In a nut shell

Okay, in a huge nutshell... Adam Green, who was new to me on the Brazil trip wrote this up and posted it on rick's blog (www.latterain.com) It kinda sums up the trip's activites, and some things He experienced. It's long, so pace yourself. you might want to get a snack around paragraph 12. :0)


ADAM JUST RETURNED FROM A BRAZIL MISSION TRIP
Filed under: Rick's Thoughts — Rick @ 10:52 am
My wife, Gina, and I just returned from an amazing mission trip to Brazil, and I want to try to capture it for you while things are still fresh in my mind. I know already that it will be difficult to put it all into words; it will be out of context and may even sound weird, but here’s a stab at it. As you read, you must remember that all things on this trip were SOAKED in prayer. Sometimes the team prayed for an hour or more before embarking on an activity….
There were 21 of us in the group that flew down to Rio de Janeiro from the United States. Most were in their 20’s and 30’s. This was a very “hungry for God” type of group. Each morning began with 30 minutes of praise and worship sung with guitar accompaniment in what I called “the Upper Room.” This was the room where we ate, worshiped, prayed, studied, laughed, and cried together.
The room is on the 3rd floor of the mission, with one open-air wall looking out over the valley below and across to the next hill (which was covered with poverty: one-room shacks, dogs and kids running excitedly, horses walking around, fires burning every few days, crowing of roosters, and fireworks going off randomly).
Worship each day was usually followed by a one-hour teaching of Romans by Rick Bonfim, followed by a one-hour or more teaching of Galatians or other books of the Bible by Betty Mckinney.
When time allowed, we prayed for an hour (all out loud, all at once, as a group in the upper room). Does this sound familiar from a certain chapter of Acts? Let me tell you something: there was much prayer which occurred during these times, many revelations through scripture, and other amazing movements of the Holy Spirit as He ministered to us in that place. This intense time of worship, study and prayer took us to lunchtime.
Afternoons varied greatly. Some were spent walking the poverty-ridden hills around the mission, handing out a truckload (literally a truckload) of clothes to the poor, handing out toothbrushes and toothpaste, or hugging, greeting, and simply being around the locals. Some of the areas we visited were gut-wrenchingly poor, and all were walking distance from the mission. We went through one area with a stream flowing through it which was gray with raw sewage. We saw plenty of one-room houses with families of five or more living in them, with bed sheets serving as dividing walls.
Our job was to bless them with provision and love. A few afternoons were spent forming a human assembly line, passing truckloads (literally truckloads) of concrete blocks and bricks to the top of a small mountain only accessible by dirt footpaths. The materials which we moved up the mountain are being used in the construction and protection of a radio tower, which is funded 100% by the mission (no government aid). The tower will be used by the mission’s FM radio station to send the gospel through a nearby valley which has 500,000 people. This is one of Rick’s current visions, and the Lord is blessing it.
That brings us to the evening time. We showered and got dressed up for church services each night. We all piled onto the mission bus (which, praise God, has an air conditioner and is very nice) and went to a different church every night. These churches were normally one or two hours’ drive away from the mission. Sizes of the church membership ranged from 75 to 1,200
At some point in each service, our group would sing several songs with guitars and drums. Some of the guys in our group played these instruments very well, so it all worked out great. We never really practiced, and we never knew which songs we would sing until we started. It didn’t matter how we sounded or even whether they could understand our English words, as everyone was just loud, clapping and dancing and yelling to God. Brazilians and Americans alike were praising our one awesome God!
Each night the Holy Spirit guided the service, and every night was different. Sometimes we sang in the beginning, sometimes in the middle, sometimes at the end. Rick Bonfim usually sang some of his recorded songs, had Pastor Garry Livermon preach while he translated into Portuguese, and then Rick would preach.
