Grace Community Church, Sao Paulo

The day after Renata's wedding, Rafael took us to his church, Grace Community Church, to attend evening worship. It is a mega church, with 3000 worshippers. This is my first time to a church of this size.

Worship started at 7:00 p.m. But we arrived at around 6:10 p.m., and we were not the first ones. Many have already arrived. Rafael said that we had to get there early to secure good seats. Otherwise, we may have to sit outside the worship center, and watch life broadcast. 

At 6:30 p.m., most of the seats, outside and inside, were occupied. Circles of people started to group around. It was the small groups' prayer time. The sound from the prayers filled up the sanctuary. Some arms were raised, and some were laid over peoples' bodies. This is a church of prayers.

Slightly after 7:00 p.m., worship started with songs, and their lyrics were all in Portuguese, but music is a universal language. When the congregation sang praises to the Lord, I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit. I watched the 3000 worshippers raised their hands and moved their bodies along with the music with so much joy. I was in tears. I praised God for this compassionate group that longed for Him. Comparing with the churches that I have been to in various continents, nothing was like this church. The world is not so pessimistic. I prayed that God will bless Sao Paulo because of this congregation.

Another good news is that this church is expanding. Rafael showed us a construction area behind the stage. It will allow more seating areas and more people to worship. Amazing grace! Who are we, that the Lord bless us with that much? Rafael also explained that people there were very simple. They had simple families, jobs and lives. They got together just because they love the Lord and they relied on the Lord.

Does not Jesus treasure worshippers with children's hearts? These people do not see the rainbow everyday, and they do not have the beach surrounding them, they don't always see the sunny sky, yet they love the Lord. (Poor Hawaii....)

A blessed church started with prayerful hearts. A blessed nation relies on trust in God. I prayed that 'in God we trust' is not only marked on our coins, but in our hearts. May God bless Brazil and the U.S.A.

Mute & Deaf

FYI.... Sometimes, I really don't need that much information. When I receive information, it may be interrupted that I need to respond to them. Sometimes, information is not necessarily useful. It can be distraction. Sometimes, information confuses me. 

'Can life be a little simpler?' I asked myself.

When I go to vacation, my attitude is to enjoy every single minute. This vacation in Brazil is unique. I had a new family. When Renata dropped me off to his brothers and cousins, she said, 'treat them as your family!' I was with my new family whom most of them did not speak English. None of them spoke Chinese. Interesting.

In the beginning, my Brazilian/Portuguese (abbreviated as 'B' below) family seemed to have nothing in common with me. They ate mandioca, stregonofe and long grain rice (which were delicious). In meals over one hour long, I kept listening to this beautiful language, occassionally intensive argument, and passionate laughters. I enjoyed it even my only participation is smiling. From breakfast to dinner, B mom and tias (aunties) kept passing me food, until I was so filled up. B grandma liked to talk to me, thinking that I may pick up a few words.

Later, I got to know my B family, and we actually have a lot in common. We are all God's children.

B dad is a talented maker. He made a puzzle cube, and he taught me how to solve the puzzle. He also has a toy airplane that the torpedo can be motorized with rubbing finger nail against the plane body. We both love toys. One day, he took me to his family farm, and showed me the houses that he built. The construction is simple and functional. We both like construction.

B mom is a dedicated Christian. I can tell Renata's sweetness was coming from her. Every morning, she bought fresh pom (bread) and made fresh cafe for everybody. For me, she would even fry eggs. The eggs were very yellow, and Renata told me that they were probably from their farm, which were very nutritious. She has a translation app in her I-phone that she sometimes used it to talk to me. She is so sensitive and detail-orientated. 

When we were outing, B tia Gloria always called me and tagged along with me, making sure that I did not get lost. One day, per my request, Renata let me take the crazy metro back from downtown in rush hour. Metro in Sau Paulo's rush hour is no joke. It was beyond crowded, and comparable to Hong Kong's rush hour. The bad part was that it did not have enough air conditioning. When I got back to the B home alive, the two B tias looked so relieved and B grandma hugged me, and said something in Portuguese. They cared about me as family.

Perhaps language is not that important. It may be better that I don't know so much details or overwhelming amount of information. I know that they love me, and that is the most important thing. Language may be hurting, especially when it is used without care. Also, sometimes people understand but they do not listen. This is more disturbing than not knowing the language. 

I learned to listen and speak with my heart. Things can be simpler when I did not understand words from the mouth that requires interpretation, because they can be misinterpreted, and I may be deceived by myself. Perceiving with the heart is a lesson to learn.

After all, Renata, B brothers Luciano and Rafael, B sister-in-law Flavia and new friend Heidi, who know English, kept me entertained and informed when they were available. I was not totally mute and deaf.

Ubasuba

Hawaii is my home. It is a place to work, to serve and to live. To me, it is not a destination to enjoy and rest. Although the island is surrounded by the fascinating Pacific Ocean, people from around the globe come to visit, I seldom enjoy the ocean that is only ten minute away from my home. 

In May 9th, 2012, God revealed Himself to me through the waves in Ubasuba, Brazil. My new friends Luciano and Rafael, took me from the international airport in Sao Paulo to Ubasuba. We drove down from a very meandering road. Tropical rain forest is on both sides of the road. It was so green, and the tree layers were incredibly thick. After about two hours of traveling, we arrived at sea level. I smelt the familiar salty air, but we were not there yet. Rafael kept on driving, and we started to see speed bumps regularly. My expectation to arrive at Ubasuba increased with the number of the awakening speed bumps. 

Finally, Rafael confirmed with Luciano in Portuguese, and turned into a narrow, rough unpaved road. He made a few more turns, the road changed from unpaved to grassy with tire marks. We arrived at a family friend's house. Renata's mother and family from Portugal were all there. They spoke only Portuguese, and I understood none of that. 

The journey of mute and deaf started.*

After settling down, we headed out to the famous beaches of Ubasuba. There were three beaches in walking distance, and we visited two of them that day. We walked through the grassy road with tire marks, turned left, and the first beach was there. We stepped on the dark gray and dense wet sand, looking out to a very calm sea. The water was also grayish, only a man playing with his dog. Vendors along the beach were closed. One can imagine the sun-tanned crowd and laughters with the number of colorful tables and chairs.

Then, we walked to the second beach to the left, through an unpaved road. At a distance, I heard the roaring waves. Once the beach came into scene, I heard people cheering for a number of young surfers. The waves were incredible. They were not high, but they came from different directions aggressively and unexpectedly. The waves rolled into the shore, hit the cliff and rocks, then break into smaller waves. They cried out the pain during the break, then, they humbled themselves with serenity when approaching to the shore. They even healed the scars marked by our footprints on the sand. 

I sat down on a rock, under the warm sun set, watching the directions of the waves. I felt that God was in the waves, speaking to me. Jesus is almighty and powerful, and equal to God, yet he humbled himself to the point of death on the cross, so that we can be saved. His healing touch is so gentle. He is truly an amazing God. His creation reveals His characters.

*in this 2-day trip, Luciano and Rafael speak English.