After two long weeks and a 24 hour travel day home, the South America B team has officially made it back in the US, safe and healthy! It’s safe to say their trip was life changing in so many ways and the stories they have to share about the ministry they participated in (and the incredible cultural events they experienced) are plentiful! This team received several “best team ever” compliments from their fieldworker overseas because of their positive attitudes and willingness to jump in and serve in any way they could, and we are so proud of them!
Join us in praying for them as they come home and experience reverse culture chock, that this experience would draw them closer to the Lord and give them a clearer picture of their own role in God’s kingdom ministry. Remember to ask a team member to tell you all about their experience in South America!
Today we woke up a bit earlier to leave at 7:45 AM. Breakfast at this hotel is not always bussin. There aren’t many varieties of food to eat here, but we’ve gotten creative and combined what’s available into what I like to call a sandwich—which actually tastes pretty good. All in all, I’m sure we all know and feel blessed to be able to go about the beginning of the day with a full stomach.
Today is also the next big game!
Americanos vs. South Americans.
Yesterday we lost the exhibition scrimmage, but today we’re back and ready to make our families back home proud.
8:30 AM – We picked up the kids from their house and headed toward their campus. On the way, I lost in a game where they have to guess my number at the same time I say it. So, I had to tie my shoes and hop out of the bus—which was pretty light work compared to the other girl who lost and had to hop on one foot for a quarter mile.
8:58 AM – We played some volleyball, then started a small 5-on-5 scrimmage before the big game. We won 2–0. The kids are really good—but we have an Albert. Albert is our all-star straight from the Jessup soccer team.
9:30 AM – The big game then began. The goals were electric. The passes were legendary. And the sportsmanship was God-glorifying. After a hard-fought battle full of fake injuries, fouls, and glory… we won 7–6. Albert was great at pushing the front lines and even scored, Kenzie was an amazing goalie, and everyone else held it down on defense and team plays.
11:30 AM – On the way to the market to drop off the kids, some of the South American girls started doing fun, catchy clapping songs on the bus. Derek also got everyone to start singing songs from Moana. The vibes were very good, and everyone was sharing their snacks.
12:40 PM – We arrived at an outdoor city square market and started looking around. We saw a weird cross with skulls on it, some pretty neat local trinkets, and some street performers playing music and doing an interesting slow-motion dance fight.
Cole and Albert got some paintings from a very nice older lady who looked like she came straight out of the Disney movie Coco. I got a wooden cross necklace and a pearl-looking bracelet for my beautiful future wife Mi—hopefully she’ll like it.
Unfortunately, a lot of the vendors were selling secular items, but we can pray for them.
We then took a 15-minute walk back to the hotel.
2:45 PM – When we got back, the group packed up for tomorrow and rested. After I packed, Cole and I found secret roof access and went to the very top.
4:06 PM – We went down a bit lower to the pool and started playing cards.
5:00 PM – After meeting up in the lobby, the minority vetoed the majority vote from last night and decided we’d go to all-you-can-eat sushi instead of steak. I was very disappointed that we’ve forgotten our republic ways since coming to South America.
5:30 PM – We walked to a coffee shop called Millie Cuca and had some kind of sweet crumble cookies and coffee. Everyone was falling in love with a raspberry cookie Taylor got. Kenzie also had everyone share a “buffalo”—just a random interesting thing that’s happened to us.
The most interesting ones were:
• Cole wanted to be president when he was a child and used to dress up every Halloween in a suit.
• Grace was asked in 1st grade by a classmate if she would marry him.
6:00 PM – When we got back to the hotel, we played a high-stakes card game called Poop Head where there’s only one loser. The final two were Cole and Erica, and sadly Erica lost—so she had to wear the poop head hat. We played again and Kenzie lost.
7:00 PM – We arrived at the all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant, and Kenzie wore the poop head bucket hat like a champ. The restaurant didn’t allow outside drinks, which we didn’t like since they make you pay for water refills—pretty strange compared to the U.S.
7:32 PM – Cole spilled his miso soup.
Side note: It’s crazy how cheap all-you-can-eat restaurants are here.
9:15 PM – After getting back from sushi, we stayed in the lobby and played Code Names.
After Code Names the group met up on the roof. It was pretty high up so we had to be careful. Derek liked getting close to the edge to take pictures which got everyone nervous. But overall it was a fun time of doing photo shoots together.
