So it’s time for me to write an update. Time has flown by since I arrived here in Brazil and it’s hard to believe that I have been here for more than a month already! Much has happened in this past month and a half and I would like to share with you what God has been doing and what is coming up in the near future. 

I arrived in Brazil on December 6th and I was welcomed at the airport by my good friend Trenton. Because of how things worked out with our tickets, Trenton actually arrived in Brazil a few days before I did. I very much enjoyed having Trenton here in Fortaleza and it was great to be able to show one of my close friends what I am up to. 

About a week after we arrived, we (Jenn and I) had the opportunity to travel to an area in the interior of Brazil close to a city called Canide. Our purpose was to look for villages that did not yet have a church and where people were hungry for the truth. We set out not having any contacts and simply trusting the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We left in the morning and arrived in the city of Canide in the afternoon around lunch time. The city of Canide has a massive statue in honour of St. Francis of Assi. There is also a very large Basilica in the city where many Catholics come to worship. The city of Canide and much of the interior regions in Brazil, are full of idol worship. Catholicism has departed from Biblical truth in many regions in Brazil and the Catholic church is the main persecutor of the evangelical church in much of the interior regions in Brazil. 

We came to a large square in front of the Basilica and a few of us felt led to worship there and others felt led to go and talk with people. After I time of worship, I preached the gospel there in the square and gave an invitation for prayer which no one accepted. I did not know this, but what we did there in the square was a bit dangerous. A short time ago, a YWAM team was thrown in jail for preaching the gospel in that same city. The Catholic church has paid the police and so they shut down any religious activity that does not come under the banner of ‘Catholicism’. 

Two of the people (Lauren and Luan) who went to talk with people met a young lady who was part of a local Assemblies of God church. The young lady invited us to come to the church as they were preparing for a large party that day. We happened to arrived on the day of the sixth anniversary of the church and they were inviting the whole city to a party which included an evangelistic service. The man preaching at the service gave an altar call for those who wanted to give their lives to Christ and there were many who went forward. The message was quite fiery, definitely not seeker sensitive in any way. The pastor also called us forward to pray for the sick. We felt that the Holy Spirit was indeed leading us because not only were we provided with a place to sleep that night (we were expecting to sleep in the car), but the pastor in front of evangelism for the church advised us where to go, to places where there were no churches yet planted. 

We left the next morning in search of a place called ‘Top’ and after driving and stopping many times to ask where ‘Top’ was, we started to wonder if such a place actually existed. We ended up a place called ‘Siteo do Meio’, which was a village without either an evangelical church or a Catholic church (it is rare to find a village without a Catholic church). We discovered that there were no believers in the village (except one who went to a Catholic church sometimes) but we also discovered that people were open to the gospel. We found a family who was willing to let us stay on their porch for the night and we talked with an older women who let the girls stay in her house for the night. We went around inviting people to come and watch the Jesus film which we planned to show that night. We showed the film, preached the gospel, prayed for the sick and invited people to give their lives to Christ. No one responded that night, though some people came forward to receive prayer for healing. After talking with many people in the village, we gathered that some people wanted to give their lives to Christ, but they did not want to make a half-hearted commitment. A few people said that if there was a church to be a part of, they would be more willing to commit themselves to Christ. 

After praying for the family and spending some time with them in the morning, we left for the next village. The place where we ended up was ‘Carnabal’. The village had a Catholic church but only had a few evangelical believers. After asking around we were directed to the house of a man called ‘Isiais’ (Isaiah). Isaiah’s wife greeted us and welcomed us in. We had a good time of fellowship with the family that night (they have two young children as well). We encouraged them and prayed with them. We found out that they were hungry for fellowship and that they were having services when they could (the three believers in the village). This family is very poor and yet they offered the best that they had for us and they went out of their way to make us feel at home. We prayed with them the following morning and went on our way. We left encouraged, feeling that this village would be a very good place to plant a church. We are hoping to go to the interiors four times in the month of January.

I recently returned from my second trip into the interiors with a team of seven people. With some difficulty we managed to arrive in Carnaubal again. Our poor car had difficulty because of the dirt roads, steep climbs and big pot holes. Pray that God would provide a better vehicle to better reach the interiors. Isaac and his wife Regani received us gladly again into their home. Regani made us a wonderful lunch. We had times of wonderful fellowship with this family. They have faced a lot of opposition from the Catholic church in the area and they sometimes feel quite discouraged. We had the opportunity to pray for them, worship together and wash their feet. We also had the opportunity to show the Jesus film and share the gospel. The interiors will be one of my main focuses while I am here in Brazil.

