Oh, here's a little piece about how I spent my weekend:
Friday (a national holiday because it was Good Friday) the youth group from my church headed to a small city (Atibaia) about an hour and a half away to hang out with the youth from a church there for a couple days. We scaled a huge hill (1450 meters high... um... just over 4757 feet) up to the top of a huge rock (known as Pedra Grande in Portuguese) and went rapelling! It was a first for most of the teenagers, and it was fun to be there to take pictures, and remind them that they weren't going to die in the process of trying it (I could speak with some confidence because I've been once before - about six years ago, down a waterfall)! I went again of course... although as I started stepping over the edge of the rock I wondered if I it was such a good idea after all... but I couldn't not do it after the confidence I had shown for everyone else!
After a slippery course down the mountain, we spent Friday night and the day Saturday with the Atibaia youth at a small, beautiful campground that included a swimming pool, a soccer field, a small zoo, and amazing food! It was tons of fun, although after hiking most of the day the day Friday, I was rather exhausted by half-way through Saturday! We had a lovely Saturday night service at the campgrounds before heading home that evening.
And that takes me into my reflections on Easter, which are in the next post!
Sunday, March 23, 2008
He is risen!
It's a calm Sunday night, and I figured I'd write a post for those of you who enjoy the more rambly pieces over the more official "this is what's going on with the ministry" news.
My mom is home, and I'm enjoying it immensely - only praying it will last. Karis is doing ok (well, sort of), other than the continual struggle of keeping up with school work and the increasing pain in her hip. I'm chatting with Valerie on-line in between writing this, and listening to some music from a cd that three college friends of hers sang for - http://cdbaby.com/cd/ypjfvc3 - it's good stuff! She got to be a part of a small invitation-only audience that heard it recorded live this weekend. Dan is doing well at his new job and learning a lot, as well as being supportive of his girlfriend's horse training profession.
It's Easter folks! How strange to spend Easter in a Baptist church who celebrates it through nothing more than special sermons on Sunday, after spending my last few Easters in Anglican churches that go all out to make it the spiritual highlight of the year! During college, I got into starting my spiritual preparation 40 days earlier with Ash Wednesday, and then doing special services for Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday! At my home church of the last few years - Rez - the Easter service is 4 hours long - full of choreography and incredible worship and celebration! I kept up with it all a little through doing the readings in the Anglican Book of Common Prayer, but it's not at all the same as celebrating it with a church body!
We did get to go to a really good service at Calvary International Church here in São Paulo this morning that definitely took me into a deeper and more real appreciation of Christ's death and ressurrection - they managed to combine Good Friday and Easter Sunday into one powerful service. The service was full of beautiful worship written by Keith and Krystin Getty, the authors of In Christ Alone, as well as other songs that really brought Christ's sacrifice and victory to life! I was deeply reminded today that God is in control and knows what he is doing during this difficult time with my family... that Good Fridays in our lives are always followed with Easter Sundays that far outshine them! our present suffering is not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us! (Rom. 8:17). Praise God for his victorious grace!
Anyway, regardless of church denomination, etc, He is risen! And that is the best news on the face of the Earth!
My mom is home, and I'm enjoying it immensely - only praying it will last. Karis is doing ok (well, sort of), other than the continual struggle of keeping up with school work and the increasing pain in her hip. I'm chatting with Valerie on-line in between writing this, and listening to some music from a cd that three college friends of hers sang for - http://cdbaby.com/cd/ypjfvc3 - it's good stuff! She got to be a part of a small invitation-only audience that heard it recorded live this weekend. Dan is doing well at his new job and learning a lot, as well as being supportive of his girlfriend's horse training profession.
It's Easter folks! How strange to spend Easter in a Baptist church who celebrates it through nothing more than special sermons on Sunday, after spending my last few Easters in Anglican churches that go all out to make it the spiritual highlight of the year! During college, I got into starting my spiritual preparation 40 days earlier with Ash Wednesday, and then doing special services for Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday! At my home church of the last few years - Rez - the Easter service is 4 hours long - full of choreography and incredible worship and celebration! I kept up with it all a little through doing the readings in the Anglican Book of Common Prayer, but it's not at all the same as celebrating it with a church body!
We did get to go to a really good service at Calvary International Church here in São Paulo this morning that definitely took me into a deeper and more real appreciation of Christ's death and ressurrection - they managed to combine Good Friday and Easter Sunday into one powerful service. The service was full of beautiful worship written by Keith and Krystin Getty, the authors of In Christ Alone, as well as other songs that really brought Christ's sacrifice and victory to life! I was deeply reminded today that God is in control and knows what he is doing during this difficult time with my family... that Good Fridays in our lives are always followed with Easter Sundays that far outshine them! our present suffering is not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us! (Rom. 8:17). Praise God for his victorious grace!
Anyway, regardless of church denomination, etc, He is risen! And that is the best news on the face of the Earth!
Thursday, March 13, 2008
News, March 13, 2008
Dear ones,
In the teenager’s small group I am co-leading on Thursday nights, our biggest problem has been having too many participants! My job has been to come up with ice-breakers and write questions for the Bible studies. We have stressed commitment and joint responsibility, and several of them are taking on important responsabilities within the group. We are studying what it means to be the body of Christ, based on 1 Cor. 12, and it has been a blessing to see them grow.
