Hi, I am now back from Brazil. I arrived safe and sound into England at half past 11 in the morning on Thursday the 15th July. It has been really nice coming back and seeing all of my friends and family again. I am still adjusting to life back at home but i will soon get back in the the swing of it.
The 4 months in Brazil was an amazing experience. I have learnt alot, met many new people and I feel that I have grown more as a person. I am very glad that I went on the project. It has been very strange to not be living with 9 great freinds 24/7 but it has also been nice to have time to relax and recharge. I really hope I can put everything I have learnt into practice back here.
Thank you for all your support and I hope to speak to all of you in person and tell you about the trip in more detail.
I will be putting pictures up on Facebook soon so look at them if you can at:
http://www.facebook.com/doney12791
Thank you for reading my blog over the last 4 months.
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Tuesday, 20 July 2010
Friday, 2 July 2010
3rd July Update
Hi everyone. This will be my last blog update in Serra Talhada. We are leaving for Recife airport and then travelling to Rio de Janerio on Monday. This project has gone really quickly. I am hoping to write one more blog update whilst in Rio de Janerio to update you on the last 3 days we have in Serra Talhada.
Last Saturday we had a day to buy presents for family and freinds and freinds that we had made in Brazil. Our pastor came round to our house just before we were going to a freinds house for the evening. He asked me if i would like to sing a few christian songs on live state radio. Beth and Andrias came along with me as well. I was a little nervous about singing on live radio but it went really well. I really enjoyed it. Andrias gave his testimony in Portuguese and was asked a few questions. It wwas really good. After that we were taken to our freinds house were the other team members were and we had a great time there.
On Sunday, we woke up early and got a bus with people from the church to a small village in the countryside. We had a short service outside and we watched the pastor putting a briefcase into a time capsule where there was a church being built. It was raining most of the time when the service was going on and we were asked as a group to go up and sing. They picked up a lid from a large rain water container and held it above my head so that my guitar would not get wet, this looked very funny. After we got back, the England and Germany game was on. We all watched it but sadly, the result was not what we wanted. In the evening we went to our last Sunday evening service at Cajepe. This was really nice and we had a lot of pictures with the church people. It was also strange knowing that we were not going to have another Sunday evening service there.
Monday was a farely normal day. We worked in 2 groups as normal and then we had the evening free to have devotions. Tuesday was the same, except that in the evening we went out for a meal
with other church freinds.
We went to the same small village that we went to on Sunday on Wednesday to do some evangelising. We went to a school in the morning and the children were really well behaved. They were really listening and were interested. We did a drama on the good samaritan and played a few songs. We had lunch at a missionary couple´s house, we were housed there all day. Just after lunch we walked, or climbed up a hill that was next to the village. At the top was a cross and the view was incredible. Once we had climbed down we were taken to the same school as the morning but the students were different, in Brazil the children either go in the morning or the afternoon. The children in the afternoon were older so we sung songs that were more appropriate for them. The missionary couple gave us a small tea and then we travelled back in the mini bus. That evening, we went to the service at Cajepe. This was really good. We performed a lot of songs, did a drama for them and a short solo performance of a song. This was the last service that we will have at Cajepe. It was sad to not be coming back. Friends of the church invited us round their house for food after the service. They had a really beautiful house and the food was amazing.
Thursday, I had my last domestics day, my last one before we leave the project. It was a really nice day and we had a really good devotion in the evening. The devotions as a team have been really good whilst being out in Brazil. I am going to miss them when i get back to England.
Yesterday, Friday, we had our final kids club. There was a huge amount of children that came and it was really good. We played lots of games and sung lots of songs. We made one song a competition were the team who sung the loudest, or made the most noise, won. We also did a hilarious drama about the parable of the sower. A few people had flower cut outs on the faces and James had a big beek for his bird constume. Every child got a lillte goody bag full of pens, pencils and other things. The last thing we did was face painting. The whole kids club went really well and it was very fun. In the evening we went to Cajepe for the last time for a prayer meeting service. It was sad to leave the people we had made such good freinds with. It has been really good getting to know the people over ur time here. It was hard to leave.
The next 2 days ahead of us are going to be very busy but are going to be good as well. Today is a day of packing and cleaning. Tomorrow, Sunday, our team are leading the evening service at the church we live above. We are all really looking forward to this. I am going to be leading the worship, Andrias is doing the sermon and the others are all helping with the drama´s and the music. I hope to let everyone know how this goes in my last update whilst in Brazil. On monday we are getting a mini bus to Recife airport, staying the night in the airport, then getting a flight to Rio de Janerio. I really hope that all of this goes to plan.
