Brazil!

      I'm starting to come out of hiding, a little culture shocked but enjoying the snow and seeing my family! Brazil was an incredible trip with some friends that I learned so much from and who will forever be a part of my life!  I just wanted to write a little about what we did and the things that I experienced. I first of all feel like this trip was a time of awakening and refreshing of my heart after the lecture phase of SSJ. It was a very difficult school emotionally and after we graduated I felt just broken and helpless, but Brazil completely inspired me for the future! We were about an hour outside of the city of Manaus right on the Amazon River, which was so surreal! We stayed on an YWAM base whose ministries where an orphanage they opened up down the street, or boat ministry on the Amazon River. We were so blessed to get “a taste” of both! We were able to go on a 10 day boat trip up the Amazon to work with the “River People”. This was one of the most amazing experienced I’ve ever had! We slept in hammocks on the boat and got to do all sorts of crazy things like what we see on the discovery channelJ. Like swimming with pink dolphins, alligator hunting, spear fishing, swimming with piranhas every day (unknowingly at first), seeing crazy animals like snakes, sloths and an ant eater! So many crazy adventures!! It was beautiful with the green jungle, white sandy beaches and coke colored water. We first helped a pastor who had been praying for two years that missionary’s would visit him and his village! We got to be the answer to his prayer!! We helped him build his church which was really hard work. No tractors or power tools there. We carried sand from the beach up a hill for the foundation, cleared out the jungle brush with machetes, and dug a foundation from the dirt about5 ft down…it was hard but such a privilege to help them get started!! We got to know most of the people in the area because they had a church service every night! Their lifestyle is drastically different then how they live in the city!! It was so amazing, and I am so glad we got to go!

     The orphanage definitely captured my heart! There are 25 kids various ages, and they are all so precious and beautiful!! YWAM works with the government as far as child placement but other than that all the workers are YWAM staff or volunteers. One thing that surprised me was how much they had as far as toys and food. However they had a limited amount of staff so the kids didn’t have allot of one on one time with adults. They all collectively raise each other. So that’s where we came in. We got to spend two months every day hanging out with them playing games, holding them and simply investing in them! None of us could speak Portuguese so that was a challenge but we discovered that you don’t need language to communicate with kids! A hug or just spending time with them on a consistent basis goes allot farther than words. We also would pitch in with chores or sorting out the donations they received, which were numerous. Thos kids taught me so much about love, and what it truly looks like. All of them had come out of abusive situations most of us couldn’t even fathom. Because of this some of the girls had mental handicaps and when you looked into their eyes there was a maturity and an understanding that someone their age shouldn’t’ have. Some of them wouldn’t let us into their lives at first because they have had so many people leave them, or reject them. It was a privilege and such an honor when they started warming up to us and letting us share their lives with them!! It was really hard to leave I left a piece of my heart with them. It wasn’t just another mission trip for me, we went and did live with these people and they will always be written on my heart. After this school God has really broken my heart for abused women and children, and being in Brazil awakened my heart to see what working in that area practically looks like, and I’m hooked!! I don’t know if I will get a chance to go back and visit all those beautiful people but I know that God has called me to missions and there’s no going back now! So here I am in Gunnison trying to figure out the next step. I am ready to settle down for a bit, whatever that means... I’m praying about a couple different things which is exciting! Maybe school or internships…for now though I am here in Gunni!