"So I want to do this!"

In January 2009, I was 15 years  old and had one of my first experiences with missions. And I'd say, for the first, that was much greater than I'd imagined.
In a city named Barcarena in the North of Brazil, during a King's Kids campaign, using the strategy of dance, I was envangelizing for the first time in that city when a drunk man came up and started dancing with us. 

Dancing at the market

The personal evangelism was usually done with couples, so when we finished the presentation, I had to look for my partner and I found him exactly speaking to that man. So I joined them and we started a conversation.
 
He told us a lot about his past. Basically how he ended up in that situation. Briefly, the story is like this: His name is Antonio. He used to feel a pain in his body that none doctor could heal and it seemed that the only thing that could make the pain stop was alcohol. Then He became an alcohol addicted and because He was always drunk He couldn't remember his way back home. He didn't see his family for a long time.
We talked about how Jesus could heal his pain and make him to go back home, but we had to return to the church where we were hosted, so we prayed for him and said goodbye.
 
A few days later we were dancing at a street market and I and my partner met Luciano, a server of the army who was on vacation. 
We just talked. I do not remember talking about God to him, but we invited him to play volleyball with us during the time we would be in the city.
Almost ready to go back to the church who did we find??? Antonio! He was a little more sober, but still drunk.  He asked us the address of our host church and said he would visit us.

Days passed and Sunday came. A church day for everybody else, but a day off for us. We weren't at the church that day, but at the end of the service the pastor came to us and made a question: "Who of you invited a man named Antonio?". David and I did stand up overjoyed and said: "We!". The pastor said: "Rejoice! Because he asked Jesus into his life today!". 
We got so stocked by the news and sad for we weren't there to see that happen.

And Luciano? 

This is such a precious picture of the day we met Luciano

Well... We were still playing volleyball with him very often, but never saying a word about God.

Now let's go back to Antonio!

On our last day in Barcarena, we returned to that street market, and right when we were leaving we found someone who looked a lot like Antonio. No beard, well dressed and working, but YES !!! That man was Antonio! Sober and looking very happy. 

We talked to him one more time and would say goodbye when He said: "Wait! I want to introduce you to some people" 

We were already happy and surprised enough to see that great change in his life in just a few days and know that his pain was gone, but He still came up with a story far beyond our expectations. 

"Look. This is my wife, these are my children and those are my grandchildren that I didn't even know about. I just met them a few days ago."
 
That was the most exciting experience I saw until that day. We got extremely happy for all that God did in his life, to see him give it all to God and honored to see that we could be part of something so important for him and for God.
 
And what about Luciano???
 
At night, when we were saying goodbye to our host church we had one more surprise. 
He visited the church and asked Jesus into his life! WHAT??? 
I wondered a million times how that could happen since we never said anything about God to him, but now I understand that God has many ways of reaching out for us. This time God got him by simply showing Himself through our lives.

My DTS team at YWAM Base in Barcarena

 
I saw God showing Himself, changing and restoring lives through us and thought to myself: "Is this what missionaries do? So I want to do this!"
And guess what!  Five years later I got myself in Barcarena one more time. This time for 3 months to attend to Discipleship Trainning School of Youth With A Mission, but now as a full time missionary!
Who would have thought?

To see things that make you feel alive, useful, accomplished, are part of the job of obeying the call of God.
God wants to use you! Listen to His dreams for you, live it up and enjoy the wonderful experiences that it will bring to you!

So I took that boat...

 So, almost 6 months ago, I took that boat and my life took one step ahead in what I and He dreamed. A two hours trip between Belém and Barcarena decided one more stage of my path. The preparation.
On March 10th, the so craved Dicipleship Trainning School - DTS started. That was exciting! I couldn't help crying. The song I used to sing so many times, wishing I could do what the lyrics say, was playing and I was finally doing what it says: "We leave it all behind for you for the seek of your call."


Well... To seek God's call didn't start easily, but it didn't weigh more than I could carry.

Besides the intense routine of classes, academic works, readings; basic cares for the house where we lived; trips to the river communities every weekend , visits and works at the local community, the first 3 months were marked by the deafening silence of God. And I, who hoped to hear His voice so clearly during that time, was feeling desperate, but the sure that He was there and His answers relieved me.
At least I knew that He was listening to me, 'cause He aswered all of my prayers.

It also was a time marked by His loyalty and faithfulness. Nothing essential was missing. And His Father image just got clearer for me, 'cause He supported me, gave me gifts once and while, and was always affirming: "Don't worry! Everything that is mine is your. Ask me!". And as a good father He corrected me whenever is was necessary. But I've gotta say! He's such a patient father and that constranged me to be more patient with myself and the others.
I learned something very important. To depend of God is totally safe, even when I can't see, feel or hear Him.

I also learned to be more humble before Him, to have more transparency, submiting myself, letting myself to be cared for Him.
I made it to that place with scars and hidden mistakes (so weel hidden that I got surprised). God touched them. It hurt! But it healed faster than it was with my own treatment.

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." - II Chronicles 7:14

Healing and transformation. That's what happened and is still going on. God shining down on me from the inside out, bringing light upon what I couldn't see inside, so this light may shine brighter for whoever, here outside, needs light.
Preparation. God preparing me to "go to all the world and preach the gospel".

This is just a summary of what happend on the first 3 months of my trip. I still have a lot to share about that time and 2 months more of stories to tell. I'll let it to the next post. Too much to be told at once. ;)

Story continues...