WinShape Camps International Project

All Good Things Must Come to a "see you later..."

WSCIP.Brazil@gmail.com (WinShape Camps International Project) — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 17:04:00 +0000

By the time this blog is posted, we will be on our way home. Words cannot describe fully how much God has moved and used every one of us on Team 2 to do his amazing work here in Brazil. He has blessed this team in so many ways. This week has gone by so fast and we cannot even believe it is coming to an end! It is amazing to think that in one week, our love for the Lord has brought us all so close together. We have discovered and built friendships that will last a lifetime, not only with each other but with the Brazilian team. These Men of God and Women of Faith have had such an impact to each and every one of us. We thank the Lord for being “Demais” throughout this entire week.

Last night, we held a celebration for a successful week of camp with all the staffers, the campers, and their parents. Although there was rain and a brief power outage, everything worked out greatly and the church was packed full of campers and parents. The kitchen staff of P. North prepared us an amazing dinner, which turned out to be pretty romantic because we got to eat with only the light from our van. They made their version of lasagna, which was AMAZING, and ended dinner with quite possibly one of the best chocolate cakes we have ever tasted. God blessed us with electricity right before the program was scheduled to start. We performed “Beach Blast” not once, but TWICE! In between, we sang and danced to many of the songs we learned during the week. Speedy and I (Born) got to share our testimonies. At the end of the night, we had to say our goodbyes to our precious kids.

Friday was a day of rest and celebration for our Winshape Team 2. We were able to tour Brasilia, do a little shopping, and a WHOLE lot of eating. We got to see the entire city from atop a tall tower and saw a side of Brazil that we had not been able to see. After our morning tour, we ate at a Brazilian BBQ. This was love at first bite. Brazilian food will surely be missed! After lunch, we were able to go to Havaianas, a flip flop store. Thirty - four pairs of flip-flops were purchased. We then went shopping at Wal-Mart to get things that we could bring back to the U.S. (such as baking mixes for making our favorite pastries). After Wal-Mart, we went to the Mall to shop some more and have dinner. There was a McDonalds there! It is so much better than the ones in the States. Chris was able to complete 17 of the 18 things on his “things to eat” list. Six of those were completed on the very last day. Jessica was not able to complete her mission to find a roly-poly but did encounter a snake during breakfast. Our night ended with a great debrief session lead by Mae. Goodnight to everyone and please pray for our safe and easy flight back home. Jesus e Demais!

Speedy – Enjoyed touring Brazil today and I bought my FIRST pair of flip-flops. Looking forward to seeing the kids soon.

Julie – What a great last full day. Looking forward to home again!

Mallory – Ficar (staying in Brazil) – Really excited about my new monkey from my great friend and I ate waaaaaayyyy too much meat today!

Alison – Who knew that a fig would taste like spearmint?

Melodie – Loves grilled pineapple with cinnamon and is not ready to go home!

Ana Jane – Found my way around the market – Mom and Dad, you should be proud

Jon David – Successfully ate a whole cow and excavated an entire plate of dessert (Mallory says that it was a small plate)

Chris - is Tarzan

Haley – Ate a chicken heart today… I mean, I kind-of-liked it

Chelsea – I heart Val’s chocolate cake but not the fig

Josh – not even a power outage, starting 30 minutes late, and having no fans could not stop us from saying see you later to our wonderful friends.

Angela – Guarana – R$3,00, Necklace from the Torre – R$18,00, Haviana’s – R$24,50, Teaming up with Time Doise to make a difference for the kingdom and coming back different – Priceless | VISA – NOT everywhere you want to be.

Trudy – Talked Speedy in to buying his first pair of flip-flops. It also does not get much better than grilled pineapple with cinnamon and sugar and getting a umbrella with a plastic rain catcher!

Fufa – Mallory says, “Loves Mallory.” Fufa responds… “Mallory?” Now for real – It’s been wonderful being with everybody for the past 2 weeks.

Mae – “what happens in the car, stays in the car” – Marney

Brandon – Thinks Marney should be the next “American Idol”

Jessica – “do all songs have the word ‘beaver’ in them?” – Marney…… Time sure does fly when you’re having fun.

Brent – Very, very excited to see my wife again, but also sad about leaving a place that he Loves – Can’t wait for me and Angela to come back!

Born – Will miss Marney so much, especially when she sings his favorite song to him.

Not Good-byes | See you later's

WSCIP.Brazil@gmail.com (WinShape Camps International Project) — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 01:29:00 +0000

Photo 1: Tia Trugie (aka - Trudy) singing Dufundo with a camper

Photo 2: Parabens - It was another birthday at camp - just only this time it was in a skit

Photo 3: Everybody Rockout - thats what this song is about | BEACH BLAST

Photo 4: This is a picture that Palo drew for the team... Can you pick out some of our team members? Don't worry, the red on the faces is face paint that out team wore a lot of!

Boa Tarde from beautiful Brazil! If you want to meet some of the most loving, self less, and hospitable people in the world….come to Brazil! They are absolutely amazing! I love these people so much!! It breaks my heart that I’ll have to leave them come Saturday. It has been an incredible adventure. I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to come back for round two.

Since our last post so much has happened! After lunch and a much needed rest (or like several of us girls …a time to work on our tan) we began part two of camp. Campers poured into the church courtyard by the dozens. We kicked off part two by doing the WinShape favorite, the hamster dance. JD, Chelsea, Chris, Mae, and I followed with a skit which emphasized our theme,Demais. We followed this up with another round of the hamster dance. Before heading to the main worship service, “Groupo Grande” the entire camp sang happy birthday to me. It was awesome. By that time I think I had already been sung to a good 5 times(and definitely wasn’t the last …). Haha. I love this place!

We had Groupo Grande. Then launche(snacktime). Another thing I LOVE about this country. This country has incredible food! Once launche was over, the groups headed to a bible study according to their color(yellow, blue, or VERMELLO!!! Red). I love sitting in on these, even though the majority of the time I don’t know what they’re saying .It’s so cool to see the campers get excited about answering questions about Christ.

The “officinas” (skills/Track Times) began next. I’ve been working with “Meninias de mundo” (Girl World). Today we did one of my favorite things….play with and braid hair! J We acted like it was a legit salon. Trudy and Chelsea went around and offered the girls “café” (coffee) while they were getting their hair done. Thanks to Jessica who is an amazingly fast braider. We couldn’t have done it without her. We talked about proverbs 31:30, how beauty is temporary….but we are and will always be beautiful in the eyes of our heavenly Father.

After all three rotations we had another wild and crazy round of “Beach Blast” during groupo grande. We packed up camp and then made our way back home to Agua viva. Before getting home, we made a pit stop at a gas station where Mr. John bought us all ice cream. YUM!! Brazilian ice cream is oh so good! Several of us took the opportunity for a photo opp of the beautiful sunset.

Once we made it home Dona Gon Gon had our meal ready and waiting for us. Delicious, as usual. Hmmm….I wonder if she’d like to live in Jacksonville, Alabama. I’d love to have her cook for me every day. Speaking of delicious, she made me a HUGE chocolate cake covered in white icing with peaches and prunes. It was so good. It was yet again such a great and memorable birthday. J Muto Obrigahda!!

This morning we had a tasty breakfast and then headed off to the church around 6. Arriving we set up and began camp. We did a rendition of “ hands up” which was followed by a skit. I understood the service this morning so much better thanks to the fact that Trudy sat in front of me.

Before lunch, Angela and myself went to wash our hands. We came out to find ourselves trapped in the bathroom with a bike, a dresser, a chalkboard and a couple other things. Thank you Chris, Brandon, and Born. Whom of which were laughing hysterically and videoing the entire thing. I have no doubt it will be on faebo in the near future.

I guess I should wrap this up. My heart breaks that the last “session” has come so quickly. I ask that you would continue to pray for our team as we finish up. That we would be completely spent and have nothing left to give when the day comes to a close. Tonight is our closing ceremonies with the campers and their parents. Please keep this in your prayers!!! Thank you all so much. You are all dearly loved.

Ah te lagoo!!!

AnaJane: Shout out to the Master of all Things aquatic….excluding the iceberg. We need you here to teach us about these mutant frogs.

Jessica: If the kids do not show up for the “closing ceremony” tonight I’m getting FuFa to drive me to QNE and pick them up myself. Shout out to Net and PawPaw! Obrigada for your prayers!

Haley: is really really going to miss pao de queijo and the beautiful children.

Mae: thinking she wants to stay in Brazil forever!

Mallory: 4 days have never gone so fast! I will miss these meninas and meninos so much… I might not go home Saturday.

Brent: I don’t know quite how to process that I am leaving this amazing place after 3 weeks- Praying for a quick return to Brazil.

JD:I might not make it onto the plane Saturday… This place has once again stolen my heart and taught me how to break down dividing walls.

Born: It’s amazing to think God had already had this trip planned even before we were born. I’ve met people who forever have a place in my heart. P.S. These cups are a tease.