I spent two days in the Sepal digital team office a couple weeks ago, and have really enjoyed it! Since then, I have been working with them about 5 hours a week, translating interesting articles from a site called allaboutgod.com (I encourage you to check it out!), helping monitor the discussion forum, and doing a few other things. It is exciting to see this ministry grow!
My biggest prayer request at this time is my family: my mom has been in the
Friday, February 8, 2008
Plans for the New Year
Dear friends,
I am MAJORLY owing you an update. A lot has happened in the last few weeks! I am very excited about what God has been up to and the privilege of being a part of it here in São Paulo, Brazil. January is the main vacation month here, since this is summertime (we have, nonetheless, had some unseasonably cold weather... ), but in contrast, February is one of the busiest months of the year! Here's what I'll be up to these next days and months:
1. CEVAP - this is the name used for the Compassion International project at my church here in SP. It's an acronym for "CEnter for VAlueing the PErson," - one that amazinginly enough works in both languages! It's pronounced se-va-py. I will be helping out there every Saturday morning, doing two things:
A. Giving English classes to 12-14 year olds (knowing English greatly increases your possibility of getting a good job here in São Paulo, and so hopefully will be very useful to them in their futures)
B. Ministering through the "Projeto Calçada" or Sidewalk Project, which uses Bible stories to help kids talk about and overcome emotional traumas, leading them to greater intimacy with Jesus (if you want to know more, let me know! I'm really excited about it!). The director of Cevap, a good friend of mine, has seen some incredible transformation in kids' lives through this method, but has so much on her plate that she has been unable to keep up with it. I will be ministering to one kid each Saturday morning, as it is an individualized program that usually takes about an hour.
2. Co-leading the teenager's small group at my church - last semester, I helped out with this group informally, but now I will be doing a lot more! I will be developing weekly practical studies for the main leader to minister in the small group, starting with one on 1 Cor. 12 - finding our place in the body. The group includes about 20 young people from ages 12-18, so developing studies that are relevant and interesting to the full age range is quite a challenge! I will also be planning and leading weekly ice-breakers, and helping mentor the worship leaders.
3. Sepal digital department - my work with the Sepal digital department will officially start on Feb. 18th. I will be facilitating an active internet discussion group on various church/theology related topics, doing some translation work, and various and other sundry things! One huge prayer request is for wisdom in whether to change my flight to the States this May to the 9th instead of the 1st so I can help out the digital team at the yearly Sepal Congress May 5-9. Over 1000 Brazilian pastors and church leaders participate in this Congress (this year the number looks like it could reach as many as 1500 people), and the digital department is responsible for filming the whole event, as well as dealing with various technical difficulties that always crop up. It would be a huge learning experience for me, as I have never worked with that kind of thing before, but they desperately need people who are willing to learn. On the other hand, I was planning to use that time to visit those of you who are living in the Chicago area, and was greatly looking forward to it! I do not know when I will be back in the US after this May, since I am planning to continue living here indefinitely, either as a missionary, or with a normal 8 to 5 job. If you have any insight into the issue, I would be glad to hear it!
4. MAPI website - the MAPI website is growing, and with it the amount of work to be done is also increasing! I am dreadfully behind on updating the English site, so I apologize to any of you who have glanced at it recently. Pray that I find the necessary time for this ministry amidst everything else I am up to.
5. Hospitality - we have always used our good-sized house in Brazil to house small pastor's retreats, to deepen relationships through having people over for dinner, and for other ministry purposes. I was surprised last semester at how much of my time ended up being used in food-making and dish-washing! However, this semester provides new challenges in that area. My mom was called to the US unexpectedly by some complications in my sister's health situation (Karis went through an intestinal transplant last year), and will probably be gone at least through the end of February. That leaves me in charge of hospitality for my dad's executive team of 8 people (other than him) who will be sleeping, eating, and meeting here next week! On Thursday night, we will be joined by the MAPI missionaries, bringing the group up to around 18. Thankfully, we were able to enlist the aid of two wonderful Brazilian cooks for some of the lunches and suppers, but I will still have plenty to do! I would appreciate your prayers that all would go smoothly, and that I don't burn the food! I also will be hosting the young adults small group I participated in last semester every Friday night.
I am extremely grateful to see ministry relationships I cultivated during the second half of last year flourish into new opportunities, and excited at these chances to be involved in what God is doing! Nonetheless, coordinating my time between all of these different activities is a challenge. Pray that I would continue to be open and sensitive to what the Holy Spirit has for me at each moment, instead of getting too caught up in the rush to listen! Pray also that my relationship with him would continue to be my first priority.
Thank you so much for your love and support! Without you, I would not be able to be involved in all I am doing.
Rachel
I am MAJORLY owing you an update. A lot has happened in the last few weeks! I am very excited about what God has been up to and the privilege of being a part of it here in São Paulo, Brazil. January is the main vacation month here, since this is summertime (we have, nonetheless, had some unseasonably cold weather... ), but in contrast, February is one of the busiest months of the year! Here's what I'll be up to these next days and months:
1. CEVAP - this is the name used for the Compassion International project at my church here in SP. It's an acronym for "CEnter for VAlueing the PErson," - one that amazinginly enough works in both languages! It's pronounced se-va-py. I will be helping out there every Saturday morning, doing two things:
A. Giving English classes to 12-14 year olds (knowing English greatly increases your possibility of getting a good job here in São Paulo, and so hopefully will be very useful to them in their futures)
B. Ministering through the "Projeto Calçada" or Sidewalk Project, which uses Bible stories to help kids talk about and overcome emotional traumas, leading them to greater intimacy with Jesus (if you want to know more, let me know! I'm really excited about it!). The director of Cevap, a good friend of mine, has seen some incredible transformation in kids' lives through this method, but has so much on her plate that she has been unable to keep up with it. I will be ministering to one kid each Saturday morning, as it is an individualized program that usually takes about an hour.
