We’ve not even been in Brazil for 3 weeks, and already God has done some amazing stuff.  Not one of us here is the same person we were when we left home.  God is shaping us more into His image everyday, and it is so exciting to be part of His work.  What is even more exciting is that this has all happened in a place that I had initially thought would be close to impossible for that to happen.  All we have been doing for ministry is manual labor, so we haven’t even been exposed to the poverty and hardship that much yet.  So it has been awesome...

I come from a small town in Pennsylvania called Shippensburg, and in it there are about 7 or 8 thousand people.  Obviously there are needs anywhere we go in the world, but in Shippensburg you have to look a little harder to find them.  Here in Belo Horizonte however, it is impossible not to see the needs.  I’m not sure of any exact numbers, but there are millions of people here, and most of them live with very little.  We have had several opportunities to go into the city since being here, and each time I am overwhelmed by the amount of poverty.  I have heard...

So here in Brazil it is natural and part of the culture to drive at least 20 miles over the speed limit.  It is also natural to not watch where you are going and to change lanes without ever putting your blinker on or checking your rearview mirrors to see if anyone is there. I have had a few near death experiences and have learned to appreciate my friends driving ablilities and my own driving ablities back home.    I have also seen a difference in the way things are priced here in Brazil. Everything is SO expensive! I tried on a dress I really liked and it was 150 reis which...

So I can not even put into words how beautiful the view is in this incredible country. I wake every morning at the foothills of a massive towering mountain.  I am so blessed. The air is so fresh and crisp here.  We are 3,300 feet above sea level and it feels good 🙂   The journey getting to this point has been quite a rollercoaster. From spending an entire day in the Atlanta airport, to sleeping on the cold airport floor, to missing our flight and getting to spend a free night at a nice hotel it has been WILD. But God has blessed us in incredible ways throughout this...

Okay, I’m just gonna throw this out there…I am prideful.  We’ve only been here in Brazil about 5 days, and already I am learning tons about myself.  I struggle so much with expectations, because I get my ideas about what God is going to have in store, and then when they aren’t met, I think everything is all wrong.  I thought for sure we would be living out in the bush somewhere, eating who knows what, sharing the gospel with people who had never heard of Jesus, and smelling like something that’s been dead for quite some time.  We would...

 Congratulations! You have finally made it to Atlanta. You have been anticipating this moment in fear and excitement for 2 months and now you are finally hear to embark on a God given journey for 3 months to a place somewhere around the globe to tell the people about the Good News of a Savior!   But wait! Before you leave on this epic journey here is an address for the Safehouse in Atlanta, and here is $20. You need to get from the airport to this address.  There is also fun catch, your leaders arn’t allowed to...