Chris: will share the water with all! Jesus ama voce!

Julie: is amazed at two quick things: the past four days in the Brazilian church volunteers and the WinShape team organizing crafts and homework packets to go home. Not ready to pack and leave yet though…there is still shopping to do.

Speedy: sad about closing day! I have truly been blessed. Thanks for all the prayers back home.

Melodie: spent the afternoon getting made fun of by Gabriella for my Portuguese and can’t wait to meet the parents tonight…it’s gonna rock!

Angela: has spent the day living like a teacher and is excited about tonight.

Josh: Chelsea made a girl cry, but it was all for a good cause.

Brandon:All is well on the last day of camp.The boys are great and secret ops is international.

Chelsea: Being in Brazil will change me forever. If I helped to touch one life it would be all worth it. Shout out to… Tabs-the necklace is still on. Hope your foot is getting better. J Caleb-I am learning so much can’t wait to share.Mom & Dad-I love you so much and miss you a lot. Thank you for helping me have this experience.

John and Trudy: Remembering David and celebrating his birthday. Remembering the time he was born in Rio.

Alison (me): Greater things are yet to come…greater things are still to be done in this city!!!!

Para Bens Alison!! Brazilian Birthdays are the BEST!

WSCIP.Brazil@gmail.com (WinShape Camps International Project) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 18:28:00 +0000

Oi! I hope that you are all doing well today in the states. Just to set the tone as you read this, we are having seriously one of the greatest days ever in Brasil. First of all the weather is unreal. I (Brent) have been here for the past 3 weeks and I can easily say that the weather today is the best that I have seen. The wind is blowing, the sun is out, the skies are clear, and its just warm enough to be wearing shorts and a t-shirt. Also, today I would say that Team 2 is fully in the swing of things. We are completely comfortable with what we are doing, we are developing incredible relationships with the kids and things are running very smoothly.

Yesterday afternoon camp ended great! We had a great day with the kids and had some incredible experiences as we have really started diving into relationships with the kids. When we ended we were able to meet with out team members from P. North for a little bit and then we got to go see the community that many of our campers come from. Let me set this up. The church that we are working with in P. North does a lot of mission work in a community near by called QNE (Quadrant NE). The church does a lot in this area and one thing that we have been able to do is to provide a bus for the church to pick up many of these kids in this area to come to camp. Roughly half of the campers that we have come from this area, so we thought it would be great to be able to learn about where they come from. As we drove through, our team had a whole new perspective to what it meant to live in poverty. The best way that our team could describe this area is that “it looks like a National Geographic magazine,” or a “feed the children commercial.” The only difference in what we saw yesterday and what we see on TV is that it was real. We saw kids and families walking the streets next to their shacks that were made of plywood scraps and a little cement. We saw a community of shacks that were in the middle of a field that were so far from any comfort that we experience even in our lowest standard of living. We saw kids that come to DEMAIS chase our van down the road as we drove down their streets. We saw things that many people on our team have never experienced, but we took so much from this. The biggest thing is that we were able to see that these are people. Not only were they people, but they are children that we know, that we have relationships with, and that we love. It was so encouraging that we get to know them, get to love on them, and get to share God’s love with these people.

As we ended the day of all of the excitement of camp and the reality check of visiting QNE, we had a great time to debrief as a team. We were able to go on an emotional rollercoaster together as we laughed so hard because of our friend Edson’s pranks, cried as we shared how being with the kids of QNE affected us, and a bit of both as we read the blog comments. One encouragement that we can share together for this community is a song that we may all know from Chris Tomlin:

“Greater things have yet to come, greater things are still to be done in THIS city…”

Today started a little earlier than yesterday as we tried to beat the morning traffic. We left this morning at 6:00am (breakfast at 5:30) and headed to a big day at DEMAIS. Camp got off to a great start on this wacky Wednesday as we celebrated the birthday of our teammate, Alison. We had all the campers sing “Para Bens” and we will continue to celebrate her all day long! (HAPPY BIRTHDAY ~ Brazilian Birthdays are the BEST!). We also had some great experience becoming experts in jump rope at camp, as this is one of the favorite welcome activities that we have! Today at camp the Girl World crew is “taking a trip to the salon” as they are doing hair and making them even more beautiful while also teaching that real beauty comes from the inside. In Man Land, the guys took the secret mission of Mission Impossible to find some explosions around camp and to learn that when you are filled with the love of God you can be an explosion to those around you and share with them about His Love! In rec the team played bucketball with the campers and used this as a way to teach them that God sends people in our lives to help to do things and that we need a community around us to help us fully be who God called us to be. In arts and crafts, the campers finished a project making fish windsocks as they were recapping our Bible story from yesterday of Peter walking on water. Overall the day has been incredible. We are looking forward to a great afternoon, and we really cannot believe that tomorrow will be our last day of camp this week. We hope that you are all doing well and will keep you posted as we spend our last few days in Brazil.

Chris is happy! Romans 8:35-39 J

Jessica- Happy Birthday, Alison! Enjoyed hearing girls from the vermelho team chanting, “Tia Jessica” as they walked to the registration table. Oh, and Marney rocks! I love and miss you Mom, Dad, Josh, Jake, and Misty.

Alison Obrigata everyone for the bday wishes! I’m loving having a Brazilian birthday and wearing a shirt with shoulder pads.

Mallory loves having all the campers run up and jump in our arms when they get to the church! I can’t believe we only have 1 day left. I will miss Mauricio and Edson.

Haley loves Wacky Wednesday.

Mae-is dressed to impress and wishing Alison a Happy Birthday!

Melodie-bittersweet emotions when I saw John, a Cade camper, in the neighborhood around p. north

Trudy- is trying to speak Portuguese to Melodie and translate for John!

Speedy-When I retire from being a camp director I’m going to give jump rope lessons.

Angela-is enjoying wearing face paint, a big fan of Brazilian weather, thankful for the prayers from so many, loves doing camp in Brazil, and is so proud of Team 2.

Julie is reminded how blessed we all are after seeing the neighborhood of some of the campers. A shout out to Megan and Cindi and Gretchen! Love to AG and D. There are some big hills here, but they are not red (saw some soy beans and sourghum though).

Ana Jane- Brazilian coffee. Need I say more?

Brandon-Got chased by a baby owl...manliness no longer in tact.

Born- Is learning what it truly means to love God and pursue him with a simple heart.

Brent-I’m going to bring Tiago home in my carry-on. Hope you don’t mind, Angela. J

J.D.-I have found my new calling…leading secret missions in foreign countries a.k.a. blowing things up!

Josh-singing in the car on the way home, dodging sick owls, and roads built like roller coasters make for an exciting night.

Video Update | Team Chants

WSCIP.Brazil@gmail.com (WinShape Camps International Project) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 16:46:00 +0000

What would camp be without Team Chants? Check out our WinShape Chants | Brazilian Style

Largest IP Ever - Some Familiar Faces

WSCIP.Brazil@gmail.com (WinShape Camps International Project) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 22:06:00 +0000

Once upon a time there was a team far far away from home in a land known as Brazil. In this land there are many meninas and meninos who did not know the excitement they were about to face.

Yesterday afternoon we had the privilege of having 78 campers join us for Demais! Every team was packed to the max! I can’t think of any experience that tops the sound of Portuguese speaking children yelling for their team color. Not sure about the precise number for the other teams but vermelho had 32 kids. Mrs. Trudy and I (Jessica) had our hands full. First thought that popped in my head was how are we going to control so many kids? But they were so well behaved and we all had a great time! Many of the children have asked some of the team members to help them learn English. One way the campers communicate with the tias and tios (WinShape Team) is to point and use gestures. A laugh and a funny look usually follow when we repeat their language. For example, Arthur, a member of the red team, wanted to know the “ingles” word for “Deus” which is God in Portuguese. Even though the team is slowly learning common words in Portuguese, this particular experience was a reminder that we are here for one purpose and one purpose only, to share the love of Christ to children and volunteers of a different language.

Aside from camp we enjoyed a night of adventure at Agua Viva. Everything in Brazil is jumbo sized. For instance, their frogs could eat the entire team in one slurp. Mrs. Trudy showed us her quickness when the jumbo frog made a move towards her. We discovered poisonous spiders hanging from trees (don’t worry moms we stayed far away). Walking down the roads of Agua Viva are flowing red lines created by the gynormous ants. Marching through the grass kept them from hanging onto our shoes. During our extravaganzas Andre was able to find our lost keys. On a more serious note we had tons to talk about during debrief time of how God showed up and showed off on Day 2 of Demais.

This morning the teams slept in and left for the day at 6:15 AM (4:15 AM in Georgia and 3:15 in Alabama). Traffic delayed us a bit but as we stepped off the bus kids from yesterday morning greeted us with a huge smile, hugs, and a “bom dia!” Our Portuguese is growing and growing daily. Some activities of the day included Spider-tag, lemon-lime soda, decorating cookies in “Mundos de Meninas” (Girl World). Our Brazilian friends were confident in their lessons and did an amazing job!

