Day 6 & 7 Carpenter's Way July 2012

Day 6:  Novo Paraiso (New Paradise, also serving Ebenezer).  Our morning devotion was concerning clinging to Christ's hope.  We debarked the boat an hour early so we could get started right away since we needed to leave at noon to head to Maues to get gas before 6pm.  This was the smallest village we visited all week serving only 9 men & 9 women in adult ministry as well as many children.  The dentistry team including first timers Amanda & Teresa saw many teeth pulled including 3 small children who broke our hearts as they struggled to fight the inevitable.  What touched many of us the most was the infectious moving of the Holy Spirit in this village because most were believers already.  Just being around the leader of the church and his family of 8 brought me to tears because they were so happy to share the morning with fellow believers.  One woman came to Christ that morning after praying with Peyton, Mary Ann, & Jacy about her struggles as a mother of 10.  I met a single mom named Ralene who I promised to pray for as she seeks a Godly man to raise her daughter with, just as I do.

 

On our way to Maues we stopped at an encampment where the local missionaries meet once a month to work together on the spreading of the gospel.  Then in Maues we said good-bye to 4 members of our team who served with us all week and will continue to serve in this area long after we are gone.  One of them named Rejane, who I call my soul sister, touched us all very deeply with her beautiful singing voice & her boldness with sharing her faith.  Chad & Teresa gave her the guitar & case that they brought with them on the trip and the gratitude she felt made some of us cry!  In Maues we walked around and had ice cream at a local vendor then headed back to the boat.  That night, we had a celebratory dinner to honor our crew & translators as well as the birthdays we had aboard:  Teresa, Toni, & Cameron.  That night, Chad shared with us about waiting patiently on the Lord from Isaiah.  Many of us stayed up later than usual knowing our time together was soon to end and because we knew we could sleep in the next day!

 

Day 7:  Today so far has been a lovely day as we cruise down the Amazon back to Manaus.  As I type we are having a share time of some of the highlights of the trip.  Throughout the day our team has been throwing & sling-shotting care packages overboard to villagers along the river as we head home.  A few of us had a blast teaching one of our translators, Gilbert, Texas slang for about an hour!  When we arrive in Manaus this evening, we will be staying in a hotel so that the boat can be cleaned & used for a large group that will be arriving tomorrow.  We are looking forward to air conditioning, a hot shower, and a chance to catch some of the Olympics, but after our time on the river, we will appreciate these things with even more gratitude than ever before!  Tomorrow we will sleep in, go swimming & shopping, attend church at Manaus First Presbyterian Church, and then we will all be going to dinner at a Brazilian steak house before we head to the airport at 9pm.  We will connect in Miami in the wee hours of the night and plan to arrive in Houston at 9:30am on Monday morning.  But as we have learned, sometimes God changes our plans and we will be cheerfully flexible if that is the case!

 

Thank you all for your dedication in praying for us.  The supplies you have sent, the money you gave to support us, and the prayers you have prayed have all been multiplied and will continue to be multiplied long after we leave here.  Please continue to pray for the villages as well as Amazon Outreach, but also pray for us as we take the lessons we have learned here and as we become more attentive to the Holy Spirit's movement in our lives.  We are forever changed.

 

Until all have heard,

Kristine Mize 

Day 4 & 5 with Carpenter's Way July 2012

Kristine here again.  Sorry I didn't write yesterday so let's get caught up!

 

Day 4:  Vila Darci is a village of about 41 families with 2 known families saved.  They have a Seventh Day Adventist church where the members of the community worship together.  Kevin led the devotion this morning from 2 Corinthians 5:14-21, reminding us that we are ambassadors for Christ.  I was able to be on the evangelism team again today.  Originally, we just began visiting with the people around the clinic because it seemed everyone was in town.  Later, we walked down the path to the first house and met a man named Joshua & his wife.  They introduced us to their many pets including a monkey named Sheka.  I read Joshua the story of Joshua & the battle of Jericho because he said he did not know the origin of his name.  After our group talked with them for a while, Joshua & his wife confirmed their faith with us and I read Ephesians 3:14-21 as a prayer over them & their home.  Teresa & Chad were on the hair & nail team.  Chad cut men's hair using the hair clippers & even let one man cut his hair.  Teresa spent most of the morning holding a sweet baby girl even while painting nails!  That afternoon following lunch & siesta, a huge rain storm came but that did not deter our team or the locals from being part of the activities.  Haircuts were given, VBS played games, and the men's & women's ministry met.  In the women's ministry, Amanda gave her testimony reminding the women how much Christ loves women, Pam shared the plan of salvation with the ladies using the hot pads the Donna brought from her friends in Newton.   One woman got so excited that Pam let her stand up and "preach" while Pam sat in her chair!  The final community worship was the best so far, partly because Barbara & team kept the young children in VBS.  The Brazilians started us out with songs in Portugese, then the Americans led by Chad & myself sang two songs in English.  Kay shared her testimony and "Pastor" Kevin brought the Word.  The rain stopped & we sailed away, very fulfilled and excited about the enthusiasm the villagers had for the Word.  Once dinner was over, the newbies all went crocodile hunting and caught one!

