Staying Out of the Ditches

(Note: Today’s blog is a little bit longer than normal. And it could be a little controversial but it’s one that I felt like I needed to post nonetheless. I also realize that most people won’t read this through to the end, but for those who do, hopefully it’ll stimulate your thinking a little bit.)

Where we live is oftentimes in the clouds- literally.

As you probably know, we live in the mountains/jungles of Campina Grande do Sul, Brazil. You have to drive about 4km up the mountain on a long-winding-bumpy-dirt road to get to our house. The road is so bumpy and has so many potholes on it that it actually resembles the surface of the moon! When we get large amounts of rain, parts of the road are impassable due to the water that runs across the road. 

About once a year the Prefeitura (the part of the Brazilian government responsible for the roads) will come in with a big machine and scrape the road for all of us ‘mountain people.’  And, when they do, they form these ditches on either side of the road so that the water will run-off either side, and into the ditches, rather than collecting in the center of the road. The ditches also serve as a buffer between us and the sheer cliffs that run almost the entire way up the mountain. The ditches show us where the boundaries are so that we don’t drive over the side of the mountain and die in a fiery car crash too. So they’re a good thing: )

Here's a tractor trailer that got too close to the ditch and fell down the 40' embankment.
This photo shows the truck already pulled back up the cliff and now
the tow truck is pulling the trailer back up to the top.

If you drive into the ditch on either side of the road, you’re either gonna get stuck or you'll plummet down the side of the mountain. Either way you'll need a tow truck to get you out.

Pica do Parana (the tallest mountain in our state) is on our road and just a little past our house. So, we have a lot of tourists who travel on our road each year trying to reach the state park that’s there. I can’t begin to tell you how many people have run into the ditches and gotten stuck on our road. But it’s been a lot. Most people get stuck because they’re too busy trying to dodge the potholes that they forget about the ditches.

So, the best place to drive on our road is in the middle. Sure, I’ll swerve to the left or to the right in an effort to miss a really big hole now and then- but usually I try to stay right in the middle of the road. That’s where it’s the safest.

Right about now you’re probably wondering, “what does this have to do with me and why is he writing about this?” Well here it is: 

“To me, it's a perfect example of how a lot of us tend to get stuck in ‘spiritual ditches’ while traveling down the road of life, when staying somewhere in the middle of the road is usually the best thing to do.”

Let me give you a couple quick examples.

When it comes to the subject of money, for instance-  we (christians) oftentimes fall into one of two ditches. 

There’s the ditch of “it’s God’s will that all His children are rich” on one side of the road. And on the other side of the road there’s the ditch of “God wants us to be poor for His glory.” 

Here’s the problem. For the first ditch, the Bible says, “that being rich makes it very difficult to enter Heaven” (Jesus said it, not me- Matthew 19:23, ). Then Paul said in I Timothy 6:6-10 “that people that desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.” Read it- it’s there. So saying that all God’s children are suppose to be rich is a ditch on one side. (I could give you several more scriptural examples but for the sake of time we’ll move on.)

And the ditch on the other side (that we’re all suppose to be poor)? Well, there’s absolutely no scriptural evidence to show that God wants all His children “poor for His glory.” If we’re all poor then how will we advance the Kingdom? How can we give/sow into other people’s lives if we all have nothing? We can’t. So from what I can tell, “both views are ditches.”

To me, the biblical view of money is simple and it’s in the ‘middle of the road’:

• Work hard and make money (God blesses those who work hard)
• Live open handed (be a giver rather than just spending all your money on yourself)
• Invest wisely (in eternal things that won’t perish)
• Be content with what we have (don’t constantly chase the newest_________ for happiness)

That’s an example of  a ‘spiritual ditch.’ But, to me, one of the most blatant examples of a ‘spiritual ditch’ that I see right now is when it comes to the subject of sin.

Let’s face it. Talking about the subject of sin can be very uncomfortable, right? As a matter of fact I think we’d rather avoid the subject all together. But we can’t. The main purpose that Jesus came was to “take away sins” (I John 3:5,8). And if it’s the main thing that he came to do we can’t just avoid it and we’ve got to fight against going into ‘the ditches’ when it comes to the subject.

