Project Alegria: Brazil 2006

New Blog Site

2006-07-22T15:56:00.000-05:00

Greetings from Brasilia!

This morning I met up with the medical team from our church in Boca Raton here in Brasilia. Tomorrow we'll be heading off to Palmas to begin a week of ministry. Our team of doctors, nurses, and translators is joining with some Brazilian doctors, dentists, nurses, hair cutters, etc. for a huge week-long free clinic. The organization that we're joining picks a different Brazilian city each year to have this huge event--after each day of giving free health care, there is a church service in the evening. Although many of these people have serious physical problems, it is often their souls that need the most healing.

Anyway, this is all just to say that as part of the medical team, (well, I'm a translator) we have a different blog. It is located at: http://brazilmedical2006.blogspot.com

And since the hotel here in Brasilia has fast internet, I've been able to upload some pictures from last week into this blog, so scroll down on this page and take a peek!

I miss you all!

--Joy

Quick note from Araçatuba

2006-07-21T06:08:00.000-05:00

Bible Study time

Greetings from Araçatuba!

Just a quick note here at the end of camp. Things have been going pretty well these last few days, especially in the area of language--thanks for your prayers! I have had some of the girls teach me some slang words, which helped me to understand them better, and helped them realize why I was giving them blank looks at some of the things they were saying!

Yesterday I competed in the final stages of our version of Brazilian Idol. I am really really glad that I spent so much time last year translating and recording a bunch of songs, and organizing all of my performance traks onto one CD--it´s been a really fun time picking out a different song or two to perform each night!

It will be sad to board a bus and leave Araçatuba at noon today! I have really fallen in love with this little town and the people here--families like the Harmons, the seminary, the camp, the little churches, the kids. I am praying that the Lord would let me come back soon!

Today and tomorrow will be spent traveling from Araçatuba to São Paulo, and then to Palmas. There are some logistical problems involving Ben´s plane ticket to Palmas that still have to be worked out, so please pray for things to go smoothly and safely!

I miss you guys!
--Joy

Camp Harmony

2006-07-19T14:14:00.000-05:00

Team Barcelona at Camp Harmony

Greetings from Araçatuba!!

These past 3 days have been spent at Camp Harmony, home to George Harmon and his family, as well as several acres of space that can host over 100 campers. I had originally come to help out with the music, but they were short on counselors, so I spend the nights in the 40-girl dorm and pass the days playing soccer, volleyball, water balloons, relay races, and plenty of Bible Study! We are divided into 2 teams which compete in every aspect of life during the week, from sports competitions to bathroom cleanliness. Ben Neff is a counselor for the guys on our team, and so far, Team Barcelona has been doing very well! Last night I helped our team by singing in a camp version of Brazilian Idol. Tonight will be phase 2 of the competition!

Pastor George Harmon is Ben´s mom´s brother, who had a dream for many years to have a camp in Araçatuba, where church groups could come for retreats during the summer and winter holidays. He and his brother had worked in radio ministry for many years and started a seminary here in Araçatuba before starting the camp. Uncle George´s 4 kids are helping out with the music and other activities at the camp, and his wife leads the girls´ Bible Study in the mornings. This week´s theme has been Wisdom, and we are digging into the book of Proverbs.

I am enjoying getting to know the 17 girls on my team ages 11-16--some of them were raised in church, some of them are at camp for the first time, some are from very poor families. Being a counselor comes with a lot of blessings, especially when the girls want to hear about the US or learn words in English, but the language factor for me has been an especial challenge. Depending on what kind of environment the girls are from, some of them use a dialect that I have a lot of difficulty understanding. After doing fine in Atibaia for 2 weeks in a Portuguese-only environment, all of a sudden I´m back to feeling frustrated that I can´t understand what the girls are saying and they´re frustrated that I can´t understand them. This, combined with the tiring schedule, late nights, early mornings, and responsibility over so many girls, is my prayer request for the rest of this week! On the positive side, yesterday, I DID score my first soccer goal ever!

My Heroine Ruth Harmon

I took an overnight bus from São Paulo that arrived in Araçatuba on Monday morning. I got to spend a few hours at John and Ana Harmon´s house, which meant I got to meet my heroine Ruth Harmon. "Grandma Ruth" came to Brazil as a missionary in 1936, traveling by horseback with her husband to bring the Gospel to the Indians. Her 4 children and many of her grandchildren are now involved in full-time ministry, many of whom I´ve gotten to meet this week! I had written a song about Grandma Ruth, (who was a pianist and a teacher herself) which I got to play for her on Monday!

There is so much I could tell about Araçatuba and the people I have met here, but I don´t have a lot of time to use the internet, as you can probably tell by the lack of blog posts the past few days. I might take some pictures on Friday before we head back to the São Paulo airport to catch our flight to Palmas. Thank you for your continued prayer--God has been faithful in supplying the energy that I need (sometimes in the form of Brazilian expresso that I´m drinking at the moment). I am SO thankful that He has found me worthy of serving the Kingdom here so far away! This week has been filled with new friends who also have hearts for ministry in Brazil, and it has been so encouraging and exciting to meet so many members of the Harmon family of friends!

Thank you for praying! Abraços,
--Joy

Rua 25 de Março

2006-07-16T15:30:00.000-05:00

Rua 25 de Março
Originally uploaded by joywilson.

Greetings from São Paulo!

I think one of my favorite things to do in a new city is to get to know it on foot, and WOW have we been doing that! I have always disliked tourist-y stuff and prefer experiencing the culture as a member of it, not as an observer. For me, the best way to do that is by walking on the streets in the center of town, going into stores, sitting in parks, and navigating the subway. And there you have a summary of my past 2 days in São Paulo!

Yesterday (Saturday), we went down to a famous street called Rua 25 de Março, which is where people from all over Brasil come and get their goods wholesale to sell elsewhere. Translated: Everything you can imagine, really cheap, REALLY crowded. It's technically an actual street, but at noon on a holiday weekend, the few cars trying to pass through were quite unfortunate. I LOVE being around so many people--but don't worry, I've learned to be careful about my belongings in a place like this.

Old Men in the Park

We have also had the opportunity to visit some city parks. Like, huge Central Park-style city parks, with lakes and vendors and playgrounds and sports fields and bridges and guitar players. What I love most about Brazil are the people. I love watching people and meeting people. Parks are a great place to do this.

I have also enjoyed getting to know Igreja Batista de Esperança. Last night we had a fun time at college group, and I met a big part of Ben's church family. This morning I got to sing/play in the service ("Your Grace Still Amazes Me"), which I will also do this evening ("Lord Have Mercy"). This church has a seminary with around 80 students, and one of the 4th year students gave the message this morning. In Brazil, you can become a pastor after only 4 years of college.

I've had a good time getting to know new friends. A group of us went out to dinner at Burger King after the service last night, and we went to an art museum this afternoon! It was only $2 to get into the museum, but even that small entrance fee instantly put us in a high-class world, with high class people. It was weird to go straight from that environment to the subway, a few meters below. This juxtoposition of rich and poor peppers the culture of Brazil. You have big fancy houses right next to the favelas, and makeshift housing one block over from booming commerce. It's easy for me to think "Why don't these rich people help the poor that live in their backyard?" until I look at myself and realize that here I am, blessed to be an American with a college degree, living just an 8-hour plane ride from people with whom I can share what God has given me.

Tonight after the service, I will take an overnight bus to Araçatuba, which is 7 hours away. I wish I could spend more time here in São Paulo. Last year, I didn't like the city too much because the sheer enormity overwhealmed me, but getting around town these past few days has really helped me appreciate the culture and the atmosphere and realize that it really isn't as scary as I thought!

I have to go now, and I don't know when I will next have an internet connection, but I'll try to stay in touch!

Abraços,
--Joy

Paulista

2006-07-15T07:17:00.000-05:00

the Office at IBE

Greetings from São Paulo!

Just a quick note to say that I got to São Paulo safe and sound yesterday, without experiencing a single riot or bus-burning! Yesterday morning I said all of my good-byes in Atibaia and then Paul, Micheli, and Naira drove me into São Paulo. I got a tour of the church where Ben Neff lives, called Primeira Igreja Batista de Esperança (First Baptist Church of Hope). The 7-story church was founded and built by missionaries in the 1970s (I think) and sits really close to the center of São Paulo.

Today I'm going to be able to get to know São Paulo by foot and by subway. Last year when we took the subway here in São Paulo, I was really impressed with how clean everything wasThis evening we have college group, and I'm looking forward to making more friends and spending time in fellowship! Tomorrow I'll be doing special music in the morning service, and in the afternoon, we'll take the bus to Araçatuba, at which point I do not know if there will be internet access.

Please continue to pray for safety--even though I'll be walking around with a 6'3" bodyguard today :-) I have to still remember I'm in the middle of São Paulo, Brazil!

Abraços,
--Joy

A First Time for a Lot of Things

2006-07-13T23:27:00.000-05:00

Ropes Course Trio
Originally uploaded by joywilson.

Greetings from Atibaia!

Although today was my last full day in Atibaia, it was also the day of many "firsts." Whenever you go out of the country, you just set yourself up for doing lots of things you've never done before, and today was jam-packed with new experiences in my life! We (Micheli, Naira, and I) spent the day in Joanópolis, which is about an hour away from Atibaia, where Micheli's family has their farm and her parents' bar. I was really excited about this because I love the scenery of the interior of Brazil--the rolling hills, grass, trees... I also got to spend some more time with Micheli's family, talking with her grandma for a long time and getting a tour from her dad. And I got to do a lot of new things!