J.D. (Dukey)- Having fun making lemonade and seeing kids with sour faces and is sweating like a man

Brandon- Thinks kids drinking lemon juice is funny on ANY continent

Josh- O cuel e tao lindo do Brazil

Speedy- enjoyed another day at camp. The Brazilian kids have as much energy as the American kids. Hi AG and Darrell!

Chris- Hopes Richard remembers cheesy bread and hopes he likes my Mohawk

Born-Does not like being in the bathroom with Edson and Chris.

Brent- Fala munto Portuguese

Haley- is following in Corley’s footsteps and has said “nao intende” every five seconds.

Julie- having fun at camp. The cupid shuffle is international. Thanks to Grandmama for keeping AG and Darrell.

Mrs. Trudy- has better reflexes than anyone on the team

Pastor John- is officially the best translator

Alison- wishes she had her digital SLR camera. My photo teacher would be so amazed.

Mae- looks like a splatter painted canvas

Angela (Ruby)- is learning to pray BIG and is excited to see how God is answering.

Melodie- her day was made after receiving a big hug from Richard and watching Misael open a special letter and thinks God’s creation is unexplainable.

Ana Jane- finally saw the southern cross. Hope you guys are having fun in PCB I LOVE YOU

Chelsea-“ you only get to run in Brazil once”

Mallory- the starts are so much brighter in Brazil

Jessica (Me)- Excited to see Team VERLMEHO and learn new words and phrases from Arthur. Shoutout to my roomie and suitemates!

It is our 4^th day in Brazil! What a beautiful day at Boas Novas Ingreja Baptista.

Video Update 2

WSCIP.Brazil@gmail.com (WinShape Camps International Project) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:36:00 +0000

Team 2 Day 2 is off to an unbelievable start! We are having an incredible week and really feeling His love all around us! Check out this video which includes a few Hello’s to the 2009 Team 1

Day 1 | And We're Off!

WSCIP.Brazil@gmail.com (WinShape Camps International Project) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:13:00 +0000

Oi from Boas Novas Iglesias Baptista (the church where camp takes place): this morning started the first day of camp! The day began early and with an unpredictable challenge—a set of keys were misplaced for one of the vans… After searching for twenty minutes or so to no avail, “Plan B” was initiated. We unloaded the van with missing keys into the passenger van and a smaller van. This obstacle was easily overcome with excitement of seeing campers! Upon arrival, because of the delay, we were already behind on set up. Fortunately, we have a solid team that works hard; we got all set up perfectly and on time!

Once back on track, campers started arriving; we checked them in and immediately jumped into singing songs in Portuguese and English. It is such an awesome experience to worship in another language! After worship and the Bible lesson, oficinas followed. The campers experienced recreation, arts and crafts, along with meninos and meninas (boy’s and girl’s fun respectively) activities. It was really amazing to see how a language barrier can be broken through these activities and bonding begins.

We await another set of campers this afternoon and we’re all really excited after settling in well this morning. I hope this blog finds you all well and safe. Enjoy these status updates!

Julie-is thankful for all of the organizing and setting up Team 1 did for us! Obrigada! Hey AG and D!

Speedy-enjoyed recreation games with the kids today.

Haley-loves the kids; wishes she knew more Portuguese.

Chelsea-Smiles and Laughs are universal!

Jessica-There is a high demand in Animal Bracelets—just ask the kid who tried to take hers! Shout out to Marty!

Born-is finally free from being trapped in the bathroom!

Mallory-Chris is really funny at 5 in the morning…but not any other time.

Melodie-was excited to see familiar faces this morning: Misael, Magno, Lucas, Yuri.

Ana Jane-is now ‘Ana’ because the Brazilians cannot enunciate ‘Ana Jane’.

Brandon-is burnt… bad.

Brent-manufactured a seat on the bus this morning, and still managed to catch a nap.

J.D.-While napping performed a rendition of Michelangelo’s “The Ceiling of the Vatican” with the napping Josh.

Josh- While napping performed a rendition of Michelangelo’s “The Ceiling of the Vatican” with the napping J.D.

Angela-Almost 6 months of preparation to see today transformed from a prayer to reality—Munto Demais!

Alison-Today I’m an Engineer; tomorrow I’m a doctor! I do what I can to help out!

Mae-had fun with “Hands Up” with Anderessa this morning!

Chris-Baca: Mmaaauuu.

Video Update from Team 2

WSCIP.Brazil@gmail.com (WinShape Camps International Project) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:00:00 +0000

Team 2 has made it and has hit the ground running! Loving Brasil – the people, the food, the experience, the weather, EVERYTHING! Check out our video from our Training with our team from P. North:

Pizza, Church, and Training - Oh My!

WSCIP.Brazil@gmail.com (WinShape Camps International Project) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:41:00 +0000

___This is our Blog post from Sunday (3.14.2010), but due to limited access to email we are just now able to upload. We will post today's post later today!_______

Oi! (That’s hello for all of you none Portuguese speakers out there!) Our first full day in Brazil was B-E-A-UTIFUL! Everyone was very thankful for a full night’s sleep horizontal style and thoroughly enjoyed the mango, pineapple, and pao de queijo for breakfast! Rain over night provided a cool morning, perfect for running through oficinas with our Brazilian teammates and a few of us managed to walk away with a slight Chaco/flip-flop tan.

We spent the day training with our Brazilian teammates from P North. We learned a few songs in Portuguese and taught the Brazilians “My God is so Big” in English. Later in the afternoon, we got to see Elena, Sergio, and Maricio and practiced the skits or “Ice Breakers” for camp. Aqua Viva was filled with conversations that sounded a lot like Engluguese. (A mix of Portuguese and English) Despite the language barrier, today was the beginning of a great partnership between the two teams. We were able to witness firsthand the greatness of our God!

Tonight we had the privilege of worshiping at Marney and Andre’s church. It was incredible to hear the people of Brazil worshiping the Lord and I was overwhelmed by His love for these people. During the service, they began to pass out water to the congregation. After Brandon had partaken of his cup, Brent tried to convince him that we were about to take communion and that he was supposed to wait on everyone else. After church we ate some delicious Brazilian pizza: heart of palm with chicken, pepperoni with onions and peppers, cheese (Speedy), banana and cinnamon, guava, and many more.

As we prepare for camp tomorrow, I am reminded of a challenge I was given recently to be a door holder- a door holder for the presence of the Lord! What a challenge! That is what I believe we are here to do this week- be door holders for the children, volunteers, and parents we meet. We want to hold open the doors so that they might be able to run into the presence of the Lord and then run out again to tell everyone they know about our magnificent God. The Lord told us to “declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous works among all the peoples!” Our prayer as a team is that the Lord would be glorified this week, that His name would be made famous, not only in Brazil but also among all the nations of the world! We are praying believing that “greater things are yet to come and greater things are still to be done in this city!”

“For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.” Psalm 84:10

Born Phann- is going on the Beach Blast diet; twice a day, everyday until camp and wishes his mom was here to cut his meat

Jessica Williams- is thinking about staying in Brazil forever and gives a shout out to Mom & Dad

Haley Trammel- was thrilled to see we were having brownies for breakfast

Mallory Stuckey- says her Portuguese sentences are coming along nicely… she asked Fufa “pizza later night?” (pizza lago noite)

Brandon Cullum- is learning to “rock out” on stage without his guitar

Anna Jane Fletcher- is sticking to her southern roots and finding herself saying please and thank you often

Alison Nichols- enjoyed playing on the playground with Haley but it was an epic fail when they found out there was no slide

Josh England- got sunburned with sunscreen on while being outside for only an hour

Mae Lemonds- got to relive her 3-year-old days by getting to throw a temper tantrum while practicing the icebreakers today

Chelsea Packard- says the banana pizza at dinner was awesome

Chris Chapman- can’t make up his mind, is going to eat a lizard, didn’t fall asleep twice today, and is falling asleep with his quillow in a hammock

Melodie Malone (me)- loves being back in Brazil and is ready to be a door holder

JD Dukes- is lovin’ kickin’ with my Brazil twin John and gives a shout out to Ashley Hester

Julie Trejo- loves being a member of this team; Hi Darrel and AG

Speedy Trejo- felt great reconnecting with our friends from last year; thanks for all your prayers back home

Brent Fielder- really enjoyed hanging out with out team from P North; can’t wait for the week to start and thankful for Skype technology

Angela Rubenacker- found herself looking for Jimmy after her feet got sunburned during the rec run through and is so proud of team 2

John and Trudy White- zzzzzz

DEMAIS | Team 2 Has Arrived

WSCIP.Brazil@gmail.com (WinShape Camps International Project) — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 20:51:00 +0000

This blog post was written last night (3.13.10) but we were not able to upload until now. We will post more later.