Here, I’ll explain. When it comes to the subject of sin; one ditch I see is when someone is out in public with a sign just yelling at everyone telling them that judgement is coming and that they’re going to Hell. You’ve probably seen them before, haven’t you? You’ll see some ‘so-called’ christian standing around with his friends (with big signs) yelling hellfire/brimstone stuff at people. I could be wrong but I don’t think that anyone has ever given their lives to Christ just because somebody yelled at them from a street corner telling them that they’re going to Hell. 

This is an actual 'christian' with a sign. It's not made up. It really makes you want to give your life to Jesus, huh? Not!

Now I can hear somebody saying, “but John the Baptist was in the wilderness telling people to repent and be baptized.” Yes, he was. But first of all you’re not John the Baptist. Secondly, he was there as a fulfillment to prophecy (Is. 40:3) telling people to get ready for the Savior of the world by repenting and being baptized. We also see that multitudes of people actually responded and were coming to him to be baptized (Matt. 3:5). He wasn't in the middle of town just shouting at everyone (and bearing no results) and only giving them one side of the story (i.e., you’re going to Hell).

So just standing on the side of the road, shouting, protesting, holding a sign- well, to me it’s a ditch on one side of the road.

If this really was Jesus (it's not, haha) I definitely think this is what his sign would say: )

Then there’s the ditch on the other side of the road. And that’s the ditch of never talking about sin and only telling people stuff like "God loves them.” This is probably the ditch that most christians (especially high profile ones on TV) tend to get into. It’s where the subject of sin is seen as taboo and it’s never brought up at all. 

The people in this ditch usually think something like this… "if we talk about how God hates sin and we’re all sinners in need of a savior- well, that could offend someone. It’s better to just tell people that Jesus loves them and that He died for them and leave out the whole ‘you're dead in your sins thing,’ right?”

And (just like in the video) when you bring this up to the people in this particular ditch they’ll usually say something like, “but the bible says that it’s the goodness of God that leads people to repentance” or something like that. Well, they’re right. It is the goodness of God that leads us to repentance. But if you read that particular passage of scripture that they’re referring to (Romans 2:4) in context you’d see that Paul is writing to the church in Rome and warning them about judging others who live in sin while they’re living the same sins. And he’s warning them about the coming judgment and God’s wrath and to not forget about God’s goodness/kindness that was extended to them (Romans 2:1-8).

We can’t ‘soft serve’ it when it comes to the subject of sin but we also can’t just tell everyone that they’re sinners going to Hell. Both sides are ditches.

So how do we stay out of the ditches when it comes to the subject of sin? If just telling someone they’re a sinner is a ditch and if just telling someone that God loves them is the other ditch- what do we do? It’s simple. It’s both and it's in the middle of the road. 

Here’s the way I see it:

• We’re all sinners in need of a savior. I mean, seriously, look around. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out.
• Hell is a literal place where all sinners will go for eternity (i.e. forever). 
• Our sin has to be paid for- it has to.
• God loves us so much that He gave His all for us (His Son) and paid our debt in full.
• Life (real life) is freely available to everyone who believes and trusts in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins.
• Those who trust in Jesus will escape Hell and will live forever with Him in Eternity.

It’s that simple and it’s in the middle of the road. We can’t just tell people they’re going to Hell. And we can’t just tell people that Jesus loves them. Both are true but left alone they’re a ditch. We've got to proclaim both. We’ve got to tell people both sides. We can’t be ashamed. It’s His Gospel not ours. And only presenting one side is a ditch that if someone gets stuck in it- it could quite possibly cost them for an eternity.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”

                                                  -Jesus (John 3:16-18)

Love Ya,

Jim

PS- There's a lot of other ditches out there too. We can't just listen to what's popular. Our theology has to be rooted and grounded in scripture and not in how we feel about certain subjects. Just something to think about.

What’s the Measure of Success?