Lopes Sitio

First #1: Today was my first time visiting a Brazilian "sitio." It is really common in Brazil to have more than one house, the second one being on a large piece of land in the "interior" of Brazil. This farm is called a "sitio." The Lopes family, besides their cute home in Atibaia (see previous blog) has a sitio in Joanópolis, which is buried beyond the rolling hills of the interior of São Paulo. Micheli's mom and dad have a little bar there, as well as a house on a cute little man-made lake complete with a dock for catching fish, which, by the way, was delicious. They have a lot of land and several animals, including a horse or two, a few pigs, some birds, and a lot of chickens/hens/roosters/etc. Micheli does not spend as much time at the sitio as her parents, but it is a really nice place to relax and enjoy fresh air. Nearby the sitio is a really tall waterfall, which we got to go visit. Micheli brought her camera and tripod, and we spent a good hour taking pictures. I put several of them on my Flickr account, which you can access by clicking on any of the pictures on this page.

Joy in the Air (haha)

First #2: Today I went on a ropes course for the first time ever! Nearby the waterfall is a cool ropes coarse, and when we went over to check out the rates for future visits, the owner, who knows Micheli's parents, offered to let us go for free! Fortunately, we had good tenis shoes on, so we strapped on our helmets and spent a breathtaking hour suspended over rushing water and sharp rocks, secured only by our own willpower and two very important cords harnessed around our waists. There were some guys down below who started taking pictures of us during our adventure, who we thought were employed by the ropes coarse to gather imagery for brouchures, but it turned out that they were just hobbyists passing through, and they gave us all 300 digital pictures for free! We had a blast in Joanopolis this afternoon, as you can tell!

Tomorrow after lunch I'll be headed for São Paulo to meet up with Ben at the church where he lives. I'll be staying with some friends of his, and will be helping out at the church on Sunday morning, after which Ben and I will head to Araçatuba by bus. I do not know when I will next have access to e-mail, but I will do my best to send a "safe arrival" message at some point. Please pray for safety--there was some rioting again in São Paulo today and even one bus-burning out here one town away from Atibaia. Although things are not nearly as bad as they were in May, Ben told me that much of the public bus system was shut down this afternoon. Most of my transportation once I'm in São Paulo will be by Subway, fortunately.

Keep in touch! Thank you for all of your prayers!
Abraços,
--Joy

Mirror Mirror on the floor

P.S. First #3: Today was my first time EVER winning a bowling game! I really don't know how it happened--maybe you were all praying for me, but tonight at our re-match, I actually WON a game!!!

Tour of the Lopes House

2006-07-12T21:59:00.000-05:00

Lopes House

Greetings from Atibaia!

I thought I'd tell you a little bit about Micheli's family, and their house where I'm staying. They live close to the center of Atibaia, which as about 100,000 people spread over several large hills. The Lopes house is behind the big blue doors in the picture. The pink paint is the beginning of her grandmother's house (their front walls are attached). Behind the doors is where they store the car. The whole house is about 10' wide, but it goes back pretty far. Micheli's room is in the very front, behind which is the kitchen with the side door to the outside walkway.

Most social activity here takes place between the kitchen and Micheli's room, which has already slept 4 at least once in these past two weeks! Naira is on break from college, so she has been spending the nights and days here this week. I love it when we do devotionals together before bedtime! Even though I can converse pretty well in Portuguese, talking about God and praying is a whole other level, especially because in Brazilian Portuguese, they use a whole different conjugation of verbs when talking to God, which of course, I did not learn in my University of Miami Portuguese 105 class. Naira has been helping me learn and giving me opportunities to practice using this special conjugation.

Behind the kitchen is the hall which has 2 more bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. If you walk outside behind the house, you get to the overhang where the washing machine and "solar dryer" (translated: clothesline) is, as well as the stairs down to the cellar and an extra storage room, where Micheli has some space to act as a photo studio. Yesterday I spent part of the morning doing laundry with Mrs. Lopes.

Mr. Lopes

Micheli's mom and dad spend half of the week in Atibaia, and the other half in Joanopolis, where they have the family farm and the bar that Mr. and Mrs. Lopes own. There are a lot of grandparents, aunts, and uncles, most of whom live within a mile or two from the house here--as I said, her grandma lives almost connected, and one set of aunt/uncle/cousins lives right there in the back. I feel very safe, because Atibaia is a pretty tight-knit town, and there's always a family member to look after you, even when Mr. and Mrs. Lopes are at the farm and Micheli and I have the house to ourselves. Tonight, a group of us from church went bowling, which was a blast! Sad to say, I'm just as bad of a bowler in Brasil as I am in the U.S, even though the lanes are shorter! At the end of the game, the scores were so close that we decided to have a re-match tomorrow night. My goal is to not come in last place! Woo-hoo!

It's at times like this when I step outside of myself and think, "Why do I feel so comfortable and accepted here? I'm this little fair-skinned kid with strange clothes and a heavy accent, lacking the Portuguese to fully participate in most 3-way conversations, with a degree in something that cannot get me a full-time job straight out of college anywhere in this country, here living off of people who make a quarter of what I would in the US, and I can't even bowl!" I put myself in the shoes of my Brazilian friends and seriously wonder if I would treat a stranger the same way in the US. I can only chuckle a little, shake my head, look heavenward, and say, "Wow, God, whatever You did to put me in a place where others would show me Your love and grace, I am thankful!!!

Tomorrow we are going to the Lopes family farm, and by Friday I'll be on my way to São Paulo!

Abraços,
Joy

Long Day in Campinas

2006-07-11T19:24:00.000-05:00

Very Silly Girls
Originally uploaded by joywilson.

Greetings from Atibaia!

Today was a long day spent in Campinas, which is about an hour away. Micheli's mom had to have a Catherism, (I think that's what it was), which was this 6-hour exam that turned into 8 hours in a doctor's office. Micheli (leftmost person in the picture), Naira (rightmost), and I (in the red) drove her to the doctor's, and spent the afternoon walking around the big mall in Campinas. Naira is in her last year studying to be a Physical Therapist, so today she taught me a lot of medical terms in Portuguese, which will be really handy when I translate for the medical mission trip the last week of July. I learned useful words like "itch," "glass," "immune system," "hyperglycemia," (I'm not even sure how to spell that in English) and "bladder infection."

Yesterday was spent here at the house. I helped Mrs. Lopes cook lunch (the most important meal of the day) and I wrote everything down so I can practice when I get back home. It was funny--some ingredients I had no clue what they were. There was one important liquid she used a lot called "Molho inglês," which I had no clue about until I smelled it and realized it was basically A1 steak sauce! Mrs. Lopes and I got to talk a lot about the different ways we grew up, and she had a lot of questions about "my country" and why I decided to come to Brasil in the first place.

These last few days have been a stark contrast to the rush of last week. It's actually kind of a struggle because even though I know that my job this week is to get to know and spend time with Micheli's family, something American deep inside me is saying, "But Joy, you're not DOing anything!" The long quiet miles in the car, the hours spent trying to read magazines in the waiting room. . . for a person who is used to multitasking everything, this is almost as hard as giving private lessons 8 hours a day. But at the same time, I have found myself turning to the Lord in prayer, realizing that He has pulled me out of the business of life to have a different Focus. I am praying for Micheli, for her parents, for her cousins, aunts, and uncles, for PIBA, for Ben and his studies, for the future, for Brasil. Thank you for all of you who have been praying for these things as well. Prayer does not need a plane ticket to reach a different continent or hemisphere, although it seems like God needed to send me away to teach me about Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication.

Tomorrow we will get to visit some friends and family, and hopefully head over to the family farm on Thursday. I'll keep you updated! Thank you again for the comments, e-mails, and most of all, prayer!

Abraços,
--Joy

Music Clinic

2006-07-09T21:49:00.000-05:00

Workshop Group
Originally uploaded by joywilson.

Greetings from Atibaia!

It's been a long time since I last wrote, but there has been a lot going on! Or, as they say here, things have been "bem corridos"

Saturday was the music clinic. I had been given pretty much free reign as to what we could do at the clinic. In the past few months, I thought a lot about Brazil's shortage of instrumental arrangements of worship songs. (By "instrumental arrangements," I mean written-out music for an assortment instruments to play to accompany congregational singing in a church service.) My initial response to fill this need last summer was to write arrangements myself of these Brazilian songs for the band at PIBA to play, but this year I realized that my clinic opened a grand opportunity to fulfill the old adage: "Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed him for life." So instead of coming to Brazil to write arrangements, I taught the students at the clinic how to write arrangements for themselves!

Workshop in Action.

The first thing we did was I conducted an "interview" with each instrument--I invited a person who played each instrument to come to the front, and we talked about the range of their instrument, what notes and keys were most difficult for them to play, how they made sound with their instrument, what parts of their body tired most easily, and whether or not their instrument transposed. This was a lot of fun because there were a lot of teenagers in the group and they liked showing off their instruments and learning about each other. After the interviews, we walked through an arrangement I had made, talking through the step-by-step process of arranging a song.

Then came the fun part--we divided into small groups, and each group had to come up with their own 8-part arrangement of an 8-measure excerpt of a praise song. It was fun to see everyone trying to work together and try out some creative ideas. During lunch, I quickly entered these arrangements into Finale on my laptop and printed out parts for all of the instruments so we could play through them (remember, a Brazilian lunch break is like 2 hours). It was cool for them to hear right away what they had written!

Pedra Grande view of Atibaia.

