Brazil 2012 Pictures!

I went to Brazil on a work trip July 7-25 to prepare for and serve during a conference called CONPLEI (The Council of Native Evangelical Pastors and Leaders - English Translation).  The purpose of this conference is to encourage indigenous Christian pastors and leaders to take initiative to reach the Indigenous people of Brazil (and all of South America).  It was a great trip!  I don't think their are words to express the impact this trip had on me...

I am not going to go into a lot of detail now because I am going to do an update in the next few days that will give a lot more of the detail.  Below are a few picture of people and things from the trip.  :-)

The sign says "Welcome."

Lucia and Geane - two young women that lived in the dorm.  Lucia was an intern at Ammi, and Geane is a student.  I will have more to say about them in my update and later on my blog.  God is using both of them in a big way!!

 The dinner serving line.  There were around 3,000 people there and 6 serving lines for food.  I was pleasantly surprised at how fast the lines moved.

 

 

Big pot-o-beans!!

Lettuce....lots-o-lettuce!

I think this was dinner one of the first nights we were at AMMI.  

It was REALLY good.

 

Chicken Coop?  No...  Throw a little plastic around the front and back, and then put a post in the ground and some plastic around that and attach it to the building so no one could see in.....  Viola! Ladies dressing room! 

 

The multipurpose room became sleeping quarters for many that attended the conference.  It was too cold and windy for many people to sleep outside.

My sleeping quarters....the girls dorm.

Wouldn't change that arrangement for anything!

 

Scary, but true...  This is the light switch and where we plug in our phones to charge (below) and the fan switch (top).  The nice thing about the loose wires is that you don't have to let your phone dangle down, you can just shove it in behind the wires and it holds perfectly.  #lookingforthebrightside 

 

There is a reason they call these "widow makers."  

I thought this was a little funny & scary until I saw the one in the girls dorm...

#hotwater

 

Girls dorm shower....not so funny...

#nohotwater

Actually - the cold water wasn't bad after working outside all day...

 Cute little kiddos I hung out with one morning.  

 

WA Area Director, the dude over the Portuguese speaking countries (I am sure he will appreciate the formal job description there :-), and the new Site Vol Coord for Brazil (currently in Portuguese Lang School); taking a break and having coffee in Chapada.

 Hanging out in Kay's kitchen.

Kay and her husband, Dave, have been missionaries in Brazil for 30+ years.  Karissa is their daughter.  

Kay made coffee and breakfast for the WA team and whoever else showed up at her house in the morning.  Good cook and good friend!

 

Tapioca - It is some kind of stuff sprinkled into the pan that firms and sticks together when heated (a crust).  Then you can fill it with whatever you want...meat, cheese, fruit, etc...

This one had banana, cinnamon, and sweetened condensed milk.  Breakfast!

We are at a lookout point about 8k from Chapada.  See pics below.

The WA work team that went to Brazil.

Matt, me, John & Horace

I am standing on the center point of South America.

That hill is as big as it looks, and the bus to take me home is at the top. ;-)

The view!

 

Yes....this is exactly what it looks like.  

There is video, but I want to protect the face of the innocent...

One of the adults joined in too...it was all his idea....

he had to bribe the younger ones to do it by promising he would do it.  

There is video of this one too...tempting...  :-)

 Kissing Post?  NO...surly you know me better than THAT!  It was "measure by Paula day."  You've never heard of that?  Me neither...  There was one morning when we had two different projects where we needed things set at a consistent height.  In this picture we were putting up clothes lines.  It was decided that we would use my face as a way to measure where to put the holes in the posts to run the string through.  The second project we were hanging electrical wire between posts.  It needed to be high so that people wouldn't hang clothes on it, but we didn't have enough ladders.  Since I was the tallest one working on the project we hung the wire "as high as Paula could reach to keep tension in the wire."  So I stood on my tippy toes holding tension in the wire as high as I could while someone else hammered in the staples.  Whatever works, right??