A couple of the kids from Lar Herminia: )

We had a mission team from the US here for 7 days last month. It was a group of 30 people from Graystone Church in Grayson, Georgia. For 7 days we ministered to orphans, to battered women (single moms- mostly teenagers and their babies) in a rescue shelter and to hundreds of kids from a couple different favelas here in the Curitiba area. It was an amazing week: )

As we were nearing the end of the trip, Heath Hollandsworth (the missions pastor who was leading the group) asked me a question as we were eating dinner one night. He asked me, “what would be your definition of a successful missions trip?” I gave him half of the answer and then we were interrupted so I had to finish my response the next day. What I told him wasn’t anything earth shattering and there were no heavenly choirs singing as a bright light shone upon my face as I responded, no. It wasn’t anything like that at all. It was actually something pretty simple.

And now that they’ve been gone for over a little over a month I felt like I needed to write and tell you what I told him. Because if you're planning on going on a mission trip in the future, to me- as a missionary, I feel it’s important that these 2 things happen while you’re on your trip. They’re not in order of importance. I feel like they’re equally important (at least to me- though another missionary may feel differently).

Number One

The first thing I told Heath was that "it's a successful mission trip when the person who comes is changed forever." That's when a person comes and then when they go home they can’t shake what they experienced on the mission field. And it makes it so that they can’t live the same way they did before they came.

When people come on a mission trip they usually see poverty, heartache and despair like they’ve never experience before. And when you’re on a mission trip overseas it always makes you thankful for what you have back at home. And, especially when people come and minister with us, they get to experience what it’s like to love on orphans and children who live in extreme poverty (and to be loved back by them). And those things effect you- as they should. 

And how can we see these things as followers of Jesus and then do nothing about it and just carry on with ‘life as usual’ once the trip is over and we get back into the groove of our ‘life’ at home? Because seeing kids who are orphaned, living in impoverished conditions and having no hope should make us different, right? And wanting to do something to try and change that should happen. And, in addition to that, there’s actually something else that should effect us even more than all the physical needs we see- and it's this… "the lack of access to the Gospel.”

In the States you can’t drive a 1/4 mile without seeing a church. But on the mission field it’s usually different. Churches are sparse and finding a church that’s actually proclaiming the Gospel is even harder to find. So, the lack of access to what really brings life, joy, peace and fulfillment should alarm us even more than all the ‘natural things’ that are so blatantly obvious. And to think that all these people are dying and headed for an eternity in Hell, unless someone proclaims the Gospel of Jesus Christ to them, should make it where we’ve got to do something about it.

Number Two  

The second thing that I told Heath was that another part of what I’d consider a successful mission trip is "when the team that comes helps move along the ministry that’s already taking place there.”

I can remember being on mission trips in the past (several years ago) and in retrospect I feel ashamed. It’s like we had the attitude of "we're the American christians and we’re here to help you- but we’re gonna do what we think is best and we’re not gonna find out what you need because we’re on a mission and we’re awesome for taking our time to come here and we…" you get the picture, right? 

I can remember one year me and my friend Jono sat down and asked a pastor here in Brazil what we could do to help him while we were here with a mission team. And, when we asked him that question, he literally teared-up and broke down as he talked to us. 

He said that although he always appreciated missions teams coming and helping him in his favela and at his church- it never really helped him long-term. He said that it seemed like the teams that came always had their own agenda. They would do great things for the few days that they were there but it never helped his church or the people in his favela after the team left.

When he told us that, it changed the way that we looked at missions trips. And now that Me, MJ and the kids are here we can see it even clearer. Sure, it’s amazing to see people who are willing to give-up their time and raise their own money to come and help here in Brazil. There’s no way to minimize or discount the sacrifice that people make to make it happen. And for that we’re very grateful. 

But what truly makes a trip successful (coupled with the first thing I shared with you) is when the team that comes helps the missionary, the mission, the church or the organization further whatever it is that they’re trying to accomplish wherever they are (on a daily basis). Whether it’s an inch or a mile, as long as the mission is progressed and the Gospel is furthered- it’s a success.

So, long-story-short, success is a life changed forever (the person who came) and the mission pushed forward (for the ones who are there). It’s pretty simple. 

And if you’re wondering- Graystone definitely helped push what we’re doing forward here in the orphanages, at Patrick’s Place and in Villa Zumbi. Thanks so much guys!

Now we’re praying that, as time goes on, that every person who came will forever be changed and will make proclaiming the Gospel their life’s goal. Not just here in Brazil but in every country of the world.