2. Co-leading the teenager's small group at my church - last semester, I helped out with this group informally, but now I will be doing a lot more! I will be developing weekly practical studies for the main leader to minister in the small group, starting with one on 1 Cor. 12 - finding our place in the body. The group includes about 20 young people from ages 12-18, so developing studies that are relevant and interesting to the full age range is quite a challenge! I will also be planning and leading weekly ice-breakers, and helping mentor the worship leaders.
3. Sepal digital department - my work with the Sepal digital department will officially start on Feb. 18th. I will be facilitating an active internet discussion group on various church/theology related topics, doing some translation work, and various and other sundry things! One huge prayer request is for wisdom in whether to change my flight to the States this May to the 9th instead of the 1st so I can help out the digital team at the yearly Sepal Congress May 5-9. Over 1000 Brazilian pastors and church leaders participate in this Congress (this year the number looks like it could reach as many as 1500 people), and the digital department is responsible for filming the whole event, as well as dealing with various technical difficulties that always crop up. It would be a huge learning experience for me, as I have never worked with that kind of thing before, but they desperately need people who are willing to learn. On the other hand, I was planning to use that time to visit those of you who are living in the Chicago area, and was greatly looking forward to it! I do not know when I will be back in the US after this May, since I am planning to continue living here indefinitely, either as a missionary, or with a normal 8 to 5 job. If you have any insight into the issue, I would be glad to hear it!
4. MAPI website - the MAPI website is growing, and with it the amount of work to be done is also increasing! I am dreadfully behind on updating the English site, so I apologize to any of you who have glanced at it recently. Pray that I find the necessary time for this ministry amidst everything else I am up to.
5. Hospitality - we have always used our good-sized house in Brazil to house small pastor's retreats, to deepen relationships through having people over for dinner, and for other ministry purposes. I was surprised last semester at how much of my time ended up being used in food-making and dish-washing! However, this semester provides new challenges in that area. My mom was called to the US unexpectedly by some complications in my sister's health situation (Karis went through an intestinal transplant last year), and will probably be gone at least through the end of February. That leaves me in charge of hospitality for my dad's executive team of 8 people (other than him) who will be sleeping, eating, and meeting here next week! On Thursday night, we will be joined by the MAPI missionaries, bringing the group up to around 18. Thankfully, we were able to enlist the aid of two wonderful Brazilian cooks for some of the lunches and suppers, but I will still have plenty to do! I would appreciate your prayers that all would go smoothly, and that I don't burn the food! I also will be hosting the young adults small group I participated in last semester every Friday night.
I am extremely grateful to see ministry relationships I cultivated during the second half of last year flourish into new opportunities, and excited at these chances to be involved in what God is doing! Nonetheless, coordinating my time between all of these different activities is a challenge. Pray that I would continue to be open and sensitive to what the Holy Spirit has for me at each moment, instead of getting too caught up in the rush to listen! Pray also that my relationship with him would continue to be my first priority.
Thank you so much for your love and support! Without you, I would not be able to be involved in all I am doing.
Rachel
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Promifé
Promifé - I guess I'll try to put this eight day mission's trip into words, though some things are near impossible to describe. But I guess I should begin with the beginning and explain what Promifé is.
In the early 80s some Christian young people in São Paulo decided that they wanted to spend more time focusing on evangelism. They developed a plan to spend a week of their next vacation month sharing Christ door to door in their neighborhood. An American missionary named Ken Flurry liked the idea and took it back to the youth in his city, Riberão Preto. In July of 1983, Promifé - PROjeto MIssionário de FÉrias, or Vacation Missionary Project - began. Today, Promifé reaches out to people in small towns in the state of São Paulo twice a year - one week in January and one week in July - seeking to share the love of Christ and partner in His transforming work. Around 140 participants come from the cities of Riberão Preto, São Paulo, Campinas, and several other smaller towns in the state of São Paulo, as well as from the United States. I got involved in the project in July of 2000 when two teachers from my highschool, who had fallen in love with the project the previous January, invited students to join them for the next one. At the time, my sister Karis and I were the only ones to take them up on their offer, and almost all the other 15 or so participants came from Riberão Preto. The project had been placed the previous year under the leadership of American missionary Ric Sturtz, who had invited Brazilian Paulinho to be his co-leader. It was a transformational week for me. My soul had been longing for what Anne Shirley calls "kindred spirits" and I found them in the participants of Promifé, and especially a certain three: Alex, Geraldo, and Yara. I went back the next January, and every January and July afterwards that I could. During those weeks, God worked powerfully in my life not only through providing me with special friends, but through teaching me how to share the gospel in a simple way with Brazilian strangers (I think methods have to vary according to culture), experience Him deeply through intense times of prayer, walk in greater dependance on Him, understand more closely how His body works together, and develop gifts of leadership and administration. They were extremely formative times for me, to say the least. I was so passionate for the project, that several friends from church joined me for my second time, and several more for the third, and so forth. Friends also started sharing with friends from other churches, and the passion grew and spread. Today there are at least half a dozen São Paulo churches involved, including a Chinese-Brazilian one that sends over thirty members each time. This Chinese-Brazilian church, known as Pão da Vida (Bread of Life) has been an extra blessing as they have taught us even more about the move of the Spirit and having a servant's heart. They have also reached out to other Asian believers in the city of São Paulo, so that this last time the project included a member from a Brazilian-Korean Presbiterian church, as well as a Japanese-Brazilian believer. Several years ago, Pr. Ric passed off the main leadership to Paulinho, who has been passing it on to young Brazilian leaders. As he told me a few days ago, one of the main goals of the project is to form leaders among its participants. In this sense, as well as others, it has certainly been successful! This July, the project will be celebrating 25 years of existence. Paulinho is hoping to bring together about 250 young people (almost twice the normal number) for a "super-Promifé," including about fifty from the United States! If you have any interest in getting to know Brazil a little and participating in a work of God, feel free to come along! The project will be happening from the 12th to the 20th.
