Totally Overwhelmed (But in a Good Way)

Me and MJ with one of our favorite kids, Mattheus, at Lar Herminia 

This was a great week and everything truly reached a crescendo yesterday as we were surprised and overwhelmed by the goodness of an amazing group of people from back home. I’m sitting here trying to process what happened early yesterday morning and I still can’t believe it. But here, let me explain.

This week the Senior Pastor and the Missions Pastor from Graystone Church (Jonathan Howes and Heath Hollandsworth) were here to hand-out gifts to all the kids at Lar Herminia. It was a great night as we were able to sing and worship God together, hear a  short Gospel Message and then give gifts to all these amazing kids… it was a good night. 

Pastor Jonathan with a couple of the girls from the orphanage

Playing Human Tug-of-War before service started

Mozart leading us in worship

Pastor Jonathan speaking to the kids about the best gift ever given- Jesus!

Pastor Heath speaking to the kids before the presents were handed out

It’s hard to describe the feeling you get being able to see all those beautiful children opening their presents. Just to see the thankfulness and joy that each and every one of them displayed as they opened their gift was very emotional for me (surprise- surprise, right?). These kids have stories that would break your heart. To be abandoned, abused, and treated in the ways that these children have been treated.. it makes you angry and sad (all at the same time). So for them to be able to receive packages from the States that were obviously well-thought-out (on what was chosen to go inside each box) and packed with love- it was an amazing experience for these kids as well as for all of us who were there.

This is the 2nd year in a row that these children have received packages for Christmas from Graystone Church (last year it was in partnership with The Hope Epidemic). Graystone also sent a Missions Team in July where they were able to look these amazing kids in the eyes and begin to develop relationships with them, which was huge (The kids are still talking about Graystone and the people who came).

Then a few months ago Graystone had something they called “Orphan Sunday” where Senior Pastor Jonathan Howes cast vision for what he wanted Graystone to be known for- which is “the Church that cares for orphans.” After the service the Graystone Family was able to sign-up to sponsor kids from Lar Herminia, here in Brazil, on a monthly basis. The response was overwhelming and each child was sponsored! Not only was each child sponsored, but so many people signed-up that now there’s a waiting list of families who want to sponsor kids (we're working on partnering with the next orphanage right now).

Brenda is just one of the girls who live at Lar Herminia that we have the privilege to minister to

Well, back to the past few days.

This week's trip was a short one for Heath and Jonathan. They arrived on Monday and left yesterday (Wednesday). They were here to personally deliver the presents to the kids and for Pastor Jonathan to be able to see what ministry looked like here in Brazil (because they're sending back two teams this coming June and July). Pastor Heath had already been here 3 times in the last 12 months and has been such a great encouragement to our family and to the ministry here in Brazil. But Pastor Jonathan hadn’t been here to see things yet. So that was the reason for the visit… so we thought.

Yesterday morning (right before we left to take them to the airport) Pastor Jonathan asked if he could interview our family on camera and if I’d give a brief description of what we do here in Brazil for all the folks back at Graystone. So we herded the family together and chased away some of the dogs that wanted to be a part of what was going on and then Heath started recording.

Pastor Jonathan gave a quick intro, I gave a short description of our ministry and thanked Graystone for their monthly support and that was it- so we thought.

What happened next is just a blur. I know this isn't exact (I was crying too much to be able to retain what happened exactly) but it went something like this- Pastor Jonathan looked at Me, MJ and the kids and said, “Well, we've got a Christmas present for you from all the folks at Graystone that I’d like to give you.” He explained that they knew that we needed a bigger vehicle so that all our family could go places together (at the same time) and that they had taken up a Christmas offering for us to be able to do just that. And then he handed me a check for $30,000! What?! Yep, the people at Graystone had taken-up an offering for our family and had given us $30,000 to be able to buy a vehicle large enough for our family to actually go places together! We were (and still are) totally overwhelmed and in shock. To know that a group of people care enough about us to do this is too much to process.

We’ve been here for over 3 years now. And, in those 3 years, our family has only been able to go somewhere together a couple of times. Our car seats 5 (when it’s running) and we needed something bigger to be able to go anywhere together as a family. So that's meant, no church together, no going to the store together, no going to town together, no going anywhere together, ever. Someone was always left behind. Always.

