God’s goodness

It’s hard to believe that today we are wrapping up the year 2011! As I look back on this past year, all I can say is God is SO good! He truly has done great things.

Here are some of the highlights:

January – completed a course by Youth With a Mission on inner healing and deliverance, which is such great training to have when working with people in the clinics and in discipleship

Pastor ordination

February – traveled to our base in the neighboring state of Amazonas and ministered with a Brazilian team in various communities. One very special part was ordaining the leader of one village as the pastor of the church.

March – started discipleship with my first Brazilian disciples

April  – coordinated a health trip for the first time

Construction trip with ORU team

May – went on a church construction trip with an American team and helped with language translation

June – visited Peoria for my brother David’s wedding and had a wonderful time with my family

Village people receiving illustrated Bibles

July – went on a 10 day river trip with an American team and helped translate, evangelized, shared my testimony, made house visits, and prayed for the sick and saw many healed!

Peoria team construction trip

August – team of great friends from Peoria came and helped build a church in a river community. It was a combined construction and health trip and we made many key contacts in the community through this trip.

September – by the grace of God, supervised our health team for 1 1/2 months while our leader did mission work in Japan

Re-installing a water filter

October – went on a river trip with 2 Brazilian pastors and did water filter supervision and maintenance, including installing a filter for the first time. We spent time with a couple who had recently given their lives to the Lord, encouraging them, teaching them the Word and praying for them.

- attended our MDA conference, where hundreds of Brazilian pastors came from all over Brazil to learn and grow in the discipleship and small group model of Igreja da Paz (church of peace).

 

Packing for a health trip in our existing room

November – started Project Farmácia (pharmacy), the renovation of our health room! The Lord abundantly provided the funds to do a complete make-over! Instead of the small 4 x 3.5 meter room that we have been using, we will have 2 rooms, one to store supplies and meds and the other as an office.

Health team sorting and organizing supplies

We will have new cabinets that close to protect our medications better. We will also have two large sinks with plenty of counter space to clean and disinfect our instruments. An office with two desks and computers will allow us to work on reports and projects without bumping into each other! And we will have an area with a conference table to have meetings. It will be such a blessing! I will continue to send updates as the project progresses.

Baptism in the Arapiuns River

December – went with our missions pastor and an American team on a 10 day river trip on the Arapiuns River. Had the privilege to baptize two believers for the first time. It was an incredible experience!

I went on a total of 19 trips this year to river villages and also villages in the interior of the jungle. I give God all the honor, glory and praise! He has done amazing things! Being in the center of God’s will is definitely the BEST place to be! I just can’t imagine any other life.

“Therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work among this people, a marvelous work and a wonder…” Isaiah 29:14

Auerana

Captain Kate!

Each trip I take is unique and is a special experience. But there are some trips that really stick out, like the one I recently took to the village of Auerana.

It was the 3rd health trip that I coordinated, and it’s always a relief when the details come together and fall into place, sometimes at the very last minute!

Checking in a patient

Sometimes getting to that point is a little stressful. Coordination involves finding health professionals, then finding someone to take their place when they call and cancel, finding transportation (which boat, truck, etc.) and drivers/captains, finding a cook, making a menu, packing all the medical supplies, buying food and water, preparing coolers, taking a projector, screen and evangelistic films to show at services, making sure everyone going has rides to arrive at the boat dock (many people do not have cars, so have to take a bus, taxi, etc.), and the list goes on! But the Lord always provides and blesses each part of the trip.

The band leading worship during the conference

We were invited to hold clinics during a cell group conference Auerana. We spent about 11 hours on the boat Intimidade com Deus (Intimacy with God) before arriving in the community. A worship band of teenage guys also went with us to lead worship during the conference. So we had an anointed time of worship and prayer as we chugged along the Amazon River.

Our living quarters inside the boat

I had already gotten comfy in my rede (hammock) and was falling asleep when all of the sudden the boat started rocking like crazy! We were crossing a very wide part of the Amazon, and it was very windy with huge waves. It took awhile to actually get out of my hammock and get to the side of the boat to hang onto the rail! I was glad I had taken my motion sickness medicine. But more than that I was so thankful for the Lord’s protection, because the boat could have tipped, as rough as the waters were. Once we crossed the Amazon, things calmed down, until a storm started with heavy rain, thunder and lightening. The bright spot was that the storm kept the mosquitos away! Needless to say, we didn’t sleep so well that night.

