"I could talk about love...."

Another week here in Natal and the spirit continues to move in and through us in all that we are doing. 
(this blog is going to be a little bit shorter as I don't have much time to write it)

This week we had our first real day in our new school "Maia Neto" which was fantastic. Another great chance to show God's love to students and the great thing is how close it is to the church. It means that it is a lot easier for them to come to us in cell groups and in the services. 

As there was another holiday this week for voting (again!) we had our day in Floca on Thursday and then had a day out with the guys from Floca on Friday. It was fantastic to just chill with the guys at the park and have some fun slacklining and playing games. There was about 30 students who turned up. Ramin asked near the end if anyone wanted to speak so I said "I could speak on love...". Was able to talk about how God has changed me here not through huge miracles of vast change but the gradual melting of a hard heart that is LOVE. That love is who God is and it is what he is for them. The guys seemed to "hear" it so that was awesome. 

Also had a chance to leader worship again.... this week in Portuguese! Was a new challenge but loved it and hopefully will be able to pray more in the future. 

In terms of last weeks prayer, thank you soo much. I went to the federal Police to renew my visa and was in and out in about 30min with my visa sorted, which was fantastic! So please pray for praise for that. 

Please pray this week for the schools that we go into. For Maia Neto and Floca. That we may be able to connect more kids to the church and properly start mentoring so that they can see what "the walk" really looks like. 

"our business is Jesus and business is good"

This has probably been the best week in Brazil so far. God has been so tangibly present in everything and in everyone. (not to mention is was my birthday! )

My beautiful team!

I came into this week rather "spiritually empty" as had basically spent the whole of last weekend on Netflix watching kids TV. I hadn't been reading the word or praying or resting in God's presence for the coming week (always try to get some really good "Jesus time" on the weekend, just to prepare for the week). So when it came to our administration day on Tuesday I had this weight of frustration on me. It was just one of the those days where everything made me angry! I shared this with the group and they just spent like 20 minutes encouraging me! By the end I just wanted to cry (but obviously didn't). I am so glad that I have a team like this, that expels the weights the devil sends with LOVE (and I'm starting to think that's how it's meant to be). Afterwards I got to go to the gym with Jared (some much needed exercise) and skype Simon henry, Youth Carrol and Kerri Todd which was awesome. 

Kerri (far right) and her team in Bolivia

If you can take this opportunity to lift up Kerri Todd in Prayer. She is my friend working with Tearfund in Bolivia with street kids and women effected by trafficking and prostitution. She is struggling a bit at the minute with sickness, frustrations on the team and frustrations in the work, so please just pray that the final 4 weeks she has there are an amazing experience with the Father. 

Wednesday we had a new school (Maia Neto) to go to in the afternoon, so we used the morning to prepare lessons for Friday in floca and then headed off to the school to do a presentation on Pais. It was a difficult setting as they had the whole school (about 150-200 students) in the library at once. But the presentation went well and had a great opportunity to get to know some more kids. We headed back to the church for the youth group and that's when the fun happened. So our team leader was speaking to the kids about "hearing the voice of the spirit" so we did an exercise to "practice it". He got half the room to face the wall with their eyes closed. Someone then puts the hand on the shoulder of the person facing the wall and the person facing the wall prayers for that person asking for a word from God. I wasn't really expecting anything thinking this was more for the kids but when I put my hand on the shoulder of a guy called Abner he said the words (in portugese) "I see a guitar..."! He went on to say some other really relevant stuff to me and then turned round opened his eyes and said "WHAT!?!" (setting the scene in that room there are 2 people that played guitar and one that lead worship, which most of the word was about, and that was me!)  It was serious crazy, like some had done a magic trick in front of me and I didn't know how they did it. Afterwards I was filled with so much Joy (just couldn't stop smiling). 