But this changes everything. This means that no one is left behind. Everyone gets to go to church. Everyone gets to go and minister at the orphanages. Everyone gets to go to minister at the outreach events in the favelas. Everyone gets to go to town (if we want them to, haha!). We no longer have to feel the pressure of rushing back to the mountain every time we leave- just because someone is home and darkness is about to fall. This is awesome!

My best friend Jonathan Long (aka Jono) started raising money for us back in October (for a vehicle) and the money he’s raised coupled with this amazing gift from Graystone will allow us to finally get the vehicle we’ve so desperately needed all these years! Finally! Our joy is too much to express on a blog with mere words.

So, whoever gave to make this happen- and no matter the amount… from the whole Dunn Family here in Brazil, “Thank you so much!” This is such a HUGE game changer for us and for ministry here in Brazil. We love you guys and are very grateful for your kindness to our family. 

Love Ya,

Jim, MJ, Maryssa, Matthew, Ana, Diogo, Gabriel and Robert

You’re Kidding, Right?

Well, last week it seemed like we were being assaulted by all of creation. Bats, rats, spiders, snakes, bugs that we don’t even know what they’re called… it was crazy! Well, this week has been no different.

Our car broke down (again!) and I had to ride down the mountain on a motorcycle to try and get a tow truck to come and pick it up to be repaired. And on the way back up the mountain I was attacked by bees. For real? I was just minding my own business and this is what I get?

And, if that wasn’t enough, a swarm of wasps decided to build a nest (all in one day too!) right outside the doors of the orange bunkhouse. We’re going to be having guests staying there next week so those things had to go. Here’s a quick video of how we got rid of them: )

And just when I thought I had seen it all, yesterday, our dogs were attacked by a porcupine! Yes, that’s what I said, “a porcupine.” Three of our dogs (that MJ rescued off our road- another story for another blog) tried to chase a porcupine off the property and were hit numerous times by these needle-like-quills. 

One dog, JJ, had 2 stuck above his eye and a few in his mouth. Another one, Sammy,  had 10 or so lodged into the roof of his mouth, and the third dog, BoBo, had over 30 stuck in his snout. We tried pulling them out but they were embedded so deep that the dogs wouldn't let us (too painful). The quills are barbed at the end (like a fish hook) so when you try to pull them out it’s very difficult to do and probably hurts worse then when they go in. 

Here's BoBo with 30+ porcupine quills stuck in his snout.
It took the vet almost 40 minutes to get all of them out once he was put to sleep.

I was able to remove one of them with a pair of pliers before the vet arrived, but that was it. 

We went down to town and got some sedative for the dogs at the agricultural store so that we could dope them up enough to allow us to get them out. But the sedative wasn't strong enough. So we had to call our friend Michel, who's a veterinarian, and he came and put them to sleep so that he could remove them without them feeling it. This was absolutely crazy! A porcupine… seriously? 

Sammy, right before Michel put him to sleep so that he could remove all the quills from the roof of his mouth.

Michel used plastic tubing to keep Sammy's mouth open so he could remove all of them.  One more quill to go: )

Each quill is needle-like with sharp barbs at the end- which makes them hard to remove.

Michel carefully removing quills from Sammy's mouth.
It's a lot more complicated then you would imagine.
Removing them without breaking them is definitely a science.

This was one of the most surreal/ridiculous things that could've ever taken place. Who would've ever thought that we'd have to deal with porcupines? Seriously? haha! Although it's funny now- it was far from funny when we were going through it. It was one of those moments where all you can do is trust God because 'in the natural' things looked pretty bleak. I won't bother listing out all the things that were stacked against us yesterday because the list would be long and it doesn't even matter at this point. Because here's the deal...

God provided the solution for us and we made it through it, period. He always does and He always will. I believe that. 

It seems like the enemy is constantly trying to discourage, distract, and destroy what's happening here in Brazil. Things aren't easy by any means. But with every attack it seems like it's just making us stronger. With every ridiculous attempt (i.e. porcupines) to frustrate and thwart the ministry that's taking place here- all it's doing is making us more resolved to press further into Jesus. So bring it! I mean, what's next meteorites or maybe a unicorn attack? I guess we'll have to wait and see: )

Love Ya,

Jim

We’re Under Attack

(FYI- this is another one of those blogs that I’m writing just so that, years from now, we’ll be able to remember some of the things that we've encountered here in Brazil.)