The next place that we went was Sitio do Meio. We held a service and gave an opportunity for people to give their hearts to Christ. No one responded that night but the following morning when we were doing house visits, three young people gave their hearts to Christ. Pray that God would continue to open up people’s hearts in Sitio do Meio to Jesus. 

There is also so much to do here in the city of Fortaleza. One major ministry for this base is outreach in the red light district. Prostitution and human trafficking are very real problems in Fortaleza though we have started seeing the power of the Holy Spirit break in and start to transform the lives of some of the girls who are working there. During the Christmas break, we held a love banquet near the red light district. There were a number of prostitutes who came and the girls from our base sat with them and talked, as well as did their nails. Many of the girls from the red light district felt the love and the presence of God. 

We also held a Christmas Banquet in Oitao Preto which is the main favela where we work. We made a special dinner and had a draw for presents. We had a time of worship, a time of sharing the gospel and then a time of ministry where we prayed for people who were desiring prayer. One of my focuses in Oitao is ministering to drug dealers. There are a few drug dealers who are close to giving their lives to Christ but they are still unwilling at this point. I am praying that these guys make a firm decision soon to give their hearts to Christ. 

One of our main focuses at the moment is preparing for a missions school that we are going to be having starting March 9th  and going until the end of May with international outreaches after this. One of the goals of the school is to raise up missionaries ready to lay down their lives for Christ. My focus during the school will be teaching, discipleship as well as leading outreaches into the interiors. 

Potatoes, Leaches, Wheat and Glory!

Greetings friends and intercessors! So it’s been a while since I’ve written an update and it’s high time I let you know what God has been doing here in Nepal. In my last update I shared about Humla and all that God was doing through our team there. Humla is the region in Nepal with the highest percentage of unreached people though it is probably not the region with the highest number of unreached people. After our time in Humla we spent a few weeks back in Kathmandu resting as well as doing ministry together with the Iris Nepal team. 

After spending some time in Kathmandu, we felt led by the Holy Spirit to go to the southwestern part of Nepal. We felt God leading us to a city named Dangahdi as well as the surrounding villages. We spent just over a week in the southwestern region and we were blessed to see God move and work there. We got on a bus and nearly 20 hours later we arrived! The first word that comes to mind when describing the southern part of Nepal at this time of year... hot! During the day it is not uncommon to experience temperatures of 45 degrees celsius! The southern part of Nepal is part of large region of unreached people which includes the northern part of India. This region is home to the greatest population of unreached people in the world (though not the highest concentration). Although there are many unreached people in this region, there still are churches in the region and we were blessed to be able to partner with some believers from a local church and do evangelism together. The way that we did evangelism on this outreach was somewhat different from our previous outreaches. We walked for a long distance (that part was similar) and then we came to a village. Our Nepali brothers and sisters started singing worship songs as well as dancing. Very soon a curious crowd gathered wondering what their fellow Nepali’s were doing as well as why there were a group of foreigners together with them. Then one of us would preach the gospel to the gathered crowd and give an invitation for those who wanted to give their lives to Jesus as well as those who needed physical healing. Our team went out one morning to do evangelism and it was so hot! I was literally dripping sweat without even exerting myself. We shared the gospel with a small group of people and gave an invitation to those who were listening. One man wanted us to pray for him because he had his arm in a sling; someone had beat him up and he no longer had mobility in his arm (he was also experiencing pain). We gathered around him and prayed that God would heal him, that this man would be touched by the power of God. After praying we asked the man if he felt any difference and he said that he felt less pain. We prayed for him again and he took his arm out of his sling and he had more mobility than before. We prayed for him a third time and he was able to raise his arm above his head with complete mobility and he was completely freed from pain! We again briefly shared the gospel with this man and he gave his life to Jesus! Our team also had the opportunity to minister to people in a local hospital in Dangahdi. To be honest, this hospital was one of the worst (possibly the worst) hospital I have ever been in. We prayed for a lady who had been abused by her husband. She had been pregnant and miscarried because her husband beat her. We prayed for healing and restoration over her and we shared the gospel with her as well. Her heart was touched and she decided to give her life to Jesus! Unfortunately, we were asked to leave the hospital because such a large crowd was gathering around us. We would have loved to stay at the hospital longer to continue ministering. For the 20 hour journey back to Kathmandu we decided to take an air-conditioned bus and I was so glad we did! 45 degrees is no joke. 

