Making Deliveries

Acts 2:44 says that all the believers shared everything they had.

Benay and I were blessed to see this in action this week.

Here is how we spent a good part of our Thursday and Friday of this week:

On Thursday, our brother Paulo Renato came to our house and he went with us to Leni and Jorge's house.

Leni gave her washing machine to the three young men (Eduardo, Rodrigo and Alexandre) who just left the Christian based drug/alcohol rehabilitation center. Go here to learn more. We picked it up and went to Eduardo and Rodrigo's parents' house:

We then loaded up a washing machine that Jane (Rodrigo and Eduardo's mom) wanted to give to another young family. The husband in this young family is currently in the recovery center (Everton is his name-please pray for him) and the wife is at home with 4 very young boys and is pregnant with her first little girl.

We delivered the washing machine to her house. They were very happy. This is Everton's mother-in-law loving on Benay. She told Benay the picture would be one of black beans and rice with Benay, of course, being the rice. We had a great time.

We then went back to Eduardo's parents' house to pick up his belongings so that he could put them into his new house. After that we then went to Christian, Anderson and Josemar's apartment to pick up Eduardo's brother, Rodrigo.

A couple of days earlier, Paulo Renato, Benay's dad and I were visiting Christian and Anderson and they told us of a neighbor who needed prayer. We went to pray for her but she wasn't home. So on Thursday we tried again. She was home and so Eduardo, Rodrigo, Anderson, Benay, Paulo Renato and myself laid hands on her while Paulo asked God to heal her back problems.

We then took the second washing machine to Eduardo, Rodrigo and Alexandre's new house.

Me, Anderson, Paulo Renato, Rodrigo, Eduardo with Jeanderson in front (Anderson's son who lives with him).

It was really an incredible day.

Yesterday morning we picked up Eduardo and went to an apartment he worked in last week. While he was there last week he noticed a woman getting rid of an oven. He asked if she was throwing it out and she said yes because she got a new one. He asked if he could have it and she said yes. His original thought was to use it for his new apartment but then two other people also gave the guys an oven. They needed one and ended up with three.

Eduardo thought about selling it and using the money to help them with their expenses. He didn't feel right about that. He said he felt God was asking him to find out who might need it. He called Benay and she knew just the person. So we went yesterday morning and picked it up............and delivered the oven to Daniel, Miguelina and their family. After we got home yesterday, I told Benay that I think this last month has been the closest I have ever felt to being part of an Acts 2 type of church family. I've learned much from my Brasilian brothers and sisters over this last month. I know it will only get better. I was reminded of some great friends of ours from São Paulo state. They are fellow missionaries and they participated in a program last year called, "Blessed to be a blessing." This week was one of those things where I knew we were blessing others by delivering these items, but we were the ones who received the most blessings.

We pray that God continues to mold us into an Acts 2 type of family. We know, like our blood family, it won't always be easy or fun but if we continue to allow ourselves to be molded into the true body of Christ, more and more moments like this week will just naturally happen.

We know that throws water on the enemy's fire and, most importantly, it will shine the light of Christ on this city.