We're officially under an all out assault by everything that creeps, crawls or fly’s here in the jungle, so "We're Under Attack" seemed like a fitting title for this blog. 

We pretty much see snakes, spiders, bats, giant lizards and such all the time here. It’s just part of living where we live. But it usually comes in waves. We’ll have a spider infestation at the house and then, when things have settled down, we’ll experience a bee attack or something like that. Then someone will see a Jararaca (one of the deadliest snakes on the planet that just-so-happen to live on our property) and we’ll kill it and things will be quiet (as far as reptiles go) for a week or so then it’ll be something else. No big deal.

But for some reason it seems like all of creation has joined forces to launch an all-out-assault on our family- all at the same time! It’s almost comical: ) All of what I'm about to share has happened just within the last week.

Maryssa had been complaining about rats living in the roof above her bedroom. I had blown it off because I really didn't believe her. I had seen these little blue birds flying in and out of the roof where her room is, on the second story (making a nest), so I just thought it was that. But then Matthew said he heard some in his bedroom at night as well. I was still a little suspect though. Hmmm. Could this be true? Rats in our house? We hadn't seen any evidence of rats in the house so, hoping against hope, I shrugged it off and just told them it was just birds (and basically ignored them both).

Then MJ told me she had heard some in the ceiling (which is also the floor of the second story of our house- Matthew and Maryssa’s floors) one night. OK, seriously? There are very few things on this planet that freak me out and rats just so happen to be one of them. 

I remember hearing a rat story from a missionary from the Marshall Islands several years ago. He was telling us all these things that rats did to his family. He even said that a rat had ripped one of his toe nails off while he was sleeping one night! Say what!? Yep, while he was sleeping one night a rat climbed into his bed and literally ripped his toe nail right off of his big toe! What’s up with that?

So, thinking about rats being in our house??? No way. I can’t do it. So I told them it was probably just a friendly jungle squirrel. Scurrying around for nuts or something. But it was NOT rats. Obviously I was living in denial at this point.

Then it happened... MJ had a face-to-face confrontation with a giant rat in the laundry room one day and that was it. Something had to be done. So I went and purchased a handful of the gnarliest rat traps you’ve ever seen. These things were made out of sheet metal. And in addition to the traditional spring-loaded-bait-thing that snaps onto the rat when it tries to eat the cheese, it had these angry looking sharp-metal-teeth all over it. Surely this would work: )

But after several nights of trying to catch/kill the rats with cheese, meat and even peanut buttered bread- I was just left discouraged each morning as I checked the traps. They either took the bait and left the traps un-sprung or they just totally ignored the entire thing. Bottom line… this wasn’t working.

So we went into town and I purchased these rat bait stations. It’s those plastic things that you put poison in and close the lid and lock it. Then, a rat can enter one of the two holes on the station eat some poison, then exit the station through either hole. Then after a little while it starts to feel a little woozy as the poison begins to kick-in and then BAM! It’s dead. Sounds great, right? : )

So I put a few of the rat bait stations upstairs over Maryssa and Matthew’s rooms, one under the couch upstairs and one in the laundry room. The next night as Matthew was walking upstairs he saw one (who had obviously eaten some of the poison) sitting on a ladder that was leaning against the wall. He yelled down to me and I ran, grabbing the first thing I saw- an umbrella. An umbrella, you say? Yes, an umbrella. I know- weak, right?

Anyway, with umbrella in hand, I ran upstairs and began to beat this disease ridden rodent into eternity. Mission accomplished. Now we could all rest easy because this was probably the only one. Ha! Man, we started seeing drunken (i.e., poisoned) rats all over the place. So as they would stumble out of their hiding places we’d just smash them with whatever was the closest. Then even our dogs got into the action. One morning, as soon as MJ got up and the let the dogs out, half of them came back with live rats in their mouths. Rats that were half dead because of the poison they had eaten the night before!