The Promifé schedule looks something like this:
Arrive on a Saturday (in the case of this next one, July 12), unpack, and get set up.
On Sunday-Tuesday and Thursday-Saturday:
Breakfast at 8:00
Worship, teaching, and training in evangelism from 9:00 to 12:00
Prayer and afternoon instructions around 2:00, and then door-to-door evangelism in groups of 2 or 3, as well as a simultaneous VBS.
Get back to the school (we sleep in the emptied-out classrooms of a public school) around 5:30 (sometimes later) to shower and eat.
Gather around 7:45 to pray and then head out for the evening activity: showing the film "Jesus" in a public place, and sharing the message of salvation with the people who come to it.
Get back to the school between 1o:30 and 11:30, have a snack, and head to bed.
Wednesday's our day off. We often go to a rural hotel type place to swim, play sports, eat barbecue, rest, and hang out.
On our final night (Saturday), instead of showing the movie, we have a service celebrating what God has done during the week. All the people from the town are invited. We present the results of our time there to the local church that has been supporting us and working with us throughout the week, as well as records of each home we visited, so that the church can do follow-up and discipleship with those that accepted Jesus. This January the "numbers" were the following:
In a town of 7500 residents:
250 children reached through the VBS
480 decisions for Christ in the homes and at the movie
Around 1300 people reached with the message of the Gospel
Sunday morning, we pack up, clean the school we stayed at, and head back to our respective homes to make up for lost sleep, knowing we have been changed in beautiful ways through seeing the Kingdom of God grow and experiencing the love of those around us. One preoccupation of mine is always whether the work really will be carried on by the local churches after we leave. At least this last time, one of the pastors had eight new Christians agree to come visit his Sunday service even before we had left! I know he is passionate about discipling those who came to know Christ, and am excited to see what God will continue to do in the town of Ibiraci. This next July, we will be working with three churches in a town known as Santa Rita do Passo Quatro.
In the early 80s some Christian young people in São Paulo decided that they wanted to spend more time focusing on evangelism. They developed a plan to spend a week of their next vacation month sharing Christ door to door in their neighborhood. An American missionary named Ken Flurry liked the idea and took it back to the youth in his city, Riberão Preto. In July of 1983, Promifé - PROjeto MIssionário de FÉrias, or Vacation Missionary Project - began. Today, Promifé reaches out to people in small towns in the state of São Paulo twice a year - one week in January and one week in July - seeking to share the love of Christ and partner in His transforming work. Around 140 participants come from the cities of Riberão Preto, São Paulo, Campinas, and several other smaller towns in the state of São Paulo, as well as from the United States. I got involved in the project in July of 2000 when two teachers from my highschool, who had fallen in love with the project the previous January, invited students to join them for the next one. At the time, my sister Karis and I were the only ones to take them up on their offer, and almost all the other 15 or so participants came from Riberão Preto. The project had been placed the previous year under the leadership of American missionary Ric Sturtz, who had invited Brazilian Paulinho to be his co-leader. It was a transformational week for me. My soul had been longing for what Anne Shirley calls "kindred spirits" and I found them in the participants of Promifé, and especially a certain three: Alex, Geraldo, and Yara. I went back the next January, and every January and July afterwards that I could. During those weeks, God worked powerfully in my life not only through providing me with special friends, but through teaching me how to share the gospel in a simple way with Brazilian strangers (I think methods have to vary according to culture), experience Him deeply through intense times of prayer, walk in greater dependance on Him, understand more closely how His body works together, and develop gifts of leadership and administration. They were extremely formative times for me, to say the least. I was so passionate for the project, that several friends from church joined me for my second time, and several more for the third, and so forth. Friends also started sharing with friends from other churches, and the passion grew and spread. Today there are at least half a dozen São Paulo churches involved, including a Chinese-Brazilian one that sends over thirty members each time. This Chinese-Brazilian church, known as Pão da Vida (Bread of Life) has been an extra blessing as they have taught us even more about the move of the Spirit and having a servant's heart. They have also reached out to other Asian believers in the city of São Paulo, so that this last time the project included a member from a Brazilian-Korean Presbiterian church, as well as a Japanese-Brazilian believer. Several years ago, Pr. Ric passed off the main leadership to Paulinho, who has been passing it on to young Brazilian leaders. As he told me a few days ago, one of the main goals of the project is to form leaders among its participants. In this sense, as well as others, it has certainly been successful! This July, the project will be celebrating 25 years of existence. Paulinho is hoping to bring together about 250 young people (almost twice the normal number) for a "super-Promifé," including about fifty from the United States! If you have any interest in getting to know Brazil a little and participating in a work of God, feel free to come along! The project will be happening from the 12th to the 20th.
