God deals in BIG proportions!

Hello from the middle of nowhere!

Actually, since Micheli found this internet cafe, I guess we´re not in the middle of nowhere.

This weekend we drove 5 hours into the interior of Brazil to help out a sister church with a music seminar. What a fascinating place! There is so much SPACE, and really, there are so many PEOPLE but they are just all spread out in little towns that are scattered across the hillsides. Micheli and I are staying at the house of a wonderful elderly lady. I have to admit that our living conditions are a little more ... missionary-like... but I figure the worst that could happen is that an amazonian reptile could leap from the 2' hole above our bed and start eating the bugs that migrated from the bathroom after they discovered fresh flesh in our bed.

Yesterday, I taught a recorder class, a guitar class, and a voice class (the last of which was a total surprise 10 minutes before it was supposed to begin.) Thank you for your prayers! We managed to find a few more recorders and a few more guitars, which made my job a lot easier. I dug out everything I learned about rhythm and tonal patterns in my music education classes this year. I had the recorder students tapping, clapping, solfege-ing, and du-de-duing and it worked GREAT!! (Thank you, Dr. Jordan!!)

Yesterday morning something amazing happened. You know, it´s incredible...we give ourselves (I´m talking about me) so much credit for doing little things for God like going to another place and teaching a few music students for a summer. But then, sometimes God just steps in and does something totally unexpected, totally amazing, totally HUGE, and just leaves little you (me) feeling so honored to have been a part of it. I´ve never felt so honored in my life to be a servant of the Lord as I felt yesterday...

The Itapeva church pastor has a weekly radio program on a local Christian station that broadcasts to about 500,000 people in this remote part of Brazil. Normally, he gives a sermon from the Bible and playes some Christian music, but this week he asked us (Paul and Sonya Gale and I) to come and be interviewed on his show about the music seminar that we were doing at the church. He also asked me to sing live on the radio, something that the~´d never done before. The interview went fine--I hadn´t thought I´d be doing anything but singing, but then he started asking me questions live on the radio!!! Ack! I don´t think I said anything embarassing except "I am possessed with Brazil." And then I sang 2 songs, one in Portuguese ("He Knows My Name") and one in English ("Draw Me Close to You"), which I gave a rough translation of beforehand. I was so glad that God was able to use the talents He´s given me to encourage Brazilian believers.

At this point, God did the unexpected. In the room next door was another radio station that was secular, but the DJ at the moment was a believer. He heard me singing in the other room and asked if I would sing on his show! So I did--I sang "He Knows My Name" again, half in Portuguese and half in English (the "chic" thing) and the DJ asked me, Paul Gale, and the Itapeva pastor some questions about our music conference at the church. After it was all over, they casually told us that this particular radio show had over a million listeners. WHAT?????? Don´t tell me that the Lord just broadcasted His Gospel of love to a million unbelieving Brazilians in the remote regions of the country!!!!!

We went back to the church to continue the music conference, and soon we found out that people had started calling the (secular) radio station asking if I had a CD out, and some guy in the recording industry offered to record me in Sao Paulo, other churches asked if I could sing for one of their services, and soon we had journalists from a local Christian paper come to interview us about the music conference. I´m saying these things not because it makes me feel good but because I am realizing that somehow, those radio waves yesterday carried a message that touched peoples´ hearts. And I know that this had NOthing to do with me, that´s for sure!!! Our GOD deals in such BIG proportions...it would take me at the least 445 lifetimes to teach music to the same number of people as God broadcasted His Gospel to in a matter of minutes. I can´t believe how teeny weeny I feel, and how GIGANTIC God seems! It brings new meaning to the concept of how our efforts, our lives, are futile if God is not in the center of them. I am sooo grateful that I am serving the Lord! If I were going to Brazil to serve myself, I might get the satisfaction of bringing music to a handful of church people. When I handed this trip into the Lord´s hands and said, "This is Yours, Lord," I had no clue as to the magnitude He had in mind!

Anyway, I only have a few more minutes on this computer. Micheli has been taking tons of photos, and when we get back on Monday I will post some of them. Thank you so much for your prayers--the music clinic has been great, even though I get really nervous and all my Portuguese flies out the window. Everyone is so nice and supportive and wonderful, and Micheli is constantly teaching me more Portuguese words. My listening comprehension is really improving, so thank you for your prayers in that aspect as well.

Pray for this evening´s service--I´m doing a lot of singing, and hopefully some more people will come after we advertized on the radio. Pray that God will touch peoples' hearts with His message of salvation.

Ok, Tchau!! Hugs!!
--Joy