A very delayed Week 4

Fun facts of our return flight home: Latam airplanes have a max speed of 871 km/h. The Amazon River and Belem look very similar to Vancouver and all the islands near the BC coast. (Our team has successfully arrived back in Canada!)

As I write this, we are flying over Brazil, on our first of three flights. It is still surreal that we have been here for a month. Thinking back to the memories of our first couple days in Brazil, it feels like yesterday and yet when I think about all the things we have done in the last month, it looks like we’ve been traveling just as fast as this plane is!

It is bitter-sweet to look back on the many amazing things that happened this past week. It was a week of lasts and yet so many incredible memories.

Picking up where I left off last week – On Tuesday, we had the privilege to be part of another ProVIda team meeting. For me, these meetings are an amazing testimony of what a missions organization is; They begin their week of ministry by worshiping together and setting their focus on God. They take turns leading the Bible study, allowing different people to bring their own gifts to the team and for everyone to be spiritually fed. I really enjoyed chatting with Paula again and having her affirm in us that people we have visited in the prisons will remember us and care about us.

(and now… Christiana is finally finishing the last blog post, only a month later!)

On Tuesday morning, we had more opportunity to pray with the missionaries for the specific requests of each ministry. Something that is big for ProVida right now is the transition of closing the boys home and waiting for a sale to go through. They really were hoping for a similar organization to be able to buy it but based on financing, it may not be possible. Also two of the long-term missionaries from Germany are returning home in September and will not be returning which is leaving big gaps in the ministries that ProVida is currently involved in. We enjoyed laughter and conversation over lunch with the ProVida team and were even allowed to help clean up with dishes in the kitchen (unlike at our host family where we were shoed away if we tried to help! 🙂 )

Our team with some of the long-term ProVida staff!

Tuesday afternoon we returned to the same boys prison as previous weeks although we ended up meeting 4 new boys. We had some great conversations and were able to get to know them. After asking them to share something with us, they always flipped the question back to us which was great and it even gave us opportunities to show that we do not know what the future holds for us either. In sharing their prayer requests, they were very honest that they are uncertain about Christianity yet they do want it and acknowledged that something is missing in their lives. It was a very meaningful afternoon and a good way to end off our time at this particular prison.

Wednesday, Olivia, Jo, Kelly and I headed out to the boys home and helped clean the houses and prep for the upcoming summer camps that they will be holding. It was a hot, sweaty, wet and dirty business but we had some good laughs along the way and it was a great change of pace as well as meaningful to be directly serving the long-term missionaries.

The afternoon and evening was spent playing games with our host family and learning more Portuguese words including tent and camping because the family had bought little tents for the kids and we spent a couple nights camping in yard together!

Thursday was a holiday for all of Brazil! As a special event we planned an excursion with the whole Brazilian family plus some of the other important people during our month of ministry – including Rafael and his family (ProVida missionary) and Jamison and his daughter (our driver for the month). We went out to a recreational camp where there was a pool, bikes to ride, a little boat to paddle and a horse you could ride!

The day was spent soaking up the sun and enjoying time together with everyone! We topped off the evening by going out for pizza and playing a game with Jo – a missionary from Wales (a woman of many stories and an incredible ability to make a person laugh, while also being someone I had great theological conversations with!)

Oh ya, and pizzas in Brazil are a little bit large!

Friday was a bit of an emotional day. We visited the women’s prison for the fourth and final time. After a time of sharing testimonies and a bible story, the girls at the prison started expressing how much they appreciated us being there and how it brought joy into their lives and into their week. It was amazing to hear from them what it meant to them and it didn’t take long for a room full of women to have tears in their eyes. Some of our team members also were able to have amazing conversations and hear more of the life stories of some of the girls.

From L to R: Melissa, Jo, Jeanne, Olivia, Maria, me and Paula

In the afternoon we were able to connect with the new leaders of ProVida – a young couple who have been serving for many years – and offer our appreciation and give feedback on our last month.

Saturday and Sunday were wrap-up days and a time to enjoy moments with the family we were staying with. We were thrown a huge farewell party on Saturday night that many of the people we had met in the last month were invited to! In true Brazilian fashion it involved lots of food and World Cup futêbol decorations!!

There are so many moments to look back on and try to capture but it is simply too difficult to get them all. Our team is so thankful for the many people we could meet and spend time with in Brazil and for the long-term work that ProVida is participating in because they are definitely working to be a light in dark places.

For those of you were faithfully checked the blog and supported the Church in Brazil and our team through your prayers, thank you. The people and country of Brazil has a pretty special place in my heart now, and Lord willing, I hope to return someday.

Most of our Brazilian family!!

Please continue to pray for the people and ministry in Brazil. Here’s a few specifics 🙂

– that God would provide willing and able workers to participate in the ministry of ProVida

– for lives to be changed for the young people who are in the prison system in Brazil

– for the corruption of the government and its effect on the nation

– for the immense material poverty that contributes to the amount of youth violence and drug and alcohol abuse

– continued freedom for the work of ProVida in the prisons because authorities are starting to be stricter on who can go into the prisons

Week 3

Time flies. The current situation in Brazil includes a gas crisis. Right now, gas is double what it normally costs because the  government has been high jacking prices to cover up money that they took from the people. This caused the transport trucks to go on strike leaving many gas stations without fuel, and grocery stores without food being delivered. All over the country people are protesting and forcing the transport trucks to pull over and park on the side of the road in order to force the government to lower prices once again. This morning we saw a convoy of army trucks and police vehicles and then a series of 30 or more semis transporting gas. Without the police escort, the protesters would have made the gas trucks pull over and again limit the amount of gas available for the general public. Maria commented that the drivers were likely threatened by the military in order to escort them (because the gas transport drivers were the initial ones to go on strike) and now that the drivers did transport gas, they will likely be threatened by those protesting. There are so many people that are effected by this and it is definitely something to be praying about because the whole nation of Brazil is being effected.