After the clinic, Micheli, Ben (who was here from São Paulo for the weekend), and I had a few free hours to go up Pedra Grande, which is the mountain that overlooks the city of Atibaia. The view was spectacular!!! It is a great place to parasail and there were a lot of people spending the afternoon on this "Big Rock." This part of Brazil is absolutely breathtaking. Even when we're driving in the car from one part of the city to another, I love just sitting quietly and soaking it all in--the hills, the trees, all the little houses, the bumpy roads...But the best part of Brazil is the people. The 7 weeks I spent here in Atibaia last year left me with lifelong friends, with whom I can not only communicate, but be myself! Last night, two friends came over here to Micheli's house and we turned on the music and had a "festa," just the 4 of us girls! I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard!!!

Today (Sunday), was my last Sunday at PIBA (already!) before I embark upon the next leg of my journey. I played the prelude for both the morning and evening services, the latter of which was a 4-hand piano duet of the hymn "My Tribute" that Wania and I pulled together at the last minute. At the end of the service, Cléía (the director of music here) invited me to come up to the front and she publicly thanked me for my help with the music program, and they prayed as a congregation for me and especially for my future ministry, whatever/wherever it might be. I was not expecting this, and I was really touched!

Speaking of, tomorrow begins my "real ministry," namely, spending time with Micheli's extended family, all of whom are all non-believers. We will be spending a little bit of time at the "family farm" an hour away, as well. Please pray that God would use me be His salt and light by sharing my heart for the Lord! God has been teaching me SOOO much, I feel it's like drinking from the fire hydrant. Please continue to pray that God would protect me from Satan's attacks. Thank you for your prayers! There is NO WAY I could be here without prayer!

Abraços,
--Joy

Singing Class

2006-07-07T09:31:00.000-05:00

Singing Class
Originally uploaded by joywilson.

So last night was my first big class, kind of a warm-up for the clinic I'll give on Saturday. By now, I have figured out that no matter how much I plan, everything always ends up being improvised in the end. Last night, I had planned on doing a lot of warm-ups and breathing exercises, and then we would talk about improvising harmonies, and by ear, we would create a 3-part arrangement of Aclame Ao Senhor (Shout to the Lord). The warm-ups were a lot of fun--we did a lot of breathing exercises and I had them doing sirens and sighs, which made everyone laugh because, well, I guess it sounds funny to have a room full of ambulances. But my idea about improvising an arrangement of Shout to the Lord (which I had done in another clinic last year) didn't really work too well in Atibaia for some reason. The crowd was a little older than I had expected, with 15 out of 20 being women, and at the beginning, we had a difficult time even descending a major scale in unison without going flat. So trying to teach how to hear harmony parts (alto, tenor, etc) ended up being such a subjective process that I scratched the whole idea after 2 times through the song.

Vocal Technique

So instead of the class improvising, it was me who improvised! It was late at night and we were tired, so we took a break from singing to talk about how the vocal folds function in the larynx (good thing I had printed out a diagram a few hours before!) and how to get rid of breathiness in our singing tone. We also worked a little more on intonation, and by the end of the class, the group had really improved and we learned a simple chord progression in 3 parts.

Thanks for your prayers for the class--I had been giving lessons all day every day since Monday, and my voice was really tired, but I made it through and slept really well last night! And as always when I'm teaching, I learned new Portuguese words from my students, like the words for "harmonic series," "larynx," and "row."

Brazilian Smiles

Brazilians are so friendly and accepting! I am SO thankful for this. Even though I constantly have to talk around what I'm trying to say because I don't know the words, and I'm always making mistakes, everyone is always willing to help. I have yet to meet a Brazilian who has anything less than a warm, grateful attitude towards a little American girl with broken Portuguese.

Tonight we have college group at the church--I'm excited to see all of the friends that I have yet to see again! Please pray for tomorrow's music clinic. I don't know how many people will be there, or what assortment of instruments, but I have a lot of materials we could go through. Please pray for my Portuguese tomorrow--that I am able to communicate effectively enough to share my heart for the Lord and my passion for music. Thank you again for all of your encouragement and support!

Abraços,
--Joy

São Paulo

2006-07-06T10:40:00.000-05:00

São Paulo at night

Greetings from Atibaia!

It's always kind of an overwhelming experience to go to São Paulo, even when it's too dark to see the forest of towering buildings that stretches farther than the eye can see from a rooftop. Yesterday after my lessons ended at 6:00, we went into the city (an hour away) for the weekly Bible Study that my boss gives for college students that live in São Paulo during the week and commute to Atibaia on the weekends. We are studying a translation of The Pursuit of God, which is an amazing book by A.W. Tozer. Doing this Wednesday Bible study last year was always one of the highlights of my week, and I'm glad to be able to participate again

São Paulo Bible Study

Last night we were on chapter 7, which is about faith. It was interesting to think about how something so simple can be so confusing. True Biblical faith is all about looking up to God instead of down to ourselves and to our circumstances. There will always be immediate problems and concerns in our lives, and instead of saying "I have faith that God will solve my problems," we are free to say, "Lord, You are Faithful!" and we can leave it at that! Just the fact that I'm in Brazil reminds me that I may plan out my life in my head, but it's often totally different from the plans that God has for me.

The Office at PIBA

Between classes, Micheli and I sit in the office and work on our computers. PIBA just built a new building with several classrooms, including a wing for music classes, and a new office that has cubicles for all of the pastors. Micheli and I share a desk in the reception area of the building, where we get to see the comings and goings of everybody. It is definitely a hopping place!

Tonight I will be giving a voice class--there will be about 30 people there, of all ages. I'm really looking forward to this--although I enjoy helping out in all ways possible, I'm more of a choir/piano teacher than an instrumentalist.

By the way, if you click on any of the photos in this blog, it will bring you to my page on Flickr, where you can view and/or download all of the photos I have uploaded from Brazil, including some that are not on this blog. So far, most of the pictures have been taken by Micheli, who is a great photographer. She has been taking some photography classes, and she has a really spiffy Nikon!

Até mais! (until later)
--Joy

Practicing Improvisation

2006-07-05T11:30:00.000-05:00

Making Music with Wania

Greetings from Atibaia!

Things are going beautifully in Brazil--I hope everyone had a wonderful Independence Day yesterday! I have been enjoying giving classes each day. With a lot of my students, we have been focusing on breathing and improvisation. Most of the students have not been taught to breathe correctly for playing an instrument, and it takes a lot of time to learn this and practice it.

I have also been doing improvisation with my students because those who participate in the church orchestra are often required to improvise their part off of a sheet with just the words and the chords. The younger players, who have just recently graduated from their first-year method books, find this extremely frustrating because all they know how to do is read notes off of a staff. So, I am trying to help them learn how to apply this knowledge to the notes that make up each chord, to help them feel more confident reading off of a leadsheet.

Mi and Joy on our computers

Last night Micheli and I had dinner at a friends house, and tonight we will be driving into São Paulo (1 hour away) with Paul (our boss) to do a Bible study for college students from PIBA who study in São Paulo. Micheli and I have been having a good time using our APPLE computers together in the evenings, as well as in the office.

Prayer Requests: Praise the Lord that my classes have not been too tiring, and they are halfway through! Pray for a safe trip to São Paulo, and a beneficial Bible Study.

Brazilian Music in the Church

2006-07-03T18:09:00.000-05:00

Sunday night

Greetings from Atibaia!

Today was a full day, but at a Brazilian pace. Micheli and I were the first ones to arrive at the church at 7:50 this morning, and the last to leave at 6:15. I got to give private lessons in flute, clarinet, trumpet, tuba, and a 5-minute piano lesson to Micheli, who successfully learned the first 6 notes of Chopin's Nocturne in Eb major in the key of F.

I also got to spend some time talking to Cleia, who is the director of music at PIBA. I told her about everything I had been thinking about during the year in regards to music, Brazil, and the church. The public schools in Brazil have two very interesting things about the way they are run: 1) Music is not taught in Public schools 2) Religious education is required in the public schools, and it is mostly accomplished from volunteers from surrounding churches (whether it be Christian, Catholic, Candomble, Satanism, whatever) who are willing to go into the schools every so often and do programs for the children. This means that there's a completely open door for anyone who has the time to come and bring the Good News. I met someone here last year who did this 5 days a week. He said that there were so many schools that wanted people to come in to teach "religion," but a huge shortage of willing volunteers. My dream is to one day do this as a full-time ministry--going into schools and of course using music to teach the Bible. Music reaches down deep, and it is something that kids can take home with them to even share with their families. This has been my dream ever since coming back last year--I don't know if or when it will ever happen, but it was really neat to talk with Cleia today about how she had also felt a great need in this area as well.

PIBA crowd
Originally uploaded by joywilson.

Anyway, what was interesting was that last night in the service at PIBA, the youth choir sang a piece with text taken from Psalm 40, but the music was distinctly samba, complete with samba rhythms and instruments like the Tamborim and Pandeiro. This created a slight controversy, even though the performance of this song was fully supported by the Pastor.

You see, last year, I had noticed that all of the music sung in the churches was distinctly American (though translated into portuguese), and I wondered why people didn't write Christian songs in the style of Brazilian music. Then, I realized that the Brazilian mind immediately associates the sound of Samba with the event of Carnival, which is a big lascivious festival in February, like Mardi Gras ...without as much clothing. Anyway, for a lot of Brazilians, samba music (as opposed to other types of Brazilian music like Bossa Nova) is inseparable in their minds with Carnival, and so to think of it appearing in church makes them horrified. On the other hand, there are many people who believe that Samba is an important part of a Brazilian's life, and so it should be used for the glory of the Lord like any other form of music.

