Impacting things from our trip

First of all, what an honor it was to be one of the first people to ever be a part of the Brazil campuses, both on the Amazon and in the city of Manaus. During the first service we went to in the interior, I found myself overwhelmed by what God was doing there in that moment. To watch the people of a village- who by our standards have "nothing"- worship the same God with even more joy than we do, what a sight!! I cannot even put the experience into words. It literally took my breath away. The fact that they sang in a different language, wore different clothes, looked different physically, none of it mattered. All that mattered was that in their faces we could see the joy of Heaven, and it was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen.
Another moment that will live in my heart forever was when Lauren and I ventured out on the canoe. No, not when the sunk the canoe, which was hilarious. I am talking about when we finally made it out onto Alligator Lake and began paddling, not really sure where our destination was. We looked out and saw a family of village children that we had grown to love over the few short days we had been there. They enthusiastically called us over to them using hand motions. We pulled up in the canoe, and all of the five children- four boys and a girl- jumped out into the water and began swimming around us, laughing and playing. In their hands were the simple toys they had received at one of our services the night before. An American child would have thought the toy was simple and cheap, but these children- who may have never received a toy in their life- found such pleasure in playing with this tiny instrument we used to show the love of their Father. The children continued to play in the water around us, and their mother came out and greeted us with a warn smile and some fruit. They have nothing, but they were willing to give what little they had to us. It was quite a humbling experience. When we paddled away from them, I felt a warmth in my heart that I knew could only be of God, and it was powerful. Just two days later, I watched those same children paddle away from our boat in a tiny canoe. As we left the village, they waved and smiled and wished us off, and I cried because I knew I may never see those kids again, but eternally grateful that I was able to see the face of Jesus so clearly that day.
The stories of this trip go on and on, and they will live on in me forever. This trip was not easy- it was one of the most difficult times of my life. But it is in those times that God teaches us the most. I learned love for Him I had never seen before- a love that transcends all language barriers. I learned the true heart of servanthood. I learned to truly die to my own agenda and just get it done for Him and His people. I learned that my passion for children extends all over the globe. I learned the amount of work it takes to make a church service happen in even the most remote places.
I learned that Healing Place Church is really what it says it is- a healing place for a hurting world. What else do I need to know?