We're Back From Brazil!

Well, we are back!  Click here to see photos form the trip!

I’ll try to update you on what all happened the last few days of our trip.  The entire trip felt like one big crescendo with each days ministry growing in intensity.  Saturday was our longest day and the most amazing day...

We rested as much as we could from the night of ministry before and then went to the grocery store to buy milk for the days outreach into Serra Alta, a very poor area of the city.  We took 96 liters of milk door to door and distributed it to the underprivileged families there.  O Refugio has gone into this neighborhood on outreach since the very beginning of the church back in January and you could tell based on the warm reception we received in the community.   The pastors let us know that it had not always been that way and it wasn’t until their third or fourth trip that people really started opening up to them.  Their faithful efforts were rewarded on this outreach especially as a lady at the very first house we visited that day accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior!  Two others would do the same during that outreach.  It was an amazing time.  As parents, it was also special for us to have our 7 year old daughter Ella with us on this outreach.  She got to see, first-hand, just how blessed we are as a family and as Americans.  We pray that she will not forget the people and places she saw that day.  

After the outreach we rested and had lunch with some friends from the church out at Sweet Home Farm in Campo Alegre.  We then headed to the Bola De Neve (Snowball) Church in Sao Bento for a night of ministry.  We had been invited by the Pastor there to come lead worship and speak for a special Saturday Night Service.  It was again a testimony to our pastors there and how well they’ve developed relationships in the city among other churches.  

Our friends Marcello and Tatiana back home at The Refuge helped me translate Jared Anderson’s songs ‘Great I Am’ into Portuguese and that night at Bola De Neve I lead it for the first time in that language.  It was unbelievable.  The people just kept singing and pouring their heart out to God.  It was a mighty roar.  I feel very impressed by the Lord that I’m to record the song in Portuguese and release it in Brazil.  The song is too powerful to be kept here in the States.  

After worship I shared some things from the Bible on being the Salt of the Earth.  Afterwards, something happened that has never happened in me before.  I began to get impressions from the Lord that He wanted to heal people in the room and began to give me sicknesses and the gender of the person who had the sickness.  Those who where sick responded and we prayed for their healing.  Tamsey and I both ministered in the alters for quite a while.  It was powerful.

After a long time of ministry so many people stayed that I played a few more songs to end the night.  Since Bola De Neve is kind of a ‘surf culture, laid back style’ church, all of their worship music is done in the Reggae style!  Soooooo, it was a perfect opportunity for me to do my ONLY reggae song, Uniquely Me Completely Yours.  They LOVED it!  We had a great time just singing and enjoying God’s presence.  By the end of the night I was exhausted!

After a short rest we got up Sunday Morning and prepared for service at O Refugio.  My voice was so tired that Eduardo (one of the leaders at the church) and Jean lead worship and then I just shared a song or two before speaking briefly to the church.  Pastor Jean gave a report to the church about all that God had done through the events of the week.  They showed pictures and shared the testimonies of the events of the week so that the whole church could rejoice in what had been happening through their church all week!  I shared briefly from Matthew 5 and then Tamsey came forward and shared a prophetic word God had given her for Pastors Jean and Giuliana.  It was a sweet, sweet time.  

The most amazingly bizarre thing that happened that day involved Twitter.  Months ago I saw a retweet from a Worship Song Writer that displayed a girls’ request for him to say hello to all his fans in Brazil.  I was curious who she was and clicked on her profile.  I discovered that she lived about 45 minutes away form our church there in Sao Bento!  How crazy.  Brazil is one of the largest countries in the world and the one person I find lives close to our church.  So we stayed in touch via twitter.  I learned that she was a part of a worship ministry called Marcas Da Promessa and that she would love to meet our pastors there.  Well, Sunday morning as we prepared to start service, she and the entire band showed up in time for church!  They had driven nearly an hour from another city to come experience the church there and meet Tamsey and I!  Too crazy!  They were so wonderful and kind.  We all went to lunch afterward and made some new friends to see again in the future.

After lunch we headed for the airport and said our goodbyes to our dear friends.  It was hard to leave.  It’s always easier though when you know you’ll be back.  

We flew back to Rio De Janeiro and stayed with our friends Cory and Natalia Lewis.  It was so good to be with them in their home.  They were SO very kind to us and took us all over the city.  Natalia had even prepared a tour of historical shops and locations in the city that reflected the origins of Bossa Nova (my favorite style of music that started in that city!)  It was a dream to see such a beautiful city with such wonderful people.  Tuesday Night we boarded our plane at 10pm and woke up Wednesday Morning in Charlotte, NC.  Thanks USAirways for direct flights between Charlotte and Rio!  

Thanks to all of you that prayed, gave and followed our updates on this trip.  We couldn’t do it without the grace of God and your partnership.  Let’s continue to pray that there would be great fruit to come for months ahead because of the time God had us there.  

Mutio Obrigado,

Nathan, Tamsey and Ella Cate

Another Update From Brazil

Picking up where we left off...

