Robert J. Brennan, Jr., Head of School

Unbelievable! What an incredible week of blessings and lessons God gave us in Brazil! Please bear with me as I recount what God did, and remember that you played a part in making this all possible with your prayers and gifts!

Sunday 11/18 -- On the morning of our departure, 11/18, we awoke to the first snow of the season here in PA! What a beautiful sight, and what a contrast to the sunburn I would get two days later (I’m still peeling!)! Coach Alex Sackey, our Athletic Director, had asked each of us to write a note to ourselves describing what we expected God to do in us and through us on this trip. He collected these and would return them to us when it was all over. By God’s grace everything went smoothly with our trip, including visas, customs transportation, baggage, etc. Coach Sackey, Kathy VanDuzer and Kanda Lesperance did a great job keeping us organized and on track. It was the first time flying for two of our students, and the first time out of the US for quite a few others.

Monday 11/19-- We were met at the airport in Sao Paulo, Brazil on Monday, 11/19, around noon by Dave Santos & his senior son Trent. We boarded a chartered bus (Ze Carlos’) and headed for our first experience of driving through the city. About 90 minutes later we moved our stuff into our dorm rooms, ate lunch and went through an orientation session with Dave. That evening we went to a local restaurant (churrascaria rodizio) for supper and then to a nice mall (Morumbi). On this day we learned a little about how the upper class in Brazil lives. What an experience! I had the chance to run into some former students (Emerson Tanaka, Danielle Alfieri, Robby Moon) while walking around the mall translating for group members. Every evening we had group devotionals led by our adults, and they were always very challenging. I got to go first, and challenged the kids about having an attitude of humility and service.

Tuesday 11/20 -- I woke up early and went for a walk alone around my old neighborhood and my old school, PACA (Pan American Christian Academy). It was a holiday in Sao Paulo (Black Awareness Day) and I enjoyed talking to friends I met on the street. After breakfast we drove over to the neighborhood where the Santos’ church is and visited in the homes of several of his church members. On this day we learned a little about how the lower class in Brazil lives! It was so exciting to hear them share their testimonies of faith in our Lord Jesus in spite of their great difficulties.

We spent the afternoon socializing with the youth group from the Santos’ church. We played soccer at PACA (hence my sunburn), ate lunch together and then had a singing & sharing time together. Dave & I did the translating, and it was encouraging to see newly saved young people really on fire for God! That evening we had our first experience with Brazilian pizza. It was great! I also ran into some other former students (Sam Coto & Quezia Cleto) and enjoyed catching up on lost time!

Wednesday 11/21 -- This day was the one day that the group and I went different directions. They went over to a new property that the Santos’ church recently purchased and did some manual labor to get it ready to use. I got up early and headed for PACA, where I had the privilege of leading the teachers in devotions, and then speaking to the Seniors in Bible class. I spent the rest of the morning renewing old acquaintances. It sure was great to see everyone again and to see how well the Kuhns are adjusting to PACA!

That afternoon I walked over to the Clube do Castelo to join our group as they played a soccer game against a local soccer team. Hearing our kids share their testimonies after the game, and discovering that the opposing coach was a retired soccer player who was also a believer was very neat!

That evening, the group went to an all-you-can-eat pizza place, but I was blessed with a great surprise. The group gave me a ticket to the Brazil v. Uruguay soccer game at Morumbi stadium and I joined a group of about 20 PACA people to watch Brazil win 2-1! Our kids watched the game on TV, but unfortunately I didn’t get on TV! I felt bad going to the game when I knew that many of our group would have loved to have been there with me, but they insisted! I got home around 2 a.m., but what a great experience! Thanks guys!

Thursday 11/22 – On Thanksgiving morning we got up early and loaded up on the bus again, this time to drive down the mountain to a coastal beach town (Itanhaem) to minister. We spent the day at a vacation resort that has an outreach to children from the slums. They feed and bathe 240 kids daily, and we spent all afternoon showing God’s love to them by playing games with them and sharing our testimonies. Pray for Natalia, a young lady who is very close to accepting the Lord. Dave shared with her at great length.