Here's the rat that was beaten to death with the umbrella.
This thing was no joke. It was the size of a small cat! 

Here's another one that we got the next morning: )

But that’s when it all started. You’re probably gonna think I’m crazy, but I think the rats sent word to all of the other animals/pests in the jungle and now they’re in cahoots trying to take revenge on us. Over the last week we’ve been hit from every side.

I woke up the other morning and could tell there was something wrong with my stomach. So as I was brushing my teeth I lifted my shirt to see that I had been bitten numerous times by a spider during the night! Actually I had over 40 bites just on my stomach (I had MJ count them, haha!) and you could see the poison spread under my skin with each passing day.

Over 40 spider bites in one night. Great: )

So it was war! I went and bought every JIMO bomb they had in Terra Boa and it was on like Donkey Kong (do people even say that any more? lol!). We lit-off 3 times the recommended amount of bombs that the label required because this was stupid. That many bites while you sleep? It was crazy.

No, it's not the 4th of July. But we definitely 'lit it up' this pst week!

But then the next night Kevin (Maryssa’s boyfriend) was just minding his own business when he felt something crawling on his arm. So he brushed it off only to realize that it was a bat! That’s right, a bat (a.k.a. a rat with wings) was crawling up his arm inside the house!

The bat that was crawling up Kevin's arm.
You can't see the wings because they retract when they're dead: )

One of the giant lizards (that have built a nest next to the lake) attacked one of our ducks and killed it. The mosquitoes have been r-e-d-i-c-u-l-o-u-s, these bugs we call no-see-ums (because you never see them- they just bite you and they’re gone) have been eating us alive, the leaf cutters (those big black ants that eat everything) have been wreaking havoc on all our plants, and the list could go on and on. It's an all-out invasion.

Then, if all that’s not bad enough, it seems like every day we’re killing snakes- and of course they’re mostly deadly ones! One during the camp at the pavilion (with tons of kids around), one on the trail leading to the obstacle course (with kids/dogs all together on the trail) and even one on the front porch (it was on it’s way towards Maryssa’s kittens). Why are they even here? We’ve got tons of people around, dogs running all over the place… it seems like they’d stay where we weren’t. Not where all the action is, right?

The one that we killed during the camp. Small but deadly.

The fangs on this Jararaca were like 2" long hyper dermic needles!

I hit this one so hard with a bush axe that I broke the blade right off the handle.

Another one bites the dust. This one wasn't playing around either.

A tree snake that was trying to get Maryssa's kittens.

But here’s the funny thing (funny-ironic not funny-haha)…even though this last week has been chock full of excitement- we’re not even shaken by any of this stuff. If you would've told me 4 years ago, when we were making plans to leave the comfort of our home on 4040 Lakeside Blvd in Monroe, that we would be moving to a place where you actually have to constantly be on guard against all kinds of venomous snakes, spiders, rats, bats, foxes, various jungle cats, giant lizards and every kind of insect imaginable… if you would have told me this is what our life would look like- I would've told you that you were crazy. We’re city folk: )

But having been here and having lived here (and still currently living in the middle of it)- we wouldn't trade our lives with anyone. And that may sound crazy, but there’s something about being in the center of God’s will… even though the attacks are real and the attacks are sometimes painful (spiritually, physically, emotionally) it’s totally worth it. Because He’s totally worth it.

Using the Benadryl Cream Like a Madman,

Jim

Thankful for…

Well, today is Thanksgiving Day in the States. Here in Brazil it’s just another day though. I’m working today (because Thanksgiving is an American holiday- not a Brazilian one, duh). It’s weird not being home for the holidays. But even though we’re not there with our oldest son, Michael, and our daughter-in-law, Sarah, and even though we’re not there with the rest of our family (who are ALL there now)- we’re still thankful. 

And even though there’s no turkey, gravy, stuffing, honey-baked ham, yeast rolls, green bean casserole, candied yams, mashed potatoes, biscuits or cornbread- we’re still thankful. And even though there’s no football, cool Fall weather or midnight shopping trips for the best deals- we’re still thankful.  