The Promifé schedule looks something like this:
Arrive on a Saturday (in the case of this next one, July 12), unpack, and get set up.
On Sunday-Tuesday and Thursday-Saturday:
Breakfast at 8:00
Worship, teaching, and training in evangelism from 9:00 to 12:00
Prayer and afternoon instructions around 2:00, and then door-to-door evangelism in groups of 2 or 3, as well as a simultaneous VBS.
Get back to the school (we sleep in the emptied-out classrooms of a public school) around 5:30 (sometimes later) to shower and eat.
Gather around 7:45 to pray and then head out for the evening activity: showing the film "Jesus" in a public place, and sharing the message of salvation with the people who come to it.
Get back to the school between 1o:30 and 11:30, have a snack, and head to bed.
Wednesday's our day off. We often go to a rural hotel type place to swim, play sports, eat barbecue, rest, and hang out.
On our final night (Saturday), instead of showing the movie, we have a service celebrating what God has done during the week. All the people from the town are invited. We present the results of our time there to the local church that has been supporting us and working with us throughout the week, as well as records of each home we visited, so that the church can do follow-up and discipleship with those that accepted Jesus. This January the "numbers" were the following:
In a town of 7500 residents:
250 children reached through the VBS
480 decisions for Christ in the homes and at the movie
Around 1300 people reached with the message of the Gospel
Sunday morning, we pack up, clean the school we stayed at, and head back to our respective homes to make up for lost sleep, knowing we have been changed in beautiful ways through seeing the Kingdom of God grow and experiencing the love of those around us. One preoccupation of mine is always whether the work really will be carried on by the local churches after we leave. At least this last time, one of the pastors had eight new Christians agree to come visit his Sunday service even before we had left! I know he is passionate about discipling those who came to know Christ, and am excited to see what God will continue to do in the town of Ibiraci. This next July, we will be working with three churches in a town known as Santa Rita do Passo Quatro.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Christmas News!
In case any of you are wondering what I'll be doing this Christmas vacation, here's the news:
Th, Dec. 20 - Dan Kornfield arrives in Brazil! We go by a government office to renew his permanent residency. I imagine he might want to sleep a good deal of the rest of the day after being on the plane all night.
Fri, Dec. 21 - Karis and Val Kornfield arrive in Brazil! They'll probably want a good sleep too :). Fri. night is the last meeting of my small group until Feb. We're putting together a huge dinner that Val and I will probably go to, because Val used to be a part of this small group too.
Small note on why my small group won't be meeting again until February - Brazilians have their longer vacation now, because it's summer here!!! December is also the end of the Brazilian school year. School vacations will last until after Carnaval this year, since Carnaval happens the first week of Feb. Otherwise, they'd have to take off for the five day Carnaval holiday before they had barely started. When it happens in early March, of course, they have to start beforehand. Anyway, the point I was trying to make is that January is always vacation month here. Pretty much everything stops. My church will go on having Sunday night services (that's when the main service happens in most Brazilian Protestant churches), but that's about it.
Small note on Carnaval (make sure you roll your "r" and put the stress on the last syllable ;) ) - in case any of you are wondering why Carnaval happens at different times different years, or what in the world Carnaval is, here's an explanation. Carnaval starts every year 4 days before Ash Wednesday (which is 40 days before Easter). So it happens at different times each year because Easter happens at different times each year. Why that is, I have no idea. My mom just informed me it's connected to the phases of the moon. Go figure. Anyway, Carnaval is a crazy celebration where you're supposed to staunch the needs of all your carnal appetites before going solemn and sacrificial for lent. It's known as Marti Graw in other contexts. People dress up in exotic costumes, and put on all kinds of fancy parades, which most of you have probably seen pictures of. The celebrating happens especially in Rio and other beach-side towns. São Paulo pretty much empties out for the occasion, since we're not on the beach (we're an hour away).
On one hand, Carnaval is a beautiful display of Brazilian music, dance and creativity. On the other hand, people throw all their sexual mores (and a lot of other otherwise generally followed moral beliefs) out the window. Crime and sexual abuse rates sky rocket during those days. Drunken revelry is commonplace and it's extremely dangerous to be on the streets. The Protestant church here strictly condemns Carnaval, but enjoys the days off of school and work. The Catholic church... well, I don't think they like it too much either, but I've never heard an official position on the issue. Feel free to inform me if you know what it is :). Anyway, rewinding two months back to Christmas...
Sat. Dec. 22 - we'll probably sleep in, and then just hang out and enjoy during the day. The six of us Kornfields (all six - hurray!) will go to the Lemos's for dinner. Weston and Carrie Lemos are a couple from our mission that I'll probably be working closely with next semester. However, there's an extra special reason for this particular visit: the Limpics will be there too!! Ted and Claudia Limpic have been a part of Sepal (OC in Brazil) since before we got here 17 years ago, but left in 2006 to join OC in Spain. They're wonderful family friends who we haven't seen for a while. It's been even longer since we've seen their two grown sons, Jeremy and Joel, who will be with them this time.
