Archive for Bill & Sue's JournalSaturday afternoon, March 20, 2004
Thank you for praying while the Cornerstone University team was with us. God answered those prayers! Here's a summary of some happenings that went on that week. After a week of tying up loose ends with accounting and thank you notes for the Cornerstone team visit and trying to get back to normal life here, I have a little time to catch up on what’s been going on. Sue has gone to help out with the children’s Sunday school party at church right now, and from there goes to a birthday party for one of the ladies from church. We’ll meet up at the young peoples’ meeting after praise practice this evening.
The time with the soccer team was tremendous! Every one of the guys involved came with a great attitude, and was willing to do whatever it took to make the trip worthwhile. Of all the teams we’ve hosted during these past ten years, they are at the top.
Two weeks ago, we were waiting for a call that they’d made it through customs in São Paulo. From the afternoon they arrived, we managed to keep them active. Getting them involved at the youth meeting Saturday evening and going out for Bauru sandwiches (yes, there really is such a thing and it’s delicious).
Sunday morning they were responsible for the English Bible Hour service at Community Baptist (our sister congregation). That was kind of an easy break-in since everyone spoke English. That afternoon the guys went out in pairs to the homes of their adopted Brazilian families. Translators went along where needed, but several families spoke English well enough to request just their “sons” come. Again, everyone involved came back excited about getting to know about different cultures and people, and by the way they connected, they really seemed like family. That evening between our two churches, we had around 170 people out for the service in Portuguese at Community Baptist. It was neat to see as the guys gave testimonies that night and throughout the week, how God had prepared the right person to share in each place we went.
God also worked out that Tim and Andrea Blazer were on furlough in Grand Rapids to rehearse with the team before they even came down, and traveling with them as chaperones. Tim had talked through testimonies with each guy in GR and did translating for them here. After Sunday evening service, we had subs at Smallmans’ house and Dave and Val gave testimonies of their calling to the ministry.
Monday, after morning training at a country club, they came over to Alfa Center to clean, paint and do general work. Since nothing could be done voluntarily, they received lunch as payment for their jobs. Later that afternoon they took advantage of the pool at Alfa, and several managed to get sunburned. In the evening, they went to a soccer club and mixed in with Brazilian teams to play for a couple hours.
Tuesday, after morning training and lunch at Blazers’ house, they went to Gilgal Center for drug rehab to present their program, including testimonies. When we arrived, a TV crew was there from a local station. They filmed the Cornerstone guys playing soccer, and interviewed Tim and me as to why the team was here in Brazil. What an opportunity to share! We made it on the evening news and noon news the following day with a three-minute piece. The Gilgal guys were allowed to go out of the Center to play soccer with the team on a field two blocks away, and received the ball and shirts from the team at the end of the game. (The afternoon of freedom was too great for two of the guys and they ran away form the Center the following day.) That night we went out to a pizza rodízio (where waiters come around with different types of pizzas until you can’t eat anymore…until they bring out the dessert pizzas-– especially chocolate ones!).
Wednesday, after training, they worked at Community Baptist during the day, again earning their lunch. After Blazers and Sue Lodico shared testimonies, the guys went back to Alfa Center to use the pool. That evening they played a team at the Bauru Athletic Club. This club is quite historic since it is where Pele trained when he lived in Bauru. After the game we hit McDonald’s!
Early Thursday morning, we hit the rapids of the Jacaré river for rafting. Whether guys had been rafting before or never been, it was a great experience-– especially “surfing” the rafts (trying to go against the current) after descending a couple of the falls (ten to fifteen foot drops). That evening we went to a meat rodizio (like the pizza one, except with about twenty different types of meat to choose from until you can’t eat any more).
Because the weather was so hot, Coach Bell decided it was best not to do training. So Friday we went downtown to do some souvenir shopping. Boy, did they ever buy-– from flip-flops to team shirts to hammocks to this thing you use on your head to release tension! They were to our house for lunch and Sue and I and Ben shared our testimonies. Then a bunch of them wanted to do more shopping, while others went back to the hotel to rest. That night we went to Pederneiras University for a game. This game was set up by our Brazilian teammate, Guto, who teaches at the school. Before the game each guy (and we, too) received a letter from the mayor of the city welcoming all of us as honored guests. Game and team information was included in the newspaper that evening. Afterward, around midnight, they all came back to our house for lunch.
Early Saturday our churches and the Cornerstone University sponsored a soccer tournament. Ben organized the whole thing, and overall, it went smoothly (a couple of minor incidents, but that’s natural, the way this sport is to Brazilians). What a great event complete with medals, trophies and exchanges of team shirts! After a late lunch at the hotel, the guys went to pack their bags before the youth meeting that night. We had over fifty out for the meeting. As with each game and any other meetings, some of the guys shared testimonies and the gospel was shared. We had pizza there and afterward, most of the guys went out with the kids from church for more to eat.
Sunday morning, we hosted the service and had planned to have it on the back patio area since our building would never hold all the people we’d planned on. I woke up at six a.m. hearing rain! There are no mistakes with God and we had the farewell service inside with over a hundred attending. After a brunch and time of farewell at church, we got them back to the hotel to catch the bus back to São Paulo and their flight back to the cold United States. There were lots of last minute pictures and tearful good-byes as they got on the bus. Amazing how people from two different cultures could become so close in such a short time.
In a nutshell that was the week! I won’t go into all the late nights and early mornings, the stolen money incident, the lost passport, or the missing wallet, or the attempted break-in at Alfa Center and all the other details surrounding the trip. But it was good to know that people were praying. We received e-mail after the guys got back home telling how this was the best trip they’d ever taken, and how they’d love to come back. That was encouraging and made all the hours of planning and effort worthwhile. But in it all, only God deserved the glory for all that went on.
Better close and send this up to the site. Pictures are worth a thousand words, so check out the pictures of the Cornerstone week in the album. Tchau for now!
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