Here are a few of the last week:
Thank you for reading
Share
Last Saturday we had a day to buy presents for family and freinds and freinds that we had made in Brazil. Our pastor came round to our house just before we were going to a freinds house for the evening. He asked me if i would like to sing a few christian songs on live state radio. Beth and Andrias came along with me as well. I was a little nervous about singing on live radio but it went really well. I really enjoyed it. Andrias gave his testimony in Portuguese and was asked a few questions. It wwas really good. After that we were taken to our freinds house were the other team members were and we had a great time there.
On Sunday, we woke up early and got a bus with people from the church to a small village in the countryside. We had a short service outside and we watched the pastor putting a briefcase into a time capsule where there was a church being built. It was raining most of the time when the service was going on and we were asked as a group to go up and sing. They picked up a lid from a large rain water container and held it above my head so that my guitar would not get wet, this looked very funny. After we got back, the England and Germany game was on. We all watched it but sadly, the result was not what we wanted. In the evening we went to our last Sunday evening service at Cajepe. This was really nice and we had a lot of pictures with the church people. It was also strange knowing that we were not going to have another Sunday evening service there.
Monday was a farely normal day. We worked in 2 groups as normal and then we had the evening free to have devotions. Tuesday was the same, except that in the evening we went out for a meal
with other church freinds.
We went to the same small village that we went to on Sunday on Wednesday to do some evangelising. We went to a school in the morning and the children were really well behaved. They were really listening and were interested. We did a drama on the good samaritan and played a few songs. We had lunch at a missionary couple´s house, we were housed there all day. Just after lunch we walked, or climbed up a hill that was next to the village. At the top was a cross and the view was incredible. Once we had climbed down we were taken to the same school as the morning but the students were different, in Brazil the children either go in the morning or the afternoon. The children in the afternoon were older so we sung songs that were more appropriate for them. The missionary couple gave us a small tea and then we travelled back in the mini bus. That evening, we went to the service at Cajepe. This was really good. We performed a lot of songs, did a drama for them and a short solo performance of a song. This was the last service that we will have at Cajepe. It was sad to not be coming back. Friends of the church invited us round their house for food after the service. They had a really beautiful house and the food was amazing.
Thursday, I had my last domestics day, my last one before we leave the project. It was a really nice day and we had a really good devotion in the evening. The devotions as a team have been really good whilst being out in Brazil. I am going to miss them when i get back to England.
Yesterday, Friday, we had our final kids club. There was a huge amount of children that came and it was really good. We played lots of games and sung lots of songs. We made one song a competition were the team who sung the loudest, or made the most noise, won. We also did a hilarious drama about the parable of the sower. A few people had flower cut outs on the faces and James had a big beek for his bird constume. Every child got a lillte goody bag full of pens, pencils and other things. The last thing we did was face painting. The whole kids club went really well and it was very fun. In the evening we went to Cajepe for the last time for a prayer meeting service. It was sad to leave the people we had made such good freinds with. It has been really good getting to know the people over ur time here. It was hard to leave.
The next 2 days ahead of us are going to be very busy but are going to be good as well. Today is a day of packing and cleaning. Tomorrow, Sunday, our team are leading the evening service at the church we live above. We are all really looking forward to this. I am going to be leading the worship, Andrias is doing the sermon and the others are all helping with the drama´s and the music. I hope to let everyone know how this goes in my last update whilst in Brazil. On monday we are getting a mini bus to Recife airport, staying the night in the airport, then getting a flight to Rio de Janerio. I really hope that all of this goes to plan.
Here are a few of the last week:
Thank you for reading
Share
Friday, 25 June 2010
25th June Update
Hello. It has been a really good week this last week.
On Friday we ran the kids club at Cajepe. This was really fun and the children seemed to enjoy it. The craft we did was making a small box out of card that we put a Bible verse inside and we put a small chocolate football inside with it too, just to keep with the World Cup spirit. We also played a few games, including skipping, which is suprisingly fun. After that we showed the children a small drama based on Joshua and the Great wall of Jericho. We used rolled up card as trumpets, an idea that we took from the last Latin Link team that came to help this church. In the evening we had a short service at the Cajepe church instead of a evangelism service. After that we went to the Cajepe Church pastor´s house for pizza. His wife had made all of the pizza´s and they were really nice. It was good to talk to them more and get to know them a little bit better.
On Saturday, Me and Beth went to the pastor of Cajepe´s house to learn a couple of Brazilian songs. He taught me how to play a song on the guitar and how to sing the words. I already knew the song a little bit because I had heard them sing it in church before. We learnt the songs and then sung them at a church service at the church we live above. This was really nice because the church sung along with my singing, which i have not experienced for a while. A couple of the team did not attend this service beacuse they were helping to make food for a church lunch that we were hosting the next day. There were alot of church people in the kitchen when this was going on.
The Church Lunch went well on Sunday and soon after we watched the Brazil versus Ivory Coast World Cup game. It is fun when all the Brazilians come to the church and we watched it with them. Again, Joe, James and Andrias decided to support the other team, Ivory Coast, but this time they painted there faces to look like the Ivory Coast Flag. This was very funny and it made the atmosphere all the more exciting.