Very silly girls, glad to see each other again.

I had given a presentation on this subject (Brazilian music in the church) at a conference last year, and I had thought about it so much that it was really cool to actually see a real-life example of this problem, since yesterday was the first time Samba had ever been performed at a PIBA church service. As an American, never having experienced Carnival, I have no problem supporting all kinds of music, including Samba, for the glory of God, but it gave me a new perspective to talk to some people today who disagreed.

I think this Blog entry has rambled on long enough! Keep in touch, and thank you SOOO much for all of the comments!

Abraços,
--Joy

Singing at PIBA

2006-07-02T15:41:00.000-05:00

Greetings from Atibaia!

These last 24 hours have been quite a whirlwind! I arrived yesterday morning, had a few hours to rest and have lunch at the house of Paul Gale (my boss) with Micheli (my best friend) and Ben Neff, my other MK friend. In the afternoon, there was the embarrassing World Cup game against France, and we immediately went to my friend Camilinha's wedding, which was beautiful! It is so good to be back in Brazil! Thank you to everyone who is praying for me, especially for my Portuguese! It was so easy to come back and fit right in! I feel so at home here--thank you for your prayers! Tomorrow will start a marathon of teaching that will really stretch my physical and emotional endurance. I'm staying at Micheli's house, so please pray also that I can be a witness to her parents, who are not saved.

Singing at PIBA

This morning at PIBA (Primeira Igreja Battista de Atibaia), I sang for the service the song that Mrs. Gale translated for me last year--"He Knows My Name." I'm glad to have the opportunity to jump right in serving! It went well, and I met several of the people who will be taking my classes this next week. My schedule is pretty full from 8 or 9 in the morning to 6 at night every day, giving private lessons in every instrument from oboe to tuba, plus some group voice classes. I'm really looking forward to helping out! This morning, the orchestra (well, group of instrumentalists) played in the service, and it was really cool to see how they have improved since last year, especially in the area of intonation.

Naira Micheli Tamara

Tonight at PIBA's main service, I will be singing "Lord Have Mercy" which I translated a few months ago. Pastor Mendes is going to be preaching about God's grace and mercy toward his people. The service is broadcast live over the internet, audio-only, at www.piba.org.br

See you soon!

Abraços,
--Joy

Brazil to USA, do you read me?

2006-07-01T09:07:00.000-05:00

I made it here safe and sound! Ben, Micheli, and Paul met me at the airport! The flight was fine, besides the 2-hour delay--I met two other girls who were coming to Brazil for the first time--they will be doing mission work for a month in Salvador. Just like Mrs. Pereira helped me through the airport last year, I was able to help them go through customs and immigration.

We're off to lunch at Paul's, and then to watch Brasil win a World Cup game, and then straight to my friend's wedding! Woo-hoo!

I'll post some pictures today or tomorrow!

Abraços (hugs),
--Joy

Brazil Trip 2006

2006-06-25T19:24:00.000-05:00

So here I am--a whole year has gone by and I am headed back to Brazil for one month! For you who were not around when I went last year, feel free to view those blogs in the archives (see link on the left).

This year, my trip will last from June 30-July 29, and will be divided up as follows:
--June 30: red eye flight to São Paulo, arrive Saturday morning in time for my friend Camilinha's wedding.
--July 2: Special music for the service at PIBA, the same church in Atibaia where I ministered last year. I will be staying at my friend Micheli's house.
--July 3-7: Teach private instrument lessons every day at PIBA
--July 8: Give a music clinic at PIBA for musicians from different Atibaia churches
--July 9: World Cup (Brazil stops)
--July 10-14: Continue helping out at PIBA, trip to the Lopes farm with Micheli
--July 15-16: Visit Ben Neff's church in São Paulo
--July 17-22: Travel with Ben (my boyfriend) to Araçatuba, SP; help with his uncle's youth camp
--July 23-29: Travel with Ben to Palmas, where we will meet up with a group of doctors from Boca Raton Community Church and translate for our medical mission trip.

I will hopefully be updating this blog throughout the trip with pictures, stories, and prayer requests! Please feel free to post comments (don't forget to sign your name)--I'd love to hear from people who are praying for my missions trip!

Abraço (hug),
--Joy

The Next Two Weeks--different blog

2005-11-27T23:23:00.000-05:00

The last two weeks I spent in Brazil was with a group of college students from my church. We had our own separate blog for this trip, which you can view at brccbrazil.blogspot.com . I was on the green team. Also, if you are reading this page and would like to see blog entries from before June 30, click on the "June 2005" and "May 2005" links under "Archives." EnJOY!

Surprise Party

2005-07-16T15:04:00.000-05:00

Surprise Party
Originally uploaded by joywilson.

Actually, I found out about it ahead of time. Last night they had a "come back soon" party at my friend Paulinho's house. I felt so honored looking around at so many people...new members of my extended family...people who I will cherish and remember for the rest of my life. The Gales were there, the whole Collins family, a lot of my friends from the Jovens group, some of my students, some people who work at the church...I feel so completely blessed!

I wish I could talk more, but I was supposed to have left 2 minutes ago. Until later!
Hugs, Joy

26 more hours...

2005-07-15T15:08:00.000-05:00

Trumpet Section
Originally uploaded by joywilson.

Greetings from Atibaia, Brazil! Wow, time flies.

Last night was my last class at PIBA--our last trumpet section rehearsal. Everyone in the church has been getting ready for their performance of David Clydesdale's Evidence of Grace, which will be next weekend. The trumpet section has a particular amount of comraderie and they've been arranging their own sectional rehearsals at night, which I've been attending and helping out in (my boss plays first trumpet). It was so rewarding last night when we finished by standing up and performing with excellence the final number of the "cantata," the piece we worked hardest on. It was so wonderful! I feel so honored to have been able to participate in this endeavor--it really is amazing the level of playing and musicianship that is emerging from such a randomly assorted group of Brazilians, for the glory of God alone!

Slumber Party
Originally uploaded by joywilson.

Wednesday night, we had a little slumber party at my apartment with Micheli, Ana, and Katia! I made pasta (Italian style with lots of fresh garlic) and we watched a movie. Sometimes I just have to sit back and realize how amazing it is that I have such wonderful friends here who are so loving and accepting, even if I can't speak their language very well and have a thick accent. The other day, I was trying to tell someone that my friend Ana was born in Brazil and lived in Atibaia with her parents, but I mixed up the word for "live" (morar) and the word for "die" (morrir) and instead I said that she was born in Brazil and died in Atibaia. Ana was sitting right next to me and when everyone started rolling on the floor laughing, I knew I'd said something wrong!

I mean, I think about how sometimes in the US people who can't speak English very well are looked down upon or treated as less intelligent, but here, I have only found love and encouragement. What an example! And what a blessing from God! Really, I was mentally prepared that this past month and a half could have been the worst 6 weeks of my life, but instead, it has been the best 6 weeks. Even now, I'm still finding out about things that God used me to do here that I didn't even know about when they were happening. God is SO amazing--He just takes one person's willingness to obey and that's all He needs!

Please pray for these last few hours here, that I'll be able to finish all the loose ends and be packed and ready to go meet the group from BRCC at 8pm tomorrow night. In case I can't update the blog again before I leave, the BRCC group has a different blog site that I'll be updating from the road: brccbrazil.blogspot.com There are 60 people coming from my church in Boca (Boca Raton Community Church), which will be divided into 3 groups once they arrive in São Paulo tomorrow. I am part of the Blue team, which is headed for Campinas for a week to do a Vacation Bible School for an orphanage there, and then to Vitoria for another week, doing the same type of thing. All 3 groups will meet back in Rio de Janeiro for the last few days before returning to the US on August 1st. Please continue to pray for us--that the people from BRCC will adjust to the culture well, that everyone will stay safe and healthy, and most of all that God would use us here in Brazil!

Hugs!!
--Joy

PIBA

2005-07-12T07:30:00.000-05:00

PIBA
Originally uploaded by joywilson.

Greetings from Brazil!

Things are winding down here as I realize I can count my remaining days in Atibaia on one hand. I posted some pictures of PIBA (Primeira Igreja Batista de Atibaia) on Flickr, which you can access by clicking the photo here on the right. I know it's kind of hard to get a feel of the whole place with only a few pictures, but I hope it helps. I posted captions under each pic to explain them.

Only one week left...!!

2005-07-09T19:31:00.000-05:00

My Apartment
Originally uploaded by joywilson.

WOW I can't believe how time has flown! I am only here in Atibaia for one more week before I join the group from Boca Raton Community Church. I have to say, I do NOT want to leave! It seems like I just arrived!

I decided I should probably post a picture of my apartment--here is where I live! I have never lived by myself before, and it's really nice because I can keep things as organized and clean as I want. And I have a great, already-furnished kitchen! I'm learning how to cook some different types of Brazilian food. Ironically, coffee was the hardest thing for me to master.

Strawberry Festival
Originally uploaded by joywilson.

These past few days have been great times of rest and relaxation and time with friends! It seems like each night there is a new thing to do--Thursday night we went clear out to another city to get "Massas," which I then learned was just pasta! Friday night some of us has fondue at a friend's house and watched a movie. Today I went with Thais and Micheli and Ana and some other people to the Atibaia Festival of Strawberries and Flowers. It was really fun! Fruit is sooo good here, especially the strawberries! Later this evening, we had college group and I got to see everyone all over again.

I am SO incredibly blessed by the friendships I have here. Brazilians are so warm and immediately accepting (I know I've said this before) and it feels like I've known these people for years.

