Holiday in the UK - Part 3

And now the final part of our stay in the UK. During our last 3 weeks, we stayed mainly in Brighton and Hove, with just a couple of trips out of town. Thanks again to everyone who spent some time with us. It's great to know we have so many friends, and to feel so loved. 

Although we packed lots into the time, we still managed to relax plenty - and it was especially nice not having to go to school/work every morning ...

Here is our final collection of UK photos: 

As part of its seemingly never-ending tour of the UK, the Olympic torch came to Brighton and Hove on 16th July! It was a grey drizzly day, but the town was packed and all the traffic stopped along Church Road and The Drive. To be honest, the torch itself wasn't that impressive, but it was a great occasion - a big turn-out, everyone very friendly and happy; clicking away on their cameras/iphones/mobiles and other miscellaneous digital photographic equipment.

 

There it is, don't blink!

On the Wednesday evening, we went along to "UNITED" -the international cafe at Holland Road Baptist Church. This is a ministry which has grown considerably since we moved to Brazil. There were people from all over the world (including Brazil), meeting up to talk English, to learn about each others' cultures and interests. We enjoyed meeting our evening - the only problem was it passed too quickly!

Internationals (like us)

As mentioned, we spent much of the time with friends - many cups of coffee and tea, delicious meals (plenty of curries), talking, relaxing, strolling on the beach …

Anyone for cards?

In the shade in Worthing

Beautiful!

Lovely! 

Smile!

Beach by day ... 

… and by night

We did have a couple of days out, both during our last week - one was at Thorpe Park - that was Mike and six kids. The kids spent quite a lot of time in queues, or upside-down; Mike stayed the right way up.

Another chance to be upside-down

Our last full day in the UK was spent in London - mostly around the Olympic Park and Victoria Park. We didn't have tickets for any events, but we saw lots of Olympic-y things.

We are definitely in the right place

So that's all folks! On Saturday 4th August we headed back to Brazil. 

Holiday in the UK - Part 2

After our first road trip, we returned back to Brighton for the weekend. We had plenty of things planned, and spent Saturday with friends, catching up, relaxing and chatting. 

Lou and her buddy

Josh and his buddy

Brazilian buddies

On Sunday morning, we visited St John the Evangelist church in Fareham. 

Our friends at St John's

We really appreciate the support that St John's has been giving us during our time in Brazil, and it was great to visit the church at last. Mike was invited to preach at the morning service, and we enjoyed meeting  the congregation after the service to chat. 

After a relaxing lunch with one of Mike's former work colleagues, we headed back to Brighton for a (windy) stroll on the promenade.

Two missionaries, and more than two beach hits

On Monday morning we headed back up north again, to visit Mike's mum and family in Shropshire. It was a great week with plenty of home cooking and time spent relaxing. 

OMUK is in the countryside!

We also visited the OM UK base at the "Quinta" to feed back on our first two years in Brazil, and to discuss our next two! We are also able to join in with the Thursday morning prayer time, and share a little with the team there.

Friday night saw us returning to Brighton to complete our third week.

Give us a call!

Our new phone is now installed in Brazil! You can call us from the UK at normal UK rates on our new Brighton number:

(01273) 900262

(You don't need the 01273 if calling from Brighton)

Holiday in the UK - Part 1

Well, it doesn't seem long ago we were stepping off the plane at Heathrow - and here we are back in São José dos Campos. A really great 6 weeks - many places visited, many curries eaten, many people relaxed-with and many photos taken. 

Thank you so much for the great welcome we received, and all the great hospitality and friendship. We've put together a quick photo-diary of what we got up to; you may have seen some of the photos on Facebook - but some new ones here too. We'll do two or three posts as too much to fit into one - so here's Part 1 …

We arrived pretty exhausted and so spent the first week relaxing. We were blessed with a really great house to stay in near Wish Park, and it was so nice NOT to have a routine for a change. Our UK tour started in our second full week, taking in Wales, Birmingham and Bath - as you can see below:

On the Wednesday, we set off for Merthyr Tydfil to meet up with old friends from Wales, USA and UK.

Somewhere near Abergavenny ...

Cup of Tea in Merthyr

At the chippy 

After that we crossed over to Birmingham - Halesowen to be exact - home of "OM Lifehope" 

We visited friends there, and made some new ones. OM Lifehope offers training in English and evangelism. We had a tour of the base and learned more about what goes on there. 

