Finally "home"

Well, I've been here for almost a month!!! I can't even believe it. The time has flown by. And it took almost a month to feel like it, but I finally feel like this is my "home" right now:). Ever since I got here, I knew I was supposed to be here. I had a peace which made it easier. But at times I would have been ok with just going home just so I could get a momma hug and a dadda embrace. In this past three and a half weeks, God has done so much in my heart. He has stretched me, broken me, opened me up and then put me back together, a better and more whole person. It's been a crazy adventure, already, but one that I don't think I'd give up for anything.
In being here for about three weeks, I've gotten to go out on the street multiple times and every time, it's an exciting adventure. I'm presented with men and woman who don't see themselves and God does. They "feel" different, they "want" money, they "think" this is filling their deep desires. They just don't know anything else. My heart still breaks for these ones, but at the same time, I have so much joy in seeing them, and so much hope. And I have SO much love for them, His love:). I've created relationships that I will never forget. I come up to these men and women with love and acceptance and I know they can see it. They show me their new hair styles and colors and I compliment them. When they are wearing pretty eye make-up, I tell them I love it. I love them. Not what they do, but who they are. It's amazing, getting the opportunity to share Papa's love with these people and I can't wait till the day, wether that be in Heaven or here on earth, that I get to see the fruit from sharing who He is with them. I'm honored and blessed that I get to be apart of this crazy thing, we call the Kingdom.
Other things that I've been doing while here in Brazil, helping with the Global School of Ministry Brazil. I didn't think I'd even be apart of it, at all, but it turns out that I've been playing a small part in the school. And I've liked it! :) There aren't a ton of students in the school, but each of them are amazing, world changers. They've all got such a heart for the Lord and a hunger for who He is. It's great to see and I can't wait to see them out on the streets, with us at one point. :) Another thing I've been doing while here has been going to favelas (slums.) I've gotten to go love on the kids, pray for the poor and share His love. Part of the team was actually there this morning. I decided I'd stay back because I've been sick and haven't gotten much sleep in the past couple of days. So I decided I'd rest up to try and stay healthy. That has been amazing and it's reminded me that the people there were another reason I fell in love with Brazil.
This past week, at the ministry school we had Tracee Loosle and then there is this amazing church called Vida Plena that had her speak there on Friday and Saturday. A little history about Vida Plena from me, that was the first church I ministered at, in 2009 on Youth Power Invasion, in Brazil. It was funny, because when I got on the bus that night, I had no clue what we were doing, I just got on the bus thinking we were going somewhere. Then when we pulled up to the church full of thousands of people, Tim Berry, our bus captan, told us what how the night was going to go down. I freaked! I thought to myself, I'm going to be praying for people! I didn't know this was going to happen!! Lord, HELP! haha I think it's very funny how I started off there and now it's become kind of our main church that we go to. Nic and Rachael lead worship there sometimes because we are very good friends with the lead pastor. So I started off there in Brazil and it has become my favorite church and in a way, my "home" church while here in Brazil. So anyways, going back to Tracee, she spoke on Friday and Saturday night at Vida Plena. And let me tell you, AMAZING both nights. The Shores of Grace Team and the students from the ministry school were the ministry team both nights so of course, I was included in praying for people. I felt like I was on a Global Awakening trip again. I couldn't speak their language, but they were still getting touched by the Spirit. It was amazing. I wound up praying with one of my Brazilian friends at the end of the night on Friday. This little, maybe 10/11 year old girl came up to us, crying. Her mom was in hand and her mom told my friend what was wrong with her daughter. She had a bladder infection and it hurt. So we sat down and started praying for this little girl. It looked like she was getting touched but I'm not sure if she was healed. After we prayed for her, her mother proceeded to tell us that they are being kicked out of their house in three days and the mom doesn't have a job. My heart broke. I've gotten SO comfortable with the fact that I have MORE than enough that I find myself complaining about the base I'm living at or the food I'm eating, more times than not. I sat there, in tears, thinking about how selfish I am yet how incredibly blessed I am. This lady and her child, have almost nothing except for the clothes on their backs. And every day, I have something to complain about. I sat there with tears in my eyes, thanking God for His faithfulness to me and even to her. Because I know in every circumstance, He IS faithful. Wether we see it right then or not. This was such a challenging moment for my heart and when I left them, I felt so blessed and so sad at the same time. But I know He is faithful and He will provide.

God has been so faithful this whole trip and I am SO blessed. My heart is still being pulled, stretched, and broken but being made so whole, at the same time. I love that I will be here for two more months, even though I know there will be challenging times. I know that this is where I'm called for right now and I'm trying to keep my heart open for ALL the things God wants to do in me. He mine and I am His.