“But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness, so that Christ power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” – 2 Corinthians 12:9, 10

----DEMAIS----

Team 2 greets you from Agua Viva this evening (Saturday, March 13^th). It is around 8PM where most of our family and friends are who will be reading this. There will only be an hour difference between us and you beginning at 2AM tomorrow morning due to springing forward for Daylight Savings Time in the States. Don’t forget to change your clocks and be assured we won’t forget while we are here because Brazilians don’t adjust time until February and October.

Much of our team has already descended to slumber for the night. There are a few who found sleep on the 9 hour flight from Atlanta to Sao Paulo a breeze. However, for others of us we are running on just a couple hours of sleep and pure adrenaline to be about our Father’s business during our ten days together. God’s presence has been thick with us as Team 2 had a few first time international flyers (but not anymore), we all made it through Brazilian customs and have successfully linked arms with our Brazilian counterparts to bring the Truth of God’s promise to be “DEMAIS” – ENOUGH, through WinShape Camps International Project.

There were a few moments we wanted to share with you in our initial post. A few moments worthy of catching on video or through photo …

1) The majority of Team 2 slept in the floor of the Sao Paulo airport. The seating in the terminal did not merit one to lay down on them, so our team decided to improvise and make the most of the layover time by making pallets through an aisle of seats at Gate 3. Our actual gate for departure ended up being Gate 9, but not before it became Gate 4… ask us about details on this story, it’s a good one!

2) The second moment can be understood more clearly after referring to a picture of J.D. (John David) napping on the ground between a window and a row of seats. Why he chose to sleep here, we are not really sure. I am thinking it is because he is so tall and because he thought this might keep him from getting in the path of a stranger. Little did he know…

The funniest part of this story is that fellow teammates, Chris and Alison, were sitting in the seats near the place where he lay. That is, until they moved and a Brazilian couple sat down. When J.D. woke up, he thought they were still sitting where they had been. He proceeded to tap (who he thought was) Chris on the shoulder… only to discover that Chris was not who he tapped on the shoulder at all! This was J.D.’s first chance to use his Portuguese word for, “Sorry!” (Desculpe!)

3) Last, but certainly not least was our opportunity to see TEAM 1 once we arrived at the airport in Brasilia. Everyone was anxious to know if we would have the chance to see them as they prepared to depart and we were scheduled to land in Brasilia.

Although it was a short reunion it made the top of everyone’s list for the day’s highlights! We love you Team 2 and we will continue to pray for what you were able to accomplish in the lives of children as well as their families through the Hope of Glory… Christ in you. You all were pacesetters for us and we all realize we are going to keep our running shoes on for the week! You are dearly loved and we miss you (and we know we aren’t the only ones) already.

4) Big day for our Team Liaison who celebrated his 25^th Birthday today… “Feliz Anniversario, Brent(che)!”

Family, friends and faithful WSC-IP Blog followers… this is simply an update to assure you we have made it safely to the place He predestined us for during this upcoming week. We are so grateful for your partnership in praying, encouraging and celebrating with us. We made it… we are here! Please stay tuned for more in the days to come (with pictures, videos, and updated status from each team member).

Riiiiiipppple Effect

WSCIP.Brazil@gmail.com (WinShape Camps International Project) — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 12:56:00 +0000

Facebook albums from our trip will definitely be pretty sweet, but our favorite memories cannot be seen in the pictures you flip through or any of the videos you watch. Seeds have been planted in the hearts of Brazilians and Americans alike. This was no ordinary Spring Break trip.

Two words that were spoken consistently as we sat to debrief as a team this morning were…ripple effect. We may be headed home, but we’re thrilled to know that God’s presence is staying in Sao Sebastian. His work is not done. The team learned the words to “God Of The City” in Portuguese and the words ring true in our hearts as we leave – “You’re the God of this city, You’re the Lord of these people…Greater things are yet to come, Greater things are still to be done here.” We also unpacked a good bit about the ripple effects that our time with the Brazilian children and adults will have on our lives at home and at camp this summer. Here are some comments I jotted down during our meeting.

We were:

-amazed at how powerful God’s love is

-saw utter proof that God can break down any barrier

-impacted by the children’s ability to be content in any situation (with their poor living conditions)

-surprised how in just 4 days with the kids we became so comfortable in their surroundings (so much so that going to the fancy mall last night felt uncomfortable)

-blessed to see the parents reactions to us when we met them and told them how great their children were

-ready to work harder to intentionally develop relationships with campers this summer

-thinking more about how we can see God use the small things (even though we have every resource at our disposal doing camp at WinShape)

One of the best things about working with this team is that every member of the team has also committed to work another summer at camp so our chances to serve together will not end when we part ways in Atlanta. We’ll have the chance to remind each other what we learned and to challenge one another to implement our take-aways in practical ways in our roles at each camp. At this point we’re feeling like we are going to be a rocking camp staff thinking about how well we feel like we can connect with campers with whom we can fully communicate!

The closure was really sweet and we finished in just enough time to pack up the vehicles to head to the airport. And WE GOT TO SEE Team 2!! We were the biggest, loudest spectacle of the week or maybe the month at the Brasilia airport!! There were hugs aplenty and the enthusiasm was rich! It was a true joy to see their faces light up even after hours of travel! It was a passing of the torch of sorts. Our prayer is that Team 2’s ministry even far exceeds what we were able to accomplish.

You can guarantee that this loud, crazy, fun-loving team will not see life the same. We hope you enjoy having them home and that you take the chance to ask them what they loved and what they learned. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you for your prayers!

SAYING IT SLOWER IN PORTUGUESE DOES NOT MAKE ME UNDERSTAND YOU!

WSCIP.Brazil@gmail.com (WinShape Camps International Project) — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 16:39:00 +0000

Oi from Chimmy Jimmy (Team Jimmy) all the way down here in Brasilia. Today was an incredible last day in one of the greatest countries, which is filled with some the greatest people in the world. Today some of us woke up early and got to ride up to a nearby ridge and got to experience a beautiful view, as well as getting to watch how they made cheese and milk at a local shop. After breakfast we headed out to (P. North) to set up the beginning stages of the camp that team 2 will be working at. We then headed for lunch to an extremely fancy restaurant in where all of us proceeded to eat so many different kinds of meat. It was an interesting experience to go from a very poor neighborhood like Sao Sebastian, where poverty is so apparent, to be sitting in a restaurant in which you are surrounded by the upper-class of Brasilia. After that we headed to the market in Brasilia to act like real American tourist. We bought all the bracelets, necklaces and soccer jerseys are bags could hold, and then headed out. We continued our tourist persona by visiting the President’s house, where we proceeded to take picture after picture with the guard who never cracked a smile. We weren’t done with the unique cultural experiences there. We then went to a very different and bizarre store called WAL-MART. I’m not sure exactly where they got the name but it was something I will always remember. After that we headed to a mall in downtown Brasilia where we ate dinner and continued our shopping-till-we-drop marathon. After such a busy day we headed back home. It was a very busy but also a very fun day. I will truly miss this country as well as the people I have met here. I cannot describe Brazil, because nothing I say can truly give justice to what I have experienced here. For those on team 2, I can’t describe how jealous I am that you are just now beginning your amazing life experience as mine comes to an end. This experience has truly opened my eyes to God’s ability to transcend the hardest of language barriers and anything else that we as people use as excuses to spread His word and love. I truly believe that God’s word has never been more true for me then in this situation.

“Look at the nations and watch and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe even if you were told.” Habakkuk 1:5

Toby Sanders (Me): Is overwhelmed with all these inside jokes. Plus he really enjoyed learning about the history of Brasilia. Count one for the history majors!

Jon Gill: Is trying to figure out how to bottle up all of Brazil to take home with him.

JC Ndzomo: Has become a Portuguese chatterbox and takes every opportunity to talk to complete strangers everywhere.

Whitney Corley: has unofficially become this team’s Mallory Stuckey.

Whitney Stancil: wants her name to be officially pronounced Witchney like it is in Brazil from now on.

Katie Underwood: Had a lot of fun riding escalators up and down in the mall.

Brent Fielder: Enjoyed giving the team an in depth history of Brasilia. It was an EXPERIENCE FOR SURE. Oh and he is the birthday boy Today March 13

Tori Frazier: Just as a fun fact, I never saw Tori on this trip when she wasn’t laughing and smiling. A happy person is a good person to have around.

Juliana Anderson: Got a much needed break from being team 1’s translator and was able to relax without all of us yelling “JULIANA COME HERE” every second (even though she loves it).

Lauren Bennett: Was really excited to meet Fufa’s wife and get to play with there adorable baby boy.

Alyssa O’Leary: Could easily double the size of the O’Leary family with all of the Brazilian children she wants to take home with her.

Jessica Hendry: Enjoyed being the first to sit in Lauren’s new hammock, plus she didn’t fall out!!

Megan Gaither: Had a blast touring Brasilia and shopping all afternoon.

