Brazil April 23, 2009

Man, it was tough to get up today. After finally falling asleep close to 6:00 a.m. I was abruptly awaken about one half hour later by an excited Paulinho. He was ready to go. We had a ten hour drive ahead of us, and he wanted to get to Sao Leopoldo in time to be able to rest and shower before service. We picked up Brother Fabiano and left around 7:30 a.m. We stopped a few times for gas and once to eat. We arrived to Brother Stockmann's house about 4:45 p.m. with service scheduled for 7:00 p.m. I think I slept the whole ten hour drive (except for the part where we were eating of course!).

After a short rest we got ready for service and arrived to the church just before service started. The church is made out of loosely place wood planked sidings (looking sort of like half bamboo strips). No air-conditioning, but a few windows. The place was already packed out with people standing outside hoping to hear and catch a glimpse of what was happening inside. When given the service I spoke on speaking the word of God for this day. The title of the message was "Think On Your Ways." When I was finished Pastor Luis Henrique Stockmann made sure that he let the church know that he had not had any chance to talk to me and to tell me the condition of the church. He said it was God himself who had sent an angel from the presence of the Lord to reveal to his church the condition in which they were in.

After service we went home where I rested and made our plans for the next few days. It was decided that we would go to Caxias do Sul in the morning as planned. We decided that I would preach their Friday night and Sunday morning. Saturday evening we would travel to Novo Hamburgo where I would preach for Brother Herloi Grade. We would return Sunday evening where all of us would gather to attend service with Brother Stockmann's father-in-law's church (Pastor Virgilio).