Brazil Day 26

Oi, minha Amigas e Amigos!
Eu amar voces!
I am loving Brazil...as you can see!  I love the people and the culture so much.  The family I am with, and even some people I have met at church....are convinced that I am actually Brazilian...despite my skin color!  For the past week we have been staying with our translator Ana, and she and her family are now my family.  They have been such a blessing to me...praying for me, and teaching me Portugese.  We have been helping anas church a lot.  We have been to their homeless ministry service, and their youth group.  We also have been to a school for mentally handicapped children, and spent the day with them.  It was such a blast!  If you have ever spent time with those kids...you know how loving and joyous they are.  We have also spent a lot of time at the local parks....making friends with some of the locals.  It is so great when I meet someone, and speak truth into their life...and then get to see them again here!  There is one guy who works at a street vendor beside the subway we use a lot.  One day God gave me a word for him, which I wrote down and had translated, and then gave to him.  His name is Lucas...and now everytime we pass by the subway vendors, I get to see him!  He smiles very big each time I see him, and I know that God is working in his heart. 
Please keep praying for me to have boldness to pray for the Brazilian people.  I love them so much, and God has built a very strong compassion for them in my heart.  It is still dificult to talk to strangers that dont speak the same langauge though! 
Also pray that I continue to learn the language quickly.
While I am embracing the culture fully....I  am not sure if my whole team is.  So please pray for my team, that they will not go into culture shock.
Pray for unity for our team and pray that we will be able to clearly hear Gods voice as He directs us in His will for the remainder of our time here.
I love you all so much!
Look on my Facebook for pics!

Brazil Day 12

Hi faithful followers!  Thank you for waiting this long to hear from me!  It has been a wild ride!  The first week I could not get to a computer at all!  The areas we have been staying in are very poor, and wet!  We are hear smack in the middle of monsoon season!  The first base we went to was already crowded with another YWAM team from Kona, Hawaii.  They were incredible people though, and I got to hear a lot about the base that I will hopefully soon be teaching at.  We stayed there a few days, then we were shipped off to another sister base of theirs out in the country surrounding Sao Paulo. The mother and daughter team were so gracious and hospitable...and the most amazing Brazilian cooks!  We were ONLY eating rice and beans up until that point!  We stayed there for a few days helping with their childrens ministry.  They have a soccer team and a circus troop! We watched as the kids performed for us on long silk ropes (I will add pics later).  It was an incredible time, but rained heavily everyday.  The roads were steep red muddy mess, and needless to say, it was difficult to get out of there when the time came!  Our next location, which we are currently at, is our translators house.  Only she isnt just our translator anymore...she is a great friend.  She has just completed her second school in YWAM, and was on her way to staff a school in South Africa....when God changed her plans.  So she is staying here for a few days to host us, and take care of us!  God is truly taking care of us.  I am constantly seeking out His Kingdom, and looking for ways to minister to His people here.  I have picked up the Portugese language very quickly, and can even ask random strangers on the bus and subways if I can pray for them....which I do often!  I am learning so much about God and His love for people here.  I will write more soon and hopefully upload pictures....there are some on my facebook though!
I love you all!
Please keep praying for me!

Goodbye America....Ola Brasil!

Tomorrow at 2 pm I will be flying out for Belo Horizonte, Brazil.  We will arrive there Friday morning at 11 am Brazil time (that is 8 am our time).  I am really excited, and nervous as well.  You know, the good nervous that you get right before something exciting happens.  I am also sad because I will be leaving Ava...but she is already having a blast in Black Mountain.  I talked to her on the phone today and she told me about the bunny rabbit she is playing with at her new babysitter's house.  She actually said that it tried to eat her doll! I know she is going to thrive there and have so much fun. 

This will be my last post for about a week...since I don't know what to excpect when I get down South!  I will miss you all, and hope to talk to you soon on my next blog from BRAZIL!

Love and blessings

The End of Christmas...The Beginning of A New Year...

Hi friends! I sure hope you had a wonderful Christmas!  Ours was great, and busy with packing for Brazil.  On the 26th, I left my parents and Ava to go on our team's "Stateside Outreach" week.  We went to Kansas City to volunteer at IHOP's (International House Of Prayer) "One Thing" Conference.  God brought me there safely through the 8 inches of snow we had, and rejoined my Brazil Team.  The conference held over 25,000 people, and our team volunteered in the main conference room as ushers, prayed for people in the healing room, and some of the guys even acted as parking attendants.  It was a very blessed event. 

However, after talking to my team leaders, it looked as though it would be too late to get Ava's Visa for Brazil.  I also have not been able to raise the money for her plane ticket.  So, after two days of unrest and prayer, about whether Ava should still go with me to Brazil... I decided not to take her.  It was a very challenging time for me.  I really wanted her to go, and had to finally surrender my own desires, and trust God to take care of her even if she didn't go to Brazil with me.  I woke up after the second day and had an incredible peace that I have never felt.  I knew she was supposed to stay here, and my YWAM leader and my parents confirmed it. 

So...Ava will be staying here with my parents while I go on outreach.  Today, a lady from my parents' church agreed to keep her during the day...while my parents are at work.  It is definitely going to be hard being away from her, and we will both miss each other.  However, I have to trust my Lord to comfort both of us.  There will be many other missions trips for her to go on with me in the future.

I am still praying that she might be able to visit Brazil, with my sister, while I am there.  So, please be praying that if that is Gods will, the money for them to come visit will come in.  We still need your support and prayers!  I also ask that you prayerfully consider supporting us financially on a monthly basis.  I know God has called Ava and I into missions in some way.  We are still praying about the YWAM school in Hawaii.  I only ask that you seek God's Kingdom first, and His will, and His love for you!

Love and Blessings,
Brooke and Ava