Side note: I was standing a couple feet from the edge of the roof, and I could just feel a lot of fear because of how high it was and how easy it is to slip and fall. And it made me think about the fear of persecuted Christian’s feel with how close death or something horrible is. And being on the roof felt like I could get a taste of the fear that I want to overcome in the world for the glory of God and just how much I need to trust him.
Today was another amazing day in South America! Our day started off with a quick walk to Starbucks for some sweet treats for our friend Grace, because it’s her 20th birthday today!! (What a great way to spend your 20th birthday—in South America!!)
We ate breakfast at the hotel as a team after surprising Grace, and then we kicked off our day!
Our first stop was the Azul maintenance hangar, which is the biggest hangar in South America. We got a full tour of the place and saw so many cool things—like the pilot kickback area, the baggage compartment underneath the plane, the cockpit, the painting area for the plane parts, and we even got to speak on the PA system (just like flight attendants do)!
Fun fact of the day: this country is roughly the same shape as South America!
Next up was the City of Youth campus, where we’ve been spending the past five days. We headed straight to lunch and had some yummy chicken, beans, and chicken noodle soup. After lunch, we got to work on Valentine’s Day cards to hand out to the kids living on campus because this country celebrates Valentine’s Day in June!
Then it was time for our work project: painting the curbs in front of the office! Honestly, painting has been super therapeutic and actually really fun. Once we wrapped up our masterpiece, the boys living here challenged us to a game of futsal.
Spoiler alert: we got absolutely destroyed. (As you probably guessed.)
After our crushing defeat, we cleaned up from painting and spent the evening hanging out with the kids who seem to have an infinite amount of energy. Seriously, the party never stops.
Dinner was a delicious home-cooked meal, and the cherry on top? A surprise birthday cake made for Grace by the kids during their baking class!
If I had to describe today in one word, it would be: hubideebubba.
Today was a very special day. It is the local Valentines Day and the kid’s from the City of Youth, Happy Day.
Happy Day is the day that kids who have had their Birthday within the past couple months celebrate their birthdays all together by going to the mall. Each kid gets to spend 15 rias to buy candy.
This morning we continued working on our paint project, but because it is Valentine’s Day we also made cards for the girls and boys. Or goal was to let the kids know that they are loved by Jesus.
After the amazing lunch we got to give the girls their Valentine’s Day cards. It was so much fun to see the joy on their faces just from a card.
Kayla made it safely to the country and joined us in the City of Youth.
At 2:30 we got in a bus with all of the kids for Happy Day. Before we went into the mall each of us paired up with one of the kids and got to take them around. The kids got to buy candy from the Supermarcados. We got Big Macs from McDonalds and afterwards chocolate ice cream. They were filled joy over a simple ice cream cone. After walking around the mall, the kids and Derek went to watch the live action Lilo and Stich. The rest of us continued to walk around the mall.
The girl that I was paired up with was so excited about having ice cream that she was jumping up and down and excitedly talking about ice cream.
When it was time to get back on the bus we were able to give each one of them a present and they in turn showed us how happy and grateful they were for this day and for us. It was so exciting to see the joy and thankfulness on their faces. The boy that Declan was paired with said that he was really thankful and that Declan was like a Dad to him.
You all can continue to pray that we would make the greatest impact during our time left in South America.
Oí from South America! This morning we got to sleep in because of our late night the night before. We arrived at The City of Youth in the later morning and went straight to work finishing our painting project. Everyone worked together and got two rooms and a fence painted! It brightened up the space and made the atmosphere more welcoming. There was a delicious lunch served to us; beans, rice, chicken, and salad. We stoped in the middle of our meal to say goodbye to the little kids going to school.
The girls on the team got to experience a spa day! Some of the students who are in the beauty course painted our nails and braided our hair. It was exciting to be a part of their career journey. We got to see some of them practice a dance and saw their joy on their faces when their creativity came to life with nail polish and glitter.
The boys had some time to go exploring around City of Youth’s country side. They got to enjoy the company of some horses and explore through the fields. They got to encounter a brave dog chasing a horse and had a great time telling jokes.
By the time the team got all back together, it was time to go see the kids. Some played soccer on the near by field with the older boys and others went to go play with the toddlers. We were all thankful for more bonding time with the kids. Running around kicking the soccer ball and making the little kids laugh.
