Aleluia! What an incredible Sunday! Our team was invited to attend Pastor Douglas’s church and what a treat that was. The church provided a snack before the worship service and we were greeted by some of the students we befriended at the first school. We were so happy they decided to join us at Pastor Douglas’s church and we pray they continue to attend. One of our translators, Rebecca, led praise and worship and the church was filled with the Lord’s presence.

Coach Cam delivered a powerful message to the church and the Lord spoke through him in a mighty way. He was able to speak to the church through one of our translators, Miriam. There were many men who reached out to him afterwards to show their gratitude. This was Coach Cam’s first time delivering a message in a church and he did an incredible job. He spoke on sacrifice – how great the sacrifice of Jesus was for us and what sacrifices we can make in our own lives to show our love for Him.

After the message, our players were invited to sing on stage with the church band and singers. The service ended with Pastor Douglas and his wife, Rosa, celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary with their church. Both mothers presented new rings for the couple and Pastor Douglas and Rosa sang to each other and said their vows. It was a beautiful thing for our team to be a part of. How great and loving is our God to allow us to be witnesses to such a wonderful celebration! After the service, we spent a little time with the church members and students from school. Our team gave away their own shirts, shoes, and bibles to the people of Rio. The recipients of these items were in tears and again tried to give us items of their own in return.

The church provided a small snack which was perfect before we headed out to the Hippie Feira, an outdoor market full of treasures from Rio. We were able to shop a little and then reunited for dinner at a delicious restaurant near the hotel.

Meredith Roman – “Today was absolutely incredible! Hearing them sing in Portuguese when we didn’t even know the words was amazing. Then when they started to sing the songs we knew, and hearing the church sing in Portuguese and English, it collided – it sounded like we were in one voice the whole time – it was amazing. Coach Cam’s sermon was awesome – he killed it! When we went up to sing we were all a little nervous, but when the band kicked in, there were two languages being sung, but it was one voice to God. It was awesome.”

Frankie Joubran – “Today was absolutely beautiful. Even though they speak and worship in another language, you still knew what they were talking about. To see our students join us was awesome as well. Coach Cam did a phenomenal job. It was awesome to see him speaking from his heart and him saying some versus that meant a lot to him. It was really cool to see him get emotional – to see the Holy Spirit speak through him. The singing was so much fun because the song we sang together as a team – was so cool to see how the people of Rio knew it in English.

“The anniversary celebration of Pastor Douglas and Rosa was so beautiful. They are role models for us of what we want in life and in a marriage. It brought tears to everyone’s eyes because it was so beautiful and so loving. It was true love. No matter what struggles they may have faced, they have such a strong bond and get through everything together. It was one of the best experiences I’ve had here by far.”

Jenny Roy – “Church was wonderful this morning. The environment was so lively and you could tell that everyone was enjoying the praise and worship. We were all singing and speaking from the heart. Coach Cam did a really nice job preaching and gave hope to the people of the church and made it personal to them. Singing in front of the church was one of the most incredible feelings. Hearing both languages come together and sharing the experience regardless of the language being spoken – it was all for God and it was a very powerful and unforgettable experience.”