As we have entered our final week, we have started team debriefs. It is crazy to think our time here is almost over and we have mixed feelings of being excited for things back home in Canada but also sad because we are going to have to start saying goodbye to all our new Brazilian family and friends. It is good to start reflecting on the different things we have learned and that God has been teaching us while we have been here. But alas, back to last week and some of the things that happened.

Tuesday morning is the beginning of ProVIda’s work week which starts with a meeting consisting of singing, some Bible study, praying for specific people and ministries of ProVida and fellowship over coffee, snacks and lunch! (Brazilian’s love good food and lots of it!!) This was a great opportunity to get to know some of the long-term missionaries better, asking them questions about how they ended up in Brazil with ProVida. Paula, from Great Britain, has been in Brazil for about 10 years and has been with us during many of the prison visits and is very helpful as a 2nd translator. Stephanie and Charlotte are both from Germany and have both been with ProVida for many years. We also got to meet an 18 year old guy who Alex and Rafael met in the prison and they have been discipling him for the last 3 years. It was really powerful for our team to meet someone who had been converted through the ministry of ProVida and is continuing to follow in the footsteps of discipleship and even participating in ProVida’s meetings.

Tuesday afternoon we went back to the first prison we visited (for some girls on our team this was the third time for them to go back to this prison). Instead of standing and presenting in front of their cells, we were able to have a room and play games and chat with the guys. For myself, God put it on my heart to pray and listen to what he wanted for those boys that day as well as to pray for the greater picture of broken families and social structure in Brazil which has contributed to systemic problems with violence and drugs. The guys were very attentive to our stories and had good questions for our team. It was amazing (and difficult) to be so overwhelmed by God’s love for the boys and, with some emotion, to share an encouragement with them that even though they are in a difficult point in life that God is walking with them.

On Wednesday we went to a PePe program in the morning! It was very exciting to see one of the same little boys that we had met the weekend previous during family visits and get to spend a little more time getting to know a whole room full of boisterous five year olds. It took a little while for them to warm up to us but in not much time at all they were telling stories and we were helping them learn how to write the letter B and cut out letters from a magazine. We got to play some English games, and translated into Portuguese, like duck, duck, goose and the head and shoulders song. We ended our time with them with bubble blowing out in the courtyard which the kids loved!

The afternoon brought a new ministry with an organization called Creative Hands. Here we met Jo, an awesome lady from Wales who has been in Brazil for about 7 years. We helped her do an after school program for kids where we had fun teaching them the colours in English along with scripture verses that told the story of God’s love and singing more songs like Father Abraham (including all the actions!) We also got to play Futebol with Jo and some of the young women from the community who come out for a weekly devotional and soccer training. We arrived home hot, sweaty and tired but there was a surprise party waiting for Maria’s birthday! While we had been away during the day, the family had prepared a cake and decorated the house with balloons! It was a great celebration and the first time our Brazilian family really sat down and ate dinner with us. We took the opportunity to share things we appreciated about Maria (with the help of Kelly for translation). We ended the night with more fellowship with Jo who came over to tell stories about her ministry and about the days when she lived with Kelly (when they were both on the mission field full time in brazil which made for some great laughs!

Thursday was back at the prison. We got to see three of the same guys as the week before (and even got treats that they had made in the kitchen!) and we also got to play games and hang out with 4 new guys. Our team was challenged with what unconditional love looks like, especially when seeing boys who had committed heinous crimes and yet have accepted Christ. To know that God loves them was challenging and we have had some good discussions on what it looks like to love both the victim and the perpetrator in these situations and also to realize how endless God’s grace is in forgiving us and our sins in the same way that He forgives these guys. In the next prison visit before lunch we were in front of their cells  – this prison is apparently the first place the guys come to when they are arrested and is typically a little more rough around the edges. Maria and Melissa both shared their testimonies and we sang “Nosso Deus”. Rafael also shared a word. The guys enjoyed the song and when we went to the second block they requested that we sing again!

Paula and Jo hosted us for a delicious lunch. We were supposed to go into downtown Belem for a ministry with refuges from Venezuela but due to the protests for the gas shortages we were unable to go downtown. This gave us more of a restful afternoon at home where Olivia and I took the opportunity to go for a jog (with Rambo as our body guard).

Friday morning we visited a women’s prison – the same one as the previous two Fridays. We had a bigger room and more girls join us for a bible study led by Paula and testimony by Mel. After some questions we payed futebol and volleyball (in the hot sun!) so we were sweating buckets by the time we were done (a common occurrence). We had some time to kill and some hungry stomachs so we went for a walk to find a supermarket store where we could have lunch, air conditioning and 3 hours of adventures! It started with meeting an English-speaking Brazilian who came up to us while we were eating. What a powerful testimony to God orchestrating details. When I shared with him why were were in Brazil, he started talking about his ministry as a worship leader at his church and we were able to have a great conversation about him teaching English as well as about faith and the situation in Belem where many profess to be Christians but believe in prosperity gospels or other false religions.

With Alex in the afternoon, we visited a Children’s home and played with the kids (and attempted to teach them songs with minimal success because some of the kids were quite young, with very short attention spans but it was fun.

