True Adventures

This weekend was full of all kinds of adventures.



On Friday, our team went out for pizza to celebrate our friend's final day of school. Nathan Carol ( our friend and team secretary!!) had to take a bus. We got there ok, but the ride home was interesting. We found that that bus system is hard to figure or maybe we should have just done our research. Mistake # 1. We were not 100% sure what time out bus was coming to pick us up. Mistake #2. We did not know what bus we needed to take. We knew we wanted to get home to Schoeder, but that was all. Mistake #3. After waiting for an hour we took the wrong bus. The bus was going to Schoeder, but not the part of town we wanted to go to.





We ended up going on the craziest bus ride of my life. The road was windy and made of dirt and gravel, the bus driver was going so fast and it was pitch black. The only word that comes to mind is SKETCHY. We did arrive home safely..... 2 hours later.





The following day, I went on a completey different type of adventure. A guy we met at church volunteered to take a group of us out rapelling and climbing. We jumped at the opportunity, especially since we are looking for adventure opportunities in the area for our camp.


We started with a 15o ft rapel. We were right in the mountains and the veiw was incredible. We tried a little bit of rock climbing, but it was insanely difficult. I thought they day was over until our friend pointed at a waterfall a little further up the mountain. He wanted to take us rappelling ON the waterfall. It was incredible. the picture below does not even do justive to the experience. The picture is of Nathan and I; can you see us?


Needless to say, it was an intense experience. When I look at that place it is hard to believe that is me. I loved just being there. The place displayed God's beauty and His power. It was hard to not praise Him for his creation. I wish all of you could just be here to see it; as I am sure most of you would not be up for actually doing that rapel. I was even a little intimidated.

'Stop and consider God's wonders."

We Arrived!

Hey Guys,

There is so much to tell.

Nathan and I arrived in Brazil last Thursday and we have been thrown right into the action.

The trip down seemed very long. We flew from Toronto to Sao Paulo; the flight was just over ten hours. After this we had a 4 hour layer over in Sao Paulo while we waited for our flight to Curitiba. We almost missed our flight, but God was taking care of us. Our flight to Curitiba was 45 minutes long and we still had a 2 hour drive to our home.

As soon as we arrived the rest of the Quest Team was waiting and had prepared a Welcome party for the two of us. It was over stimulating to go from such a long trip to meeting so many new people, hearing a new language and being in a new place. But God has been right by my side, and slowly I am becoming more comfortable with this new place!

Here are some pictures of the veiws from our house.

The first weekend we went to a church to promote Quest. We are looking for potential summer staff for camp. It was really hard not knowing the language but it was awesome to see people catching the vision. One thing we have run into is brazilians have no knowledge if what camp is. So we are really having to explain what it is that we are doing. This also shows me how big the need for camp ministry is.

I had the opportunity to explore the peice of land taht is currently very heavy on Our team's heart. There is a lot of paper work that needs to come together before we can buy the land and we are trusting God to being it together in His time. Below are some pictures. It is absolutely beautiful.

Every afternoon, we are taking intense language classes. Already I am surprised at how much I am learning. God is answering my prayers to pick up the language. But I know it is going to be a long and discouraging process. Keep praying!

I can deffinately use your prayers at this time. Pray that i will continue to learn the language quickly. Pray for my relationship with God; things are so hectic it is easy to push him to the side. Also, not knowing the language makes it difficult to grow from a church. Pray for Team Quest and the property. We are very anxious to get things going, but we also know the importance of waiting on God.

I'l be keeping you posted!! Please keep in touch and I will do my best to keep you all updated.


Each day my heart gets more and more excited about what God is doing and going to do in Brazil.

It's Official!

Hey Guys,

My Visa has arrived! God answered that prayer and he answered it with speed! He is so good!

The days are going by so quick. I can not believe that I am leaving in 5 days. Thank you all for you support, encouragement and prayers. I will be keeping you all posted!

Brazil ... here I come!

Becky

I'm On My Way: November 28th

Hey All,

There is much to tell.

First of all, thanks to all of you for you support in endless ways. I can feel your prayers.

As November comes to a close a new and exciting part of my life is going to be starting; the beginning of my life in Brazil. Many of the final details are falling into place, but please don't stop praying as the journey has just begun.

Preparing to leave has been one of the best experiences of my life. It has felt like a roller coaster and at times I have been broken, but I have grown so much and I can feel God preparing me for what is to come.

So let me tell you about this roller coaster. I guess if I could explain my journey from the past few months I would compare it to the jews. God has been doing so many incredible things in my life, but constantly I felt myself doubting my call and doubting God's abilities. One day I would doubt, and then God would do an incredible thing in my life and I would be so sure, the next day I would be doubting again. But God has proven to be so faithful, and when i step back and look at all He has done,I can not deny my call to Brazil.

I need to share some of the blessings that God has given me.
To begin, I have all the support I need to head out on my first 6 month journey. Praise Him! But that is not the best part. When I first decided to go to Brazil I prayed that young people would make up my sending team. 80% of the people supporting me financially are people under the age of 26! It has been awesome to see young people giving .. and giving sacrificially. On top of that, the majority of my team are people that I did not approach or people that I would have never expected to become pillars in this journey. I look at my sendingteam and I can not even try to take credit for the work that has been done; God's hand is undeniable.