Rick does not go to a church with a prescribed message or an order of service in mind. He is constantly listening to the voice of God regarding the needs of that church, and then directing the Americans according to what he hears from the Lord for that night. When the Holy Spirit began to bring conviction, immediately Rick would give a call for salvation, and anywhere from 5 to 50 people would come forward for salvation.
Sometimes God would show Rick the need for deliverance and he would speak about being delivered from certain strongholds and then make a call for prayer. We would see as many as 100 or more come forward on some nights for this. It was never the same, or in the same order. Our entire group was the prayer team and we would lay hands on them and pray for them with all of our might. It was powerful stuff.
One night we were totally exhausted. The schedule gets to be grueling, and most of the services last three hours, not counting the travel time. After having hauled a few tons of bricks up the hill that afternoon, we were silently pleading, “Give us strength, God!” We had been singing for a long time, waiting to see a breakthrough in this church.
Finally during the last five minutes of the service, the local pastor was pressuring Rick to finish the service on time. The essential word from the Holy Spirit came through to Rick and he made a call for a specific area of need. The breakthrough came, and with the rush on the altar, the service lasted another half hour, to the joy of all, including the local pastor who had been ready to quit at 9:30 p.m.
So much happened each night that I can’t keep it all straight. We usually got home between 11:00 p.m. and midnight. Some nights we prayed as a group before leaving the mission for the church services; sometimes we prayed as a group, out loud and all at once, for an hour on the bus on the way to the church.
There were no patterns, no formulas - just exalt the Lord and wait for Him to show up and guide the service! Rick uses three code words which help to direct the groups in church services. When he said “Coca Cola,” we would all leave our seats, hurry to the altar, and be ready to pray for all of those coming forward. When he said “Dr. Pepper,” we would form ourselves into a tunnel, two people facing one another in a line.
The people wanting prayer would walk through this “human prayer tunnel” and we would lay hands on them and pray as they passed through. It was amazingly powerful. We would often see over 100 people come through the tunnel: children, adults, old, young, rich, poor, black, and white. You could feel the power of God when people started through and tears would stream down their faces. The code word “Pepsi” meant “Get on the bus; it’s finally time to go home!”
One night Rick was led to share from Luke 15, about the prodigal son. He found out later that it made a great impact on the father of the pastor of that church. The father was not a Christian but had come to his son’s church for some reason, perhaps just to see “the Americans.” At age 62, the father of the pastor was saved that night, and he and his son were joined together in loving Jesus. What a celebration for that church!!
I’m telling you, it got so loud in the churches after the ministry times that you could yell and not even hear yourself. There were many awesome things that happened in the services. Many people were saved and many were healed or set free from burdensome problems. Every night the worship got crazier and crazier for the Lord, and our team got bolder and bolder, and by the end it was just a dancing party in church before the Lord.
One morning in the “upper room” I was on my knees praying with my hands held out in front of me. Rick was praying for me, and a feeling like when your hands fall asleep came over my arms and hands. The feeling got stronger, and stronger. Both arms and hands began to feel like electrical current was on them, and they began vibrating like crazy.
As my fingers began to pull together, I could not hold them apart. I raised my hands above my head and the feeling immediately stopped. I lowered them again in front of me and the surge immediately started again. This happened several times. It lasted for about 10 minutes, and was an awesome feeling that I didn’t want to go away. [Note: Adam was receiving deep spiritual healing during this time].
I know, this all sounds somewhat odd, but everything we experienced was bathed in prayer, based upon solid biblical foundations, and done in the name of Jesus Christ and by His blood. It was all good. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were glorified in it all. God was showing up in unusual, powerful and special ways. This is just my story, my observations as a first-time participant in a Brazil mission trip; there are 21 other stories that are just as awesome and powerful.
Adam Green
Aurora, Colorado

