OOhhhh we're half way there...!

Hey there! First of i would like to say yes, i did just go Bon Jovi on you guys! lol but i thought it was fitting considering that today is the 3 month mark of this journey! thats right, its already half over! crazy right?
This week was a good one! Billiam left on tuesday which was sad, (we all miss you Billiam!) but it just got better from there! Wednesday was a national Brasilian holiday so we didnt have school! instead we went to the beach with a group of more than 20 teens! we swam in the ocean, raced on the dunes, played volleyball and soccer, and several of us got pretty burnt in the process! It was a lot of fun!
Thursday at Childrens worship there were a few new songs so the kids had fun with that. one of them is the portuguese version of "Im in the Lord's Army"! Dont you all remember that one from sunday school? haha. the funny thing is, the motions to the song are exactly the same, only thing different is the lyrics.
The most exciting day this week would have to be Friday! "Why is that?" do you ask? Well first off, since we didnt have school on Wednesday, the optional bible study at school was moved to Friday. So i asked one of the girls in my class who i hang out with a lot, Brenda, to come with me. (she has told me she believes in God, but i dont think shes a born again christian) She was heasitant to come at first and said no cuz she didnt have a bible or anything but i told her that was ok, so she ended up coming. The study is lead by two senior girls that are true believers. They asked me to open up in pray in english and said "We're not gonna understand anything, but God understands it all," which is so true! Their devotion was on Psalms 1 and how when God changes your life, its important that you surround yourself with friends who will help you grow. Brenda was engaged the whole time and even responded to some of the questions that were asked. After the lesson i asked if she liked it and she said she did and she wanted to go again next week! Please pray that God moves in her heart so shes open to what He has to tell her at the study on Wednesday! So then, after school was over, we went home and i had a little time to go over my devotional for the teen meeting, and i also squeezed a nap in before it was time to go to Playground. I spent the whole time pushing the little kids on the swings and talking with this boy named Fernando. hes pretty cute! Then after that we went straight to Worship for the Pre-teens and got to dance to the new songs with them and hang out. From there i went and grabbed my bible and notes and got ready for the teen meeting. The teens devotionals this week were again well thought out and from the heart! We're keepin it going next week with Itelo, Claronice (sp?), and Barbara and Roberlanhe (again, sp?) who are going to do theres together. My devotional this week was about the relationship between us and God being like a friendship. I talked about how we were His enemies, but through the reconciliation of Christ's sacrafice, we are made His friends! (John 15:14-16 and Rom. 5:10-11 were two of my references if you wanna check 'em out.) but at the end i said that if anyone there had not yet recieved that reconciliation, but wanted to become God's friend, they could do that tonight. I asked Erika to pray and she said if anyone wanted to make that decision, that they could talk to Pastor Eudes or her or Manhia or me after the service. So we moved on and started planning different ways to raise money for the retreat this summer (each teen has to pay their own way. 50 bucks!) We broke it into teams actually, boys v.s. girls! We're going to be doing stuff like selling snacks and having raffels, and in the end we'll see who raises the most money! hah! When we finally finished the meeting and got ready to pray, Pastor Eudes shared with everyone that one of the new guys who has been coming, Fabrissio, had talked with him, and he had made the decision to follow Christ and make Him his Savior!! Praise the LORD!!! God had specifically placed Fabrissio on my heart all week as i was planning my lesson, and the Holy Spirit really worked through all the Scripture that was shared that night, and by His Power we now have a new member in the Family of Christ! Hallelujah!
Thank you so much for keeping everyone on your hearts and in your prayers! This first 3 months have flown by, despite some moments of slowness, and i have a feeling these last 3 are really gonna go quickly! Thanks so much for your support! I give all of the glory of what has happened here to my God and Father! He is the Hope, the Truth, and the Reason for all that i do! Thank you, God, for using me for your glory! i love You!
Until Next Time,
Jo