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