Leaving Brazil but staying connected

"You have to plan this strategically!" A precious pearl of advice given to us recently by our friend and in many ways mentor Pedro Bousoño. Despite what you may be thinking Pedro wasn't talking about out trip nor planning our route from his home in Sao Paulo to our next destination, Bolivia, or even how we were getting to the airport. Pedro was simply referring to the buffet we were about to devour before we set off. Admittedly Strategic Planning is not a concept that either Lorna or I relish however, despite what many of you may think, it is something we do…from time to time.

OK so there is evidence to the contrary: a small matter of deportation (out of India) and an unfortunate incident with bleach have been the consequence of lack of planning and "strategic-mess" on our part. We acknowledge our weaknesses and recognise his strength (Thank you God) in those times. But lets (please give us the benefit of the doubt) consider the fourteen countries we have been to in the past nine months and the other seven we are in pursuit of in the days and months ahead. The reason I juxtapose our rather blonde moments with the latter is not so you acknowledge what we have done but so you might appreciate what he has accomplished despite of what we have not.

"Pedro is amazing! Pedro and Analiá are a wonderful couple. You will love Pedro and Analià, they are so committed to the church." (I´m assuming we´re all on global by now.) These were just some of the comments made by their friends (and fans) at San Andrés, Argentina. Comments that in truth excited us to meet the legendary couple (I previously described them as "ordinary"; I’ve since learned they are ordinary legends!) but that also slightly intimidated us at the thought of sharing our vision with them, given their knowledge and experience in youth ministry.

Of course as we shared with them, exchanging stories of their involvement with youth, not only in Argentina but Brazil and Spain too; listening to their personal testimonies and answers to an interrogation into how they met, how many siblings they each have and how many children they are planning on having – never let it be said that the Soul Touchers are too personal – we discovered they were anything but intimidating. Rather they were hugely welcoming, wise and as everybody said completely and wonderfully committed to the Kingdom. And so in the space of a week these two ordinary legends connected us with people- thus making them legendary.

Hardly a prolific task you may think but one that is imperative in bettering our church and ushering in the Kingdom:

Connection (relationships and partnerships) is not union. Connection is better. Connection keeps differences and appreciates their value. Connection does not shrink distances but uses distance to counterbalance parochialism (parochial attitudes). Connection seeks complementary partnerships and long term support... Connection is the way to completion. What we gain from others will increase what we have. What we give to others will elevate who we are. What we do with other will increase our impact. But how we connect with others will complete us.
(Church Distributed, Dr Joel C. Hunter, 2007)

Not an entirely new way of thinking: appreciating difference, maintaining cultural sensitivity and recognising the necessity of each connector’s contribution in order to make the whole complete is what Paul taught. (1 Cor 12- The body) However, what Hunter seeks to remind us of in his book (thank you a million times Annette!) is not only the value of relationships but the necessity for them:

We are not just individual inventors of solutions anymore; the unpredictable benefit of our service together is the most important part of the solution to any world problem. It doesn't just solve the problem; it prevents many new ones from arising because we have become interdependent."
(Church Distributed, Dr Joel C. Hunter, 2007)

For those of you have been following our blog you may remember that a few weeks ago I quoted someone saying to me that I would never change the world. Isn't it more exciting then to realise that I was never intended to but that we were.

For many the word "interdependence" or dependency of any sort is a frightening thought. This fear is not given from God. God gives us a spirit of confidence to depend on him (Prov 3:5) and of "timidity, power, of love and self discipline." (2 Tim 1:7). Pride is something that is taught by the world, humility is something that is demanded of us by God: (James 4:6-10 "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble"… "Humble yourselves before God and he will lift you up." Mathew 18: 4 "Therefore whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven") As parts of the body we must humbly accept support from the other parts whilst recognising our responsibility to partner them in their need.

Before I set off on this trip I read: "It is not the healthy that need a doctor but the sick. But go and learn what this means." (Math 9: 12) I never imagined that in going I would discover it was referring to me; to us: parts of the body who have become wounded by years of tradition, conflict caused by denominational rivalry and bigotry. I'm painting a somewhat bleak picture I know- I intend to focus on the health we have within our church (Scotland and Europe) in due course. It is simply that this week and indeed in Argentina we have learned a great deal about the importance of humility in order to strengthen one another and to be able to depend on one another, as God intended us to.