 

Day 5:  Acao-Era is a town of 37 families, with 3 families professed Christians.  They have a Catholic church with a confirmed Christian leader, but no missionary presence.  In the morning Pam, Megan, & I were able to play manicurest, doing women's nails, 1 man's nails and a couple of pedicures.  Amanda & Naarah cut hair.  Sam Hughes assisted the dentists for the first time ever and Trey, Janice, Gilbert, Jacy, Teresa & Chad were able to be on the evangelism team.  They met a fisherman & his wife who were believers.  They shared the story of the disciples who were fishing & could catch no fish but Jesus came along & told them to cast their nets again & they could not hold all the fish!  The man & his wife told them that 20 years ago their children left for Manaus and have never returned.  They miss them desperately and hope they will return someday, but even more they hope that if they do not see them again in this life, that they will see them again in heaven, hoping that they will accept Christ too. Rejane was sharing with about 15 young men when she saw Trey & Gilbert walking by and asked them to come share with the young men.  Trey shared his testimony & the gospel with them and they prayed to receive Christ!  At the women's meeting, Donna shared her testimony & again was able to give every lady a hot pad made by her friends in Newton.  Pam again shared the plan of salvation using the hot pads.  Trey & Chad led the men's meeting where Chad was able to share his testimony & talk to the men about nutrition.  At final worship, we sang songs in Portugese & English.  Tonight, I was able to share my testimony, reading from Matthew 6 regarding Jesus' message to not worry about your life and then I sang "His Eye Is On the Sparrow".  He cares for the birds of the air and the flowers of the field & he will also take care of us.  Then Pastor Trey shared a message of peace from John 14:27-29.  Time at the village was capped off with a soccer match where many Americans took part (including me!) but to no avail.  We were defeated again.

 

Back on board the boat, as I am typing, some of the group is huddled around singing songs with Chad on the guitar and sharing in the highlights of the day.  Two of our crew members accepted Christ this morning during devotion with their fellow Brazilians!!  The most significant part of this trip to me is not just the effect we have had on the villagers and of course the lessons we have learned from them, but the relationships formed on this boat.  No one wants to go to bed!  We love being together, praying together, sharing our experiences, and singing praises.  We have one last village to visit tomorrow before we begin our trip west to Manaus.

 

Your prayers are being heard and answered!  We are all experiencing the movement of the Holy Spirit.  We are meeting new sisters and brothers in Christ!  Thank you for being part of this experience with us.

 

Until all Have Heard,

Kristine

 

 

 

Day 3-Carpenter's Way July 2012

Day 3:  Bom dia-which is "good morning" in Portuguese.  We had a fabulous day in Vila Nova! This village has approximately 39 families (about 195 people), only 18% are professed Christians.  Despite this, they were very welcoming, happy to have us there and receptive to what we wanted to share.  After Dja shared with us from Acts 2 & 3 we spent a lot of time in prayer during our morning devotion, praying that we would be the face of Jesus. 

 

I (Kristine) was able to serve on the street evangelism team today which also consisted of Sam T., Jacy, Pam, Toni, Rejane, and Josimar.  We were invited to enter 2 different homes & pray with the families there.  One of them did not have a Bible at all & we read some scripture with them.  I highlighted the passages and then prayed for their family to come to know Christ.  At the second home, we met three generations of men.  Only one of them can read & we gave him a new Bible to read to the family and Pam prayed for them.  

 

VBS had 55 children today with Ally, Teresa, Barbara, Cameron, & Evelyn.  The highlight was the skit that they put on about the birth of Jesus.  The children were really into the reenactment, bowing to baby Jesus.  The medical team reported 96 patients today!  Gigi, Chad & Sam H. played photographers today.  Amanda cut hair again today with Trey stepping in to give a mohawk to one young boy!

 

"God choses the right person for the right need."  The speed boat evangelism team, Vanderlei, Paige, Gilbert, & Trey visited a house with pet pigs, a new experience even for our veteran Paige. But while visiting with a local named Jackson who received Christ during their visit, the team was even more blessed by their time with him because he and Paige shared a common bond, the recent loss of a family member. 