At this point in time, God is putting me through another phase of complete trust in Him. My ticket is booked for the 28th of November, but I have yet to recieve my visa. Everything to this point has been going way too smoothly. I went to the Brazilian Consulate this past week and I was initially turned away. There was just over two weeks until my plane was schedule to leave and I had hit my first brick wall. I was told they could not issue my visa until I provided them with information from my parents. Everyday is so valuable at this time and having to get these documents has set me back 2 days. This means my visa could come as late as the day after my flight. I have a peace in my heart though. HE is in control. Please join me in praying for my visa.

'Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may recieve mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.' Hebrews 4:16

So thats the news. I am still planning on leaving November 28th. I am so excited for this journey.

Things in Brazil are moving quickly. The team members there are constantly looking at land possibilities for our new camp. If you go to the "Quest Blog Site" you can see pictures of the land that Camp Quest is currently considering.

Thanks again and keep praying.


'Every step of the journey is the journey'

What exactly am I going to be doing???

The journey continues...

Everyday I get more and more excited about where God is taking me. In some ways, things are happening too fast, but in others things are not happenings fast enough.

So, as most of you know, I am heading to Brazil, but what most of you might not know is what I am going to be doing there.

Let me try to give you an idea of what life in Brazil means for me... especially for the first 6 months. I am planning on joining a team in Brazil ( 4 canadians and 3 Brazilians) to plant a camp that is to be called 'Quest'. As of right now, Quest is still a dream. ( But a dream that is quickly becoming real) What I am saying is, there is no camp; in fact we are still searching for land. So what am I going to be doing? The best way to describe it is we are being is Pioneers. I will be part of the team promoting our vision, recruting churches, running day camps, constructing buldings... etc. A lot of what I will be doing right away is getting adjusted to the culture; learning the language and learning about Brazil and it's people. As you can see, it is hard to know exactly what I am going to be doing, but I hope that gives you a general idea.

Camping is rare in Brazil. A lot of Brazialians do not even know what camp is. It is going to take a lot to spread the word about what we are doing and get Brazilians on board. But God has already proven to overcome the impossible and some local churches are getting involved.

My long term position is a little different. I will have the position of 'Outdoor Adventure Program Director'. Sounds official eh? I will be involved in running adventure activities ,(climbing, kayaking, high ropes, etc) training new staff, and much more.

Our mission is to develop servant leaders of all ages,using biblical principles in an experiential and adventure camp setting. The camp setting creates many oppertunities to tell people of God's love, to build into people's lives and to train people to pass on the Good News. This past year I was involved with a camp called Medeba, and it was incredible to see how camp can bring people to Christ and teach them about His love. Camp ministry does make a difference, and I can not believe God wants to use me to do His work in Brazil.

November is coming

This past month has been a challenging one.

God is really stretching me. I am still aiming to leave for Brazil in November, and that month seems to be approaching a lot faster then I had anticipated.

As the days go by, God teaches me more and more. I am beginning to understand the sacrifices of following God; Everyday, he shows me one more then that I am leaving behind. ( the list seems endless)

Right now, there are some things I still need.

Prayer: Pray for courage and boldness. Pray that I will continue to be taught by God and actually listen to His words. Pray that God continues to walk in front of me. Pray for confirmation about when He actually wants me to leave. And pray for my support. God is pulling a team together for me, but it is still nerve racking.

Support: My need is $1300.00 a month. I have no idea where is all going to come from, but already God has used unexpeted means.

Encouragement: If you guys have any faith stories I would love to hear them. Any form of encouragement brightens my day!

Thanks for being interested in my journey. God is moving!

'we live by faith, not by sight' 2 Cor 5:7

Expect the Unexpected

That has been so true for my life this past year.

Let me start by telling you a little bit of my story. Last year I was a student at the University of Waterloo. I loved it there; I had great friends, I enjoyed my program, and I was pretty involved with extraciricular activities. First year was a ball, and I was pumped for what was instore for the years to come. In my mind, I was going to be there for the duration of my program ( 4 years). However, a friend of mine introduced me to a camp called Medeba... and life changed.

I had been camp before and my experience was not a positive one, but when I heard about the opportunity to work at Medeba I felt God calling me to be there. So, off I went. Something clicked while I was there. I was in my element; outdoors, impacting lives, working with kids and I growing deeper with God.

While at camp, I was offered a position in a program called the Leadership Developement Program. (LDP) This would take me away from Waterloo and all the foundations I had laid there. Logically, it made no sense for me to stay, but something made me go for it anyways.
I had an incredible experience. I had the opportuniy to learn new skills ( everything from white water kayaking to ice climbing), meet some awesome people, develope my relationship with God and really just grow.

While I was in LDP I met a couple named Scott and Patsy. They are missionaries to Brazil and are planning on planting a camp there. And I felt God calling me to join. I approached them after months of prayer and they were thrilled about the possibility of joining their team. So, since then I have been pursuing that.

God has totally been walking ahead of me. Already he has provided so much. I was accepted on to a Mission's agency called Put the Word Into Action Inc. They are close to Medeba and believe me this has been a huge blessing. God has also placed so many people in my life who have been supporting me in so many ways; prayer, finances or whatever other means they have. It has been truly incredible and like I said before..expect the unexpected.

Honestly, I am so excited and nervous in so many ways. The plan is to leave for Brazil in Novemeber, providing that everything comes together. I am humbled that God wants to use me in this way; I am nervous about the sacrifices and the unfamiliar territory; I am pumped for what He is doing!

I'll be keeping you guys updated!