Deus é fiel!

Deus é fiel! (God is faithful) My God is good. He has opened so many doors in my life right now. About six months ago I knew I wanted to spend the summer away doing missions somewhere, but didn´t know where. I tried to go to Africa, but all those doors shut. Because of P.L.A.N.T. Worldwide, I was given the opportunity to come to Brazil for the summer. A couple of weeks out from the trip I felt God starting to work in me a heart for Brazil. A heart that didn´t want to come back to the states. I thought that the feeling I felt was crazy. My whole life I have been told that I would graduate high school and then go to college. No if or buts about it. For a couple of weeks I simply just sat back and prayed that God would take my life into his hands and do whatever he wanted. I felt that God was calling me to stay longer than two months in Brazil. So I knew that I needed to cut all connections to America so that I would have no excuse to why I had to go back to the states. I hurt some people while doing that and I am very sorry. Hopefully now you fully understand. The week before I came to Brazil, I spent in Guatemala with a team from Faith Baptist Church. On the third day of the trip (Tuesday), on my way to the orphanage, I felt God moving in my heart. God sealed that feeling that I had had for quite some time. When I got out of that van that morning at the orphanage, I knew that I would be staying in Brazil for longer than 2 months. I had no clue how, but I knew that he would take care of it. Deus é fiel! He has made that happen. It all started the first meal I ate in Brazil. I loved it. The food was so good. I knew that if I can eat the food then I can stay. Pastor Waldir and I started talking one day and one thing lead to another. We got on the topic of basketball and how I am interested in doing sports evangelism through basketball. He told me that there are a lot of opportunities for that here. Then he went on to tell me about his vision to start a sports camp in a village nearby where kids can come, play sports, and hear the Gospel. I immediately caught his vision. I looked at him and told him that God was calling me here to help him and that I wanted to stay. He said that he wanted me to stay and he felt that God was also calling me here also.
From that point we started planning out the rest. He told me that he has a house that I can stay in. The next day we went out to the camp (Água da Vida). He showed me around and told me exactly what he wanted to do. He took me to my house. I loved it. It is a small house with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms both with showers. It is a standing house that is new and not completely finished on the inside. It still needs to have tile laid on the floor, walls painted, and ceiling put into place. We will do all of those things once we raise the money. Pastor Waldir also has an extra oven with a stove and a refrigerator that he is giving to me. I already have a bed and some shelving that I will put in it. The house needs a lot of work but it can be lived in just as it is. It is crazy how God closes some doors that sound like great ideas only to open even better doors. The only thing now that keeps me from staying is not being able to raise the financial support needed to stay. But I have complete faith that God is going to take care of that, as well, just like He has taken care of everything else.
So as of right now I will be staying here in Brazil until December. At that point I will apply for a visa extension and if I get it then I will stay until August of `09. I am so excited. This is my home for now and I am treating it that way. I ask for continuation of prayers from all. I need it right as I plan to move away from home for 14 months.
I have completely given my life over to God and he has taken me on the ride of my life. I challenge all who are reading this to do the same. Give your life completely over to Christ and let him take you places you have never imagined, allow you to do things you have never dreamed of, and make you happier then you ever knew possible. I am missing you all already. God be with you and I love all of you. Thankyou for your prayers.