Stories from Brazil #3 - Dedicated to Phil and Eva Bone and their sweet family.

 I was lying flat on the bed in the hotel room in Brazil with tears streaming down my face.

 This wasn't how our trip was supposed to go.

 I had dreamed for years of taking my teens on a mission trip, and here we all were stuck in two small rooms with just each other. 

This wasn't how it was supposed to be.

 If anyone knows me, I don't miss out on any adventure or experience if I can help it. And yet, here I was, missing out on the biggest, greatest kind of adventure...and not just me, my family too. The tears came frequent and heavy. 

I've put off writing about the rest of our Brazil trip because most of what happened for me after we were quarantined happened in my heart, and a mission trip is supposed to be about others, right? 

Yet here I was, with my heart running down my face. 

Sometimes God seems so silent.

And sometimes, we know He's speaking. 

In the middle of my sadness, my pity party if you will, God's soft voice spoke to me. 

He said,

What if I brought you 5,000 miles to tell one person what I did for them? Is it worth it? 

What about the thousands of dollars that were spent? If one person believed the gospel, is that worth it? 

What if you spend the rest of this trip in this room, and you only got to see one person get saved. Is it worth it?  

Is it worth one? 

Honestly, I wasn't sure. And there were more tears, lots of tears. 

Then I remembered.....

God, HIMESLF, left the greatest place, traveled an incomprehensible distance, gave up everything, and became the worst thing (sin), so that 

I. 

MIGHT. 

BE.

SAVED.

"God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Cor. 5:21

Meet the Bone family - Phil, Eva, Alana, Thomas, and Ryanne. 

Eva and I have been friends for almost 25 years. We met while doing mission work together in Tennessee. Sometimes bonds don't give. That's the friendship bond we've had that's kept us in touch and visiting over the last 25 years. I love her family. I value her friendship more than she knows. I love it that our kids are friends. 

Eva and her family are flying out of the USA today and moving to the Czech Republic. 

TODAY. 

God has called them to a city of 90,000 people. A city where there is only ONE evangelical church with NINE members. Most of those 90,000 people have never even heard the name of Jesus. They have no idea who He is, and what He has done for them. 

But the Bone family is going. They are going to tell them. Today.

We don't live close in proximity - they are from Georgia, and I'm still in Arkansas....but I have watched their journey this past year on Facebook. 

I have watched them literally give up EVERYTHING. 

They not only sold their home, but they also sold everything in it. 

And I cried silent tears.... all the way from Arkansas 

Tears that said, "My heart is aching for the bikes, books, games, and toys your kids had to let go. For the car and clothes and yard and schoolbooks and piano Eva had to let go. For all the things that said, 'This is our life in the USA,' that they no longer have."

They let it all go. 

But then the hardest part - 

I've watched them say goodbye to the people they love the most - parents, grandparents, brother, church family, friends.......

More tears. Lots of tears. 

Because I know! I KNOW the people they are leaving behind. I love them too. And it's hard. This goodbye is excruciating. 

Is it worth it? 

They have said, "Yes." They have listened to the command to "Go and tell all nations the Gospel of Jesus Christ." They have given up everything they know and own. They have packed up what's left of their whole lives in 15 suitcases and will get on a plane today to go and live out the call of the Gospel in the Czech Republic. 

Is all this worth the Gospel? 

Is Jesus worth......sacrifice? 

There are people there in Ceske Budejovice that have an aching in their heart to hear about Jesus and to know Him. God's plan is that we tell them. 

The Bone family is going. 

Will you pray for them? 

Perspective - The Gospel is worth whatever sacrifice we make. Whether it's a trip to Brazil that didn't go as planned or giving up all to go live across the ocean, OR an uncomfortable conversation with your neighbor. 

If you know Jesus, you have to know that He is worth sharing. 

What will you do? 

