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Praise God for all the blessings we received on our mission trip to Brazil.

The report will be divided by churches that received the God Moving Seminars and then a summary will be given about our visits to friends and family.   

We want to begin this report giving all the glory to God!

Thank:

Christina Morgan for taking care of dpbMinistry in New York while we were in Brazil.

It was a blessing to  know that someone was helping us in New York.

Also thanks to everyone who prayed for us. We know that Evangel Church, Church of the Covenant , Primitive Church and Praise The Lord Ministry Church were praying for us during the time we were in Brazil.

There were 6 seminars in Brazil: God Moving Seminars 1, 2 & 3  and an Express Christ Seminar

Igreja Batista Nova Aliança (IBNA)  Sao Paulo  (New Covenant Baptist Church)

We want to thank IBNA very much for bringing the dpbMInistry to Brazil and giving teaching opportunities for our leaders.   Since 2007 God has used this church to bless us with nice facilities.  The church has great spaces for giving seminars as well as comfortable apartments for visiting missionaries and leaders.   Kim and Ceu stayed in one of the apartments for 3 weeks and were blessed with peace and quiet as well as good food and constant attention.  IBNA is a strong church with mature leadership. Pr. Junior Baia and Pra Lindalva Baia shepherd about 700 members and coordinate mission activities in Europe, Asia and Africa.  They have a heart for mission and know how to take care of missionaries.  IBNA paid for Ceu’s roundtrip airfare from New York and surprised us with a love offering which greatly assisted us with expenses in other cities.  May God continue to richly bless the ministry of IBNA.

                                            God Moving Seminars at IBNA

God Moving in My Soul is the theme of Ceu’s seminars that introduce and develop liturgical movement for praise dance in worship.   The theme came during Ceu’s daily devotional prayer time and God indeed moved deeply throughout the process of teaching these seminars.

God Moving Seminar 1 –  This seminar teaches that God gave us breath and we became ‘a living soul.’ Therefore, we have all the keys to move and praise God.

The first evening opened with a worshipservice and Ceu preached.  The next day Ceu observed the leaders, Evelin Estrada and Raquel Catalani, as they taught.  The presence of God was clear at the seminar and the leaders were very secure in their teaching.   Ceu could see that they take the theory and practice seriously, were guided biblically; they did a great job!  

Thanks to Evelin and Raquel for being flexible and humble to receive evaluative review afterwards in order to enhance the process in the future and pass along new insights to other leaders as well.  This was the first time Ceu saw the leaders in Brazil ministering a God Moving Seminar in person.  Previously it was only through videos.  It was a great opportunity for Ceu to review how the seminars were actually being taught in Brazil. 

God Moving Seminar 2 –  This seminar teaches that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit and we must distinguish between what impulses and feelings are from the flesh and what are from the Spirit. We need to say ‘Yes’ to God in obedience and gratitude.   Our movements must show the Fruit of the Spirit in every place that we go.  The seminar teaches that the second Adam is Jesus Christ who is the Life-giving Spirit who is able to make us ‘life-giving spirits.’ Therefore our relationship with Jesus Christ is very important.  As a Christian we have the possibility to show the character of Christ through living and expressing the Fruit of the Spirit.

Ceu taught God Moving Seminar 2 with Evelin Estrada assisting her.  Prerequiste for this seminar was completion of God Moving Seminar 1.   People who had participated a week earlier and people who had completed the seminar at other times through the teaching of one of the Brazilian leaders. (see names of the seven later in the report.)

Pr. Kim had arrived from New York already and both he and Ceu consecrated in a special opening ceremony three God Moving Seminar leaders with the authority to teach Seminar 2 in the future.  All three are from Sao Paulo State – Evelin Estrada, Raquel Catalani, Luciana Godoy – and  each  received a special flag to use in liturgical movement and to be a symbol for teaching Seminar 2. Each flag was presented with a special bible verse representing each recipient’s unique gift for leadership.

The following day the seminar began and a great big challenge presented itself. The eletricity went out due to a thunderstorm.   It already had been raining three days and the streets were overflowing.   So not only was the church in darkness, and no audio cds could be played, but many people could not attend because of the bad weather.  However God gave Ceu strength and she taught the seminar anyway.   Candles were provided and everyone persevered.  

For the participants, the big lesson from this challenge was that they understood from the experience that praising God with dance does not depend on the music but depends on what we have in our hearts.   Through the process two people were healed of personal issues they had carried deep within themselves for years. (Due to the sensitive nature the subject matter can not be included in this report; it can be proclaimed that they were miracles of liberation.)  The result of God Moving Seminar 2 was reverence; this can be seen if you watch the video.  The whole process of preparation was done without music and based on the Fruit of the Spirit.  Music was only added afterwards.  The participants were initially quite sceptical that it would work,but the end result transformed everyone’s attitude. 

That Saturday night God had mercy and the rain stopped.  Pr.Kim preached at the closing worship service a message entitled, ‘God Moving in My Soul’. It was very profound and touched many people.  The pastor of the church asked Kim to preach again at the Sunday evening worship service.

God Moving Seminar 3- This seminar was for actual leaders of praise dance groups in a church who had completed Seminars 1 & 2.   This seminar focuses on the participants’ relationship with their earthly fathers and its connection with their relationship to God, the Father.  The seminar teaches how the quality of these relationships greatly influence leadership.  Participants learned  that obeying God and sincerely trying to live in holiness brings freedom to worship.   Participants worked on their identity through using movement connected to their own names.  They applied aspects of the Fruit of the Spirit to their names in order to perceive how their identity is closely connected to their relationship to God, the Father.  They learned that if this relationship is unclear it most likely is an impedment to their ability to worship God.  As a result much work was done by the participants to learn how to forgive their earthly fathers, themselves, and others – especially those in authority – in order to truly become free to engage in genuine worship.    