Thursday night was awesome.  Worship leaders and teams from all over the city and some from nearby towns came.  I did a workshop on personal time with the Lord and leading people in worship.  The presence of God surprised me with just how quickly we were in the ‘deep end’ right from the start!  Again, unity is being built among the churches through events like this and it was awesome to see the different leaders from the churches interact and connect.

Last night (Friday Night) Tamsey spoke at the very first women’s event at O Refugio!  Pastor’s wives of four different area churches came along with ladies from all over the city.  They had desserts and coffee before hand, had a time of worship and then she shared and prayed over the ladies.  Pastor Jean and I, along with one of the church leaders (Eduardo) kept the children during the event.  That, in itself, was a miracle!  We had about 7 kids running crazy through the house (their apartment is in the same building as the church so it was much easier to keep them at home than at church).  We had a blast though and it was a real blessing to the ladies. 

From Tamsey: The first women’s event at O Refugio was so special.  I was honored and humbled to be the guest speaker.  The hunger of the women here really blew me away.  From the time worship started to the very end women were seeking more of the Lord.  They have such a passion to know Him and encounter Him.  I got the chance to meet and pray with several ladies, so I know first hand that God is and will continue to move in this city.  I am so grateful to be partnered with Pastor Giuliana in ministering to the women in her city.  She is an amazing woman of God and it was an honor to minster along side her.

Ok... so I’m back. 

Today will be a special day.  We will do an outreach into the poorest neighborhoods of the city.  O Refugio has gone into this neighborhood ever since the beginning of the church back in January making this their sixth time.  They have built a real trust with the people.  So, today we will take milk to give away along with the love of God and prayer for all who will receive it.  Ella will be helping a lot today.  I’m so excited for her to have this experience of sharing God’s love and seeing how blessed we truly are.

Later tonight I will lead worship and speak at a ‘Bola De Neve’ church.  That translates ‘snowball church’.  This is a very fast growing association of churches in Brazil.  The name speaks of growing in the Lord (like a snowball being rolled in the snow) into a mighty force!  It is a church that really appeals to the younger generation (the church pulpits are surf boards and stuff like that).  So, that will be a blast and I’m so honored for the invitation.  The worship music in Bola De Neve churches is primarily done in the reggae style so that, in itself, makes me super excited!! I may try to bring the white boy, reggae funk myself!  Pray for me. :)

Our Time In Brazil So Far...

The First Few Days

We made it to Brazil safely and have settled in after a few days.  We haven’t had super accessible internet so we haven’t been able to update everyone as consistently as we had hoped.  But then again, it’s good to be confronted with just how comfortable our lives are back home.  I enjoy the difference and am more grateful for what I do have.  

Ella has done so amazingly well.  We’re so proud of her.  After a long layover in Rio (and a spontaneous bus adventure into the city!) we made it to Curitiba Monday evening and then made the drive south to Sao Bento Do Sul.  It was so good to meet our friends here.  We have had a wonderful time together.

First, let me explain something to you... it is COLD here.  I’m not talking about it’s a little cool.  I’m talking about cold.  It’s winter here and we are in the south of the country so it gets much colder here than in other parts of Brazil.  It’s hard to prepare your mind for winter weather when it’s been close to 100 degrees each day in Carolina!  It’s also hard to think about being as cold indoors as it is outdoors.  Central air and heat is a major luxury here and one that our friends cannot afford.  We truly are a spoiled lot.

Tuesday we had an amazing meeting with area musicians.  It is a testimony to how Jean (the pastor of O Refugio) has reached out to the musical community and built relationships here.  We had about 30 people come.  These guys are the premier players in the bars and clubs of the city; many of which are music teachers.  We met at the church and for many, it was their first time in an evangelical church.  I had the privilege of teaching the Nashville Number System (something they were absolutely fascinated with) and give some insight into home and studio recording.  It could not have gone better.  Afterwards we hung out and I gave my CD’s away for them to take home.  Let’s pray it opens the atmosphere for them to receive Jesus!  

Wednesday we spent time in the city getting to know the area and then had a get together at Jean and Giuliana’s apartment with some of the musicians that came to the workshop.  It was awesome to continue building relationships with these guys.  One of the guys said that God did something in his heart while he was at the workshop.  This is what we’re believing for.  

Tonight, I will lead a worship workshop for area pastors, leaders and musicians.  We already have heard from so many that are coming that Jean and Giuliana are trying to find a bigger location!  We’re so overwhelmed by the welcome we’ve received here by the city and by the church.  It is our prayer to get the city and the church together more and more!!  

Tomorrow Tamsey will speak for a women’s event.  I’m so excited for her.  Pastor wives are responding from all over the area to say that they are coming.  One of the leaders at  O Refugio is a teacher here in the city.  She has invited all of the teachers at her school to come tomorrow.  Pray for an open heaven, an impartation of the miraculous and a revelation of Jesus.  We’re expecting nothing less!  

I’ll try to update the blog again before the weekend.  We’ve been invited to play and speak at a ‘Bola De Neve’ church here in town Saturday Night after we do an outreach in the city and then we will minister at O Refuge Sunday.  We are so grateful for your prayers and support.  We could not be here but for the grace of God and friends like you.

Blessed.