Saturday was a relaxing day and i was able to reconnect with family and friends for a little bit and say Happy Birthday to my Mom! We also got to make a Canadian meal as a team for our Brazilian family. We decided to do a breakfast for dinner so we made french toast, hash browns and scrambled eggs plus a taste of home as we had brought a gift of maple syrup with us from Canada! Sunday we got to enjoy some sun and the pool; some games and good conversation with Jo and also attend two different Brazilian churches. It was amazing to see how the Universal Church is one through meeting the different missionaries and the different church services. The evening service was focused on the persecuted church, through material from Open Doors (with everything translated into Portuguese). The prayers of the evening were focused mainly on India (where there is another Global Projects team) and specific situations there.

Monday was another relaxing day with lots of bonding with Junior and Guilherme who were over and flew kites most of the day (it is kite season in Benevides right now) and lots of swimming in the pool, good team bonding and more delicious Brazilian rice beans and frango, not to mention coxinhas and other treats!

Wow, when I read back on all that, there are still so many things that I left out and many funny stories with our team but I thank you for reading and for your prayers. (Photos will come later 🙂 )

Specific requests in the next week:

• for all the youth as they have hearings coming up with the judge
• for the ProVida workers – for endurance and strength
• for the sale of the ProVida property
• for our team as we wrap up our final few days
• for God to keep working the many seeds that we have been able to plant in the last three weeks.

Week 2

It’s hard to even know where to begin. This week definitely had a bit of a different flavour to it but it’s all been for the glory of God. Here’s a recap of some of what God has been doing and the adventures of our team!

Last Sunday included a fresh start for me – quite literally as Olivia graciously gave me a haircut! Unfortunately later in the afternoon, I started feeling pressure in my eye and it looked bloodshot. When it moved into both eyes by the next morning, i realised it was actually pink eye so we started taking lots of precautions including a Monday evening visit to a Brazilian hospital in order to get a prescription for eye drops. But in between we got to be part of a birthday part for a family friend who was coming of age and turning 15! In Brazil, this is greatly celebrated with lots of traditional food, decorations and a dress that looks like a prom dress! It was a fun cultural experience and we got to dance with some of the girls to Brazilian music as well as North American tunes that are familiar here. Monday was our official team day off and we took the opportunity to go and visit an island and hang out on a beach at the Amazon River! We got our first coconut waters and took a boat ride and then rode in a wagon behind a motorbike down a long and very bumpy road.

Oh, have I mentioned the road infrastructure and driving systems here are a little different than back home? First of all, the road are filled with pot holes – whether the road is paved or dirt/clay, they get so much rain here in their flash thunder storms that it erodes the roads (plus a lack of good maintenance) We’ll be cruising along at a decent speed and then all of a sudden we are going 5 km an hour to weave around the massive holes in the road. The main roads are better but have speed bumps every so often. The highways are pretty smooth, but traffic is a whole different ball game! Any lines painted on the road are simply for looks, merges happen within inches of your front and back bumpers, traffic suddenly will slow for a rare cross-walk or for photo radar locations, busses pull out and narrowly miss your side mirror, U-turns are 100% normal and expected at places where the divided highway has a connector, people cross the highway wherever is convenient for them, pedal bikers and pedestrians frequent the shoulder and the motorbikes – they just weave in and out between the traffic, especially during rush hour. Horns are used frequently, simply as a means of letting the other drivers know that you are coming up behind or beside them. Thankfully we have a great local driver who is comfortable with the system and we have been safe through all our travels thus far, but it has been fun to experience a different road system.

Back to my story – we enjoyed a meal of more traditional rice, beans, farofa and meat at the little beach restaurant and went swimming in the Amazon River (which was bathtub temperature and definitely warmer than the showers we have back at our Brazilian home)! On our way home from the beach, some of us made our stop at the emergency for myself and one of the other members who was struggling with dehydration and stomach issues. Honestly, I was impressed with the Brazilian hospital; it was clean and organised and had good technology. We have Kelly and Mayara (our Brazilian sister) with us who helped translate everything from the doctors and we both got prescriptions.

Tuesday, Jo and I stayed home all day and supported the team in prayer while some of the team went to a prison in the afternoon and others went back to a different hospital to get precautionary eyedrops for the whole team. It was powerful to see how even though we were going in three different directions, we were still unified as a team through prayer and also to pray for specific names that Rafael (one of the ProVida workers) had given us of men they are currently discipling in the prisons.

Wednesday, Jo and I took the opportunity to sleep in again and recover, catching up on Bible readings and journalling. The team ended up coming back for the afternoon because of a change in the schedule (which is a frequent occurrence) so we were able to go and play floor hockey again. I was feeling up to it so along with my new best friend – my hand sanitiser bottle – 4 of us heading out to play! Even though it getting to be overcast and it was already 4:30 pm, within 5 minutes of running around playing basketball and warming up for floor hockey, we were dripping with sweat! The humidity and heat is real around here. It was fun to play with some of the same kids as the week before and also to speak a little bit of English with them as the older ones in particular do take English classes in school. In the evening, after dinner (in typical Brazilian style, dinner was around 8 pm), we learned our first Portuguese song, Nosso Deus (Our God by Chris Tomlin).

