The last two trips were life-changing, not only for the ministries and people we went to serve but also for me, personally.

The team ministered at two Bola de Neve churches, one in Campinas and the other in Soracaba. These were churches full of mostly young people, many of whom came out of drugs, gangs, and prostitution. The team ministered in small groups during the day to individuals in both churches and then corporately in evening services. The Lord was faithful in using us to bring words of encouragement, restoration, and healing. We watched Him heal the broken-hearted and depressed, give hope to the hopeless, and manifest Himself in physical healings. I saw His love touch people in ways that changed how they saw themselves. The previous labels of “unloved,” ”unwanted,” and “unqualified” were washed away, and God stamped His approval, His identity, and His promise on each one of them. Every one of these people were visibly different when they walked out of the ministry rooms. It was like both churches received a face lift.

I most loved watching the intercessors and translators during the individual ministry time. Our small team of 3 prayed and released the words that God had spoken to us for each person who entered our room for personal ministry. We had a translator to interpret what we were saying and an intercessor to pray in the room. When we took a break halfway through the afternoon, our translator, Erika, looked at us, absolutely stunned, and said, “I know these people, and I know each of these situations that you are speaking of, and you don’t know these people or these situations! God is AMAZING!” At one point, God spoke to me that a certain young woman, a leader in the church, had been deeply hurt by another young woman, and God wanted to bring healing and restoration so she could trust women again. The translator looked at me and said, “This is a really awkward situation. The girl who hurt her is the intercessor.” The crazy thing is that we had had a different intercessor in the room up until this particular leader came in for individual ministry. God totally set us all up because He wanted restoration in this relationship. Later that weekend the young intercessor was ordained as a deacon in the church. God is a God of restoration, and He cares deeply about our relationships with one another and unity in our churches. These two ladies were going to need to work together, and the Lord orchestrated this time of healing and forgiveness to bring restoration to their friendship for a greater purpose!

One of the most amazing moments for me was when we ministered to a couple. The wife seemed pretty skeptical, but her husband was wide open to receive whatever God had for him. All three of us on the team received a prophetic word having to do with restoration, and God told me to declare that they would “Recover ALL.” Then the Lord told me the man had an old injury that He wanted to heal. When I asked him about it, he said it was His shoulder, and he had a very limited range of motion. We prayed and declared complete healing; that he would RECOVER ALL!” Immediately, he regained full range of motion and had no pain! I then asked his wife if she had any injuries in her body. She was scheduled for surgery the following week on both of her knees. The team prayed for her 2 times, and each time the pain was diminished. The 3rd time we prayed, she got down on her knees, popped up to her feet, and raised herself all the way up with NO PAIN! After that, the wife stayed to pray and intercede in our room, and she, too, was completely amazed by what God was doing in each of the people she knew and the accuracy of the words the team was receiving. She also shared how cool it was that she knew we had no way of knowing what was going on in peoples’ lives except that God would tell us.

One of the moments that touched me the most was releasing a mother’s blessing over a room full of men and women. There was so much healing in the loving words from the heart of the Father that He had asked me to speak over them, words that many of them had not ever heard before. “You are SO beautiful to me. I love you. You are exactly what I wanted. I believe in you and the call of God on your life…” There were several times during ministry when God told me not to say a word but to just give a hug, and each of those times, these ladies just fell apart. He just wanted me to be His arms in those moments. I saw the power of loving words and a soft touch. Being someone who did not (historically) easily communicate love through physical touch and affirming words, God taught me how to speak these love languages during my trip. I left Brasil understanding that if Holy Spirit can move through me in this way in a foreign country, He can do it at home, too. It may seem to be a simple revelation, but it was certainly life-changing for me!

     To sow into the upcoming mission trip to Brazil, please click on the DONATE button in the main menu.