As some of you know, I am a fan of cowboy movies.  Renegade Josey Wales (Clint Eastwood) faces Ten Bears to discuss how they can live together. After some discussion about life and death, Ten Bears looks at Josey Wales and says, ” IT SHALL BE LIFE.”

We are living a time in which half of the world is telling us Americans, “It shall be life.” Some of us are hearing the voices of death, but, the majority of the world is hearing life!!

What are you hearing? Jesus said, “I came to give life and life in abundance.” Life is what Jesus gives to you!! I have chosen life for myself. Today I want to ask you, what you have chosen for your life?

God is moving again on this Brasil trip. There are many people here in Brasil who are choosing life with God. Our first service was in Pilares, a dangerous area of Rio de Janeiro. We were told that by 9 pm we should be out of this area. But the Lord had other plans and it was after 10 pm when the service was over. The Lord gave us life one more time.

The sanctuary was relatively filled, and we saw much pain. Pain in Brasil comes in the struggles with finances, family, drugs and marriage. So, the whole evening I sang a song with them that goes like this, ” I will serve You, because I love You, You have been so good to me. I was nothing until You found me, You have been so good to me. Heartaches, broken pieces, ruined lives is why You died on Calvary. Your touch is what I long for, You have been so good to me.”

It did not take 30 minutes and all were at the altar seeking the goodness of God. They chose life over death, life over defeat , life over pain, life over lack of discipline, life over overeating, life over ego, life over discord, life over sadness, life over depression, life over sadness, life over anxiety, life over morbidity, life over pride.

What are you choosing today? It’s 6 am in Brasil and all I can hear is the voice of God. The dogs barking in the background are disturbing me a little, but I choose life. Life with God!

Be happy today and listen to His voice!! He will lift you up and heal your wounded heart!!!

Halleluia!

Rick Bonfim

There is not a single person on the June Brazil trip who is not deeply convicted that God has a place in their lives. They want to serve in the local church and become a blessing to the Kingdom. They are seeking the will of God on every move in life. Some say you buy a house, you get married and you buy a car -these three decisions are the most important. But these people are a little different. They want to know the will of God, the perfect will of God for every move they make. These are CHAMPIONS!

1-Larry  – A man with a heart after God, totally committed to the Kingdom of God in the church and in his family. His heart wants healing. God has healed him and he will live for many, many years and serve His Lord with a clean heart, a sharp mind, and a gentle spirit.

2-Donnie  - His smile came back. Every time I saw the smile, I gave God the glory. He is a kind giant, a gentle spirit, a tender soul and a faithful servant of the Lord. Times of refreshing, times of joy and lots of smiling!

3-Doris  - She knew the Lord had a word for her, and it came. No one knows; they care but they do not know. Now the future is totally different. There will be laughter and joy and dancing. Yes, there will be dancing.

4-Adam  – He never thought that God could find him, but the Lord found him and now there is hope for the future. There is joy and peace in his heart. He did not run, he did not cover it, he did not deny it; he simply submitted to God and God’s Holy Spirit came in power.His life is not the same anymore. Hallelluia to the Lamb of God!

5-Emily – She discovered that her life has meaning and the prophetic will be fulfilled over her life. God has a plan. She needs to dream and stay the course - all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose.

6-Kaila  – She now knows nothing separates her from the voice of the Holy Spirit. She is an intercessor and prays without ceasing. She ministers to her husband and they have unity in the spirit. God is going to use Kaila in witnessing and speaking her testimony into the lives of others.

7-JerriAnn – She knows that the time has come to make changes. She needs to trust God and make those changes. No matter what the voices of a few say, they cannot stop the dream; she must go on and find fulfillment in God.

8-Robin – She will no longer serve as someone who has to serve, but she will serve because of her love of God. She is a mother who builds into her children the Kingdom with patience and she will not be moved by noise. She stands with her husband and intercedes for him with power. Robin has much in her heart to speak out about the kingdom.

9-Lisa – She heard, saw,and absorbed. She knows that life can change around her, but change begins in her heart. Forgiveness is a must in areas where she only understands. She will have more peace and joy of living. There will be peace in the valley from now on. God is her fortress and stay. Jesus is alive!

