Owsleys in Brazil Blog

Perplexed But Not Despairing

I've written recently about an increased dependence on the Lord while letting David go off to college and while coping without Dan during his travels. Truly the Lord has been my strength and has given me courage to face each challenge.  But it's a good thing I didn't know what was coming next.

Last Monday I hurt my left foot quite badly and have been hobbling around ever since.  Some days it would seem better and I would walk on it a bit.  Then it would stiffen up and I'd be immobile again.  As the pain and swelling come and go I've felt helpless and frustrated. 

How good to know that God is "my ever present help in times of trouble"!  More than ever I'm incapable of doing anything home or ministry wise to "earn my keep" or prove that I'm worthy to receive His daily provision of grace.  Once again I'm thrown back on His infinite mercy.  It's all I can depend on.  And it's a good place to be.

Independence - Part Two

Recently Dan made a hastily planned (yet necessary) trip that left me with quite a few responsibilities.  While I'm generally the one who keeps things running smoothly at our house, Dan is the one who takes care of the small details.  He calls the fix-it men when things break down.  He makes our medical appointments.  He exchanges money from dollars into Brazilian currency.  And the list goes on.

 

The day after Dan left Andrew and Nathan knocked a faucet off our backyard wall with a soccer ball.  What a mess until we found the main water valve!  The next day I discovered that our 18-year old son David was required to register for the Brazilian military which led to a mad scramble of phone calls and document gathering.  Then Nathan hurt his finger so badly we thought it might be broken.  I needed to call a doctor, but where was that number anyway?!  Then came preparations for David's graduation and subsequent travels to the U.S.

 

Our dryer, computer and internet service are limping along, AND my soccer fanatics broke the backyard faucet AGAIN.  I remember crying out to the Lord saying, "I don't like being this independent!" To which He seemed to reply, "You weren't meant to be.  Depend on Me and I'll get you through." Of course, I already knew that only by His grace had I gotten over all those hurdles, but it was good to be reminded once again that I'm completely dependent on Him for all of my needs.  Yes, I miss Dan dreadfully, and, yes, I'm counting the days until we are together again.  But I know the Lord will help me to meet each challenge that comes along.  You can depend on it!

 

Independence - Part One

Another son is leaving for college soon.  I can’t help but wonder if we’ve done enough to prepare him for adulthood.  Will he eat right? Drive safely? Sleep well? Make the right kind of friends?

 

God’s ultimate parenting goal is the exact opposite of ours.  Yes, He wants his offspring to reflect His values and His character, but instead of preparing us for eventual separation, He desires his children to become more dependent upon Him.  Our sinful natures cause us to begin life as “rebellious teens” but as we repent and turn to God, He teaches us to trust Him as little children.  Eventually we come to see ourselves for what we really are – helpless babies who are dependent on Him for every need.  John 15:5 reminds us, “Apart from Me you can do nothing.”

 

This process of leaving my worldly independence and learning to rest completely in God has been one of the great joys of my Christian walk.  It is only because of radical dependence on Christ that I can even fathom letting David go.  As he is weaned away from our tender care, we trust he’ll learn to look for it from God Himself.  As he leaves our home, we pray that he’ll find his true home in Christ.

Heart Massage

The American school had a giant yard sale in their gym last Saturday.  At least forty families set up their tables there - a bargain hunter's dream!  As I squeezed through the crowds, I was surprised to see that my friend Minka had set up a booth without any merchandise.  Her sign read, "Relieve your stress, stop here for a foot massage.  Minka is one of the godliest women I know so I had a hunch she wasn't there just to make money.  I've never had a foot massage (and I never intended to have one), but I stopped to make small talk.

 

"How much do you charge?" I queried.

"I don't really know what to charge.  I've never done this before," she answered.  "I came to minister to people.

 

Before I knew what was happening she'd convinced me to sit down for a free trial.  Believe me, it was no "trial" to receive her kind ministrations.  Not only did she massage my smelly feet, she ministered to me with words of encouragement and scripture verses.  For fifteen minutes she looked me straight in the eye and made me forget there were 300 people in the room.  When I got up, I felt ready to face anything.

 

A touch, a smile, a strengthening word.  No wonder Minka didn't know what to charge.  There's no price tag for that. 

"Wet and Mild"

In Brazil if you want to say someone is in limbo you might use a laundry term.  Because Brazilian washing machines do not use hot water and because detergents are not very effective, clothing that is extra dirty must first be scrubbed and left "de molho" (i.e. to soak).  If a person would like to be doing a particular thing that circumstances do not allow, he is said to be "soaking". 

 

When we arrived in Sao Paulo last July I was "de molho" for the first few months.  Dan's role was clearly defined as seminary teacher and co-leader of a new church plant, but I was on hold as far as ministry was concerned.  This was partly by choice because I wanted to set up the house and be around to help the boys as they adjusted to their new school.  Though my heart's desire was to lead a women's Bible study, I knew I'd have to be patient before I had enough contacts to get one started.

 

Daily I put my dream into the Lord's hands, knowing that His plans and timing are best.  While I was waiting, some interesting opportunities arose.  A missionary friends asked me to edit his Christian novel.  I helped to get a children's Sunday school class started at a church plant.  I did some substitute teaching at the American school.  In February when I was asked to teach the women's Bible study class at the Vila Moraes FMC, I jumped at the chance.  Meeting with that precious group of ladies is now the highlight of my week.

 

Nobody likes the soaking process, but I can see how the Lord uses it to make His followers "cleaner".  It teaches us to walk more humbly and obediently before Him.  And it teaches us to put our faith, not in our dreams, but in the only One who can make them come true.

