Iguaçu Falls - a natural wonder!

To celebrate our wedding anniversary (April 8) this year, we decided to spend a weekend at Iguaçu Falls, one of the seven natural wonders of the world. It straddles the border between Brazil & Argentina. Iguaçu is the world's largest series of waterfalls (250 cascades, 1 1/4 miles in total length, maximum drop 250 feet!). It is an experience that words and photos can hardly do justice; they really must be seen and heard in person.

We got as up-close and personal to the falls as possible! We took a jeep ride through the jungle, a powerboat ride up the rapids of the Iguaçu River, and then the grand finale...the driver steers the boat right into the falls for a huge splash of cold water! (don't try this at home)

We also visited a Bird Park, where you can interact with hunderds of species of exotic birds from around the world. Some are even friendly enough to perch on your arm and stay a while? And where else can you see Toucan Sam in the flesh?
Happy 2nd Anniversary to us, and thank you Lord for the privilege of seeming your awesome nature!

A Birthday Homage

April is a special month for birthdays - beginning on the 1st with Waleska, and now with this post we want honor of our mother (and mother-in-law) Phyllis, whose birthday is today, April 11! We just want to say how much we love you and miss you Mom! You are an amazing example of a Christian wife, mother, and worker in the kingdom. May God always give you good health, strength, vitality, and joy! You look really cool in the midst of the Brazilian pine trees! Enjoy your day!

Easter Retreat - quick version

A long-overdue update of how our Easter retreat went! We had more than 70 people gather from Friday through Sunday at "LifeSpace" Retreat Center, about 45 minutes outside Porto Alegre. We had a little bit of everything - homecooked meals, sports, conversations and laughter, powerful times of praise and teaching, and a sunrise worship service that is pictured above (the sun didn't show up, but everybody else did!)
Waleska & I are headed out of town this weekend - next week when I return, we will post more about this special Easter time!

Best Brazilian Friends

Now I'd like to tell you about a family that Waleska & I have become very close to: Joao and Clarice Spencer and their son, Joca . They participate in the church that meets in our home. I first met them seven years ago on a trip to Fortaleza in NE Brazil, before I moved to Porto Alegre. At that time they said they might be moving to POA in the future, so I tried to keep tabs with them. On another trip to NE Brazil in 2003, this time to Natal, I happened to meet them again. They moved in POA in January 2004, and thus began one of our most meaningful friendships, especially since Waleska and I married.This picture is funny because it is a complete role reversal: in real life, Joao is the soldier and Clarice is the doctor! Joao is a captain in the Air Force, a fighter pilot. Clarice is an organ transplant specialist at two major hospitals in POA. Joca actually is a pirate...I mean personality wise, he is a real card! They are from Recife in NE Brazil. Joao and Clarice met in the church youth group; she invited him to participate, and they found each other through Christ. They have been married for eight years.

Joao travels frequently because of his job; he conducts and participates in various training courses in fighter operations and radar management throughout the year, so he and I don't get to meet as often as we'd like. But when he's in town, we try to get together as much as possible to pray, discuss our walk with the Lord, and eat greasy fast food - and as you saw from the previous post, work in the Kingdom. Clarice and Waleska have become very close; when either one has gone through a difficult moment in life, they come together to pray and support each other, and laugh it off. Waleska will start teaching English to Clarice next month, so that will be one more excuse for them to enjoy each other's company!

Joao and Clarice have a very firm and grounded faith and love for the Lord, and they have been a real blessing to us as a young married couple. They helped Waleska and I endure many trials during our first year of marriage. They embody, for us, what Jesus called the "salt of the earth:" people who, whenever they are around, just make those around them better because of their presence. We enjoy this family a lot and try to spend time with them as much as possible. Thank God for this family and for our friendship, and may it grow ever stronger and deeper!

Training up the Youth

When I was in my late teens, I was fortunate to have, at my home church, several men in their early 30s who took an interest in myself and the other teenagers. They would take turns teaching our Sunday School classes, planning activities for us, and just serving as ears to listen or an open door when we needed someone to talk with about life, love, faith, and struggles. Today, I am grateful for the influence that these men had in my life. Kevin Taylor, Steve Smilek, Warren Enstminger, and others - thank you for making a difference in the name of Jesus!