Thursday we spent a whole refreshing day in the house of the Pastor from the church (Pastor Bryan). It was a fantastic day of just resting in the word and talking about how Pais is getting on so far, as well as playing board games, video games and eating wonderful food prepared by the family. Had another opportunity to have a "Mantoring" session with the other two guys on the team, which was really needed and so refreshing just to chat and to listen! We also watched the third in the series of documentaries about Miracles which will absolutely blow your mind! 

here's the link to the first one, definitely worth a watch: 

http://fingerofgod.wpfilm.com/

Friday after being empowered by our great day of rest on Thursday, we were back into Floca early for our friday morning class. This week we were using the last part of the verb "to be" to talk about "we are" using this to teaching about loving you neighbour. I had great fun in being the man getting beaten up in the good Samaritan story. It was a fantastic morning and was recieved differently as other days have been. The funny thing was the room was rather chatty for most of the classes but as soon as Ramin started talking about God's love and how he loves them the room was completely silent. You could really feel them seeing what God had to say to them which was fantastic. During the interval in the classes Jared brought us all out of the room and said "i think we should talk about something that just came us guys can we go in here for a second", so he pushed me into another classroom were they had a surprise birthday party for me! What was really encouraging was that the students were the ones that organised it! I didn't really know how to react but it was fantastic. 

my surprise in floca 

Later on when we came back to Floca for the break time thing we do each week. This week was fantastic! I had the opportunity to give one of the guys a word from God, to talk and pray with a girl about some problems she'd been having and to talk to one of the guys who said he was a Jehovah's witness. God was so apparent there this week his presence was almost visible!

It gets better! Saturday we had planed to do a "holy spirit treasure hunt". Basically we spent the morning learning how to hear the voice of God and then we tried to hear. We told to ask for a place, the appearance of a person, a problem they are having, a name and something different that would help us recognise them. So we all went to our different places in teams and prayed for strangers all day. Got to pray with a man in a wheel chair, a Grandmother and her children, a husband and wife with boy girl twins (just like me and joy) and a man holding a sign in the street. Not trying to convert them or make them turn from their evil ways but praying for their issues and saying "God loves you". What was really cool for us was that the person that Mijjam (german girl on the team) prayed with had the same name that was on her paper and I got to pray with a guy that looked the same as that which was on mine. Was a fantastic experience just sharing God's love the way Jesus did and some of the guys had experiences even cooler than ours. 

Me and my host parents

Well I got home from that day and my host family were having a big party for my host dad so i was thinking "lets get through this party and go to bed!" Half way through the party my host brother brings me to the back of the house to get "something" then my host dad called me to the front of the house. Opened the front door and half of the church and my team were standing there shouting "SURPRISE!" Turns out my host family had organised a surprise party for me and not only that but had asked me really family to make me a video which was the best present ever! It was amazing and everyone came up to me with words of encouragement. My host mum even said a speech about me and my team leader prayed for me after! I had not expected anything to happened for me so after that I felt so ridiculously loved! Most of the night i was thinking I didn't even know any of these people 2 months ago! 

my surprise party!

It was without a doubt the best week of my stay here so far, God just blessed me so much and I can't stop praising him for that!

In terms of prayer please pray for my visa. I was supposed to hear back from the consulate in London last week about my visa for after christmas but they have not contacted me and they are very difficult to contact. I also have to renew my tourist visa this week so please pray that God will have his hands upon that and that his power would shine through even in the stupidness that is visa! 

Busy but wouldn't have it any other way

It seems that life here in Brazil will always be changing, as this week was again a very different week for us as a team, Busy but wouldn't have it any other way. 

Monday was our day off as usual and watch the families netflix most of the day (I've found a kids TV of the avengers from Marvel that I am a bit addicted to). Also got to go to the cinema with Ramin for my first time in Brazil. Was great to just chill out watching a good movie with him. 

Tuesday was our normal day of administration. Getting lessons and things sorted for the week. We also watch some videos made by pais every week called "livewire". They are just videos about ministry and different ways to be more affective as a team. 

Wednesday we as a team had a chance to visit another school near the church called "mioneta" (i think). We just had a chat with the directors of the school and they said that we can come to the school this coming and do our stuff. It's really exciting for us as a team to be able to reach more kids. It's going to be different but another great opportunity that I would appreciate prayer for. We had a lot of time after that which was good because I had to prepare the word for the cell group that night and need to have my mentoring session with Ramin. I was talking on Love. It's something I've been learning about lately. That God's glory, his vastness is not in his grandeur but in his love! And when we share that love we are showing people his glory. (exodus 33:19, 1st Corinthians 13, Ephesians 3:14-21) But to be able to give that love we must first receive it! Was really cool to be able to share that and was a challenge as I had to try and share in Portuguese! But it seemed to go down well.

