Oi from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil!!! My time in Brazil has been nothing short of amazing. Looking around and seeing God's beauty all around me is wonderful. I can hear the waves crashing in the ocean as I write this blog. Yesterday we drove through the countryside on the way to the gymnasium. They have rolling hills here like we do in America! Not only is the scenery beautiful, but the people are beautiful as well. Everywhere you go, you see a smiling face.
Last night, we went to a camp at a gymnasium 3 hours from Rio de Janeiro. People were actually there waiting for our arrival...something I thought was really neat. We got to mix and mingle with the kids for about 15 minutes, then we hit the hardwood. We did layups, 3 man weave, and then played a little scrimmage for 5 minutes. After that, we brought the kids out to do the world famous Belmont Basketball Camp dribble relays. This was probably my favorite part of the night. The joy I saw on the faces of those kids was unreal. It's definitely something I will never forget. When we got finished playing, Brooke and Andy gave their testimonies, and BDub spoke from God's Word. The response I saw around me was really neat...young kids bowing their heads, and accepting Christ into their lives.
Today we enjoyed the morning on the roof and talked while we caught some rays. We went for some lunch at a nice buffet, and then went to the rock factory. Again, seeing God's Creation in these rocks was really neat. The fact that something so beautiful and elegant like a shiny crystal came from the same God that created me is neat to think about. Tonight we played a club team here in Rio. The guys were 18 and 19 years old. The effort shown on the court by both teams was really cool. I actually got to make my long awaited Bruin debut...1 steal, that's about it, haha. The excitement they had was great. What was even greater was the response after the testimonies. Laura and Dot gave their testimonies tonight, and both did an outstanding job. They led right into what BDub said. All of us have Christ in our hearts and in our lives, and these kids here can have that too. My new friend Luca sat next to me and I heard him praying along with the translator. I was able to talk to him and some of his friends afterward, and all of them were extremely excited about having us Americans in their presence, but more importantly having God and Christ in their lives now as well.
I look forward to tomorrow as we go out into 2 elementary schools and the girls play a club team. Tomorrow I will give my testimony for the first time. I pray that God will give me the words that He wants those children to hear in my mouth, and that I can glorify Him in what I say. I love you all back home and miss you tons. Please continue to pray for us as we continue our journey here in Brazil.
Will