We're Back!!

We made it back, safe and sound in the US. After a 4 hour delay in Dallas we made it home last night at about 6. We are glad to be back home with our families, because let me tell you we missed you guys, but part of our hearts are left in Brazil.

The faces of the people of Anori we will never foget. The stories of hope that came out of Life Mission will continue to encourage and give us hope everytime we think of them. The faces of the kids at ACDD will always bring a smile to our faces. Our lives were changed on this trip. We were able to see God in so many different aspects of life, realizing his power and majesty in the most remote parts of the country. Thank you for supporting us so much during our travels, for the prayers and financial support.

We encourage you to ask us about the trip. We all have a different story of how the Lord worked in us and through us and would love to share it with you!

one last time from Brazil

Hello faithful blog readers!

We are currently in Rio enjoying the last few hours of our trip. We have been blessed beyond anything we could imagine, I mean to have church last Sunday on the Amazon and this Sunday on the beach, I don´t think there is anything more we could ask for.

We have spent the last couple of days here in Rio, seeing some of the sights and winding down. We are sad to leave, but also excited to come and share our experience with you. God has blessed us by meeting some amazing people. From the people on the boat, to the little homeless boy here in Rio, we have been moved to tears.

Continue to pray for us as we have almost 24 hours of flight and airport time in front of us.

See you on Tuesday!

ps. continue to look for pictures because once we get back to the states we will be putting a few up here, and also to let you know we made it safely!

lots of pictures for you!

Well, we have been busy it seems these last couple of days.


Yesterday we arrived in Iguassu and headed straight for ACDD, which is Christ Association for Disabled and Handicapped. While there we were able to play with and hang out with about 30 children and adults with disabilities. Our eyes were opened and our hearts were touched by their smiles. One girl, Victoria, came running up to us the minute we walked in the door. We played catch and held hands and helped them onto the buses to go home for the day.















Today we had the opportunity to go and visit Iguassu Falls which has over 250 waterfalls. We walked through the park and admired God's amazing creation. We took pictures and videos so that we could share them with you all, but pictures won't do it justice.
















the guy on the right is ken, he joined us for the trip. he's cool..we like him!


We just want to say thanks to everyone who is reading our blog and praying for us. We love being able to share our experiences with you and how the Lord is working in us and through us. Feel free to leave a comment if you want.

Life Mission

13 lives were changed today. The group from the small town in Kansas experienced the overwhelming presence of God today through 110 men who used to be homeless.

Today we visited the Missao Vida, Life Mission, in Annapolis. This organization goes out to the beggars in the city and offer them soup and then offer them the opportunity to come to the mission and experience a life change. They first spend 3 months in a detox clinic and then head out to a ranch where they spend the next 7 months working and gaining the skills needed to become integrated back into society. In the last 3 years, 70 of them men that have come out of this mission have become ordained pastors. We were able to go to church with them and watched some of the most authentic worship to the Lord that we have seen here. We left with our cups being filled and overflowing with the love of Christ.

Tomorrow we head out to Iguacu to work with a handicapped mission. We are excited to see what the Lord has in store for us!

4 Americans and a cheeseburger

Here is what happened today...


After hanging out today at the resort we decided to go to town to shop around at a little shopping center right off the river. We were walking around, looking at some very expensive items and found some ice cream. Let me tell you it was quite yummy.


But then....


The big story.


We were all talking about how much we miss American food. Jonathas, the head of the mission, was listening to our conversation and said he would see if he could find us a hamburger. Turns out, the hotel we were by had a Brazil cafe on the 3rd floor. Four of us went upstairs to find what we had been waiting for...an American cheeseburger. It was the best thing that we have bought in Brazil and well worth the money!





the hamburgers were big...really big. And they came with fries.

parrots..and other brazilian experiences

We are updating this while looking out over the Amazon river...pretty cool huh? Yeah I know we wish you were here too!

We finished up our time in Anori yesterday and got on the boat last night to travel the 18 hours back to Manaus. We are now at Tiwa-Eco resort enjoying a day of rest, and clean water showers, and a swimming pool, which all by the way are awesome!

The clinic pharmacy was completed. The medicine was moved down onto the shelves that were built and they look great. We had a final VBS with the kids and gave them some bombom(candy) and we just thought they loved us, but after candy they really love us. The kids were on the dock waving goodbye to us. Some of them were crying, which broke our heart. They didn't want us to go, and needless to say neither did we.

