"Joy In The Journey"

I heard a song by Michael Card called "Joy In The Journey". It is so beautiful. It talks about the joy and freedom that comes from being in Christ. This song resonated with me because I think it really describes my life and what I want for others. Here are the lyrics:

There is a joy in the journey
There's a light we can love on the way
There is a wonder and wildness to life
And freedom for those who obey

And all those who seek it shall find it
A pardon for all who believe
Hope for the hopeless and sight for the blind

To all who've been born in the Spirit
And who share incarnation with Him
Who belong to eternity stranded in time
And weary of struggling with sin

Forget not the hope that's before you
And never stop counting the cost
Remember the hopelessness when you were lost

There is a joy in the journey
There's a light we can love on the way
There is a wonder and wildness to life
And freedom for those who obey

And freedom for those who obey...

One of the reasons I am doing what I'm doing is because I remember the "hopelessness when I was lost" and I want to help the lost find the same kind of hope that I have found. The peace and joy we receive from obeying God is amazing to me! And when we are living our life in obedience to Him, He does require sacrifices, but He also showers us with love and joy!

Let me share with you one of the little "joys" in my journey. Sometimes the accent and the pronunciation of our readers provides for some very amusing situations. For example, one girl pronounces h's as r's. Imagine how hard it is to keep a straight face when she is talking about the "Rolly" Spirit.
Another reader was studying about the time that Jesus spent 40 days in the desert fasting and praying and the devil came to tempt him. I asked my reader where Jesus was and he answered, "Jesus got into the dessert". I guess Jesus has a sweet tooth. Of course he hadn't eaten in a while, so there is no worry about him ruining his dinner.
Don't think I share these stories with you to laugh at them. Definitely not! Far from it! These people are very intelligent and are on their way to being fluent in a second language (some have even more languages). Since I have begun studying portuguese, I have a better understanding of just how difficult that is! I have great respect for them.
I'm sharing these stories to give you a glimpse of the fun we have doing our work and the joy we get from spending time with our readers. Each morning I wake up excited to start my day and to meet my friends to read the bible together and have great discussions. And we enjoy being together, we share lots of laughs and lots of struggles.

I pray that you have many joys in your journey too! Please, share them with me!!!
And if you are feeling hopelessness, seek the pardon that comes from obedience to God!
If you would like to listen to the song by Michael Card, click here.

Independence?

This morning I walked to the bakery and fruit market alone. This isn't a big deal, they are just a few blocks away and I can just point to the things I need, I don't need to be able to speak. But I really enjoyed it! This wasn't my first time to do this alone, I've gone several times, but this morning I really enjoyed the feeling of freedom and independence of doing what I needed to do all by myself. I didn't need anyone to drive me or escort me, I didn't need anyone along to translate for me, I didn't have to rely on anyone else to show me the way. Like most people my age, I am used to being independent and self sufficient. Well, now, that is all out the window. I can't even go get my hair cut without help!
But I have been learning over these last several months, that I am not independent and self sufficient. No matter how much I earn, learn, and accomplish, for the important things in life, I need help, I need other people, and most of all, I need Jesus!
Greg and I could not have made it to this place and this work on our own. We needed God to provide the vision and the means to accomplish it. He used his people, his church to help us along every step of the way, from arranging travel plans to raising support. Now that we are here, we need his people to help us accomplish many of our daily tasks and we definitely need him to help us with our work. We rely on the Holy Spirit to gives us word to speak (1 Cor. 2:13) to our readers as we share with them about Jesus.
In Mark 10:15 Jesus says that anyone who doesn't receive the Kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it. So, like a child, I am to be totally dependent on my Father for everything. And I can rely on Him to provide all I need without worry. This isn't easy. I'm a grown-up adult and the world says I should be taking care of myself. But I am slowing learning that totally depending on God to provide is a blessed way to live and it is life to the fullest! I may enjoy an outing alone to the bakery, but I don't want to go back to an "independent, self sufficient" life, because, "my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." (Ph. 4:29)

GREAT NEWS!

