One Year Reflections

I sure apologize that it has been since February that I posted anything on th is blog. My goodness, so much has been happening, and it all has to do with what I have written here about Brazil one year ago now.

Yes, it was one year ago this month, June, that I was in Brazil, and experienced these amazing things, and from that, God began an amazing series of events that has turned my life upside down. Today, June 14th is actually the one year anniversary of landing in Joao Pessoa, Brazil, and seeing first hand the story of Algodao de Jandaira. Since then I was there this past March to do interviews with the people in First Baptist Church, Valentine, and in Algodoa. The purpose of those interviews is to write a book about what God has done, and continues to do there in that community. A narrative/ novel style book that would tell the story and communicate the transformational principles that are woven throughout this amazing story, like repentance, humility, obedience...

Actually, on our last day in Joao Pessoa, the Lord did give me a warning, sort of.
Here is a section from my journal,


The group went out in the afternoon to see some of the places in Joao Passao. I stayed at the hotel to rest and pray. I actually didn’t get a lot of sleep. As I was praying, I had three separate, what I guess I will label “visions” for lack of a better term:
1) I saw a land, I saw trees and rivers, and hills, and they all seemed to be under water. It seemed strange and I asked the Lord what this was. He said that it was the land covered by the love of God. It seemed this was in answer to the cries of God’s people, that He would flood the land with His love. Is this Brazil? Yes, and anywhere his people will cry out to Him. – Now, when I shared this vision on Monday night when we were out to dinner, they said that then the church brought their builder to Algodao, he was very resistant. He didn’t see any worth in it at all. Too hard. When they took him up on the mountain, and he looked down over the town, he began to cry. When they asked him why, he said that for the past three days he had had dreams and they were of that land covered with water!! Like in my vision.

2) As I asked the Lord what I should do when I go back, He said he was pleased with my obedience on the mountain top, and that I should continue to obey Him. Not to worry about tomorrow or the next week. His call was to “Follow Me” and “Obey Me,” and He would accomplish His purposes.

3) Another separate time, there I was just overwhelmed with the grief of God, the broken heart of
God for lost people.

Well, number 2 there turned out to be quite prophetic, because it has been continuing to obey Him, and following Him that has kept me going through the difficulties of this past year, and has brought be into a new focus of ministry.

As of July 31, I will end my service as Executive Director of Prayer Transformation Ministries and will begin full time with The Sentinel Group as the Senior Community Consultant for the Journey to Transformation. It has been quite a journey for us, and we are now asking the Lord to provide a buyer for our house and we will move to Seattle, Washington to join the Sentinel Group team there.

All a part of how God has used this time in Brazil in my life. Wow.