In terms of prayer requests, I have a lot of praises that I just mentioned! This week I want to really crack down on writing some instrumental arrangements for praise band of some of the songs that I've been learning. There is way more work than I have time for, but pray that God would just give me the endurance and inspiration to do my best with excellence.

Hugs!!
--Joy

Back from Paraty

2005-07-06T12:50:00.000-05:00

On the Boat
Originally uploaded by joywilson.

Greetings from Brazil! We're back safely from a crazy week of war in Paraty!!

On Monday, we got the opportunity to take a ride in a boat of one of our students! It was sooo nice to relax and enjoy the scenery and the warm water! Definitely a break from the craziness of the previous few days. The Lord is teaching me over and over again how He is the only One in whom I can rely on--He is my consolation, my strength, and the reason behind everything I do. After being here for a month, it's suddenly dawning on me how absolutely alone I am, separated from my family and friends by oceans and continents. But it's when I get to this point that I learn that the Lord is my portion, and He is more than sufficient to supply both my spiritual and physical needs.

Indians
Originally uploaded by joywilson.

As I promised, here is the picture that I took at the Indian reservation with the lady who helped translate the Bible into Guarani, their native language.

Thank you for all of your prayers! Yesterday the team sat down and praised the Lord for all that He had done throughout the week. Even though almost nothing went as planned, God was in charge of it all. Sometimes it felt like we were totally helpless in situations, but we knew we just had to keep perservering in obedience. The quote of the year came from Pastor Joelison on Friday night, who said, "I don't know what God is doing, but we are in the middle of it!" The Lord was constantly affirming this week that we were in the center of His will, no matter what strange things were happening around us.

English Class
Originally uploaded by joywilson.

Monday night was our last church service, and we invited our students. Some of the boat people came to receive their Portuguese-English New Testaments! Laura Gale and I also recorded and burned practice CDs for the students with important phrases in Portuguese and English. It was humbling to see these big, burly, hard men of the sea shake hands and give hugs as they received their Bibles.

Paraty Team Girls
Originally uploaded by joywilson.

I have 10 more days in Atibaia before the group from BRCC comes and I join them for 2 weeks in Campinas and Vitoria. In these last few days, I will be continuing giving private lessons, helping Paul make a video to report our trips back to the church, and writing some more arrangements of Brazilian praise songs. At least, that's the plan for now--we'll see what else God has in store! Thanks again for your prayers!

Hugs, Joy

Spiritual Warfare

2005-07-03T23:25:00.000-05:00

englishclass
Originally uploaded by joywilson.

Greetings from Paraty, Brasil!
Here is a picture of my English class! Several key members of our team fell sick as soon as we got here (more on this spiritual warfare later) and I ended up having to take on one of the English classes, which consisted of mostly kids from the church (the other two classes were definitely non-church people). We didn't have any curriculum planned for people who were neither boat people nor hotel workers, so we did a lot of improvising in my class, and a TON of singing! Everyone's favorite song is "I Am Somebody."

Today was a life-changing experience as we went to visit an Indian reservation. One of the missionaries here works with the Indians and they just finished translating the Bible into their language. We went to visit, and wow, it was like I stepped into a National Geographic magazine. They really are resistant of newcomers, and they don't let you take pictures of them unless you buy something from them. We're talking about little bamboo huts and open fires for the pots and little half-naked dusty children with swollen tummies, little faces peering out of doorways, and old ladies sitting by the fire weaving baskets. The land is so beautiful and untouched--these people have their houses right next to gushing rivers and huge waterfalls and green mountains and steep cliffs. The missionaries just built a school--a one-room hut about 20 feet by 40 feet --so the people can learn to read and write in their own language. It was really sad because the people were so . . . hard. You could tell that the years had created such hurt and anger and pain. When we were walking past the school, there was this girl about 5 years old in raggety clothing wandering to and fro alone, just sobbing and sobbing and sobbing and if anyone went near her she just cried harder. I can only guess the cause for her sorrow, but it absolutely broke my heart.

I did buy a bracelet from one of the people so that I could take a photograph with this lady and her children. The pic is on someone else's camera, but I'll get it soon. She was weaving these really colorful baskets. She actually knows Portuguese and had helped the missionary learn the native language in order to translate the Bible. She lived in the valley right next to a really pretty waterfall, and she had a tube that pumped up water to the house. A little farther in the reservation was the little church they built. There was a half-built adjoining room they were hoping to use to offer classes--music, crafts, Portuguese--to the Indians, but they can't pay for anyone to continue building it, so the walls have been 2 feet tall for years and there's no floor or anything. At the end of the road was a beautiful beach with mountainous islands and fishing boats in the distance. It was so amazing!

Tomorrow we go on a boat ride! Maybe our Barqueiro will be someone who came to our classes! We're also having an English service in the evening. Tuesday we go back to Atibaia.

There is a lot of spiritual warfare going on here. It is so thick you can almost smell it. As soon as someone starts praying or preaching God's word, it's like Satan pulls all the stops--babies start crying, trucks start passing by, microphones start squeaking, kids start talking, the power goes out, flies start dive-bombing peoples' faces...as Pastor Joelison put it, we don't know what God is doing, but we are in the middle of it. People have been getting saved through the home visits and the church services. Last night we had a big outdoor service in the town square, and a lot of people showed up! There was a lot of music and Pastor Joelison preached. There are people from all over the world here--I even got to talk to two girls from Georgia Tech who are here for study abroad! When I was singing during the service, my eyes kept being drawn to these two people on the edge of the crowd. Later, I found out that they had traveled 250 miles on foot to Paraty because someone had told them there was a rehabilitation center here--they'd been kicked out of their families because of drug-related problems but had since become Believers and wanted to get a fresh start on life. In general, the people of Paraty are a lot different from in Atibaia. I'm used to Brazilian guys being semi-flirtatious, but here it's to the point of being a little scary. The tourist-y downtown area is pretty safe, but when we did some home visits, we saw a whole different side of this city. The church is located at pretty much the line between the touristy area and the "other side of the tracks."

Please be praying for Paraty, Brazil. Pray for the people, for the church, for the Indians, for the spiritual warfare here, and for our team. Pray for me also, that God would protect me and help me to glorify Him in obedience. I am so honored to be here where God has placed me. As Eulie says, "When God moves, so does Satan." We are really feeling that this week. Thank you for your prayers!!!

Hugs,
Joy

Paraty Boat People

2005-06-30T21:22:00.000-05:00

Paraty Boat People
Originally uploaded by joywilson.

Greetings from Paraty, Brazil!!

Thank you so much for you who are praying so faithfully for me! This week is definitely presenting its challenges. We are here in Paraty, a very tourist-y town in the state of Rio de Janeiro. The people are more worldly and materialistic than in Atibaia. The church is pretty big, but it's hard to find people there that really want to serve and follow the Lord with more than their lips.

Each afternoon, we do home visits to people who are unsaved--we do kind of a Bible study, a little, and we pray and give them a 4 spiritual laws booklet. Then, at 6pm, we give English classes for the boat people--the guys who drive the boats and often need to interact with English-speaking tourists. There are a lot of them that showed up for the classes! The Gales created a crash course that includes phrases that they need the most. Other people started coming to the classes, too, and today we had 3 groups. Immediately after the classes, we hold a church service. The people of the church lead the worship, Paul gives the message, I usually sing special music, and sometimes we give our testimonies.

As I said, thanks for your prayers. First of all, nothing that we thought we had planned turned out as we thought. We are having to do a lot of things for the service that we didn't think we would have to do, and a lot of the English classes are on the fly. Also, Micheli and Ana (organizer extraordinaire and pro English teacher) both came down with a horrible flu, and Sonya Gale (the other expert English teacher) lost her voice almost entirely. So, that meant that Laura Gale and I both taught English for the first time tonight! You can imagine that we did a lot of singing in my class!

Satan is attacking in a lot of other ways, like with people who fell through and leaders that we thought would be here but aren't. . . just a bunch of random stuff that would take too long to explain. This is a place that really needs Christ, and Satan knows it. Pray that hearts would be open to the Gospel, and that God would open the eyes of the people of the church. It is not a healthy church...our job was to come teach English, but it's looking like God has a lot of other jobs for us to do here!

We are tired and sick, but on the other hand I found a little music school and they invited me to come visit one of their classes tomorrow morning, so I'm looking forward to that! Also, some more people from PIBA are arriving tomorrow, which will definitely be a huge encouragement and help! One of the pastors heard of our plight and all of the other people that dropped out on us, and he's coming himself to help with the preaching and the evangelism! Thank you, Lord!!

Ok, thanks again for your prayers during this week! Ate mais (until later),

Joy

More Photos on Flickr

2005-06-28T08:24:00.000-05:00

Street Evangelism
Originally uploaded by joywilson.

I posted 9 more photos from Serra Negra on Flickr. To view them, just click on the photo here and on the new Flickr page you can navigate to the rest of the pics, as well as all of the other photos I've posted from Brazil.

Serra Negra

2005-06-27T10:41:00.000-05:00

Serra Negra Church
Originally uploaded by joywilson.

Greetings from Brazil!

Today is the one day I have in Atibaia in between two different trips! We just got back from Serra Negra, a little tourist town about 2 hours away from here. A group of Americans (high schoolers and a few adults) from Paul Gale's church came to help with a music clinic at this little storefront church, and we also did services at the church and an evangelistic performance in the plaza near the center of town. The town is pretty small, and the first thing we saw was a huge banner that said "Americans from Michigan--Free Music Clinic Friday and Saturday." Our picture was in the newspaper and the publicity really helped bring unsaved people to the music classes, and we were able to invite them to the various services we held during the weekend. At the last service on Sunday, there was an invitation for people to accept Christ, and several people made this decision.