We again spent some time in Kathmandu resting and preparing for the next outreach, though this time it was only for a few days. We felt led to go to the Northeast region of Nepal this time, an area called Taplejung. The region of Taplejung was the home-region of one of the translators that we went with. This outreach was marked by four things; potatoes, leaches, wheat and glory! One of our translators (Ganga) led us to his home village where he grew up and we were so blessed to meet his family who have all given their lives to Jesus. On one of our stops we were told that we would be having potatoes for dinner. We thought that maybe we would be eating potatoes with rice or some other combination. When our food arrived however, we were met by two big baskets filled with potatoes. When we asked Ganga how many potatoes he had ordered he said, “Twelve kilos” (!). It is important to note that we were only eight people. We showed the Jesus film that evening and we did not have much of a response. We were a bit surprised because we had already had two sessions of all-night prayer. We knew that God always shows up when we call on him but we hadn’t seen much breakthrough (although the times of prayer were so wonderful). The following morning after showing the Jesus film we started hiking to the next village. We walked beneath a cloudy, rainy sky and we had to keep moving! Leaches! I have never encountered so many leaches in all my life! We were not able to stop for even a few seconds because the leaches would start crawling up our shoes and soon be latched on to our ankles or legs. I even found a leach fastened to my neck! Nasty! We did make it however, to our destination without too much trouble. We stayed at a man’s house named Fubar (not sure of the spelling). Our one translator Ganga had met him a few years earlier and had developed a relationship with him. Fubar and his family were Buddhists. There was a large shrine upstairs in their house where they prayed to false gods. Fubar’s son is even enrolled in a Buddhist school. We happened to arrive there during harvest time and so we had the opportunity to help Furbar out harvesting his wheat. So fun! I think that we really blessed him and it was a good reminder that the harvest is ripe! Laborers are needed who are willing to go and put in the sickle.

After our work we were hungry and we had a lunch consisting of... potatoes! This time however it was only 8 kilos and were almost able to finish them off. Ganga (one of our two Nepali translators) is a big believer in prayer and so we planned to have another session of all-night prayer for our last night in that village. During the time of prayer, God was really stirring Jenn’s heart to pour into the family with whom we were staying and causing faith to arrive that they would give their lives to Jesus. I should also mention that Fubar’s father had been a Buddhist lama (which is a Buddhist leader and teacher). He (his father) had become a Christian but kept it a secret. Fubar’s father had become a Christian during the time when there was still heavy persecution in Nepal; this was 30 years ago. Fubar’s father had shared with Fubar that he had found the true God but Fubar had never made the decision to follow Christ himself. We showed the Jesus film for the family and it stopped right before the crucifixion! The next morning Jenn was insistent that we share about Jesus one final time with the family and give them one more opportunity. We shared with them about Jesus, shared a testimony and then Ganga spoke with them at length in Nepali. We had no idea how the conversation was going because we couldn’t understand but at one point Ganga let us in with “They’re close!”. We were all praying silently and I have to admit I was so surprised when he said, “They want to accept Jesus!” I was so happy that I started crying, we were all so happy. Fubar prayed to accept Jesus so enthusiastically and his countenance was so joyful! We had been talking as a team the previous night how it only takes one touch from the Holy Spirit and the man or woman will never be the same (e.g the apostle Paul). Well, God touched them powerfully and I believe that they will never be the same. Fubar was laughing, then crying after he gave his life to Jesus. I know that I will never forget that day. What a blessing to have your poor, stuttering words used by the all mighty God! I am so blessed to be part of something that is truly unstoppable; the proclamation of the gospel and God’s mighty purposes for the earth. An ant has a better chance of stopping a tsunami than men have of stopping God’s gospel being preached to every tribe, tongue, people and nation! Thank you so much to all of you who have prayed and continue to pray. 