Sun. Dec. 23 - officially "Christmas" in the Kornfield household. Since we're leaving on the 24th for a family vacation in the Northeast of Brazil we'll be celebrating as a family a little early. Tradition dictates a scrumptuous breakfast, family devotions, present opening around the tree, and a Thanksgiving-like dinner with turkey and mashed potatoes. This year our celebration of the Lord's birth will culminate in the Christmas service at church that evening.
Mon. Dec. 24 - we leave for Salvador, Bahia, a city in the Northeast of Brazil (the southernmost city in the orange area of the Brazil map linked at the bottom of the column at the right). It's been a family dream for several years now to visit the Northeast (or Nordeste as we call it here), and my mom got discounted tickets for travelling on Christmas Eve. One of my dad's long-time ministry partners, Enizete, has carefully planned our three days in "her" city so that we can get the most possible out of it! That night we'll probably celebrate Christmas Brazilian style, which means getting together with Enizete's family around 9 or 10 at night, hanging out until midnight, when everyone will get up and cheer and exchange hugs and Christmas greetings, and then having a big feast which will probably last until 2 or 3 in the morning. Not surprisingly, the program for morning of the 25th itself is to sleep :). We'll be in Salvador until the 27th.
Th, Dec. 27 - leave Salvador around 1 in the morning for Natal. Once again, we were going for cheap prices over convenience on our flight times. If you look at the map again, Natal is the city on the farthest East point of the continent, right on the north of the orange area curve). The name of the city literally means "Christmas". Hehe. Anyway, we'll be spending another three days there, enjoying beaches that we're told are some of the most beautiful in Brazil (which is saying a lot).
Mon, Dec. 31 - We arrive back in São Paulo during the AM, and rest up for the celebrations that evening. My church will be having a New Year's service which will end in the New Year's "ceia" - a feast that will start around midnight. Then, home to bed! Unless we decide to be rowdy and stay up all night or something crazy like that.
New Years Day - nothing particular planned until 5 PM. Then we're having an open-house for friends and neighbors who want a chance to come say hi to Dan, Karis, and Val while they're here.
Wed, Jan. 2, 2008 - enjoying our final day with Dan before he leaves that evening (sniff sniff).
Th, Jan. 3 - Fri, Jan. 11 - hang out with the sistas!
Sat., Jan. 12 - I leave in the morning for an 8 day missions trip with youth from my church. Karis and Val leave that evening :(.
Sun, Jan. 20 - I get back to SP, and rest up. Then life gets back to normal... maybe.
I hope you all have a blessed celebration of Christ's birth, and a happy New Year!
Th, Dec. 20 - Dan Kornfield arrives in Brazil! We go by a government office to renew his permanent residency. I imagine he might want to sleep a good deal of the rest of the day after being on the plane all night.
Fri, Dec. 21 - Karis and Val Kornfield arrive in Brazil! They'll probably want a good sleep too :). Fri. night is the last meeting of my small group until Feb. We're putting together a huge dinner that Val and I will probably go to, because Val used to be a part of this small group too.
Small note on why my small group won't be meeting again until February - Brazilians have their longer vacation now, because it's summer here!!! December is also the end of the Brazilian school year. School vacations will last until after Carnaval this year, since Carnaval happens the first week of Feb. Otherwise, they'd have to take off for the five day Carnaval holiday before they had barely started. When it happens in early March, of course, they have to start beforehand. Anyway, the point I was trying to make is that January is always vacation month here. Pretty much everything stops. My church will go on having Sunday night services (that's when the main service happens in most Brazilian Protestant churches), but that's about it.
Small note on Carnaval (make sure you roll your "r" and put the stress on the last syllable ;) ) - in case any of you are wondering why Carnaval happens at different times different years, or what in the world Carnaval is, here's an explanation. Carnaval starts every year 4 days before Ash Wednesday (which is 40 days before Easter). So it happens at different times each year because Easter happens at different times each year. Why that is, I have no idea. My mom just informed me it's connected to the phases of the moon. Go figure. Anyway, Carnaval is a crazy celebration where you're supposed to staunch the needs of all your carnal appetites before going solemn and sacrificial for lent. It's known as Marti Graw in other contexts. People dress up in exotic costumes, and put on all kinds of fancy parades, which most of you have probably seen pictures of. The celebrating happens especially in Rio and other beach-side towns. São Paulo pretty much empties out for the occasion, since we're not on the beach (we're an hour away).
On one hand, Carnaval is a beautiful display of Brazilian music, dance and creativity. On the other hand, people throw all their sexual mores (and a lot of other otherwise generally followed moral beliefs) out the window. Crime and sexual abuse rates sky rocket during those days. Drunken revelry is commonplace and it's extremely dangerous to be on the streets. The Protestant church here strictly condemns Carnaval, but enjoys the days off of school and work. The Catholic church... well, I don't think they like it too much either, but I've never heard an official position on the issue. Feel free to inform me if you know what it is :). Anyway, rewinding two months back to Christmas...