On Thursday, we went back to one of the male prisons from the previous week. 5 guys were allowed to join us in a room where we got to know their names, Mel shared her testimony with them and Rafael shared the story of the Prodigal Son. We then had time to play some games with them and get to know a little bit of their stories while having fun with a little competitive Uno between Canada and Brazil! Our lunch time conversation consisted of a great discussion about theological things as we got to hear from Rafael some of the things he learned about in Seminary and we talked about the differences between Calvinism and Armenian views of free will and original sin. Thanks so much to Kelly who did an amazing job translating for us and for a greater appreciation for the global Church where, in the end, we can all agree that Jesus died for us and that is the most important thing.

In the afternoon, we helped with the PePe kids program. There were 5 kids this week and after their regular activities, Olivia (and her amazing art skills) taught them about winter in Canada and then proceeded to explain how we love to camp in the summer and have S’mores! So snack that afternoon was chocolate cookies and marshmallows from Canada! (Thanks for being so prepared Kelly!) We played Portuguese versions of Duck, Duck, Goose, Simon Says and taught them other English songs like Head and shoulders, knees and toes! It was very fun but we were also made more aware of the needs of these kids. One of them, before the age of 5 is already aware of his parents being separated and asked us to pray for them. After dinner, we got to walk to the ice cream store and have a little bit of Sorvete with Rambo (Our Brazilian Dad whose real name is Mariano) as our ‘body guard’.

Friday morning Olivia and I went into one of the same women’s prisons that we had been in the week before. Along with two of the amazing missionaries from ProVida, we were able to chat with the 4 girls about our lives through parts of our testimony and we were able to dialogue with the girls about self-image and how what we were as women has such a huge impact of us and others. Being in Brazil we have become more aware of how women are culturally objectified and yet these young women see it as a way of gaining attention. God definitely opened our eyes to how different the culture is here and the things that are breaking his heart. Nominally many here claim to be Christians but few truly understand what a relationship with Jesus means so through our stories and personal testimonies we hope that the work of Jesus in our own lives is evident and the way he is constantly present with us to work through life.

Our afternoon with ProVida was cancelled so we had opportunity to rest …. and our Brazilian family took us on an adventure that included 4x4ing, mud, swimming and a canoe ride, ending with Acai, a volleyball game and swimming in the pool! These people are so hospitable and have been taking incredible care of our every need!

Saturday afternoon we joined Charlotte – a long-term missionary from Germany and visited some family homes in the favelas (the slums). The first family owned a little shop and had 4 kids who all had gone through the PePe program. We sang some songs, told them about Canada and shared our testimonies of how we came to read the Bible in regular devotions. The second home had multiple family’s present – mostly just the kids. Many of the parents were out at church or not around. We were able to debrief our visit and recognise how God was just showing us a little more of his heart in these homes and the community.

The last two days have included some great times of rest and exploring Belem as a tourist as well as practicing my Portuguese! 🙂 So yes, we have much to be thankful for as a team and many more things that I would love to share and more stories to tell but my word count is getting a little long! We are thankful for renewed strength and health on our team and for the many people we have met and been able to share our stories with. We are also so grateful for ProVida and their long-term commitment in the communities we have been able to visit.

So to end, some prayer requests as we head into this new week:

• the new ministry opportunities as we will be heading into a few new locations with ProVida
• continuity in the prisons that we will hopefully get to go back to
• For God to continue working in the lives of the young people we have met in the prisons.
• the families and the young kids in the PePe programs; that they would continue to seek and follow God on their own once they graduate from PePe
• stamina, flexibility and increased cultural understanding for our team
• for God to prepare hearts with people that we will get to meet and for us to be aware and sensitive to the testimony that he wants us to share.

Week 1

Today marks our one week since arriving in Brazil, and oh, what a journey it has been. A snapshot of where we are staying: our team has been incredibly blessed with a Brazilian family. Not only Mãe e Pãe but also a sister and some aunts, uncles, little brothers and Vovo – the grandma of the crew! Brazilian culture is very open, welcoming and hospitable so right away we were brought into the family and treated with immense love, through hugs, conversation, food, laughter and many other blessings! The place we get to stay is very comfortable and our team of 6 (including Kelly, our group facilitator from Crossworld) has three rooms, a beautiful open courtyard and walled yard, a kitchen where delicious food comes out of and we get scolded if we try to come in and help clean up after meals.

Our first few days were an opportunity to rest, recover from travelling, adjust to the heat, the time change, new places, new language and new family. Sunday included Brazilian BBQ for lunch with friends and family, playing in the pool, playing volleyball and starting Portuguese ‘lessons’. I have become known for my new dictionary – a notebook where I write an English word and Junior, one of my ‘little brothers’ will write the Portuguese word! It has been a great way to learn bits of the language and increase my vocabulary every day! In the evening we attended church with our host mom and were able to bless their small congregation with English songs and pray for them with Kelly as our expert Portuguese translator.

Monday was our final rest day – we spent our afternoon at the “Shopping” (known as the mall in English), where much laughter and adventure was had with our new Brazilian family. We learned many new words from Junior and his brother. We met a fellow English speaker in the supermarket who is the same age as us and she is now an English teacher here in Belem! She was very excited to meet Canadians and we were excited to find someone else to speak English with and to encourage her in pursuing her dreams of traveling the world and her relationship with God.

Tuesday, we got to start our time with ProVida. We joined their weekly meeting and time of prayer for their ministries and found unique ways to work around the language barriers including a three way translation from Portuguese to Spanish then to English and back. Oh, yes, the language barrier has been real. In some ways it allows us to find other ways of sharing God’s love through the simple gesture of a smile or laughter. It has definitely been growing creativity and patience in me because hand actions are a very comical way to express ideas but communication does takes twice as long and can make it difficult to keep a specific train of thought. Tuesday afternoon we had the opportunity to share our DRIME and testimonies in a juvie prison. Walking in, the desire on my heart, and the team’s, was simply to see the guys as sons of God and to love them unconditionally.