 

I especially enjoyed hearing Pam share the gospel at the ladies meeting today, using comedy to warm up the crowd.  We had about 40 women in attendance.  Teresa, Melinda, Donna, and I got our fill of holding some beautiful babies too!  At the final village meeting, Chad & I sang an original song that he wrote, "There You Are", and Trey shared the story of Jesus & Lazarus.  The exclamation point at the end of this day was when the whole village headed to the soccer field to watch the athletes of our team take on the Brazilians.  There were so many on our team that wanted to play that a third team was created consisting of Americans & Brazilians.  The Americans held there own today and it was very fun to watch everyone play.

 

As I type everyone is heading for their hammocks, tired from a full day of serving and being blessed.  Please keep praying for the people we will encounter.  Tomorrow we will be serving another village consisting of mostly unbelievers.

 

Until all have heard,

Kristine Mize

 

Day 1-2 Carpenter's Way July 2012

Howdy Lufkin, Texas from Kristine!  Carpenter's Way team arrived safely in Manaus and boarded the Amor e Esperanca shortly before midnight on July 21st, the same day we departed!  We settled in and most were asleep before 2am.  There is NOTHING like sleeping in a hammock on a boat that is rocking after a long day of traveling.  We slept like the dead! 

 

Day 1 consisted of our first meal as a team at breakfast and devotion followed by a steady stream of unpacking all the luggage filled with supplies.  We made piles all over the lower deck of the boat and then slowly but surely created VBS bags, ladies' bags, men's bags, and family bags to pass out at each village we encounter.  We picked up 4 more passengers in Maues, which is the hub city of all 5 villages we will be ministering to this week.

 

Day 2:  Monte Sinai is a village consisting of about 40 families (200 people), 90% of which are Christians.  So this was a wonderful start to our trip, a chance to minister to our brothers and sisters in Christ.  We debarked the boat at 9am, breaking off into our teams for the day.  I was working with VBS headed up by Barbara Pate, serving along side Dana, Sam T., Megan, and our translator was Rosie.  The children were very involved and many prayed with Barbara when she led a salvation prayer after I presented the gospel.  The dental team, eye glass team, medical team, and pharmacutical team stayed very busy all day.  130 patients were seen by the medical clinic, (Kay, Mary Ann, Evelyn, Kevin, Phillipe, and Socorro) which kept the pharmacy (Donna, Janice, Claudia) very busy.  The eyeglass team consisting of Toni, Teresa, and Vanessa, saw 23 patients who can now read their bible more clearly!  Chad, Melinda, Dja, Sarah, & Marilha served on the dental team and saw about 30 patients and pulled about 20 teeth.  Ally had the chance to paint nails for some of the ladies today and was amused when the young girls wanted to paint her nails instead, and she happily obliged.    Sam H., Trey, Cameron, and Gigi were our street evangelism team.  They met with the patriarch & machriarch who started the village.  When they came here they were not Christians, but since their salvation have had 17 children (3 whom have passed).  They report that alcoholism, prostitution, and drug addition have been very low comparitively because of the acceptance of Christ in the village.  During our ladies meeting I was given the chance to share with the women the importance of spending quality time with the Lord each day, modeling for our children what it means to have a relationship with God, daily walking with him (Luke 9:23).  I am told that our soccer team was not very successful in defeating the local youth in soccer.  Amanda cut about 25 heads of hair while Naarah braided hair for some of the women & girls and cut her first head of hair with clippers today!  Paige & Peyton took portraits, and Pam got to treat a blind woman with a fresh dog bite.  Trey led the men's ministry reading from Ephesians 4:17-24, reiterating that the sinful ways that entrap so many others in surrounding villages is no more and that they can focus on renewed thoughts and attitudes.  At the final meeting, a local pastor preached about healing and many came professing to receive Christ and His healing power.

 

We have had a wonderful trip so far and look forward to serving a new village tomorrow!  Thank you all for your prayers!

 

Melinda wants to say hello to all her family and that she is having a great time with all the wonderful Brazilians she has met!  Chad wants to say Happy Birthday to his brother Nate.  Mom, tell MacKenzie mommy loves her so much and Teresa & I love you and Dad!!!