Angela Fielder: Wasn’t sure what she wanted during our day of shopping… what do you get when you’ve spent 10 years in a country?

Ken Thomas: Was a celebrity last night. Several kids took KT around the masses to introduce him to their entire families.

Norma Thomas: Is officially a camp veteran!

Jimmy Simpson: Was very taken back by the families that came to our closing program. He also had a great time visiting P. North, the church Team 2 will be working at and the church he worked at last year.

Tricia Watts: Loved having all the parents come on Thursday night to celebrate the week…Block Party in Brazil!

Thankful Thursday

WSCIP.Brazil@gmail.com (WinShape Camps International Project) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:42:00 +0000

Today is the last day of camp. Time sure does fly when you are having fun. I am currently sitting in the sanctuary listening to the lunch conversations out the window. Portuguese, English, laughter… it sounds really beautiful. Even though I cannot understand all of the words, I truly believe that our team (both Americans and Brazilians) love being together. And for that, I am thankful. But before I go into the details of today, I am going to rewind back to yesterday afternoon.

When we left the church, John and Andre surprised us with a pit stop for popsicles. I bet it was really funny to the locals… a large group of Americans in matching shirts taking thousands of pictures. Some of the favorite frozen treats included Magnum bars (sort of like a Dove ice cream bar) and real fruit popsicles. We enjoyed another fun van ride to Agua Viva with Fufa, complete with a round of iPod idol. Norma sang “Independence Day” by Martina McBride and Tricia treated us to “It’s Gonna Be Me” by Nsync. The van rides are always eventful, to say the least. I think we can attribute a lot of our team bonding to the laughs shared on those rides. Dinner was delicious, once again. Dona Gon Gon and her team do an awesome job cooking for us. We debriefed as a team, which is always a great ending to the day. This team is simply amazing. And for that, I am thankful.

Which brings us to today, the final day of camp. Today, we will not only have our two camps, we will have a program at 8:00pm for every camper and their family. Our first camp went really well. We let the kids choose which Janie Bird dances we did today during our ice breaker. They chose “The Cupid’s Shuffle” and “Hands Up”. We learned about Zacheus in “grupo grande”. My group (the red team) seemed to really grasp the concepts and were very vocal during our small group time. In Rec Time, we played “Drip Drip Drop”, which was hil-ar-ious. In “Gurl Wurld”, we visited a “nail salon”. These Brazilian teenage girls can do some serious nail designs, so we were all thankful for their help with the kids. The boys played ultimate Frisbee during “Man Land”. In Arts & Crafts, we made binoculars (which related back to the story of Zacheus). After our skills, we met back in the sanctuary and gave each camper a Demais t-shirt. They all looked so sharp in their matching shirts. We passed out their homework and crafts and sent them on their way. We get to see them again tonight, and for that we are all thankful.

As for the team, I asked them to tell me two things specifically for the blog today. The first was something that they are thankful for as we journey through this final day of camp. I passed around a notebook so they could write them down. The entries progressively got longer, so bear with us as you read them. The other thing I asked them for was a child’s name that they are specifically praying for as we close out camp. I thought it would be cool for you guys (our support back home) to be able to pray specifically alongside of us. So, next to the * in each person’s section you will see the name of a kid (or two, or three) that we would like to invite you to pray for as prepare for our program tonight.

Oh, and Kate… our flight is DL 104 scheduled to arrive in Atlanta at 5:45 am on Sunday. Just check the website for the status of the flight before you go to bed Saturday night. Love you friend! Bigger, bigger…

JC Ndzomo- is thankful to be chosen for this awesome mission down here in Brazil. Getting to know these kids and having a chance to be apart of this ministry is such a great experience which changes me every single day. I am not looking forward to packing my stuff. *Fabrico & Fernando

Jessica Hendry- is thankful for this trip because it has been incredibly humbling. It has been such a huge blessing to not only learn about the Brazilian culture, but to also learn more about what Christ intends for me to do here in Brazil and in my life. I am so proud to be a part of the Lord’s plan here in Brazil. I will remember this experience for the rest of my life. It’s been said that we’ll never know the impact of what we are doing has on these kids, but likewise, these kids will never know the impact they have had on me. *Valeria & Washington

Jon Gill- is thankful for the opportunity to see how the Lord has used me to impact children and the opportunity to make lifelong friends. *Alam, Mateus & Pedro

Lauren Bennett (me)- is thankful for every memory that has been made on this trip. I am also thankful for the truths we have learned (kids & volunteers, and staff) about who the Lord says He is and who He says we are. *Adriana

Toby Sanders- is thankful for the opportunity to be able to experience a culture so far away from the one in which I live. I am blessed by the kids I interact with as well as the Brazilian volunteers who put so much into this camp and these kids. *Ricardo

Whitney Corley- is thankful for the Lord blessing me with this awesome opportunity. The experience has made me realize all the things that I take for granted. I am also thankful for the Brazilian volunteers and my wonderful teammates who have been a pleasure to serve alongside of. I see the love of Christ shining through each and every one of them. *Ingrid

Tori Frazier- is thankful for the opportunity to share Christ’s love with these kids using basically no words and yet impacting them forever. I am also thankful to meet some of the amazing people ever: staffers, campers and volunteers. *Caua

Whitney Stancil- is thankful for opened eyes to other cultures of our world and being able to see a different nation be reached with the same ministry that we are all familiar with in the United States. *Clemson & Julie

Alyssa O’Leary- is thankful for sweet Brazilian faces and the opportunity to connect with them. *Niel (one of our volunteers who lost his job last week) & Lucas

Megan Gaither- is thankful to feel so blessed. I am so blessed to be in Brazil, blessed to be spending my spring break doing my favorite thing ever- camp, and blessed with God’s grace to be able to share Him with the people here. *Paula & Philipe

Katie Underwood – is thankful for being able to connect with so many kids and volunteers. It is cool to be able to communicate without speaking the same language and experience the universality of God’s love. *Melina, Felipe & Jessica

Juliana Anderson- is thankful to be used by God in the country that I love and to be able to help others connect by translating. *Pedro

Tricia Watts- is thankful to have the opportunity to return again this year to Brazil. Even with different people teaming up, she has experienced the genuine truth that Brazilians are warm and wonderful people. *Ana Paula

Jimmy Simpson- is thankful and humbled to be able to return to Brazil for a second year, to strengthen bonds and relationships, to make new friends and the awesome opportunity to lead this AMAZING team. I am so very proud to see how they have all bonded and allowed themselves to be used by God to impact so many lives. *Thiago

Ken Thomas- is thankful for the opportunity to be apart of what God is doing in Brazil. *Samuel, Lucas & all the boys here in Brazil

Norma Thomas- is thankful that God can use us even when we feel we aren’t worthy of being used. I am thankful that we have amazing parents that have kept our kids while we have been here. *Ronald & Erile

John White- is thankful for this team. *Paulo

Trudy White- thankful for the opportunity to return to Brazil, renew friendships we shared while living here (’84-’94), the chance to encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ, using resources, talents and time to impact younger lives, being God’s hands and feet to boys and girls who have so many needs-mostly the need to know God and trust Him with their lives, offering the message of hope to the hopeless. *Aline

Brent Fielder- is thankful for incredible Brazilian friends that I have gotten to know so much more and the opportunity to do what I love in Brazil- to impact young lives. *Caua & Edwardo

Angela Fielder- is thankful for the people and being able to play with the kids here in Brazil. *Pedro.

WSCIP Worship | A Team 1 Video Update

WSCIP.Brazil@gmail.com (WinShape Camps International Project) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:30:00 +0000

Today we wanted to try to give you a taste of what Worship looks like at WinShape Camps International Project. Also, the video from yesterday looks like it does not work on the home page, hoever if you click “Continue Reading” it will allow for you to watch the video from yesterday as well.

Thanks for all your prayers – Will be posting a blog post later today!

Tchau!

Lava, Lava EVERYWHERE!!

WSCIP.Brazil@gmail.com (WinShape Camps International Project) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:54:00 +0000

We began the day with a wonderful breakfast at Aqua Viva (scrambled eggs, homemade bread, pao de quejo [cheese biscuits], fresh pineapple, bananas, a wide variety of homemade jellies, fresh fruit juices). The whole team has been amazed by the delicious meals that are prepared for us daily. After breakfast we headed off to camp to begin preparation for Day 3 of camp.

As campers began to arrive, you could feel the excitement in their voices and see it in their eyes. They were greeted with a high five from Trudy and checked-in like other mornings. After they checked-in, they could play four-square, draw with sidewalk chalk, play tic-tac-toe, play circle hand games, or just talk to the funny sounding Americans.

Groupo Grande started with a high-energy dance to Beach Blast. After getting the blood pumping with some fun dancing and singing, Marney and Elena did a great job teaching the children the story of the paralytic man that was healed by Jesus after his friends lowered him through the roof. Their use of drama and teaching with props were really effective in helping the children understand the power of Christ and how he desires to begin or continue to work in their lives.