Intimacy with God

I had a chance to talk with the local church worker. He is only 24 years old and his wife 18. He gave His life to the Lord less than 2 years ago. Before he became a Christian, he was big into partying and drinking. But Jesus radically changed his life, and on the night he accepted Jesus as his Savior, 8 others (mostly family members) also made commitments to Christ. He is very passionate about living for Jesus and sharing his faith with others, so that they also have the opportunity to come to know Christ as their Lord and Savior. He said it’s not always easy to go to neighboring communities to share the gospel, but he knows that God always goes with him. He has started cell groups in other villages nearby.

Church in Auerana

One of the highlights for me was when 3 adult men went forward at the end of the Saturday night service and made commitments to live for Jesus! It’s always wonderful to be part of the salvation experience of a person, and to welcome them into the family of God. Who knows what plans God has to use these men to raise up godly families, to be positive influences in their community, and take the gospel to new places?

Trips, trips and more trips!

Visit to the States

It was so great to spend time with my nieces and nephews!

On June 2, a year and a half after I moved here to Brazil, I boarded the first of five planes to eventually end up in Peoria. It was about a 34 hour trip. It was great to travel part of the way with my missionary friends Nate, Ruth, Anna and Rebecca as well as Vontoria, a visitor who was returning to the U.S. It made traveling a lot more fun!

Dad and mom with the newlyweds

I stayed in Peoria for 3 weeks and it was wonderful to spend time my family, attend my nephews’ birthday parties, shop with my niece, celebrate Father’s Day with my dad, be part of my brother David’s wedding, share about Brazil at different churches and at my open house, eat my favorite food, shop til I dropped, and so much more! I packed as much as possible in those 3 weeks.

Brazilian snacks at my open house

God is so good, and it is amazing to me how He keeps opening new opportunities for me to pass on the vision for Brazil. He is bringing new partners willing to invest in the work here that is changing lives for eternity! There is still so much work to be done.

 

 

Congresso da PAZ 2011 (PAZ Crusade 2011)

July 1-3, Igreja da PAZ put on the annual crusade in the city soccer stadium. The church plans, prepares and prays all year for this event. Thousands heard the gospel message during these 3 nights. A dance presentation told the story of the 10 virgins from the book of Revelation , five whose lamps were full of oil and prepared for the bridegroom (Jesus) to come, and 5 who were left behind because they were unprepared. The 3rd night there was a drama that explained the reality of heaven and hell and the choice each of us has to make of whom we will serve. Throughout the 3 nights, over 600 people gave their lives to Christ and many were healed of physical problems. It was incredible to see the power of God at work!

Evangelism Trip

Kids with presents the team brought

I spent 9 days out on the river with Brazilians and an American team from Oregon. It was such a blessing to work with this group! We went to many different villages and visited people in their homes, played games with kids, gave out gifts to adults, kids and babies, held church services, prayed over the sick and saw them healed before our eyes, and so much more. We also had awesome devotions together every morning, taking time to pray for one another and encourage one another. And of course there was time to have fun, like hike through the jungle, swim in a creek, sing together on top of the boat and laugh a lot!

Villagers receiving Bibles

One really cool testimony that I’d like to share is about a young man in his 20′s. We visited his family and asked if they had any prayer requests. He asked for prayer for headaches and back pain. One of the team members sensed that he was going through another difficulty in his life. As she talked with him, he started opening up and sharing a situation that had brought a lot of shame and bitterness to his life. Another team member led him through a prayer of repentance and deliverance and he was set free and instantly healed of his pain as well! The curse of the devil cannot hold down the power of God! It was really beautiful to see his life transformed and to see peace and joy on his face.

Praying over Pr. Reinaldo

One other very special time was when we prayed over several of the river pastors and their wives. We spoke words of knowledge and encouragement for them. It was beautiful to watch them weep and laugh as the Holy Spirit filled them and touched them. These dedicated men and women are my heroes, laboring in tough circumstances to bring the gospel to the Amazon Basin. They may not be recognized on earth, but there is a big reward for them in heaven!

Health Trips

Praying for a patient

I spent 5 days in the interior, holding clinics in 3 different communities with our health team. It was quite an adventure, traveling by ferry, truck and VW van by water and dirt roads, sometimes almost impassable because of water and ruts.

 

New life in Christ!

I attended an elderly woman that came to the clinic with her son. She shared with me her physical ailment, and then I felt the Holy Spirit tell me to ask her if she was a believer. When she answered no, I explained the plan of salvation to her and how Jesus was offering new life to her right then if she would receive it. She said she wanted to, so I had the awesome privilege of leading her in a prayer to accept Jesus as her Lord and Savior! I know the angels were rejoicing in heaven. Later, in the evening church service, her son shared how he had received a prophecy a month before that his whole family would come to salvation. I believe his mom was the first! God is so merciful, and it is His will that none should perish, but all have eternal life.