Sat. Dec. 22 - we'll probably sleep in, and then just hang out and enjoy during the day. The six of us Kornfields (all six - hurray!) will go to the Lemos's for dinner. Weston and Carrie Lemos are a couple from our mission that I'll probably be working closely with next semester. However, there's an extra special reason for this particular visit: the Limpics will be there too!! Ted and Claudia Limpic have been a part of Sepal (OC in Brazil) since before we got here 17 years ago, but left in 2006 to join OC in Spain. They're wonderful family friends who we haven't seen for a while. It's been even longer since we've seen their two grown sons, Jeremy and Joel, who will be with them this time.
Sun. Dec. 23 - officially "Christmas" in the Kornfield household. Since we're leaving on the 24th for a family vacation in the Northeast of Brazil we'll be celebrating as a family a little early. Tradition dictates a scrumptuous breakfast, family devotions, present opening around the tree, and a Thanksgiving-like dinner with turkey and mashed potatoes. This year our celebration of the Lord's birth will culminate in the Christmas service at church that evening.
Mon. Dec. 24 - we leave for Salvador, Bahia, a city in the Northeast of Brazil (the southernmost city in the orange area of the Brazil map linked at the bottom of the column at the right). It's been a family dream for several years now to visit the Northeast (or Nordeste as we call it here), and my mom got discounted tickets for travelling on Christmas Eve. One of my dad's long-time ministry partners, Enizete, has carefully planned our three days in "her" city so that we can get the most possible out of it! That night we'll probably celebrate Christmas Brazilian style, which means getting together with Enizete's family around 9 or 10 at night, hanging out until midnight, when everyone will get up and cheer and exchange hugs and Christmas greetings, and then having a big feast which will probably last until 2 or 3 in the morning. Not surprisingly, the program for morning of the 25th itself is to sleep :). We'll be in Salvador until the 27th.
Th, Dec. 27 - leave Salvador around 1 in the morning for Natal. Once again, we were going for cheap prices over convenience on our flight times. If you look at the map again, Natal is the city on the farthest East point of the continent, right on the north of the orange area curve). The name of the city literally means "Christmas". Hehe. Anyway, we'll be spending another three days there, enjoying beaches that we're told are some of the most beautiful in Brazil (which is saying a lot).
Mon, Dec. 31 - We arrive back in São Paulo during the AM, and rest up for the celebrations that evening. My church will be having a New Year's service which will end in the New Year's "ceia" - a feast that will start around midnight. Then, home to bed! Unless we decide to be rowdy and stay up all night or something crazy like that.
New Years Day - nothing particular planned until 5 PM. Then we're having an open-house for friends and neighbors who want a chance to come say hi to Dan, Karis, and Val while they're here.
Wed, Jan. 2, 2008 - enjoying our final day with Dan before he leaves that evening (sniff sniff).
Th, Jan. 3 - Fri, Jan. 11 - hang out with the sistas!
Sat., Jan. 12 - I leave in the morning for an 8 day missions trip with youth from my church. Karis and Val leave that evening :(.
Sun, Jan. 20 - I get back to SP, and rest up. Then life gets back to normal... maybe.
I hope you all have a blessed celebration of Christ's birth, and a happy New Year!
Friday, November 30, 2007
News, Nov. 30, 2007
Hi friends!
As I write this blog, I'm listening to Brazilian Christian children's songs in preparation for working with the slum-kid project at my church tomorrow (Saturday) morning. This project is a branch of Compassion International in partnership with a ministry that has existed in my church for a long time known as "CEVAP" (Portuguese acronym for "Center for Valuing the Person" - i.e. kid). Each week, they serve over 100 kids from low-income homes, providing them with two meals per day, Bible teaching, tutoring, and fun activities. Many of these kids would simply be loose on the streets if it were not for CEVAP/Compassion. Lately, on Saturday mornings, they've created a partnership with Ambassadors to do a soccer championship with the kids. However the 4-6 year olds are too young to participate. Some friends and I are in charge of providing fun activities for these little ones for three hours on Saturday morning. It's been challenging and a learning experience. I'll be involved tomorrow and next week with the soccer club, and then the next Saturday (Dec. 15) is their Christmas party, which I'll probably also participate in. It ends just in time, because my siblings will be here the next weekend for Christmas vacation!
It's hard to believe how quickly the last months have gone by. These last few days my dad has had his executive (national) team here for a retreat, and it's been fun hanging out with them. It's amazing how much work it is to provide meals for seven people for three days, and clean up after them! My mom and I did a lot of it together, which cut down on the work for any one person considerably and made it much more enjoyable.
Last week I spent a day with SEPAL's digital department, getting to know their work and how I could be involved. Monday I'll go into the SEPAL office to get to know the events department. If I work with the events department, I'll have to be here for the main SEPAL event May 5-9, when I had been planning on being in the US. We'll see how it goes :).
The MAPI website in Portuguese continues to progress. I recently made some changes to the homepage that made me feel much better about the site in general. There's a lot to be done, but I'm enjoying it! I'm hoping to get in some time on the English site as well in the next weeks before my sibs get here. If all goes well, Dan will arrive Dec. 20, and Karis and Val on the 21st. It'll be the first time all six of us (us four kids and my parents) are together in Brazil for two and a half years! We're planning on going up to the Northeast of Brazil for a few days for a vacation, as well as hanging out at home and enjoying ourselves.
I hope you are all well!