The officinas were a hit again today. In “Girl World”, the girl campers were treated to a trip to the hair salon. We pretended to wash their hair and then each camper had their hair specially brushed and combed. Each camper left with their own comb. In “Man Land”, the boy campers were exposed to a world of explosions. We showed them how to make a volcano and what happens when you put the candy Mentos in a bottle of Diet Coke. JC shared with them a spiritual application about the Love of God that related to the explosions they had just experienced. All the campers loved recreation – Jon did a great job of utilizing Brazilian volunteers to help communicate and lead the games. The campers have been working for two days on their windsocks and today they finished them by attaching the strings and putting on the streamers. Norma and team have done a great job making crafts fun for the campers.

The children in this community are beautiful. Their smiles will warm your heart. Their hugs and handshakes remind us that simple things (seemingly small things) can make a difference in someone else’s life. We are reminded each day that these children are faced with critical decisions that many of us have never encountered in our lifetime to date. We are reminded that the only way they will make it is through a relationship with Jesus Christ. As bad as we want to – we can’t save them…but we can introduce them to the ONE who can. This is our focus and our mission as we conclude camp here. We will tell them about Jesus with every opportunity we are presented.

Please pray that we will finish strong. Also pray that as we meet parents (guardians) tomorrow night that they will be receptive to the message of Jesus Christ.

JC Ndzomo- is enjoying spending time with campers and learning a new language.

Jessica Hendry- loves spending time with the Vermelho (Red) Team, they are so cute! She is also proud to have only asked for a translator once today!

Jon Gill- Jesus, awesome kids, guarana, and Brazilian hot dogs…another day in Brazilian paradise!!!

Lauren Bennett- the only thing better than one Brazilian “hot daag” is two Brazilian hot dogs… two camps = two snack times… the red team is the best… & a special shout out to Josh Rhodes back at the Connect Office… hope you are keeping everyone entertained with some Lady Gaga.

Toby Sanders- Has been enjoying the company of his new Brazilian friends as well as his new American friends, and overall is having a blast, despite having to say “No Entendee” ( I don’t understand) way to much.

Whitney Corley- in response to a certain comment to a previous post, Haley Denise Trammell broke her foot last summer. Please tell me whose accident prone. J Also a huge shout out to all my friends and family. Miss you all!

Tori Frazier- She found out that doing hair is not her forte but pictures can be.

Whitney Stancil- could get used to being called “tia” by all of the children. She has also lost all of her wacky apparel via Daniel who went to school wearing it.

Alyssa O’Leary- Have you ever seen Grease? Alyssa resembles Frenchie in her beauty school drop out scene. She has been beautifying the hair of the Brazilian girls.

Megan Gaither- got her hair did by a camper this morning. Also, hello to my family back home!!

Katie Underwood – really loves the Time Amarelo (Team Yellow) spirit and campers! Yellow- Yellow- Yellow- Yellow- Ama-re-lo (to the tune of Ole Ole Ole)... (Josh Rhodes- see LB’s status).

Juliana Anderson- was teaching the Brazilian kids how to play “Strong Arm” or “Braco Forte.”

Tricia Watts- had her day made when a camper named Matthew ran up to her, yelled her name and then gave her a kiss on the cheek. Awe!

Jimmy Simpson- really enjoyed the Brazilian hotdogs today… he’s wondering if Speedy will try one when he comes down?

Ken Thomas (Me)- is enjoying having fun with campers while not having to worry about cell phones, computers, meetings, etc.

Norma Thomas- finally had a diet coke thanks to her new best friends (John White and Andre)!!!!

John White- loved sharing his diet tonic water with the bulldog nation & LB!

Trudy White- Enjoyed her day at the Beauty Salon and styling girls hair at camp.

Brent Fielder- Loving hanging out with some great kids and trying to figure out what they are saying! I WILL learn Portuguese soon!

Angela Fielder- It is a warm day outside with Bucket ball, but the tent is a blessing today.

WSCIP Team 1 | Video Update 2

WSCIP.Brazil@gmail.com (WinShape Camps International Project) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:29:00 +0000

Check out today’s video. Camp is going great, children are amazing and the team is LOVING Brazil! Look for our latest Blog post later today!

Tchau!

WSCIP Team 1 | Video Update

WSCIP.Brazil@gmail.com (WinShape Camps International Project) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:57:00 +0000

Check out what has been going on at our Oficinas at WSCIP Team 1!

(Oficinas are referred to as Skills or Track times in the states)

Lions, Beavers, Otters, and Golden Retrievers OH MY!!!

WSCIP.Brazil@gmail.com (WinShape Camps International Project) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:36:00 +0000

Oi! Before I tell you about today, I want to tell you about our debrief time last night. Around 8:30pm last night we all met in the living room at Agua Viva to recap the day. Most people agreed that the day flew by and the language barrier was not as much of a problem as previously thought. Brent challenged us to be intentional in training and developing the local volunteers as part of the WinShape International Project. It was a great time to share stories and invest in one another.

Today, we got to sleep in and it was the bomb dot com! Breakfast started at 6:30am and we left a little after 7am. The van ride over to Igreja Batista El-Shaddai was, as always, eventful. Our team is really bonding and it’s cool to see the unity of all three camps form.

We set up camp and before we knew it the campers began to arrive. Since, it’s the second day we knew most of the campers, but we also had several new campers in the morning session. Everyone jumped right to play games and do some dancing before the skit and Groupo Grande.

Groupo Grande went very well- the campers participated in the songs and motions, and we’re engaged as Marney and Elena shared the Bible story. Small groups also went well and the campers really participated as the Brazilian volunteers led them in the Bible lesson.

During the first Officina it poured, but that did not stop camp! Ironically, in the rec portion, we did a water relay that the campers loved! I love seeing the excitement in their eyes as they really embrace things we as Americans consider simple. In crafts the campers made/painted a fish wind sock. Girls Only started off with a song led by Mrs. Trudy and then decorated cookies. It was a blast! Boys Only made an “interesting” limeade drink. Marney shared with us that she talked with several of the boys during this officina about some things they could change in their lives to please God. Then towards the end of the officina KT shared with the boys the spiritual applications of the ingredients in the limeade.

We had a great morning session and God is working in mighty ways. The Brazilian volunteers continue to serve alongside us with incredible patience. We had a great lunch and several people enjoyed a restful nap in the sanctuary. Toby has marks on his forehead and Lauren just “wakeyed” everyone. Now it’s time for the afternoon camp!! Vamos lions, otters, beavers, and golden retrievers!

JC Ndzomo- squeezed a lot of limes today, along with KT.

Jessica Hendry- has had enough blonde moments in one conversation to last her a while, but don’t worry she’s coming home with coffee beans.

Jon Gill- is getting his voice back—watch out Brazil, I’m not sure if you’re ready for this!

Lauren Bennett- has found a sweet little friend/dance partner named Adriana (Adrianne in English, which is probably why I like her so much). 334ever2.

Toby Sanders- is currently enjoying his nap time. Trust me, he is snoring quite loudly.

Whitney Corley- almost dominated some Brazilian boys in a dance off (well, that’s what she thinks).

Tori Frazier- She was very excited to squeegee the floor today.

Whitney Stancil- would like to “out shout” to everyone back in the states! If you don’t understand don’t worry, because neither do we.

Alyssa O’Leary- cannot seem to keep a straight face on stage- probably because she is standing next to Jon Gill.

Megan Gaither- loves getting to wear shorts for the 4^th day in a row and all this great food (especially the beans!!)

Katie Underwood (Me)- stood on a soap box today about personality tests. Don’t put me in a box!

Juliana Anderson- connected with some of the Brazilian team by singing popular American tunes during naptime.

Tricia Watts- had her day made when a camper named Matthew ran up to her, yelled her name and then gave her a kiss on the cheek. Awe!

Jimmy Simpson- at the sight of water games pulled out his rain jacket faster than the Jamaican bob sled team. (It’s not my fault I came prepared!!)

Ken Thomas- created a handshake for the boys that is catching on like wildfire, and thinks his limeade recipe will go worldwide (NOT!).

Norma Thomas- has a new hairstyle thanks to the Brazilian weather. The “flipped out” hair-do is working well.

John White- thinks the combination of JC and KT in the kitchen is not a good one. He wants them to learn how to use a measuring cup.

Trudy White- has eaten a guava every single day; even when it’s warm… gross!

Brent Fielder- is amazed at the efficiency of the Brazilian version of the hand slapping game, “Eeeps Ipes Opes Ooops.”

Angela Fielder- “Water games under a tent in the rain doesn’t make sense.”

Welcome to the Show!