I think most of you are aware of the issues we have had with our Brazilian visas, but in case there are some that don't know what has been happening, here is the story...
Starting in about March of this year Lacy, Greg and I started the process of applying for one year volunteer visas from Brazil. Our plan was to begin our year in July. When our leave date arrived, Lacy had her visa, but Greg and I didn't. After about one month of waiting, we found out we had been denied that visa. According to our contacts, that denial left us with no other options to try to stay in Brazil for the whole year, but we could apply for a tourist visa which is usually for 3 months and then apply for an extension and get a total of 6 months in the country. So, we decided that is the thing to do. We did get approved for a tourist visa, but when we received it we realized that it was only a 30 day visa. This was completely unexpected and left us with a big decision to make. Do we go on to Brazil for the 30 days and hope for an extension, or, Do we give up on Brazil all together and spend the entire year in another country? Since the church here in Natal was expecting us and we had told them we were coming, we felt like we should go there for whatever time we were allowed. With this decision made, we then needed to decide what to do, where to go, when we have to leave Brazil. The people at LST recommended two churches in two different countries that were really wanting and needing interns to do follow-up work from the LST summer projects and after reviewing all the contingencies regarding both sites we come to a decision about the rest of our year.
So, now you have the whole story up to today.
Now for the GREAT NEWS! Today, we got word that our applications for an extension on our Brazilian visas have been approved. Instead of having to leave in less than a week, we can stay in Natal for 2 more months. We have to leave the country by December 20. We are praising God for this blessing and we are so thankful to Him for granting us more time to work with the people here. Greg and I both feel that we are just beginning to see some of our readers opening up to God's Word and we are excited that we will be able to stay here longer and continue to be involved in God's work in their lives.
We know that if we are willing to be used by God, it doesn't matter where we are, He will use us and we are striving to always be His servants. But for now, we are very excited that He is using us at Commundade de Cristo in Natal, Brazil. And at that end of December, if He is willing, we will move to Panama City, Panama to continue our year long LST Intern project and serve Him there.
Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
(Psalm 143:10)

Readers and Friends

One of the great blessing of my time here in Natal is the opportunity to reconnect with people that I read with last year. I developed some special friendships with so many of them, and now, to get to work with them again and see how their english has improved and how God has been working in their lives, I am amazed and humbled to be a witness.
I want to tell you a little about a few of them. I am not giving their names to protect their privacy, but if you pray for them, God will know who they are!

DOWN AND OUT
When I met her last year, she was in the depths of depression, she was discouraged about her life and situation, she was embarrassed about her english and because of these issues, she had a nervous habit that make her sniff and twitch all the time. She considered herself religious, but she never really read the Bible. We gave her a New Testament and she started reading it regularly in addition to her LST lessons. When I left, she said that her daughter was also reading the bible with her and I could already see that the power of God's Word was helping her to look at her life in a more positive way. She came to see me the first week I was back and she scheduled some time with me. I was amazed! She is almost like a different woman! The nervous habits are gone completely and I saw no trace of the depression. She looks ten years younger! She is no longer focused on what she can't do because of her circumstances, instead she is making the most of her opportunities. This is the power of the Word of God in the lives of those who seek Him!
SHALLOW AND ENAMORED BY THE WORLD
When I left last year, his english was pretty limited and most of our discussions were somewhat superficial and shallow. He has continued to meet with LST workers as often as possible, and the difference in his english is amazing. This year we have been able to have meaningful discussions about the things we are reading about. He started reading the Luke workbook with me in May of 2007 and last Thursday, we finished reading the workbook together. It was very special to both of us that we got to start and finish this study together. But that is not the end, he will continue with LST until we run out of material to read with him!
DEEP THINKERS
I have two students that are really good friends and classmates. They are both studying philosophy. Okay, stop laughing at the image of me having discussions with philosophers. God is good and powerful and He can work in any situation. I'm sure they think I am silly and simple as we discuss philosophy and religion, but they come back twice a week anyway. I tell you, I am really challenged as I listen to people whose perspective is completely different than mine, but I have more opportunities to share what I believe with them than with anyone else. I do more praying in my hours with them than any other time in my day. Friday night they took Greg and I out to one of their favorite places to listen to music. It was a great opportunity to illustrate the life of a christian in their own setting instead of just here in our church building. Greg and I both agreed that we don't understand why they want to spend time with us. They are young and cool and well.......... I am hoping it is that they see Jesus in us and like what they see.

