tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-152315632011-04-21T14:49:19.846-03:00"I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and justice for the poor." Psalm 140:12.Grace Portelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08122037697850085845noreply@blogger.comBlogger101100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15231563.post-87279144202898602142008-09-18T22:25:00.002-03:002008-09-18T22:38:02.618-03:00

Ok. So, random title I know. Well, that's me. We'll not really, but that's how I feel like. Invert this guys missing teeth from top to bottom and that's where I am right now. My orthodontist told me that I had to remove my front bottom tooth. "Front?" You ask. Yes. Front. So off I went with my roommate Clara before our slum ministry to see my dentist who yanked off my bottom tooth. Supossedly the

Grace Portelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08122037697850085845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15231563.post-3573558244407659162008-09-10T20:14:00.002-03:002008-09-10T20:26:49.761-03:00

Tonight I would like to tell the story of Duani. She is a a 14 year old girl who has been faithfully attending our small gatherings on Thursday nights. She is a beautiful girl, and I can tell that the boys are probably already running after her. I enjoy seeing her because she has a genuine interest in learning more about God and she does all the lessons that I assign the girls to do at home. She

Grace Portelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08122037697850085845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15231563.post-13608105636156512922008-09-01T20:20:00.002-03:002008-09-01T21:03:33.045-03:00

Thursday night made me realize a couple prayer requests. A couple of minutes after we arrived a very tall man came in and stared at every kid and woman in the room. I suddenly felt very vulnerable. I looked around at every single adult and realized that we were all women. Not only that, it dawned on me that I was the BIGGEST woman, therefore, our defense lay on my hands. The creepy man just

Grace Portelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08122037697850085845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15231563.post-36687578840406678312008-08-22T13:21:00.004-03:002008-08-22T13:27:14.827-03:00

Tonight was the second night back at the Umuarama. So many things have happened these past months! Here are a few: 1. The girl who was feeling the spiritual oppression says that she has been freed from any pains in her chest. She told me that since the time she shared with us about them and we were able to pray for her, she has not had any more attacks. PRAISE THE LORD! 2. The girls kept

Grace Portelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08122037697850085845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15231563.post-70274947159755954732008-07-06T11:00:00.004-03:002008-11-07T01:43:59.626-02:00

Well its been almost a month since I last went to the Umuarama ministry. I haven't blogged about my last day there because things have been absolutely crazy since I left Brazil (I went off to New York, then Idaho to see my little brother get married, then Seattle to hang out with family, and for the next three weeks I am in Germany working on my masters degree on International Education). I did

Grace Portelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08122037697850085845noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15231563.post-22711610358344162442008-05-29T21:51:00.004-03:002008-11-07T01:43:59.878-02:00

Funny how we set out to do the Lord's work, and,in the end, he does a work in our hearts instead!Well, tonight, the first creature to greet Clara and I at the Umuarama was the biggest rat that I have ever seen in my life! He nonchalantely ran across the road like he owned it and scurried away into the nearest gutter. After getting rid of the chills that ran down my spine I walked into the meeting

Grace Portelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08122037697850085845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15231563.post-39198980901415900372008-05-19T18:13:00.002-03:002008-11-07T01:44:00.043-02:00

This is Luis! We met during the Umuarama ministry on Thursday nights and he has been going to my church for the past few months. This Sunday, he found me in church and followed me around the whole time, making sure that he gave me lots of kisses and held my hand. So cute. He introduced me to his mom who had come to church even though she had a fever!! I am amazed by the dedication that these

Grace Portelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08122037697850085845noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15231563.post-29374959471506401772008-05-15T21:19:00.004-03:002008-05-17T13:30:03.399-03:00

One more Thursday spent with the teenage girls and precious children of Umuarama. If you know me, you know that I am not a gushy person who loves to be around kids. I am very awkward and clueless as to what to talk about or what to do with those who are under 14 years of age. But... I try... and tonight I learned a valuable lesson. Some kids just want/need attention. Even if you are not the most

Grace Portelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08122037697850085845noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15231563.post-61985414178894568232008-05-09T21:20:00.009-03:002008-11-07T01:44:00.214-02:00

The whole week before the meeting I thought and thought about what to say and how to start interacting with these teenage girls who have such a different reality from my own.How many would come? Would they be noisy, talkative, attentive, out of control, or a mixture of all of the above?I thought about the fact that many of these girls know nothing about the Bible and about God and salvation.

Grace Portelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08122037697850085845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15231563.post-4858266480804302772008-05-09T13:57:00.000-03:002008-11-07T01:44:00.493-02:00

For many months, I observed my amazing sister-in-law (Aline) come and go to the Umuarama slums every Thursday night. Although she had a great amount of other things on her plate, she still made time to serve the Lord by teaching 2-5 year old children in a very poor section of our 20-million-people city.The story of how this ministry started is quite fascinating, and I would like to write more

Grace Portelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08122037697850085845noreply@blogger.com0