Love Ya,

Jim

Spending it All

Our oldest daughter (my princess), Maryssa will be 18 tomorrow. Crazy, huh? Man, it seems like just yesterday I was holding her in my arms for the first time, looking into her beautiful eyes, not able to believe she was actually mine. She was the most beautiful baby girl I had ever seen. 

Maryssa, Michael and Matthew in 2000'

Here we are 18 years later and she’s all grown up now. She’s still beautiful. Every time I look at her I still can’t believe she’s mine. She makes me (and her mother) very proud. And no matter how old she gets, she’ll always be my little girl: )

Well, along with growing up comes things that you’d wish would never happen. And for us it did. I can remember it like it was yesterday. This 16 year old Brazilian boy (named Kevin) came and talked to me on March 20, 2013 and asked permission to date Maryssa. She had never had a boyfriend so this was all new territory for Me and MJ. So, after the interrogation, I mean- the talk, I said, “OK.” I laid out all the ground rules and tried to convey to Him as lovingly as possible that if he ever hurt her I would hurt him. For real. I said it in love, of course: ) 

I talked to him about respecting her and boundaries and all that good stuff so that he would know what was expected of him. It wasn’t as uncomfortable as you would’ve  imagined (at least for me, haha). It’s been over a year since we had that initial conversation and things have gone really good. He treats her with respect and he's a really nice kid.

Maryssa and Kevin last year 

He’s at the house pretty much every day and they do everything together. They both graduate this year. He goes to school in the morning and then works all afternoon (about 4 hrs) too. He makes a whopping $2.50 an hour which is the average for this part of Brazil (the mountains/jungle). And he works hard. Really hard. And for all his hard work he only brings home about $100 per week. I’ve made that much in an hour before (landscaping in the States)! So to work hard all week and only bring home $100 bucks is hard for me to swallow. But that’s just common for people here on the mountain.

A couple weeks ago Me and MJ took Maryssa and Kevin to the mall (a little over an hour away) so that they could go on 'a date' by themselves. Neither one of them have a car so we took them and dropped them off and then went on our own date somewhere else: )

When we met them a few hours later Maryssa was carrying a shopping bag back to the car. Kevin had bought her a pair of boots that she had been wanting for a while. It’s those kind of boots that kinda look like a cross between the boots women wore back in the 20’s and the Dr Martin’s girls wore back in the 80's. I guess they’re popular now, I don’t know? But one thing I do know is that they cost over $100. So my initial reaction was- wow. That was very nice of him. To work all week and then spend it all on your girlfriend for a pair of shoes? That was impressive: )

But then I started to feel bad. To think that this kid worked hard-manual-labor for an entire week and then only to have a pair of shoes to show for it? Man. That stinks. I wanted to tell Maryssa to not let him spend money like that on her. Then I even considered sitting down with him and telling him not to do stuff like that. It just seemed too extravagant for this part of the world. It’s one thing to spend some of what you have on someone- but to spend it all? It didn’t seem right.

But, as I thought about it, I decided not to say anything. Because I understood. I understood that when you really love someone that’s what you do. You spend it all. You hold nothing back. You give 100% even if your 100% only equals a pair of boots. 

It’s been over 25 years since MJ and I dated but I can remember what it was like. I wanted to spend everything on her. My money, my time, my emotions, my thoughts- everything. So I get it. Now eventually you need to start saving money for the future and that will come in time but ‘spending it all’ is just normal when love is involved, right?

I can remember growing up and dating different girls. And there was a difference between ‘liking’ someone and ‘loving' someone. Just because I liked you (when we were dating) and you were my girlfriend- it was a far cry from loving you and wanting to spend everything I had on you. Now don’t get me wrong- I was nice to you but I wasn’t going 'all in’ and spending everything on you. Because love is ‘all in.’ You remember those days, right?

In my mind the same concept applies to our relationship with God. If we truly love Him, there’s something inside of us that wants to 'spend it all.’ There’s this feeling of not wanting to hold anything back. It just compels you to take risks that you normally wouldn’t take because you’re in love with Him.