Thursday is when this week started getting challenging. As the school had a day off on Friday we had our usual Friday in the school on the Thursday. We have been given the chance every week to teach all of the kids in the school who don't have a teacher that day. So each day we go to the school we get to teach about 100 kids which is unbelievable. The past few weeks we've been milking the verb "to be" for all its worth. Through it teaching about identity, stereotyping and this week Gossiping. It was received really well as a lesson and the kids seem to really identify with it. After the lessons we head out for lunch to recover for the afternoon when "supervise" the break time sessions. This just involves us sitting and talking to the guys from 2:30-5:30. It is amazing to see how many doors are open to us as a team and we try to reach as many people as possible. We joke as a team that we are like "YEAH I'm ready to fight for the chance to go into these schools. Oh, the doors open and you're actually just going to let us do whatever we want. Okay!" After this we as a team got to help out with a party at our normal kids club in Sao Jose de Mipibu. Was a bit of Brazilian moment when our lift to get there was 2 hours late which tested our patience a little but was so glad to get the chance just to love the kids and celebrate them. 

Us teaching in floca

Friday morning was another early day as we went to the church to help out with another kids club for "dia das criencas" (children's day). Was really good fun (mostly because I got to dress up as a lion for most of the morning). After this we headed to an all day barbecue with the youth of the church. Was good fun just to hang out and swim in the pool and play football but was very tired after these days of late nights and early mornings. 

service in the church

Was a bit of a testing week for us as a team but was great to be able to serve in some many different ways. 

Us and a group of guys from Floca after slacklining 

I keep saying that as a 'missionary' here is Brazil I seem to be receiving more blessing than I am giving out. Through the family, the church, my team and even just in my quiet times with God I am being so blessed.

Bible study with Floca guys

Please continue to pray for the Floca and the cell group that we lead (especially as we start mentoring people), the saturday kids club and of course for the new school this week, that God would open up the hearts to the kids to hear what we have to say. 

Deus te abencoe

mark

Doing Capoeria like a boss!

the spirit is moving...

It's been nearly a month and a half here and Brazil and I really could see myself being anywhere else right now. God has done great things in me from the terrible little teenager to the confident Pais apprentice that I'm becoming. I am absolutely loving my time here and praise God every day for this amazing opportunity. This week I had the opportunity to experience more of God through his word and through some really cool experiences that we had (so needless to say it's been a good week).

Tuesday was just our normal administration day. It seems like it's going to be the most "normal" day we're going to be getting in the week and it is a really good time to meet together as a team in the word and to prepare for the week ahead. I was feeling a bit iffy on Tuesday (just a bit sick) but the team prayed for me and it seemed to ease it a bit because I was able to each a   goiaba (which is my favourite fruit out of all the many types that we have hear). It's usually a pretty short day so got to head home and have a wee rest after that. Later that night I went to the house that Jared is living in to watch a ridiculously over the top action movie with Vin diesel (fast and furious 5) which was very good fun. 

Wednesday all the school's had a day off so we headed to the apartment of one of the girls from the cell group to hang out for the day with the cell. It had a pool and football pitch so got to just hang out with them for the day. Was a really good day just to have some good craic with the youth and had a time with a message from the team leader that really seemed to hit home with some of them. That night I got to have a really good chat with Jared on the bus on the way home just about we were both feeling. One of the things I had said is that I had been struggling with reading the word. That night when I got home (as Jared had been praying for me) I had one of the greatest times in the word that I've had since I got here. Was so good just to be fed again.

Because of the day's off this week the days weren't the same as they usually are. Thursday for example we had our time to prepare classes for friday and then after that we headed to Floca to do our usual chat "supervision" that we do on Friday afternoons. Was another great time just hanging with the guys in the school, with some great chats about God.

Friday we went into the school at 7 as usual to do our "English lesson". This week we were teaching on the verb "to be" (again) but this time focusing on the second person singular and plural "you are". We used this to talk about "judging others" and how we judge we will be judged. Was received really well and ever had a girl crying (and as my team leader Ramin said "it's just like sport if the other person's crying you know you've won"). Two other members of the team got to pray with her and listen to her story. It was just fantastic to be the lights in that life. (while she was crying I couldn't stop smiling I was like "thank you Jesus"). 