We went on a walk through the jungle today, which was really cool. Some people tried to climb the tree, but we weren't very good! There are 2 pet parrots here at the resort with us and they have attacked us a couple of times. They ended up in Amberli, Sarah, and Michelle's room...cornered Amberli, but no fear, a guy in a speedo came to the rescue. They also came and took some of our food we were eating at lunch.

We leave here tomorrow afternoon for Brasilla. Our plane leaves around 4:30 so it'll be another day of travel for us. Have a great week..here are a few pictures, hope you enjoy!

VBS kids in Anori. By the end of the week we had over 100!

the last night of church

we couldn't resist putting him on here...just one of the faces of anori

hello from anori!

well we made it. we are currently in the village of anori at a small internet cafe that we found. it only works about half the time so parents if you didn´t get an email from your kids, its because we couldnt get our email to work.

boy have we been busy the last couple of days. some are working with the kids doing vbs stuff, some are working with the doctors seeing patients, and some are helping to build shelves in the pharmacy. there is such a need here for medical care and just about anything we can provide. everytime we get off the boat we have at least 10 kids following us everywhere we go, in fact there is one looking at us right now as we type! we have had church with them in the evenings and the kids are very receptive to us.

some highlights:
- we got our luggage!! praise the lord for that!!
- our sweat is sweating, its a little hot here!
- no sunburns yet
- a few piranhas caught
- ashley`s 21st birthday cake for dessert, breakfast, and lunch the next day
- seeing jesus in the faces of the people of anori
- seeing the sunrise every morning on the amazon
- seeing a crocodile
- dr pepper slushie looking river, don´t worry no swimming here

thanks for all of your prayers. please continue to keep our team in your prayers as we have a lot of traveling the next week!!

New experiences...

Well another update only a day later, exciting huh??
So this is what has been happening since our last update. There are currently5 of us sitting in the airport waiting to see if our luggage happened to come through. You can still be praying for that!
So here is what we have been up too...

-We got on the medical boat this afternoon and are cozy in our little (and we mean little) cabins.
- We ate at a restaurant today where some of us tried things such as: chicken heart, buffalo, cow tongue, pig, fried pineapple, and I´m sure many other meats we didn´t really know.
- Today is Ashley´s birthday so we sang happy birthday to her in the airport while waiting.
- There was a sloth outside of the beach by where we parked our boat. David tried to pick it up and ended up dropping it, but most of us were able to pet it. It was sooo cool!!!
- We also ate our first meal on the boat and it was good!
- Nolan played his guitar on the top of the boat and we had some worship time, and let us tell you there´s nothing like worshiping our Lord on top of a boat in the Amazon.
- We went to the open fair in Manaus today and had everyone looking at us like we were some stupid tourists.

As soon as we get back to the boat we are headed down the river. Hopefully we´ll continue to keep you updated!

We are HERE!!!!

:: "Hey, why are you wearing the same clothes you had on yesterday?"
:: "Because we LOST OUR LUGGAGE!!"

Yup...after a full day of safe traveling (praise Jesus!) we arrived in Manaus to find that 8 out of the 13 members of our team will have to make due without their luggage until Sunday night. (David, Amberli, Kysha, Ashley, Grace, Hillary, Tessa, and Kelli)

But have no fear! We are all safe and (*suppossed to be*) sleeping here at the Lider Hotel in Manaus. Everyone has a great attitude about the situation and we are so excited to see what God has for us now that we are finally here! By this time tomorrow night we will be loaded on the boat (hopefully WITH our luggage-HA) and off on the Amazon. :)

other exciting events of the day...

*Kysha had to quickly share and eat her beef jerky at customs (no meat products allowed in)
*We found out that American Airlines now jips you out of a meal unless you pay (cookie=$3)
*The speed limit in Manaus in 150 MPH

Day 1

Hello from Miami!!

We are currently sitting in the airport, waiting to depart to Manaus. Our plane has been delayed a little so we are sitting, and waiting, and sitting. Being slightly bored. An update on the morale of the team. Part of the team is currently sleeping, some are talking, and we are blogging.
Best part of the trip so far: We are on the plane from Dallas to Miami and as we look up at the seats in front of us, Kysha seems to be in deep conversation with the guy sitting next to her. We depart from the plane to find out that this man gave Kysha his Ipod!! Crazy, I know, we didn't believe it either. But he sure did, and then he came back to find us because he forgot to give her the charger. Turns out he had been to Brazil and built some schools and churches and is a colonel in the Army. CRAZY..a free ipod and we haven't even left the states yet. This makes us really excited for what God has in store for us :]

Pictures to come later! Keep checking in on us!!

