Sleepover at the orphange!

Kelli doing what she does best at a church right next to the orphange. After dinner we walked to this church so the girls could practice a dance they were performing for the congregation.

Jessi reading, or better put, attempting to read Isaiah 53:5 in Portuguese to the girls in their bedroom.

Jessi with some of boys during dinner.

Kelli and all the girls she braided!!

First of all we want to thank you agian and again for all your prayers! They are much needed and much appreciated! We desire to be the hands and feet of our Lord and savior and sometimes doing that can be tricky. However, we felt that our sleepover at the orphange was exactly where God wanted us to be. I, Jessi, am excited to share about our experience there.

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

James 1:27

This is one of the little girls from Lily of the Valley Orphange.

We know that God has a special place in his heart for orphans, so the opportunity to love them, serve them, and just spend time with them was very exciting for us. We hopped on a bus with Marconi and Kelita to the city of Macaiba, which is only about 40min. away. Once we arrived in Macaiba we went to the local meat shop and bought a few plastic bags full of meat to take to the orphange, as providing food for 33 children continues to be a daily challenge. We got to the orphange just in time for dinner and were greeted with open arms, excited kids, and a large plate of cus cus with bread, and coffee. After dinner we took our stuff to the girls house and Mother Kika (the lady that lives with and cares for all the girls) showed us to her room which she gave up for us to stay in. The room was extremely small and filled with all different kinds of things that probably had no other place to be stored. Eventhough the room was relatively under sized, we were amazed at this womans selflessness in giving up her space to two complete strangers. We continue to marvel at the way Brazilians have mastered the art of hospitality. It's incredible and it is something I hope we both take back with us when we leave.

Later that night we watched a movie, in the girls house and giggled as we all attempted to communicate with each other. As the girls began to fall asleep Kelli and I decieded to go into Kika's room and get a good night sleep as well. Kelli took the bed and I crawled in the hammock that was hung up just for our stay. Not two minutes passed before I heard something crawling on the plastic bags in the corner next to me. I looked over and sure enough there was a insect (sized classified as a animal according to Kelli) crawling up this plastic bag toward the feet-end of my hammock. It had long tenticle-things coming out of it's forehead and wings! It started to flap those things and buzz around the room. I threw both sides of the cloth hammok over my body and demanded Kelli attack that thing. We found our selves in a predicament...we had no shoes, no weapons, no nothing except our hands. So as soon as that sucker craweled inside one of the plastic bags in the corner Kelli started to punch it. She gave it everything she had, to find out that it didn't even seem to effect that monster. She grabbed a broom, as I continued to cheer her on from under my sheet, and tried to stab it with the handle end. It escaped in the pile of stuff up against the wall and the last prayer I said before I went to bed was "God please don't let that thing get me."

Kelli attacking the unknown creature!!

The following morning we woke up, had breakfast, and went back to the girls house for devotionals. Kika told us that they do devotionals everyday after breakfast. They go around the room and take turns reading though a chapter in the bible, they sing songs, and then conclude with prayer. Kika is such a blessing to these girls, please pray that God would continue to encourage her work as she has given her life to loving these children. Later in the day we played volleyboy with some of the older boys and some dodge ball type game, that I don't think either Kelli or I fully understood. We just kept running from the ball in fear that it might hurt to get hit. We watched another movie later that day with the girls and Kelli braided their hair. We played tick tack toe, and other similiar type games with the kids until it was time for dinner. After eating, a majority of the kids asked us to write notes in their journals, eventhough they wouldn't be able to read or understand them since they don't know english. One of those boys showed me his journal with all the notes he had from various visitors and I then realized they justed wanted to have something to remember us by. So we wrote letter after letter that described Gods love for them and that he was the one who brought us there to be with them. We exchanged email addresses and before we knew it Marconi was there to pick us up. It was tuff having to leave them, but we believe that they are at a very good orphange. Everybody that works there seems to love these kids very much and all the children apprear to be really happy. However, they still need our prayers. Pray that God will provided families for them, prosperous futures, and guidance into his will for each of their lives. To find our more about them you can visit their website at: http://www.orfanatoliriodovale.com.br

We love you all very much! Please continue to pray that God will reveal himself to us while we are here and that we will be led by him in everything we do. Thank you so much for all your love and support.
-TEAM KJ

P.S. As I just read this over with Kelli she asked if you all would please pray for her cold. She is not feeling well and wants to be %100, exspecially while she is here.

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

A New Culture...

Hey Family and Friends! JESSI HERE...

What a joy it is to get to fill you in on all that is going on. I find myself having to look back at all our photos in order to remember everything we have done.

With each passing day I am noticing more and more the differences in the way of life I am so accoustumed to in the U.S. and the way of life I find myself in the middle of right now. Some difference include: Brazilians don't have the "American Bubble" (obviously, its American..haha) but what I mean when I say that is they are much more upclose and personal. Rather than a just a simple handshake when meeting someone new its a kiss on each cheek. Its also that way when someone is leaving, it seems to be of way of saying goodbye. It was a little uncomfortable at 1st, but Kelli and I have both adapted and think its pretty cute. It's going to be comical when we get back to the U.S. and invade someones personal bubble with a kiss on the cheek.

Another culture difference we have both noticed is how the Brazilian people are very open and in touch with their feelings. When they think your beautiful they tell you, even if they just met you. If a boy likes a girl, the don't keep it some hidden mystery in hopes the other will figure it out, they just come and tell each other. They are senstive here, and its not a bad thing. I think the reason its so different in America is because we are taught to value independence, self-reliance, and survival of the fittest in dog-eat-dog world. Here they rely on each other, the family is highly valued and they stick together to survive. It's not what the individual can do or become but what the family-unit can accomplish by working together. Children don't move out of the house when there 18 years old. Rather they stay at home and either work or go to school, and contribute all that they can to the family. It is not uncommon for a single household to have a mother, father, children, cousins, grandparents, aunts and uncles all living under the same roof. Its actually very uncommon for just a mother and father and their children to live by themselves. They don't push indiviualism what so ever, its a collectivist culture and I think that makes for a much happier culture in many ways. Whether their happier or not, I can tell you they sure aren't lonely here. It's been fascinating observing the culture differences.

We've also noticed its a much slower-paced culture. People are always sitting on plastic chairs outside their houses or store fronts and nobody every seems to be in a hurry. I think the technology and advancements in America are partially a result of our face-paced way of life. Being in Brazil has really opened my eyes to how ahead of the world we really are!! The simple things like level roads, to intelligently designed highways and tranisit systems, to toliets that you can actually flush your toliet paper in. America is clean almost everywhere. Its very dirty here, trash everywhere, and things are broken and need repair everywhere you look. But in the mist of this are a people who know how to love well and are masters in the hospitality category. Everywhere we have been, whether houses in the country-side or houses here in the big city of Natal, we have always had food prepared for us upon our arrival. I'm not talking cheese and crackers, I'm talking a feast!!! It's amazing how they appreciate company and treat you like you were the president coming to visit them. If you don't have time to stay and eat then you are always sent with some kind food. We have been given fruit, bread, corn on the cob, meat, ect. Simply spending time together and talking is highly valued in this culture. So a visit to someones house means a lot.

Saturday we packed up and Marconi and Catiana (our Brazilan parents), Kener (one of the sons), and of course Kelli and I went to a town about 40 minutes away to spend the night at a family friends house, just to be with them. We drove in a small car that was lent to us and packed our blow up matresses, hamocks, and clothes in the trunk. We arrived at dusk and went to the city-mayor's house. Here we greeted with open arms (and of course some kisses) and smiling faces. We were there two minutes before we were handed a plate and silver ware and were told to dish-up. We ate and visited for a little while and them we hopped in the car and went to the local community building. They were having some kind dance/music rehersal for an uncoming performance. We got to enjoy a free show, with great rythimic Brazilian style music and dance. Lots of dance! There had to be 70 dancers jumping around to the face-paced rythum of the music. It was a quite the cultural experience! Later that night we traveled a few minutes out of town to the little farm house we were staying at. When we got here they immediately began cooking corn on the cob and fried cheese for us. Marconi (the guy were staying with) told us that this family were not believers so it was very important for us to go and spend time with them so we sat out-side in plastic chairs all night and visited. We blew up our air matresses and crawled under our little sheet and slept outside, under the Brazilian night sky.

Sunday after breakfast we hopped back in our little car and headed back home to Natal. (Sidenote: Church takes place in the evening here, and I am assuming the reasoning is because it is way to hot to congregate a bunch of people in one place during the day). So later that evening the entire family and few others who work with Challenge Ministries got on the bus and headed to a nearby church. Challenge Ministries was doing a presentation that explains who they are and what they are doing in the country-side in a effort to raise support. I got up and spoke briefly about what the Lord did in my heart last summer and how I felt called to Brazil once again. It was pretty neat speaking in front of the church (of course it had to be through Marconi, my translator since I am not fluent in Portuguese), nontheless it was a neat experience. After Church we walked quite a distance to a Acai restaurant (this is a family tradition, every Sunday after church they go there). Acai is this AWESOME Brazilian fruit, its consistancy reminds me a lot of sherbert ice cream. It is dark purple and tastes kind of grape-ish and is served in a ice cream bowl. You can top it with all different kinds of fruits, granola, candy, and syrup. It's stinking delicious and its supposed to be a naturally engery giver! I think it works too, Kelli was bouncing off the walls after her bowl set in!

I better get going, need to shower because we are off the Orphange today. Love you ALL!