The participants, themselves leaders, were surprised with the seminar.  Almost all thought the seminar would consist of theory only.   However  they learned that each issue raised in the  seminar process is only taught in dept, and only understood in depth, through movement which must be practiced experientially.  (If the reader will look at the video for Seminar 3 you will notice the freedom that is expressed in the movements to praise God.  This is the result of the work done by the participants in the process of the seminar.)

Ceu received several personal testimonies from participants following this seminar about how they were able to truly ‘let go’ of many negative things that had possession on them which kept them bound and unable to freely worship.  An individual commented that his body was healed and he knew exactly when the healing occured – it was the moment he consciously forgave his father.

The fourth leader of God Moving Seminars came from Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais state and received her flag as well to teach God Moving 2. All four leaders offered a praise dance using the music, Grace Flows Down.  Each leader choreographed their own part separately at their own churches and then put everything together in one rehearsal prior to offering their dance during the closing worship service.

A fifth leader of God Moving Seminars came from Bahia State and was officially authorized to lead Seminar 1 in the future.  The closing worship was quite beautiful with the presence of church members, participants of all the Seminars 1, 2 & 3 which included five God Moving Seminar leaders.  Pra Lindalva Baia led the service. 

The following day, Sunday, the church offered prayers of blessing and anointing to Kim and Ceu.  Much thanks go to the leaders of IBNA especially Prs Junior and Lindalva Baia and administrative leader Ricardo Lima who superbly provided organization.

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Igreja Agape, Sao Paulo (Agape Church)

Ceu taught an Express Christ Seminar at this church.  Agape Chuch is where Evelin Estrada, one of the God Moving Seminar leaders, is a member and leader of the church’s Praise Dance team.  Ceu taught musicians and dancers how to be free to Express Christ in worship and everyday life.  Through the teaching process of the seminar much healing took place and several participants were able to forgive one another.     Evelin Lu and Ceu at Agape Church

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Igreja O Brasil Para Cristo – Guarulhos, Sao Paulo (Brazil for Christ Church)

After Kim arrived we went to this church and Ceu led a God Moving Seminar with the assistance of Luciana Gody, one of the God Moving Seminar leaders.  Kim preached at the concluding worship service.  

This is a very special church for Ceu because it was the first church to bring her seminars to Sao Paulo. Guarulhos is the city where Sao Paulo’s international airport is located.  In addition there are many young people who live in the surrounding area.  Ceu was impressed how much the Praise Dance Team has grown since 2004.  When the first seminar was given  5 years ago  there were about eight persons on the praise team.   Since then several middle aged ladies have joined and the Praise Dance Team has brought dance worship to many churches and areas in Sao Paulo.   In 2006 the team had grown to thirty and presently in 2009 the team includes 60 participants counting children, youth and adults.  It is fascinating to see how this church and their praise dance team takes this ministry seriously.

Special Thanks to both Pr. Valtier Almeida and Marcia Caetano who always invites Ceu and the leaders in Brazil to teach at Brazil for Christ Church.  They both have truly open hearts for this ministry.

The seminar finished with a big celebration in a special worship service.

                Rev. Kim, Rev. Valtier, Ricardo, Ceu, Lu and members of OBPC church

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Ceu and Kim flew to Florianopolis, Santa Catarina and had a wonderful time with friends from their mission past.  (This will be summarized later.)

After a week in Florianopolis Kim returned to New York and Ceu went to Camburiu, a beachside town to the north.  Ceu taught God Moving Seminar 2 with the assistance of Paula Gomes from Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. Last year this church had received already Seminar 1 from leaders, Evelin Estrada and Luciana Godoy.

Ceu also invited Julie de Paula from Parana state and Izabel Silva, the leader of this church’s priase team, to become leaders of God Moving Seminar 1 in the southern region of Brazil.  This includes the states of Parana, Santa Catarina and Riod Grande do Sul.  

The seminar began on a Friday night with the entire church working with the Fruit of the Spirit.  That night ended with wonderful worship. The following day many challenges sprang up. Spiritual Challenges.  This caused Ceu to adapt almost her entire pedagogical process for teaching the seminar.   Nevertheless God ruled in everything that happened.  One leader commented privately to Ceu that it is very hard for her to change her own lesson plan.  When she observed how Ceu adapted her plan to fit the emerging situation the leader said that she learned what it means to be truly flexible.   A second challenge for Ceu was the presence of 3 participants who were children ages 10 and 11.  God Moving Seminars are intended for mid teen-agers and older.   Seminar 2 is quite deep with very personal work involving obedience and holiness.  Ceu needed to make sure the children were able to follow along adequately.  As a result this course went quite differently from Ceu’s original plan.  In spite of this God moved in many hearts.

Ceu preached in the last night and specially consecrated 2 additional leaders of God Moving Seminars in Brazil:  Julie de Paula and Izabel Silva.  The church was vey receptive to both the ceremony and the message of God Moving seminars in Brazil.

The dpbMinistry now has seven leaders of God Moving Seminars in Brazil.  Three in Sao Paulo, one in Minas Gerais, one in Bahia, one in Parana and one in Santa Catarina.  Five States in Brazil!   Thanks be to God who is indeed faithful.  God Moving Seminars 1 & 2 are in good hands. 

Now Ceu does not need to travel to Brazil so soon

May God move in our souls everyday!

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