Art and Daniel participated in the men’s Encountro  (Encounter) and I participated in the women’s Encountro.  These are weekend events held at the mission’s camp.   This year we had about 50 men and 50 women participate in these weekend events.  These retreats provide rich opportunities to connect with God through worship, teaching, and prayer  ministry.  Retreatants are asked to respect a rule of silence for the duration of the weekend.  Initially I wondered why silence was enforced, but during the weekend, I realized how the silence between all 70 women (20 women were there to serve the other 50) created a beautiful atmosphere in which we could nurture our ability to hear God’s voice. 

The lives of the 20 Brazilians who went on the retreat to serve the 50 participants deeply impacted me.  I watched them serve their fellow Brazilians with a dedication and willingness that touched me deeply.    We gathered at 6 am, in our pajamas,  each morning to pray for the women.   There were women who needed to be delivered from demons – one woman began manifesting in the middle of the night.  As I lay in my hammock, I listened to them pray and sing worship songs over this women for over an hour.  They cooked, cleaned toilets, served, wrote cards, hugged, and prayed for these women.  Below is video clip that Art took of me teaching at a leader’s retreat.  (I don’t think there is any sound . . .  lol )  During the Encountro I taught outside while fire ants began to bite my ankles.  I also had a few moments where my use of the portuguese language entertained my listeners.  Instead of asking for a cup of water, I asked for a cup of a female horse.  The words for water and horse are very close.  I also commented on how delicious the dessert was with the grated feces.  The word for feces is very close to the word for coconut.