Great Question!  Often asked!

I remember the “Experiencing God” study by Henry Blackaby and one of the “points” of the study was , See where God is working and join Him in his work.”  Years ago, there was a wide open invitation to work in South America, namely Brazil.  I had never been on a mission trip before and was invited to go and build a Chapel for a new church plant in the southern part of Brazil.  I have a flood of memories filling my brain as I write these words but will stay on task here:)  God was at work there!  He was moving among the people and there was an intense hunger to reach their own people like I had never experienced before and to be quite honest, it was very attracting.  God invited me there to show me what he wanted me to see and the invitation was extended to join him in his work there.  During those 10 days of my first trip, God gave me a passion for Brazil and that passion has never died…only strengthened!

There have been many tests over these 16 years of engagement and work in Brazil.  I became every ill on my second trip and it was the kind of illness that could have taken my life plus the effects lasted for over a year after I returned home.  There were times when confusion and disheartening things happened.  There was silence too…times when it appeared we were not being effective or needed any longer.  There was a span of 3 years where we did nothing there.  But God always kept that passion in my heart as a strong calling and even more so today.

Cabo Verde?  This is a cool one!  We have been working with a church in Brazil for 14 of the 16 years.  They have watched us and learned and gain a passion for other nations from us and began targeting a nation they wanted to reach…Cabo Verde, West Africa.  It took them several years to raise the support but they went this past July, 11 of them!  One of the leaders that went is someone I have entrusted myself to in Brazil for many years…he is a spiritual leader and mentor in my life.  God has used him many time to speak into my heart in wisdom and passion so the “conduit” of his words are familiar and trustworthy for sure.  He shared all they had seen and heard and it began to cause my heart to pray for this nation too.

As it was the first time I went to Brazil, over a time of praying and seeking the Lord, there was an invitation for me to join in what God is doing there.  What’s sweet is, it is with some dear people that God has used to minister to me and walked in ministry with me.  There is a line of deep connection through this whole picture of Brazil, the work we are doing there and now the influence of our work extends to another nation!  It’s as if God has given us another generation of work to participate in!  We have now accepted the invitation to join God in his work in Cabo Verde, West Africa and our first deployment is set for late March with follow up teams starting to roll that way throughout 2013.

Another Blackaby point is “spiritual markers”.  God uses specific ways and biblical patterns to speak to his children and confirm where we are going is the right way and in his will.  A spiritual marker can come in many forms and is not really a “sign” as much as it is a special note that is meant for assurance.  These “markers” operate much like channel markers and beacons to guide a ship through a channel.  Anyway, I look for these “spiritual markers” all the time as I go and work and do for the Lord.  One of the markers God has given me in mission work is “Portuguese speaking people”, which is Cabo Verde’s native language!

Ever since we have said yes to Cabo Verde and whenever we do our planning for Brazil, that same deep well flow starts coming out of my pores as it did the day God gave me a heart for Brazil 16 years ago.  Before that team went on their trip, I had never heard of this Nation…now I feel as though Cabo Verde is home, just like Brazil and just like America!

Rb