Team: 36 students and adults
Place: Davis Lar Orphanage in Fortaleza, Brazil

In our own words…July, 2009
We would wake up in the mornings and have a devotional time, where we read through Frances Chan’s “Crazy Love.” The study challenged each of us to ask God what we should do with our time, talents, and treasures. Then we would do VBS at the Lar with about a couple hundred kids. We used drama, just like our church does, to share about being transformed by Christ. There were about 30 children who accepted Christ. We also saw a mom who heard the gospel presentation and accepted Christ.

One of the most challenging things was staying at Lar, but we were able to experience the love and nurture that the orphanage provides for the kids day in and day out. This also included some frogs and bugs…but that paled in comparison to the big smiles and hugs we received each morning. This also gave us an opportunity to video some of the life-changing stories of the kids and workers at the Lar. On Sundays we were able to worship with the kids at a church by the Lar and in downtown Fortaleza….it’s a great spiritual experience to praise the same God in two different languages at the same time…especially when the little children are singing at the top of their lungs.

One of the most exciting things was the purchase of 21 bikes for the kids to ride to school and work. That was a huge blessing for the Lar.

As our trip concluded, several of our team members felt God stirring their hearts about doing long-term missions.

The missionaries Mark and Paige Anderson are about to head back to America for a year for a much-needed break after serving in Brazil for 10 years.

We are already planning our trip to Brazil next year and can’t wait to see what God continues to do through the Davis Lar Orphanage.