 

Until all have heard,

Kristine Mize

fourth day in Amazon

We had another great day in the Amazon.  We arrived at our fourth village today (called N. Sra. Do Carmo).  We divided up into various ministry

 

teams: a women's ministry team, a VBS, a men's ministry, a medical team, and a haircutting & nail painting ministry.  The doctor who had been with us

 

for the past three days left part way through the day after helping villagers will all kinds of problems.  Shaina, Brittany, and Elizabeth have been doing a

 

great job and were complimented by the Brazilian doctor for their efficeincy in the pharmacy. Gabby and Pedro were the Brazilian translators for the

 

medical team and, as usual, did an excellent and patient job translating.  Karin led the haircutting ministry team again today and had a mix of men,

 

women, and children who needed haircuts. Assisting with nail painting and translation, Isabela was a great partner with Karin. Connor, Brooke, Tracy,

 

Jay (who left part way through the day), Becky, and Katie led VBS.  The kids at this village were very energetic (maybe even rowdy), but nothing our

 

VBS team couldn't handle.  Pastor Abimael led another men's ministry today: he shared the gospel with men at the village and also gave out gifts of

 

fishing line, hooks, and po cket knives (and last but not least Portuguese New Testaments).  Nathan, Jacob, and Campos helped with moving

 

equipment and talked with villagers, asking if there was anything that could be done in their homes.  At the women's ministry, Phyllis, Linda, and Carla

 

shared the gospel with the village women and gave good advice about prayer and salvation. Rose (the very joyful leader of the translators) loved the

 

day, especially spending time with the ladies in the women's ministry. Part way through the day everyone took about two hours to eat lunch and have a

 

siesta because it was very hot. In the afternoon, people's roles changed, but the highlights were a balloon fight with the village kids, a group

 

conversation with a manioc flour maker, and the ladies had a special gift giving and prayer time.  The day ended with a great finale- a beautiful sunset

 

behind the boat as we ate dinner.  The Lord blessed us with another opportunity to share His Word and bring joy to others, all in all, a great day.

Days 5 & 6

Readers, today is our last in the Amazon! We are so sad to leave, but so overjoyed at the work God has done and cannot wait to share it with you in person!  Your kids have been incredible servant-hearted disciples on this trip and we know that they are anxious to share all God has taught them.

 

Wednesday night was our last concert in Parantins.  It was one of the students' best performances, and God moved tremendously!  It was wonderful seeing the Brazilians dance to our songs and being able to participate in worship with them.  The performance was held at a beautiful outdoor pavilion and the energy from the crowd was amazing to witness! 

 

Thursday, we traveled along the Amazon River as we headed back towards Manaus.  We held three different panels on the boats where students had the opportunity to ask questions to the adult sponsors concerning serving in ministry.  The panels included how business men share their faith, lead their families and serve in the church; how business women share their faith and serve in the church; how wives of men in ministry support their husbands, remain obedient to their callings and serve; and how college students remain strong in their faith during school. 

 

We arrived in a village this morning and spent time doing a little shopping in the market before we will board on our planes in Manaus and head back to the USA! Thank you for supporting our students through prayer, we can assure you prayers have been answered and lives impacted!

Days 3 & 4

Hello, Readers!  As you can tell, our days are so jammed packed, that it is difficult to update as often as we would like because of limited internet connection, so this post will be filling you in on the activities of yesterday and this morning.

 

Yesterday, our students went to another community and were able to do VBS activities for two different school groups with about 200+ kids.  Several of our students put on skits, shared their testimonies, and did question/answer sessions for the Brazilians, and we had many opportunities to share Christ!  Here is a testimony from one of our students on her activities yesterday:

 

"Yesterday, my family group was supposed to go help with the clinic in a village oustide of Parantins.  Instead, we were assigned to go back to VBS.  I was a little disappointed because I was really excited to experience something different.  But, before we headed to VBS, I prayed that the Lord would change my heart and attitude.  Whenever we arrived at VBS, God gave me the opportunity to lead 9 girls to Christ.  God showed me that if our circumstances don't turn out the way we want them to, He will faithfully answer prayers and give us the chance to glorify Him!" -Macie Herring

 

The groups that were not doing VBS activities, were able to assist our nurse and a dentist in a clinic we held.  We also had many people come, and were able to give away basic necessities to them.  It was truly touching to be able to serve these beautiful people.  Some of our girls were able to paint nails, cut hair, and love on women and of course we have been playing A LOT of soccer! 

 

Last night, our students performed in another outdoor pavilion of the community we had been working in all day.  It is wonderful seeing our students love on the crowd--especially the younger children.  Afterwards, we were able to hear from two missionaires we've been traveling with, Josiah and Megan McIntyre.  They are a young couple in their 20's who have been in Brazil a little over two years.  They also have an almost one year old daughter, Asia.  Our students were blessed to hear about their call to the country of Brazil, and we are thankful for their hearts in serving the Kingdom. 