Then we drove over to a local sports club and the guys played a basketball game and the girls played an indoor soccer (futsal) game against the locals. Again testimonies were shared and God was glorified. That evening we went to a local public school and had a chance to share testimonies and clearly present the Gospel in an informal assembly of high school students. This was an unforgettable experience! We didn’t get home until around midnight!

Friday 11/23 -- We went to downtown Sao Paulo to do some sightseeing. We visited an indoor market and a Catholic church. There were some mixed emotions involved, but we were definitely impressed with the futility of sincere but misplaced faith and were burdened with the urgent need to reach these dear people with the Truth!

That afternoon we played a co-ed soccer game at PACA against the PACA students and had a lot of fun. I was the referee in this game between my current students and my former students! That evening we went to another Brazilian mall (SP Market) for supper and shopping. On Saturday we drove out to Embu, a tourist town with lots of arts & crafts in the streets. I don’t think I’ve ever done so much shopping and translating in my life!

Saturday 11/24 -- During the evening we went to a special service at the Santos’ church, celebrating its 14th anniversary. We had a chance to sing our song (I again started us in the wrong key!), share a brief testimony, and join them in worship and celebration. A young lady named Antonia was saved that evening. Please keep her in your prayers as well!

Sunday 11/25 -- This was our last day in Brazil, and it was packed with action and emotion. In the morning we went to a small congregation that the Santos’ church is starting and had a great time of sharing with them. I had the privilege of bringing a short devotional in Portuguese, and God allowed us to really bond with these new believers.

That afternoon we had our debriefing session led by Dave & Jan Santos. It went over two hours and was filled with testimonies, tears and commitments. I was deeply moved as I saw what an impact this trip had on our kids and the adults as well! Praise the Lord! As we packed and prepared to leave, there was a clear sense of sadness, with several of our group expressing a desire to stay longer. Julia Craig did a great job of painting our logo on the dorm wall, and our two freshmen boys lightened the mood by falling into the pool fully clothed!

Amidst tears and hugs we boarded the bus for the airport. God again was faithful and our trip back home was uneventful. As we split up for the first time in a week to head to our individual homes, it was hard to believe all that God had done in us over such a short time! My prayer is that these lessons learned will not be lost, but will take root in each heart. Please join me in praying for all 29 people who participated in this adventure (listed below), and for their families and classmates at LVCHS.

Chapel Sharing -- We will be presenting a Chapel on Wednesday, Dec. 19th, to share with our student body the things God did and what we learned. We have already been asked to go to our founding schools and present in their Chapels as well. The Brazilian church in Bethlehem, PA has asked us to report back to them on our trip, and we are considering sharing in the various church youth groups where our group members attend. We have also incorporated into our Wednesday “activity period” some discipleship accountability groups to help our students in their spiritual walks. I was excited to lead six of our Brazil trip guys in a sharing time this past week to kick off this new activity. Praise God!

Again I want to thank you for your prayers and support. There is no way that this could have happened without you! God is faithful, and He will reward each of you for your faithfulness to us and to Him! Please continue to keep us in your prayers!

Love in Christ,

Bob Brennan Jr.
Head of School

LVCHS STORME
(Short Term Overseas Radical Missions Experience)

Brazil Trip Participants

Students
09 – Sam Craig, Chris Weber
10 – Tim Lesperance
11 – Jessica Bruce, Jenny Carmona, Julia Craig, Curtis Price, Dwight Rychnovsky, Chelsea Troyer, Ben Williams
12 – Andrew Coffarelli, Steve Green, Tiffany Hess, Kennon Matthews, Aaron Pilch, Briani Rendon, Jon Seiple, Brittany Troyer

Adults
Bob Brennan, Dr. Aldo Carmona, Jim Coffarelli, Cara Hess, Kanda Lesperance, Tom & Judy Rychnovsky, Alex Sackey, Janice Troyer, Kathy VanDuzer, Dr. Robert Weber