God is full of surprises…and my recent trip to Brazil was one of those amazing surprises. If you had asked me if I had plans to visit Brazil, I would have said no, not really. I remember the fun my family had at the Atlanta Olympics with the Brazilian fans who chanted “Monica, Monica” for their favorite athlete. But I knew nothing else. Then l met Ines Murad at the International Aglow meeting in 2009, and I knew God was inviting me to Brazil. I said yes!
Our mission trip to Brazil was unlike the many trips I had taken before. We ministered in three different churches, a school, and a conference and many lives were visibly changed. But this trip focused on building practical skills by teaching and training in sewing and jewelry making. We traveled to Brazil to establish a center that would impart and prepare people to improve their lives. We were there to break ground for Aglow in the area of micro-businesses and create a model that could be used in other countries around the world. It demanded a forerunner spirit, creativity, and godly vision… I loved it!
We started by taking the train into Sao Paulo to investigate future resources and to get a sense of the business flavor in Brazil. That evening Ines’s church invited the local community to a service explaining what would take place over the next five days. I casually suggested that people bring a friend to the training, but we did not anticipate the reaction of the crowd until the following evening. We expected 8-12 people to attend the training…over thirty showed up and about one third were children! We were busy!!!
Over the next three evenings we encouraged, taught, laughed, and bonded with the wonderful people of Brazil. Men, women, and children expressed a deep desire to learn a skill…entire families came to learn and their joy was contagious. Aglow Generations took part and God provided for our every need. Many stateside donated money and supplies so that we could purchase five sewing machines, jewelry supplies and a cabinet to contain them. We had numerous interpreters show up to help and practice their skill. What could we have done without them?
If I could sum our trip in one word, it would be “catalyst.” We sparked a desire that had always been deep in the hearts of the people, but as an Aglow Transformation Team, we ignited the spark. The center is organizing and making plans to continue the work…people are excited to be a part of it! One church is holding a garage sale to raise funds for Kingdom purposes…another has sent three leaders to help and train others for the ministry. God’s people are uniting for a common purpose that is greater than any one church…it is Kingdom unity, Kingdom vision, and Kingdom building. And people are at the heart of God’s Kingdom.
What a privilege to represent Aglow Transformation Teams in Brazil. It’s amazing to me what “six, old religious ladies” (what one young lady thought of us before we arrived!) could do in cooperation with the Holy Spirit! A seed was planted in Mogi and in our hearts, and God will bring about the growth.
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