What a day! It is 10:30 p.m. and we are leaving the gymnasium for a 2 and ½ hour bus ride back to Rio following a God-filled evening with youth and adults in the northern city of Rio das Oscras. It was a long day of waiting and anticipation, but it didn’t take long for us to see that God had it all planned. A crowd was waiting for us when we arrived and the team went to work immediately.
We were introduced one by one by the local coach. Demonstrations, exhibitions, fun and games concluded with Andy and Brooke bringing greetings and sharing their testimonies. The stage was set for the gospel presentation. The 200+ youth sat before us and listened intently as another 150 or so heard from the stands. Seeds were sown tonight and so many told us they were already believers. One young man came up to tell us that he prayed to receive Christ and wanted to fill out a commitment card. Praise God!
Autographs followed. We signed everything from paper to notebooks to t-shirts and arms. Cameras were flashing as team members stood with kids and families for keepsakes. I was so impressed with the Coach’s obvious work with these kids. He works three days a week in Rio das Oscras and three days in the city of Rio. All the kids were members of teams, by ages, and had their own uniforms. They were disciplined, attentive to instruction, and well organized. He told me he has prayer following every practice with all his teams.
It was a wonderful beginning for us and worth the wait and long bus ride. Did I tell you that we were treated to a pre-event meal of a real Brazilian seafood “gumbo” dish over rice that included squid, octopus, oysters, shrimp, fish, and several other things in a big soup bowl that we really didn’t have a clue. Stefan just came to me for some pepto bismal. “My stomach feels a little funny, kinda sick, B-dub,” he says. Why was I not surprised! I didn’t say anything but my stomach feels funny, too.
I’m glad we don’t leave tomorrow until noon for our work. I don’t believe we’ll be in our hotel and rooms tonight before 1:00 a.m. That’s ok – we’re on God’s time – not our time! Keep praying!!
BW