A lot of the people in our music classes were not church people at all. I had 11 people in my keyboard class (two keyboards--everyone just stuck their hand in and each got an octave with which to play Happy Birthday, and everything was great!) and 8 people in my beginning guitar class. We also gave classes in saxophone, drumset, and advanced guitar. In my guitar class, 7 of the 8 people were under the age of 10, and their fingers could not exactly push down any of the strings. The one other person was 21 years old. So, we did a lot of singing! At one point in the class, we were singing a song about God and I asked if anyone could tell me who Jesus was. Nobody could tell me! I explained who Jesus was and what He did for us, and why I love him very much.

Serra Negra Church

On Saturday morning, we had the opportunity to watch the sunrise from the top of a nearby mountain!!! A lot of people were not happy about the 4:30 wake up call, but I'm a morning person so it didn't bother me too much. The beauty of it all really rivaled my favorite place to watch the sunrise in Boca (south inlet beach)--the mist in the valley below made it look almost like an ocean! We had breakfast and a special time of prayer on the mountain for Brazil and for our friends and families. Many of you who are reading this Blog were prayed for by name on Saturday morning.

We drove back Sunday afternoon, had a quick turnaround, and all attended the Sunday evening service at PIBA, the last service of what has been "Missions Month" at our church. Afterwards, I got to go out for pizza with a bunch of my Brazilian friends! I have to admit how wonderfully refreshing it was to be speaking Portuguese again, and hanging out with Brazilians. I love Brazil so much! The people and the culture and the language and the scenery. . . I feel so at home here!!! These past few weeks there has been a battle going on inside of me, as to my future. I was confused about post-graduation plans before I got to Brazil, but now I'm even more clueless!!! I thought I could just go to Brazil for 2 months and come back, and life would go back to normal. But this country has affected me far too deeply for me to ever be the same again.

Serra Negra Church

I don't know if God is calling me into the mission field, but I ask you to pray for me right now as I'm struggling with what to do with my future. The decision to be a full-time missionary is not one that can be made on a whim, without weeks or months or years of prayer. Am I willing to sacrifice everything (like, EVERYTHING everything) to follow the Lord? Am I willing to give up my dreams of living in beautiful Boca Raton near my family, being a music teacher at a Christian school, getting married and raising kids. . . not that these things could never happen, but I need to be willing to lay all of these things on the alter, no matter what path my life ends up taking. I want to follow the Lord with reckless abandon, to whatever corner of the earth I am called. Please pray that God will give me the strength to be a living sacrifice--to not try to take control over any part of my life, but let my Creator lead and guide me every day.

Well, tomorrow 9 of us are going to Paraty!!! Paraty is a really pretty historic town near Rio de Janeiro. It's far away, and we're going for a whole week to give English classes to the "Boat people"--the Brazilians who often are shuttling English-speaking tourists around the waterways. We are also working with a local church to do services in the evenings, which will mean lots more singing and playing. Most of our students will not be believers, so please pray for open hearts. I don't know if I'll be able to get internet access there, although I have a feeling Micheli will not be able to survive a week without technology so I'm sure we'll find a internet cafe somewhere. Oh, speaking of, there was an internet cafe in Serra Negra called "JOY.COM!" I didn't have time to go there, I think someone took a picture. Anyway, we return to Atibaia from Paraty on July 6. Thanks so much for everyone's e-mails!! Please understand if I don't have time to respond to everyone before we get back. Most of all, thank you for your prayer and encouragement.

Hugs,
--Joy

Michigan Missions Group

2005-06-22T19:24:00.000-05:00

Greetings from Brazil!

I'm sorry for the recent silence--we have a group of American high schoolers down here this week and it's been pretty busy! Yesterday and today were supposed to be spent camping on Pedra Grande, but due to weather we ended up staying at a little retreat center, playing soccer, doing team-building activities in the woods, and helping build a fence.

The best thing is that I got to try being a translator for the first time! WOW is it hard! I never thought I'd be translating after only 3 weeks here, and I still feel very unequipped, but I'm learning over and over how God chooses to use us because we are weak and because we lack the skills that God is ready to provide us with. Not that I could suddenly speak fluent Portuguese, but having faith that God had equipped me with the necessary abilities gave me the confidence to attempt a task I may never have tried otherwise.

Tomorrow the whole American group, plus some people from our church, are going to a tourist town called Serra Negra a few hours away. There is a small church where we will run a music clinic (I only have to teach keyboard this time, as far as I know...) and we will go into the schools, where they let us teach Bible to the kids. The public schools here are required to offer religious education, which means that we can come out and give them the Gospel plain and simple! It's an amazing opportunity! We will also be doing some street evangelism and taking part in a church service or two before coming back to Atibaia Sunday afternoon.

PIBA team

2005-06-18T17:00:00.000-05:00

PIBA team
Originally uploaded by joywilson.

I thought I'd post this picture so you can see some of the people I'm working with here. This was in Itapeva at one of the daughter churches of the one that we did the music clinic for. This particular building is only a teeny weeny room with a bunch of benches and they told us that they squeeze 60 people inside sometimes!!! People are so hungry for the Word of God--it doesn't matter what they have to do to hear it!

The people here are: me, Wania (a very talented musician that teaches piano for the city and various music classes at church), Paul and Sonya Gale (my boss/boss' wife), and the Itapeva pastor and his wife.

Right now, the church is absolutely buzzing! Almost every room has a different musical group rehearsing in some way. Tonight a whole group from the church orchestra and choir is going to perform at the opening of some building or something downtown. People heard that PIBA was putting together a small orchestra here, so they asked them to come perform! I am not performing with them (as far as I know) but I might get a chance to go listen! If not, I'll go to the college group tonight. I'm so blessed to be here! It is SO exciting to hear people praising the Lord in so many different ways! I'm finally feeling at home here--I walk through the church and see people I actually know. Today, Susan Collins took me to the drugstore where I bought TISSUES and to the Papeleria where I bought PENS, we went to the outdoor market this morning and I bought pineapple and tomatoes and pastels from the street vendors like a real Brazilian, I made risotto for dinner in my kitchen, I can talk to people in Portuguese and not realize I'm speaking a different language...this is beginning to feel like home!

Somehow, I'm getting the feeling that this summer won't be my last run-in with Brazil. . . we'll see where God leads!!!
--Joy

My Town

2005-06-16T18:29:00.000-05:00

Greetings from Brazil!

This place is hoppin'! Yesterday we had our second day in Sao Paulo. This time, we went into the old center of town via subway to what is known as the "armpit of Sao Paulo" to witness to one of Micheli's friends who works there. We didn't take anything of value with us, and I'm learning about being "street smart."

The subway was actually cleaner than the Metro in Miami, and later I realized that the whole time I was so worried about staying close to the others and not getting pickpocketed (although the only thing I had in my pockets was a personal alarm) that I didn't really absorb much of the sleeziness of the area. We got there about an hour early, so we walked around looking for a particular book (which we didn't find), but I was able to buy a Bible!!! I've been pretty desperate for a Portuguese-English NIV parallel Bible, because I only have 2 seperate ones, and my Portuguese one is an old translation that's so hard to understand that I gave up even bringing it to church. Now, it's really easy to follow along, and learn more Portuguese at the same time!

The lunch meeting with Micheli's friend went really well, so I hear--she and Paul talked to her, and Laura Gale and I prayed for them and ate at a different table at the McDonalds (I NEVER thought I'd enjoy eating at McDonalds this much). Afterwards, we had the college Bible Study and went home.

God has really been teaching me about His Will and His Purposes...so many times I view "today" as just preparation for something in the future. I have this mindset that I'm just in training before the really "important" stuff comes my way. But that's totally wrong! First of all, I'm not looking for "God's Will in my life"--I'm seeking after "God's Will," period. And His Will is for me to OBEY--today! Each day is a task that God wills for me to accomplish. Yes, He has prepared me for it through past experiences, and yes, He is in the process of forming me to be ready for tomorrow's mission, but I need to remember that we're dealing in real-time here. Every person I run into, every job I do, every word I say, has a purpose for today. God doesn't need me to accomplish His Plan for the universe, but I am honored that He wants to use me anyway. And this is not a privilege to be taken lightly!

Today I gave 4 private lessons, invited Micheli and Paul over for lunch, and practiced the piano. Tomorrow night I'm playing background jazz and singing at a Valentine's Day dinner for the church (yes, it's V-day here.) I translated the song I sang at Nick and Tyreen's wedding and I'll be doing a few jazz standards. They're working hard to decorate the hall and provide lots of good entertainment--It's going to be a really romantic evening (Paul says it will be ro-tic for me...romantic without the man) and a lot of my friends will be there, so I'm looking foward to it!

Atibaia, Brazil

By the way, this is my town. You can click on the picture to see a larger version. I took this pic on the way back from Itapeva. You can see the Pedra Grande mountain which overlooks it (translated: "big rock"). On Tuesday, 15 of us are going up there to camp and go rappelling!! Woo-hoo! The city is really cute, and it has a little downtown within 10 minutes walking from the church where I can go grocery shopping or to the bank or get esfihas (little pizza-pastry things) or whatever. By the way, if you ever go to Brazil and order pizza, you may be surprised to receive peas, corn, and cream of chicken soup on a bed of provalone. Speaking of food, my neighbor taught me how to make Brazilian beans and rice!!! It is soooo good!!!! I could seriouslly live off of it for the rest of my life--no offence to any Cubans, but it tops black beans and rice by a million miles. I also technically learned how to make Brazilian-style coffee, but I'm having more difficulty mastering this one. Go figure.

