August 15th, 2011

This has definitely been a crazy last 15 days! I apologize for not keeping up with the blog! I caught the flu on Friday night. It took me out the whole day on Saturday. I slept 22 of the 24 hours of the day! I got so worn down with such full days all week and so much touching little kid's hands that someone in the group was bound to catch something. I'm glad I was the one to take the hit. I'm the one staying for the long haul. If anyone else in the group would have gotten sick it would have really cut in to their time in Brazil. We said good-bye today to both the California and Kansas teams. I'm really starting to dislike airports. I get emotional every time I go there now days. Ususally cry my heart out... Call me a sissy but it is what it is. I loved both of the groups. They both turned out to be a huge encouragement to me. I had a great conversation last night with the pastor from the California team about doctrine. We don't agree totally, and he's naturally trying to sway me in his direction, but the conversation was a huge gift from God and I was so excited to have had that talk. I couldn't sleep! Please pray for more conversation with him. Then this morning on the way to the airport, God gave me the opportunity to share my testimony to all 17 people in our van. My story is A LOT different than everyone else's it seems and I think they were a bit in shock to hear it, but it spurned on the most God glorifying conversation the group had the whole time they were down here. Praise God! So now its just the Latham's and I! Please pray that I can stay content with God and Him
alone! The Lathams are the only English speaking people I will talk to for the next 2 months basically. This is going to be more of a challenge than I thought! I'm so excited to see what God will do with me! Tom and I will be going around to several public schools this week to invite kids to basketball practice on Friday! I'm hearing through the grapevine that many kids are excited to come. I'm very curious of the skill level of the kids. This will be the hardest coaching job I've ever done! Like teaching I baby how to read. All they know is soccer. I'm really excited nevertheless! My girlfriend and I started listening to a sermon series on Romaans today. This is going to be so exciting. Husbands and boyfriends, it is so crucial that you base everything you are as individuals and as a couple on God and what he has done for you through Christ.Without that, what kind of relationship do you have? One build on sand is what it is. When the storms come and the rain
comes down on you, your relationship fails because you fall into sin. And sin is so destructive! So many insecurities arise from sin. Don't venture there. I'll end with a little of scripture. Romans 1:1, "Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God". It kind of sounds like Paul starts his letter to the Romans by firstsaying who he is. But I really believe that he is saying whose he is. He has been purchased. In 1 Corinthians 7:23 Paul writes," You have been bought with a price; do not become slaves of men." Paul is bought, owned, and ruled by Jesus. If Christians are bought, he bought me, and he owns me. If you are owned you are owned by virtue of creation by God and by virtue of purchase. Doubly owned. Doubly not your own! Galations 1:10, ".... for am I striving to please men? If I were still  trying to please man, I would not be a bond-servant (greek- doulos- meaning slave) of Christ. We are not our own Christians. There is no better life or Master to have!

The entire team

Tom and Chip making his famous churros