Saturday in Pilares

Before I forget I should tell you that the other night as I was typing and every so often you could hear someone yelling and I thought that someone was being a rowdy drunk or something.Well about 11:50 the guy starts yelling and then several other people came outside and they began to yell too.It would have helped to know Portuguese but I had no idea what was going on.I thought there was going to be a riot - there was a lot of noise for midnight.About five minutes later the fireworks began.The fireworks lasted well into the night and they were from near and far.Harry said he still heard them at 5:00 in the morning.I asked Claudio and he said Rio beat San Paulo in soccer and that is what the raucous celebration was about. (Kind of like Carolina beating Duke in Basketball except rowdier) Wow! Are they devoted when it comes to soccer here?

Today we had cereal for breakfast because we did not want Rosalina to have to ride the bus to work just to fix us breakfast.After breakfast we loaded the bus and set out for Pilares.The roads here are terrible and I am starting to have sitter problem from the rough bus ride and sitting on hard pews all day.I try to change positions but I am still very uncomfortable.I actually took some Advil today because I was so uncomfortable.Tomorrow is the last day for church pews and then we should just have a few short bus rides.Then it will be the soft seats of Delta for 12 hours, a short van ride and we will be back to Grays Chapel.Halleluiah!!!

We started out the day with the John Wesley Celebration.It was very nice and energetic too.I was curious because praise team plays many American contemporary songs and I wondered if they learned them for us or if that was their normal praise and worship music. Today they had removed the pews so as to increase the capacity of the sanctuary.The balcony was full and the rest of the sanctuary was pretty crowded.We danced and we sang and then we sang and we danced.The district youth young men dancers and the district young women dance teams both performed.Elizabeth also found many new friends to dance with.One of the girls danced like a professional dancer - she was so elegant - just like Elizabeth.Everyone joined in the dancing - we missed Tom Uber being here to dance. It was a very good start to the day.Afterwards we had a Coca Cola prayer line - even though we were not scheduled to start praying for people until after the LISS had began.This was good discernment on Betty and Harry's part because there were several people there - such as the youth dancers - that would not have been there for the LISS. It was well received by everyone and just gave us an opportunity to minister God's love to more people.The Spirit flowed so freely. I prayed for a pregnant woman and she rested in the Spirit.I have never seen someone who was pregnant rest in the Spirit - it was so graceful and peaceful.God is Good!!!

After John Wesley day we were supposed to begin the LISS. But, the earlier celebrations had started late. When the John Wesley Celebration was over we were supposed to have a short break and then Harry and I were going to give our talks and then everyone was going to break for lunch.Well the church decided they were going for lunch early instead of the scheduled 1:30.This did put a kink into our schedule (it put us way behind) but, Harry and Betty did an excellent job of reorganizing so that we would finish as scheduled.

Today the church gave us a $1000 Real (pronounced hay-I) which is about $600.00 American. They did this to show their appreciation for us serving them. This was nice because the mission can feed many people with this gift. The program to feed approximately 5000 meals a month costs $700 Real.Virginia Emma and I had donated $800 Real of the money Grays Chapel had given us earlier so hopefully they can operate their feeding program for several more months. (The last of the money Grays Chapel sent us went to local church offerings)We were honored by their generosity.

Livia Telles came to eat lunch with us today. Livia has helped with the LISS's in Brazil for the last two years.This year she was working and was unable to help the Aldersgate team.The youth group she works with had a sleep-over Friday night and she was very tired today. We (Harry, Emma, Virginia and I) are presenting Livia with a laptop computer while she is here.Livia is going to be a missionary/evangelist and maybe even a seminary student in Estonia. The Brazilian Methodist Church is "Partnering" with the newly formed Methodist Church in Estonia so that the Methodist Church can grow internationally.A new laptop will bless Livia in helping her to do media presentations, music and power point in the churches in which she will serve as a missionary.One reason Livia is going to Estonia is because she speaks fluent German.She actually speaks three languages fluently English, German and of course Portuguese.This was another way we used the generosity of Grays Chapel to help grow the Methodist Church internationally.I think it is great that our small church out in the country in Randolph County can be a direct blessing to the Methodist Church in two other nations.We purchased a new surplus IBM/Lenovo ThinkPad in the United States for about $900.00 and in Brazil the same new Laptop would have cost Livia about $2700 American dollars ($4500 + Real in Brazilian money)