WSCIP.Brazil@gmail.com (WinShape Camps International Project) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:12:00 +0000

Let me paint a picture for you…the dawn is barely breaking through your window. It’s 5:30 and you open your eyes, sit up and see your teammates getting ready for the day. You feel the cool breeze from the open window make its way through the room and across your warm skin. You turn and put your feet on the floor and it hits you…you realize that today is the day that the Lord is using you to change the lives of children thousands of miles away from your home!!! When we stepped out of Agua Viva this morning, the sky was beautifully hung above the vibrant green mountain range as the sun crept across the beautiful landscape and made the clouds dance with pink and orange and purple and blue. It was truly a blessing to be able to open my eyes to the Lord’s creation this morning.

After a delicious breakfast, we set out for Igreja Batista El-Shaddai (this is the church in which we are serving) in the city of Sao Sebastian. When the children arrived, I thought I was going to explode with excitement and if I was that excited, the kids were 10 times more excited!!! We started at about 8:30 am with dances, a bit of battle ball and a lot of translating between Portuguese and English. Then we proceeded inside the church for Groupo Grande (Big Group) where we split into 3 groups: Amarelo(Yellow), Azul(Blue), and Vermelo(Red). Then we did crazy dances, sang songs, heard stories and fellowshipped with one another.

After the whirlwind that is Groupo Grande, we headed outside for officinas (skills). I (Jon Gill) headed out to set up one of my favorite games for the recreation skill…Spider Tag!!! If you don’t know what Spider Tag is, ask me sometime. It’s really fun. The other officinas were arts and crafts and “Meninos e Meninas” (boys and girls) where the boys made something comparable to Nickelodeon Gak, and the girls made bracelets. Needless to say, the kids had a wonderful time pegging each other with the dodge balls, making bracelets and picture frames and Gak!

After skills, the kids went off to school and now we’re waiting for the next group of kids to come. After the children left and before lunch, the guitar player at the church, Niel, taught me how to play some of the Brazilian songs he knows that we’re singing at camp. The Brazilian people are incredible and so so friendly and hospitable. I’ve loved getting to know them as much as the language barrier will allow and then some. One menino in particular. O nome dele e Gabriel. (His name is Gabriel). He’s 16 and he is one cool kid! We’ve been working through the language barrier a lot by spending time trying to speak to each other in our native languages. Learning a new language is incredibly fun. So the first morning of camp is done and we eagerly await the afternoon crew to arrive. We’ll be doing the same thing with them this afternoon. After that, we’ll be headed back to Agua Viva for some dinner and much needed rest. To everyone in the States, much love and we’ll see you soon…until then tchau tchau!

Jon Gill (Me)- I love playing with these Brazilian children, even though they can’t hear or understand me. (Mom, Dad and RT, I love ya’ll)!! PS Me and Gabriel are mehlores amigos (best friends)

JC Ndzomo- has officially become a translator for the team.

Toby Sanders- Has definitely stepped into the role of the blue team leader. AZUL, AZUL, AZUL!!

Whitney Corley- Loves taking pictures and was thrilled to be the official WinShape photographer for the day.

Tori Frazier- Is contemplating taking all of the kids home with her to the States.

Whitney Stancil- Has a new best friend in Brazil. O nome dele e Julie.

Alyssa O’Leary- Is our rising star as she will be staring in our Beach Blast Production!

Jessica Hendry- Really enjoyed learning a Boy’s Camp game- spider tag anyone?

Megan Gaither- Was tackled in dodge ball and no longer has sunglasses.

Katie Underwood- Has definitely spent too much time working on her Portuguese; she no longer can recognize English.

Juliana Anderson- Was unintentionally kicked in the face (no black eye though) and accidently told a group of kids to form a daughter instead of a line.

Lauren Bennett- Loves going to the officinas, especially “Gurl Wurld,” with the Red Team.

Tricia Watts- Was bling blinging it as she taught our Brazilian ladies how to decorate some jewelry.

Norma Thomas- Is proving to be crafty!

Ken Thomas- Is working hard on his tan… that SPF 70 definitely has come in handy.

Jimmy Simpson- Happy to see all the hard work and effort finally come to fruition!

John White- During rest time today, he created a noisy situation for everyone with his snoring.

Trudy White- Is a little fruity these days as she is enjoying a plethora of pineapples, guava and bananas.

Brent Fielder- Is becoming a “redneck” more and more each day.

Angela Fielder- Is getting back to her Brazilian roots as she is adding some color to her white complexion.

Luncheeeee, Oficinas, e Otras Coisas

WSCIP.Brazil@gmail.com (WinShape Camps International Project) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 01:41:00 +0000

This morning we all awoke feeling well rested and ready for a big day! A lot of us admitted that we hadn’t slept that hard in quite a long time. After meeting our Brazilian team last night, we were very excited to spend today training and preparing for camp this week by their side.

At 8 AM, we headed to the newly built dining hall at Agua Viva and had a shmorgagesboard of delicious Brazilian food, such as pao de queso, bread with nutella, and a plethora of native fruit juices. Mealtimes are so much fun because it is a great opportunity to get to know and become friends with the Brazilians we’re working with.

We then practiced both Brazilian and English praise songs, including “Beach Blast” or “Festa Praia” in Portuguese. Our dancing skills were excellent, we’re positive the kids will love it when they see it on Monday. We also practiced our skits for our icebreakers this week, which was a blast to see and perform. Whitney Corley, JC Ndzomo, Jon Gill, Juliana Anderson, and Tricia Watts are definitely going to do a great job onstage.

Later we had lunch, a Brazilian Barbeque with delicious rice and beans, steak, and chicken wings (and chicken hearts, which were great and tasted like sausage). Marney made passion fruit mousse for dessert special for us, which was absolutely to die for. We then proceeded outside for a run-through of our officinas. Jon Gill lead us through the rec officina, playing “Not in My Backyard,” “Spider Tag,” “Bucket Ball,” “Water Relay,” and “Drip Drip Drop.” Another awesome opportunity to have a great time getting to know our new Brazilian friends. The girls went off to run through the girls officina, while the boys went off to run through the boys officina. Lastly, we ran through our super-creative crafts officina.

We are currently on our way to Sao Sebastian, the city where we will be holding camp all week. Tonight we’re heading to El Shaddai for church, where we will be singing “God of This City” in Portuguese for the congregation there. It is only day two, and we all feel like old friends. The Lord is sure to do incredible things this week, and we are so incredibly pumped to experience all that He has for us! Thank you all for your prayers; tomorrow is the Big Day, because camp begins! THE CAMPERS ARE COMING!!!

JC Ndzomo- made a funky lemon-ish soda today.

Jessica Hendry (Me)- has 2 new best friends and their names are Gabriel and Valeria.

Jon Gill- Jessica and Gabriel aren’t as good of friends as he and Gabriel are. He is also on voice restriction (his voice is completely gone).

Lauren Bennett- had a close encounter with her favorite ‘aminal,’ an owl. She enjoyed seeing the parakeets too, as well.

Toby Sanders- is currently rocking a flower in his hair like the rest of the girls on the trip.

Whitney Corley- used “Nao Intende” well over a million times today.

Tori Frazier- learned the phrase “Sempre Tem Fe En Jesus Christo” which means always have faith in Jesus.

Whitney Stancil- Is absolutely amazed by the double rainbow we saw today.

Alyssa O’Leary- Is really enjoying trying to communicate with Brazilians, excited about the two horses she saw, and kissed a cow today.

Megan Gaither- has been mistaken for a famous Brazilian actress numerous times today.

Katie Underwood- says “VAMOS VACA (LET’S GO COWS)!!!” And apparently cannot stop laughing.

Juliana Anderson- was super busy today translating everything (and I mean everything) for the rest of us.

Tricia Watts- MAN I FEEL LIKE A WOMAN! She taught the girl’s only officina today and had a blast! ~<3~ <3~

Jimmy Simpson- is now and forever known as “CHIMMY!!!”

Ken Thomas- wore sun block with SPF 70 today.

Norma Thomas- did a fantastic job leading all of the girls in A&C officina today.

John White- While at church, he saw a girl he baptized when he was a pastor in Sao Sebastian.

Trudy White- Is very excited to have banana and cinnamon pizza tonight.

Brent Fielder- When at church tonight, he went up front to be prayed over since his birthday is later this week.

Angela Fielder- “Under the weather; but feeling much better.” HOOWWWW!!

P.S. We are all currently in the van being driven to church by Fufa, and we’re all singing American Pop music together (Brazilian and American).

P.P.S. Brazilian ant beds are HUGE.

We're in BRAZIL!!

WSCIP.Brazil@gmail.com (WinShape Camps International Project) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 15:41:00 +0000

After approximately 24 hours of traveling, Team 1 has successfully made it to Brazil! Amazingly we did it with no hang ups, lost luggage or major delays… basically God blessed our trip. Now before we go into what’s happened today, let’s back up to Thursday when our journey really started.

Thursday, March 4^th, Team 1 met up at John & Trudy’s house in Hampton, GA. That night started our stateside training and was the first time that the entire team had assembled. We had a great time learning about each other, stepping out of our comfort zones as we planned a few games and thanked God for this amazing experience that we were all about to embark on.