People (Americans and Brazilians alike) tell us all the time that they can’t believe that we’re doing what we’re doing. That we left pretty much everything to come to a place where we have very little (compared to what we had) and that we live in the conditions that we live in. I’m not gonna lie to you… after almost 3 years of being here- it’s still difficult. But as difficult as it is psychically- it’s still a no-brainer and we don’t look at it as a sacrifice at all. Why? Because He asked us to come, we love Him and we want to spend it all for Him.

So, I don’t care if it’s Brazil, Africa, China or the moon- if He asks we’d go. And we’d do it without hesitation. Because that’s what love does. It spends it all. It causes you to do things that look crazy to other people but look totally logical and rational to you (the one who’s in love). And it’s because of the love that you have on the inside that you feel compelled to do what you do.

So if you’re feeling like God’s asking you to do something that looks totally crazy to everyone else- go ahead and do it! Let your love for Him propel you to do whatever it is that He’s leading you to do. Spend it all. It’s gonna be OK. Because you’re in love and that’s what love does, right?

Love Ya!

Jim

I Guess It Depends On How Much You Want It

There are a some things here in Brazil that are cheaper than in the US- like meat, for instance. You can buy steak for super-cheap here (compared to what you would pay in the States). For example: 1 filet mignon steak (weighing approximately 14oz) will cost you about $14.50 in the average US meat market, right? Well, here in Brazil I can purchase the entire loin for only $30.00! And FYI, you can cut about 12-15 14oz steaks out of 1 loin. I guess that’s one of the benefits of living in the country that’s the largest producer of beef in the world, right? And that probably explains why it costs about $50+ to eat at Fogo de Chao (the Brazilian all-you-can-eat steakhouse in Atlanta) and it only costs between $6-$15 to eat at any Brazilian churrascaria (all-you-can-eat steakhouse) here in Brazil. 

Filet Mignon cooked medium rare...  oh, yeah: )

But there are some things here in Brazil that are more expensive than in the States. Especially when it comes to cars and electronics. We paid the same price for our 1998 VW Pararti that you could buy a 2012’ VW for in the States. A 2014’ Dodge Ram pick-up costs around $42k in the States when, here in Brazil, the same exact truck costs $150k!

Something else that’s more expensive here are electronics- and especially Apple products. I bought my 17” Macbook Pro laptop in 2011‘ for $2,400. The same exact laptop at the Apple Store here in Brazil in 2011'was $4,500. It’s crazy! So anything related to electronics and any type of vehicle that you buy here is gonna cost at least twice the amount that you’re use to paying back home.

Well, last month as I was using my computer I noticed that it wasn’t charging (even though it was plugged-in). And after a closer examination of the cord I noticed that it was broken. Yep, that’s right. The cord was officially broken. Man, now what? There’s no Apple Store way out in the jungle and I need my computer to work so that I can live  (seriously, I do). I mean, I use it to study for sermons each week. I use it to correspond with people in the States. I use it to correspond with people here in Brazil (for church, orphanages and camps). Without it I’m pretty much dead-in-the-water: (

There’s an Apple Store in the center of Curitiba (a little over an hour away) so Me and Matthew decided to drive all the way there to get a new charger. It was a major inconvenience having to drive all the way downtown in our car (actually driving anywhere in our car is a major inconvenience, haha) but I needed the charger. After  driving almost an hour on the highway, then having to navigate another 30 minutes through downtown traffic (thanks World Cup!), then we had to find a parking spot somewhere in the belly of the underground parking garage at the mall. Then, after riding a series of 14 different escalators/elevators and climbing 2 staircases- we finally get to the right floor at the mall. The Apple Store: )

Yes, we finally got there, Praise God! But, when we arrived, they told us that they didn’t have the right charger! Say what!?! I couldn’t believe it. This was the Apple Store. How could you not have a charger for a Macbook at the Apple Store? Unbelievable. I thought  I was having a nervous breakdown/panic attack at this point.

But the Apple guy told us that we could go down the street a few blocks (about 1.5 km away) to an Apple Authorized place called ‘Omni’ and they should have it. So, rather than trying to descend into the depths of the parking dungeon to retrieve our car, navigate through the bumper to bumper traffic and then trying to park somewhere again- we decided to walk. And if you know me, you know I looooove walking, not! But I needed the charger so off we went onto the streets of downtown Curitiba in search of ‘Omni.’

