A few photos from Sunday and Monday

Bird's Eye View of Monday and Tuesday

The past few days have been incredible. The sense of community and camraderie we have with our Brazilian new friends is awesome. On Sunday, we led two worship services including one at the English speaking service of 200 persons at the 5,000+ FBC Curitiba church; and, our fourth worship service at the Villa Sandra Baptist Church at our worksite. On Monday, our team spent the day painting a wall surrounding the church, digging a second trench for a power line installation, sodding 1/4 of the church property, sawing concrete for lighting installation, and moving approximately 35 wheelbarrels full of dirt to prepare for Tuesday's project. On Monday evening we led worship with the praise team from Villa Sandra. The worship service was very powerful and we witnessed an incredible moment when an unchurched lady was "slain in the spirit." This was a new experience for everyone in the group and it was a great opportunity for discussing how Christian practices differ from culture to culture. On Tuesday, our group worked extra hard to nearly complete an entire brickyard patio for the church. Dan Ridley, Jeff Brooks, Jenny McClendon and Stephanie Parker (and many others) were brick laying machines. The brick work was the culmination of all our work for the week. The change in the appearance and grounds of the church is remarkable. A team of ladies also played a selection of games with a group of 15 children. Brooke Johnston led a rousing game of soccer with a group of Brazilian elementary school guys.

We all agreed that Tuesday evening was the best experience of the trip. God blessed us with an awesome worship service l and the neighborhood turnout was the best of the week. Following the worship service, our team prepared an American BBQ with hamburgers, macaroni and cheese, grits, and brownies for the church and neighborhood folks (coordinated by Lee Turner). David said that it was the closest thing to the Great Banquet he could imagine this side of heaven. It was amazing. The guys built a BBQ grill out of clay bricks and used wood charcoal for the fire. A team of ladies cooked during the afternoon and Frank Turner and August James served as grill chefs. In all, we fed approximately 90 people. After the meal, we gave gifts to our translators and to the pastor of Villa Sandra Church. We learned tonight that the Villa Sandra church is placing a plaque in honor of Hayes Barton Baptist Church for our work and friendship in the past week. It was very difficult to say goodbye this evening. Many tears were shed and many more hearts were full of joy because of new friendships. God is overwhelming us with hospitality and love. Our cup runneth over.

In the morning we will pack and then head to lunch with our team of translators for one final meal with them. Our group has grown exceptionally close to all of them. They are just like family. After lunch, it's off to the airport.

Thank for all your prayers! Please continue to pray for our safe return from Curitiba to Raleigh. We are sad to leave but looking forward to sharing with you on Sunday morning!

Ciao!

HBBC Brazil Team

Our work in Brazil centers around two main areas - construction/landscaping and outreach/worship. We are working to beautify the grounds around the church and make it a place that inspires spiritual thought and worship. We are also working in the neighborhoods around the church to minister to local residents and invite them to join in fellowship. One of the most popular activities is the afternoon play time with the local children. What a wonderful thing to hear the laughter of so many children experiencing the joy of Christian love. Sometimes the simplist ministry can be the most meaningful.

Photos from the Journey

some more pictures of our site

Our Friday in Curitiba

What an incredible day in Curitiba! Where to begin? God blessed us with near perfect weather today--75 degrees and sunny. Breakfast at 7AM at the hotel followed by a morning devotion. David challenged the group to have the attitude of an "altar builder"--the same as Abraham did when he left home for a new foreign land--praising God at all times. We arrived at the site around 8:00 AM. Pastor Jose Carlos of the VillaSandra sister church (pictured above) of FBC Curitiba introduced us to our schedule. We quickly separated into two teams. Jim Turner organized our outdoor work group while David and Steve Canady led groups into local neighborhoods to spread the word about evening worship. Steve's group used guitar music to attract passerby's. David's group went with Portuguese translators to invite neighborhood children to a game and fellowship time at the church. Both neighborhood groups also used the occasion for meeting locals and sharing about God's love. The outdoor group was challenged with preparing the church grounds for an overhaul. After four hours of digging a sizeable trench through the middle of the church property, the team laid pipeline for a sprinkler system, dug various smaller holes for electrical wiring and a prepped the grounds for a new side walk. Pastor Jose Carlos and some of his congregants then assisted our team with moving rock and earth on top of the pipeline for covering. At noon, we were treated to a fellowship meal by the ladies of the church. To show their appreciation for our work, the ladies arrived in the early morning to prepare a hearty lunch. In the afternoon, we hosted 12 neighborhood children for games and fun. Our college ladies, Alice Sprinkle and Jenny McClendon led this ministry. It was amazing to watch our folks interact with the Brazilian children. Brooke Johnston also led a soccer ministry for some neighborhood grade-school boys along with Megan Pendergraft. The major project of the afternoon (following the trench digging) was moving 300 squares of sod on top of the newly installed pipeline and the property surrounding it. Our entire group chippped into to move and place the sod. We stayed an extra hour at the worksite today in order to finish as much as possible before sundown. Just before leaving the worksite for the hotel, the church women surprised us again with a homemade snack: sweet cornbread (cake-like) and a cold chocolate drink. After hauling sod for two and a half hours, the snack was heavenly! We left the worksite for the hotel around 6:00 PM to shower and change clothes for our evening worship service. I will say more about the worship services tomorrow but it was an wonderful and eye opening experience for us all. When the service ended at 10 PM, Jim Davidson took us to one of his favorite restaurants in Curitiba. Now we are back at the hotel, getting much needed rest for tomorrow. We grately appreciate your prayers and support! Excited to share more specific stories with you soon! God is working in powerful and unexpected ways in our midst; and, we are grateful.

--The HBBC Brazil Team

Landed in Curitiba!

Greetings from Curitiba! Smooth travels and skies accompanied us along the way. All of our luggage and personnel made it to Curitiba! We were greeted at the airport by Pastor Jose Carlos, his wife Fabilina, along with Valeria who is an assistant at the church and Luis, a dear friend of Jim and Rosemary Davidson. There is a team of college student translators in our hotel lobby waiting to meet us. Right now we are unpacking at the hotel and then leaving for lunch at a local shopping center. Following lunch we drive to the Pr. Carlos' church for an orientation at our work site. After the orientation, we return to the hotel to wash up for dinner at Joe Banana's restaurant (the Brazilian take on Golden Corral). We'll post pictures and even some video later this evening. For now, it's time to work and to prepare for our week. Blessings, David.