fé.. faith in Portuguese

Hello everyone! I wanted to briefly update you in this half hour of down time. Jessi and I have been all over this week from prayer nights to pastor meetings.  On Tuesday we got to go to the orphanage that Woodland Park Community has worked with in the past. Brazil continues to be beautiful and we continue to beg our brains to soak up more of the language. We have found ourselves confused however, in the midst of the beauty of this place and the crazy amounts we are learning about this culture, as to what exactly our purpose is here. Last year we prepared for months and months with a team of 20 to come down here and build a church. We had 2 packed weeks of service, community and culture shock. This summer has been quite different from our last experience. We did not come with the goal of constructing a building, but rather laying down all that we had to serve, love and do whatever was needed of us. Without overstuffed days, filled with moving bricks and sweeping concrete, we are forced to look deeper and question how we are being used, and how we can be used. This has been difficult for us, the adjustment from a 20 person team and 4 leaders, to 2 best friends and a Brazilian family. In the middle of “kid bonding” trips to the mall, our hearts are screaming to serve. We trust that God is bigger than our not understanding, though. Each time one of us is frustrated or discouraged, the other doesn’t miss a beat in reassuring that we were called here, and regardless of if we “feel” anything or understand the way we are being used, we are. Last night in our debrief, we discussed how when little kids see fishes in a glass tank they tap on the glass until the fish move. We compared this to our situation. If God was the tank of water, or more realistically, the ocean, we have zeroed in on just one aspect of our Father and are tapping the glass in hopes that we will be able to see Him move. We are standing by each other as He is refining our hearts, watching as finger by finger, we are forced to let go of time and control and knowing it all. We ask that you would pray for a few things:

-       Jess is not feeling well, nothing serious but her throat is soar and she is fighting lack of energy.

-       That we would go let and let God. We want to serve and if it looks like dancing and singing and sharing our stories, then wonderful, if not, all the better. God is made strong in our weakness.

-       That our bodies could adjust to the Brazilian heat, food, humidity and sleeping schedule.

-       That our minds would be open and quick to Portuguese.

-       That God would guide me (Kelli) and reveal where I am supposed to be this fall.

Regardless of what we expected or how different reality has come to be, God is so good. We are thankful that he has chosen to refine our hearts and have hope in coming wisdom and strength. In a few hours, we will be taking off to spend the night at the orphanage with the kiddies and we are SO exited. When we visited earlier this week, we felt like we were exactly where we needed to be, holding babies and loving orphan children. We can’t wait to be back there with them, to love them with all we have. 

Thank you so much for your faithfulness to prayer. We have found it to be the most powerful form of loving and direct way of making a difference. Praise God for His profound lessons of simple truth. 

Jessi and Adriano,  a boy at the orphanage who has watched as members of WPCC have returned 3 times to share their love

Kelli with 2 of the little babes

After the orphanage on Tuesday, we went over to a church for a prayer meeting. Jessi and I went to the back to wash up and Jessi found poop on her shoe. This picture displays why Jessi and I are a match made in heaven.. her shoe, my hand. :)

The girlies at the orphanage

Two little babies that we got to hold at a school we went to Wednesday.

We love you guys, May God be glorified and known,

Kelli and Coco Puff