Brazil pics

brazil pics

Eat, Drink and be merry!

Okay, we did do more that eat and drink in Brazil , but the pictures don't really show it. They had amazing ice cream that you paid for by weight, you just help yourself to as much as you want. I didn't' recognize many flavors because they were all in Portuguese. However, I did read "rum". yum. I also knew the word "cheese" so I avoided that one. Wes is feeding some to mouse here.
On our tour of the area of the mission, we walked up and down hills forever! Then we came to a bar. Yes, a random bar in the middle of nowhere. Well the group shared bottles of Gurana (like ginger ale). One evening we went to a Brazilian steak house where we ate to our heart's delight! They simply come and give you meats that have been roasted. And you can eat as much as you'd like. I only ate tiny bites of each so I could try most of them, and they were delicious. I had fillet mignon, ostrich, iguana, chicken, pork, wild boar, and some kinda Brazilian animal that has the body of a deer, but the face of a rat. Ewww. But it tasted good anyway. What ever Jennifer was eating in this picture must have been good too. And of course we began/ ended everything in our day with amazing Brazilian coffee. I brought 20 bags home with me. No I'm serious. The security officer at the air port laughed at me.

Sand and the Rock

One night, while in Brazil, Gary Livermon, father to my friends Adam and Brad, preached a sermon about the parable of the sand and the rock. He made an interesting point. He noted that each the men who build their houses had good intentions. Both loved their families. Both put a lot of blood sweat and tears into their houses. But only one had fruitful remains after the storms blew through. It was because of the material it was based upon. When the storms blow through our lives,- the pink slip, the affair, the test results coming back positive,- where is our foundation?

I kept these ideas in my head as I went through out the week in Brazil. And I took special notice of circumstances around me. See, most of the time when I read this parable I think of sand, and a little rock. And I always think, "I'm a christian, I'm upon the rock." But do I always act like it?

This week, I thought of it in a different way. We went to visit a place called Sugar Loaf. It's really just a huge rock jutting out of the coast line. They've built a cable car system to carry you up to the top. The view is breath taking, you can see for miles and miles. But the thing that stood out the most was that I was standing on a giant rock. I mean it was huge! 100 storms wouldn't even make a dent in this thing. The Brazilians are so confident of this fact, they built a gift shop on top and charge people a lot of money for post cards and Sugar Loaf underwear.

However a few days later, we took a trip to the beach. Again, breathtaking, but this time, as I stood at the shore line, I observed the fickleness of sand. At first it seems firm and comforting, but with the first wave, the sand from beneath my feet was gone. I had to find a new spot, or risk sinking lower and lower. When I did finally decide to stand still, not only was the sand beneath me swept away, but the next wave pushed sand upon the top of my feet, burrying them. It was constant striving just to stay on level ground.

So I've been reflecting upon these two idea in light of my fund raising to return to Swaziland. To say it's overwhelming at times would be an understatement. But I realized that while I claim that my faith in my return is built upon a rock (which it is) I act like it's on shifting sand. One little storm and I get all in a tizzy, striving striving, trying just to stay in one spot. I don't think God wants me to be that way. He wants me to understand that I am on a rock in His promise. I can stand in His will, as if it were Sugar Loaf,- stable, strong, and able to withstand 100 storms.

The church of the Lion part 2

READ ME SECOND!!!!

While I was in Brazil I re-read some of my journal entries from the previous year. About a year ago , while driving in my car, God spoke to me saying, "You can't seperate my love from my power, because they are the same thing." I didn't quiet get it. I ran it by a few friends who totally got it, but as they tried to explain it to me, I still couldn't get it. So I put it on the shelf for a while.
Anyway, this past week I think I got a glimpse of what it means. The church of the Lion as I've already written is so full of sincere, tangible love. And with it came unbridled power!
The holy spirit ruled that church, His Glory fell, and I witnessed things I never could have imagined.

Several of our team members were "slain in the spirit"

A friend stood at the alter and the pastor grabbed his forhead, blew into his mouth and my friend let out a roar!! He said, "Christy, it was a sound that I never could have produced in the natural."

I saw a woman worshiping, while holding the hand of another girl, maybe her friend or sister. Over a period of several minutes I noticed a change in her. Her gentle sway began more intense, then a bounce, then her arms came out to her side and began to rise up and down so gracefully. Suddenly, her friend fell out, and she began to move with more fervor. She no longer looked like a person dancing. I thought to myself, "It looks just like a bird flying!" With that, she opened her mouth and let out 3 ear spliting eagle calls.

One friend had a woman blow on her and she fell to her knees. The woman blew a second time and she fell out. When she got up again, she was weeping, and didn't stop for hours. This wouldn't seem like a big deal to most of us, but this friend had confided in me that she used to be abused for crying as a child. So she no longer cried. She told me that night, "I've been praying for a year that God would let me feel again. That He'd help me cry" She asked me later, "Do you remember in that Narnia movie, when everyone was turned to stone? And the Lion blew on them and they came to life again?" I hadn't remembered that scene but thought it was significant that she did. The Lion of Judah has begun to restore her.

Once on the bus again, the team becan to share stories of what they had experienced. Again and Again and Again, it was the power of God to convict hearts, heal wounds, set the captives free, and restore.
I'm starting to see what He means about His love and his power being the same thing.