 

This morning was the first time we were able to go into the classrooms of 8 different schools here in Parantins.  The students were split up into groups of 3 with one translator and the majority of them shared their testimonies to the classes of the hope they have found in Jesus Christ.  Our students really enjoyed getting to share with teenagers around their age, and the school's faculties were very appreciative of us coming!  We are going to be visiting more schools this afternoon, so please be praying God provides us with opportunities and great conversation!

 

Here is another student's account of yesterday and today:

 

"During this week in Brazil, I wasn't expecting to be so open about my faith.  I'm used to talking to friends and family about God, but would never thought to speak to young women in a foreign country who don't even speak my language!  On this trip, I was expecting to sit back, play and love on the kids and not actually share my faith or the Gospel with anyone.  But, God had different plans for me in store.  The third day, we were here I was told to help speak in front of a classroom in a village and talk about my trials of being a Christian and how I can always overcome them because I have a personal relationship with Christ.  When I was told that, I was extremely nervous and scared I would say something wrong or wouldn't say enough to where they could understand my point I was trying to get across.  The night before I prayed about that God would speak through me.  When I was handed the microphone the next day, God completely took over when I spoke.  Afterwards, a girl my age came up to me and told me she wanted exactly what I had and I got the opportunity to pray with her and help her to accept Jesus as her personal Lord and Savior.  During this trip, God has really taught me to let go and let Him take over control of my life, and now I have spoken to so many girls and boys about having a personal relationship with Him.  This trip has made a huge impact on my life!  I am now more comfortable to share God's Word with anyone, and on this trip I learned to let go and let God!" -Nicole Craven

 

We have our final concert in Parantins tonight, and we have invited students from all of the schools we've visited and will visit this afternoon. Please be praying for a mighty work of the Holy Spirit and that He will move amongst this community.  God Bless!

 

Another student shared her account of the past couple of days:

Day 2 Blog

(This is the blog from yesterday!  I apologize that it was not posted yesterday, we had no internet signal where we were! Enjoy!)

 

"Last night (Sunday), our students performed their first outdoor concert in Parantins.  It was an incredible experience, and the students were blessed to be able to watch a service in Portuguese including worship, praise dancing, and a sermon!  We saw 8 people make decisions for Christ and it was a tremendous blessing!  Our students enthusiasm has been awesome to watch, and the relationships some of them have built have forever impacted their lives.

 

Today (Monday), we went into the community of Cabori.  Our students went into the schools and ministered through various activities including VBS, sharing their testimonies, and question/answer sessions about life in the United States.  Several of our students led children and teenagers to the Lord, and were able to experience the love of the community.  Here is an excerpt from one of our students:

 

"God has taught me to be a servant for Him.  Over the past few days, He's shown me how great I really have it and how much I can help others.  I've really enjoyed helping others and sharing a smile.  I love you, family!" -Tristyn Richardson

 

Tonight, we performed a concert in front of the schools and saw many of the same students with their families.  God is alive and active amongst our students and their witnesses have truly impacted those around them.  They are truly giving above and beyond and God is using them to glorify His name!"

 

Be on the lookout later this evening for an update of today's activity and concert tonight (Tuesday)! God Bless! 

Day 1 Blog

Hello, Readers!  We have officially been in the Amazon since Friday afternoon, and God has already been working and moving immensely amongst our group and the people of Brazil!  Friday night upon our arrival, we performed a "flash mob" scene in the Manaus Mall and invited people to attend our concert the next evening and tonight's performance we will have in Parintins. 

 

Yesterday, our groups had the opportunity to do ministry along the Amazon River.  Three of our groups went to villages and ministered to the people there through VBS, and men's/women's ministry.  The other group went to an orphanage and painted all day while loving on beautiful kids!  Below is an excerpt I've asked one of our students on our boat to share about his experience yesterday in one of the villages:

 

"God's been up to big things here in Manaus.  My family group went to an orphanage of about 30 kids, over 90% of them coming from abusive environments.  We painted classrooms, tables, and played "futbol" with the kids! Later on we performed a powerful concert, and 18 made decisions for Christ!  Our goal was to bless the Brazilians, although they ended up blessing us even more.  It was evident by the encouraging comments that God revealed Himself to the Brazilians tonight.  Our next stop is an 18 hour boat ride to the different villages here in Brazil.  God's been faithful but greater things have yet to come!" -Ty Herring

 

At the concert last night we had 3,000 in attendance at New Baptist Church in Manaus.  As mentioned by Ty, there were 18 decisions made for Christ last night in result, and God truly moved through our students' performance and attitudes.  We had the privilege of getting to talk with many Brazilian teenagers after the performance, and our students were truly blessed to be able to learn from and minister to them. 

 

Please be praying for our performance tonight and be on the lookout for our post tomorrow!  God Bless from the Amor e Esperanca!