After we arrived at Omni we pulled a number off one of those little ticket dispensers and waited for our turn. While we were waiting for our number to be called this guy walked in and as we made eye contact I thought to myself, “I know this guy from somewhere... hmmm.  Where do I know him from?” Then it clicked, BAM! It was Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. He was the former UFC Light heavyweight Champion in 2010’ and he was the Pride Fighting Grand Prix Champion back in 2005.’ Wow. Didn’t expect to see him here. I wonder what type of Mac related problems he was having?

Former Light-heavyweight Champion Maricio 'Shogun' Rua

As we stood there looking at each other from opposite sides of the room it occurred to me that I was wearing a black sweatshirt with a huge bright yellow Tapout logo (a Mixed Martial Arts brand) on it. So he was probably thinking, “oh man- this guy’s an MMA fan and he’s probably gonna ask me for an autograph or a picture, crap.” So I broke eye contact with him so that it wasn’t obvious that he had been recognized. And if he was as frustrated as I was at trying to get a charging cable (or find resolution to whatever other Apple related issue he was having) I wasn’t going to compound his frustration by bothering him for an autograph or a picture. So I turned away and let him wait for his turn in peace: ) But I saw him nonetheless.

Anyway, they finally called my number and I told them that we needed a charger for a 17” Macbook Pro. Then the girl walked over to one of the display racks and started looking through all the chargers trying to find the right one. She started looking dumbfounded and walked over to another ‘Omni employee’ and asked for help. At this point I’m praying fervently that they have the right cord. Because, if they don’t, I’m probably gonna have a meltdown and go postal! They’re the only place within a 350 mile radius that has Apple accessories and I need to charge my computer. 

They both start looking and looking and looking. All the while, I’m praying and praying and praying. I can feel my blood pressure rising with each passing second. What’s gonna happen? Are they gonna find one or am I gonna lose it and run the risk of having to be calmed down by “Shogun” Rua? I mean, I’m looking around the room and I think I can take everyone but him. But still. haha. jk.

After what seemed like an eternity they pulled one out, looked at each other, turned and smiled as they brought it to me. When we walked over to the register they rung it up and the the total was R$490! Whoa! Whatchyou talkin’ bout Willis!? (sorry, 70’s sitcom reference, haha!). Seriously? That’s highway robbery! It’s-a-charging-cable... I was stunned. I can buy the exact one for about $60 in the States so what’s the deal?

Charger for a 17" Macbook Pro

But I needed it. If I was going to be able to ‘do what I do’ I needed my computer and I needed it charged. So, as much as it hurt, I counted out the R$490 to the girl. And after she pried the money out of my hands she handed over the bag with my new R$490 charger in it and we left.

As I stepped out onto the crowded streets with my bright-white Apple bag (containing my new R$490 charger) I felt like everyone was looking at me. I mean, the bag’s got a giant Apple logo on it which translates to, ‘hey look- there’s something expensive in here’. Walking through the crowded streets of downtown Curitiba with an Apple shopping bag?... I might as well be walking around with one of those big cloth bank bags that has dollar signs on it. lol! This feeling of paranoia started to rush over me. And I started thinking, “someone might try to jack this thing from me as I’m walking down the street.” I felt like there was a big target on me. It was weird.

So I did what any smart American man would do in this situation. I put my head down and then I cradled the bag between my forearm and chest like Larry Csonka did back in the 70’s as he ran over the defense to score. (If you’re wondering who Larry Csonka was- he was one of the greatest NFL running backs ever- and a Miami Dolphin of course, just sayin’). So with football... I mean, white Apple shopping bag securely tucked under my arm- I started to walk very determinedly the 1.5km toward the mall and my car  (aka the end zone). If anyone so much as asked me for the time I was runnin’ over them. Nobody’s getting my charger. Not today: )

NFL Hall of Fame Running back Larry Csonka

We finally made it to the car. And as I sat there taking a deep breath, I thought, “man, that was a lot of stuff to go through to get a charger but it’s worth it. Now I can work again.” I knew that I needed it and no amount of time, distance, inconvenience, money, obstacle or even opposition was gonna stop me.

