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Richland Spanish Church Serves One More in Brazil

November 6, 2024

In July, several members of Richland Spanish Adventist Church traveled to Brazil on a mission trip through ShareHim. 

By Sasha Gabriela De Dios

Richland Spanish Church member


The first words you’ll hear from us about Brazil are unbelievable, caring and loving — unbelievable experiences, caring congregations and loving details. We felt love not only of God but of the people.


With smooth flights to Brazil and no delays, we arrived on time. We were blessed to stay at a hotel located in front of the iconic Ponte Estaiada in São José dos Campos. Throughout our stay, we were continuously blessed.


On nights when we were nervous, we prayed. How could we as first-time preachers fulfill our mission of 10 sermons each in one week? Our answer came as a feeling of being illuminated by God’s presence. 


Goose bumps tickled our skin as we felt the Holy Spirit work through us. We thank God for the calm that wrapped around us as we stood before a crowd. The more we prayed to touch people’s hearts, the more love seemed to be poured over us each night.


Our respective church families smiled across tables as we tried new foods like a cashew drink, palmito and acai. Fruit like bananas and papaya were sweeter and grape juice was richer. 


Food wasn’t the only blessing we experienced. Laughter, testimonies and wisdom woven into each conversation satisfied a hunger deeper than the rumbling of our stomachs. 


Members lovingly reached out to us, prayed for us and thanked us for a sermon they identified with most. They marveled at how young we were, some as young as 16. We in turn still marvel that our Creator connects us despite our cultural differences. Through conversations, we understood how large the Adventist family really is and how our beliefs and ideals pull us together globally. 


If we did anything, it was surrendering ourselves to God — allowing Him to use us to comfort and show kindness. By living under His hand, we inspired other teens to try preaching about God in a different country. We witnessed seven baptisms. What was once ink on paper tucked inside our Bibles has now become something we breathe and touch.

 

Our eyes have been opened and we now see something we were only told about before. We are important to God. He finds it important to use us to influence others. And the beautiful part of this revelation is that it came through people including pastors, elders, translators and church members. Their smiles, tears and hugs spoke louder than ink and proved the quote true: “To love another person is to see the face of God."


Iglesia Hispana de Richland Sirve a Uno Más en Brasil

En julio, varios miembros de la Iglesia Hispana de Richland viajaron a Brasil en un viaje misionero a través de ShareHim. 


Las primeras palabras que escuchará de nosotros sobre Brasil son increíbles, cariñosas y amorosos — experiencias increíbles, congregaciones cariñosas y detalles amorosos. Sentíamos amor no solo por Dios, sino por la gente.


Con vuelos tranquilos a Brasil y sin retrasos, llegamos a tiempo. Tuvimos la bendición de alojarnos en un hotel ubicado frente al icónico Ponte Estaiada en São José dos Campos. A lo largo de nuestra estadía, fuimos bendecidos continuamente.


En las noches en que estábamos nerviosos, orábamos. ¿Cómo podríamos nosotros, como predicadores primerizos, cumplir nuestra misión de 10 sermones cada uno en una semana? Nuestra respuesta llegó como un sentimiento de ser iluminados por la presencia de Dios.


Se nos puso la piel de gallina al sentir que el Espíritu Santo obraba a través de nosotros. Damos gracias a Dios por la calma que nos envolvió mientras estábamos frente a una multitud. Cuanto más orábamos para tocar el corazón de las personas, más amor parecía derramarse sobre nosotros cada noche.


Nuestras respectivas familias de la iglesia sonreían a través de las mesas mientras probábamos nuevos alimentos como una bebida de anacardo, palmito y acai. Las frutas como los plátanos y la papaya eran más dulces y el jugo de uva era más rico.


La comida no fue la única bendición que experimentamos. Las risas, los testimonios y la sabiduría entretejidos en cada conversación satisfacían un hambre más profunda que el rugido de nuestros estómagos.


Los miembros se acercaron amorosamente a nosotros, oraron por nosotros y nos agradecieron por el sermón con el que más se identificaban. Se maravillaron de lo jóvenes que éramos, algunos de tan solo 16 años. Nosotros, a su vez, todavía nos maravillamos de que nuestro Creador nos conecte a pesar de nuestras diferencias culturales. A través de conversaciones, comprendimos cuán grande es realmente la familia adventista y cómo nuestras creencias e ideales nos unen globalmente.


Si hicimos algo, fue rendirnos a Dios — permitiéndole que nos usara para consolarnos y mostrar bondad. Al vivir bajo Su mano, inspiramos a otros adolescentes a intentar predicar acerca de Dios en un país diferente. Fuimos testigos de siete bautismos. Lo que una vez fue tinta sobre papel metido dentro de nuestras Biblias ahora se ha convertido en algo que respiramos y tocamos.


Nuestros ojos se han abierto y ahora vemos algo de lo que solo se nos había hablado antes. Somos importantes para Dios. Considera importante que nos utilicemos para influir en los demás. Y la parte hermosa de esta revelación es que vino a través de personas como pastores, ancianos, traductores y miembros de la iglesia. Sus sonrisas, lágrimas y abrazos hablaron más fuerte que la tinta y demostraron que la cita era cierta: "Amar a otra persona es ver el rostro de Dios."


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