Mission Trip Schedule

Many people don't think they can do missions. Well.... first of all, missions isn't really something you do as much as something that you are. What does that mean? It means what you are "doing" is just a way to reach out to people and draw some interest or a crowd - to find an audience, so to speak. And then "missions" is just talking to people and developing relationships and then as you have opportunity you kinda just do 1 Peter 3:15
15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,

Easy.

Three weeks from today our Portugal mission team will be in Porto, Portugal working with Andy and Michelle Milam. Click here to see their blog.

We will be using English as a way to reach out to the communities of Porto, Matosenhos and Vila Nova de Gaia.
Here is a tentative schedule for our week.

Tennessee Quarter

As you probably know, I am leading a small group to Rio de Janiero, Brazil in just a couple of weeks. We will be doing follow up visits and evangelism visits from contacts made by a construction team that worked in Rio earlier this year. We will be working with a local church.

One of the things that is nice to do on a trip like this is to have gifts for the church pastor and for translators and other helpful people. I also like to have things for the kids. Something that is easy to carry with me and that the kids love to get is coins - and what better coin to carry than the Tennessee quarter?

I have some quarters that I would love to trade with you if you have a Tennessee quarter. I have several other states and I even have some old boring ones from the 90s.

Rio Mission Trip

Bro. Paul says there will be an information meeting soon about the trip to Rio in August. I hope some of you are thinking about going with us. I've wanted to take Cheryl there ever since my first trip in 2004.

I've been studying my Portuguese and can carry on a pretty good conversation now, but you don't have to know any Portuguese to go with us.

I thought the trip would be limited to about 8 people, but I had misunderstood. It was a different trip that had to have a smaller number. We can take 15-20 with us! How fun is that?

Here's a really cool thought. The folks in D.C. have planned to help pay your way to Rio! Yes, you read that right, the Federal government is helping to pay for mission trips now. They're just calling it an "economic stimulus". I'm calling it "half my trip is paid for by my congressman!"

Cilck here for a nice travel guide Rio de Janeiro

Portuguese Irregular Verbs

I have been studying Portuguese since before my first (and only - so far) trip to Brazil a few years ago. The Tennessee Baptist Men's Chorale went there on a mission trip in 2004. I really enjoy the language and it gives my brain something new and interesting to work on. (brains will rot if you don't use them, you know) This August I will be leading a group from our church on an evangelism follow up mission trip to Rio de Janiero. (contact me or Bro. Paul if you want information on how you can join in on this trip)

In preparing for the trip, I have been listening to my Portuguese CDs (Pimsleur's Portuguese 3) and I just bought Rosetta Stone's Language study program (it's realllly cool) on Ebay and while I was searching on Ebay I saw a book - only $1.96 buy it now - called Portuguese Irregular Verbs. Portuguese has several Irregular verbs - and like English they are the really important verbs that you use all the time - to be, to have, to go, to hear. The book was listed next to several other books: 501 Portuguese Verbs and Portuguese Verbs and Grammar. Since it was less than $5 even including the shipping I bought it. (and of course was very proud of myself for getting such a good deal)

It came today.

It ends up that this book has nothing to do with Portuguese grammar. It's a short novel! I skimmed through it. It seems the story is about a company that printed way too many copies of a book actually titled and about irregular Portuguese verbs,(hmmm, I can't imagine why there aren't thousands of people wanting a book like that) so they were going to try to change the cover of the book to say Portuguese Irrigated Herbs and put them on bookshelves in model homes to get rid of them...

Ha, ha, ha. Well, I guess the joke is on me for not researching a little more before I clicked "buy now". Anyone want to read a short novel before I try to resell it on Ebay or Amazon?