And that’s when it hit me. That’s the same way that it’s got to be with my spiritual walk with God. For me to be ‘charged and operable’ I’ve got to have the same tenacity and the same fight. If spending time with God in prayer and in the Word is something that has to happen to be able to ‘do what I do’ then I’ve got to be just as determined to do it as I was to get the charger for my Mac.

Let’s face it, all our lives are busy, right? And most of the time the thing that suffers is our personal time with God. There’s always something going on- pulling on us- draining us. But as Christians we can’t afford to use that as an excuse to ‘not stay charged-up’ by spending time in prayer and in the study of God’s word ‘daily.’ For us to make it in this life- it’s mandatory. Even in the midst of serving Him we’ll have to struggle to make it a priority- we just will.

It would be ridiculous for me to think that my computer would just run and run and run without having to be recharged, right? Well, it’s exactly the same with us spiritually. Just because we read the Bible last week and said a prayer before dinner last night doesn’t mean that our ‘spiritual batteries’ will remain strong enough to make it through the things that we’ll face today. We’ve got to fight for time to pray daily. We’ve got to make it a priority to spend time in His word every day. 

How about you? Do you find that it’s difficult finding the time to ‘recharge your spiritual batteries daily?’ Because as difficult as it is- it’s worth every bit of the effort. 

Several years ago I heard someone say something that’s always stuck with me and I think it bears repeating- they said, “you always make time for the things that are most important to you.” And, if you think about it, it’s true. Me finding a charger for my computer was a priority, so I made it happen. But I’m sad to say that I don’t always put the same sense of urgency into spending time in prayer every day. It’s a struggle. But in light of this whole 'charger thing’- I’m going to endeavor to make it a priority by pushing other things aside to make t happen: )

Love Ya, 

Jim

What a Difference a Week Makes

If you’re a pastor or a leader at a church (who’s responsible for missions) and you've ever wondered if short-term mission trips really make a difference- well, let me tell you a little about the latest trip that we just hosted here in Brazil and it may help answer that question.

We just finished-up a mission trip with a team of 30 people from Graystone Church (from Grayson/Loganvillle, GA- USA) and even though they were only here for a week, so much was accomplished. 

Here's a picture of the team on the first night they were here.

Typically I would’ve blogged about this during the week of the trip but with commuting back-and-forth to the mountain each night (I didn’t feel comfortable leaving MJ or the kids out in the jungle alone over night) there wasn’t any time. So here’s a quick look at what happened.

If you remember a blog we posted last December, we delivered shoeboxes filled with gifts to Lar Herminia (one of the orphanages we minister at in Colombo). These shoeboxes were provided by Graystone Church and the kids loved them! Well, one of the cool things about this mission trip is that people from the church actually got to meet the kids that they had given the gifts to. It was an amazing time for the kids and for the team.

We were able to minister at the orphanage for 3 days during the trip. We had a great time with the children as we put on a ‘VBS style’ sports camp and as we held church services for them with worship and with testimonies from the team. 

No Heath... this is how you do it: )

The kids anxiously awaiting game night

Pizza! And yes, he's putting mayonnaise on it. It's a Brazil thing: )

One of the students giving his testimony to the kids

As we’ve mentioned before, we’re hoping to get a new program off the ground with The Hope Epidemic where we can get these kids sponsored monthly and to also launch a hosting program that will allow each child to visit the US (in hopes that they can become adopted) for a month during the Christmas break or during the Summer. And the connections that were made between Graystone and the kids were just another step in this direction.

Another thing that we did at Lar Herminia was minister to the house moms. Their jobs are extremely difficult and, because of the tremendous stress that comes with their positions, most house mothers only last about 12 months. So, for us, it’s imperative that we try and minister to them, as well as the kids, each time we visit. The women from the team did an amazing job showing love to these women. They gave them manicure/pedicures, messages and gift bags that the people from Graystone had sent. The house moms loved it! And at the end of their time together a short Gospel-centered message of encouragement was given to the moms (in Portuguese- thanks Monica!). I was in the room and noticed that one of the mother’s in particular was crying. Later we found out that this house mother was going to put in her resignation that weekend, but after the ministry that had taken place, she felt that God was giving her what she needed to continue doing what she was doing. Praise God!