Old friends in Halesowen

Not-so old friends in Halesowen

Worship during prayer evening at OM Lifehope

Lifehope ministry in Wolverhampton

A Brazilian in Halesowen

After two nights at Lifehope, we headed back South, but on the way we spent a few hours in Bath, walking around the historic city and visiting the famous Roman baths. 

Outside the baths in, er, Bath

Fancy a bath?

The kids and Jane

A boy in the street

We stopped off briefly at Stonehenge, and finally arrived back in Brighton on Friday evening. Quite a whirlwind tour!

Some old stones

We've Arrived!

Yes, we're back in Blighty!

We arrived yesterday afternoon (Friday 22nd) at Heathrow - see below

We'll be getting a mobile phone soon so that you can contact us if you're in the UK.

See you soon!

Groovy Vocals

Today we had a special treat at our English-language service at PIB. The Gospel Group "Vocal Groove" joined us for the morning. It was a warm up for a concert that will be take place next week as part of the International Church Ministry. We were pleased to be there today, as next week we won't be in the country!

Also, as it was our last service for several weeks, our Pastor (Jay Gomes) invited us up on the platform to thank us for being part of the church family, for our help with the various ministries. He prayed for our trip back to the UK - and that we would come back refreshed and ready to continue serving God along with the other volunteers. 

It has been really great to be regulars at the Sunday morning English services, to get to know people (Brazilians and ex-pats), and to be able to contribute by serving God with the abilities He has given us. 

When we return in August the service will have moved to a brand new auditorium in a different part of the city. Something to look forward to ...

Europe in Brazil

Of course Europe is not in Brazil, but we did have a little bit of Europe in Brazil last week. 

We had the pleasure to host the Director of OM Europe in our home last week. He was in Brazil for ten days in order to promote OM, particularly the European part, in various churches. Frank Hinkelmann is German, but lives in Austria. It was very interesting to hear about OM's work in Europe, and about the current religious map of this part of the world. Most Brazilians know little about Europe, and Frank's aim was both to educate and to encourage potential Brazilian missionaries to consider Europe as a mission field. 

On Wednesday evening, Frank preached at Primero Igreja Batista (PIB) in São José dos Campos. He spoke in English and was accompanied by Claudia who translated into Portuguese. Claudia is a Brazilian, but is currently the OM Field Leader in Bosnia.

During the week, Frank and Claudia were at the OM base talking to the staff and students, and also leading morning devotionals. This was during a designated "English Week", so the students had a chance to practise their English.

It's great to have international visitors, as being in such a large country, it often feels that other countries are so far away. It is a great help to be able to emphasise the international nature of OM, and the fact that there is a need for Christ all over the world.

Easter Newsletter

Read our (post) Easter Newsletter!

You can download the pdf here

See the "Our Newsletter" tab for previous newsletters.

Renascimento

"Renascimento", or "Rebirth" was the title given to an amazing Easter Passion musical presentation performed by PIB (First Baptist Church) in São José dos Campos. A team of around 470 volunteers including actors, musicians, dancers, stage crew put on 7 public performances over the Easter period, with over 15,000 people in attendance. It was also streamed live over the PIB website.

A group of eleven of us went along on Good Friday evening and queued for nearly 2 hours to ensure a good seat! It was worth it. There had clearly been a lot of effort put into the production - the costumes, the stage, the music, the singing the acting - everything was of the highest quality.  

But it wasn't the number of people nor the quality of the props that touched us the most; it was the way that God spoke to our hearts. Although we knew it was a show being acted out by normal people, it was as if we were really seeing the life of Jesus Christ on earth happening in front of us. Even if we have read many times in the bible the scenes that we saw recreated on the stage, the impact of seeing the events with our own eyes brought home the amazing truth about Jesus Christ. For sure our emotions are aroused when we see a performance such as this, but there was something deeper and longer-lasting. It's a week since the event, and it is still tugging at our hearts.

Just to mention one thing: the experience revealed so clearly the tremendous love and compassion that the man Jesus had for ordinary people - good and bad, and the way he wanted to fix the brokenness of everyone. This love still exists for you and me today, and although we sometimes don't feel it, it's there and we have only to receive it in faith.



There are more photos available on the PIB website here.

Easy to be a Christian?

The recent edition of "Portas Abertas" (Open Doors) magazine that we receive at home in Brazil includes a special article on the countries in the world where Christians are most persecuted. Difficulties that some of OM's missionaries have been facing recently, together with recent news items like the attacks on Christians in Nigeria, plus a book I am currently reading all seem to be bringing this topic to my attention. I believe that this is something God wants me at least to pray about, and I thought I would ask you all to do the same. If you look at either the UK or Brasil websites (links below) you will find plenty of information.

