So this past week we had the incredible opportunity to work at a school in the slums called “Casa De Samuel”. We were only able to spend 5 days there, and even though it felt like weeks, I feel like I speak for all of us when I say,”It wasn’t nearly enough time”.  I know I’m going to remember the relationships I built there for the rest of my life. The volunteers at Casa De Samuel are such incredible people, and the love of Christ radiates throughout them. If I could spend the rest of my...

This week I am just gonna post a bunch of pictures!  It has been so awesome to see all that God has done in the last 2 weeks, He has definitely given us plenty of opportunity to grow and be challenged in our faith!  (And also have a lot of fun!) Ryan and I teaching the kids “Oh Wonderful Love!” Our team performing the Good Samaritan skit!  (I got really beat up!) Brittany and I carrying around some of the crazy kids as they tried to beat each other up!  I was batman! Ryan and I outside the school!  (This picture is way too cool not to put on the...

  There is something about a child that makes my heart skip a beat.  Their innocence is reflected in their wide eyes and as they reach for me I can’t imagine anything better than holding them in my arms.  It is the easist thing in the world for me to love with everything I have on kids, I think my heart was made for it. This week my team and I have had the opportunity to love on kids every single day.  From 7am to 5pm our time is completely consumed by them.  We have been living in a children’s school in the slums in Belo Horizonte and each day we teach...

For the past week we have been living in a slum here in Belo, and working at a school for kids between ages 3 and 14.  We have spent almost all of our time at the school teaching the kids Bible stories, songs, games, English, and a little bit of math.  We also had some opportunities to do house visits here, and those were awesome.  The people we met encouraged and challenged us at least as much as we did them.  And here at the school, the kids have done the same.  They are so loving even though they all have very rough living conditions and family situations. ...

So I’ve been here… what? 4 weeks? It feels like much much longer.  Waking up to the sound of laughter, the smell of fresh oatmeal, and the beautiful mountains all around feels like the most familiar thing to me. Not only have I been growing in fellowship with my team but I have been growing in fellowship with my Father.  God has been pouring into me so much I have been blown away.  My team’s greatest desire has been to walk more like Christ and to understand what that means to the fullest.  We have been talking and praying through what it means to not...

For the past few days, we have had 40 Brazilians staying here at the ranch with us.  They are the leaders of a drug rehab center, and they came here for a conference/retreat.  We were all really excited when we heard they would be staying with us, because we knew it would be a great chance to learn from them.   The first night that they were getting here, they were planning on arriving around 6 for dinner, and then after that having a service.  But in typical Brazilian fashion, dinner started around 10:30 and then the service around 11:30.  We had been warned that...