We ended the night with a dinner at one of the children’s homes in the city. The team enjoyed a home cooked meal with delicious chicken, beans and rice (of course) and a famous local apple flavored juice called Guaraná. There were a lot of enjoyable conversations and hilarious moments being shared around the table. The house held three boys and two girls. The boys were all into soccer, one wanting to be be a professional soccer player and another wanting to work at an airport. For the girls, one of them wanted to be an astronaut and was really into dance. The other wanted to be a psychology teacher and is hoping to travel to America one day. A funny moment at dinner was when Cole and Declan decided to get their hair braided by the girls living in the home! For dessert, we had an amazing açai bowl, which Erica was most excited about. We ended the night with looking up at the stars and being thankful for all that God has blessed us with.
Thank you all for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers.
My morning started in the most refreshing way possible as Declan, Tim, and I jumped in the rooftop pool for a nice cold plunge and worship music it was a great way to prepare our hearts for another full day of ministry.
Soon after, we arrived at the City of Youth where the kids welcomed us with open arms and loving energy. We spent some time with the little little kids playing around and making them laugh and then flew kites with some boys named Lalo, Enzo, Arthur, and Lucas. Later we played soccer, spikeball, and even rode around on a makeshift green machine.
Later, we met Reggie, one of the house parents who is originally from Oregon. He took time to share with us some powerful stories about the boys in the home their journeys, their resilience, their troubles and the impact this ministry is making in their lives. It was a beautiful reminder of the “why” behind the work we are doing here.
In the afternoon, we got to work on a few projects around the campus. Our team scraped and painted the white picket fence surrounding main office and seeing it finished was deeply rewarding. We also began painting the inside of the office, and we’re excited to finish that job tomorrow. What might a week for the staff here, we’re able to knock out in a day or two and it’s an incredible privilege to lighten that load for them.
Midway through the day, there was a buzz of uncertainty aswe weren’t sure if we’d be able to attend the Brazil vs. Paraguay soccer match. With such a large group, securing tickets last minute seemed unlikely. But in true miracle fashion, our fieldworker Phil and his amazing team pulled it off!
Before heading to the game, a few of the boys, including Matos and Enzo, were pulled from school under the impression they were in trouble. Moments later, surprise! They learned they were coming with us to the match.
Getting into the game was wild, 46,000 people flooded the stadium, home to Corinthians during the regular season. At one point, Declan’s ticket wasn’t scanning, and we thought he might not get in, but thankfully, everything worked out. The atmosphere inside was absolutely electric. Brazil took the win 1-0 thanks to a goal by Vinicius Jr., and the chants, the energy, and even a fan who stormed the field made it a night to remember.
Leaving the stadium was like a real life version of Crossy Road. With helicopters overhead and crowds pouring into the streets, it was definitely intense. But thanks to the street smarts of our team, our wonderful local hosts and some quick feet, we all made it back to the bus safe and sound.
Each day, our team is growing tighter, not just as a group, but as a family. The shared work, the joy, and the spontaneous moments of fun have created a bond that’s hard to put into words. As one fellow missionary, Dr. Dan from Indiana, told us while passing through the city of youth with his team, “You guys just have a great gift of making people feel comfortable around you.” That stuck with me, because that’s exactly what we’re here to do, love well and serve wholeheartedly.
God is clearly moving here in South America, in the children, in the staff, and in each of us. We’re so grateful for the opportunity to be part of what He’s doing, and we can’t wait to see what tomorrow holds!
Hi friend and family! Tudo bem?… tudo bem! Today we woke up for our first day in the new city. We had breakfast and journaled in our hotel. Jonathan (our new translator/city of youth coordinator) met us at our hotel to take us to Hope Unlimited’s coffee shop/thrift store. The coffee was so amazing. The thrift store/coffee shop also had their financial department attached to the same building and we were able to get to meet all the great people who work behind the scenes at Hope Unlimited.
We then took about a 30 minute drive to the City of Youth (hope unlimited’s campinas campus). Once we got there Jonathan gave us a tour of the large campus which included showing us the cooking classes, baking classes, cosmetic classes, auto body classes, basketball courts, pool, and soccer fields.
After the show around we got to meet some of the children during lunch and they were such a joy to sit down with and make smile. Unfortunately they had to leave for class decently quick.
Our team then just took a little look around of ourselves and went exploring on the campus and found some little children in line getting ready to go to class and they were so excited to see us. They asked me why we were there and I told them “we came all the way from United States to hangout with you guys” and their eyes went wide and they smiled from cheek to cheek in shock. Once again unfortunately we didn’t get to spend too much time with them because they went to class.
We then went into the meeting room where there was a bit of a mix up on exactly what room we were going to get started on fixing up, moving things, and painting so we sat there for about an hour just braiding bracelets to handout to the children. Once we got our instructions we went to work quick and efficiently, clearing out rooms getting them ready to be painted. While we were working Philip (our field worker) comes to us and tells us we are going to the Brazil vs Paraguay World Cup qualifier match in the city tomorrow night which then of course caused our team to loose their minds and start throwing our ideas like painting our faces and bellies Brazilian colors for the game.
After we finished our work we were told that we were going to have dinner with some of the girls from the City of Youth at their community house, and since 2/3 of their busses broke down they needed to drop us off at our hotel to be picked up later. So we had to say goodbye to Luciano, our new friend/Hope graduate/ Hope Mountain maintenance man, because he was going back to Vitória and we weren’t going to see him again. We all shared hugs with Luciano and he learned how to say “I love you” to say goodbye to us.
We got dropped off at our hotel and immediately took off looking for some Brazil National Team jerseys for the game tomorrow without much success. So Chim(Tim), Cole, Derek, and I went on a time crunch mission to the nearest shopping center to buy some jerseys at the store. Once we arrived at the shopping center we were shocked at how nice and large it was, it had all the nicest branded stores and it was 4 stories tall. We went at quickly as we could we failed the time crunch mission because we were just a tiny bit late to getting back to the hotel, although some might call it a success because we got sweet Brazilian and Corinthians(local team) jerseys.
When Chim, Cole, Derek, and I arrived a tiny bit late to the hotel we were sadly greeted with a change in plans due to the bus being used we were unable to go and have dinner with the girls in their community house. We changed the dinner to Wednesday night. Although we were very bummed at not being able to eat with the girls tonight, Philip did offer to take us to all you can eat sushi which you can only imagine the excitement of the offer. We then walked to Sushi with Jonathan and Phillip and unanimously had the best sushi ever. After dinner we walked back, debriefed the day and went to bed.
We look forward to our time with the children tomorrow. Thank you for all the prayers we all appreciated it!
Hello friends and family! Today has been filled with a flood of different emotions. We have all been extremely blessed to get to be here with all of the people. This morning we checked out of our hotel and went to the Hope Mountain church. Kenzie and Cole helped out again with the worship. We love singing songs in both English and Portuguese. Derek, Declan, Caelyn, and I all helped in a skit that the boys put on. We played the part of partygoers in the story of the Prodigal Son. The sermon was about talking and communicating. Some of us were called upon as demonstrations of his points. It was very good. At the end of church, they gave us all wonderful mugs with our team picture on it. They have all been very appreciative of us as we have been of them. Today we said goodbye to all the boys and staff workers at Hope Mountain. It was very hard to do so and very bittersweet. They gave us all nicknames to show their appreciation for us. Kenzie is Tinker belle. Taylor is Belle. Declan is Kent. Cole is JJ. Derek is Superman. Albert is a soccer player. Grace is Judy Hopps. Erica is Mrs. Jackie Chan. Tim is Mr. Incredible. Caelyn is Elsa, and I am Anna. We all are sad to be leaving and yet look forward to what God is going to do next in the City of Youth. The weight of sin is real in what these boys have lived through. We are trusting God that He will continue to bring people down here who will help save them. We flew to our next city and drove to the town. For dinner tonight, we went to a local Steakhouse. It is all you can eat with all sorts of food. We had all different kinds of meat, different kinds of sushi as well as many other local foods. The place was amazing, and the food was delicious. Tim said yes to everything that was offered him. The team favorite was definitely the cooked cinnamon pineapple. We all had multiple helpings. During dinner we met a different team that is here from Indiana. We will be switching places with them. We are so excited to be here! We look forward to meeting everyone in the City of Youth tomorrow. Erica hurt her foot yesterday playing soccer, prayers would be much appreciated. We would also love prayer for quick connections with the kids and that we would be able to serve in every way possible.
Oi! Bom noite!, Today was banana day so we all wore banana/yellow shirts, and we went to the supermarket to buy bananas for the kids!
We had a lot of work ahead of us as we arrived at Montana de Esperança (hope mountain) on day 4 at 9am. The pine derby race was today and we had much preparation to get done for the boy’s cars. Cole, Tim, Albert, and Derek headed to the workshop to get the overall shape of the cars while the rest of the team worked with the boys on their designs. After a few hours of hard work from everyone we had 20 fully ready cars ready to race at 2:00!