James and Andrias ran there second football club in Cajepe on Monday morning. They had a good amount of children to play and it went really well.
Tuesday was Joe´s 20th Birthday. He was woken up to a pancake breakfast and fresh orange juice. In the evening we had a really nice meal, steak and chips, and then we had a few party games, including pass the parcel and a game called beat the intro. We then gave him his presents and he was very happy with them. The whole day was really fun.
Wednesday was a day when we had all of the girls on domestics, we normally have one boy and one girl on but we decided to have a day of all girls and a different day of all boys. This meant that all of the boys went to work at Cajepe in the morning. This was quite different to working with girls. After lunch, we watched the England game and we were very happy with the result. In the evening we all went to the pastor of the church we live above´s house to see a different game in the afternoon and to stay for dinner. We watched a film too and we had a great time.
Today, Friday, some of us worked in the morning. I was one of the people who went to work. We started painting the window frames and we should soon be moving onto the walls. The church is very nearly finished and i am hoping we can finish it before we leave this project.
Here are some pictures of the last week:
It is only 9 days until we leave this project and travel to Rio de Janiero, then going back home. It has been really amazing being in Brazil and I have learnt a lot through all of my experiences. I really want to make the most of the last week or so that i have here and a really hope to enjoy it. I am looking forward to everything that is to come.
Thank you for reading
Share
On Friday we ran the kids club at Cajepe. This was really fun and the children seemed to enjoy it. The craft we did was making a small box out of card that we put a Bible verse inside and we put a small chocolate football inside with it too, just to keep with the World Cup spirit. We also played a few games, including skipping, which is suprisingly fun. After that we showed the children a small drama based on Joshua and the Great wall of Jericho. We used rolled up card as trumpets, an idea that we took from the last Latin Link team that came to help this church. In the evening we had a short service at the Cajepe church instead of a evangelism service. After that we went to the Cajepe Church pastor´s house for pizza. His wife had made all of the pizza´s and they were really nice. It was good to talk to them more and get to know them a little bit better.
On Saturday, Me and Beth went to the pastor of Cajepe´s house to learn a couple of Brazilian songs. He taught me how to play a song on the guitar and how to sing the words. I already knew the song a little bit because I had heard them sing it in church before. We learnt the songs and then sung them at a church service at the church we live above. This was really nice because the church sung along with my singing, which i have not experienced for a while. A couple of the team did not attend this service beacuse they were helping to make food for a church lunch that we were hosting the next day. There were alot of church people in the kitchen when this was going on.
The Church Lunch went well on Sunday and soon after we watched the Brazil versus Ivory Coast World Cup game. It is fun when all the Brazilians come to the church and we watched it with them. Again, Joe, James and Andrias decided to support the other team, Ivory Coast, but this time they painted there faces to look like the Ivory Coast Flag. This was very funny and it made the atmosphere all the more exciting.
James and Andrias ran there second football club in Cajepe on Monday morning. They had a good amount of children to play and it went really well.
Tuesday was Joe´s 20th Birthday. He was woken up to a pancake breakfast and fresh orange juice. In the evening we had a really nice meal, steak and chips, and then we had a few party games, including pass the parcel and a game called beat the intro. We then gave him his presents and he was very happy with them. The whole day was really fun.
Wednesday was a day when we had all of the girls on domestics, we normally have one boy and one girl on but we decided to have a day of all girls and a different day of all boys. This meant that all of the boys went to work at Cajepe in the morning. This was quite different to working with girls. After lunch, we watched the England game and we were very happy with the result. In the evening we all went to the pastor of the church we live above´s house to see a different game in the afternoon and to stay for dinner. We watched a film too and we had a great time.
Today, Friday, some of us worked in the morning. I was one of the people who went to work. We started painting the window frames and we should soon be moving onto the walls. The church is very nearly finished and i am hoping we can finish it before we leave this project.
Here are some pictures of the last week:
It is only 9 days until we leave this project and travel to Rio de Janiero, then going back home. It has been really amazing being in Brazil and I have learnt a lot through all of my experiences. I really want to make the most of the last week or so that i have here and a really hope to enjoy it. I am looking forward to everything that is to come.
Thank you for reading
Share
Thursday, 17 June 2010
17th June Update
Hi everyone.
This last week has been very busy but very good. On Friday, 2 of our supervisors from Recife came to visit, bringing a friend called Jose who is a Latin Link Strider. They arrived very early in the morning and we greated them with a nice breakfast. Soon after that, at 11.30, we all watched the first World Cup game which was really fun. In the afternoon we all went to the Cajepe Church and ran another kids club. We had the help of the Latin Link Strider, Jose, and that was really helpful. We had games, a craft, a drama and we also a sung a couple of songs. A Brazilian friend from the church came to help and played a couple of songs with the children, he was really good.