Our DRIME is set to “Reckless Love” by Cory Asbure and in it, we depict Jesus breathing life into us, Satan attacking us with self-doubt, lack of self-worth, drugs, alcohol and attempted suicide. Jesus comes in and lights up “the shadow” by giving love to each of the struggles we experience and welcoming us into his presence. It was powerful to share this and to share a personal testimony to a time in my life where I experienced a lot anger and it took a long time for me to fully surrender it to God and accept his love in my life again.

Wednesday we visited another prison and participated in their Mother’s day celebration! It was beautiful to see the love when the mothers and their sons were reunited and got to spend time together. We were blessed with delicious food and drink in traditional Brazilian style and laughed with the guys as we tried to bridge the language gap with broken Portuguese. In the afternoon we joined Word of Life organization and played floor hockey with some kids (age 8-14 or so). It was very fun and they were excited to play Canada vs Brazil.

Thursday we visited a women’s prison/ halfway house where girls who have been arrested wait for the judge to give them their sentence. Our team loved the opportunity to get to know some of the stories of these girls yet were heartbroken to know that at the age of 17, some of them already have two year old kids who are now being taken care of by their families. In the afternoon we helped with PePe – a program for 4-6 year olds who come from broken families. We sang some songs in Portuguese and English, taught the kids English colours and numbers (with the assistance of skittles!). After a snack we played games with the kids! It was beautiful to see how the different members on our team bring different gifts to our times of ministry. Mel and Maria are great teachers and Jo had the patience to sit with a little boy who was very shy until he was comfortable enough to play with the big group!

Friday, we participated in another Mothers day event at a new women’s prison. The girls performed songs, dances and spoke words to their mothers and we performed our DRIME and had a chance to chat with them a little bit as well as do a little dancing to the Brazilian music (Thanks Johannah for teaching us a little bit of dancing at the retreat – it definitely came in handy!) It was encouraging to see the relationships the girls have with the support workers and even though they may not see their families very often, they are being cared for and people are teaching them their school subjects even while they are in prison.

We went to a small family owned restaurant for lunch where we got to experience more authentic Brazilian food – more rice, beans, farofa, and carne! The afternoon was spent at a children’s home where kids age 0-6 are taken care of (like a big foster home). Rafael (from ProVida) shared a Bible story with the kids and then we got to play with lego, play dough and crayons with the kids! They loved it when we would pick them up and lift them into the air or sing and bounce them!

This morning we visited another male juvie prison. We got to introduce ourselves to the guys and then sang “Here I am to Worship” (followed by the Portuguese lyrics by the ProVida team). Kelly shared her testimony and ProVida shared a message. The guys were very attentive and receptive to the word. One of them gave us papers that he has had for a long time that speak of God’s goodness and faithfulness and he gave us his pen. Another one of the guys gave me a bracelet he had made. This was similar to Tuesday where almost every cell that we visited, one of the guys would give us a small gift of something they had made. It is powerful because they are so generous with the little that they have and reminded our team about how God wants us to give everything like the story in Mark 12 where the woman gave everything she had to the church.

A little more overview of general life here in Brazil:

A member of the ProVida team is with us at every ministry we visit. They are amazing men and women of God who are passionate to serve. In the prisons, they will share a brief message and pray with the guys and gals. And they have beautiful personalities that express just how much they care to the people we are serving and they build long-term relationships with people in the prisons and with the kids. We are so thankful for the long-term investment ProVida is making in these places where darkness is prevalent but they are being a light in darkness.

Our car rides back and forth to ministry (30mins-1.5 hours depending on location and traffic) involve either a lot of sleeping and napping (the heat really can zap the energy from us) or a lot of laughter and singing! Thursday night we sang for almost 2 hours straight on our drive home and could not stop laughing once we got back home. Hot sauce is a regular part of meals for some of the members of our team (I unfortunately lost a “what are the odds’ and had to eat some hot sauce covered lasagna the other night with dinner!). Breakfast is a consistent bread, eggs, ham, cheese and fresh fruit! Lunch is the big meal after which most people siesta in their hammocks! Dinner is typically coxinhas (similar to Dutch bitterbollen!) and grilled cheese sandwiches! They LOVE their sugar here in Brazil, whether it is in their coffee or drinking pop or chocolate milk or ice cream – everything seems to have a little extra sweetness here! Every day are 2 pm, there is a thunder shower and rain. It keeps everything a lush beautiful green and bananas growing in the backyard! In the evenings there are often friends and family over and there have been many an Uno game already!!

So after being here for a week we definitely have a better idea of what the next three weeks will look like. There is so much that has happened and that God has been doing, so I feel like I have barely skimmed the surface. Hopefully this gives a good window into what we have been doing. Thank you for your support through prayer. Our team really appreciates it and we have so much to be thankful for of what God is already doing!

Some specific prayer requests going forward:

• that the girls in the prison would get along and support one another
• that the boys would experience God’s healing and grace in the dark and difficult parts of their lives.
• For all the youth in the prisons to understand God’s unconditional love for them; that their lives would be changed and they would repent of their actions and seek a new life for themselves when they leave the prison.
• that they would continue to pursue their relationships with God once they leave
• That God would continue to soften hearts and change the hearts of those who are hardened towards him.
• For long-term transformation in their lives.
• For restoration and God to work in the corruption in Brazil as a whole because in general, the people are corrupt and money is not well distributed.
• The missionaries of ProVida and their families
• For continued strength and health for our team as well as unity with Christ in our serving.
• For opportunities to reconnect with the same youth that we met in this first week

Brazil bound!

