Join the Hope Church Mission to Brazil, through their Prayer Journal
Dear Hope Church Family,
A Brazil Mission Trip Thank You Dinner will be held on October 9th from 5-7PM at the Hope Church.
Read the Prayer Journal from the Mission Trip.
As you read this you will notice that there are no prayers for blessings for us. The only blessing that we request is that we receive the blessing of knowing that we have shared the Gospel with those who have never heard of the saving knowledge of Christ. May we be instruments in the Father’s hand. In our Bible Study with Frances Chan, Crazy Love, we learned that it is not about: a safe journey, pleasant surroundings, soft beds, hot & cold running water and fun and easy time. Little changes come about through “easy”…it is through the fire that we witness the most change. Pray that we will mirror Christ, no matter what the circumstance or obstacle. May this trip truly be about Him and not about us.
In Him, Tom and Rhonda Edwards
Thursday -Pray that we all arrive at the church on time and that we are ready to depart for the airport. There are connecting flights and airline changes as we travel from Tampa, to Charlotte, to Orlando, to Sao Paulo, and finally the bus trip to Vargem Grande do Sul. Praise that the city of VGdoS is providing a 60 passenger bus for us to travel the 3 hours from the airport to the city. We will need endurance and patience as we travel, we will be greeted at the airport by 20 youth and they will accompany us to VGdoS—the time frame is around midnight to 3 a.m.
Friday -Pray for all the logistics of the first English Camp. After arriving early in the morning and with little sleep, there isn’t a lot of time for set up and preparations. We will be working with a group of about 20-25 locals who will serve as our interpreters. May we exhibit the love of Christ as we work with this group. May God make us a true team and may all the cultural issues be a learning experience for each of our groups. This requires patience and attitudes of selflessness.
Saturday -Today is our first day with a full schedule-two English Camps. During the second English Camp Tom will be presenting the Gospel. Pray for the the Holy Spirit to move and for seeds to be planted and harvested. Pray for Paula, Claudia and Isabella as they lead the group in singing and for Peter and Joe as they play their instruments.
Sunday - Another full day of English Camps. Tom is speaking at each of the camps. Pray for him as he teaches about Jesus and God’s love for us. Pray that how he communicates in English will translate well into Portuguese. We will also experience our first day of sports, flag football. May our focus be on developing relationships and not on skill or competition.
Monday -Our fun day where we visit a local tourist city. Each of us has different ideas about what we would consider to be fun. May we be willing to listen to each other and discover what would be best for the whole group.
Tuesday -Today we walk through the downtown VGdoS to get a feel for the area and later we work with the youth again as we participate in games of volleyball. Pray for Sarah, our volleyball queen, as she displays her skills as well as her testimony.
Wednesday -We begin walking through the area of VGdoS that is in the same neighborhood as the church. This is probably the part of the trip that we have little excitement about. We do not speak the language and are intimidated to “knock on doors”. Pray for us to view this part of the trip where we allow God to work through us and our weakness as we depend on Him and His strength.
Thursday –We again walk through the neighborhood and talk to those we meet, introducing them to the church. Most of the people who live in the area are either Catholic or do not attend church at all. Pray that they will see the local Presbyterian Church as a place for spiritual healing, nourishment for the soul and release from the bondage of sin.
Friday - Our last day of neighborhood walking, may we be excited and look forward to our mission today realizing that we may be the only Bible that some of the people we meet may ever have the opportunity to read.
Saturday -A day of fellowship and sharing with our new friends. Pray that the love of Christ has allowed us to cross the cultural barriers and become true witnesses for Him.
Sunday - Flights home. Praise that there are fewer plane changes than on the flight south.