The harvest is plentiful and the harvest is ready! We were so blessed to see that there are many people in far away unreached corners of the world who are ready to receive the good news about Jesus. Our team recently returned to Kathmandu from one of the most (possibly the most) unreached region in all of Nepal. We spent almost six weeks in this region and saw many people touched by the power of God; sick people healed and lives transformed as people surrendered to Jesus Christ.
       We flew into a tiny airport in a small town surrounded by spectacular mountains. Our destination was a village which was a four day trek away. Our plan was to stop for people along the way, sharing Jesus with them as well as showing the Jesus film or the Passion in villages where we stopped. All together we hiked for well over 100 km up mountains and down again. We had the amazing privilege of going to villages where the gospel had never been preached. At times I was amazed as we shared the good news with Nepali people; two thousand years and this was the first time the name of Jesus was declared! I want to share a few highlights besides the breathtaking scenery all around us at every step.

     During our time in this region, we prayed for hundreds of people and many of these people we encountered as we were hiking. On one such encounter we stopped to pray for a middle-aged man named Gore who had a toothache. We prayed for him and his pain went away! We then had the chance to share the gospel with and he gave his life to Jesus saying; "This is a golden opportunity!" Gore invited us to come to his village and stay at his house. We told him that we would try to make it up to his village on our return journey.
    On our way back, we were able to hike up to his village and he was so happy to see us. We took some time discipling him and explaining some basic things about relationship with Jesus. We also had the chance to show the Jesus film and share the gospel with people in this village... no one had ever come there to share about Jesus. Before we showed the film it was raining and we were wondering if we would be able to show it at all. We cried out to God to push back the clouds and stop the rain and he came through; the rain stopped! Gore shared his testimony of how God healed him and how he gave his life to Jesus. About twenty people gave their lives to Jesus that night.

     The following day we had the wonderful opportunity to baptized some of the new believers along with Gore. We were so blessed to be able to baptize them in some natural hot springs... so fun! We were in awe of God's faithfulness and willingness to use us and we were so encouraged.
     There are so many other stories that I could share but I find myself running out of time at the moment! I will do my best to write another update soon. Thank you all so much for your prayers! They are making a difference among the unreached people of Nepal!

Jaimasi! That’s the greeting that Nepali believers use when they meet one another. I wanted to update all of you again and want to say thank you so much for praying for me and for our team here in Nepal.  We recently returned from a 5 day outreach in some villages south of Kathmandu. It was wonderful to take in God’s beautiful creation; the mountains, the terraced fields and the beautiful people whom God loves so much. We were blessed to minister together with my friend Surendra, whom I met last time in Nepal when he helped translate for our team. Surendra was with YWAM for many years and led the School of Biblical Studies for many years. He recently stared a ministry called Priscilla and Aquila Ministries which is focused on teaching and discipling new believers. We stayed at the training center in the village where he grew up. His sister-in-law Sadanah was a big help to our team, translating as well as making food for us. 

The focus of the outreach was largely evangelistic; we wanted to share the good news about Jesus with those who had never heard it or did not have an understanding of the gospel. The second evening we showed the Passion of the Christ and I shared the gospel as well. We gave an invitation for people to come forward if they wanted to receive physical healing or if they wanted to give their lives to Jesus. No one responded at first and Surendra said that this was normal as most of the people would probably be afraid of what people around them thought. I challenged them that Jesus had publicly displayed his love for them and so they should do the same for him. Still no one came forward but there were a few people that hung around as we packed up. Surendra shared his testimony with a few young men and there was an old man who gave his life to the Lord.  The next day we shared the gospel with people as well as invited them to come and watch the Passion that evening. I was amazed to find that there were people who had never even heard the name of Jesus. No one gave their lives to Jesus during the afternoon but there was a lady who was almost deaf in one hear healed. A lady nearby saw that she was healed and asked for prayer for her toothache. The lady with the toothache was healed as well.  That evening we set up to show the Passion in one of the main squares in the village. There were many people who showed up to watch, possibly close to two hundred. I again shared the gospel and called people forward who wanted to give their lives to Jesus or to those who wanted physical healing. Again, there wasn’t much of a response. Paula came to the front and shared the testimony of the lady whose ear had been healed earlier that day and God used this testimony. There was a large group that slowly inched forward.  We stared talking and praying for different people and a few of us started praying for an older woman who said that she had pain all over her body and specifically in her back. We prayed for her and she said that her pain was less, but she still had pain in her back. Ned and Jenn started talking with this lady (through a translator) and she said that she would give her life to Jesus if her back was completely healed. They prayed for her again and all her pain left! She gave her life to Jesus right there. There were also others who gave their lives to Christ that night. Our translator Surendra was excited because many of the people were Gopali’s, from the same family group that he is from. The lady whose back was healed was his auntie. 

