The Mission of a Lifetime!

Upon a cold winter afternoon, twenty-eight Impact students departed on the mission of a lifetime in Brazil. For a semester, we all prepared together for this trip, and not one of us could deny the Lord’s calling for our trip. What was our mission? Simply to go to Brazil to glorify the Lord’s mighty name and share His love.

After our traveling to Brasilia ended concluded happily at Aqua Viva, we prepared to immerse ourselves into the beauty of Brazil. On Wednesday morning, I stepped out through the double doors in the commons to an extraordinary sight that only God could have created. I saw fantastically green mountains ornamented with an array of life. This for me was a sign of God’s everlasting presence here. I could barely begin to imagine what could possibly come next.

Traversing the unpaved roads from Aqua Viva to Brasilia, we found ourselves at the heart of the city. Here, we entered an extraordinary cathedral decorated in stain glass. It was magnificent and awe-inspiring to watch people come down on their knees and pray. It’s an honor to watch the people give of themselves to the Lord, and especially inspirational to realize how great the mission of the Lord is here.

The latter part of the afternoon was both challenging and confusing. We rode to the Temple of Good Will which was created in the late 1980’s as a place where all religions can come together. In this place, we watched men and women walk in a spiral, hoping to gain energy from a crystal, and we had a key opportunity to take a glimpse into what religious synchronism is. For myself, I compared and contrasted the devotion exhibited by these followers and Christians. It was interesting to watch one man walk this spiral with purpose and in mediation; however, I pondered how many Christians do not follow the Lord’s path with as much zeal but wonder off instead. It also became prevalent how this is evident within our own tolerant culture where most believe anything that comes their way. This experience further defined our mission.

Before continuing with what occurred Thursday when we went door to door, allow me to describe for you the Brazilian people. First, Portuguese is a dulcet language—passionately spoken. Second, the Brazilians are loving and kind. Everywhere you go, you are more than likely to be welcomed as an old friend. It’s been an extraordinary experience to take part in their culture especially in our interactions with the translators.

Going door to door has been very exciting. We all separated into groups and worked together with the local Baptist church. Together, we wandered the streets of Sao Sabastiao, sharing our testimonies and inviting the people to the church. Everyone had a different experience, yet everyone in the end shared in joy of sharing God’s word. We continue to catch glimpses at how God is using us. Praises be to the Lord for all He is doing. We saw people who brightened up to see Americans at their front gate. We saw children jump for joy when they received a piece of candy or a silly band. We saw people come to tears and even to the Lord through our stories. However, God is not only blessing only the lives of the Brazilians, but I can say for my class that He is blessing us with this experience.

Today, we saw some of the fruits of our ventures as we celebrated with the children in a local school. The room was filled with so much happiness, joy, and love. Again, praises be to the Lord. What a mighty Savior we serve.

Continue to please pray for all of us as the days pass. Continue to pray for the people of Brazil as we reach out to them. Continue to pray that the Lord’s name is spread across the nation even after we leave. This is truly the experience of a lifetime, and we have barely just begun.

Daniel Poeana