Brazil: The first 48 hours

It’s been roughly 48 hours since the team and I arrived in Brazil and man... it’s been so incredible! After 3 flights, about 20(ish) GSSM students joined up with around 60 other team members in this beautiful Country, SO READY and expecting to see God move in miraculous ways. Our first night was spent in a church packed full of about 1,500 people. With tears running down my face as I tried to sing along in Portuguese, I was overwhelmed by the beauty and wonder that is the body of Christ. That I can step into a room of 1,500 “strangers” and instantly feel a connection because our common denominator is Jesus, who needs no translation.

All across the room, God was doing the miraculous. I kept hopping up and down saying “this is so fun!”... because let’s be real....that look on someone’s face when all the pain leaves their body is truly special, and something worth celebrating!

Another thing that I’ve found to be so mind-blowing is that although I have never actually learned Portuguese, I actually am able to understand some of it.....like WAY more than I thought I would. It’s as if during the times when I don’t have an actual translator, the Holy Spirit is doing some translating for me. And the other half of the time, I just end up accidentally speaking Spanish which results in lots of laughs and hand gestures.

A fun story from last night is that the team was called to the front to give words of knowledge, but I really didn’t feel like I had one. (A word of knowledge is when God reveals something to you about a person or condition that you couldn’t know “naturally”) As I stood there and waited for my turn, I felt a pain in my lower back. I knew that I hadn’t done anything that day that would warrant such a pain, and that it kind of came on suddenly... but truthfully, I doubted if it was God or if my belt was on too tight or something! Anyways, I ended up sharing it and then a women comes up to me saying she had the EXACT pain I was describing in the same location. (I think I was more surprised than her!) Through a translator, I found out that her pain level was a 9 out of 10. Long story short, we prayed multiple times and then all the pain left her body. She was shocked, I was shocked... and we hugged and rejoiced together!

That’s just one story of many.

48 hours is all it’s taken to develop some really special connections with the people at this Church. Honestly, I can’t guarantee every person that I pray for will be healed... but I can guarantee they will walk away feeling loved. That’s my favorite part of this whole trip. Yes.. I really enjoy seeing people get physically healed... but the greatest joy is that there’s an increased awareness that God is real, God notices them, and they are loved beyond measure. If I can see such amazing miracles and transformation, then it makes me wonder at what would happen if I began to live this way. Not just in Brazil... but everywhere I go. To be a radical carrier of Christ’s love... whatever that looks like.

48 hours folks.

I can’t wait to see what the next 48 will bring.