Friends and Family,
In the busyness of leading an outreach for the past two months, we haven't been able to send out an update. So hang tight, as this covers our outreach (outreach video is coming soon!). We led an outreach to Chile and Brazil doing different kinds of ministry in each location. With your help, we've seen God's kingdom advance as He pursues the individual. We've split this update into the two different locations and what we experienced in each location.
In the busyness of leading an outreach for the past two months, we haven't been able to send out an update. So hang tight, as this covers our outreach (outreach video is coming soon!). We led an outreach to Chile and Brazil doing different kinds of ministry in each location. With your help, we've seen God's kingdom advance as He pursues the individual. We've split this update into the two different locations and what we experienced in each location.
PART ONE: C H I L E
On June 26th we arrived in Pichilemu, Chile to serve at the YWAM base there. Pichilemu is a small town on the coast, about three hours south of Santiago. The base was started 30 years ago by a couple from California named Mitch & Julie Anderson, with intentions of bringing the gospel to the surf community there. Shortly after they moved there to start the YWAM base, God gave them a vision of having a community centre (very similar to YMCA) called Pura Vida. 25 years later, they have a heated swimming pool, gym, dance studio, and a soccer court.
On June 26th we arrived in Pichilemu, Chile to serve at the YWAM base there. Pichilemu is a small town on the coast, about three hours south of Santiago. The base was started 30 years ago by a couple from California named Mitch & Julie Anderson, with intentions of bringing the gospel to the surf community there. Shortly after they moved there to start the YWAM base, God gave them a vision of having a community centre (very similar to YMCA) called Pura Vida. 25 years later, they have a heated swimming pool, gym, dance studio, and a soccer court.
From June to August, Pura Vida was given the opportunity to host programs for the elderly from a nearby municipality and we had the privilege of serving with them. For three days a week, we served them breakfast, lunch, and dinner, provided a variety of exercise programs, a tour of Pichilemu, karaoke, and ended the day with our drama, a testimony, and prayer. Being with the elderly throughout the day, also provided multiple opportunities to share the gospel. It was helpful that Amanda is fluent in Spanish, which opened up a lot of doors for us to share God’s love more effectively. Every day about 30-40 new elderly came to the program at Pura Vida, which added up to about 450 that we served as a team for the five weeks that we were there. We aided the staff at Pura Vida in dance, gym, and swimming classes. It was cool to be able to use our love for fitness to bless these elderly groups. When we ended the day with our gospel themed drama, a personal testimony, and prayer, you could tell many of them had been touched by God’s love, not just through the words spoken, but also the acts of service throughout the entire day. You could see it in their eyes as they welled with tears or as they got up to share how grateful they were for that day and for how loved they had felt. It was an awesome opportunity to show the God’s love through both words and action.
This outreach has looked different than our last in India. We are learning the different roles that we can have as Christians. We know that there are times to sow and there are times to reap. This outreach has been a lot of sowing seeds, encouraging the workers that will be there long term, and learning that God’s heart is after the individual, not the masses. This outreach has been so worth it for the kingdom of God although it has looked different. Although we saw many more salvations in India, the seeds we sewed in Chile & Brazil were just as important in the kingdom of God. He is after the individual.
This outreach has looked different than our last in India. We are learning the different roles that we can have as Christians. We know that there are times to sow and there are times to reap. This outreach has been a lot of sowing seeds, encouraging the workers that will be there long term, and learning that God’s heart is after the individual, not the masses. This outreach has been so worth it for the kingdom of God although it has looked different. Although we saw many more salvations in India, the seeds we sewed in Chile & Brazil were just as important in the kingdom of God. He is after the individual.
Not only did we work at the base, but we also spent time in town prayer walking and evangelising. One day before we went out prayer walking, God gave Amanda a picture of a kid at the skatepark with a hurt wrist. When we arrived to the skatepark there were many kids there, and none of them that we saw had a cast, sling, or anything, so we figured that God was saying it wasn’t going to be obvious.
We looked around and saw a kid in a red hat, and Amanda felt that God was saying that it was him. Amanda and I approached him, and Amanda asked him if he had a bad wrist. He made a look on his face as if he’d just seen a ghost, and replied, “Yes! How did you know that?” (He was also quite high when we approached him). So we explained that we believe in a God who is personal and speaks to us. We asked if we could pray for him, but he said he was high so he didn’t think that God was happy with him. Even though getting high is not something God approves of, we explained that God gave us this word for him because God still loves him regardless of his past. It’s the love of God that leads people to repentance (Romans 2:4).
If people never have experienced God’s love before, they won’t know that what they are doing will lead to death. He agreed to the prayer and was healed right away and testified to his friends what had happened. We both thought it was even more powerful that he was high at the time because it goes to show that God loves us no matter where we are at. He is more committed to us than we are to Him. Even while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Again we saw God seeking out the individual, pursuing one of his lost boys.