The last night of CONPLEI we had the Lord's Supper together.  The bread and Acai were brought from the Amazon especially for this.

(If you are wondering about the marks on her arm...they are the marks the Surui (sue-do-we) people put on to mark a celebration.)

Praying together after the conference (CONPLEI) was over.

Some of the students living in the dorm.  My new friends.

Cira, Bete, Natalia, Eliana, Lucia, Claudia & me

 

The Last Supper.....in Brazil.  Churrascaria!  In America that would mean DELICIOUS food from a Brazilian Steak House.

  

SMILE!  Because you are having dinner at a Churrascaria...

and even better....with friends!  Kelly, Dave and me

Fresh Maracujia Juice - my favorite in Brazil and Peru.

 

Dessert options.  Cakes and custards and flan....oh my!

 

My choice - chocolate coconut cake.  

Just in case you are wondering....it was fantastic!

 

All topped off with a little shot-o-coffee.  Mmmmm...

"Glory - Jesus is GOOD!!" Jammin in the kitchen at Ammi!!

hanging out with cute lil punkins this morning. :-)

Brazil - Week One

Warning.  This could potentially be a really long post.  There is so much to tell about this trip!  For starters, it is A.MA.ZING! 

I spent the first two days in Rio de Janeiro seeing the two schools (seminary where my friend Margaret worked for many years), the hillside ministry she helped start, the beaches, shopping at Copacabana, and of course, Corcovado.  Oh, and eating fabulous Brazilian food!

Sophia, Lucia, Natalia, Cira, Eliana, Paula

On Tuesday I had 3 flights to Cuiaba, and then was taken to the Ammi Training Center near Chapada dos Guimaraes.  I am staying the the girl's dorm with the Ammi students.  I'll be honest...the thought was very intimidating.  I was going to stay in a room full of Portuguese speaking women, how are we going to communicate or get along?  It has been great!  It turns out that their are two girls that know English very well, and don't mind interpreting & teaching.  So the girls are learning a little bit of English and I am learning A LOT of Portuguese....and quickly!

The work has been going well, too.  I have done a variety of work here.  I've done painting, digging, putting up posts, more painting, more digging, cleaning, using my height to help hang electrical wire (not an abundance of ladders here), and most frightening, stripping wire and installing light sockets.  Yup, they let me work on electric and everybody lived. :~)  I do have several battle wounds to prove my work and that I am in a mosquito/bug/ant infested country.  I have bruises, sunburn, blisters, and so many bug bites it would be embarrassing to post a picture of my legs.  But as we say, "it's all part of the experience!" 

This last picture is how "we" fixed a light fixture that had no was to support a ladder.  It is Brazilian style and NOT OSHA approved.  We tied a rope to support the ladder on both sides and two guys held it up.  All went well...so well that he was doing little tricks at the top of the ladder waiting for someone to bring a light bulb.

There are so many stories to tell, but I won't try to tell them all at once.  That's all for now!

Tchau!
(pronounced "chow")

March/April 2012 Update - BRAZIL!

Hello Family & Friends!

March and April have kept me pretty busy!  The first week of March I went on  a much needed vacation to the woods in Arkansas.  It was fabulous, restful and just what I needed.  The end of March through mid-April we said good-bye to a majority of our seasonal volunteers, and the last few weeks have been planning, logistics & more planning for the next 6 months.

As I mentioned in my last newsletter, I am planning a partnership development trip.  I am leaving at 6am Saturday morning (5/5) and heading to Tennessee.  I will then go to North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New York, Ontario Canada, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, *Missouri, Arkansas, and then back to Texas.  I will be gone almost exactly a month. 

*If you know my Dad, please don’t mention that I will be in MO, I am surprising him for his birthday.

I will be back in Dallas for the rest of June, and then will take off for

BRAZIL the first week of July!!  I have a friend that will be in Rio de Janeiro the first few days I am in Brazil, then I will fly up to Chapada dos Guimaraes to the AMMI Training Center for the rest of the month of July.   In August I will be working with another translation partner in Brazil.  We are still working out the logistics of the last part of the trip, so I will update you as I get more details.