Please pray that I get un-sick. I caught Micheli's flu during the Itapeva trip (I hope that's what this is and not some Amazon wild animal disease). I'm pretty good at pretending I'm not sick and going on with my life, but I need to just take it easy if I'm going to be well enough to survive a camping trip on a big rock in the middle of winter. I'm really glad I brought some Sudafed with me, but I've been having trouble finding kleenex or any kind of tissues here, which kind of stinks for my nose (hahaha). I'm rationing the 3 kleenex I have left in my travel pak.

Ok, thanks again for all of your prayers and all the nice e-mails and Blog comments! It is really encouraging to stay in touch with everyone! I have to keep reminding myself that I have a job to do here and I can't spend as much time as I'd like writing long e-mails and blogging, but it is really great that I can still keep in contact with everyone.

Hugs!
--Joy

Pics from Itapeva

2005-06-14T15:31:00.000-05:00

Itapeva Church

Here are some pictures from our trip to the interior of Brazil!

The church was very small, but they fit a lot of people on those benches! It was amazing that a church this size still had a real missions mindset and was already supporting at least one other church in an even smaller city.

Recorder Class
Originally uploaded by joywilson.

The music clinic we gave consisted of classes in recorder, guitar, voice, worship leading, and piano. Wania is a talented musician who helps on the worship team at PIBA, and she and I split up the classes.

Guitar Class
Originally uploaded by joywilson.

Most of the recorder students were either very young or over age 14, and the guitar class had mostly teenagers. The guitar students were at so many different levels--some had never touched a guitar before, and some were better than I was at guitar. We ended up splitting into 2 groups and sharing guitars for the people who didn't have them. The first group learned "Jesus Loves Me" on the top three strings, and the second group worked on "I Could Sing of Your Love Forever."

Radio Show
Originally uploaded by joywilson.

The Itapeva pastor has a weekly radio show on a Christian AM station. This Saturday, he interviewed us about the music clinic and I sang in Portuguese and English.

For more details on the Itapeva trip, you can read my blog entry called "God Deals n Big Proportions."

God deals in BIG proportions!

2005-06-12T10:36:00.000-05:00

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

Sao Paulo Day

2005-06-09T18:31:00.000-05:00

São Paulo Church
Originally uploaded by joywilson.

Greetings from Brazil!
Yesterday was so amazing! A few of us went into São Paulo to encourage some of the members of our church who work in the city during the week. It was such an eye-opening experience for me in a lot of ways.

The first thing when we got to Sao Paulo was get lost. Actually, we didn't really get lost, but we took a wrong turn and since the roads are so poorly planned, it took us an hour to figure out where we were and get back to where we started. The plus side was that I got a little tour of the city! I couldn't believe how it just kept going and going, building after high rise after high rise, and they tell me I only saw a teeny portion of the Sao Paulo.When we passed some of the favelas (slums), it was overwhealming to try to take it all in. Not so much living conditions, but the sheer number of people there were. I don't have any pictures of this. I couldn't help but think about how places like these in Brazil birthed the samba schools. The most significant and important forms of Brazilian music and dancing came from the poorest, least educated people.

Churrascaria
Originally uploaded by joywilson.

The second thing we did was visit a church in the city that was rebuilding itself (inside and outside) after having a rough past.

Then, we went to a churrascaria for lunch! Let me tell you how it works: First of all, there's a salad bar that includes things like dumplings, fried chicken, stir fry, raw ground beef, veggies, rice, and fejoada. Then, you get to your seat and these guys come around with huge stakes of meat. You just tell them which one you want, and they cut it right there on your plate. For those of you who know how much I generally dislike meat, you will be proud to know that I even ate half of a chicken heart (now I'm really a Brazilian!)

After lunch, we made the drive to another part of Sao Paulo to a church member who hosts a college Bible Study each Wednesday night. A lot of the church members go to school in the city, so this Bible Study is a good way to break up the week and help students keep on track in their walks. We talked about what it means to remain in Christ. Since coming here, I have been on "Brazilian Time," which means that everything has a laid back, it-happens-when-it-happens attitude. After spending most of my life as someone who had a heart attack if I was 30 seconds late for class, it is an unexpected surprise that Brazilian time doesn't bother me at all. In fact, the best thing that happened to me was having my watchband break in the Miami airport. I never know what the exact time it is unless I dig my watch out of my pocket, which maybe happens twice a day. But that's how things go here--everything is chronological, but not according to a scedule. It's not about getting things done, it's about developing relationships. And I'm realizing that because I'm not so stressed out about DOING stuff and GOING places, I can spend as much time as I want KNOWING people...most importantly Christ...more and more. This is the foundation of remaining in Christ.

São Paulo Roof
Originally uploaded by joywilson.

At one point, some of us went up to the roof of the apartment building. No matter which way you turned, you were looking at São Paulo. A concrete rainforest of building after building after apartment building that stretched as far as the eye could see in all directions. If you click on the photo, you can see how the buildings just keep going! So many people--I can't even begin to fathom the 20-30 million people that live in the São Paulo area. (Just imagine the rush hour congestion if they all had cars!) The sunset from up there was gorgeous--the pollution made for lots of different colors!

São Paulo Sunset
Originally uploaded by joywilson.

So that was yesterday (Wednesday). Today, I tried to catch up on some backlogged e-mail, and I gave 4 private lessons in the afternoon (tuba, trombone, flute, and saxophone). They all went pretty well, especially the tuba and trombone. Thank you to everyone who helped me get a crash course on these instruments before summer started! It's really helping!

Tomorrow we're going 4-5 hours into the interior of Brazil to an itty bitty church where we'll run a music clinic. I just found out that my responsibilities will include teaching a 4-hour guitar class (how in the world am I going to teach a 19-person guitar class for 4 hours straight without any books or materials and only 3 guitars? Any ideas? Please e-mail me quickly!) and a similarly long but bigger recorder class with just as few recorders. We'll probably also do some singing and playing at the church service.

Please pray for supernatural teaching abilities. To me, especially after just having finished an $80,000 band budget project for a class at UM, the task ahead of me seems beyond impossible, especially with no preparation time (and the car ride is going to be too bumpy and windy for me to do any work without getting sick). But I know that this is the Lord's work, and He will provide a way for me to pursue it with excellence because He has chosen me for this job. I am still clinging to His promise to make His strength perfect in my weakness.

FYI-How to Post a Comment

2005-06-09T06:38:00.000-05:00

Several people have asked how to add a comment to a blog post. You do not need to be a Blogger member! Here's how:
1. Click on "Comments" at the bottom of a post.
2. Choose the identity "Other."
3. Type in your name.
4. Type in your comment. Be aware that the blog owner AND everyone who visits the Blog will be able to read your comment.
5. Click on "Publish your comment."
6. That's all!

Prayer Requests and Praises

2005-06-08T07:32:00.001-05:00

Greetings from Brazil!
I just wanted to give you a few prayer requests and praises for the next few days.

Praises:Moving into the apartment at the church went really smoothly. I have a lot of space, and I feel really safe. I think I have a minor allergy to something in there, but it hasn't bothered me too much so far. I've made a lot of friends and a few of us went downtown last night for dinner, which was really fun, especially when I could follow what everyone was saying. I dreamt in Portuguese for the first time last night! Woo-hoo!!

Prayer Requests:
I have my first out-of-town trip today! A few of us are going to Sao Paulo today. I'm not totally sure what we are doing there, but they told me to bring my Bible. Pray for safety, both driving and while there in the city. It's the 3rd largest city in the world and I've heard it's really exciting! Also, please continue to pray for my Portuguese. It's getting better, but there's still a long way to go. Yesterday, I gave a tuba lesson and my lack of tuba knowlege combined with my lack of Portuguese knowledge left me feeling like my hands were tied behind my back. I'm not getting overwhealmingly frustrated or anything, but I just wish I could help some more.

Oh, yeah, by the way, anyone is welcome to shoot me an e-mail at joywilson @umiami.edu. I'd love to talk!

Hopefully some more pics will come later today or tomorrow!
--Joy

New Friends

2005-06-06T18:04:00.000-05:00

New Friends
Originally uploaded by joywilson.

New Friends!!!

This picture is from Saturday, when we had college group. It has been so cool to meet and be embraced (quite literally) by so many people!

Today I moved into the apartment at church. I'd been staying at the Collins' house until the apartment was ready. Today, Susan Collins took me to the bank to exchange dinero and then to the supermarket, where she showed me around (thank goodness!) and helped me figure out what to get. I'll be on my own for 3 meals each day, but I at least I have a kitchen! It came with even a microwave and water filter and a pressure cooker, so I can make beans and rice. There was also a filter-thing that I think I could pour hot water through to make coffee. It's also really cheap to get delivery here (pizza or like rice and beans or whatever), but I think I'll need a little more practice with portuguese before attempting that venture.

At the moment, I'm feeling a little un-missionary-like. I'm sitting here with an internet connection (at church--I'm in the office with Micheli), tonight I can take a warm shower (I've never seen an electric shower before! It's kind of scary that there are wires and a live coil in the shower...), I have a refrigerator and working stove (it's cool--you light it with a match), a washer that works most of the time and a solar dryer (translated: clothesline). At the store today, I was able to buy things like Danon yogurt, skim milk (in a box!) and Dove soap. Don't worry, I'm trying to get the Brazilian experience--I got stuff to make rice and brown beans, Brazilian cereal, Brazilian tea, and dough for pão do queixo (cheeze bread), except I just found out that my oven doesn't work (so if anyone wants some frozen cheeze bread dough, let me know).