The article that I mentioned in the magazine (and also covered on the websites) talks about the top 50 countries in the world for persecution against Christians. They also include a world map showing the locations of the countries, which really helps you visualise the statistics. The country in first place is North Korea.

I'm not going to give you any details or stories - the websites do that very well - but I urge you to take a look, and maybe pick a country and pray this week for the Christians there; or read one of the news articles and pray more specifically. I certainly feel fortunate to be living in a country where being a follower of Jesus Christ is not only tolerated but almost always respected. 

Mike


Open Doors UK

Portas Abertas

Carnaval!

Yesterday afternoon and this morning, Brazilians have been returning to work, school, and their normal business after the long Carnaval weekend. Millions of people took to the streets, as they do every year, to take part in the loud, colourful festivities. But what's it all about? What is it they are celebrating? What makes it different from Carnivals in other countries? Is there an 'official' way to do Carnaval? Is it spelt 'Carnaval' or 'Carnival'?

Painting of Entrudo dating from 17th Century

It's hard to give exact answers to many of the questions, since the modern-day carnaval can take its origins from several different events and parts of history - but here are a few 'facts' we've gleaned from other people and of course the internet …

Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro

CHRISTIAN ORIGINS: The period of Lent (the 40 days before Easter) has often been marked by abstinence from something. Some christians, but mainly Roman Catholics in Italy have traditionally abstained from the consumption of meat. The word "Carnaval" has its root in the Latin languages, and means something like 'Take Meat' (carne) - i.e. remove it from the diet. Carnaval, therefore, was a celebration of eating meat and doing other pleasurable things, prior to a period of discipline, when these things would not be 'allowed'. 

OVER THE YEARS IN BRAZIL: There are records of many different celebrations and parties, many of which merged together to become today's Carnaval. These included a street party imported form Portugal called "Entrudo", partying in Rio de Janeiro to mark the coronation (in Portugal) of Don João IV, and later again for his wedding.  In the late 18th century, some groups in Rio started celebrating "Serração da Velha" which means "old sawmill", which celebrated rejuvenation. This took place just before Lent, and so became combined with the religious festivals of the Catholic church. There has also been an African  influence introduced by the descendants of the black slaves in Brazil. Over the years, things started to get more organised and elaborate, with costumes, floats, music, and organised dancing.

Samba band

BRAZILIAN CARNAVAL TODAY: Carnaval is celebrated all over Brazil, and although it always involves costumes, music, dancing, food and drink, there are regional differences. In some regions, such as Rio de Janeiro, there are Blocos (blocks), which are teams usually made up of people from particular neighbourhoods, all dressed the same. Things can get quite competitive,  in many cases Samba Schools spend months practising dance routines. The type of music can vary from region to region, but there's always music! In some cities there are specific stadia built for Carnaval - like the Sambadrome in São Paulo; in other places streets are closed off and the city stops everything just for Samba. In our city, one of the main dual carriageways near the centre of town is closed to traffic, stands are erected and it becomes a temporary Carnaval stadium.

Carnaval in São Paulo

A Day in São Paulo

Wednesday 25th January was an annual holiday in the city of São Paulo, to celebrate its 458th birthday. Being less than 60 miles away, we took this opportunity to visit some of the historical attractions of the city, and we've included a few snaps from our day.

Museu do Ipiranga

The first place we visited was the "Museu do Iparanga" - also known as the "Museu Paulista". This museum is famous as much for the building, gardens and surroundings as much as the contents of the museum. It helps if you know a little of the history of Brazil or have someone to explain it in order to appreciate some of the items on display - many of which are paintings. The children were interested to see some items which they had seen in books, and learnt about at school. As it was a special day, entrance to the museum was free!

Museum Ipiranga and Gardens

Nice Tree near the Museum!

View from Museum Iparanga

City Centre

In the centre of the city, near the old banking district is a footbridge over a busy road system, called "Viaduto Santa Ifigênia". The interesting thing is that the bridge is made of iron, constructed in England, and then transported in pieces to Brazil by ship. Presumably it was flat-packed with numbered pieces and instructions…

Viaduto Santa Ifigênia in the centre

Praça do Sé

Close to the Praça do Sé is the official birthplace of São Paulo. In case you hadn't guessed, the city is dedicated to St Paul!

