2nd Day-August 2

Today was our first day of VBS. In Brazil school started today for the first time in a month. It was their winter break. They go to school either in the morning or the afternoon. This morning we had the kids that go to school in the afternoon and the afternoon we had the kids that went to school in the morning. We had 10 kids this morning and 31 this afternoon. We had them divided into groups. We had bible stories, ESL, math class, recreation and crafts and music. The kids were great, they even played soccer in the rain with no complaints. They loved having their pictures made. That was my job today, to take pictures and develop them for their crafts. The children are all just beautiful. We would post pictures, but we are having some technical difficulties. Lunch today was GREAT!!! Those of you that know me, know that is important. We had some chicken that was boiled, fried and then baked, rice and beans and some coconut that had some sweet milk mixed in. I had four helpings!!!! Continue the prayers for us, we feel them and everything is going great. Ana the lady that owns the property where the church is, is really teaching us what faith is. She is an amazing lady and has done so much for the people in the area. Thanks FBCG for allowing us this opportunity.
PS. A monkey joined us for breakfast this morning.

Rachel



Wow! This was a great day to celebrate. Our team is working very well and we are enjoying Anna and her church family. Ana shared her story and she reminded me of Omar from the Valley. Having faith in the great God they serve, but what a blessing it is to see how she is living and acting in faith day by day.
I was in charge of crafts but we did not have enough translators for each team, but God being God provided two sisters that spoke both Spanish and Portuguese. I spoke in Spanish and they translated, one came in the morning and the other in the afternoon. I would love to bring them back to the states, they love the Lord and desire to serve Him.
It rained all day but the kids here are used to playing soccer in the rain. Charla led music and everyone had a blast. Houston had Bible Study for the moms that came.
I just want to thank my FBCG family for givng us the opportunity to come and ministry here in Recife through your donations and prayers. Keep praying.

PSS, I thought the monkey was a possum! It ate breakfast at the table next to us!

Blessings,
Janie

Today I had the chance to play soccer with the kids during recreation. It was great, at first we were not going to play because it was raining but some of the boys still wanted to play and once we started a few of the girls joined in. They were impressed that Americans could play soccer with even a little bit of skill. After lunch the second group of kids came and those of us that had been playing soccer had finally started to dry and the sun was shining but as soon as the first rotation came it started pouring. We had four rotations come through and all of them were fearless sliding on the field (made of concrete) and going after the ball even when the person with it was bigger than them.

Soaking wet but excited,
Kayla

WHAT A MIGHTY GOD WE SERVE!!! It seems that I begin all of my blogs with these words, but I can't think of any other way to say it because it is definitely true!!! Today we saw Him at work again among the children and adults here at Pau Amarelo Church, and I think our team would agree that we came away more blessed than we were able to bless!!! It is so good to be back in this country which I love with all of my heart and to see what God has done and is doing among his people. We had a real special time with Ana, our host, as she shared how God had used an awful situation in her life to bring her and her children (now adults) to the point of giving up their home to make it a church where ALL are welcomed and helped. The kids sang their hearts out, Christian and Paul were fantastic with their instruments, the rest of the team was amazing with their stories, math classes (YES, math classes), recreation, ESL classes, bible studies, etc!!! Keep praying every day!!! We sense God wanting to use us to help many accept Him as their Lord and Saviour and we need your prayers. We love you!!!
Charlotte and Houston

Our story today was about creation and how God created each one of us to be special. We talked about all the things that God created, including math. We found out that BINGO is a universal language. Using our minds to remember multiplication and addition facts reinforced how special we truly are! Thanks for your prayers.
PSSS-I thought that the monkey was going to land on my back!

Lynn

In our story for the younger children today, we talked about creation and all the things that God created. We used flash cards and talked about the animals in English and in Portuguese. This afternoon, we also got to teach English to all the children. They had a great time. I'm not sure what the jokes all were, but they and I are excited about tomorrow! Jim and John - I am being flexible and adaptable!

Beverly