The church of the Lion

Oh how do I even put words on a blog to describe the Church of the Lion?
Loving
Passionate
Unbridled
Free
Blessed
After leaving, I thought to myself, "I want to give them something. I want to bless them" But with what? How could I ever bless them? I have nothing they want. I have nothing they need. The bible says, "Blessed are the poor..." They truly are a people who are blessed by God. And I could never compete with that.
We'd heard rumor and whispers throughout the week from Betty and Will that this church was off the hook. "You'll love it. It's amazing" On Friday, Betty told us, "We've saved the best for last."
Upon arriving I noticed nothing but love pouring out of the people. They have such a love for God, that they can't help but love people. It felt like walking into a family reunion where everyone is so excited to see you. The teenagers were relaxed and excited to be there, and they looked after toddlers who wandered around the church and everyone looked out for one another. Even when things got wild, they looked out for one another to make sure no one hurt themselves or others on accident.
Full of Love Full of Grace.
They seemed to understand the connectedness of her universal church and were sensitive to our needs. The pastor spoke a little English and would translate a few lines of the songs so we would understand what we were singing, and the worship dancers had capes of several world flags incorporated in their costumes.
I'd gone expecting to serve them, minister to them, pray for them, like at all of the other churches we'd visited. But we got just the opposite.
First we were gathered to the front, so the children could pray for us. I thought to myself, "oh isn't that sweet? The kids are gonna pray for us, how cute." but there was nothing "cute" about it. These children have been raised in a community operating in the love and power of God. A little girl hugged me and began to pray in my ear in Portuguese. I have no idea what she was saying, my spirit did! I broke down and started sobbing right there on the spot. And the only thing the Holy Spirit spoke to me was "Submit to God" What ever she was praying was right on!!! Then I prayed for a little boy about 7 year old and god showed me he was a pastor to his little friends. He led them and taught them about the bible, and when he grew up he'd be a pastor of adults. I tried to tell him this in my best/worst Portuguese
"Tu un pastor" and he just smile and agreed nonchalantly, as if you say, "yeah I know". This was no surprise to him, he already knew his calling. What would it feel like to know and be walking in your calling at age 7? I know 30, 40, 50 year olds still trying to figure it out. And one itty bitty girl was carrying her bible back and forth in front of the stage "preaching". She couldn't be more than 3 but know what ever it was she was preaching, was in the bible. I was absolutely amazed at the spiritual maturity of these kids. I've only met a few other kids like this and they were missionary children in Swaziland. But this was an entire church of them!!! The thing is, I don't know why I was surprised. I guess kids should be more spiritual than I expect. After all they haven't had 20+ years for the world to mess them up. They are simple, full of faith, pure, innocent. Isn't that why Jesus says we should become like children? I want to become like these children.

Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?

Can you see her? It was risky for me to photograph her, so I did it from a distance. Remember Rio was one of her hideouts? Well this was in the Atlanta airport and she boarded the plane with us, disguised as a stewardess. I almost made a citizen's arrest.

A vision for Brazil

Heidi sent this email out today. I'm so honored to be part of this group going.

We are getting so close! In just over 72 hours we will ALL be in Atlanta ready to board the plane for Brazil. The other night when praying for Brazil after a 48 hour fast I had this incredible vision that I wanted to share with the group to encourage you that I see us going into Brazil with Power and Unity and God will use that to make great things happen.

I saw all of us walking together in a line holding hands. We were walking in unity and the power of our steps were so strong and powerful that an earthquake happened. What needed to come falling down came falling down and what needed to be lifted from the rubble was lifted! He is going to move big through our unified body in Brazil and I can hardly wait to see what will happen!

John 14:11-13
11Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. 12I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.

Romans 15:5-6
5May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, 6so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

AMEN!

I don't know when I'll be able to blog again about this trip, perhaps not until I return. But please keep your eyes open. We are expecting God to move in miraclous ways!

My love name... (part 2)

A few months ago a woman who I know just slightly came in the dor of our church as I stood there. Her name is Valery and immdiately God spoke to me, "Tell her that her name means bravery." I said to her, "Valery, your name means bravery. God wants you to know that."
She choked up a bit and hugged me. "Thank you so much. I needed to hear that..." and she immediately began to pour out her heart with emotion and sincerity, sharing about how she's a coward somtimes, and use to get picked on in school. Well our whole interaction lasted only a few moments but she remained on my heart for a while. As I prayed for her God showed me a fuller understanding of what He'd meant, and I wrote it out for her:

Your name means Bravery and God needs you to understand that. It's not something that you possess, like an object that can be held temporarily and then put down. It's within you; it's who you ARE. Your Father has named you Bravery.
Just as a book has its title on its spine telling all who pass by what lies within, BRAVERY is the title written on your spine. It is your title.
You've believed the lies of the enemy for too long, and God desires for you to rise up in his strength and face challenges head on.

