I never cease to be amazed at the way things get done, especially when they aren’t the way YOU thought they would.

Take this photo for instance.

Of course, the handsome guy holding the sign is me. The cute girl is Erin.

Erin made a trip to Brasil in July. Erin was bitten hard by the Brasil bug. Erin is going back to Brasil to live for six months. Erin needs $$$ to do that.

Hence, the carwash.

Would you believe that this little “cleaning endeavor” produced produced 6.5% of the total amount she needs to do that?

Let me put in an unbiased plug here. Erin is doing what most of us would never even consider doing — moving to a foreign country to work with poor kids just so she can show them Jesus’ love. In my book that is pretty impressive and I want to see her succeed.

So, I’m kicking off the lets-get-Erin-outta-here fund.

Gospel for Brazil and the Refuge Grace Church in Fortaleza are sponsoring her as an intern. She will live with Brasilian Christians in Fortaleza and work under pastor Marclei Saraiva. She will make trips out to Ubaúna on a regular basis to work with pastors Áudrey and Andréia.

Just what will she be doing?

• She will be learning Portuguese (she has no choice! 🙂 ) and learning Brasilian culture. This will give her the opportunity to determine if God is calling her to a longer commitment in Brasil.
• She will be working daily with poor children in Fortaleza with pastor Valdimário Linhares Santos at the Agape Baptist Church’s childcare program.
• She will be working with the Refuge Grace Church’s children program on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
• She will be in discipleship training with Refuge Grace Church’s “special operations” team; i.e., this is an evangelistic outreach to “kids” in the 20-30 age category.
• She will be making trips out to Ubaúna to work with the church there.
• And, just to make sure she has no free time on her hands, she will be helping members at Refuge Grace learn and improve their English skills.
• (Whew! Makes me tired just writing it all down!)

How can you help? There are three obvious ways:

1. Pray for her and what she is doing.
   Many of you know Erin, what she has been through and the way God is radically transforming her. If you don’t know her, the short story is that she has overcome hell and its soldiers by the power of Jesus in her life. Her story is nothing short of miraculous. She would be the first to tell you that she wants your prayers — she has no doubt of their power!
2. Donate money.
   Every penny helps. You can easily contribute online at the Gospel for Brazil website via PayPal. Simply click here and you’ll be whisked away to that page. The more she takes in the less effort that will have to be expended in fund raisers and the sooner she can leave.
3. Participate in her fund raisers.
   She will be having a spaghetti dinner sponsored at Southside Baptist Church in September, a Christian music concert with multiple bands, including some with national exposure in late September and a yard sale of hopefully massive proportions also in September.

Folks, this gal is serious about getting to Brasil. Besides what this will do for her, this will help us in a significant way with what Gospel for Brazil is doing. Partner with me and lets see the impossible become reality!