Know Him
emma

2 weeks and 2 days

So, two days ago, marked my two weeks of being in Brazil. Which in a way is so crazy. Sometimes it feels like I've only been here for three days. Then other days, it feels like I've been here for months.
It has for sure been a roller-coaster of emotions and thoughts. Missing home, one day, wanting to live here for the rest of my life, another day. But one thing I've learned- Take it one day at a time. Today is today and tomorrow is tomorrow. I've learned to try and not be run off emotions but do what the Father is doing. Easier said than done:). But God is faithful and His grace is all over this place.
Since the last time I've posted, I've gotten to go out on the streets two more times. The first time was good. We handed out food to homeless people, prayed for them, and loved on them. It was great:). The second time, which was last night was the best so far. We went to one of the areas that we went to, the very first night I got here. The exciting part, was I got to talk to the "girls" I had met the first time. I was SOO excited to see them and they were actually very excited to see us too! We talked to this one group of three guys for about 15-20 minutes. We all made jokes, laughed and most of all, loved. They were SOO receptive to us last night. We met this guy who has only been selling himself for 6 months. He is 18. That was heart breaking to me. And my friend Kate, asked them, why did you get into prostitution in the first place? One of them replied and said, well, we've always felt like we were girls and the only way to change our gender and get a job, is to become a prostitute. Wow.
As far as the school, it's been going great! The students are doing great, receiving and I can already tell they are becoming a family. I love it :).
But I'm just about to head out to worship practice with my friend Cody. We're doing worship tonight at the school. Be praying for favor with everything here. Thats the biggest thing right now. Favor favor favor. And protection over the team when we go out on the streets. Nic and Jonathan are in a different part of Brazil right now, so be praying for safety over them as they are there and return, please. :)

Thanks for everything!
Know Him
emma

Here I am!

(In the picture, it's Christian Billman, a little Brazilian girl who lives on the base, me, Forrest Billman, a little boy who lives on the base, and Rebecca who is apart of the team)
Well, after many hours, lay-overs, flights, and people, I'm here in Brazil!:) My trip wound up being over 24 hours but God was so good through out the WHOLE thing. From the first person I talked to in Norfolk, till my greeting with the Billman's, Cody, and Jonathan in Curitiba, God was there and faithful the whole time. In Miami, I felt like I was in a foreign country, with the spanish being thrown back and forth, I had no clue what was going on. Thankfully, since it was STILL the US, they spoke English after they spoke spanish... I was pretty confused, considering it was still Florida, but whatever..:) While I was waiting to board the flight in Miami, a family from Sao Paulo, Brazil came and sat next to me. I couldn't understand them, and (I thought they couldn't really understand me) but they offered me Pringles, smiled and laughed with me and I just fell in love with them:). They wound up flying to Bogota and then to Sao Paulo with me. They took me under their wing, made sure I went to the right place, they played UNO with me, and just had fun with me. The family included the parents and three kids. Gabriel, Rebecca, and Samuel. Gabriel was closer to my age and thankfully, he was very good at speaking English:). So we hit it off very nicely. He would translate for his younger sister and we just had so much fun. I got to know the different bands they and I liked, they'd ask me how to say certain things in English and I'd ask how to say certain things in Portuguese. It couldn't have been a better couple of flights from Miami, to Bogota, then to Sao Paulo, if I could have asked for it.... They made that long trip, so much fun. I love that family so much:).
I wound up getting to Sao Paulo and found out that the airlines had lost one of my bags:/. Big bummer, but I'm trusting God is going to bring it back to me:). It's got important stuff in it. So I'm praying hard:). haa. But my flight from Sao Paulo to Curitiba, was wonderful and fast. Part of the team was there to greet me and I couldn't be happier that I was there.. From there I've been going ever since. I got to go to a local grocery store yesterday afternoon, which was great:). And then at night, was the best part, I got to go out of the streets to talk and love on the prostitutes and transvestites. It was my first time ever, doing it, so it was wonderful. I had so much joy, excitement and just anticipation. God met us on the streets and it was a great night. The processing of the whole event has taken me some time, but God has been so good. It was a harsh reality when meeting some of the prostitutes on the streets. You can tell when they really don't want to be on the streets, but last night, I didn't experience that too much. What I experience last night was different. Almost all of the girls/guys I talked to last night, WANTED to be out on the streets, selling themselves. I know, deep down, they didn't. But there biggest reason for wanting to be out there was the money. These two we were talking to last night get paid around 6000 or 7000 dollars a month! The initial fruit of their job, is so rewarding but I know for a fact, it won't be rewarding long term. We (Shores of Grace team) is in the process of making a place where they can go to start over and get out of it. It's called, Project Bethany, http://shoresofgrace.com/about-us/project-bethany You can copy and paste that into your browser to get more info on that. It's amazing and seriously life changing. But it's still in the work. God was breaking my heart even more, last night, for His beloved, his princes and princesses. So it's been different, but SOOO good. I'm loving it already:).
Tonight, we will go to the ministry school and work with the students. Which will be my first time, but this is the second day of the school. I'll update more on that later:).

But yeah, as far as prayer requests, just be praying for my last bag to come. I know He is faithful:). So be praying for that. God is good and will continue to be good:). Also, if you could be praying for Project Bethany. Money is a huge issue right now for all of that and we are just waiting on that to come in, so we can start the project. All I know, is when it goes happen, it's going to be amazing:). Thanks for reading and praying! I'll try and post as soon as I can!

Know Him
emma