Renascer

Road to Renascer

I never get tired of the incredible beauty of the Amazon! And taking a trip on dirt roads into the interior is a great way to experience it. A week ago our health team loaded up the VW van with medical supplies, food and personal belongings for a weekend ministry trip to 2 villages in the interior. This time of year, the roads can be dangerous, as they get washed out and rutted due to the rains. But we dedicated the trip into God’s hands and protection and started off with excitement and expectancy of what God had in store!

People gathering for the 1st service of the conference

Four hours later we arrived in the village of Renascer, which means “rebirth”. It’s a prophetic name, as truly this village is being reborn into new life in Christ! I was so impressed with the hunger and excitement the believers in this community have for God. The church was packed out for the missions conference that took place while we were there. Even the 7 a.m. devotion time was full. The sincerity and earnestness of these people was expressed in their worship and prayer intercession. Even the children participated in dramas, music and prayer. The presence of the Holy Spirit was very strong.

This trip was very special for me because I had a lot of time to pray with people for healing and share the love of Jesus and plan of salvation. Sometimes when our clinics are very busy and there is a long line of patients to be seen, I have to focus on meeting the priority need of the patient, but do not have time to just talk with them and find out about their life and concerns. A privilege of this trip was being able to gather our team together to pray over someone and also being able to eat all of our meals with the people of the community.

Bandaging up Charles

Boys will be boys...Charles was a spunky little guy that kept showing up at our clinic with cuts and wounds to be treated! I ended up doing wound care three times in 3 days for him. He was brave and held his own as I cleaned up infection and pus. He had a smile that lit up his whole face. During one of the church services I watched as the pastor called him up to pray for someone, and he unashamed went up in front of the church and prayed. No one is too young to be used by God!

Public transportation

The last day of the trip we headed deeper into the jungle to the small village of Bica. We drove and drove and drove! It felt like we were in the middle of nowhere and would never arrive. But all of a sudden houses began to appear. The Brazilian church workers have been visiting this community on a regular basis and started a small group. But there are still very few believers as it is a new work of the church. We held clinic in a house and attended patients solid from 9 a.m. -1:00 p.m. Two people made commitments to Christ during the clinic. I had the privilege of praying with a middle-aged man as He received Jesus as His Lord and Savior. We were very excited about the interest and response of the people of this village.
After the clinic, we said our good-byes, piled into the van and took a few moments to thank the Lord for what He did and ask for protection for the trip home. The Lord held off the rains and we arrived back in Santarém exhausted and dusty, but with hearts overflowing with joy and satisfaction! “And with Him is abundant redemption.” Psalm 130:7

More pics…

Our nutritionist Silvia giving a talk to moms on healthy foods

Precious!

All bandaged!

This rooster posed for me outside our clinic

My Latest Adventure

Amazon sunset

This year has already been packed with activity! It started off with an intense 3 week counseling course through YWAM in January, followed by 2 ministry trips in February, 2 trips in March plus a health team training and a missions retreat, 3 health trips this month plus a missionary conference! I also started discipling 3 Brazilian girls, which has been a challenging and fulfilling experience.

Conference

Many of you were praying for me on this last trip from April 4-10. Our health team traveled to Lago Grande (Great Lake), 8 hours away by boat to hold medical and dental clinics in 3 villages. Praise the Lord for answered prayers! It was a great trip. The last 3 days we spent in São Jorge, where all the villages on the Lago Grande came together for a conference. Several hundred people attended the conference, so our clinic was hopping! 33 people made commitments to follow Christ!!

Church service

We had some interesting patients at the clinics. One man came with a bloody, deep arm wound from an accident. Many children and adults came with very high fevers and body aches. An elderly gentleman with high blood pressure was having chest pain. Children with scabies and worms. A young girl with an infected burn wound. It was a privilege to be able to serve our brothers and sisters in Christ who attended the conference, as well as the unbelievers in the community.

Typical mode of transportation

It is the rainy season, and several storms blew up at night. It was rather hard to sleep with pouring rain hitting the tin roof of the boat along with lots of lightning, thunder and wind! I got rather wet several times trying to tie down the tarp on the sides of the boat. As humid and hot as it gets during the day, I was sure thankful for my blanket and sweatshirt during the storms! During devotions one morning, Rachel our physical therapist shared the scripture in Luke 8 when Jesus calmed the tempest. We all had to laugh thinking about how Jesus could have slept through such a storm! But then He is the calm in the storm.

I’m so grateful for all the prayers! God is so faithful! “for in Him we live and move and have our being” Acts 17:28