There are others that are equally special and I may be able to share about them later. This is just a glimpse of the people that we came here for. I am so thankful to God that He has given me the opportunity to be involved in the life of my readers! I love helping them with their english and hearing the progress they are making, but the real reward is seeing the progress that God is making in their hearts!

PICTURES

Greg has uploaded our pictures onto the web. you can find them at
http://picasaweb.google.com/gneedels
Happy viewing!
If you want to just follow a link, go to his blog and click the link.

Just for Genny...but anyone can read it!

bananas, mango, butter and margarine, shortening, flour, sugar, black beans (some cooked, some not), uncooked rice, juice (lime and grape-but these flavors change regularly), leftover grilled chicken that I bought from the guy in the median of the street (yummy), water, some really yucky wheat bread, coffee, eggs, granola, some wonderful cheese (I don't know what kind it is,but it is white and melts really good), little bitty cans of Coke, some flat orange Fanta, a variety of spices, half an onion, one slice of ham, two apples (not very good, so I am saving them to make apple cake)
almost always pineapple, but it got finished today

two hours ahead of AR

A Typical Day

Not that there really is such a thing as a typical day when you have totally turned your life upside down by quitting your job, selling your house, and moving to another country in order to tell people about Jesus.
But, I will share the basics.
The sun comes up at about 5 AM, but I don't. I try to get up between 7 and 8. The first thing I do is sit out on the balcony and read my Bible (I've been reading Judges, and I can't say I'm sorry that I have finished that book. It's rough!) This is also a good time to expose these white legs to a little of the equatorial sun. Next I usually eat breakfast. Right now my favorite breakfast is honey yogurt with some granola mixed in and a banana (yum, yum). Then I straighten up the apartment if it needs it, if I need to do a load of laundry, I usually like to start it first thing in the morning so that I can get it hung on the line before I go downstairs. After the housework, I take a shower and get ready for the day. Then it is time to go to work, so, I walk downstairs and wait for readers. This is a good time to practice portuguese or do a little paperwork (especially if my reader doesn't show up). At about noon I either cook some lunch for us or we go to the closest shopping center to eat. After cleaning up from lunch, I usually take a little rest (When in South America, do as the South Americans do. Actually, I'm not sure if that is common here, but for me, a little rest is essential to get me through the long days.) Then it is time to freshen up and go back downstairs for afternoon reading sessions. I have afternoon reading times available from 2-7(except on Wednesdays, because of church services). Doing more than 3 reading sessions in a row is very difficult for me, so, as we are settling my schedule, most days I will try to space the readers out a little. At 8 PM we are usually done for the day and most work days we have a light dinner and I usually try to be in bed by 11 PM where I fall asleep reading. In amongst these other things I try to find time to do the shopping, keep up with paperwork, spend time getting the know the people here, do some cooking, study portuguese, study my bible, communicate with people back home, and write new posts for this blog. It seems that so many of the routine things that need to be done take much longer to do here than they did at home. I guess that is part of adjusting to a different culture. But, I don't mind, it is all part of the adventure and I enjoy learning new or different ways to do things. So, our days are full and so blessed! I love each day and look forward to getting up every morning and discover what God has in store for me!