We are so blessed that we come from a church (Scotland) that not only recognises the need to partner but also seeks opportunity to do so. We want you to know that your obedience to the call for connection and your excitement for partnership is shared by many and seen by God:

For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have. Our desire is not that others may be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality as it is written: "He who gathered much did not have too much and he who gathered little did not have too little."

Slowly but surely Lorna and I are learning, gaining a global perspective for what this means for the church (world wide). In each of the places we have visited there have been needs as well as identifiable areas we can see clearly where we can contribute, physically, financially and spiritually. We have also been blessed to see the abundant ways in which we can, and are, gaining spiritually. Last week we visited a small church in the centre of one of the many favelas (slums), which wash the banks of Sao Paulo, Brazil.


Having walked the short distance (a hop skip and a jump) from Igreja Baptista Morumbi Church (a larger more affluent church where later we would be speak to one of the pastors and mission co-ordinates, Marcos Amado- an amazing man!) we were asked to share something with the small congregation. Trying to remain un-phased by the intense heat (despite having almost 2000 more congregants Igreja Baptista Morumbi Church is surprisingly cooler than the humble favela church.

Both however as equally as welcoming and connected in ways to numerous to recount!) and a woman who was noticeably very ill being prayed for in the corner, we talked. As we were talking, sharing a small presentation about our trip and leaving them with the message that we are all part of the same family (Eph 1:5) I got the stark impression that the twenty young (almost all of the congregation were under 25) people infront of me did not fully understand what I was saying. Reciting Corinthians 12 whilst flinging my arms and legs about, desperately trying to convey how important they really are to the kingdom and to us (the church worldwide) I could not help but think that they saw things slightly differently from me. Me, someone who comes from a house with a bathroom and one that is not shared with neighbours or the extended community. Someone who eats well (evidently) and has been educated (unfortunately not always as evident). Little did they know that the cry form my heart was that they would know their significance and that they would see how much God needs them.

And so I left slightly dissatisfied until I was reminded that God sees them. He sees their efforts and he knows their needs. What´s more he is planning the connections, not us. I was not at all surprised then some thirty minutes later (you do not want to know the details of the missing 30 minutes but rest assured it involved action songs!) to be sitting in a room with Marcos discussing the way Igreja Baptista Morumbi Church co-ordinates their missions programme, preparing (in every way possible this thing is like NASA!) missionaries before they are sent out onto the battlefield, sorry I mean mission-field. The programme definitely involved strategic planning. Needless to say Pedro and Marcos are friends.

The meeting made us thankful for so many things: the fact that there are people who actually enjoy planning and being strategic; to see there are people being prepared as we speak (well, as you read) to go out and meet some of the many needs we have seen and described over the past nine months (one of the things that can be quite daunting on this trip is the amount of work that needs to be done). We shared with Marcos how much we'd enjoyed meeting the youth group there, either through kind invitations to share at small house groups or because of the presentation we were able to give at their youth meeting on Saturday night (gatecrashing Saturday night youth meetings is becoming a habit the Soul Touchers love!). Our meetings with these young people, both in Brazil and at San Andrés in Argentina, has given us a glimpse of the many workers are getting ready for the harvest. At one of the small groups in Brazil the young people (16-28yrs so we're officially youth!) shared their thoughts on the message about Faith and Deeds in James. ( James 2: 14- 26). (A bit more than a coincidence don’t you think, that they chose this particular passage on the day two random Scottish girls stopped in to share with them the needs we've witnessed over the past nine months.)


They, like the youth in Argentina and those we were blessed to meet in Australia and New Zealand surprisingly share the same compassion. Despite being oceans apart it would seem that God is stirring something in the hearts of all nations: a responsibility to respond. To rise up and to be the salt and light he requires us to be.

What excited us more than the missions programme and even the amazing response form the young people however were the names of friends that cropped up as we shared about our trip and the work of their church. People they know that we knew. Organisations involved that we two are connected with. Congregations from the other side of the world that we have met that they two have relationships with. We even joked that were we to draw a family tree with the churches being connected at this time no book or computer programme could contains it. And so although we have learned that strategic planning is essential, in some instances, to develop the standard of excellency required of us by God and expected of us by the world, there are some things we just cannot plan but despite our efforts, big or small, they will surely come to pass:

Look at the nations and watch- and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.
Habakkuk 1:5

We are truly amazed and blessed to see what we have seen and we want you to know how grateful we are that you (as parts of the church) are connecting with us.

Together we are Better
Love in abundance Erica x