The next day we shared the gospel with some Balami people. There were some people who wanted to receive Jesus, but they were afraid to do so because they said that if they did, they would be kicked out of their family, they would have to leave their village. I talked to one young man who was very open but also afraid because of what would happen to him if he gave his life to Jesus. I challenged him that someone had to be the one to take the first step and that we are promised opposition as followers of Jesus. My friend Milan (who was translating) invited him to come to church (which is in a nearby village).  That afternoon we left by truck to go to a village that was several miles away, also to minister to a group of Balami people. On the way there, we played Nepali music through the speakers we had and one of our Nepali friends announced that we would be showing a movie that night. Another one of our Nepali friends (we call him Buwa which means father) threw gospel tracks from the back of the truck (which were snatched up and read by observers). As we were bumping along and making a scene, Jenn looked at me and said “Jay, it feels like we’re in a parade!”. To which I replied, “We are the parade!” We had a lot of fun and we arrived at the village and started talking with people about Jesus and inviting them to come and watch the movie. We found the same thing in this village as the previous one; there were people who were open to the gospel, but they were afraid to change for fear of what those around them would do.  We showed the Passion again that night and as we were watching, I was struck by what Jesus gave for us. How amazing! We gave an invitation for people to give their lives to Jesus and there were some children who responded. We praise the Lord for these young ones who gave their lives to the Lord but there is breakthrough needed among the leadership of the village. If the leaders give their lives to Jesus, it will open the door for the rest of the village to come to Christ. Pray for the leaders and pray for courage for those who want to commit to follow Jesus but are too afraid of the consequences.  There are more stories that I could share but I don’t want to make this update too long! We will be leaving for our next outreach on the 27th of March (most likely). This outreach will be our longest and most challenging so far. We are going to Humla, the most remote and unreached area in all of Nepal. Pray for health for our team! Pray for us as we prepare to go that God would give us wisdom. Pray that God would continue to fill us with a greater love and passion for him above all else. Pray for more courage to be obedient to his voice. Pray for his joy to be our strength. I want to say thanks again to all of you who are supporting us through prayer as well as financially! God bless you all! 

So it’s been a while since I last updated my blog! A lot of time has passed and a lot has happened since I last posted, though most of you who know me know what I’m up to right now. I am currently in Nepal (in Katmandu) and am planning on being here for 5 months. I am leading a team composed of some of my best friends in the world! We are part of an initiative called the M24 Initiative. The M24 Initiative gets it’s name from Matthew 24:14 which says; “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” 

We arrived in Katmandu on the 26th of February very tired but excited as well. We got settled in to the Iris guest house and a few days later we headed out for our first outreach to a village called Lele. Lele is a village that is about a 45 minute microbus ride from Katmandu. We arrived in Lele and met the pastor of the local church. After we had lunch we split up into groups and went walking from house to house to share the good news of the gospel. Each group had at least one Nepali brother or sister so that we could communicate with the people. We shared with the people about Jesus and why he had to come and die on the cross. There were many people who had heard about Jesus and had heard about the cross but they did not know why he came to die; they had never really heard the gospel. We also invited people to come and watch the Jesus film that night. 

We found a spot to show the Jesus film near the main road that goes through the village. There were around 30 to 40 people who came to watch the film and to brave the cold. Our team found a log where we could sit and pray during the film. We could see the stars (and our breath as well) as we prayed for God to open up hearts. The Jesus film suddenly stopped three quarters of the way through the film! We tried to get the movie going again but it just wouldn’t work. We also found out that someone had vandalized the Iris van while we were watching the movie and we felt that we were under attack from the enemy. Our translator Ganga gave a presentation of the gospel but no one responded. Needless to say, I was pretty disappointed but I knew that God didn’t need a movie to reach people’s hearts. 

The next day we went out again to do evangelism from house to house. We were amazed and encouraged by people’s responses to the gospel. We had the privilege of seeing six people give their lives to Jesus that day! I was again encouraged to see that the gospel is in fact the power of God for the salvation of those who believe! 