Hillary, Sarah, Kysha, Shekinah, and Nolan

the quiet one...or is she?? :]

Hi my name is Tessa Blackwell. I just finished my freshman year at Sterling College! I loved it and am so excited for this trip! I have not yet decided my major...but who knows, after Brazil it could be christian ministries ;)! I have been on a couple missions trips to San Antonio, Texas and New Orleans, but this will be my first time out of the country! I love cats, spending time with my family, the Oakland Raiders, Gilmore Girls, talking to my best friend on the phone :), and of course, Jesus!! Thank you so much for all your prayers! This will be an awsome adventure!

Fearless Leader

A BIG SC "Howdy" to you all!! This is my second time as the Brazil Mission team leader and I am looking so forward to this great opportunity to spend time with these amazing SC students and help with God's work in Brazil!!

To all of the moms that are letting their kids go on this trip over Mother's Day, thank you very much!! I will make sure they each get you some really cool Brazilian gift for your unselfish love and your support. Honestly, your willingness to support your child in this experience, will pay off in great ways.

My name is David Earle. I am a member of the Sterling College class of 1988 and I am passionate about this amazing college and it's mission and work in God's world! I am the Director of Development and Church Relations and have worked at SC since Nov. of 1999. God willing, I will be here for another 20+ years. The students at SC are the reason why I and so many of our faculty and staff do what we do.

The 2008 Brazil Team has worked so hard to raise the money to go on this trip. We have made and sold over 300 pizzas, cleaned sticks out of a cow pasture (and learned the difference between dry and fresh cow pies...right Hillary?), cleaned out farmer's tree rows after the big ice storm in December, raked yards, cleaned houses, and spoke at churches. As we get ready to leave in less than two days, we are still short of the total needed, but we are moving forward in faith that the final needed dollars will come in.

Please lift us up in your prayers for the duration of this trip. We need safe travel, good health, team unity, and an openness to God's leading as we serve Him.

Check the blog site periodically through May 27th for pictures and updates.

Thank you for your prayers and your support!!

T minus 3 days

Hey All!!

Yep that's right, 3 days and we are headed out. We are packing, praying, packing, praying some more and packing some more. We are anxious, maybe a little nervous, but so excited for what the Lord has in store for us.

Here is the itinerary of what we will be doing:
May 10th and 11th: travel to the village of Anori which is 18hrs by boat west of Manaus. We'll work in the village for five days with the World Hope Missions Ministry conducting Vacation Bible School, assisting with dr's, doing construction on the only medical facility in the region, and holding worship and sharing the message each night while in the village.

Then we'll travel back to Manaus by boat then fly to Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, where we will work for a few days at a street mission/homeless shelter. Then fly to Iguacu where we will work at a handicapped/special needs children's home. We will fly to Rio at the end of the trip where we need to catch our connection flight back to the states. While in Rio, we will visit the Christ Redeemer statue.

So there we have it, 17 days in Brazil. Who would have thought it came up as fast as it did?

A few things we could use some prayer on:

Safe travel
Unity within our team
Open hearts for us and the people of Brazil
That we would be His hands and feet
Servants hearts
Salvation for Brazilians

We'll update as much as we can. God bless!!!

The World Traveler

My Name is Grace Hannah Friedman, I'm from the most amazing state of Colorado! I am majoring in Sports Management, I play volleyball, and will be a senior next year....WOW its gone really fast! God has blessed me in amazing ways as I have gotten to go to Hong Kong, Turkey, and Israel and am so excited to go to Brazil this summer. I am maddly in love with my Savior and am striving everyday to become more like him. I am so thankful for the opportunity to be able to see another part of Gods heart as I go to brazil and see a new country and a new culture. Thank you so much for your support whether it is monetary or by prayers, we all really appreciate everything! Hope you all have a wonderful day!!!

PS Yes I did ride that camel in Israel!

our van driver...