 

  

Easter Thoughts

For Lent I've been reading John Piper's The Passion of Jesus Christ.  The subtitle is "50 Reasons Why Christ Suffered and Died." As a theology teacher I thought I would be familiar with most of them, but the author threw in a few that I'd never thought about.  Reason #36, for example, states that He died to create a people passionate for good works.

 

Piper writes, When God's forgiveness and acceptance have freed us from fear and pride and greed, we are filled with a zeal to love others the way we have been loved.  We risk our possessions and our lives since we are secure in Christ. (p. 90)

 

In recent days we've experienced the fruit of number thirty-six.  (Brazilians would say we have "felt it in our skin".)  As we have encountered some unusual challenges, the Body of Christ has rallied around us.  Friends have been lavish withtheir time and resources.  They have bent over backward to help us with advice, encouragement and prayer.  When we've tried to thank them, they've said, "Are you kidding?  It's our privilege!" It's been humbling to be recipients of such grace.

 

This Easter we are rejoicing for the MANY reasons Christ suffered and died.  They are too many to count or fathom, but we praise Him for allowing us to understand a few of them through our present circumstances.  We are awed by His gracious, self-giving love and by how He continues to reveal it through His followers.

 

Have a Blessed Easter.

Christian Carnaval?

I've written before about the few days leading up to Lent called "Carnaval".  "Carne" means "flesh" and the idea is to enjoy carnal/worldly pleasures as much as possible before the "lean" days of Lent.  Huge parades take place and groups that have trained all year will sing their special song while dancing down the middle of the street.  Usually they are followed by a colorful float.  This all sounds very nice until you watch it on TV and see that the "muses" on each float are wearing next to nothing and that the crowds are mostly drunk.  To avoid the debauchery, many churches opt to hold out-of-town retreats.  But occasionally a church will brave the crowds and stay in the city to minister to the revelers.

 

Tatiane, a young woman from our church, was a part of an evangelistic team that stayed behind this year.  All the members of her group wore red t-shirts that clearly defined them as Christians.  They wrote their own song proclaiming Jesus as the best reason for dancing and celebrating.  They were even allowed by city officials to march in the parade, winning the "best group" award!

 

Tatiane said that never in her wildest dreams did she think she'd be part of a Mardi Gras parade, but that it was exciting to be in the middle of such an opportunity to share the Gospel.  She and her friends talked to many people about the Lord and over 100 responded to the invitation to believe in Jesus.  Praise the Lord for the courage and enthusiasm of these young people to reach the lost.

 

 

Missions Enthusiasm

For decades Brazil has been receiving missionaries.  But as the Church has matured, it has begun sending out its own cross-cultural workers.  This last weekend Hope and I were present at the Vila Moraes FMC for their missions Sunday.  In the morning former missionary to Brazil, Roy Kenny, gave a challenge.  The air was electric with excitment as he spoke of God's power to transform lives.  In the next service Brazilian missionaries to the Amazon Rainforest, Moises and Lucilia, presented a stirring message of the impact the Gospel is having on the remote Suruwaha tribe.

 

And not only that!  The missions director, Edmar Reis, gave an enthusiastic report of how the church is involved in two countries where persecution of Christians is greatest: North Korea and Saudia Arabia.  The church is supporting three missionaries in the 10/40 window.  Intermixed with reports and testimonies of cross-cultural outreach, we heard the testimony of a local missionary effort last month during Mardi Gras.  A young woman shared about her involvement in an impact evangelism ministry where many responded to the Gospel message (more on that next week!)

 

It is pure joy to see the church alive to missions and enthusiastic about what the Lord is doing around the world.  When the financial report was given, no doubt remained as to the congregation's solid supoort for missions.  Last year the church contributed $28,000 to missionary outreach!

 

 

 

 

Psalm 136 Revised

In my ladies Bible study we were asked to list four “variables” in our lives and turn them into a psalm of praise.  Since our family has undergone many changes in recent months, the first part was easy.  But attaching the refrain was an important reminder that not only is God is with us in every change, His love and faithfulness are what sustain us.  Here’s my psalm:

 

Give thanks to the Lord for He is good.

His love endures forever.

 

Though my boys are growing up before my eyes

And another one will soon leave home

His love endures forever.

 

Though we’ve changed churches three times in six months,

His love endures forever

 

Though it’s a challenge to invest in people

For short periods of time rather than long term,

His love endures forever.

 

Though we move from house to house

And country to country,

His love endures forever.

 

Though our support account is not fully funded

(And the value of the dollar goes up and down,)

His love endures forever.

 

Give thanks to the Lord of Lords!
His love endures forever.

 

Dr. Fábio Church At It Again!

 

 

We’ve mentioned this church before, but we can’t stop talking about the folks at Dr. Fábio because they are actively reaching out to the lost and are making a huge difference in people’s lives.

 

Recently the Dr. Fábio Church sent eight teens and nine children to YWAM’s intensive evangelistic training during the month of January.  Nobody had the money for this training camp, but Pastor Ney and his wife Veruska had the faith they could raise it.  And the money came in!  The young people returned overflowing with joy, telling stories of God’s transforming power and how He had called several of them into full-time missionary service. (The kids in purple t-shirts were participants in the YWAM program.)

 

This is the same church that is always short on Bibles and Sunday School materials because they can’t keep up with the demand for them.  (What a great problem!)  We were very glad to hear that the WMI in the U.S. raised above and beyond the amount we requestest in 2008 for these materials.  We praise God for the work He is doing in the neighborhood of Dr. Fábio!