For the last three days, we have been on a retreat with all the other summer missions teams that are being sent out by Trinity’s Global Projects. This was an incredible time of connecting with other like-minded, mission-orientated young people. We spent time alone with God, worshipping together, praying together, playing games, sharing meals and learning about cross-cultural missions (and more about the specific ministries in Brazil).
We each journeyed though devotions starting with the Incarnation, to the Crucifixion and finally the Resurrection. The Incarnation- what does it really mean like that Christ came to earth as a man and how are we, as image bearers of Christ, to bear his image as we go to serve in another culture.
The Crucifixion – Jesus died for all our sins, giving up everything he had. In these sessions we talked about what are the things we need to die to in order to effectively bear the presence and grace of God. Through this and through collective confession and prayer, many of us were struck with our brokenness and how God wants to use our testimony to build relationships with the many people we will meet.
The Resurrection – a focus on the new life and freedom that God offers when we die to our old selves.
We ended with a powerful time of worship and commissioning prayer where the Holy Spirit was definitely moving.
Today, the teams started to part ways!
The teams this summer are heading to India, Israel & Palestine, Romania, Fort Babine and Brazil! Our Brazil team is off and we are excited to see how God wants to use what he has been preparing in our hearts in the last few days.

Our adventures didn’t take long to begin. Due to weather our landing in Chicago was delayed by 5+ hours so we have been rebooked on a flight for tonight. God is so faithful in providing though as a friend from school happened to be on the same flight and his extended family opened up their home for us to come and sleep in and they have been feeding us and offering to drive us back to the airport! So we are off to enjoy some famous deep dish pizza and are so incredibly grateful for the countless ways God is providing for our team! We will hopefully be arriving in Brazil tomorrow!

Farewell

Sea to Sea 2017 was memorable. I left the tour last week Sunday in Regina, but my thoughts and prayers have not been far from them this past week. It was difficult to leave and yet I felt great peace in returning to my summer job and other summer commitments I had previously made. Adding the extra week from Calgary to Regina was such an unexpected blessing, it was difficult to be frustrated that my time with the Sea to Sea family had ended.
During the ride (especially as we came through the mountains) a favorite song/verse often came to mind: “I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord , the Maker of heaven and earth.”
Psalm 121:1‭-‬2 NIV
I loved being surrounded by beautiful scenery and the blessing of clear blue skies through the mountains.
The prairies offered new vistas. Corn on the left and wheat on the right, but sometimes canola on the right and wheat on the left. The long week of 887 km from Calgary to Regina sometimes felt a little monotanus and the days slightly blur together but thankfully the wind only offered a serious resistance one day of the whole week. And I really did love the wide open skies and the rolling hills of Saskatchewan.

Our small group found encouragement in  Isaiah 40:29-31 “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.  Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;  but those who hope in the Lord  will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Particularly in the evenings when we were tired from the day, and knowing we had 160 km ahead of us the next.

My biggest personal annoyances were an increasingly sore bottom and sore wrists from too much leaning on my arms. Both of these were logical as we spent nearly 30 hours in the saddle throughout the week.
On Friday, we arrived in Chaplin, Saskatchewan where the largest salt deposits are. There was a sprint in the last 5 km initiated by Ian and Len (who quickly decided it wasn’t worth the energy) but completed by Curtis and I. Between moving so quickly and slight physical exhaustion, I almost convinced Curtis the salt deposits were snow (but he soon realized that would be quite illogical for a 30°C day).
Ice cream was in high demand so Kaitlin, Curtis and I searched out the grocery store. We were debating if it was going to be worth the extra riding around town to find but when the main road turned to gravel, we knew town was not very large. For $5 we had enough icecream to last all three of us for days! Despite the tiny size of Chaplin, the campground had a pool which was enjoyed by many cyclists, including Kaitlin and myself. Dinner consisted of breakfast burritos (thanks to chef Megan!)
As part of peloton, members leaving the crew were given an opportunity to share with the group. My reflections included how much I appreciated being able to experience the Sea to Sea family and how thankful I was for all the memories I now have. Thanks to my riding team for all the good times and to everyone for all the laughs. Never in my life have I laughed as much as I did in the last three weeks.
A final bike cleaning was completed in preparation for my last 160 km ride. And God’s faithfulness was evident in the sunset Friday night and sunrise Saturday morning. 
Many riders got an early start (already on the road at 5 am!) to minimize the amount of head wind they would have to battle. Curtis and I left camp near the end after helping with cleanup and truck loading so other cyclists could be on the road earlier. We had a great ride and had the company of others as we created drafts for them. Thanks Frank for the Timmie’s in Moose Jaw! It was great riding with you and getting to know you more.
We also rode with one of my small group members, Mit. He is in his 70’s and his wife let him leave for 10 weeks to cycle from sea to sea. He has an awesome American accent and offered me wise words for my future and teased me that I was always eating food whenever he saw me. His perseverance amazed me, especially through the tough mountain days, as he is a prairie boy from Iowa.
To top off the end of the 100 mile day, Curtis and I along with another rider really dropped the hammer on the last 30 km. I knew it was my last riding for a while and it was an awesome final push.
Being in camp throughout the evening was bittersweet, but I took time to connect with a few people for the last time.
Earlier in the week, Kaitlin and I had made a bucket list for our last few days together til after she gets back. So Saturday night we took the opportunity to have some time with just the two of us while exploring some of Regina.
Sunday after church, we packed up my gear and bike in preparation for the airport, but not before the de Haas family treated us to ice cream and saskatoons!! 🙂