Now that I'm in my early 30s (did I just write that?!) it's time for me to give back the joy. Recently, myself and my good Brazilian buddy Joao Spencer (kneeling next to me in the photo) began meeting on Saturdays with some of the teenage guys in our church family. Top row L-R: Guilherme, Lucas, and Vinicius, bottom row kneeling, Wagner. These guys have all been raised in Christian homes - their parents are part of the house church network. They are good kids and have always participated in youth activities, yet for some reason they have not made a public commitment to Jesus in baptism. Spencer and I decided that this year, God could utilize the two of us as "spiritual uncles" in house churches to grow our friendships with these guys. We hope to help them get past the awkwardness that exists when it comes to discussing spiritual life and growth, and help them discover & claim their own faith. We have to start somewhere - and so on a hot summer day, we hooped it up last week. (Vinicius and Wagner play for their high school, but I showed them my skills!) Please pray for this project; that Spencer and I can build our friendships with them and, as the year goes on, we can look into the Word together, have meaningful conversations about God's work in our lives, and help these guys become disciples of the Master!

Celebration Times

Our end-of-the-month all-church celebrations keep getting better and better. Last Sunday we had over 75 present, which is outstanding for the summertime! The Lord's people were enthusiastic and as a result, our worship and lunch were a special time shared by all. I continued our lesson series on spiritual gifts and ministry based on Ephesians 4. We have begun doing a community barbecue lunch - each family brings $3 per person, a 2-liter soft drink, and a salad or dessert. When you add up the contributions, it is quite sufficient to sizzle some great barbecued beef and pork, as we did on Sunday. I have read in several places that "the church that eats together, stays together." I am beginning to see the truth of that! One of the best things about celebrations is they provide a great opportunity to invite our friends who are beginning to know the church (of the 75+ present on Sunday, about 1/3 were visitors!) Renato, from our house church, invited his friend Dariu (left) to help with the barbecue. Our house church began spending time with Dariu's family toward the end of last year, and it is paying off - they are wanting to become more involved this year. God is openings doors of relationship and we are ready to serve as ambassadors of Good News!

Today we honored out outgoing church secretary, Flavia (the one holding the new satchel bag in the middle!) She has worked as our secretary for nearly three years. It has been an up-and-down relationship, but we finished on a big up; she has matured a great deal as a Christian and has improved herself professionally. Flavia will now be working as a realtor for a well-known agency in POA. She will have a hard go at first, trying to break into the market, but she has a warm, engaging personality and lots of energy. We are excited for her and this great professional & ministry opportunity that God has granted!

One of our traditions is to honor our church newborns with a framed commemorative verse, signed by everybody on the back. We couldn't pass up this opportunity to honor little Mateus and Luzia - he was born to her as a two-year old blessing from the Lord! He is so funny - he calls me "Maaatchy!" (a Brazilian pronunciation of Matt) whenever he seems me and constantly wants me to watch what he is doing. Us namesakes have to stick together!

Runnin' Runnin' Rehbein

This is my best Chariots of Fire impersonation! Actually, I'm running my leg in the 4th Annual Torres-Tramandai Crossing, which took place on Saturday Feb. 9. It's a race down the beach, literally - we run in teams of 8 people down the coast of Rio Grande do Sul, from Torres beach on the north border of the state to Tramandai on the central coast, a distance of appox. 85 kilometers. My part this year was to run 8k as the next-to-last leg. I covered the distance in 38 minutes, and I was very pleased with my time! I run tihs race every year with folks from Sports Medicine, the gym where I train my running technique. Although I am not training there at the moment, I still maintain contact and friendship with several people there. I am hoping that some of them will collaborate with me in a running project I'm putting together for the guys at the chacara, which I will elaborate on in a future post.

I love running as sport because it's so applicable to all aspects of life - setting goals, persevering in the face of obstacles, striving to the finish, and working together. Thanks to God for the gift of swift legs!