On saturday, we managed to get 12 motor taxi´s, motorbikes that are used as taxis, and we all got a ride up to the top of one of the moutains that surrounds Serra Talhada. This was amazing, the view from the top was incredible. You could see the whole of Serra Talhada from the top. Soon after that we were all invited to a friends house to watch England´s first game in the World Cup.
The next day, Sunday, we were taken to our worker at the church´s farm, that was far out of the center of Serra Talhada. It was one of his daughters birthdays and so the whole team sung ihappy birthday in english and then the brazilians sung their version of happy birthday. There was a lake nearby and so a few people went for a swim. We then got back in time for the evening services at the 2 church´s and we all went to church that evening.
On monday we worked in the morning and then we travelled to a different town to get our VISA´s renewed. We came to brazil on a 90 day VISA and we had always planned to renew for the rest of the time whilst out in Brazil. This took up the afternoon and part of the evening but we needed to do it so it didn´t matter.
Tuesday was the day that we had orignally planned to get our VISA´s renewed and so we had to work out a different working timetable for that day. There was the first Brazil World Cup match on that afternoon and because we were in Brazil, this was a big thing. We were given the afternoon off work and we had lots of Brazilians come to the church to watch the football. It was really fun being with so many excited Brazilians whilst watching the match. Everyone wore there Brazilian shirts, except Andrias, James and Joe who decided to wear different country´s shirts as a joke. Luckily, Brazil one this match so the Brazilians were very happy. Every goal that was scored, you could hear and see fireworks being set off.
Wednesday was a very full day but it was really good. We went to a near by town called Flores. We were invited there because the church that we live above and attend, planted a church in Flores. Meeting the pastor of that church was great. In the morning we visited a school near by the the church in Flores, we were in Flores all day. This was really fun. We performed a drama, sung a few songs in english and portuguese, talked about the bible and the drama we had performed and also told the children why we were here in Brazil. The pastor of the Flores church and his wife had us all for lunch and we had some really good food. I am really starting to love Brazilian food. After lunch, we went to see a couple of locals perform Capoeira for us. This is a form of dance and fighting. They also played a very ethnic instrument that looked like a bow. Later, we went to 2 more schools and did different drama´s and songs. We had a great reception from the schools and it was really enjoyable. The evening service at this church was great. We played a couple of songs and introduced ourselves. The whole day was really good.
We have only got a few weeks left at this project. My time in Brazil has gone a lot quicker than I expected but I am enjoying every minute of it. I look foward to what is to come in Serra Talhada.
Here are some pictures of the last week:
Thankyou for reading.
Share
This last week has been very busy but very good. On Friday, 2 of our supervisors from Recife came to visit, bringing a friend called Jose who is a Latin Link Strider. They arrived very early in the morning and we greated them with a nice breakfast. Soon after that, at 11.30, we all watched the first World Cup game which was really fun. In the afternoon we all went to the Cajepe Church and ran another kids club. We had the help of the Latin Link Strider, Jose, and that was really helpful. We had games, a craft, a drama and we also a sung a couple of songs. A Brazilian friend from the church came to help and played a couple of songs with the children, he was really good.
On saturday, we managed to get 12 motor taxi´s, motorbikes that are used as taxis, and we all got a ride up to the top of one of the moutains that surrounds Serra Talhada. This was amazing, the view from the top was incredible. You could see the whole of Serra Talhada from the top. Soon after that we were all invited to a friends house to watch England´s first game in the World Cup.
The next day, Sunday, we were taken to our worker at the church´s farm, that was far out of the center of Serra Talhada. It was one of his daughters birthdays and so the whole team sung ihappy birthday in english and then the brazilians sung their version of happy birthday. There was a lake nearby and so a few people went for a swim. We then got back in time for the evening services at the 2 church´s and we all went to church that evening.
On monday we worked in the morning and then we travelled to a different town to get our VISA´s renewed. We came to brazil on a 90 day VISA and we had always planned to renew for the rest of the time whilst out in Brazil. This took up the afternoon and part of the evening but we needed to do it so it didn´t matter.
Tuesday was the day that we had orignally planned to get our VISA´s renewed and so we had to work out a different working timetable for that day. There was the first Brazil World Cup match on that afternoon and because we were in Brazil, this was a big thing. We were given the afternoon off work and we had lots of Brazilians come to the church to watch the football. It was really fun being with so many excited Brazilians whilst watching the match. Everyone wore there Brazilian shirts, except Andrias, James and Joe who decided to wear different country´s shirts as a joke. Luckily, Brazil one this match so the Brazilians were very happy. Every goal that was scored, you could hear and see fireworks being set off.