Right before we left the village, my friend Lauren as well as Jenn (my sister) were sharing the gospel with an older lady. Our Nepali brother Ram was translating and I was sitting there noticing some young men standing behind us. They were talking in Nepali and I thought that they were mocking us. I assumed that they were mocking us because this is a response that I have experienced before in other countries when sharing the gospel. I felt that God wanted me to share the gospel with them and so I stood up and tried the one or two phrases that I know in Nepali. I asked them if any of them could speak English and a few of them said that they could understand. I started sharing the gospel in English and then our translator Ram helped me out by translating into Nepali. When I asked them what they thought about Jesus and how he was the sacrifice for their sins, I was surprised to hear that they thought this was wonderful news! Two of them prayed right there in front of their friends and gave their lives to Jesus! We asked them if they had Bibles and they both said that they did not. We walked with them to meet the pastor who gave them each a Nepali New Testament. 

We were so encouraged to see God at work as well as the hunger of the people for Jesus. There is more that I could share but I will save that for another update. I know that long updates don’t always get read :) Thanks for taking the time to see what I’m up to and I would love to hear from you if you have questions or comments! 

Well here it is, one last update before I go back to Canada. I'm planning on arriving back on August 13th.  A lot has happened since I last updated my blog and so I'll try to get you all up to speed. We had a week of prayer and fasting a number of weeks ago and I feel that this was really a key week for us. God really used this week to call us to go deeper in prayer and to really use the prayer house as just that; a house of prayer. God spoke and did a number of things among our team; one being a deeper calling to prayer and another being an increased boldness. During one of our prayer times I felt that God 'lifted' something off of me; I believe that the Lord was removing the fear of man. One thing that I had been wanting to do for a while was to preach on the public transit buses but I had been too afraid before. I really felt that God was challenging me to step out and just declare the message because the gospel is the power of God (Rom. 1:16-17). I decided that the next time I rode on the bus (together with someone who could translate for me), I was going to preach the gospel. I got onto the bus with my friend Ned, who can speak English and Portuguese and I asked him if he was ready. He said that he was and so I called out, 'Everybody listen up!'. Looking back, this probably was not the best way to get everyone's attention since the busses sometimes get robbed and the guys who rob them will yell and wield their gun. Ned told me that a few people looked pretty scared at first, but when they realized that I wasn't going to rob the bus, it was alright. To tell the truth, I was very nervous to speak up but God gave me the strength once I did. Since then, I've preached on the bus several more times and each time is definitely stretching for me.
      During the week of prayer and fasting, we were having a time of prayer in the community (Oitao Preto), and one of the girls felt led to walk through the streets of the community and shout out the gospel. I have to admit that I was a bit nervous to do this as the favela is not the safest place in Fortaleza. We wrote out some Bible verses in Portuguese (Romans 6:23, John 3:16) and four of us went out into the streets. As we walked we yelled out; "Today is the day of salvation!" as well as other phrases. As we walked and shouted, some people stopped to listen and some people walked away. We only faced open opposition from one man which was less than I expected. When we could see that someone was really listening, we stopped and talked with them further and prayed with them. There were a few people who gave their lives to the Lord! We stopped and talked with one lady who was a believer. She said that we were an answer to her prayers because she had been praying for her son to turn his life around. Her son was there and we talked to him as well as other members of the family. We all prayed together as well. I recently had the chance to talk to this woman (Anna) again and she said that her son is doing much better.
     There have also been some challenges as well. One of the girls who was doing the internship here decided to leave the house a few days ago and return to the community. It appears as though she is not doing well spiritually and this is very difficult for us to see after all that we have poured into her. It seems that the enemy still has a hold on so many people in the community and it is difficult for them to truly break from their old lifestyles. Continue to pray that we would see lasting breakthrough and fruit in the community.
      On a personal note, I have decided to do the Harvest School in Mozambique (with Iris) this October. The school is three months long (including outreach) and is located in Pemba, Mozabique. There are a few reasons why I want to do the Harvest school. I really feel that this time will be a good time for personal growth and growing in love for Jesus. I also desire to grow in walking in the supernatural. Ministering in the community here reminds me that the battle is so real and demons manifest right before your eyes. As I look at the gospels (and the book of Acts), I see demonstrations of power through healing (as well as other miracles) with such frequency that they cannot be ignored. Nearly every time the gospel was declared, miracles followed or preceded. Missionaries with Iris have seen people with blind eyes see, deaf ears opened and dead people raised back to life again. I desire to see miracles like this as well as to walk in them. I understand that love for Christ and his glory and character are more important than seeing miracles, but I feel that we are missing out if we are not at least pursuing these things which were so much a part of Jesus' ministry as well as the ministry of the early church. I also see my time in Mozambique as preparation for the new year. As most of you know, I am planning on heading to Nepal with a team of four other friends with the goal of taking the gospel to the unreached. I believe that the Lord will use my time in Mozambique as a preparation for this.
      Well that's all for now. I hope to be seeing many of you who read this blog face to face very soon. I look forward to talking with you and perhaps having a cup of coffee. God bless! 

