Foz do Iguaçu
In 2006 I was no longer 18 years old.
I was preparing to start a family with Lillian, the blonde Norwegian from Bergen who was my girlfriend.
At that time Pastor Tim, Larry, and Celso went to Rio de Janeiro to ordain Pastor Alexandre.
I was there.
And that night something stirred within me.
I was reminded of many words and promises that had been spoken over the years about my future ministry.
I still remember that night.
After the ordination I went up to Tim and asked:
Tim, you are an evangelist, a church planter. What are you doing in Campo Mourão on that campus?
He answered that there was a group in Foz do Iguaçu praying for a pastor.
He had just returned from there and believed God was calling his family to that city.
They were going to move to Foz to plant a Calvary Chapel.
It came like fire in my heart.
I said nothing.
But something inside me said:
That city.
The first city I had ever visited on a missionary trip.
Maybe it would be the city where I would plant my first church.
I talked with Lillian.
We prayed.
We talked more.
We prayed a little longer.
And we took a giant step of faith.
At the end of 2006 we moved to Foz do Iguaçu.
Lillian arrived shortly after.
Planting a Church
We were part of the core planting team.
I did a little bit of everything.
I was an assistant.
Translator.
Worship leader.
Problem solver.
Carried things.
Helped wherever needed.
Lillian was involved with the children and also did a little bit of everything.
We were young.
We didn't have all the answers.
In fact, many times we didn't even know exactly what we were doing.
But we knew God had called us to be there.
And that was enough to keep going.
At that time new churches were being born.
Foz.
Campo Mourão.
Curitiba.
And other places.
There was a great joy in seeing God do that.
It was a time of great enthusiasm.
God was raising people.
God was forming leaders.
God was opening doors.
And, once again, we saw God's good hand on us.
After the Golden Years
I feel extremely privileged to have been part of those early years.
They truly were golden years for me.
But there is one thing I have learned looking back at the history.
After the first generation of American missionaries began to leave Brazil, the movement entered a different phase.
And I don’t think that is necessarily a bad thing.
In fact, I believe it was necessary.
The time would come when Brazilians would need to find their own voice.
Our own way.
Our language.
Our personality.
Our style of leadership.
Our method of planting churches.
We needed to stop being simply Brazilians trying to reproduce something that had happened in California.
We needed to receive the inheritance.
Honor it.
Learn from it.
But we also needed to grow.
To me, that is one of the most important parts of the story.
An inheritance only fulfills its purpose when it is received and then developed by the next generation.
It Is Not Nostalgia
Perhaps this is one of the most important things I want to say.
When I speak of the "golden years," I am not saying we need to go back to the 2000s.
I don’t want to go back.
I don’t want to try to reproduce that period.
I don’t want to build a Brazilian version of 1970s California.
And I don’t want the next generation to live only on the stories we tell.
We are not seeking nostalgia.
We are seeking the Lord.
We are seeking the Holy Spirit.
We are seeking what God wants to do now.
Chuck Smith always had a great concern for this, not simply copying a formula, but discovering what God wants to do and then being willing to participate.
That continues to challenge me.
Because there is a huge temptation when we look back.
We think:
How good it would be if it were like that time.
But perhaps the right question is instead:
Lord, what do You want to do now?
That question changes everything.
It allows us to honor the past without being bound to it.
We can thank God for what He has done without turning it into a formula.
We can tell the stories without thinking we must repeat every detail.
We can learn from those who came before us and at the same time recognize that God is still writing new chapters.
The Story Continues
When I look back, I don’t see a story of great men.
I see a faithful God.
I see teenagers who said yes.
I see missionaries who crossed oceans.
I see families leaving their homes.
I see Brazilians being discipled.
I see pastors being trained.
I see churches being planted.
I see ordinary people offering their lives.
And I see God’s good hand.
I was 17 when this story began to touch my life.
I had no idea where it would lead.
I didn’t know I would one day plant a church.
I didn’t know I would marry a Norwegian from Bergen.
I didn’t know I would live in different cities.
I didn’t know I would serve in different places.
I didn’t know I would have the privilege of joining other plantings.
I was simply trying to follow Jesus.
And along the way I discovered that God was doing far more than I could see.
Today, looking at Calvary Chapel in Brazil, I don’t just want to celebrate what God has done.
I want to ask what He wants to do from here on out.
The first generation did its part.
The second generation did its part.
Now it’s our turn.
And later it will be the turn of others.
The story continues.
Maybe our churches will be different.
Maybe our methods will be different.
Maybe our language will be different.
Maybe God will lead us to places we haven’t even imagined.
But some things don’t need to change.
Jesus remains the center.
The Word remains our authority.
The Holy Spirit continues to guide the Church.
The Great Commission remains our mission.
And we still need men and women willing to say:
Here I am.
When I think of those early days, the teams arriving, the Miami Hotel, the plazas, the schools, the conversions, the first pastors, the School of Ministry, Rio, Foz do Iguaçu and so many other stories, I can only give thanks.
I was there.
I saw.
And I can testify:
God did incredible things.
But perhaps that is not the most beautiful part.
The most beautiful part is knowing that He has not finished yet.
The story is not about our golden years.
The story continues to be about Jesus.
And our prayer must continue to be:
Lord, show us what You want to do in Brazil. And, by Your grace, enable us to take part.