Wednesday was a very full day but it was really good. We went to a near by town called Flores. We were invited there because the church that we live above and attend, planted a church in Flores. Meeting the pastor of that church was great. In the morning we visited a school near by the the church in Flores, we were in Flores all day. This was really fun. We performed a drama, sung a few songs in english and portuguese, talked about the bible and the drama we had performed and also told the children why we were here in Brazil. The pastor of the Flores church and his wife had us all for lunch and we had some really good food. I am really starting to love Brazilian food. After lunch, we went to see a couple of locals perform Capoeira for us. This is a form of dance and fighting. They also played a very ethnic instrument that looked like a bow. Later, we went to 2 more schools and did different drama´s and songs. We had a great reception from the schools and it was really enjoyable. The evening service at this church was great. We played a couple of songs and introduced ourselves. The whole day was really good.
We have only got a few weeks left at this project. My time in Brazil has gone a lot quicker than I expected but I am enjoying every minute of it. I look foward to what is to come in Serra Talhada.
Here are some pictures of the last week:
Thankyou for reading.
Share
Thursday, 10 June 2010
10th June Update
Hi Everyone.
The last week or so has been really fun and we have done some really good things. On thursday, the day after my last update, it was a Brazilian public holiday. We were told that we didnt need to work at the Cajepe Church and we were invited to pastor Rogerio´s house. He is the pastor of the church that we live above. This was really fun and we had a BBQ, which is called a churrascaria in Brazil. After that we watch a great film with Densel Washington in. On Thursday night we were taken out for pizza with some friends from the church and it was great to get to know them more.
On Friday we had our 3rd kids club. We arranged lots of games and we had a craft activity that involved making animal badges. The drama we performed soon after was based on the parable of the Lost Coin. A freind from church, who had helped at the kids clubs of the last Latin Link team to visit Serra Talhada, came to play a few songs. This was really good. On Friday we celebrated Gabby´s Birthday, a friend from church, and we played a load of party games an had lots of cake.
Saturday was not quite as busy as Friday. We had a outdoor evangelism service in the evening with the church we live above an our team sung a few songs and also performed a powerful drama. The drama was about the woman who was to be stoned and Jesus telling the Pharasise not to. Then we went from that scene to Jesus standing in the middle of the stage, in a white T-shirt, and 4 of us walked one by one and putting red paint on his T-shirt. Then we put him on the cross and the woman who was to be stoned came a worshiped him. This drama went down really well and we were very happy with it.
We were driven to a farm about an hour and a half away on Sunday. The transport was a large truck that around 30 or 40 people sat in the back. We arrived at the farm at around 9 and we spent most of the day there. We had a huge BBQ and we explored the surrounding area. The owner of the Farm had a horse that he kindly let everyone on the team ride. The boys, including me, went to play fotball on a gravel pitch which was fun but difficult to control the ball. I had never really ridden a horse before so it was a new experience for me. After that, the person who was leading the trip lead a small service. Most of the people there were not chistians and so he was telling them about God. We then introduced ourselves and played a few songs. When we got back we went to the service in Cajepe and that was good.
I was part of the group who went out to do door to door evangelism on Tuesday. It was a really good experience and we had a long talk with a group of adults. They also gave us popcorn and a really nice brazilian tea made from from a type of reed. They gave us some of the reed to make the tea and I made some when I got back. Again, all the people we talked to and all the people we saw would listen to what the pastor was saying and would never refuse a leaflet. It makes it so much easier to evangelise when the people are so welcoming.
Yesterday, Wednesday, we worked all day and then a few members of the team went to a friends house who they had meet at football. They were there for a while, watching a film and talking, and just before they left, the guy started talking to them about christianity and soon after he gave his life to Jesus. This was amazing news and it was really encouraging. We hope for more amazing things to happen like this.
Here are some pictures of the activities we have been doing and of the work so far at Cajepe over the last week:
It has already been a month since we arrived here in Serra Talhada. So much as happeed and it has been so great. We have only got another 3 weeks or so left here and I look forward to every second of it.
Thank you for reading
Share
The last week or so has been really fun and we have done some really good things. On thursday, the day after my last update, it was a Brazilian public holiday. We were told that we didnt need to work at the Cajepe Church and we were invited to pastor Rogerio´s house. He is the pastor of the church that we live above. This was really fun and we had a BBQ, which is called a churrascaria in Brazil. After that we watch a great film with Densel Washington in. On Thursday night we were taken out for pizza with some friends from the church and it was great to get to know them more.
On Friday we had our 3rd kids club. We arranged lots of games and we had a craft activity that involved making animal badges. The drama we performed soon after was based on the parable of the Lost Coin. A freind from church, who had helped at the kids clubs of the last Latin Link team to visit Serra Talhada, came to play a few songs. This was really good. On Friday we celebrated Gabby´s Birthday, a friend from church, and we played a load of party games an had lots of cake.