Friday was our second day of training. After working on our language lessons and learning a few Portuguese songs, the team had a chance to really dive into our officinas. (In the states these are known as skills/track times.) Team 1 had a blast learning all the recreational games, fun arts & crafts and some very gender specific activities that we’ll be teaching in just a few days! When all this was said and done, it was time to pack. In the states we are so blessed to have the ability to just run down to Wal-Mart or the grocery store to pick up anything that we might need. Well, down here in Brazil it’s not always so easy. Because of this we brought down basically all of our supplies for the week. At 4:00 PM it was time for us to head out. The team passed through security with a great amount of ease and at 7:35 PM we were boarding our plane bound for Brazil. For some of our team members, this was the first plane ride they had ever experienced; for others it was their first international flight. Needless to say this flight was full of first times for many of us.

At approximately 7:30 AM in Brazil, that’s 5:30 AM in Georgia, we touched down in the beautiful country of Brazil. We claimed out bags and literally walked straight through customs with no problems. (A definite blessing from God.) We had about a 3 hour layover in Saõ Pauló, which gave the team a chance to have their first Brazilian breakfast. We enjoyed freshly squeezed orange juice, some cheesy bread (pao de queso) and coxinhas; which can best be described as a hush puppy with chicken in the middle. Every bit of it was amazing. We then boarded our final flight and landed in Brasilia around 3 PM. A full 24 hours later we had made it to our final destination.

At the airport in Brasilia we were pleasantly welcomed by some very familiar faces; Brent, Marney & André (Brazilian Missionaries) and Fufa (our driver from last year’s International Projects). We quickly left the airport, made it to our home away from home; Aqua Viva. We took some time to get cleaned up and then had dinner. Today is Whitney Stancil’s birthday, so we celebrated that with an authentic Brazilian birthday cake. Soon afterward we continued the effort we started in the States and worked on our Portuguese songs. Then finally our Brazilian teammates arrived. We welcomed them in style and enjoyed a time of introduction and then a late night snack.

Tomorrow is sure to be jam packed full of training. Please continue to be in prayer for all of us as we walk through a day at camp as a fully united team; Brazilians and Americans together.

Now here’s a quick update on our team members:

Jon Gill- Learned how to say, “I need a kiss” in Portuguese; giving him just enough knowledge to make him dangerous.

JC Ndzomo- Had some problems falling asleep on the plane, but found it quite easy to fall asleep in the busy terminal of Saõ Pauló.

Toby Sanders- Upon falling into a deep sleep on our first flight, the flight attendant had a tough time waking him up; and for a moment he was presumed dead. (Don’t worry Mom, I’m fine.)

Whitney Corley- Had a blast jamming out to a few tunes on the plane and unlike JC had an easy time sleeping on our flights.

Tori Frazier- Did a great job overcoming her fear of flying. She’s 2 flights down and 2 to go!

Whitney Stancil- During our night flight, she looked out the window and saw was she thought was thunder storm. It turned out to be just the light at the end of the wing blinking.

Alyssa O’Leary- Was the only team member to be stopped when passing through security in Atlanta. Word to the wise ladies, don’t wear bobby pins in your hair before boarding a flight.

Jessica Hendry- Has a new friend in Brazil. On our second flight she was woken up by the flight attendant a record 4 times; proving TAM wants to make sure all of their guests are happy with their accommodations.

Megan Gaither- Is currently taking a course in Portuguese at UGA and is definitely soaking up this cultural experience.

Katie Underwood- Definitely is the life of the party, having contributed a number of memorable quotes that won’t soon be forgotten.

Juliana Anderson- Having spent several years in Brazil as a missionary kid feels that she is in her home away from home.

Lauren Bennett- Is “fur hur sure” thrilled to be back in Brazil for a second year and is enjoying the chance to reconnect with some old Brazilian friends.

Tricia Watts- was able to get a decent sleep thanks to a neck roll, hoodie, jacket and a blanket. Yay!!

Norma Thomas- Is definitely excited to be on her “sort of” first international trip.

Ken Thomas- After all of our language classes, practice lessons and giving him a language card to carry around with him, he has some how only learned how to say “tudo bem” (how are you?).

Jimmy Simpson- Suprisingly has yet to stress out about anything… but don’t worry, it’s only day 1.

John & Trudy- were some how able to enjoy about 8 hours of sleep on the plane.

Brent & Angela- Both were very excited to be joined with their fellow American teammates after being in Brazil for the past week. They’ve been very busy diligently preparing for the next two weeks worth of camps.

Pictures coming soon…

Team 1 on Their Way!

WSCIP.Brazil@gmail.com (WinShape Camps International Project) — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 02:07:00 +0000

The week is finally coming to an end – or maybe its just getting started! On the Brazil end, we have been working hard all week to get ready for the first American team to arrive and to do camp at a church in the. São Sebastião Today topped off the week as we ran our last errands and worked to get the church ready. This morning we split up, the guys (Brent and Andre) went to the grocery store and bought 4 carts full of food for the two teams. We took all of these food items back out to Aqua Viva, got them put away and then went to lunch. The girls ran some other items out to Aqua Viva this morning, ran some errands in town and then waited for us to get back.

After this we topped off the day by heading to the church that team 1 will be working with. You will see in the photos the set that we will be using for the theme “Demais,” which is a Portuguese term meaning “Enough, too much, etc. (in a good way)” This is something that we worked on for many hours, but in the end turned out so great. One of the guys who will be working with us this week was able to help us out as well, which was great to meet him and to have some extra help. Also, the coordinator from the church, Sandra, stopped by to give us some snacks and to see how things turned out. She liked it a lot and we are all excited about what will happen this week in São Sebastião.

Team 1 is on the plane as I type on their way to Sau Paulo. They will land there about 7:00am in the morning (5:00 ATL time) and will be in Brasilia by 2:00pm. The team will then meet up with the Brazilian volunteers for lunch and then we will start training for the Demais Program! We are eager to meet them here and we are praying for safe travels for the team. We will keep everyone updated throughout the weeks – Can’t wait!

Tchau (bye).

Photo 1: Our HUGE grocery shopping trip this AM
Photo 2: The banner outside the church advertising the camp
Photo 3: The DEMAIS set that we worked on this evening.

Who is serving in Brazil - 2010

WSCIP.Brazil@gmail.com (WinShape Camps International Project) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 11:43:00 +0000

This year 2 teams will be coming to Brazil for 2 back-to-back weeks of day camp in the city of Brazil, Brasilia. Above you will see their photos for each team. Please be in prayer for the teams as they serve with the ministries of local churches in this area. Follow this blog for updates on the teams!

Team 1 | March 5-14

Team 2 | March 13-21

Getting Ready for Team 1

noreply@blogger.com (Brent Fielder) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 11:15:00 +0000

Above: some photos of our week - getting things ready in Brasilia:

__________

This week 2 of us (Brent and Angela Fielder) from the WinShape Camps Team have been in Brasilia working to get things done in the city before the team heads down tomorrow. Angela and I came down last Saturday night and landed in Brasilia on Sunday morning. We met up with some great friends Marney and Andre Krulis and started working to get things ready for camp.

On Sunday night we were able to go to Church in the city of P. North that we will be serving with the second week of the project. This was great as we were able to show the video from the 2009 project and talk with the church about what will be happening at their location in a couple of week. We also were able to talk face-to-face with the pastor of the church and some other leaders in the church to ensure that everything was worked out for this event.

The rest of the week has been a whirl-wind. We have been working to get many things printed like the banner for the stage and cards with the verse for the campers to take home. We have also been working to buy groceries for the team, get things to make props for our 'set,' visiting the lodging site at Aqua Viva and much more. It has been a fun week to be able to get things ready and spend time with some great friends. We are also very excited about Team 1 leaving tomorrow night to head this way and we will be eager to meet up with them on Saturday!

WinShape Camps - IP 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Brent Fielder) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 18:38:00 +0000

Can you believe that it has been a year since our last International Project? Well if you did not know, we are headed back to Brazil this month! It is so great to see how God used the WinShape Camps International Project (WSCIP) of 2009 to impact children in Brazil, and also to impact the local church here in Brasilia.

This year we are teamed up with 36 people from the States that include WinShape Camps summer and full-time staff. We have split them into two teams and each team will head to Brazil to conduct 1-week day camps in the capital city of Brasilia. The first team will leave this Friday, March 5, 2010 and Team 2 will leave the following Friday, March 12, 2010.

The teams will be partnered with a local church in the Brasilia area to link arms with the Church to reach outside its walls and connect with its community. We will be working with Brazilian volunteers as well to train them on working with Children in a more intentional way.

Over the next two weeks we will be blogging a lot to let you all know what is going on as the teams are working camp, learning Brazilian culture, hanging out with incredible people, and so much more. We would love to ask for your prayers as we embark on this journey on our 2nd WinShape Camps International Project!