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Matthew 28:19-20

Stories from Brazil - 2

 Rylie woke up Sunday morning with a little fever. The missionary had warned us about the intense sun and the very real possibility of quick dehydration. Rylie is not very good about drinking fluids at home, and I knew she hadn't been drinking much on Saturday. I was supposed to teach children's Sunday school, so we decided Dan would stay with her and then if she was still feeling badly later, we would switch for the second service. 

Sunday school went well, and we headed back towards Campina Grande. Dan said Rylie was feeling better and they would meet up with us for lunch. I was really happy to hear that she was doing better and was hopeful she just needed the extra rest. We met up for a wonderful lunch at a traditional Brazilian steakhouse. It was amazing. 

We went back for the main church service in Remigio. It was delightful! I think every Christian should experience getting to worship with believers in another culture and language. The worship of God is the same, no matter the language, place, or people. It's a beautiful picture of what the Church is about. 

On Monday Rylie woke up feeling a little under the weather, but not too badly. We all headed out to Remigio and our first "round table" meeting with the members of the church there. We were there to discuss a partnership with this church, to see what we can do to work together and to encourage each other. 

I went into this with the thought that we would be doing most of the encouraging, as Covid has been extremely hard on the churches in Brazil. They feel isolated and alone. 

After lunch, I received news from my sister that Elijah had tested positive for Covid. I admit, I lost it a bit. When your kid is sick and you are literally thousands of miles away, it's hard on a momma's heart. I don't love to leave my kids in the first place and have never left them for this amount of time before. 

Rick (the missionary) thought it wise that we all go get tested just to make sure we didn't have it as well. We loaded up in the bus and went to the local testing site. After having our brains scraped, we anxiously awaited our results. 

All negative....but Rylie. The way she had been feeling now made sense. She instantly burst into tears. All the thoughts went through my mind....

Two years of Dan working with Covid patients and we didn't get it. We're a long way from home to be sick.  What if the rest of us come down with it? What permeated my thoughts the most was, "What will this sweet church think?" I for sure didn't want to make anyone else sick. I didn't want to be the one who brings Covid to a community already struggling from the pandemic. 

It was a lot to take in. 

We went back to the hotel and put Rylie to bed, which was where she needed to be. And.....I worried. We had already fallen in love with the precious Brazilian people in Remigio and I hated to hurt them in any way. 

Then a message came. A message from a new friend - a friend who doesn't even speak English, a friend we had just met two days ago. We hadn't even been back at the hotel for an hour. 

This is what it said - 

"Come to our home. Leave Rylie here and we will take care of her. Count on us for whatever you need." Tears fill my eyes even now as I read these words again.

The church that I thought I was traveling across the globe to encourage was now reaching out to me. The church and community already hit hard by Covid, and that I definitely didn't want to bring Covid to, was now saying, "Bring your Covid positive child to us, and we will care for her in our home." 

Who does that? 

Who asks a displaced stranger to stay with them? 

Who cares for the sick with a contagious sickness? 

Who takes a risk for the sake of living out the Gospel?

Someone who truly has a heart like Christ's. 

I cried lots and lots of tears when I hugged my daughter and husband goodbye and headed across the ocean as they stayed behind in Brazil. My daughter was clinging to me saying, "Please don't leave me." That's an excruciating moment for a mama. I didn't want to leave her, but we had weighed the facts and thought it best that Zack and I fly home, and Rylie and Dan stay behind. 

So many unknowns - 

Would Dan get sick, and I wouldn't be there? What if he got really sick? Would Rylie continue to test positive, even though she was feeling much better? Would there even be a flight available for them as the flights were extremely full due to the holidays? Neither speaks Portuguese (or traveled outside the country before) - and the missionary in charge of our trip was flying out as well, leaving them to rely on our new Brazilian friends for everything - would that go ok? 

There is a reason the Bible says not to worry about tomorrow. Worry about tomorrow is always based on "what if's" instead of "what is."  There is no way to know for sure the "what is" but there is definitely a way to know the One who does know for sure all of the "what is." And my job is to trust in Him. 