Saturday was not quite as busy as Friday. We had a outdoor evangelism service in the evening with the church we live above an our team sung a few songs and also performed a powerful drama. The drama was about the woman who was to be stoned and Jesus telling the Pharasise not to. Then we went from that scene to Jesus standing in the middle of the stage, in a white T-shirt, and 4 of us walked one by one and putting red paint on his T-shirt. Then we put him on the cross and the woman who was to be stoned came a worshiped him. This drama went down really well and we were very happy with it.
We were driven to a farm about an hour and a half away on Sunday. The transport was a large truck that around 30 or 40 people sat in the back. We arrived at the farm at around 9 and we spent most of the day there. We had a huge BBQ and we explored the surrounding area. The owner of the Farm had a horse that he kindly let everyone on the team ride. The boys, including me, went to play fotball on a gravel pitch which was fun but difficult to control the ball. I had never really ridden a horse before so it was a new experience for me. After that, the person who was leading the trip lead a small service. Most of the people there were not chistians and so he was telling them about God. We then introduced ourselves and played a few songs. When we got back we went to the service in Cajepe and that was good.
I was part of the group who went out to do door to door evangelism on Tuesday. It was a really good experience and we had a long talk with a group of adults. They also gave us popcorn and a really nice brazilian tea made from from a type of reed. They gave us some of the reed to make the tea and I made some when I got back. Again, all the people we talked to and all the people we saw would listen to what the pastor was saying and would never refuse a leaflet. It makes it so much easier to evangelise when the people are so welcoming.
Yesterday, Wednesday, we worked all day and then a few members of the team went to a friends house who they had meet at football. They were there for a while, watching a film and talking, and just before they left, the guy started talking to them about christianity and soon after he gave his life to Jesus. This was amazing news and it was really encouraging. We hope for more amazing things to happen like this.
Here are some pictures of the activities we have been doing and of the work so far at Cajepe over the last week:
It has already been a month since we arrived here in Serra Talhada. So much as happeed and it has been so great. We have only got another 3 weeks or so left here and I look forward to every second of it.
Thank you for reading
Share
Wednesday, 2 June 2010
2nd June Update
Hi everyone.
It has been around a week since my last update and during that week we have done a lot of different things. The door to door evangelism was really good and I have done it a twice since my last update. All of the people we approached were really receptive and wanted to listen. Every leaflet we handed out was taken and no one seemed not to be interested. I have noticed that the people of Brazil are a lot more welcoming and make a lot of effort to listen to and talk to you. We spoke to non Christians about the good news of Christ and we read them the Bible. The second outing we did we sung a few song to older people and also to a large group of children. It was really fun.
On Friday we had our second kids club. This time we based our drama on the Prodical Son. We played lots of games, such as running back and forth to a point and having 3 teams competing. We varied this game by having members of the team standing with there legs wide and kids running underneath them. This became difficult when older kids had to go under our legs. Also, a few of us crouched down on the floor and the kids had to jump over us. We then gave the children a craft activity to do. They coloured in animals and stuck them to pegs, so that they were like badges. After that we performed a drama on the Prodical Son. This was really fun and the children loved it. Soon after that we played a few songs. It was a really good time.
On Friday night we had the outdoor evangelism service at our project Church in Cajepe. This time we set up chairs just outside the front of the church. So many people came to the service that we nearly did not have enough chairs. We played a few songs as a team and also performed a drama. Everytime we have participated in this it has been really fun.
On Monday, James and Andrias started up a football club at a pitch near the project church. It was quite hard to organise because of the large amount of children that arrived but they said it still went well. They are planning to keep this going over the next couple of weeks.
The work we have been doing at the project church has gone really well. We have nearly plastered all of the walls. It is looking a lot better already. We are going to bulid a few sets of stairs, a pulpit and then paint all of the walls. We are on track to finish the work before we leave this project. I am really looking forward to the first service in the finished church building.
We have recently been given a TV by the church that has been really nice. We have been able to relax as a time in the evenings and watch a film together.
Here are some pictures of the church so far and the kids club of last Friday:
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It has been around a week since my last update and during that week we have done a lot of different things. The door to door evangelism was really good and I have done it a twice since my last update. All of the people we approached were really receptive and wanted to listen. Every leaflet we handed out was taken and no one seemed not to be interested. I have noticed that the people of Brazil are a lot more welcoming and make a lot of effort to listen to and talk to you. We spoke to non Christians about the good news of Christ and we read them the Bible. The second outing we did we sung a few song to older people and also to a large group of children. It was really fun.
On Friday we had our second kids club. This time we based our drama on the Prodical Son. We played lots of games, such as running back and forth to a point and having 3 teams competing. We varied this game by having members of the team standing with there legs wide and kids running underneath them. This became difficult when older kids had to go under our legs. Also, a few of us crouched down on the floor and the kids had to jump over us. We then gave the children a craft activity to do. They coloured in animals and stuck them to pegs, so that they were like badges. After that we performed a drama on the Prodical Son. This was really fun and the children loved it. Soon after that we played a few songs. It was a really good time.