We had some free time before lunch to hang out with the boys where we learned how to slack line! A local instructor and his wife came and set up 2 lines for us to try and one was even over the pool. The boys are truly so joyful and loving despite the traumatic past they all have. No one was safe from being pushed into the pool by the boys, who all know ju jitsu by the way. We ate and drank some more fresh coconuts as we got ready for lunch.
For lunch was had hot dogs, but nothing like was were used to. The chefs prepared hot dogs topped with chips, raisins, olives, an egg, and every some mash potatoes. I know it sounds really strange but it was surprisingly delicious! The clock hit 2 and we headed outside for the derby race!
Luciano, the head maintenance worker for Hope Mountain set up and track over 30 feet long for the cars to go down. Luciano was also the announcer for the event and truly brought the energy giving each boy an introduction and everything! One of the older boys gathered everyone together to thank us and pray for the group. Luciano and a man named Mathias also said some heartwarming words for the us.
We had a short break which followed shortly after by a futebol game, which has been a daily activity with the boys. We played 10 vs 10, Americans vs Brazilians, which lasted a couple of hours! The entire team played and we ended up winning in penalty kicks!
Before we knew it, it was time for dinner which was the highlight of the day. While not speaking português can be challenging to communicate we make it work! Dinner was filled with laughter and questions about each other! A few of the conversations led to a prayer for some of the boys. This part of the day was truly the best because it is the main reason we are here, to spread the Gospel to those who may not know it already. We then started writing messages on each other’s shirts with signatures to remember our time with them.
Please keep safety in your prayers as we head into our last day here and move on another campus for next week!
Tchau e até logo!!
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
I’m writing this as a heated 3v3 futsal match unfolds: Team USA vs. Team Brazil (and yes, we’re getting crushed). But beyond the scoreboard, today has been full in the best kind of way, filled with joy, humility, service, and the unmistakable presence of God.
Our day began early at 5:45 am with a few of us taking a run down to the beach to catch the sunrise over the Atlantic. The beauty of the morning felt wonderful like God’s quiet invitation into the day. After breakfast, we made our way to Hope Mountain, where the day really kicked off with ping pong challenges from the kids (a tradition at this point!).
We spent the morning doing some heavy lifting – literally. Our team helped move scrap metal, fridges, and old AC units around the property. Then it was lunchtime, and it was a highlight of the day. Albert helped prepare an incredible lasagna with the staff, and we had the privilege of serving the meal. It may sound simple, but there’s something so cool about serving and eating together, especially when the food is that good.
After lunch, we got back to work on the Pinewood Derby cars. We finally started shaping them using saws, and it was amazing to see the creativity come to life. The kids got really into it, and watching them design and decorate was chaotic but cool.
Snack time brought fresh pineapple, mao mao suco, pão de queijo, and sfiha. All of which were delicious. While we ate, some of the kids gave us drawings they made to welcome us. I was honestly so grateful in that moment. Even without words, they know how to make us feel at home.
In the evening, we visited the thrift store run by Hope Mountain in the city and it was a vibe, then we stopped by a local grocery store to buy rice, beans, and hygiene supplies to bring to a local family who had invited us to see their home.
That visit was an eye-opening moment for me. The family lives in a small, pieced-together house made of plywood and rough brick. A single mother raising five children, with almost nothing, and yet the kids were full of joy. It was heartbreaking and humbling all at once. Watching Phil, our fieldworker, give them groceries was a clear glimpse of God’s love. In that moment, it reminded me of Jesus.
We returned to Hope Mountain for dinner. yes, more rice and beans, and wrapped up the day with futsal and Brazilian jiu-jitsu with the boys. It’s hard to explain how meaningful something as simple as play can be in building friendships across language and culture. Through it all, I’m learning that love doesn’t require fluency. It’s in the shared sweat, laughter shared, and the mutual respect that grows when you serve alongside someone. I’m being stretched especially as I see the sharp divide between Brazil’s upper and lower classes. There’s very little in-between here, and it’s opened my eyes to both brokenness and beauty.
God is working miracles at Hope Mountain. Every testimony, every interaction, every act of service reveals more of His faithfulness. As James 4:6 reminds us, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” I see His grace everywhere here.
Please continue to pray for Hope Mountain’s impact, for the families we meet, and that we would walk in step with God’s Word, shining brightly with the love of Jesus.