So, I flew home. 

As I looked around the very full plane and realized the only empty seats on that ten-hour flight were Dan and Rylie's, the tears started to flow again. They were supposed to be there. We were supposed to do this adventure all together. But they were back in Brazil, and I was flying home. 

The next part of this story was this - 

Dan and Rylie left quarantining in the hotel room and moved in with the family that had so graciously opened their home to them for whatever indefinite time it would take before they could fly home. (This family had recently had Covid and felt that it was safe for them to come.) In the name of Jesus, they fed them, housed them, entertained them, and shared their beautiful culture with them. 

I don't know if I've ever been more grateful in my entire life. 

Dan didn't get Covid. Rylie tested negative within four days. Flights out of the country were found. The pastor at the church in that small community speaks English fluently, (an unusual circumstance for a town that size) and came every day to help translate and take care of my family. He also took his time to drive them the several hour trip to the airport. 

The Body of Christ was to us, what we went to be to them. 

My takeaway? 

“When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God." Lev. 19:33-34

"Show hospitality one to another without grumbling." 1 Peter 4:9

"Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God." Rom. 15:7

And always - 

"Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow...." Mat. 6:34

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Phil. 4:6-7

We will be forever grateful to this precious family and the church in Remigio, Brazil.

Stories from Brazil - 1

 Her name is Jessica. I didn't know her before that day, but God did. The Bible tells us that God has engraved us on the palms of His hands. (Isa. 49:16) He was already writing her story long before we ever arrived in Brazil. But, sometimes.....sometimes......God lets us be a part of His story......and it's beautiful. 

We knocked on her door on a sunny, Brazilian Saturday afternoon. She came out into the courtyard with a small girl and a baby. We introduced ourselves, and she told us her name was Jessica. We said we had come to share with her a message from God. (Isn't the story of salvation truly the BEST message from God ever??) We barely had the words out of our mouths when Jessica burst into tears. There were 6 or 7 of us standing there, and she's sobbing. The wonderful pastor we were with was interpreting for me, as she said, 

"I've had the worst week of my entire life, and I've been crying out to God every night, and I really, really need to hear from Him." 

She couldn't believe we were there - that we had come at this exact time! She told us that she had had the worst week of her life and was so discouraged. Her husband had left a couple of days ago and she didn't know where he was, or if he would come home. She had been in a bad car accident and is having some serious health problems. Her world is falling apart. She didn't know what to do, but she had been crying out every night to the One who she thought might help her. 

Coincidence that we show up at her door this week? Happenstance that this is when we chose to go to Brazil? 

Could God have spoken to Jessica through other circumstances? Of course, He could have! But, when we choose to live in obedience - to step out and do hard, uncomfortable things, we get to be a part of His wonderful, perfect story! And here we were.

We stopped right then, and I shared with her about a really hard time I had gone through, and how I read in my Bible that God will fight our battles for us when we trust Him, and that God would be there for her too.  I asked if I could pray for her. We prayed and hugged right there in that courtyard in a beautiful little town in a place far, far away.

Her crying calmed down after that, and we asked if we could share with her this message from God - how to be close to God, so she could take her problems to Him. She said, "Yes." We took the Evangecube and went through the pictures and told her the beautiful Gospel story. At the end we asked if she wanted to pray to receive Christ as her Savior. She is desperate. She has no hope. Christ is hope. She immediately wanted to ask God to be in her life. She prayed to receive Jesus right then. There was no hesitation. She had been asking God for an answer, and her heart was desperately ready for Him.

Jessica showed up at church the next evening. It is difficult for her to walk because of the car accident, but she had met Jesus yesterday and came anyway. She even brought a friend. We visited after the service, and she told me she now has peace. She wants to learn more about God, and before I had left Brazil had asked the church to start a Bible study in her home.....and they had. She had a smile on her face, and Jesus in her eyes.

