The mission trip to our old church in Porto Alegre went really well. We took three students (Steffan, Joe and Emma) from St Aldate’s church, Oxford. Being a small team they were able to integrate well with the church members especially the youth, they slept in the church and were accompanied by Jaxs a Brazilian who volunteered his gifted translating services. We stayed with Pastor Luis Fernando and Sara. It was an action packed 10 days, with lots of church activities. The first day we were thrown in the deep end with a lively evangelistic gymkhana /street party! Everything from talent contests, lemon eating/egg spoon/and cartwheel races, the street in front of the church was closed and many people from the local neighbourhood participated. The team visited the town hall to pray for the major, they spent the day in a local school, sharing testimonies and answering questions, both these events got them in the local newspaper on two separate occasions making them local celebrates!! The team were able to do several home visits to members of the congregation, encouraging and praying for them individually. We organised a party for the children from the orphanage where Ruth used to work, 20 children enjoyed the time of games and fun. We travelled 3 hours inland by coach with about 40 folks from the church on an outreach visit to a new congregation in Vale de Sol, their hospitality was | truly overwhelming and emphasised quite how much they valued our fellowship. It rained non-stop and was really cold and damp to the bone, but the thick brown broth cooked on a wood fire cauldron warmed us right through, not to mention the banquet of food for afternoon tea! The little isolated congregation were so blessed by our visit. We had a precious communion service together, the UK team together with some of the church youth presented a fun drama and shared testimony. We also enjoyed several gaucho BBQ’s and far too much food in general. It was wonderful to spend time with Pastor Luis Fernando and his wife Sara again, it is humbling to see how they manage to juggle pastoring a growing church with full-time jobs (Luis Fernando is a fireman and Sara an A and E nurse). Both are actually trained lawyers but have chosen to work in professions which give them more flexibility to pastor the church. Ruth preached on the first Sunday and Saulo, Max’s Godfather (who joined us from Londrina for the weekend with his wife Fernanda) preached the second Sunday. Efraim had the pleasure of leading worship with Henrique the lad he had trained up, and the UK team led the children’s church both Sundays and shared testimonies. It was a tiring trip but a great privilege to participate in the life of this wonderful church. |
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