On Friday night we had the outdoor evangelism service at our project Church in Cajepe. This time we set up chairs just outside the front of the church. So many people came to the service that we nearly did not have enough chairs. We played a few songs as a team and also performed a drama. Everytime we have participated in this it has been really fun.
On Monday, James and Andrias started up a football club at a pitch near the project church. It was quite hard to organise because of the large amount of children that arrived but they said it still went well. They are planning to keep this going over the next couple of weeks.
The work we have been doing at the project church has gone really well. We have nearly plastered all of the walls. It is looking a lot better already. We are going to bulid a few sets of stairs, a pulpit and then paint all of the walls. We are on track to finish the work before we leave this project. I am really looking forward to the first service in the finished church building.
We have recently been given a TV by the church that has been really nice. We have been able to relax as a time in the evenings and watch a film together.
Here are some pictures of the church so far and the kids club of last Friday:
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Monday, 24 May 2010
25th May Update
Hello everyone.
Since my last update we have been working at our project church in Cajepe, walking distance form our house, full time. There is only ever 4 of our team t the project at a time but we switch after lunch so that there is always people there. The work that is included is plastering the inside walls of the church building. This work only needs 1 or 2 people at a time, so the other people go outside to talk and play with the kids that live near by. We have a worker that the church has given us that tells us what to do and sets the standard of plastering. We have all tried plastering but only a few people have got the right technique. Our worker has shown us how to do it properly and we are getting better now. It has been really fun playing with the children outside the church. Their ages range from 4 to 16 and 17. Most of the children come to the Church but we hope to get more coming soon.
On Fridays, the Pastor of the project Church in Cajepe organises an evangelism evening. We all meet at the Church and then we walk out to an area and set up chairs, microphone and instruments to preach, sing and also perform dramas. We have done this twice now and it has been really fun every time. The first time, Andrias and James from our team shared their testimonies, which had been translated into portugues, and we also played a couple of english and portugues songs. On the second evangelism night, we sung a few songs and also performed and drama, which people said was really great.
We have been asked as a team to organise a kids club during the week for the children that we play with at the project Church. Our first kids club was last Friday. We themed the club on the story of Noah and the great flood. Games and craft were included in the club and we got the children to make animal masks that had bible verses on the back of them. After the games and craft, we performed and drama with the whole team and it went down really well. We are planning to have a kids club once a week from now on.
Another great activity that we are going t door is door to door evangelism. The Pastor of the Cajepe Church is going to take 4 of the team around to different houses around the Cajepe area and he will be evangilsing to them. We are going to be doing this twice week starting from tomorrow. I am going to be joining in with this today and i am looking forward to it.
So far this project has been really fun and very different to our last project in Aldeia. It has been really nice living in town and being so close to shops. It has made the trip to buy food for the day much easier. We can also walk into the centre of Serra Talhada in around 20 minutes. I have really loved all the relational aspects of this project. We have already got to know so many children for the Cajepe area and also quite a few of the parents too. The members of the Church that we live above have been very welcoming and we have made many good friends already. We have decided to rotate who goes to the 2 churches in the evenings. 5 people go to the Church we live above and 5 people people go to the Project Church in Cajepe. This means that we make and appearance at both churchs all the time. The Church in Cajepe is quite small at the moment but it is rapidly growing.
I have got a couple of pictures of our new friends from the church and also our first kids club we organised:
I am really looking forward to all the things that are to come in Serra Talhada. It has been really good so far and I know our time will only get better.
Thank you for reading.
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Wednesday, 12 May 2010
12th May Update
Hi everyone
We have now settled into our new house at the second project in Serra Talhada. It is a flat with 4 rooms which was owned by the pastor of the church we are working with. The flat is located directly above the church so there is easy access to the main church building. All ready we have felt so welcomed by all the church members and have made great friends already.
Our project is mainly to finish off building and refurbishing a church that has been planted by the church we are with. 2 years ago a Latin Link team, similar to us, came to work for the church and they built the building we are finishing off. It is amazing to see what the land looked like before they came and how much it has changed now. We will not be working at the church plant all the time. During the day our group is split in 2 and half the group either go to a school to perform and spread the gospel, or they plan what the group will do when we are given opportunities the go to schools or even do kids bible camps. The other half of the team work out the building doing plastering and possibly painting. The 2 groups switch at lunch time so that everyone gets a fair amunt of jobs. We have not started work on the project church yet because a few things need to be done at the church we are living at such as making doorways and plastering walls.
I realy hope that we settle in even more over the coming weeks and that we really enjoy our time in Serra Talhada. Moving from our house in Aldeia is quite a change but I am sure we will get used to our current house soon.
