 4 killed
A 32 yr old Fed judge was gunned down on her doorstep

And those are the ones we know about, reported in the news.

There are an estimated 35 million evangelical believers in Brazil. The full time missionaries who hosted us have some 30 ministry partners they are working to support all over the City. We went to visit, support, speak, perform at 8 of them. They are the heroes. We're just spectators.

Every place we went, every church, every organization is doing amazing work, amazing work lead by an amazing God. God is raising up an army in Rio. An army of heroes, an army of believers, an army of men and women willing to go all in to take back their streets and save their people. Heroes beyond anything we can comprehend. And we thought we'd go there to bring change...really?

When we started this trip, Mike and Karyn asked me to blog, to scribe, to capture the essence of the trip. This is what I saw, so I want to honestly share it with all of you. We need to be praying for the churches and ministry leads of Rio...Pastors Moises, Fabio, Frido, Francisco and others leading churches, Lucy and Rachel and their school in the Parada de Lucas, the Recovery Ranch and the Prison ministry. And, we need to prayer for our host missionaries in Brazil, Jeff, Diane, Craig and Alessandra.......they are ministry in action, the hands and feet of Christ walking territories only Jesus would go...and they do it with grace, humility and honor. Just my thoughts...

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Thank you Deb, AND the team! God blessed us with your presence in more ways than we know, I'm sure!

Keep up the good fight, Brazil Team 2011!

Diane and Jeff

Making Good Choices

The beginning of July we were blessed to serve alongside some of our awesome brothers- and sisters-in-Christ from Johnston Evangelical Free Church. YES....we were able to celebrate July 4th together by LOUDLY singing various patriotic songs! How wonderful for Jeff and I!

The theme of this team was, "Making Good Choices." God allowed us to share the Gospel message to over 2,000 children in several public schools here!

While serving with one of our Brasilian partners, Atuacao Voluntaria, we were able to have a first-time visit to a public school in Campo Grande. This team brought much excitement to these little children, many of whom had never heard English spoken in person before! These 3 couples have each been married over 30 years and spoke about choosing to put God first in their lives, choosing to stay married, and encouraged the children to make good choices in their lives.

We were blessed to visit the school in Cesar Maier, where we have taught English in the past and visit a few new classrooms. We visited the Brazilian church in Barra that is ministering to the children of Cesar Meier. In the schools, they performed a skit, taught christian songs in English, shared the gospel of Jesus Christ and played with the children!

One couple was able to give their testimony of coming to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ out of a cult and another gave encouagement to a youth group to continue going out as missionaries!

We spent an afternoon hearing the testimonies, difficulties and life stories from our partners Juliana and Gilson (Brazilian missionaries), Frido and Raquel (Brazilian Pastor and wife). We fellowshipped together and encouraged one another to fight the good fight!

Some enjoyed street evangelizing with the Evangecube and we have been able to return and continue those new relationships with the people we encountered in the Terreirao; Giane, Rozana, Joelma, Marcos and Edgar! Giane told us that she loves using the Evangecube out on the streets that Grant gave her!

They returned to the States encouraged to be even more bold in sharing Christ. Bidie shared the gospel at the airport! Shortly after returning, Don lead his father to the Lord! Grant says that he and Janene are forever changed!

This team did an amazing job! They showed the love of Christ to so many and encouraged our family so much, as well. They saw some of the difficulties we have living overseas and encouraged our youngest daughter Hannah, as well, as she prepares to start college this month! They have continued to love and support her stateside by taking her tubing and waterskiing! They now have a better understanding of our ministry here and how to better pray for us!

The body-of-Christ is an amazing gift from the Lord, for which we are eternally thankful! God bless you, Jay and Dee, Grant and Janene, Don and Birdie! Keep fighting the good fight! Thank you for your love, prayers, support and serving with us to bring the Gospel to the lost here in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil!