Campo Grande Project

Arriving at Home

2010-11-30T09:34:00.000-05:00

The team arrived back in Hanover yesterday at 10:50 AM. Please pray for all of us (Americans and Brazilians) as we transition back to our "normal" lives. The transition is difficult at times. Over the next week, I will add pictures and video clips from the trip. I also plan to keep the site updated as the work continues over the coming months. If things go as planned, the church will be completed in March/April. Thanks again for all your prayers and support.

Pictures Are Posted

2010-11-25T18:59:00.000-05:00

Pictures are now posted. Click on the Slide Shows (November 2010) link above.

Thursday Night Worship

2010-11-25T18:34:00.001-05:00

Tonight we met for the mid week church service. There were approximately 25 people in attendance. Ryan shared his testimony and I gave a message from Romans 8:1-4 and Hebrews 4:14-16. ' now 9:30 and we are getting ready to go back to the compound we are staying at for a "Thanksgiving" dinner. Annie (Gordon's wife) made REAL pumpkin pies for us to eat. It will be the only part of the meal that's traditional. Tomorrow we are back to work. The concrete on the first floor and sidewalk is all done, and we will be starting on the beams for the second floor. Hopefully in a few minutes I will have some pictures uploaded for you to look at. Grace and Peace to you all!

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T08:42:00.000-05:00

It's 11:30 here in Brazil, 8:30 for everyone back home. While you all relax and eat turkey, we will be out here working in the 90 degree heat. It's humid today, but we are having a good time working together with our brothers here in Brazil. Things are going well, but our bodies are getting tired. As we work each day, God has sent several men into our paths that needed encouragement and we were able to minister to them with prayer and by sharing from the Word. Tonight we have our mid week church service and we are all looking forward to giving thanks and praising God with everyone here. Well, it's time to get back to work, the concrete is ready for mixing.

No Internet Access

2010-11-21T20:29:00.001-05:00

Well, we made it here on time, with an incredible story about God's faithfulness. We had a church wide BBQ today at our compound that included a 4 hour church service. 8 individuals were baptized (including Jake) and we ended with communion and singing. It's time for bed now, work starts early tomorrow. I do not have Internet here, so I will have minimal updates this time. When I get a chance, I'll upload some pics and video! Bon Noche (good night)

The Day Has Come

2010-11-19T10:02:00.000-05:00

After weeks of anticipation, our departure day has finally come. This morning I am busy packing, confirming travel logistics, running last minute errands and spending some time at home with Nicole and the kids. Our team will be meeting at the church at 2:30 and plan to be on the road by 3:00 (A special thanks to the Greenvillage COG for providing the van and driver). We take off from BWI tonight at 7:54 PM. From there we travel to Charlotte, have a short layover, then fly to Rio de Janeiro. We have a 3 hour layover tomorrow morning in Rio, then make the short flight into Campinas. We should touch down around 3:30 PM (12:30 PM our time).

Thanks to everyone who has supported us financially, spiritually, and emotionally. This trip could not happen with out you.

I will end this entry with the theme to our trip (created by our brothers and sisters in Campo Grande, Brazil). Duas Nações, Uma só Fé, Um só Senhor, Jesus Cristo (Two Nations, One Faith, One Lord, Jesus Christ). All Glory and Honor to Him. Amen!

Pre-Departure Update

2010-11-14T22:07:00.000-05:00

Today was a busy day for the team. We were commissioned at this morning's church services, then we all gathered at George's house for a final meeting. After sharing a meal together with our team members and their families, we went over trip logistics and then spent some time in prayer. We are excited to find out what God has in store for us on this trip! All of the paperwork is done, all travel arrangements have been made, so all that's left to do is wait for departure. For those of you who are interested and able to see us off, we will be meeting at HFCOG on Friday afternoon at 2:30 PM.

On another note, please keep one of the Brazilian families in prayer. Danielli, a 12 year old girl from the Campo Grande church lost her father this morning. I do not know the details, but please keep her in your prayers this week.

Progress

2010-11-08T17:15:00.003-05:00

The walls have been reinforced to allow for the second floor. Take a look at whats been happening.

The Plans are Coming Together

2010-10-22T17:33:00.000-04:00

Well, in just 29 days, we will be arriving in Brazil. Our flights are booked, and the Brazilian Visas arrived yesterday. As we go through the final stages of preparing to depart, the Brazilians are busy preparing for us to arrive. Each time I call and speak to them, I am energized by their excitement.

Construction has started up again at the work-site, as they prepare to begin adding the 2nd level of the building.

We're Going Back!

2010-10-05T22:48:00.000-04:00

Its official now! On November 19th, I will be returning to Brazil with 6 other men to continue the work that we started on the Campo Grande Church last May. Jake and Steve will be returning for a second time, while Ryan, Gary, George and Roger (my uncle) will make their first trip. I will post updates over the next 6 weeks, as we prepare for our trip. Please keep our team and this project in your prayers!

Preparing to Come Home

2010-05-16T08:37:00.004-04:00

Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, "To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under Heaven." Our time here in Brazil is coming to an end, but a new season will emerge in our lives and the lives of the Brazilians. Its is with mixed emotions that we leave today. We are eager to return home to our families, but we will leave with heavy hearts. The bonds that were made with our Brazilian brothers and sisters in Christ will last a lifetime.

I have not been able to keep the blog updated with video, but I will add a few more posts once I get home. Thanks to all who have prayed for us and supported us financially in this project. As Pastor Jim told us last night, great will be our reward [and yours too] in Heaven. Signing out from Brazil in the name our our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Grace and Peace to all who have received Him!

Finishing Up the Work

2010-05-15T17:19:00.001-04:00

Today was our last day of work. We finished up around 4:30 PM. It was a very productive week, but there is still so much work to be done. This afternoon we purchased supplies and provided advanced payment for Roberval to continue working through next week. Thanks to the generous support from our friends, family and church, we were able to get the project started. Now we must wait and trust God to complete the work that we started. In the coming days, I will be providing more information on how you can partner and share in bringing the project to completion.

At the end of the work day, we finished up with a water balloon fight that turned in to a bucket drenching battle. It was a fun way to cool off after a hard day of work. I'll post some video footage later on tonight.

Its time to get cleaned up and end the week with a worship service. It will be an emotional evening. We will be celebrating, giving praise to God and saying goodbye. After the service we will all share one final meal together... a pizza party!

Back to Bricks

2010-05-15T07:51:00.000-04:00

On Friday we got back to bricklaying. We began the day by removing the boards from the concrete columns that were dry and finishing up a few more that we had not completed on Thursday. As that was going on, several of us begin laying bricks to build the bathrooms, while others built the scaffolding needed to begin the next segment of the walls. By the afternoon, we were going up with the walls. Segment one was 2.2 meters high, and segment two will be about 1.8 meters high. As we get a side done, we will re-form the columns, and pour more cement to keep the walls sturdy.

At the end of the work day, we cleaned up and prepared for an evening of fun with the kids who had been helping us all week. Mike brought Twister, and Jake brought his Nintendo Wii. Everyone had a great time together. As the weekend comes, and our time to leave draws near, our hearts are becoming heavy knowing that we will soon need to leave our friends here in Brazil. Please begin to pray for us and them as this time draws near.

Its now time to head out to the worksite for one more day of work. I posted a new slide show today. Be sure to check it out on the Slide Shows page.

Friday Morning

2010-05-14T07:37:00.000-04:00

I can't believe its Friday morning already. This week has gone by so quickly. We have 2 more days to work and one day to relax and say goodbye to our Brazilian friends. Yesterday was a productive day. We formed up and finished 12 of the 18 support columns. Today we will finish the other 6 and then take the walls up 2 more meters. To see pictures from yesterday, please go to the slide shows page scroll down to the show called "Cement Columns".

Jake spoke last night at the mid week service. He read from 1 John 3:1-3, and gave his testimony. The focus was on the love that God has for us. Jake's personal story illustrated that as Christians, sometimes we wander from God and choose to live life on our own, but we can never out run the love of God. Christ died once for all sin, and acceptance of Christ makes us sons of God. We can't out sin Christ's work on the cross. After Jake's testimony, Pastor Jimenez spoke for a few minutes and offered an invitation. One boy came forward, Gordon prayed with him, and he gave his life to Christ. Praise God!

Its time now to head back to the work site. After work today, we are having a party with the kids who helped us all week. We brought a Nintendo Wii, and plan to have a fun night playing video games with the children.

Mid Week Reflection

2010-05-13T07:34:00.000-04:00

As I sit here this morning and reflect on the week, I am humbled by what God is doing. Every day when we show up at the work site, there are several kids from the church waiting to help build. At any given time, there are between 6-8 kids between the ages of 10-16 working side by side with us. There are no tasks they will not do, and they always have a smile on their face. These kids could be doing anything, but they choose to sacrifice to be involved in what God is doing in their community. They have been as much as a blessing to us, as we have been to them. They come from dysfunctional homes, with little to no Christian influence. Drugs are easily available, and the pressure to abandon their new-found faith in Christ is great. I am listing them by name, as many as I can remember. Carlos, Bruno, Alex, Charles, Pamela, Andreza, Glace, Evelyn, Danielle, Adnilson, and Rafalla. Its hard to watch them walk home at night, because we know what they have to go home to. Please pray for each of them by name.

As usual, I added the daily slide show from yesterday's action. Please take a look by clicking the blue Slide Shows like at the top of the page. If you want to see descriptions of each picture, click the link below the slide show to go to my Flickr page.

Mon and Tues - Video Recap

2010-05-13T00:02:00.000-04:00

The video below highlights work from Monday and Tuesday. On Monday we put up the bottom section (5 ft high) of the first two walls. Tuesday, we did the remaining two walls as well as excavated the area behind the church to make room for the bathrooms.

Wednesday Morning Update

2010-05-12T08:18:00.002-04:00

I just added pictures from Tuesday to the slide show page (click on slide shows link at top of page). We finished up the last wall, and are waiting on steel to arrive to begin the concrete columns. We are heading down town today for an hour or so to do some shopping, then its back to work. I am working on video highlights from Monday and Tuesday. Look for it later today. Continue to pray for our team and for the kids that we work with. God is Good!

Sunday Evening Church Service

2010-05-11T06:01:00.001-04:00

These video clips were taken Sunday night at Church. Dave gave a message on the one thing that we can all do, share our faith with others. We gave each person a green "ONEthing" wrist band and told them about Pastor Jerry's challenge. Look for construction updates later tonight including video clips from the work site.

Laying Bricks

2010-05-10T20:30:00.003-04:00

Today was a productive day on the worksite. We arrived shortly after 8:00 AM. We began by mixing cement (on the ground) and laying out bricks for our brick layer, Roberval. At 8:52 AM the first brick was put down and moments later, Pastor Jimenez placed the second and third bricks (see picture). Throughout the morning, we all pitched in to haul bricks, mix cement and learn to lay the bricks. As the day went on Mike and Dave were the primary brick layers. The rest of us mixed and transported the cement and bricks to keep the guys going. By the end of the day we had 2 of the 4 walls built to a height of 6 feet. Tomorrow we plan to continue the brick laying, while also beginning to tie and place the steel rebar for the concrete columns that go between the sections of brick. To view more pictures of our work today, please see the new slideshow page.

Quick Update

2010-05-09T23:18:00.000-04:00

We just returned home from a great Church service at Campo Grande. I would like to write more, but I need to go to bed. Work starts early tomorrow! I'll add some video clips from tonights service tomorrow night along with an update from the days work.

Mothers Day Lunch

2010-05-09T14:27:00.003-04:00

Today we took Pastor Jim and his family to a Brazilian Steak House to celebrate Mothers Day with Claudia. The food and fellowship was great. Pictured clockwise from front left: Dave, Gordon, JP, Jake, Mike, Caren, Gabriel, Ben, Claudia and Jim.

Saturday in Brazil

2010-05-09T10:19:00.002-04:00

We arrived in Sau Paulo at 9:04 AM, and met up with Gordon and Pastor Fernando (from Jembeiro Park Church). We made the 3 hour drive to Campo Grande and we met graciously by Pastor Jimenez (Jim) and his family. We rode up to the work site to see the concrete pump in operation. The footers were poured and we will be ready for us to begin building on Monday morning.

Claudia (Pastor Jim's wife) had a huge meal ready for us when we came back from the work site. We ate and then unpacked our stuff. JP, Mike and Jake are staying at Jim's house, and Dave and I will be staying with Gordon. We all showered and got ready for a youth worship service last night. Pastor Fernando preached from Ephesians Chapter 2. Several youth came up for prayer at the end of the service. With a little encouragement from JP, Roberval (one of the workers who we worked with last time and who will also help us this week), came out to the service. He has never been to church, even though he has helped with several church construction projects. At the end, he came up and asked Pastor Jim to pray for him. He has not accepted Christ as Savior, but he is interested. He still feels that he needs to clean up his life to be accepted by God. Please pray for God to work through us this week as we work side by side with him.

After church, we ate our evening meal, again prepared by Claudia. It was after 9:00 PM, but that is normal for the culture here. We ate well, even had a hot pepper eating contest. Jake lost the the bet, and will come home with a shaved head. You can ask more questions when we get home.

At 11:00, Gordon, Dave and I left, dropped of Pastor Fernando and his family, and went home to crash.

The Team at JFK Airport

2010-05-07T21:02:00.001-04:00

We arrived safely at JFK Airport and got a bite to eat. We are now waiting to depart for Brazil at 10:25 PM. More pictures will come tomorrow when we get to the work site and check on the progress.

Work Begins

2010-04-30T12:03:00.008-04:00

Over the past week, workers have been busy at the new church site in Campo Grande. A drill team was brought in to drill 47 footer holes that will form the foundation for the new church. Members of the church have been working in the evenings to "tie" the long pieces of rebar together to form "beams". These beams will be placed in the holes and filled with concrete. Wooden forms will be built above ground around these steel beams to form the concrete pillars that will support the building. Check back later this week for status updates from Brazil. As I get information and pictures from Gordon, I will share them with you here.

On another note, the countdown to departure is closing in on one week. Next week at this time, we will be preparing to say goodbye to our friends and families here in PA. We will depart Hanover for BWI Airport next Friday at 1:30 PM.

Getting Ready

2010-04-26T16:46:00.004-04:00

In less than 2 weeks our team will depart for Campo Grande, Brazil. We had our last team+family meeting yesterday, and can not wait to go. While we are finalizing our plans and preparing to depart, the people in Brazil are anxiously awaiting our arrival. The foundation is being laid now, and should be done by the first week in May. Please pray that God prepares our hearts for whatever He has in store for us, and that we would be open to allowing Him to work freely in our lives as we serve Him.