The goodbyes at the airport were tough and it was hard to leave the sea to sea family behind. The joy I experienced gave me such life and I could feel it bubbling over into conversations I had with people in the airport.
So, the conclusion of what has become a lengthy farewell post, I look forward to joining the Sea to Sea family again someday and completing a full tour. I am amazed by the way faith and passion for the cause of ending poverty and the ability to cycle draws people together. Together we weathered storms of long, hot gruelling days, as well as a little rain and also built relationships which I hope and pray will continue for years. Thank you to all those who made this an incredible experience. Til next time.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13 NIV

Long and Straight

Leaving behind Calgary also meant leaving behind the mountains. Monday started off with a 160 km day that began with rain, and thunder and lightning. It tested some of our spirits but with some good sing-along tunes with Kaitlin and Len and Ian we stayed positive.

High River provided an incredible lunch of much needed hot soup and buns and ladies from the church even delivered towels for us to dry off with. The afternoon cleared up and we set up tents in Granum before the second round of thunderstorms hit. we managed to stay dry over night and enjoyed a little sunshine in the morning along with a pancake and bacon breakfast provided by Granum CRC!

The road ahead was 132 km long but the day felt much longer than that. Many of us were tired from the day before plus we made quite a few stops which drew out the day. But they were worthwhile as I got to see my Uncle Bill and Aunt Pearl (while enjoying cinnamon buns courtesy of Nobleford CRC)!

Picture Butt generously provided free donuts, Iron Springs fed us lunch! And Taber hosted us for a pig roast dinner!  Musical entertainment was rich as there was a piano in the school and the Haverhals let us borrow their guitars! 

Also, this was my bed last night!

Today was about 120 km. And it felt great! We had some tunes along the way with our theme song being East Bound and Down along with other Disney and praise music. We like to keep it diverse. We received more fantastic hospitality from our rest stops -a Berry farm and a greenhouse where we got free saskatoons (and burgers) and cucumbers accordingly.

Oh and obviously, our own rest stops. We would never survive without the wonderful motorhomes who keep our water bottles filled and our stomachs happy!

We have received so much Alberta hospitality this week! Thanks to all – Saskatchewan here we come!

~Christiana

Hard work and Rewards

Week two has wrapped up, and we are in Alberta. Monday was a short day of cycling from Vernon to Salmon Arm. I enjoyed spending the afternoon with my Uncle Paul, Auntie Shirley, and Celeste and family😊.

On Wednesday I had my longest bike ride yet, which was a 152km ride from Revelstoke, through Roger’s pass, to Golden. It was certainly a challenging day, considering the amount of climbing and mid 30 degree weather. There were also construction zones along the way, and at one point we had a 45 minute hold up. I was thankful, though, that I had lots of energy despite the elevation gain, heat, and length. Christiana and I enjoyed many sing-a-longs to pass the time (and also found that it is quite a feat to sing while biking uphill!) The route was stunning, as has been the case each day throughout BC.
I thought the following day would be a break for my legs, and although it was only 80some km’s to Lake Louise, we trekked uphill for the majority of the day. Once again I was thankful for beautiful views to keep me somewhat distracted! Although I have lived in BC all my life, having the opportunity to bike across the province has helped me realize how blessed I am to live here! Biking through it is hard, but it is so beautiful and we have enjoyed experiencing all these sights in slow motion.
At our third rest stop of the day, there was a cute little town, called Field, nestled into the base of the mountains. My team and I enjoyed a relaxing break there, appreciating the view, and then took a small ride through the town. Little did I know that a 16km uphill would greet us shortly. Partway up this giant, we found a small waterfall in the shade, and man was I relieved!! Mountain water never felt so good… well that day, anyways☺️. There was also a lake at the top of the mountain, and 3 from our crew jumped in… I waded, but it was definitely fresh from the glaciers!!
On Friday and Saturday, we made our way from Lake Louise to Canmore, and then to Calgary. We enjoyed a short tour and picnic by the river in Banff, and views of the Rocky Mountains. We also toured Johnson canyon, and met a couple of people who knew of and supported Sea to Sea / World Renew. I found this very encouraging, and it reminded me of all the people who are supporting and praying for us throughout our journey.
Last week was definitely a test of endurance for me… after Wednesday, I caught up with myself and was quite tired and sore for the remainder of the week. But, the only option each day is to get up and bike, and I’m amazed at how our team did just that😊.

~kaitlin

The crew for icecream! Ed, John from Terrace, Curtis from Michigan, Dad, me, Chris (from Michigan), Kaitlin and John deWilde

Pounding in the last spike!

From Salmon Arm, Tuesday was another shorter distance day to get to Revelstoke. This gave a few of us the opportunity to try out the Pipe coaster on the ski hill. For $25 we could ride the lower gondola up and ride a track down 1.4 km and drop close to 300m of elevation! Back at camp, many of us enjoyed a refreshing dip in the lake ( a common theme I have become known for, and am often called a crazy Canadian for).Lake Louise was a highlight as 11 or the 12 people in our van jumped in the lake!

The evenings also have small group times which has been full of meaningful devotionals and discussions as simply lifting each other up in prayer. On Friday evening we had to say goodbye to two members who ended in Calgary. Chris from Edmonton and Mark will both be missed.