After lunch Harry gave his talk on the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of life and then we went straight into my talk on the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of Adoption.As God sometimes wants to do he pushed me out of the boat (I guess it was my turn Justin).Shortly before my talk was to begin God had me drop the last two pages.I normally want to have everything typed out and neatly printed - This helps me to keep from chasing rabbits.I scribbled a few notes and winged the last half of my talk - I guess I should have known it was God's talk and not mine - I was just the messenger.As I looked out at the people there were many that were shedding tears.My talk had changed because Betty had discerned that I actually needed to talk about salvation and, how we have responsibilities as Christians to be disciples. (There were many lay people here as this was more of a local event than a district event) Betty did not really know my story but it fit perfectly into what she wants to be said and when she told me what God had revealed to her I knew she was right. I told about Joey and how when he was a teenager God had told us to love him so we were supposed to love him unconditionally.Even today we are to love him unconditionally because God's Love for us is unconditional. I then went into the story about Dad and how God had me witnessing to him before I came to Brazil last year.While I was in Brazil God told me to go see him immediately when I returned home.Within three hours of returning home I was praying with my father for his salvation and shortly there after he took his last breath.I heard God say "Don't worry - he is in Heaven with me now".I challenged the Brazilian people that they all knew someone that God wanted them to see now.They were not to wait for the minister or to wait until someone came into the doors of the church - God has made us all Disciples we are to go to the needy.Jesus had twelve Disciples and we are to be the Disciples for our minister.Everyone should pray for people, visit the sick and witness to the lost - do not wait - the time is now.What would have happened to Dad if I waited for him to come to church to be ministered to? I also told them if they weren't sure of their salvation then, now was the time to take care of that too- don't wait until the very end.I am not sure what happened after my talk - I think I passed out in the pew.We did have an interaction in which we anointed them for Salvation and prayed with them for spiritual rebirth.When I had finished my talk my interpreter came to me and told me that on Tuesday of this week the Spirit had told her to go see her father and witness to him.She took my talk a confirmation that she needed to go now and not be timid.

Next Pam gave the talk on The Spirit of truth and afterwards Betty had the people pray quietly in their seats and ask God for a scriptural word from him.I was surprised at how many came forward and shared the Word God gave them and how this scripture was applied to their lives (don't know why I was surprised - it was just God doing his thing)

Next Emma gave the talk on holiness and prayed for them to be able to hear from God better. Sue gave the talk on Love and we had a hug ministry next.I was hugging this one older woman and when I went to let her go she was overcome with the Spirit and needed help to walk back to her seat. (I did bathe this morning)

We then took a supper break and on our return Harry gave the talk on Power. After the power talk we went straight into Parkers talk on prayer.The interaction after Parkers talk was we had the Brazilians pray for and anoint each other. This is one of the desires of Aldersgate Renewal Ministries - that people are empowered by the Spirit to minister to each other and to those in need. It went really well as we mingled amongst the people and let them borrow our oil to anoint each other.It was good they realized that they are empowered by the Spirit.

Just before Virginia's talk the minister came and told us we needed to hurry because apparently there was something going on in the area and we needed to scurry out of there as soon as Virginia's talk was over.We were not even going to have an interaction. We are not sure what was going on but it may have been something as simple as there was a soccer stadium nearby and the games were about over and he wanted us to avoid the traffic jam. (I don't think that was it but that is a more positive thought than other possibilities in a rough neighborhood.)It was also good because we were all very tired and ready to come back to the mission for rest and recuperation for our last day of ministries on Sunday.Fortunately the church was the only church we have been in - during either trip - with air conditioning.If it were not for the air conditioning some of us would have been much more exhausted today.

I have typed late into the evening again and I did not finish until Sunday morning.Last night we could hear several drums of the people practicing macumba playing in the distance and you could smell "weeds" burning.I asked Betty what this smell was and she said this was a good chance that people were smoking pot.She said drugs are illegal in Brazil but because of corruption if you share then you can usually keep from being arrested.We may not have the best political system in America, and sometimes it may seem very corrupt but it is a wonderful system for the people in comparison with many countries in the world.

Well my fingers are tired so I must go.Thank you for all of your uplifting prayers and we long to see everyone soon. Love, bobby.