Tuesday, April 13, 2010

A BIG Update.

There's lots to talk about! Hopefully I can cover it all.

We had a great time with Pastor Paul and Becky last week. Easter was a wonderful time with lots of people around! We went to church in Bateias in the morning and shared a song. We all loved being back there and seeing everyone again! The highlight of the service had to be when we sang "Christ the Lord is Risen Today" in Portuguese! What a powerful and festive song. In the afternoon lots of the Abel family came over to Paul and Becky's. It ended up being around 30 people! There was of food, laughter, games, and fellowship. Our night ended off with a trip in the bus out to church in Campo Largo. That bus us one of the things I miss the most about living in Bateias. With tons of people piled in we have crazy times- singing kids songs, learning worship songs, and attempting to talk in Portuguese. Its loud and exciting! We shared in church the same as we had that morning. The service was very nice. Unfortunately we recieved bad news afterwards that Pastor John and Ruby had been in a car accident. We're thankful that no one was hurt, but both cars involved were totalled. Please keep Pastor John and Ruby in your prayers, as they deal with all of the trouble of having to deal with the accident.

Another highlight of the trip was spending lots of time with the local youth! It was great to hang out, play ping pong, and sing together. Here are a few pictures:

On wednesday, we took off for a side trip to Florianopolis in Santa Catarina, Brazil. Everyone had been telling us that we HAD to go there while we were in the country. It is an island connected to the main land with a bridge and has what are considered some of the most beautiful beaches in the world! People were not joking when they told us that! It is absolutely amazing...not only are there beaches, but lakes, mountains, and fun cities. Brazil continues to blow me away with its intense beauty. Whenever I'm in places with such magnificent scenery, I'm reminded of Psalm 8. "The majesty and glory of HIS name..." I encourage you to read the Psalm and reflect on the incredible God that we have! The trip was a wonderful time of rest and adventure, all mixed together. We are so blessed to have had the opportunity to go!
After traveling all day on sunday (we had a short stop in Curitiba and were able to go to church with Paul and Becky!), we arrived back in Campo Mourao bright and early monday morning. This week consists of alot of preparation for the tent campaigns going on in Foz de Iguacu. Pastor John and Ruby are there already holding the meetings which will last for 10 days. We're joining them on thursday to work with the children and also share our program ( songs, testimonies, sermons, etc). Please pray that the Lord would work a revival through this event!
Keep serving Jesus,
Amanda

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