Of course, in one day we only saw a part of the city, and we hope to visit again one day.

New Tab - OM Newsletters

We have added a tab (see above) to provide links to OM newsletters. We'll start with those produced by OM Brazil, and we'll add any others that we think might be interesting ...

We have produced a New Year 2012 Newsletter!

You can download it here.

Or see the Newsletter tab above for all our previous newsletters!

Happy New Year!

Preacher Mike?

Preacher (right) with translator (left)

For years I've felt comfortable sitting with the congregation, or behind a sound desk, listening to the preacher bringing the Word of God. For me it's always been the focal point of the service; I love praising God, but the sermon is the part of the service I most look forward to, anticipating hearing what God has to say to me.

So it has been way "out of my comfort zone" to be standing at the front bringing God's word to the people. It's something I approach with some degree of trepidation; I feel it is such a big responsibility; questions run through my mind: Am I going to be faithful to the word? Will the people 'get' my points? Will they respond? Will we get invited back?

On most of the occasions I have been invited, it has been during a missions conference or similar event at the church, so the theme of my talks have been somewhat common, although I have used various passages in the Old and New Testaments, to make different points.

This has been one of the big challenges that God has lined up for me since we've been out here. But it has been a great experience. I have had to rely fully on God; of course I have often been on the receiving end of bible teachings, whether through listening to preachers, studying the bible, or reading Christian books, but to be taking up the role of orator is very different. It takes me hours to prepare, and I always start unsure of what I'm going to say - but as I pray and meditate on the scripture, I have always arrived at the church sure of what God wants me to say.

This has been a great learning experience in reliance on, and trust in God. One of my favourite verses comes to mind:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart 

   and lean not on your own understanding 

in all your ways acknowledge him,
   and he will make your paths straight.

(Proverbs 3:5,6)

If I'm fixing a computer, or mixing sound at the sound desk it seems that I can rely at least in part on myself - education, training, experience. For preaching, however, I have to start and finish with God. I suppose in some ways this makes it easier - He's more reliable than me!

Pastor Evandro and wife, Nélia and Mike

My last two preaches were on 27th November at the Igreja Cristã Evangélica de Santana, and on 11th December at the Assembléia de Deus - Jardim Das Industrias, both in the city of São José dos Campos. The photos are from the latter.

I thank God for the challenges and the experiences that He has brought me, and I pray that He will continue to use me in this way in 2012 if it is His will to do so. Amen.

Guitar Recital - Joshua

Hi, Joshua here!

I did this presentation last Saturday and it was really fun.

There were lots of other people who played and some people played in groups.

I hope you enjoy!! :)

Amor & Vida 2011

Easy does it ...

OM Brazil's "Amor & Vida" (Love and Life) ministry has been a great way to help local people this year. There is a team of professional volunteers who give their services for free once a month, at drop-in centres set up at different local churches. There are General Practitioners, Psychiatrists, Dentists, Opticians, Lawyers, Hairdressers and so on. There is often a live band, and always special activities for kids. At the end of the event, there is a presentation in the church itself. Also, evangelism teams venture out into the surrounding streets to chat to local people, invite them to the event at the church, and share the gospel with them. 

A job well done!

The students from OM are always on hand to help out too, and all the Leals have been involved several times this year too. We've  helped out in various ways: check out the September Newsletter for a story about Mike's experiences doing door-to-door; amongst other things, Nélia interpreted for a visiting American pastor who gave a presentation on bullying; Louissa helped to entertain the little children doing art; Josh helped putting up the gazebo and organising the football. 

This is a really great ministry, demonstrating the love of Jesus in practical ways, making a difference to people in the communities of the city. During 2011 there were altogether 4,827 people who received free professional services from this ministry! In addition to this were people who just turned up for a chat or a cup of coffee, and always plenty of children running around and having fun.

The video below gives you and idea of what goes on - watch out for us in some of the snaps ...

Louissa's Ballet Performance - Coppélia

Hi, It's Louissa

On Thursday It was my end of year ballet performance. I was a country girl and a Russian doll.

The ballet is about a man who makes a life-size doll that he calls Coppélia. The main male character falls in love with it, much to the disappointment of his girlfriend. The ballet tells the story of how she tries to win back his heart.

My ballet school is called Clara Irie and it's registered with the Royal Academy of Dance. I took my grade 3 exam in May and I passed with Merit. There has been lots of hard work all year long but I have improved a lot.

Below is a video of one of the dances: