
We had a VBS today with kids out at the church we visited on Day 1. We sang some songs and did a skit that illustrated the Salvation bracelet (the one with all the colored beads) and gave some out. I left with Rebecca in the middle of it to meet up with Max.
Soup

We got a big bucket of soup from the church kitchen along with copies of John/Romans and walked to the hospital nearby. When we got there, we set the bucket down and went to the rooms to see if anyone was around. It was just a dark room with six old hospital beds.

There was a man sitting with an emaciated woman under a thin blanket. She was his wife and needed a blood transfusion. He offered his own, but he didn’t have the right blood type. It would cost 40 American dollars to buy blood, but he didn’t have the money. All he could do was sit by her bed and wait.
Max would ask what the patient’s name was and what they were suffering with. He involved us in the process by translating for us as we shared verses, encouragement and prayers for the people. Max would also pray and give them a copy of John/Romans to read.
Rosa was laying in bed with one of her relatives (her mother?) and Max asked what her name was and what she was suffering from. It was quiet for what felt like a long time. He didn’t say. His eyes wet, he just asked one of us to pray.
Beatrice was laying in the bed in the corner. She had just been admitted today and she didn’t seem as sick as the others. Max asked if she believed in Jesus on the spot- and she said no. He shared the Gospel with her and asked if she wanted to receive salvation. She said yes.
We went to another room and we did the same thing. There was a man who could barely speak; all he wanted was a small bucket, so that he could bathe. There was another church group there, and they said that they were there to do the same thing as us. We joined forces and prayed for everyone in the room. We poured soup into cups and gave them to all of the patients.
There are no pictures of the people I met. I had no camera to hide behind and it broke my heart.
Food Pantry


A ton of widows who are part of Project Life came to the church to get cooking oil and beans. All I knew was that we were going to hand out food to everyone. What I didn’t know was that there was going to be a crazy worship service before.


The energy in that room was amazing. I can’t wait to show you the video of it. They sang at the top of their lungs and danced with all their strength with such joy, you could tell they were genuinely thankful. Remember the ladies that we visited yesterday? It’s the same ladies, but it was from all the different villages nearby. It was cool that the majority of what I thought would be a food handout was actually an intensely rich worship service.
Arcylio’s Future House

Now all he needs is a wife. Anyone? :)
Sermon at Vangana
It felt very familiar, because it was a youth service. We even sang ‘Come, Now is the Time to Worship’ in Portuguese.
I preached on John 15. I think I said ‘Abide’ about 60 times. I’m pretty sure I could’ve ended the sermon at the halfway point. I have a lot to learn about preaching.
The End
Today I probably cried 2-3 times. The reality of death was so close I could taste it. The injustice of these situations messed me up a bit. I’m not angry, but the reality of what I claim to believe about God and who he is has just been put to the test. I suddenly see that the stakes have always been high and that the depth of what I’ve been believing goes much deeper.
We’re done for the week. I’m not considering the trip to be over until Sunday night, so I’ll try to write a little more, or at least put up some video when I get some decent internet.
…
So far, I’ve been reporting on what we’ve done, but there’s so much more to it. Maybe I’ll write about it here. Maybe I’ll get coffee with you and tell you about it all.
All I want to do now is see my wife.