Jessica's short story brought conviction into my life -

Are we desperate for God? Are we crying out to Him to be a part of our lives every day? Do we come to church even when it's difficult - do we know Jesus enough that He is worth a little sacrifice for us to show up? When's the last time we invited a friend to church? Do we make Bible study and getting to know God better a priority?

This visit to Jessica's home is a highlight of my trip to Brazil. And it was truly amazing. But, you know what? The rest of the trip didn't go like I wanted or envisioned. (Does life ever??) In fact, it turned out to be some of the toughest times I've been through. But....

That's a story for another day.......

Yellowstone - Day Ten

 `Trail ride day. I am very afraid of horses, but our kids begged us to do a trail ride while we were here. I felt like it wasn’t that unreasonable of a request, so today was the day. 

    We drove down to Teton Village this morning, and of course took Moose Wilson Road to see if we could spot any wildlife. There were tons of people there when we pulled off, and there was a moose and a black bear out today! We never could get great views of the bear as he was in the bushes eating huckleberries, but it was still fun to catch glimpses of him through the woods. 

    We arrived at our trail ride a little early and had a picnic lunch before we got on board. Kade was very nervous and almost decided that he wasn’t going to trail ride after all. All the other kids were gung ho and couldn’t wait to ride. I was a little nervous for Elijah to be riding alone, but he insisted he was ready for such things. I kept teasing the kids about how scared I was, and that I hoped they would give me a pony. They laughed at all my mom jokes, as I got on a full sized horse…unfortunately. We all got lined up with our guide and after a very brief lesson on how to ride and drive a horse, we headed West.

     Our first leg of the journey took us through a pasture with a creek running through it. It had beautiful views of the Tetons and the flat ground and nice horses made everyone a little more comfortable. We found that our horses had similar personalities as their riders. Rylie’s just wanted to stop and snack all the time, Zack’s was a stubborn hose, and Kade’s had constant gas…. We had a lot of laughs over these characteristics. The kids were so cute. They loved this ride so much. Their giggles of delight made my two hour horse ride worth it. My horse wanted to jump, trot and pass all the other horses in line. They should have given me a pony! After our pasture ride, our trail continued up into the mountains for a woodsy journey that was a little more challenging and fun. The kids just loved it. Turns out our guide was a homeschooled kid from Arkansas that has a mutual friend! Crazy how things happen sometimes.

          After our ride came to an end, we went over to Teton Village and spent some time there before coming back to our camper for dinner. We were sitting outside eating at our picnic table when we noticed other campers pointing and taking pictures right down the road. Elijah ran down to see what they were seeing which we figured was just a deer or an elk. He came running back and sat down to finish his taco. We asked him what it was and he nonchalantly said, “Oh, just a few bears…” He said it so casually that we thought he was teasing. He insisted that he was not teasing and that it was a momma and three cubs. We jumped up leaving our tacos on the table, grabbed our cameras and ran down the street. Sure enough, there was a momma and three little cubs walking through the campground! This time we got excellent photos and videos of these adorable black bears. It was so exciting. We were able to watch them for about 20 minutes before they headed back into the woods. We were glad they didn’t end up at our picnic table eating our leftovers! After dinner, we went souvenir shopping and made cookies and played games. We have to check out in the morning and we don’t know where we’re headed, but I guess we’ll figure it out tomorrow.

 

Yellowstone - Day Nine

    What an incredible day today! We took it kind of slow when we woke up this morning and headed out for the day around 9:30. The plan was to hike Hidden Falls/Cascade Canyon. 

    We drove down to Jenny Lake to catch the ferry boat across the lake to cut off 4 miles of hiking. We were not prepared for the crowds there. There were people everywhere! We had to park on the highway because the parking lots and the road down to the parking lots were full. So, we hiked a little further than we intended after all. The line to the ferry boat wasn’t too bad, and we had to wait about 15 minutes. The ride across the lake is always fun, and the views are beautiful. 