We looked around and saw a kid in a red hat, and Amanda felt that God was saying that it was him. Amanda and I approached him, and Amanda asked him if he had a bad wrist. He made a look on his face as if he’d just seen a ghost, and replied, “Yes! How did you know that?” (He was also quite high when we approached him). So we explained that we believe in a God who is personal and speaks to us. We asked if we could pray for him, but he said he was high so he didn’t think that God was happy with him. Even though getting high is not something God approves of, we explained that God gave us this word for him because God still loves him regardless of his past. It’s the love of God that leads people to repentance (Romans 2:4).
If people never have experienced God’s love before, they won’t know that what they are doing will lead to death. He agreed to the prayer and was healed right away and testified to his friends what had happened. We both thought it was even more powerful that he was high at the time because it goes to show that God loves us no matter where we are at. He is more committed to us than we are to Him. Even while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Again we saw God seeking out the individual, pursuing one of his lost boys.
PART TWO: B R A Z I L
On August 2nd we left Chile for Rio de Janeiro to finish our outreach at the Olympics. When we arrived, we were warmly welcomed by our host church. They cooked and fed all five of us the entire two weeks, and provided church members to stay with us and translate for us. We learned a ton about hospitality, generosity, and service from this church in Rio that we have taken back with us.
Our main ministry in Rio was evangelism. We hit the streets everyday to different Olympic areas where there were lots of people around. We joined up with different YWAM teams from around the world to do street performance, 1 on 1 evangelism, and testimony sharing. We worked with a ministry under YWAM called “Jesus For All”, who organised each ministry day for us. The “Jesus For All” ministry organises evangelism at big events around the world. There were about 20 different YWAM teams that came from around the world to flood the city with prayer and evangelism.
On August 2nd we left Chile for Rio de Janeiro to finish our outreach at the Olympics. When we arrived, we were warmly welcomed by our host church. They cooked and fed all five of us the entire two weeks, and provided church members to stay with us and translate for us. We learned a ton about hospitality, generosity, and service from this church in Rio that we have taken back with us.
Our main ministry in Rio was evangelism. We hit the streets everyday to different Olympic areas where there were lots of people around. We joined up with different YWAM teams from around the world to do street performance, 1 on 1 evangelism, and testimony sharing. We worked with a ministry under YWAM called “Jesus For All”, who organised each ministry day for us. The “Jesus For All” ministry organises evangelism at big events around the world. There were about 20 different YWAM teams that came from around the world to flood the city with prayer and evangelism.
One day we went to the Olympic beach volleyball area to do one on one street evangelism. Amanda, I, and our translator were walking around asking God for words of knowledge or prophetic words for people. As we were walking, we felt we were not receiving anything from God, or seeing anyone that was injured that we could pray for. When we started walking back to meet up with the rest of the group, we saw a group of homeless people in the median in the road next to a building under a canopy, with a man standing there with a wrap around his leg. We walked over and asked about his injury, and he let us pray for healing.
After we prayed, we talked with him and asked him about his situation. He had been separated from his wife, and really desired to make things right with her and get a job to support his family. He also had attended church occasionally, but shared that he believed he needed to win God’s approval by doing good things. We stayed there for 30 minutes talking with him about the gospel and sharing about relationship with God, and invited him to enter into relationship with Jesus by surrendering his life to Him. He had such a good heart, and we prayed for his situation with his wife and that he would get a job soon also. He received Jesus, and we also got to pray for his other friends that were there. We had started to feel discouraged at first when we didn’t feel much direction in who to talk to, but God opened up the door to talk to this guy on the street. God’s plans are bigger than ours and His ways are higher.
After we prayed, we talked with him and asked him about his situation. He had been separated from his wife, and really desired to make things right with her and get a job to support his family. He also had attended church occasionally, but shared that he believed he needed to win God’s approval by doing good things. We stayed there for 30 minutes talking with him about the gospel and sharing about relationship with God, and invited him to enter into relationship with Jesus by surrendering his life to Him. He had such a good heart, and we prayed for his situation with his wife and that he would get a job soon also. He received Jesus, and we also got to pray for his other friends that were there. We had started to feel discouraged at first when we didn’t feel much direction in who to talk to, but God opened up the door to talk to this guy on the street. God’s plans are bigger than ours and His ways are higher.
Lastly, thanks again to all of our friends and family who’ve supported us, or are currently supporting us on our mission. This mission could not work without you. We are so appreciative and humbled by your generosity.
WHATS NEXT:
The Crossfit DTS is officially over, and now we are getting ready to staff the next DTS that starts next Sunday. Pray that we get time to rest this next week and that we will be able to pour out God's love to the next students that come.
Since we're not leading an outreach on the next school, we will be doing some preparation work for our school that we're leading next June (check the blog for more information), and also visiting home after this school leaves for outreach in November and December! We are looking forward to seeing you all again, spending time with friends and family, and sharing what God has been doing!
Blessings,
Josh & Amanda
WHATS NEXT:
The Crossfit DTS is officially over, and now we are getting ready to staff the next DTS that starts next Sunday. Pray that we get time to rest this next week and that we will be able to pour out God's love to the next students that come.
Since we're not leading an outreach on the next school, we will be doing some preparation work for our school that we're leading next June (check the blog for more information), and also visiting home after this school leaves for outreach in November and December! We are looking forward to seeing you all again, spending time with friends and family, and sharing what God has been doing!
Blessings,
Josh & Amanda