Luke's View

Tell me about Brazil.  Everywhere you turn, there's a mountain or a hill.  We road in buses on dirt roads through the country to get from city to city.  The smaller towns have houses that are pretty much a box with a roof on top.  The big city houses are more like ours just smaller.  

How were the people different from here?  The people were very outgoing.  You could make a friend really easily in Brazil.  

What did they think about you being there?  They were excited because we spoke English.  Brazilians are fascinated by our language.

What was the food like?  The food was much different than American food.  We had rice and beans at every meal, sometimes noodles, meat and potatoes and juice.  The water was not safe to drink, so we had a purifier that someone brought on the trip.

What was a fun, new experience?  I got to be on the radio in Montes Clares!  I invited people to VBS.  One of the kids that came to VBS heard me on the radio.  The guy spoke in Portuguese and told everyone that I looked like Justin Bieber.

What did spend most of your time doing?  I was on the rec team at VBS in Montes Clares, playing with the kids.  We played soccer, baseball, frisbee and tag.  The kids had a lot of fun!

Where did you stay?  We stayed at someone's house and a hotel.  The house was very small.  All the floors were tile, no carpet.  A translator stayed there too so we could communicate with the family that lived there.  The bed was so small that my feet hung off!

Were you ever afraid?  Sometimes I was a little afraid without Dad there. [They were in separate cities for 8 days.]  I'd hear a lot of noises and it was hard to go to sleep.  There were plenty of other adults that took care of me though, so I was fine.

What was the hardest part about this trip?  Towards the end of the trip, we were so exhausted that it was hard to get up at 7am and go again.  [7am there would be 5am here.]  It was hard to remember all the rules about the water, like wear flip flops in the shower, don't drink the water and don't brush your teeth in the water.  I got sick one full day of the trip, maybe from eating homemade chocolate.  

What was your favorite thing about this trip?  Leading the boy to Jesus.

Tell me more about how that happened.  At night worship the pastor said if anyone wants to come down and accept Jesus into your heart, just ask one of the team members in the camo shirts and we'll help you.  So I asked the boy sitting next to me, named Junior, if he wanted to go up there, using hand gestures.  (He only spoke a little English.)   I first asked him if he wanted to know Jesus and he said yes, so MariJo, one of the translators and I led the little boy in the prayer of salvation.  

In what way did God change your heart the most?  I realized we should be grateful for what we have because they don't have as much.


There are more pictures on THIS WEBSITE to see all of Luke & Brad's adventures on mission with God in Brazil.

Good News!

Talked to Brad AND Luke this morning!  They are finally back together and having a day of rest!  Luke is having so much fun and told me HE LED A BOY TO JESUS last night!!!!  My heart is so full.  I'll let him tell the story on a blog when he gets back, but I'm so so very thankful that God gave him that opportunity.  He said he wants to go back every year.

In these past few weeks I have been reminded in a BIG way that GOD ANSWERS PRAYERS!!!

Updates from Brazil

2 PKs ready for a day at VBS:  Luke & Trey (Pastor Sam Dennis' son from ParkwayHills)

Brad & Luke are in 2 different cities for these first 8 days of the trip.  Luke is in a bigger metro area leading VBS for a LOT of kids.  He is on the rec team, so his days consist of playing "futbol" with the kids.  I can just see him high-fiving the little boys as they score a goal!  :)  I miss him so much, but know God has his hand on Luke.  I still pray daily that God will draw him close to His heart.  Will you pray that with me too?

Brad is in a smaller village.  Here is the first text I received from him:

"We r here eating.  It's beautiful.  Miss you"

Then yesterday:

"We're in a very poor area.  Talked with 2 drunks.  Food is weird.  The jungle is around us.  Luke is in a much bigger metro area.  I'm preaching on the radio every day this week.  Preaching big service every night."

This morning I got a forwarded message sent to Brad from Luke:

"Hey dad it's Luke  Bon Gia were having fun.  Yesterday we went to this cool town and they were having a celebration so talk to u later bye Tchau love you"  

(I'm going to have to talk to that boy about punctuation.)  ;)

We send texts for free with an app on our iphones called "Viber".  So thankful for that.  

Brad called today and he's resting this afternoon.  He preached last night to a big crowd and 20 people came forward afterward to give their lives to Christ.  Praise the Lord!  What an amazing blessing!  Brad said he finally feels like he's getting a groove, as the first few days he was just getting used to everything.  I know he's reaching people with his authentic and magnetic personality that I fell in love with.  

I'm so proud of my boys and thankful that God has given them this opportunity!

Brazil Itinerary

Date	Time	Destination
July 14	1:55pm	Arrive at DFW airport 2 hours before departure
July 14	3:55pm	DFW to Miami AA flight 484
July 14	11:15pm	Miami to Belo Horizonte AA flight 991
July 15	8:15am	Arrive in Belo Horizonte
July 15	10:30am	Bus ride from Belo Horizonte to Montes Claros
July 19	10:00am	Bus ride from Montes Claros to Itacarambi
July 23	8:00am	Bus ride from Itacarambi to Montes Claros
July 27	8:00am	Montes Claros to Belo Horizonte
July 27	9:50pm	Belo Horizonte to Miami AA flight 992
July 28	6:50am	Miami to Dallas AA flight 495
July 28	8:55am	Arrive at DFW airport

They're Off!

