Vacation Missionary School

Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.

Ezekiel 47:12

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 

Revelation 22:1-2

    This has been an amazing experience. I knew that this EMF (Vacation Missionary School) was going to be crazy, because the theme was Submerge. The Bible verse was Ezekiel 47:1-12. EMF is a 2 week long school about knowing God, making Him known and hearing His voice. The first week is devotional time, classes, workshops and more. We learn how to evangelize in more of a creative way. And the second week is outreach phase where we split into groups of 12-15 people and we partner with a church or project, and we put to use what we learned in the first week. It's a great entry for people who want to know more about God and to know God's calling.

    This is my second time serving at EMF. The first time was in January. If you want to read about it, here is the link. 

https://abbyinbrazil.blogspot.com/2025/02/what-restart-for-new-year.html

    This time, I was prepared for all that was about to happen. I left Hope Mountain and arrived at JOCUM Casa on July 1st. It was really tough because I really had a strong connection with the boys, girls, people, and workers at Hope Mountain and with friends. I didn't have time to process the sadness because I had to get ready to leave for the training part of EMF, which was July 2nd. I quickly organized my luggage and bags and I was off again. Honestly, I was tired emotionally. But when I arrived at the location of the camp, my eyes lighten up when I saw my old friends!!! And I met new ones as well!!! I was very happy. I didn't have time to pay any attention of departing from my old ministries. In my heart, I missed everyone from Hope and all my friends. But I know my place was there, to be at EMF, no matter how tough it might be. And I have to say, I had again, one of the best times of my life. This EMF was different. The last one, I was struggling with my calling and God really used people around to show that He still saw me and cared about me. This EMF, it was intense and yet so beautiful. In the end, Jesus deserves all the glory and honor. There were spiritual battles. Many of the students received visions for the first time. Many have never shared the gospel on the streets before. And we had so much fun doing it together. The church that received my team was so welcoming and loving. Many of the youth from the church stayed with us the whole time. And we all cried when we had to leave. We did gymnastics stunts, dances, and short plays in different squares. We were in areas that were rich and in areas that had drug trafficking. My favorite part was probably the last day. When we were at the square in a poorer neighborhood that was known for drug activities. The kids embraced me and loved me. I felt like I was back at Hope Mountain. It was so nice to be able to love these children and share the gospel with them and the parents there. I'm very proud of my team and I'm thankful for the other two leaders that were on my team as well. It wouldn't have been the same if any one of the people was missing! I've realized that by the grace of God, I've matured a lot. I know I still have many things to learn and experience and grow in. But even in the rough times, I was able to focus on Jesus and keep His peace in my heart. When times were rough, my mom reminded me that I needed to stay in God's truth. All the visions, dreams and impressions that we receive, we must compare it and use the Truth! See these things through God's eyes. 

    There isn't enough words to express how much I've learn through this EMF. My mind was blown away by many profound secrets of the Bible. It was amazing to see Ezekiel 47 in a whole different perspective. What are the fears that keep us from diving deeper with God? What are the fears and anxieties that keep us from fully submerging in the presence of God? Jesus is reaching out His hand. He is waiting on the other side, but there's a river we must cross first. We are not alone. The Holy Spirit helps us cross this river and submerge in the presence of God. What are the things we are afraid to let go? If there were different rooms in our hearts, what rooms are we scared to open the door for Jesus to enter? 

    God is faithful, gentle, and loving. God is sufficient. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Updates and prayer requests:

1. Fundraising for Thailand, Cambodia and Nepal is going well. Some friends and family members have contributed. I thank everyone from the bottom of my heart. It really means a lot to me and it's a pleasure to see how the body of Christ works. 

2. Now that EMF is finished, the short-term outreach team to Thailand, Cambodia and Nepal should have time to gather, pray and get to know each other more. Please continue to pray that the other 3 members of the team will be able to fundraise everything they need. Please pray that there will not be any anxiety and worries, that we can fully trust in God in not just finances, but in our relationships and ministries.

3. Pray that I can adapt well here at JOCUM Casa. It's a familiar yet unfamiliar place. I came here multiple times but I was always passing through. Pray that communication with the staff and leadership will be clear. 

4. Pray for wisdom with money and relationships. Now is the time where everyone is on break. Kings Kids and EMF just ended. Everything will start back on August 4th... But God knows. I'm here and I've followed the plan. I miss my dog a lot. I really want to see him. But the bus ticket to go and come back is expensive and it's tiring. One way is 16 hours, so to go and come back is 32 hours. 

Thank you all for reading and caring about me. God bless and may He make His face to shine upon you.

<This is the 1st week of EMF>

I'm right in the middle. This is the whole EMF Submerge. There were more than 130 students and around 45 volunteers. This was a very large group. We ran out of water many times, but by God's grace and by a miracle, literally, we were able to make it through. It was amazing. These type of miracles I read them in books and now I've really experienced it. A man who looked just like our EMF leader asked for water through WhatsApp. And the boss of the water providing company thought it was our leader asking for water again. And sent us water for free. I really believe it was God sending an angel!

I'm on the left. This is another photo of the volunteers.

This is Team 5! The amazing team!

All amazing friendships. All God-given friendships. I had so much fun. I conquered fear and learning to trust as I was doing the opening act with gymnastic stuff.

The Christian camp sent us out. This is me and the team that will go to Thailand, Cambodia and Nepal.

<This is the 2nd week of EMF>

It was a pleasure to accompany and be accompanied by such amazing youth and leadership. And being embraced and loved by the church was such a huge pleasure. There are no words to express my gratitude. Praise the Lord for everything!