Strength From the Lord

Has it really been that long since I've last updated my blog? Too long! There has been many things happening since the last time and I will try to bring all of you up to date. A week ago, we had an all night prayer vigil at the house of prayer in the community. I can often feel a real sense of spiritual heaviness when I walk into the community and times of prayer really do feel like a battle although I really enjoy them at the same time. It is clear that there are demonic forces at work in the community and nothing less than the power of God will be required to see true and lasting results. The night we had our prayer vigil was from Saturday to Sunday (June 30th to July 1st). As soon as we arrived in the community, I could sense real heaviness and a coming battle. One of the girls who is doing the internship at our house (she is from the community), was facing really strong temptations to back to her old way of life. When we arrived at the community she said that she wanted to join her friends at a party which was a really bad decision for her. When we arrived at the house of prayer, there was water all over the floor as it had rained a lot that day and water came in through the windows as well as the roof. At the same time, one of the girls who was praying started to experience strong pain in her neck and back. I really sensed that the enemy did not want us to pray for the community and others sensed the same thing as well. We cleaned up the mess in the prayer house and started praying. If any of you have ever prayed through the night, you know that it can be difficult. However, we found that the time went by really quickly, and before we knew it, it was 6am in the morning. The girl who ran away to be with her friends came back the following day and she is continuing in the internship (continue to pray for her as there is still a real battle for her life. She desires to live for God and yet the old life still has a pull on her). We really feel that prayer is a key component in seeing God's power break into the community. There was a clear change the last time we had an all-day prayer event and shortly after this, we saw some real fruit. A girl from the community gave her life to the Lord (she's the one who was baptized),  a drug dealer gave his life to the Lord and an older lady did as well.
        God has also been working in the life of a man named Dede. Dede is a very kind man who seems to be friends with everyone. However, Dede is addicted to alcohol and it has had a very negative effect on his life. A number of weeks back, Dede expressed interest to be taken to a rehabilitation house and get free from his addiction. A few of us made an appointment for him and he agreed to a time that we arranged. When we arrived at the community, however, he said that he didn't want to go but wanted to stay in the community; it was a very discouraging morning for me. More recently however, it appears as though God is doing a real work in Dede's heart. Myself as well as a few others have talked and prayed with him a number of times and he has expressed a real desire to change. He says that he wants out of his old way of life. A few weeks ago Dede came to the house of prayer and a number of us laid hands and prayed for him. We prayed that God would get a hold of him and encounter him. The next morning a few of us went to the community and we talked to him and prayed with him again. He said that the previous night, a light descended into his house (he has no electricity or lights in his house) and he felt the presence of God. He said that he really wants to go to a rehabilitation house and change. We are hoping that we will be able to take Dede within the next few weeks. It's really necessary for Dede to get out of the community because there are so many temptations for him there and alcohol is easily accessible.
       I am also continuing to lead discipleship Bible studies on Monday and Wednesday afternoons and I feel that these are going well. We are going through the Bible and right now we are looking at the life of Christ, specifically on the Sermon on the Mount. I feel that everyone who comes is growing in understanding of who God is and what it means to be a follower of him. The other day, I had to do a lesson in Portuguese because there was no one to translate for me. I can confidently say that I still have a long way to go in learning the language! However, times like these are good because they remind me that I need to rely upon God's strength and not my own knowledge or ability.
      One thing that God has been doing and continues to do in my own heart is that he is giving me a greater desire to take the gospel to people who are unreached. I feel like one of the reasons why God has me here in the this season is to raise up Brazilians who will go to unreached places, both here in Brazil as well as in other nations. I had the opportunity to speak at a church a week ago and I spoke on Romans 10:14-15 "How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!'" God touched people's hearts and I pray that there will be lasting fruit from that service. We are also planning on have a 'missions camp' this coming week for young people who are interested in missions. Right now, there are not many people who are signed up and so we are praying that God would bring the people that he wants for the following week. We are continuing to pray that God would raise up laborers to send to the harvest!