Brad called from Miami and they will be flying to Brazil all night from there.  Praising God for his provision....the visas & passports came in just in time!  Please pray for safety tonight.

Luke is having a great time!  He was asked to give his testimony at some point on the trip so be praying for that!  Thank you!!!

Portuguese Phrases to Know

Oi!   

Hi!

Olá!   

Hello!

Tudo bem?   

How are you?

Bom dia!   

Good morning!

  

Boa noite!   

Good night! / Good evening!

Qual seu nome?    

What is your name?

Meu nome é Luke.   

My name is Luke.

Quantos anos você tem?  

How old are you?

Tenho 13 anos.  

I’m 13 years old.

Você fala português?

Do you speak Portuguese?
 

Falo inglês.  

I speak English.

Não falo português.  

I don’t speak Portuguese.

De onde você é?

Where are you from?

Você é de aqui?  

Are you from here?

Sou dos Estados Unidos.  

I’m from United States.

Muito prazer!  

Nice to meet you!

Tchau!  (sounds like CHOW)

Bye!

There are more words and phrases here, and you can listen to them spoken to practice your Portuguese!

Pray!

Serious prayers needed.  Visas have not come yet.  We need them.  Please pray with us.

Thank you.

2 Weeks til Brazil!!

We had a great time at family camp in Michigan last week, and although we had a slight problem getting the visas....we are praying they will be here by next week!  Yikes, cutting it close!  We only need $900 now to get the boy's trip paid for so please look for any jobs he might be able to do in these next 2 weeks!

Luke found his favorite verse the other day that he wants to memorize!  (Mom's praising God!)

2 Timothy 4:18---
The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom.  To him be glory forever and ever. Amen.


Thank you so much for your prayers and support!!!

1 month away

Our passports came in!  Praise God!  Thank you for praying!  We've also seen so much financial provision come in this week and we are so grateful. God is so good.  He is preparing the way for Luke and Brad to go to Brazil.  We've also seen the enemy at work in Luke's heart and we ask that you would pray that he would be able to stand firm and resist him.  Thank you for caring enough to pray.

HG For Brazil

Luke has raised $500 so far!  Thank you to all of you who have given!  We are praying you are abundantly blessed for your generosity on our behalf.  Keep praying God will provide $1500 more!

We are still praying for our expedited passports to get here and start the visa process.  Please pray for this specific detail that the enemy would love to use to prohibit Luke from going.  GOD is in the details!

I have sold Homemade Gourmet mixes for a few years now and have a few in stock right now.  I am committing all of these proceeds to Luke's trip.  Please let me know if you would like to buy:

1 Southwest Pantry Staples $16

2 Three Cheese Garlic Biscuits $8 each

2 Beer Bread (or Basic Bread mix) $7 each

1 Roasted Onion Bread $7

1 Double pack of Bonnie's Blue Ribbon Chili mix $12 (I actually use 1 packet twice, so it's like getting 4 mixes!!!)

1 Double pack of Mom's Smashed Potatoes mix $12

1 Sassy Sangria Party Blender mix $8

To order more yummy mixes to have delivered right to your door, please go to my HOMEMADE GOURMET WEBSITE.

Facts about Brazil

• 5th Largest country in the world, with 4 different time zones.
• Official language is Portuguese---Link to language help
• Men greet men with a firm handshake, introducing themselves saying, "prazer" (pleasure, pronunced prah-zeyr), followed by their name. You can reply “prazer” and your name.
• Women kiss and will be kissed on both cheeks.
• Other common greetings are "e aí, como vai?" for “how’s it going? (pronounced ee aiy ee, como vaiy), or "fala!", literally "Speak!" used in place of “what’s up”. You’ll surely hear the ever-popular, all purpose "tudo bem?" and “tudo bom?”, literally "everything okay?". If you’re greeted with “tudo bem?” just respond with a cool “tudo bom” or vice versa.
• Foreigners are known as "Gringos", not in a derogatory way, just as a form of identification.
• The term marajá (maharaja or rich person) can apply to anyone (Brazilians included) but especially to any foreigner in Brazil. This is because, in the eyes of most poor Brazilians, you're very rich. After all, you were able to pay an unbelievable amount of money (to them) to buy a airplane ticket just to visit Brazil. That makes you veryrich in their eyes. Again, if you're called marajá, don't take it personally because it's not necessarily derogatory. 
• Brazilians are fanatical about futebol (called soccer in the US and football elsewhere). It approaches the status of a national "religion."
• In both social and business situations throughout the day, Brazilians will often offer um cafezinho (a little coffee). A demitasse of this highly sugared espresso will assuredly wake you up if the weather has made you a little sleepy.
• Brazil is a predominately Catholic country and the Catholic Church is highly respected and revered by many.
• The biggest meal of the day for most Brazilians is almoço (lunch), usually between 11:30 am and 1:30 pm. Dinner or supper in Brazil is usually (but not always) lighter and can start anywhere from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm at night. Arroz and feijão (rice and beans) are basic in Brazil and likely to be found as part of almost any lunch or dinner.
• In most of the larger cities, you'll find at least one McDonald's but, with the array of Brazilian food available, why would you want to unless you're American and want to experience the novelty of ordering a McBurger.
• People who are not from Brazil are told not to drink the local water, and to get all your water bottled. 
• A dazzling variety of fresh tropical fruit is available throughout Brazil—from mangoes, papayas, pineapples, passion fruit, and numerous others you've probably never heard of or seen, to numerous varieties of bananas not available anywhere in North America or Europe. Unfortunately, you can't bring back any fresh fruit with you so get your fill while you're there. 
• Brazil's currency unit is the real (plural = reais) and is made up of 100 centavos.
• Because it lies in the Southern Hemisphere, seasons in Brazil are exactly the opposite of those in the Northern Hemisphere:
  

