I JUST HAVE TO BRAG...

We just finished 4 days of an incredible Leadership Retreat near Sao Paulo, Brazil. Tod was the leader of the retreat and words cannot describe what an incredible job he did. There were about 60 participants, mostly Brazilians, from all over Brazil—leaders in the church. They ranged from a cardiologist, PHD’s and successful businessmen to simple but very capable men and women. They came with no idea of what to expect. Most came as battle-weary, wounded warriors. Tod was able to apply soothing balm to their wounds and fill their hearts with love and encouragement for their journey. We laughed ( a lot), we cried (a lot), we loved on each other, and we left with a vision of what the body of Christ could really be. We experienced rather than just heard about the love of Christ. The potential impact of what God did through Tod this weekend boggles the mind as these leaders go back to churches all over Brazil with a different idea of “church.” It would be hard to imagine a group of people more impacted to a person than this group of beautiful people.

I think I have a new vision of how God is using Tod. I have to confess that I secretly thought that Satan may have been rejoicing and even laughing at the GCR decision concerning Tod in recent months. Now I am thinking he may have been crying if he knew that Tod’s impact on the Kingdom was going to be so much broader and deeper through what he is doing now than through any role he might have had at GCR. I also see that God may have been preparing him for a role in Brazil that we could not have imagined when he left Brazil at the age of six.

We were so proud of him. People couldn’t stop talking about our wonderful son. But the important thing is that God was glorified and lifted up, and He worked in ways none of us could have imagined.

I also have to brag on Tod’s Portuguese. He used a translator for the public presentations, but spoke much of the time in Portuguese and understood the comments and participated in conversations amazingly well. He and the translator had so much fun and kept all of us laughing as Tod would slip into Portuguese and the translator would slip into English.

Today Dad and Tod change hats and begin three days of business contacts. We are all fairly exhausted but so happy and full (in every way—the food was great. J) I know that they are going to have fun with Cary (who arrives today) and enjoy lots of churrasco while Leila and I (and her sister) do “girly” things.

Can’t wait to see you all and tell you more. Grandma