Here are a couple of pictures of the church building we will be building at, some work we have done at the church we attend and also pictures of the house we are living in:
We have now settled into our new house at the second project in Serra Talhada. It is a flat with 4 rooms which was owned by the pastor of the church we are working with. The flat is located directly above the church so there is easy access to the main church building. All ready we have felt so welcomed by all the church members and have made great friends already.
Our project is mainly to finish off building and refurbishing a church that has been planted by the church we are with. 2 years ago a Latin Link team, similar to us, came to work for the church and they built the building we are finishing off. It is amazing to see what the land looked like before they came and how much it has changed now. We will not be working at the church plant all the time. During the day our group is split in 2 and half the group either go to a school to perform and spread the gospel, or they plan what the group will do when we are given opportunities the go to schools or even do kids bible camps. The other half of the team work out the building doing plastering and possibly painting. The 2 groups switch at lunch time so that everyone gets a fair amunt of jobs. We have not started work on the project church yet because a few things need to be done at the church we are living at such as making doorways and plastering walls.
I realy hope that we settle in even more over the coming weeks and that we really enjoy our time in Serra Talhada. Moving from our house in Aldeia is quite a change but I am sure we will get used to our current house soon.
Here are a couple of pictures of the church building we will be building at, some work we have done at the church we attend and also pictures of the house we are living in:
Tuesday, 4 May 2010
5th May Update
Hi everyone.
I am currently in Porto Galinhas for our one week team holiday. It is really nice spending more time as a team going places and seeing sites. Since my last update the project in Aldeia has nearly been finished off. Sadly we were not there long enough to see the bulding work completely finished but it will be finished very soon without any trouble. The football pitch is going to have really high metal fencing to stop balls from flying out of the land. We put up very tall poles for the fencing. On tuesday night a gigantic JCB digger came to level out the playing feild that was at a great slant. At first we were going to be digging the field by hand but seeing how much was dug up by the digger, it was good we had not dug it by hand. It was really good to see the project at its final stages of completion. In july, when the project will be completely finished, the centre will be used for many different types of camps. There will be a camp every week in July with different age ranges and also camps in every week of January. It will be really nice to see the centre being used by children that will attend the camps. I hope to one day come back to brazil to see the centre in use with my own eyes.
Being in Aldeia has been really great and I am going to miss the church, the friends we have made, and the beautiful scenery we lived in. I am really looking forward to our next project in Serra Talhada and can´t wait to get stuck in with the people there and the church we will be working with. I hope that after the team holiday that everyone will be energised for the next 7 weeks. The next project is going to involve a lot more social activities and possibly a small amount of practical work such as painting.
Here are a couple of pictures of the final stages of the building project:
Here are a couple of pictures of the final stages of the building project:
I am going to update my blog again as soon as i can when i get to Serra Talhada.
Thankyou for reading
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Tuesday, 27 April 2010
27th April Update
Hello everyone
Thank you for reading.
Look out for more updates.
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Since my last update we have been doing quite a lot. We went into a different favela school last friday and we have got alot more work done. The visit to the school was great fun and it went really well. Beforehand, we prepared a performance so that we could perform in front of a big group of children if it was necessary. As we expected, when we arrived we were told to go up on the main stage. Before we went up onto the stage we were greated by a whole load of children interested in us and wanting to talk to us. It was a slight struggle to communicate with the children, due to our lack of portuguese speaking, but we managed to get a couple of conversations going. Soon after we were asked to go up to the stage. Many different things were included in our act. Firstly we introduced ourselves, then said the Lord´s prayer in portuguese, which amazingly, the whole school knew of by heart and joined in. After that, we had created a short sketch of the parable of the lost coins. We interacted with the children and they seemed to really enjoy it. We had practiced a english song with portuguese words that we sung to them. This meant that the children could listen to the words as well as the music. The song was "light of the world". Straight after we sung two childrens songs in english with actions and the children all joined in. James from our team had translated his testimony into portuguese and he read it out to the children after the songs. Finally we prayed in portuguese to finish off our performance. It was really fun to perform for the children and for God. The performance went down really well and straight after we surrounded by children who wanted to talk to us. Every time we have gone into a favela school, I have found it really humbling that these children have so much joy, even when they do not live in joyful circumstances. It is a great example for us all to follow.
Over the last week we have still been working on the project and it is very near completion. I am very sure that it will be finished before we leave Aldeia or that it will be finished in the near future. We are very close to our leaving date to go to our next project, Serra Talhada. It has been amazing to live in Aldeia and to work on our project. I have really loved meeting new people and making new freindships. It is going to be sad leaving Aldeia but i am looking forward to what is coming at our next project.
I have got a couple of pictures from the last week, including pictures of the school, our team and the friends we have made at church:
Thank you for reading.
Look out for more updates.
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