  winter—	June 22 to September 21
  spring—	September 22 to December 21
  summer—	December 22 to March 21
  autumn—	March 22 to June 21

Link to Brazil video

Here is a link to a video showing some of the past trips to Brazil with ParkwayHills Baptist.  Pray for Luke and Brad and the whole team as they continue raising funds and preparing for what God has planned.

sWords

Daily words to prepare Luke for Brazil:

Jeremiah 1:7-9
Joshua 1:9
Ephesians 6:10-18
Matthew 10:19-20
Acts 4:20
2 Timothy 1:8-12
1 Corinthians 15:3-8
Matthew 20:26-28
Matthew 28
2 Timothy 3:14-17, 4:17-18
1 Timothy 4:12
Psalm 119:9-11

More to come...

Luke's sWord for the Day

But the LORD said to me: 
“ Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ 
      For you shall go to all to whom I send you, 
      And whatever I command you, you shall speak. 
      Do not be afraid of their faces, 
      For I am with you to deliver you,” says the LORD. 

Then the LORD put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the LORD said to me:  “ Behold, I have put My words in your mouth." 
Jeremiah 1:7-9


Though Luke is young, this sWord tells him the Lord is with him and he doesn't have to be afraid or worry about what he will say.  The Lord will put His words in Luke's mouth.  Praise God for this promise!


Praying that God would use Luke, though he is young, to show God's love and that He'd put His words in Luke's mouth to speak life and truth into those who don't know Him.  

Brazil Trip Update

FORGOT THIS IMPORTANT INFO:  If you'd like a tax write-off, please make check out to ParkwayHills Baptist Church, and in the memo write "p70 mission trip".  You can still mail to us and we will pass it on.  Let me know if you need our address.

We are waiting for passports, so please pray that they come quickly so they can get their VISAs asap.  Your prayers mean more than anything!

Luke is out of school for the summer, so if you have a job for him to do, he is ready!

THANK YOU!!!

Luke's First Mission Trip

When Luke turned 13 I (his Mom) felt like God was asking me to pray one specific prayer for him daily.  I very simply pray that Luke would draw closer to God.  I believe God has answered and will continue to answer that prayer in many wonderful ways.  One day last month, we received a phone call from our former pastor and friend, Pastor Sam Dennis.  Brad has been invited to come preach with Pastor Sam on a mission trip to Brazil, and Luke has been given the opportunity to go along with his dad. This fourteen day mission trip in July is being organized by our former church, ParkwayHills Baptist in Plano.  We know it will cost financially, but we believe in faith that this is just another prayer God will answer.

We are writing to ask you to partner with Luke & Brad on this trip in a variety of ways.  First and foremost we ask for prayers.  Please pray that our team travels will be safe and we’ll remain healthy. Pray also that God will teach Luke more about Himself and especially pray that they’ll be able to communicate God’s love to the people they meet.  We ask for peace of mind as the Martin boys leave the Martin girls for this long trip.

The cost for the trip is $2000. This includes all of Luke's travel, lodging, meals and needs for the trip.  We humbly ask that you would consider investing in this mission through a financial donation.  We ask that you pray and ask God if this is something you feel called to do, and if so that in faith He will bless whatever you decide to give and multiply it, like the loaves and fishes.  This money is due by July 7^th.  Whatever amount that is on your heart is greatly appreciated!

Luke will be looking for fundraising ideas and ways to earn his way, so please be on the lookout for chores or lawn work he could do this summer!  He is getting great at mowing the lawn and is even good with kids, if you need a few hours to work at home while he entertains!  School is out Thursday, May 19, so please let us know when you're ready to hire him! 

 While on this trip, Luke will be journaling about all of his adventures and we will add daily prayer requests to this blog: http://martin5missions.blogspot.com/ 

Thank you for your consideration in being a part of our Martin support team.   If you have questions, please send an email to smartinhome @ gmail dot com.

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. Matt.28:19-20