Saturday was a bittersweet day as we also had to say goodbye to some of the riders – including half of our cycling crew. This crew enjoys stopping at lakes, sightseeing locations, bike shops and to meet locals. My dad headed back to Smithers, Chris from Michigan is roadtripping home and John also needed to return to work. They were all great adventurers and would seek out swimming holes with me!

But I am very blessed to say that I am still travelling with Sea to Sea team! My employers graciously extended my trip an extra week so I am bound for Regina!
This also means I am committed to reaching my fundraising goal of $6,000 and with your help I can raise the remaining $2,000. If 40 of you each donated $50, it would enable World Renew and Partners Worldwide to continue their work! Check out the website to donate! Thank you for your financial support and your prayers for safety!
https://my.seatosea.org/creitsma

 

Salmon Arm

This trip has been an incredible blessing in my life and already, these people who I have known for less than a week are beginning to feel like a big extended family.

Monday:
Started the morning in Vernon BC. I have enjoyed sleeping out under the stars and last night I got to try out a hammock (with the extra perk of a big night) from a fellow cyclist. The moon and stars have been amazing to wonder at. Kaitlin and I tested out the piano and played a few rusty keys before we left this morning. It was a short ride today – only 60 km to Salmon Arm. We got treated along the way to free gelato and cheese curds as the family of two of the cyclists (Sara and Jenn Wikkerink) have a farm in the area. It was a highlight of the day for many of the cyclists! Salmon Arm provided coffee shops and beautiful lake scenery and bike shop supplies for many of the riders as well as a swimming hole in Shuswap lake with one of the many John’s and Chris from Michigan. In camp, tents popped up and a little city was created once again.
We were provided with an incredible dinner by Cornerstone CRC and Dad and I were privileged to visit with Mel and Sandra Brandsma as well as Uncle John and Aunt Jacquie!
I got to experience riding a recumbent bike around the parking lot!
Prayer requests: Wednesday and Thursday are going to be tough climbing days which many riders are concerned about. Pray for relief from any anxious thoughts and for them to be able to enjoy the ride today (Tuesday)
Also, for those coming and going from the tour; leaving is tough and already the anticipation of arriving in Calgary is feeling too close.
For conversations (dad loves taking with people 🙂 ) to be meaningful and for opportunities to learn and grow.

~Christiana

It’s hard to believe that a week of biking has passed already! This weekend we were settled at a school in Vernon, and enjoyed a day off. Each day has been an adventure, and I have constantly been amazed at the beauty of BC. As Christiana mentioned, Monday was a very exciting sendoff day, and we experienced the community of biking with our Sea to Sea team for the first time. On Wednesday we biked 70 km’s from Hope to Manning park. It was a shorter day, but it certainly wasn’t easy as it was virtually all uphill! I have found that riding as a team with a common goal has made a world of a difference with my attitude towards long bike rides… Rather than biking in circles at home (unavoidable for training), we’re heading across the country. Riders and volunteers are constantly encouraging each other, especially during tough rides, and we are reminded each day about the purpose of this trip, which is to make a lasting difference in the lives of those who have been living in poverty. Friday and Saturday we made our way through the Okanagan, and it was certainly beautiful but the temperature ranged from 32 degrees to high 30s! Christiana and I really enjoyed jumping into creeks and lakes throughout the day! With the conclusion of our first week, I look back and am thankful for the community that has so quickly formed and for the opportunity to be out enjoying God’s creation each day.

~Kaitlin

The trek…

We have arrived in Princeton, after one long day of climbing on Wednesday from Hope to Manning park  and a quicker ride today as we got to go down alot of hills!

The ride has been beautiful. Amazing warm weather and views and many rest stops along to way to encourage us and keep us fueled. Sentiments around camp avout the cycling consist of enjoying watching the birds, listening to the creeks running beside the road and admiring the flowers in the ditches. We are grateful for safety thus far and appreciate the many drivers who give us space on the roads.

We celebrated dad’s birthday yesterday with the whole group anf a big cake and he got lots of attention throughout the day as well! Photos to come 🙂 he said it’s probably the biggest party he has ever had with over 100 guests in attendance!

Kaitlin and I have enjoyed singing songs along the way and John Hartman got some good footage today of us going down the big hill into Princeton.

The afternoons have been fairly long in camp, leaving lots of time for adventure. On Monday evening, dad and I were able to visit with some friends who were in the area. Dave and Wendy Mayer from smithers and Elyce and Andrew Horner, long time family friends.
Every night after dinner we have a small group meeting. They mixed the groups with riders who are going various distances, and wide age range as well! We use the devotional booklet as a basis for discussion and already, I feel connected with our group. We end by sharing prayer requests and other highlights from the day.
When we were in Hope, dad, mystlelf and a couple new friends from Michigan biked the 15 minutes to dip into Kawkawa lake. After dinner, we wandered to DQ for a treat!

In Manning park we enjoyed a fire, some anomia and dutch blitz games as well as a rewarding dip into the fresh cold Lake after a hot day of cycling!

Today was similar. Arriving in Princeton around noon, we started with ice cream and then looked for water. Based on local recommendations we went to the river on the Kettle Valley Trail where we found a tunnel and an old tresle bridge. The river was cold but very refreshing and a couple of us even jumped off the bridge.

In camp, there was an outdoor pool and we enjoyed some great fellowship over dinner provided by a local church.

Tomorrow we anticipate a 130 km ride with a big climb near the end but we know that God will continue to be with us and provide us with strength and good company! (As well as a delicious meal at the end!)