Hey there! My name is Michelle Sumption, and I am a sophomore Christian Ministries/ Music major from Vinton, IA. This is my second overseas mission trip (my first was to Belize- which is where my pic was taken), and I am so excited for what God has in store for this trip! A few things to know about me are: I enjoy driving my mini-van around, I had chicken pox twice, I have lived in five states, and I think Michael and Janet Jackson are the same person. God bless, and have a great day!

the teacher

Hi my name is Sarah Marie Wolff, and I from the small town of Kit Carson, Colorado. I am 20 years old and am just finishing up my Sophmore year here at Sterling College. I am majoring in Elementary Education and hope to become a first or second grade teacher someday. I absolutely love the outdoors and anything sports related. I like to go camping, fishing, hiking, running, skiing. In the past I have been on mission trips to Mexico and Costa Rica, and I'm so excited to see what God has in store for us in our upcoming Brazil trip! We have a great group of people going! Thanks for all your support and prayers!

hmm....

Why hello!
My name is Amberli Todd. I'm now a senior at Sterling College, 20 years old, and a follower of Christ. I have a passion for missions and for people overall. I just can't help it I just love people!!! I love all the beauty that surrounds me and am facinated by the creator. Going to Brazil is a huge blessing and a wonderful opportunity. I know God is faithful and has me on this trip for a reason and I'm so excited to see what's in store. This will be my first time out of the country.. out of the states.. and I'm pumped!!! God is so good to me. I just want to let Him shine through me! I'm just a vessel willing to be used. So let's see what He has in store! God bless!!!!

Man of many Words

Noah Breeden
Born and raised in San Antonio
Major: Business Administration
This is my first trip.

The Amazon Fisherman

My name is Nolan Cox and I am currently a junior at Sterling College. I am majoring in business administration with a minor in Christian Ministries. I play football here and I’m the president of FCA. I love fishing, hunting, and most sports. I come from a small town in western Kansas called Weskan. I love farming and I spend my summers doing that with my dad. I also play in worship band at our local church. If you would like to contact me to find out more about me, my email is ncox@sterling.edu.

Wild One!

Hi! It's Kelli LaRosh here! I am a 22 year old Junior at Sterling and am attempting to major in Math Education! I am from Osborne Kansas and I'm looking forward to spending some quality time in a different part of the world serving the Lord. I am excited to see what God has in store for us. I can't think of a better way to spend 17 days of my summer vacation! This will be my 3rd mission trip but first one that is longer than a week! Thank you all for your support and prayers - they are very much appreciated!!!

The Pizza Seller

My name is Hillary Stucky and I am junior here at Sterling and play on the basketball team. I am a health and PE education major and plan to coach and teach some day. This is my frist missions trip for me, and I am going with some of the coolest people on campus. I am so excited to see us continue to bond as a team and to see how the Lord works through us. I am excited to catch a fish in the Amazon, I mean really, who can say they did that??

Since deciding to go on this trip I have been so blessed. The Lord has showed up in big ways for me. Thanks for all of your prayers and support through our trip, I can't wait to share the stories with you!!

The Missionary

Hi. My name is Shekinah Heinritz. I am 18 yrs. old and I live in the small town of Oden, AR with 13 brothers and sisters. (No, they’re not all natural and Yes, my parents are Amazing) God has called me to be a medical missionary; therefore, I am a pre-med major here at Sterling College. I love lasagna, oranges, diet dr. pepper, the color green, closed doors, adventure, silence, laughter, people, family, H20, learning and last but most defiantly not least…God. My life words are: Passion and Perseverance. My favorite thing in the whole entire world would be meeting new people and those moments when God tells you exactly what you need to hear…what is that called…a God moment.

* the family*

The Veteran

Hi there! My name is Ashley Earle. I'm a junior at Sterling majoring in Elementary Education with a minor in Christian Ministries. I had the awesome blessing of going on a mission trip to Brazil two summers ago and I am so excited to have the opportunity to help continue God's work there this summer! I love my little brothers, Kansas, football, being an RA in McCreery Hall, peanut butter, Hillary Stucky.....and a lot of other things too. :)

The Almost Doctor

My name is Kysha Coleen Nichols! I am a Biology major. My emphasis is pre-med. I can't wait to go to medical school in Kansas City next year! This is my first trip out of the country. This is the perfect trip for me because I get to spread God's love and it is medical! My team is filled with wonderful character's and personalities. They are great people and I can't wait to get to know them all even better and meet the people of Brazil!

20 days and counting

Hello from Sterling! T-minus 20 days until these lovely people head out to serve our maker in Brazil. Thank you so much for your support financially and through prayer. We are so excited to see what the Lord has in store for us! We will try to keep you updated on how the Lord is using us in Brazil, so keep checking in on us. Please continue to pray for the Lord's guideance and blessings on our trip!