Saturday and Sunday were the usual days of rest, church and Sao jose de mipibu (well almost). On Saturday night me and steph and Jared went to a youth service with our host families. The service was alright but after it was the cool thing. So Jared has had a bad throat this week and he was feel down about it so we decided to pray for it. We just tried to listen to the spirit in it all and after we prayed Jared said "I can swallow and it doesn't hurt" with a rather surprised look on his face because he hadn't been able to do that before. Some people might try to pass that off as nothing but for me he was healed! Not completely he still has a sore throat but he could do something that he couldn't do before. 

God's really been moving in me about the power of the holy spirit and how his death on the cross didn't just cover our sin, it covered our sickness too. I don't know all the theology behind it but I really just want to experience more of the loving power and touch of the living God here and to know more about it. God is good and he does good things!

So keep praying for all of these different things please, Floca, Sao Jose, the cell group and for God to be able to open up doors in new schools as well

Lots of love 
Mark

Breaking up fights, and showing people the light!

This week has been rather normal for us (but a normal week here never really is that normal!). 

Tuesday again we had our day of administration, but we were told then that we won't be going into the army base (none of the team got clearance from the army so we can't go in) so we had a good bit of free time on Tuesday. So we as a team watched a documentary about Healing! It was called "the fingers of God" and was really very interesting, it is something I really want to find more out about this year. The biggest thing I got from it is this "it's all about love". 

Wednesday as we had no Army Base we went to try and apply to another school really near the church. As soon as we got there there was a fight that the two bigger guys on our team had to break up, which I think is a real blessing to be honest (“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons^[a] of God.") it shows how willing we our to be a good influenced there. We talked to the director there a little bit after that and then went out for dinner. We had a sort of party in our cell group with some of the younger teens. We played mafia and me along with another English speaking guy killed everyone!

Thursday was another brilliant day of fun team playtime and organising lessons for Friday. Had another mentoring session with the two older guys in the team and was a great encouragement!

Friday was another difficult and yet fantastic day in the school. Raising at 5:30 in the morning and speaking Portuguese all day can be difficult but the work makes it really worth it. This week we used the verb "to be" to talked about self identity and how the labels that we give ourselves or other people give us don't have to rule us. They don't have to defines us. Was really cool because some people were really affected by it and we were able to pray with them and tell them that they have so much worth in Christ. As usual came back to the school after lunch and just had a time of chatting with the guys about were they're at and everything. Was great fun and a lot of people had really spirit-filled conversations which was fantastic. 

I know someone's missing here i just don't know who

Saturday was unexpectedly one of the fullest days of the week. Got up earlier than usual to go to church and practice with the church band. Was great playing with a full band for the first time and Jared (another member of the team) played drums as I played guitar and sang. Well after the practice the youth pastor (who leads the band), told us, "well can you guys do 2 songs in the service tonight". As usual going with the flow we were like "yeah definitely!". I then had a great chat with the pastor of the church (who is an american originally) about Ireland and my home and then he invited me to his house for lunch! Had a great chat with him, he is clearly a great man of God and really loved just having some fellowship with him. We as a team then went to Sao Jose de Mipibu (our saturday kids club) and helped with the programme there. Back to the church for the youth service were me and Jared became part of the worship team to sing "your love never fails" and "Beautiful one". After that the services got particularly "Brazilian" as there was a lot of dancing and going buck daft! Was great craic! 

The biggest thing of the week (and possibly the five weeks so far) is that one of the guys from the school came to church on Sunday! More than that, there was an alter call this week and he went up to give his life to Jesus!! Got pray with him during the service and afterwards got to spend a good time of fellowship, as we went out for dinner afterwards. 

As I said on the Pais project website (I'm on the pais project website, I feel a little bit famous!). "God is moving in great way in the hearts and minds of young people here in Brazil. Not just in the Brazilians but in me too!"

Continue to pray for these different things but at this stage I'd like to ask you to pray for thanks for God is doing and continues to do.

• Thanks that I am improving with the language 
• thanks that Vitor (the guy from the school) gave his life to Jesus yesterday! (and that just fills me with joy!)
• Thanks that there are so many "people of peace" within the school who want to know more about Jesus and what we have to say. 
• Thanks for this amazing team of people that I am apart of. 
• For my host family here and my wonderful family at home (and for skype so that I can talk to them). 

I could go on for a long time but I won't. 

I just want to thank everyone who reads this blog for your continual prayers and support. I know too well that without your prayers we could accomplish very little here. 

so thank you 

Mark