All this is reminding me of the sermon at church last night. I sometimes think of missionaries like heros: SUPER-MISSIONARIES. It's almost like I thought in the back of my mind that by going to another country I would be transformed into some amazing hero who could do anything and be anything and go anywhere. That's not true! I forget that missionaries are ordinary sinful people who have ordinary problems and live ordinary lives. In fact, we are all called to be missionaries, in whatever place (whatever job, whatever family, or if you're Steve Ross, whatever line in the grocery store) God puts us in. Also, I was reminded yesterday again that God doesn't need me. He is big enough and powerful enough and sovereign enough, but yet he chooses to use me anyway. What a privilege! And how cool that He is letting me do it in such a fascinating place with such wonderful people!

PIBA #2

2005-06-05T21:02:00.000-05:00

Here's the part of the church where the offices and classrooms are. You can see the 2 church apartments, which make up the second story on the far upper left corner. There is a room with a piano just down stairs that I can use to practice.

PIBA #2
Originally uploaded by joywilson.

PIBA

2005-06-05T21:01:00.000-05:00

Me with Mi (Micheli), a new Brazilian friend who I'll be working closely with this summer at PIBA (Primeira Igrega Batista de Atibaia)

PIBA
Originally uploaded by joywilson.

First Rehearsal

2005-06-04T22:38:00.000-05:00

Joy with some of the collins kids
Originally uploaded by joywilson.

Highlight of the day #1: Running my first rehearsal in Portuguese! I helped run a trumpet sectional this morning. It was a good first experience because there were only 6 of them and a few spoke English and helped me learn words like "sixteenth note" and "sharp," etc. They also corrected me when I accidently started calling my baton a potato.

Highlight of the day #2: College group meeting tonight! Brazilians are so warm and friendly and welcoming,and I felt right at home! It was wonderful to praise God with fellow believers under a huge sky with LOTS of stars!

Here's a photo of me with some of the Collins kids in Atibaia! (Becky, Daniel, and Joshua) The weather has been pretty nice, even though it gets cold at night. I've really enjoyed the HILLS and the STARS, as well as the people.

The First 24 hours

2005-06-03T19:27:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone, thank you so much for your encouragement and your prayers, and especially for the comments posted on the Blog! They mean so much to me!

I won't be able to post any pictures for at least a day or two more, but I wanted to just give a quick update on what is going on. Today I had my first meeting with my coworkers at church (Paul Gale, Micheli Lopes, and some others) about what will be happening this summer. Paul, who is a missionary from Michigan who is a pastor at the church speaks English, but the meeting was in Portuguese, and after an hour of trying to understand what was going on, asking questions, and trying to comprehend the answers, my brain was fried!! Fried in a good way. Like how your muscles hurt after a long workout. :-) Today was so exhausting, and all I was doing all day was trying to understand what was going on around me! It is definitely a humbling experience to feel so ignorant, tongue-tied, and otherwise confused to everyone I meet! Good thing smiles are universal. :-D

Anyway, here is my schedule as it stands for right now:

Tomorrow: Help out with a trumpet sectional in the morning, go to the college and career group in the evening with Micheli, a girl my age who I've been e-mailing for a few months. She works under Paul and is a total sweetheart, although right now she is in a lot of pain because she just broke her collarbone in a car accident and has to wear a pretty uncomfortable brace.

This week: I move into the apartment on Monday and will hopefully start teaching soon thereafter. I found out that I'll be teaching private lessons (not classes, thank goodness!) in trombone, french horn, tuba, and probably some other random instruments and I could even have a translator if I wanted. (Me? A tuba teacher? Ok, Lord!)

Each week: Help Paul Gale with arrangements during the day, teach during the afternoon. Wednesday nights are band rehearsals (I don't teach these, thank goodness!) and Saturday afternoons are choir rehearsals (I get to sing in the choir!!)

June 9-13 Trip to Itapeva: Itapeva is a city in the interior of Sao Paulo, about 4-5 hours away. The church there has services that are broadcasted live on the radio, and they want me to sing. I'll probably sing "He knows my name," which I've already translated into Portuguese and I have a trak for. I'll also be teaching a recorder class and helping out the percussion section a little. (Me? A drum teacher? Ok Lord!!)

June 17: Valentine's Day-type thing, Brazil-style--I'm singing and playing at a dinner for couples at the church. I think Sonya Gale (Paul's wife) is going to translate the song I wrote for Nick and Tyreen Heybeck's wedding so I can perform it then. (is that ok with you, Nick and Tyreen?)

June 21-23 Pedra Grande: Camping trip with the college and career group to a beautiful mountain that we can see from the church. I didn't tell them that I've only been camping once in my life. ;-)

June 23-26 Trip to Sierra Negra: I think this is similar to Itapeva--a mini-masterclass type trip into the state of Sao Paulo. For this one I'll probably be doing more vocal coaching.

June 28-July 6 Trip to Paraty: This will be so fun! Paraty is 4 hours away, p retty close to Rio de Janeiro (it's the old historic section). We will be doing some English classes here. (Me? An English teacher? Ok, Lord!)

Ok, that's a lot of information. I am glad that I finally kind of know what I'm supposed to be doing. Maybe I still am not confident of my ability to do it, but I know that God has me here on purpose, and so by default, He is going to either supernaturally bless me with ability beyond what I currently posess (in teaching as well as Portuguese) or provide unexpected help (like He did on the plane ride here).

Our God is SO good, and SO sovereign! (What a good combination, right, Pastor Mitchell?) I mean, think about it--He could have just as easily put me somewhere where I'd be, like, teaching piano or choir or something that I feel confident in myself about doing. But how horrible would it be if I were confident in my own abilities?? I know that the absolute only thing I can be confident in right now is the Lord and His promises to give me (exactly) what I need to do His work today (no more, no less). I know that any good that comes out of these next few months will only be by His grace and not by my power. Zechariah 4:6 says it best, in a prophecy about Zerubbabel's upcoming ventures in battle: "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord Almighty."

On that NOTE (haha)...here we go, Lord! Day #2 awaits us!

--Joy

Brazil to USA, do you read me?

2005-06-03T05:56:00.000-05:00

Just a quick post to say that I arrived safe and sound and am in the great hands of the Collins family! The biggest surprise was that Mrs. Pereira (a woman from BRCC who has helped me with learning Portuguese and will be on the Oasis trip to Brazil in July) was on my flight to Sao Paulo! God is so good!
--Joy

Project Alegria: An Overview

2005-05-26T15:07:00.000-05:00

Greetings!
Thank you so much for being willing to pray for my mission trip to Brazil. I hope you will continue to check this blog regularly, as I will be updating it periodically with pictures, news, and prayer requests. For now, let me just give you an overview of why I am going to Brazil this summer in the first place!

First of all: Why "Project Alegria"? Actually, "Alegria" means "Joy" in Portuguese. My hope and prayer is that this summer, God would be able to use me and the gifts He has given me to bring the joy of the Lord through the hope of Christ to Brazil. Pun intended!

I really wanted to teach overseas somewhere this summer, and God opened the door for me to teach music in a city outside of São Paulo, Brazil, called Atibaia. There is a large church there called Primeira Igreja Batista de Atibaia (www.piba.org.br) which is attended by a missionary family from Boca Raton Community Church--Ken and Susan Collins.

The church hosts an after-school music education program as well as english classes. As far as I know, my duties at PIBA wil involve teaching instrumental music (trombone, saxophone, french horn, and tuba), helping the music ministry with some praise team arrangements, playing/singing at various events, and possibly teaching an english class or two. I believe that several weekends might be spent making trips to the interior of the state of São Paulo and hosting mini-music-retreats for other churches in the area. I will be living by myself in an apartment adjoined to the church.

Here is a picture of some of the people I will be working with at PIBA: (The Gale family and Micheli Lopes)

I will be ministering in Atibaia from June 2 - July 16, 2005. On July 16th, I will meet a group of over 50 people from Boca Raton Community Church who are coming to Brazil on a short-term mission trip! 22 of us from the Oasis college group will then travel to Campinas (another suburb of São Paulo) where we will conduct a 3-day Vacation Bible School at an orphanage called City of Youth. On Saturday, July 23rd, we will fly to a different orphanage called Hope Mountain in the city of Victoria, where we will do a week-long Vacation Bible School. I will be involved with the music team as we lead worship (in Portuguese!) at each event. On July 30, we will meet the other 28 BRCC people in Rio de Janeiro and I will fly back into Miami the evening of July 31!

Whew! This is crazy! Here's a small map to give you a spacial idea of where I will be this summer:

Prayer Requests:
My greatest fear at the moment is the language barrier. I have been studying Portuguese for only a few months, and I know that this is an area where the Lord's strength will have to be made perfect in my weakness, especially because I will have to teach and work and sing in only Portuguese. Please pray that God will give me understanding/retention, give other people patience, and give me the grace and endurance to persevere, especially during those first few weeks. Another fear is just the fact that I'm going by myself and living by myself for a long period of time. I have already made some Atibaia friends over e-mail and phone, but it will be easy to fall into the temptation of feeling lonely and isolated. I know without a shadow of a doubt that this is what God wants me to do with this summer, and I have complete faith that He will provide me with exactly what I need to serve Him! He has already provided over and above my monitary needs, and now I know that prayer will be the vehicle by which God will provide everything else.

Thank you so much for your prayer and support!

Abraços, ("hugs")
--Joy Wilson