God bless!
Rachel
As I write this blog, I'm listening to Brazilian Christian children's songs in preparation for working with the slum-kid project at my church tomorrow (Saturday) morning. This project is a branch of Compassion International in partnership with a ministry that has existed in my church for a long time known as "CEVAP" (Portuguese acronym for "Center for Valuing the Person" - i.e. kid). Each week, they serve over 100 kids from low-income homes, providing them with two meals per day, Bible teaching, tutoring, and fun activities. Many of these kids would simply be loose on the streets if it were not for CEVAP/Compassion. Lately, on Saturday mornings, they've created a partnership with Ambassadors to do a soccer championship with the kids. However the 4-6 year olds are too young to participate. Some friends and I are in charge of providing fun activities for these little ones for three hours on Saturday morning. It's been challenging and a learning experience. I'll be involved tomorrow and next week with the soccer club, and then the next Saturday (Dec. 15) is their Christmas party, which I'll probably also participate in. It ends just in time, because my siblings will be here the next weekend for Christmas vacation!
It's hard to believe how quickly the last months have gone by. These last few days my dad has had his executive (national) team here for a retreat, and it's been fun hanging out with them. It's amazing how much work it is to provide meals for seven people for three days, and clean up after them! My mom and I did a lot of it together, which cut down on the work for any one person considerably and made it much more enjoyable.
Last week I spent a day with SEPAL's digital department, getting to know their work and how I could be involved. Monday I'll go into the SEPAL office to get to know the events department. If I work with the events department, I'll have to be here for the main SEPAL event May 5-9, when I had been planning on being in the US. We'll see how it goes :).
The MAPI website in Portuguese continues to progress. I recently made some changes to the homepage that made me feel much better about the site in general. There's a lot to be done, but I'm enjoying it! I'm hoping to get in some time on the English site as well in the next weeks before my sibs get here. If all goes well, Dan will arrive Dec. 20, and Karis and Val on the 21st. It'll be the first time all six of us (us four kids and my parents) are together in Brazil for two and a half years! We're planning on going up to the Northeast of Brazil for a few days for a vacation, as well as hanging out at home and enjoying ourselves.
I hope you are all well!
God bless!
Rachel
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Thanksgiving
So, I'm a week late, but I still wanted to take the opportunity to express some motives of Thanksgiving in my life:
1. For all of you who read my blog, care about me, support me financially or in your prayers, and who have sustained me through your friendships during the last years!
2. For my family who has encouraged me, stretched me, and cared for me despite the challenges.
3. For Brazil and the US, and the significant ways each has shaped me.
4. For the fun of sharing Thanksgiving dinner with Brazilians in my mission - most of them had never eaten stuffing before!
And of course, most of all, for God, who is forever faithful, who guides us through all the ups and downs of life, who is always there to care for us tenderly when we are willing to open ourselves to Him, and who creates beautiful people like all of you!
Thank you and God bless!
Rachel
1. For all of you who read my blog, care about me, support me financially or in your prayers, and who have sustained me through your friendships during the last years!
2. For my family who has encouraged me, stretched me, and cared for me despite the challenges.
3. For Brazil and the US, and the significant ways each has shaped me.
4. For the fun of sharing Thanksgiving dinner with Brazilians in my mission - most of them had never eaten stuffing before!
And of course, most of all, for God, who is forever faithful, who guides us through all the ups and downs of life, who is always there to care for us tenderly when we are willing to open ourselves to Him, and who creates beautiful people like all of you!
Thank you and God bless!
Rachel
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
A thought for your day
Here's a thought to take with you throughout your day:
"Sound Bible exposition is an imperative MUST in the Church of the Living God. Without it no church can be a New Testament church in any strict meaning of the term. But exposition may be carried on in such a way as to leave the hearers devoid of any true spiritual nourishment whatever. For it is not the mere words that nourish the soul, but God Himself, and unless and until the hearers find God in personal experience they are not the better for having heard the truth."
-A.W. Tozer, 1948, "The Pursuit of God" (in the preface; Christian Publications, Inc 1982)
"Sound Bible exposition is an imperative MUST in the Church of the Living God. Without it no church can be a New Testament church in any strict meaning of the term. But exposition may be carried on in such a way as to leave the hearers devoid of any true spiritual nourishment whatever. For it is not the mere words that nourish the soul, but God Himself, and unless and until the hearers find God in personal experience they are not the better for having heard the truth."
-A.W. Tozer, 1948, "The Pursuit of God" (in the preface; Christian Publications, Inc 1982)
The 12 Steps
Oh, I forgot to include the 12 steps at the end of my last blog!
Here they are:
The 12 Steps as used by REVER:
1. We admitted we were powerless in the face of the harm caused by our separation from God and that we had lost control of our lives.
2. We came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
4. We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. We humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. We made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. We made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. We continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to others, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
The 12 Steps as used by Alocoholics Anonymous (the only differences are in steps 1 and 12):
Here they are:
The 12 Steps as used by REVER:
1. We admitted we were powerless in the face of the harm caused by our separation from God and that we had lost control of our lives.
2. We came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
4. We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. We humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. We made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. We made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. We continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to others, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
The 12 Steps as used by Alocoholics Anonymous (the only differences are in steps 1 and 12):
1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. We came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
4. We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. We humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. We made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. We made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. We continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
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