Angie and some of her friends
For years, I have seen people impacted by a short term mission experience. First, while I still lived in the States and then as people have come to visit through the years. Angie Duplaga, a teacher and youth pastor from Ohio, spent 10 days visiting us in Altamira, Brazil with two of her friends. Angie is a friend of our family's and it was great to have her and the Martins here with us. This was Angie’s second trip to Brazil. She took some time to see the work we do here and wrote about the experience in her own words below.
Oi everyone! My name is Angie Duplaga, and I just recently visited the Xingu. Two years ago I visited by myself and stayed with the Simons. However this year, I was blessed to be accompanied with my mentor Cathy Martin and her youngest daughter Mollie Martin. As someone who has visited Brazil before, I have to say it grabs your heart and does not seem to let go. Ever since I left the first time, I kept praying and wondering if I would get the opportunity to go back. Thanks to God’s sovereignty and provision, I was able to go back and take two very special friends.
As soon as I arrived, the Simons had “Welcome” signs and were waving and yelling our names, along with a very dear friend of mine named Tati. I felt right at home and knew I was where I was supposed to be that moment. While in Altamira we had the opportunity to visit all of the churches in town. The last church we visited, we arrived when they were serving cake and soda to celebrate Father’s Day! Yay for us, because they graciously shared their snacks. During that same week, we set up a conference for teen girls about the importance of purity in all areas of their lives and how worship is a lifestyle. We reminded the young women of how in everything we do or say, we do it for the Lord. The honesty and transparency of their hearts and sincerity in their responses truly left us blessed and encouraged. It made me want to scoop them all up in that moment and take them back to St. Clairsville to share with the girls in my youth group.
We then spent the second week on the boat where we visited several villages and shared what God was teaching each one of us and we also shared some of our material from the women’s conference. I love going to the villages because it puts my life back into perspective. We so easily get caught up in our struggles, worries, problems, and ourselves, that we lose sight of just how blessed we truly are. There is an old song by a band named Telecast, and the words go, “It’s the beauty of simplicity…that brings me down to my knees…I praise you for eternity…and Lord I love you…because You…You first loved me.”
As I lay there in my hammock at night, under the stars, journaling, reading my Bible, and listening to worship music, it helped remind me of why I live on this earth, and how my sole purpose is to share Jesus with those around me and to be a disciple of Christ. When I can pull myself out and focus more on the Lord, those other “things” just do not seem so important. Seeing the light of Jesus shine in lives of the people we visited on the river, knowing they do not have many things at all, reminded me how with Christ alone we can be completely satisfied. As I flew away from Altamira, I could not stop crying because I had to say bye to people I love. I watched them as I left to go back to the chaos of the U.S. and know that they are always the ones having to say bye. Yet, I know He is in control and He is taking care of my friends and family from Brasil, and with that promise I can be at peace in my heart.
To all my Brasil friends and missionaries…You are all fantastic servants of the Lord and I love and respect you all for the many sacrifices you make each day to share God’s truth to the ends of the earth! Maybe I will be joining you all someday!
Connecting at the heart level
All smiles
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