10-Sidney  – He plays and laughs and dances, but when it came to the real thing, he knows in his heart that God is requiring more. More peace, more wisdom, more love and more joy.  Now the joy is in God,  not in the world. Joy now is in his calling to sports medicine. Go, Sidney, go – and serve God in the process. Never will we forget you!

11-Sarah  – She was under conviction before she entered the plane in Atlanta. Her heart is clean but wondering when she will begin to bat over 500. When the studies began, the Lord began to work on her. The Holy Spirit knows her name and who she is in God. She will not deny it or reject it. Things will change for her, family is in focus now and she knows it.  She can no longer forget it.

 12 – Jenny – She has listened too long to all of the worries in her mind.  She learned to trust that the Lord has the answers and the power for all she needs, and what He says is what she must listen to.  Preparing for a new life, she is ready to serve and be all He is calling her to be, with joy and new hope that all things are possible in Jesus!

These people who allowed God to work in their lives in Brazil are Champions in the Kingdom!  What a blessing to run the race along with them!

Rick Bonfim

Thanks to so many who have called, prayed and encouraged our family during this glorious time to fullfill the “Great Commission” to go and make disciples in all nations. We arrived home Monday afternoon with a tired team but one that was richly blessed with God’s powerful touch of being “Chosen, Called and finally Sent” to be His ambassadors to Brazil. I am sure we got more of a blessing than we were able to give but only God can know the ultimate answer.

We continued our Bible study on Ephesians to completion on Sunday morning. Rick Bonfim is a gifted man of God and Betty McKinney is an able Bible teacher with a kind and gently heart. After painting Thursday afternoon in the mission we went to Igreja De Nova Vida Jardim Alcantara (New Life Church). This was our largest church 200-300 folks and all services start out with a reading from Psalms followed by a hour of praise and worship. Rick preached, Jerrianne Gray gave a testimony on relationship with God and Donnie Hudson preached on Beatitudes. Wow! 33 people came forward for salvation and to be baptized to join the fellowship.

Friday we continued to study God’s word and have our praise and worship service each morning followed by study in Ephesians and Romans 12 involving unity of the Body. 7 attributes of “conviction” versus “condemnation” where one lifts up, heals and sets us free to love where the latter discourages, causes sorrow, no joy and stagnates our lives. We have really learned how to live for Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit while down here in Brazil 5000 miles away from our normal daily routine.

After putting the final coat of blue paint on the mission and white paint on the ceiling the mission church is beautiful and refreshing. Charlie the new pastor has a job of rebuilding this congregation and has a willing heart. After supper we went to our last church service ( 7 total) which turned out to be a group of 150-200 with about 60% under age of 30. Haley, Jerrod and Alex , 3 of the teen interns, gave testimonies Rick preached and sang and we had our last “Coca Cola” which was the key word for coming up to the front and lay hands on and pray for the congregations.

Man, this is a powerful experience to see and feel God’s Spirit coming through you and ministering to the lost, needed, hungry souls! After the service we had our first Brazilian “cheeseburgers” which was a yeast roll surrounding a beef patty with cheese on the inside. Every service lasted over 3 hours and we arrive home about 11pm.

Saturday was our tour day and we went to downtown Rio,rode up the cable cars to Sugar Loaf Mountain 1200′ above the Guanabara Bay. The Atlantic Ocean is pretty and aqua green on the seaside and the bay is like water back home. The air was refreshing up there,we saw small monkeys about the size of fox squirrels and looked down on the ships entering the ports and people coming and going in the city. Copacabana Beach for the rich and famous was refreshing. the vendors came to the “Americanos” like glue to sell their wares and trinkets. We had lunch in an eight story mall saw Christ the Redeemer Statue, and returned home to eat at the Ja’E’ Nova Schin Brazilian Steak House. All the beef you could eat and non stop service by the gouchos serving and carving beef for us.

Sunday we had a special service of prophesying over each member, foot washing and Holy Communion by passing the peace and the bread/body of Christ with each other. Rick prayed for my ailment to be gone and I am claiming that. Left that night for a 10 hour flight tired but anxious to get home yet sorry the trip was ending. The twenty on the team plus staff, teachers, and servants from the mission has blessed my life with unending memories and an infilling of the Holy Spirit. I encourage everyone who gets a chance to enlist on a future Rick Bonfim Mission trip.

Larry Price
phone 229-888-8088
email: lprice@winnelson.com