We're Back Home... But Tired!

Yesterday we went back out to the camp (Hope and Life Brazil) to visit some of the children that live on the mountain. It was raining so we couldn't do it. We actually had a hard time getting up to the camp because of the roads. So, when we got there we visited with my family who moved there 2 months ago. We played a little volleyball, had lunch in the pavilion (this is where we will hold services and feed children when they're on the property) and then we all prayed over my family before we left. It was very difficult leaving our family there but we all know they're called to be there and you can really see the opportunities for ministry that are starting to come together.

When we got back to Betania we packed our stuff and headed for the airport. When we got to the airport it was time to say goodbye to out translators and once again (there seems to be a theme here) the tears were flowing. These people were so good to us. The way they served and took time out of their schedule to travel with us for the week was very inspiring. We all formed a tight bond with our Brazilian brothers and sisters. Sweet people. Our flight was at 7:20pm and we were exhausted. We flew into Rio and our flight was late so we had to actually had to "run" to our connecting flight. Yes, we were actually led through the entire airport (by an airport employee), up and down escalators, through hallways, just so we'd make our plane. We flew 9 hrs into Miami (the home of God's favorite football team... the Dolphins.) and by the time we made it through customs our flight was already boarding. The only problem with that was that we were at the opposite side of the airport. So, there we went... off to the races! We ran and made it to the gate, just in time for them to drive us out to the plane. So we made our final plane and we were only an hour and a half from home.

As we were coming into Atlanta there was something that struck me. As we were descending into Atlanta, you could see all the houses and streets, it looked totally different from where we just were 15 hrs before. There were no slums, no houses stacked on top of each other... I saw swimming pools and tennis courts. Nice streets, with manicured lawns, with nice cars in driveways... that's what I saw. Man, what a contrast to where we just were. But we're home. So what now? Do we just continue on with life as normal? Do we tune out all the memories of what we just experienced? Do we allow ourselves to be lulled back into the American lifestyle of "it's all about me?" Only time will tell but I know that for me and MJ, we're gonna keep it burning strong. We want to make a difference, not only in Revolution, but around the world as well. And I've got a strong feeling that the students and leaders of Revolution, that were on this trip, are gonna do the same!

Please continue to check the blog next week because each person that went on the trip will be blogging to give their take on the whole trip.

Love Ya!

Jim