I could literally list off a thousand things that we're thankful for this year. God has done some amazing things here in Brazil in 2014’. And the fact that He’s allowed us to be a part of it is truly humbling and for that we’re truly thankful. But one of the things that we’re the most thankful for, especially this past week, is Refúgio. 

As most of you know, we live in the mountains/jungles in the Southeastern part of Brazil. What some of you may not know is that where we live is also a camp. And the camp is called Refúgio (that’s Refuge in English). We were given the property back in 2009’ and over the last 5 years the camp has evolved into something quite remarkable. 

We just finished a camp this past weekend for an orphanage that we've worked closely with for almost 5 years now. And it was a great weekend. I posted a ton of pictures on our Refúgio Facebook page if you want to check them out. Or you can just click HERE.

One of the great things about all the camps that we do with all the orphanages is that we’re able to do them for FREE. That’s right, FREE. And that’s all because of our faithful supporters back in the States. Thanks Guys! We’ve ministered to literally hundreds of children this year alone through the FREE camps at Refúgio. And to say that we’re thankful for the opportunity to do it would be a massive understatement. 

Just a few of the girls we hosted this past weekend

Jhonny is just one of the amazing kids were able to minister to multiple times each year

When we’re able to look these kids in the eyes, love on them and then share the Gospel with them… it’s hard to describe the feeling. All the hardships and difficulties that get us to that point (living here and then the hours upon hours of hard labor to get the camp ready) immediately melts away into nothing.

Friday Night we kicked things off with a great time of worship and teaching.

Even though Saturday Morning started off with a little rain- we were able to begin
making our way to the obstacle course by mid-morning.

Riding the zip-line and swimming were just a few of the activities of the weekend

The week before this last camp we hosted another one of the quiet camps. It's a camp where there are no games, no hikes, no swimming, no talking- nothing. There's 9 teaching sessions per day and the people who come have their lives radically changed by the power of God. Not only were there numerous salvations this particular camp but everyone who came was in the altar weeping and crying out to God on Saturday Night. God is so good: )

To know that people are literally being transformed, by the power of The Spirit, way out in the jungles of Campina Grande do Sul- a place that’s so far off the map that even Brazilians don’t know where it is… well, it’s absolutely crazy and for that we’re thankful.

It’s weird… Me and MJ were talking last night and we both agreed… even though, in the natural, we should be sad and depressed today (because we’re here alone on Thanksgiving) and we should be feeling sorry for ourselves- we’re not! Actually, we’re so far away from feeling sad or depressed that we feel bad (for being this happy, lol!). We’re so overjoyed with how God has blessed us this past year and to do anything but give thanks just wouldn't be right: )

Happy Thanksgiving. We love you guys! Thanks for allowing us to be here doing what we do for the glory of God. Have a great holiday weekend: )

Love Ya!

Jim, MJ and the whole Dunn Clan

Giving the Right Information

OK. Today’s blog is another one of those long ones that's could be a little controversial. But it’s one I felt like I needed to write nonetheless. It’s actually one that has eternal implications. Hopefully it will cause those of you who'll read it to really consider their beliefs (and their theology) to make sure that what they are trusting in is actually correct and true (i.e., biblical). So here we go: )

I purchased an i-phone when we first came to Brazil back in 2011.’ I still have the same phone that I bought back then. It’s a 3GS. That’s right, a 3GS. I know all my ‘techy’ friends back in the States are mocking me right now. But don’t laugh. It still works fine. And, yes, I realize there’s been a few newer generations of i-phones that’ve come out over the last 3 years, and although it’d be nice, I haven’t felt the need to buy a newer phone just because there’s a newer model. That, coupled with the fact that I’ve become a cheap-wad as I’ve grown older doesn’t help either. Anyway, the plan is to just keep using this one until it dies: ) 

Well, even though I have this older phone, I can hardly ever use it because we have close to ‘’zero" phone service at the camp (where we live). I pay around R$113 per month for my current contract (which includes voice, text and data) through a Brazilian company called TIM. But about the only time I’m able to use it is when we’re in town (which isn’t often) because there aren't a lot of cell towers in the jungle: ) 

So, I had the idea of cancelling my contract and switching it to ‘credits’ instead. You know- that’s where you can put a certain amount of money on your account and then you use all of the minutes/data/texts you’ve paid for and then you just add more money (credits) to it as needed, right? I’d already fulfilled my two year contract (for the R$113 per month) so it just seemed like the most cost effective thing to do since I never come close to using what I’ve been paying for.