    The trail was very busy today, but still really nice. It is a beautiful mountain trail with pines and a river and lovely wooden bridges. We even had a mule deer cross the trail in front of us. The falls were flowing nicely, and we stopped there to eat our lunch. The boys are really into bouldering and spent a while climbing the rocks below the falls. Zack climbed over halfway up on the rocks and scared us a bit when he tried to cross the falls. After playing there a little longer, we headed on up the mountain to Inspiration Point. It is an overlook almost 8,000 feet in elevation and was quite a climb to get there. I had heard it was a moderate hike, but I think it might be rated a bit higher than that as you are climbing switchbacks all the way to the top. Part way up the kids were whining and a couple coming down said to them, “But don’t you want to see the moose?” They told us that on into Cascade Canyon was a bull moose by the trail! We had no idea one would be this high! That gave the kids the energy they needed to keep going, and we hurriedly went on past the Point to look for the moose. We were quite thankful that he was still there when we got there just hiding out in the woods right off the trail. We were able to get some good photos, and the kids really enjoyed seeing him. While we were looking at the moose, some other people told us that they had seen black bear on up the trail, so we took off again at a fast rate as we have yet to see any bears on this trip. 

    We never saw any bears but the views of Cascade Canyon cannot be topped! It was breathtaking! I would hike up the side of that mountain over and over just to see it. It literally took your breath away. The air is very smoky because of wildfires, so the views are not what they could be, and still it was truly amazing! The aspens are starting to turn yellow, and backdropped with the green pines and the mountains on both sides of the canyon cannot even be described! I wanted to keep hiking forever, but unfortunately our children did not. We finally turned around and headed down to catch the ferry boat. Apparently, this was the time everyone else also headed down to catch the boat because we had to wait in line almost an hour to get back across. 

    We told the kids we would just spend the evening at the campground and rest, but much to our delight, an old friend of mine happened to be in the area and looked us up at the campground. After meeting each other’s families, we enjoyed a wonderful evening of laughter and catching up on the last 20 years. My kids especially enjoyed having other kids to talk to after not seeing their friends for awhile. After our friends left, we drove around a bit looking for animals, but only spotted one elk.

Yellowstone - Day Eight

     We left Yellowstone with mixed emotions this morning. It was a wonderful, maybe once in a lifetime, experience to camp right in Yellowstone, and we were not even able to see most of it! I love it so much that I was a little teary about leaving. After our hike to Mystic Falls yesterday, I realized how many hidden gems are off the road that need to be seen. I guess I will just have to come back some day. One the other hand, we were excited about seeing the Tetons and what they have to offer.

          We packed up our camper fairly quickly and even had time for some last minute souvenir shopping before we headed out. Yellowstone offered us a last minute experience with a herd of bison walking down the highway as we passed through. We also enjoyed the sights that the south entrance has to offer as we drove towards the Tetons.

          We arrived at our campsite at Colter Bay a little after lunch and quickly set up camp. Our only disappointment is that the smoke from the wildfires is so thick here that you can barely see the Tetons. I am praying the wind shifts while we are here. After a quick lunch, we walked around the campground to see what it has to offer. We are close to the shores of beautiful Jackson Lake, and enjoyed some time playing down there this afternoon. The water is crystal clear and the rocks so colorful. We hiked around the lake and went into the visitor’s center for a bit. We came back and hung out at the campsite before heading down to Jackson.

          On the way down to Jackson, we stopped at Schwabackers Landing to look for moose. We didn’t see any moose, but the views were still lovely and the reflection of the trees and mountains on the river was nice. We headed down Moose Wilson Road for another chance at spotting moose, and this time we saw three!! It was very exciting for all of us. Moose are such cool creatures. We also saw a couple of elk, but no bear. We drove on into Jackson and grabbed some dinner before heading back to camp. The kids are getting a little homesick now, but I think they are just tired. Hopefully everyone will get a good night’s sleep tonight and be ready to go tomorrow.