She was very grateful for this word, and very encouraged.
I know we are all named for different reasons and our names mean different things. Sometimes our parents don't even know what the words mean when they name us. But in our human ignorance, I think sometimes God gives us his own love name, and like this woman Valery, it has a special meaning to Him- a special purpose He's given us.
For example my parents gave me the name Christy after my aunt, Christine, the woman who helped raise my mom when she was orphaned. And Elaine was my paternal grandmother, and so was given as my middle name. And of course Merrill is just my last name,- I didn't really get named it, it's just my family inheritance.
Growing up my friends had cool names that meant "Beautiful", or "strength", or something neat like that. As a kid I thought the name Christy was useless. It means "of Christ" Now as an adult Christian, I see such a honor in it.

Well just this evening, I was playing around online and wondered what my other names mean. I looked them up and was stunned speechless.
Elaine means "light". Merrill (from my German heritage) means "famous."
My name literally means, "Famous Light of Christ"
This is huge.
And it's so humbling.
Anyone who's been journeying with me in the last 2 years or so, knows that I've been hearing that I will do great things for His kingdom. This is a simple but profound confirmation, that I've had since birth,- I've just never known.

So now I have to speak to myself, the same words I encougaged Valery with:

Your name means Famous Light of Christ and God needs you to understand that. It's not something that you possess, like an object that can be held temporarily and then put down. It's within you; it's who you ARE. Your Father has named you Famous Light of Christ.
Just as a book has its title on its spine telling all who pass by what lies within, Famous Light of Christ is the title written on your spine. It is your title.
You've believed the lies of the enemy for too long, and God desires for you to rise up in his strength and face challenges head on.

Mission Impossible?

Dum Dum Duh-dah,
Dum Dum Duh-dah...
I admit, I thought it couldn't be done. I went to Michigan last week with intent of convincing my dad to buy an air conditioner. But he being so stingy, I thought it wasn't possible. It would never happen.
But it did. After only a slight case of heat exhaustion (him not me) he cracked and we went shopping. Before I returned, there was an actual running air conditioner in our living room.
I am GOOD!!!!!
Mission complete.

My Vision for Africa

These were some ideas I had back in february. I shared then with some prayer partners and then Teresa Rehmeyer when I traveled to Swaziland, and now I'm ready to post them:

I was watching infomercials early in the morning (yes, I love them) and was watching Feed the Children. Larry Jones was in Africa talking about the little hungry boy he met 25 years ago who inspired him to create Feed the Children. Well, (surprise) they'd found that boy to be reunited with him on TV in an emotional reunion. But the thing that struck me was that his circumstances hadn't changed in 25 years. The country was still impoverished, and he was still struggling to provide food for himself and his family. And I tell you what; the enemy began to whisper to me, "What's the point? Why would you feed a child simply so they can grow up and still be hungry? You're just prolonging the inevitable."
But before that could even take root in my heart, God spoke to my spirit saying, "Things aren't always going to be that way." Praise God! He is fully aware of the situation in Africa. They are not in the corner of his eye, but they have his full attention! I believe God is getting ready to move in a powerful way concerning Africa. The work being done there will not return void. The work being done to serve the children in Africa is not in vain. The efforts there are now no longer a life-long support, but only a temporary support until they are able to stand on their own. I believe this generation of children currently being served will see the power of God sweep through the continent!!!!


Want to do your part in Africa? You don't even need to get on a plane. go to www.childrenscup.org to participate in the 40 days of prayer! It's quick, it's easy, it's free. but Oh what a difference it will make!

One Hot Momma

You know it's gonna be hot when you wake up and have a thin film of sweat on your face.
It never fails. The one week I choose to spend in Michigan is inevitably the hottest week of the year. It happens every year and this year is no exception. We are having a record breaking heat wave and I'm miserable. Its' been okay so far. We've been to lots of places with air conditioning, or a storm will blow through and cool things off at night to sleep. But yesterday it got really bad,- a heat index of 107. Today it was 80 degrees when I woke up. I'm sweating in all of my crevices!!!!!!! I'm getting lathargic, and I'm getting cranky, and my patience with my dad is wearing very very very thin!!!!! I've actually got to the point where I am planning today around cooling activities.
1st I will sit here and sweat a bit more. Then I will take a cool shower.
2nd I'll sit until I can't take it any more, then I will go to starbucks to write and have some quite time in the air conditioning
3rd I will come home and sit and sweat and be miserable until it's time to go to the movies with Colleen.
It's going to cool off this week. Can you guess when? Yes, that's right on Thursday, after I'm back in North Carolina