So I went to the TIM Store, 40 minutes away (where I originally signed-up), only to find out that they had changed locations. So, I traveled to the next town and walked-in to that TIM Store, waited my turn and then sat down with the representative to tell them I wanted to cancel my contract and switch to credits.

When I began to explain to the TIM employee what I wanted to do, she stopped me (mid-explanation) and told me they couldn’t do that there. She said I needed to go to the TIM Store at the mall, which is smack-dab in the middle of downtown Curitiba (another 30 minutes away), because only they could do it!

What? You’re joking, right? That makes absolutely no sense at all. You are TIM, right? And I signed-up for the is plan in a store just like this one so why can’t I change my plan here too? But rather than arguing with her I just tried to understand that this is a different culture and things are different here (things like customer service, haha)- So I bit my tongue and we walked back to the car scratching our heads in disbelief. 

Getting to the mall is more difficult than it sounds. Not only do you have to navigate all the downtown traffic, you also have to park in the parking garage 100 stories underground and then take a series of escalators, elevators and staircases just to get inside of “the mall.” But I needed to change my contract so we decided to do it.

After we navigated the downtown traffic, descended into the belly of the beast (a.k.a. the mall-underground-parking-garage), climbed numerous stairs, rode an array of  escalators, and stood in a few elevators we finally made it to “the Mall TIM Store.” Tadah!!!! Finally.

We went inside, waited our turn and then I started to explain to the TIM employee what we wanted to do and guess what? He stopped me (mid-explanation, of course) and told me that they couldn’t do that there. He said, “I needed to call the number on my bill and they could do it over the phone.” 

OK. At this point I’m ready to smack someone (in love, of course, haha). I mean- don’t these employees know how difficult it is to get to their stores to begin with? Not only have they wasted my time, but they’ve wasted my money as well (at least R$50 in gas)! Someone’s got to pay for this. Why are they giving people the wrong information. It’s not right and it’s not fair.

Well, surprisingly, my frustration only lasted about 2 minutes. Stuff like this happens ALL the time here. So, rather than blowing a gasket, I’ve come to grips with the fact that it doesn't do any good getting mad about these things- because it’s just the way it is.

So we went back to the car and drove back the hour and a half to our house NOT being able to accomplish the thing we had set out to do. And all because someone, that should've known what to tell us, gave us the wrong information.

But, as we were driving home, something came to my mind. It’s something that’s similar (people giving the wrong information) but that has far more reaching ramifications. Eternal ramifications. It’s something that’s widespread and that’s actually happening in the church right now. There are pastors, teachers, evangelists and a lot of “christians" who are giving people the wrong information when it comes to salvation and eternal security. And the consequences are far more severe than just being sent on wild goose chase- running all over town wasting time and gas. There’s eternal consequences at stake. Give me just a few minutes and I’ll explain.

In Matthew 7:21-23  Jesus says,

 “Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in Heaven. On that day (judgement day) many will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not prophecy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you, depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.”

Wait a minute… I grew-up in a Southern Baptist Church and I was taught that all I had to do was confess with my mouth that Jesus was Lord and believe in my heart that God raised Him (Jesus) from the dead and I’d be saved (Romans 10:9). Why is Jesus saying that there will be people that are calling him Lord, Lord that will be shocked and surprised that day as they’re turned-away from Heaven because, although they called  Him Lord, they didn’t do the will of the Father while they were here on earth- so they’ll be denied access? 

And why is Jesus telling us that there are gonna be many people, that are busy doing stuff (all religious activity too), and on that day they are going to be forever damned? I thought that if I was busy for Him that I was OK? But that’s not what Jesus is saying here at all. So it seems like we may have been given the wrong information. 

That’s pretty serious. Think about it. The fact that, on that day, many will be surprised and shocked to find out that they've believed something that wasn't correct is scary. To be told that just confessing Jesus as Lord or just praying a prayer or just asking Jesus into your heart, or even volunteering in the church and doing all the right things was gonna cut it… and then to make it to the end of your life only to be told, by Jesus, that you’re NOT going to spend eternity with Him- wow!  That’s a sobering thought.

