drug trafficking, painting walls and the presence on God

As you can tell by the title we had just a little bit more action this week as a Pais team. God's given us some real direction in these first few weeks of being here in Brazil and hid presence is really showing us where and what he wants us to focus on. 

This Tuesday we had a great day of admin with the team, sorting out what we will be doing for next 2 months, as we are going to have a very busy schedule for the next while. This month we are going to be working on a porject with the teens in the church called "escholha da vida" (life choices). It's a 5 week programme with discussion and activity that we will be doing during the church services with all the teens of the church. We have been given a space in the back of the church for this with loads of different resources so we were spending sometime preparing that this week, painting and tidying the place up. We're also going to be able to use this space of outreach events (like the logic cafe) which is going to be really exciting. 

Group of leaders and teens sorting out the "teen space"

 As usual on Wednesday we had our youth group. I would really like some Praise for what God has been doing in our youth group, it really is amazing sometimes. The last few weeks we will be starting off with our worship time (which I usually just 3 prepared songs) but in the middle of it we just feel God's presence in the midst of us so we just wait on him, praying with each other and telling each other what we think God is saying in the moment. This week we had a new guy (one of Ramin's break dancing friends) so we welcomed him with a time of prayer. He received healing in his leg and became a Christian right there! We are so amazed at what the "presence" is doing in our midst and we just pray for more and even bigger stuff to happen. 

As we have the last few weeks we visited the half way house this Thursday  We had prepared our "lesson" which was just the gospel really. When we got there we met two new kids and we were told that one of the kids had had something to do with drug trafficking and something like $10,000 was involved and because of this we had to move to the back of the house encase (and I'm paraphrasing) "someone came to shot him." We then just had a chance to sing to them and let the presence come with that. This gave way to our games and lessons that we had prepared. In the end we asked if anyone would want to received Jesus and the "drug trafficking" guy raised his hand. We prayed with him there and he accepted Jesus into his life. After we had a chance to sit and praise with the kids and just sing blessings over them. 

us and the kids at the halfway house

Finally we had a chance to go back to Floca (our school) on Friday. Was amazing to see all the familiar faces and to meet new ones. God really is going to some amazing things in that place in the next few months. Please prayer that the different projects that we will be bringing into the school would be filled with the spirit that these kids may come to meet their saviour. 

we finish with a prayer with the kids every time we visit floca

It has been a great busy week and there will be many more to come. Please thank God for what he is doing here but also pray for more and more that we may see not just these schools change but the whole of Natal. 

Thanks for reading 
love 
mark

teaching and preaching

Another fun week here in brazil. This will be a short little update as we haven't got back to the schools yet we really that busy yet. 

The two main things that we did this week were visiting the half way house again and running a "day of banter" at the church for all the kids that we've been involved with. 

Our time at the half way house was great this week as we were able to share one of our previous lessons with them. We shared with them about how God has created them all with their own unique purpose. I had the chance to show them my talent (singing) and then shared the story of "the talents". It was a great opportunity to share some light into that place, as i really think those kids need to know they have purpose. We also had a great opportunity to prayer with the directorship just before we left which was great. 

Our day of banter at the church on Friday afternoon was really great as well. We had just sent an invite out to all the guys from our youth group and all the guys from the schools that we had had contact with. A good number showed up in the end and we just "hung out" playing games and then watched the lion king. I then shared a word on Identity and who we truly are in Christ, using the lion king as an example. Seemed to go down well and i think some of the guys really needed to hear what their true identity is, as those around them are telling them other thing. 

As it is now the holidays for "brazilian Carnival" (a huge big party that takes place all over brazil, i dont really get it if I'm honest) we've had the last few days off which has been "restful". Needless to say I'm very egger to get back into the way of things out here and really what to see what God has in store for us this season. 

Please pray for us as we get back into the schools that we may make new relationships and look after the ones we already have. 

I'm goin to be making video updates in the coming weeks, so heres the first instalment. 

Pais Natal update 1

The following week (starting the 11th) was much the same). Had the opportunity to speak in the youth group which was great, challenging but I'm getting better. I spoke about worship and how our real lasting worship of God is when we step out of the church and live our lives for him. We headed to the half way house again on Thursday and had a really peaceful time just hanging out with the kids as they made jewellery. Was great to see how such an easy thing can bring such peace into a house like that. And as usual we had a chance to hang out with the kids from Floca on Friday, just slacklining and playing games.
I've had the chance to start mentoring a guy called Hermes from Floca these last few weeks which has been a real opportunity iin learning for both of us. He's 19 and is a really great guy that is really seeking Jesus right now. or the next 40 days he will be heading to an army base to train to be part of the military, so I would really appreciate your prayers over him as he goes into this new adventure. 

thanks for reading
mark

New season

So I've now been back in brazil for a week now and it has been really fantastic to get back into the way of life out here. As it was last term life here is very full and fast but as the schools haven't yet started up we have a little bit of time to get settled back in and to prepare for the coming year which has been fantastic. 

I arrived last Friday afternoon (which feels like an age ago now) and was in bed by 8pm to get some rest for the following day as we were heading to a city 2 hours drive away to do a day mission in a church there. The city was called Santa Cruz and we left with a group  young adults from the church in Natal. Basically just had a few talks sharing the with the church there about how we do evangelism as Pais and as a church and just got share in fellowship with them. (Was also able to lead worship which was back into the deep end but very fun). 

Us at the church in Santa Cruz

I've heard a little word that i might be asked to get more involved in the worship within the coming months (ie leading a lot more) so i would really appreciate some prayer for that, because i would love that opportunity but the time might not work for it.  

During the day of tuesday and wednesday we just spent in the church doing some admin for the coming weeks, stuff like putting our lessons up online for global Pais and watching Pais videos. 

We had a really great time of fellowship on wednesday at the youth group because Ramin had brought a couple of his friends from up north from the break dancing scene to come and hang out. God gave me some specific "words" for them that were really relevant to them which was awesome and some of them ended up crying when they heard them (and as we know, like in sport, in ministry when the other person cries you know you're winning). Was great to just spend the time showing those guys some real love. 

We spent some of our Thursday in a half way house in Natal. This is a place were kids who are homeless can come and lives off of the street. It is a real "strange" place were the kids can go where they want and they aren't given anything to do, a lot of them coming from really bad situations. But as usual we had a great chance to show the kids there some real love and hope and were able to do a little break dancing lesson with them (i was used as an example of a person who can't dance). Would really love if you guys could pray for that place as it really needs the love of God to flow into it and to show the kids that there is something better. 

I've had some more chances to go to the beach and stuff with the host family which has been awesome. Woke up at 4.30am to go sand boarding on Saturday which was great craic but i was rubbish. 

Passing a beach at sunrise 5am

One of the best things about this week was our time back at Capoeira. the instructor I think is preparing us for a "baptism" which is like getting another belt in other martial arts so its getting really difficult, which I love. It's also been a great opportunity to be a light as we've been able to hang out with the guys more and tell them our own stories. 

Has been a great first week back and I have huge hopes for the coming months but as always I really need all of the prayer that you guys continue to offer up .Please pray for the schools as we prepare to go back to them and that Jesus may open doors for us to show his love to the students there.

Lots of love 

Mark