Prayer Requests:

~ Pray for safe travel.

~ Pray for additional prayer & financial partners.  I am currently short

   about $1,000 per month.

~ Pray for open doors to raise awareness about WA & Bible translation.

~ Pray for the logistics to come together quickly for my trip to Brazil

   this summer.

~ Pray for the staff working with the volunteers in Dallas in my absence.

~ We praise the Lord for a good volunteer season. 

~ We praise the Lord that every season we are identifying more areas that

    volunteers can serve, thus accelerating Bible Translation.

Thank you all for your continued prayer and financial support. 

I cannot do this ministry without each of you!

To contribute financially for my trip to Brazil

or become a monthly partner,

please see the information at the bottom of the page.

About the AMMI Training Center in Chapada dos Guimaraes, Brazil—

The AMMI Training Center’s (AMMI meaning “my people.”) strategy is to teach the gospel to students from different tribes preparing them to be missionaries taking the Word and love of God to their own people.  The government of Brazil severely restricts non-Indians from entering indigenous reservations.  Since we can’t go to them they come to AMMI of their own free will to study God’s Word.  The future Indian leaders will enter a 3 or 5 year program. 

At  the end of July, AMMI will host a Conference called CONPLEI 2012 (National Council of Evangelical Native Pastors and Church Leaders).  The purpose is to discuss the  Indian peoples own goals, strategies, and dreams for reaching all of the Indians in South America, and see the Creator glorified among all of the indigenous nations.  There will be more than 48 tribal groups from Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia and others totaling approximately 3,000—4,000 people.  This conference is the reason I am going to Brazil.  I will go and serve in whatever capacity needed a few weeks before, and during the conference.  This could include helping build a structure for them to hang their hammocks to sleep, working in the kitchen, working with kids, or doing administrative work….it will also include sleeping in a tent.  :~)

 Many Indians come to AMMI not having heard of Jesus, but after meeting the staff that share their life with the students and hearing of His saving grace, they accept Him as their Savior.

For example—potential Mother Tongue Translator (MTT) “Sydney,” an indigenous young man, arrived his first semester at the AMMI Training Center without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  He came from a language group in Brazil that has not a single verse of Scripture translated into their language.  Over the ensuing months, he grew increasingly interested in what was being taught about God in class. 

A few months ago, Sydney—along with 13 other students—gave his heart to Christ, and was baptized with 27 others.  Now, Sydney is potentially the next mother tongue translator for this language group!

For more information about CONPLEI 2012 click HERE for a You Tube video or HERE for the website.

To Become a Financial Partner or give a one-time donation:

Online: Click HERE and follow the prompts.

By Check:  Make checks payable to Wycliffe Associates

Write only account # M08730 on the memo line.

Send to: PO Box 620368; Orlando, FL 32862-0368

The Banquet Trail...

Wycliffe Associates Banquet Trail

There are Wycliffe Associates Banquets all over the United States.  Click on the link above to see where there is one close to you to see how you can get involved!  

You can PRAY, you can GIVE, and you can GO!  

Find a way to support 

EVERY VERSE, EVERY TONGUE & EVERY HEART!

2nd Annual WA Pig Roast

Wycliffe Associates had our second annual Volunteer Appreciation Pig Roast.  John Toliver was the Pig Roaster 

and I was the side dish maker 

(with the help of Deb Martin - THANKS!).

There was a pig....

There was fire....in the middle of the RV Park...

Several hours later, he was cooked...

Then he was chopped up....

by John

 

 

And there were sides: corn on the cobb roasted over the fire, buns/bread, loaded mashed potatoes, cold 4 bean salad, coleslaw, applesauce...and for dessert peach cobbler with ice cream and/or whipped cream!!

We tried to make the room pretty - so we used Easter decor...

YUP - we had an Easter themed Pig Roast. :~)

A good time was had by all....

Ready to start planning for the Third Annual...