And, I guess, what makes it worse is that a lot of people will suffer and be separated from God forever just because they were taught wrongly by people who should've known what the bible teaches about Heaven, Hell and Eternity. Maybe that’s why James 3:1 says, “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with a greater strictness.”… that’s another subject, but it’s  something to think about: ) 

In another scripture (Matthew 24) Jesus was telling his disciples about the signs of the end times. And the first sign He gave them (vv4-5) was this- He said, 

“See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will lead many astray.” 

Now the way that most people interpret that scripture is that there will be people in the last days that are coming saying that they are Jesus- come follow them. But here’s the problem with that interpretation- Jesus said many will come and they will lead many astray. Sure, there’s been a few people that've come throughout history claiming to be Jesus. And sure they've had small groups of people (on the fringe) who've believed them, but it wasn't the many like Jesus said there would be.

Here’s what I think Jesus is saying and it makes more sense. Jesus said many will come in His name saying He’s the Christ (the many being preachers, teachers, evangelists, “christians,” etc. that say Jesus is who He says He is) but because of what they believe and what they teach (i.e., an easy believe-ism that requires no repentance or having to give your entire life to Him and making Jesus Lord of your life), they’re leading many people astray. They’re giving people the wrong information (i.e., just pray this prayer, just invite Jesus into your heart, just look up at me and I’ll include you in this salvation prayer, just…).

So what’s the right information? What does it really mean to be a christian? And how can you know that what you currently believe is true and that if you died right now you’d spend eternity with Him? It’s easy to explain and it’s the message of the Gospel. Here it is:

We were eternally separated from God with no hope of ever being good enough or ever doing enough good deeds to be able to repair the bridge that separated us from Him.

He’s holy, He’s perfect and He’s good. And it was going to take someone holy, perfect and good to pay the price for us because we didn’t have the ability to do it on our own (because we weren't holy, perfect or good- right?).

So God willingly sent His Son (Jesus) to incur all the wrath that was due us because of our ‘sin debt.’ And Jesus absorbed the wrath of God for our sins (past, present and future) and payed the penalty that we should've been responsible for. 

Isaiah 53:10 says, “it pleased the Lord to crush Him” as He (Jesus) was making the payment for our sins. It pleased Him to crush his Son for our sins? That’s crazy! But that shows us the love that God has for you and me. 

Jesus said, 

“I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.“                                                                                                                                                                  

John 14:6

So, knowing that our sins have been paid for and there’s no way to God- except  through Jesus- what do we do? 

Acts 2:38-39 says this:

“Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to Himself.” 

So it looks like this:

-Hear God calling you (this is the jumping-off point)

-Repent. Really repent (change your direction, change your heart, change your mind) 

-Be baptized (publicly profess that you’re dying to yourself and raising to life in Him)

-Believe/Trust solely in Him and what He did for us (by living for Him not for yourself)

When you’ve really done this- your life will be different. You’ll be different. Your desires and your direction in life will be different. There’ll be no denying it. It'll be more than just praying a prayer to stay out of Hell (like there’s even such a prayer, haha). It'll be more than just walking down an isle and shaking a preacher’s hand. It’ll be more than just volunteering at church and doing a bunch of stuff… sure, those things are all good. But they'll just be the over-flow of what’s really happened on the inside of you.

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the Gospel’s will save it.”

                                                Jesus- Mark 8:34-35

I know that this was an abnormally super-long blog today and it was kind of different writing about this rather than something happening here in Brazil. And it's especially weird writing this since 99% of our readers are christians. But for some reason I felt like this was important. Because you’re important. So, I hope this either encouraged you in what you already know or I pray that (for those who were believing something else) that it challenged you to take a hard look at what you believe and study it for yourself (rather than possibly being wrong just because somebody told you differently). Because I feel (unlike the TIM employees here in Brazil, haha) that it's important to give you the right information: )

If you have any questions, doubts, concerns, or maybe you want to dialogue (i.e., debate what I’ve written, lol!)- please feel free to email me at HopeAndLifeBrazil@gmail.com.

We Love You Guys!

Jim