One of the house moms getting a manicure from one of the team members

Washing one of the house moms feet before the pedicure: )

Villa Zumbi is a village of about 10,000 people. Approximately 4,000 of which are children. Zumbi is also one of the poorest and most dangerous favelas in this part of the country. Zumbi literally means zombi or walking dead. It gets it’s name because ‘supposedly' this is the village of the walking dead… people without hope. 

Behind this iron gate is a typical home in Villa Zumbi

We were able to go into a preschool that was planted there (and that’s supported) by German missionaries. It’s right in the middle of Zumbi and has approximately 200 preschool ages children who attend daily. We were able to minister to around 130 of the children in 2 sessions (one in the morning and one in the afternoon). Even though these kids live in conditions that are heartbreaking to us as Americans, to look at them, you’d never know it. They’re beautiful. To be able to play, sing, dance and share the Gospel with these kids was an honor. 

We were able to give away (by drawing ping pong balls) 25 jackets that were donated to us by NASA

Here's a couple of the winners

Presenting the Gospel in one of the classrooms

The kids praying after one of the bible teaching sessions

And, of course, no mission trip would be complete without salvation bracelets: )

Wednesday Night the team was able to minister at a church that was planted in Zumbi about 10 years ago by IBB (Igreja Batista do Bacacheri). We were able to worship in English and in Portuguese. Then, after the team gave testimonies and Heath ministered, something amazing happened… the pastor got up at the end and told us that everything that we had just talked about (ministering to children and to orphans in particular) was a confirmation to him about what God had been dealing with his heart about and that it’s the direction that he feels like the church needs to go: ) 

Heath ministering to the church about how ministering to the orphan is important to God

One of the team members giving their testimony

Being able to worship in English and Portuguese was definitely one of the highlights of the day

We also ministered at Encontro com Deus (Encounter with God, aka- Patrick’s Place ) in Cajuru for 2 days. Encontro com Deus is a church that has a day program for the kids from the neighborhood (a neighborhood that's extremely impoverished and crime ridden). We were able to minister to the kids through the same ‘VBS style’ program that we used at Lar Herminia and at the school in Zumbi.

Here are some of the older girls from the program

Part of the team (most of the guys) didn’t stay at the church while the kids were being ministered to. They went to do something that most people will never see. You see, another thing that Patrick and the ministry here at Encontro com Deus does is rescue battered and abused women and their children. Most of them are teenage mothers who desperately need help. Over the past 17 years they’ve had over 600 women come through their doors. They have 2 homes. One home is at the church and one home (that’s about 5 minutes away from the church) is where they house the mothers that are in hiding (because they are in danger). And that house needs a lot of work. So, some of the guys from the team went over to try and start cleaning-up and repairing some of the things that needed attention. It was back-breaking work but they were able to prep an area in the front of the house for cement, paint the front of the property and they were able to clean-up an area inside the property where the kids play.

Here's a picture of what it looked like as they began the project.
We'll post after pictures once the cement is finished next week

On Thursday Night we were able to hang-out and minister to all the mother’s and their children from both homes at Encontro com Deus. It was a great time of ministry for these women who aren’t use to people loving them and giving them attention for no reason other than the fact that Jesus loves them and so do we.

Here are some of the mothers and their children from the program

So back to my initial question- “do short term mission trips really make a difference?” Well I guess you’d have to ask all the orphans, or the house moms (especially the one who was literally days away from quitting), or the battered women and their kids, or the hundreds of kids from Zumbi and from Cajuru, or the Pastor and the congregation from Zumbi, or Renan (the director of Lar Herminia), or Patrick at Encontro com Deus. But I'm pretty sure I know what their response would be and I'll go ahead and give you the answer… “Yes, they absolutely make a difference!”

So thank you Graystone Church for making an eternal impact  here in Brazil. And a HUGE thank you to all of our supporters who allow us to be here doing what we do. This is all possible because of you. We love you guys!

Passionately Following Jesus,

Jim, MJ and all the Dunn Kids