Worship in Action is a long-term initiative to integrate a global, missional vision into Tallowood’s enterChange worship gatherings. Every three months, a new missions focus will intentionally and pervasively engage the people of Tallowood in unifying activities that promote worship as a way of life. This blog lets you track our community's journey to glorify God by participating in his mission in the world.
The medical mission team that travelled to Fortaleza, Brazil and was supported by your gifts through Worship in Action returned in early June with full hearts at what God has done. Here are some thoughts on the trip from our Minister of Missions and Evangelism, Eddy Hallock:
No one could believe the results! During our trip to Brazil over 700 people prayed to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. This was the fulfillment of Brenda Hallock’s dream, and the astounding result is a testament to the faithfulness of our God. He called a medical/evangelism team of 28, many from Tallowood, who left their safe environment to go to Fortaleza, Brazil and minister to one of the poorest communities in that country.
The people from the area came in droves. Many slept in lines that almost circled an entire block and were there as the team arrived each morning. The doctors, dentist, nurses, pediatrician and those trained to give out eyeglasses were at their posts. First, numbers were passed out to as many people as the clinic could handle in one day. The patients would proceed to triage who would send them to the various doctors to be helped. Kathy Kite and Hannah Kaminsky from Tallowood worked in Triage. After visiting the doctor they would wait to receive free medicine from the team’s pharmacist, Dorinda Williams. As they waited they would be seen by a team of evangelists and would hear the good news of Jesus Christ. Many left that place with help for their physical bodies and were also surprised by joy leaving the building with the Savior of their souls. Bill Wood from Tallowood was on the evangelism team and led many to Christ.
In order to accomplish the daunting task at the clinic, much prayer happened first. You, Tallowood, prayed. They prayed. We all prayed. Then an amazing “army” of church members from children to teenagers to adults helped in the tiny details of taking people from triage to the doctor to the dentist from New York, where Leanne Walker helped. Every ounce of help was needed and was very important. Behind the scenes ladies from the church cooked lunch for over 100 workers each day. The pharmacy dispensed over one thousand prescriptions daily. Bad teeth were extracted. A television station came and one lady from the community who was treated by Dr. Greg Walker from Tallowood shared these words: “These Americans are wonderful. The doctors treat us as human beings and are very kind. Then they give us medicines for free. Thank you so much!”
Glasses were the most-desired item. Marluce and Gary Matlock, Bob Barrus, Elizabeth Kite and Marlene Grant helped in this venue. Marlene helped a mute and deaf young man find the glasses he needed! It was a true miracle from God. With Tallowood’s investment a few people will be helped overcome major eye problems because Brazilian doctors are willing to perform some much-needed surgeries for free on a few of those destitute individuals who need help. The only cost will be for the basic equipment needed for the surgeries.
The church we partnered with in Fortaleza, Igreja Batista Nova Vida (New Life Baptist Church), is growing in amazing numbers. The building is not able to contain the people. Close to 100 people have to stay outside at each service. They need to build another building but funds are not available. The Pastor wants to have a library for the community because in order for the children to be able to move forward in life they must have an education. The Church ministers in a marvelous way and yet there are so many problems in the neighborhood: drug and alcohol abuse, physical abuse, families issues and many other challenges. Pray for Pastor Etevaldo as he heads this growing church.
Thank you for praying and giving. God heard and many are now in His kingdom because you invested your time seeking the Lord on our behalf.
What an extraordinary effort this has been! Here are the final numbers for Worship in Action: Brazil:
- We asked you to give 300 toothbrushes to the people of Fortaleza, Brazil. Clearly we vastly underestimated the amount of toothbrushes we would receive, because our final total was 2185 toothbrushes! According to one trip member, the recipients of these toothbrushes carried them around like they were the most precious objects in the world.
- We asked you to give $5000 for medicines to be used on the trip. You responded generously, giving $8287! These medicines were used to treat a wide variety of ailments at no cost to the patients.
- We asked you to give enough money to purchase 400 pairs of glasses at $10 per pair. You gave enough for us to purchase over 837! Not only did many people receive sight by getting an appropriately prescribed pair of glasses, but we used some of the additional money to fund cataract surgeries for those who could not be helped by prescription lenses.
We are grateful to God for His provision and to you for your faithfulness and generosity. Worship in Action returns this fall. We can’t wait to see where God takes us next!
It seems like everytime I sit down to write an update I’m learning about more gifts that we are receiving from individuals and Sunday School classes! Finally I decided to just write an update and not worry if it is outdated by the time it gets posted. And lo and behold even as I was writing this update I learned about another monetary gift from one of our Sunday School classes and Cliff Lusk, our Associate Minister of Missions, walked into my office with another box of donated reading glasses. Suffice it to say we have been overwhelmed by your response and are humbled by your generosity toward the people of Fortaleza, Brazil. It is truly amazing to see our whole church get involved in this project, young and old, rich and poor, Saturday and Sunday, contemporary and traditional – it is an encouraging reminder that the love of Christ crosses all boundary lines. Thank you for letting that love be expressed through your gifts.
And now the update: we have met and surpassed each of our goals by a long shot! Once we passed 1,000 toothbrushes we were pretty sure that our original goal of 300 was a bit low. But it didn’t stop there. Every Monday I walk into my office and there are another 50, 100, 150 toothbrushes waiting for me! Currently we have 1,661 standard toothbrushes, as well as some toothpaste, some flossers, and one Barbie-themed electric toothbrush! We also asked you to give money to help us purchase 400 pairs of glasses at $10 per pair. So far you have given $8,339, enough to purchase over 830 pairs of glasses. However, instead of simply purchasing more glasses we are going to use the extra money to fund cataract surgeries for those who cannot be helped by corrective lenses. Finally, we asked you to give $5,000 to help purchase medications for the trip. So far you have given $7,561. What an incredible blessing! These items will help meet the physical needs of the people of Fortaleza and provide an open door for us to tell them about the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Thank you for your generosity!
There is still time to give, but all gifts must be received by this weekend, May 17-18. Please continue to pray for the team that God will give them safety in travel and wisdom as they care for medical needs, and that the Holy Spirit would move among the people of Fortaleza, Brazil and many would be reconciled to God.
We are halfway through our current Worship in Action emphasis and we’ve made some great progress toward our goals. We only have four weeks left, though, so don’t forget to bring in your donations by Sunday, May 25. The team leaves on May 30, so we’re pushing it to the very last moment! Here’s where we stand so far:
Our first goal is to collect 300 new toothbrushes to hand out at the clinic. So far we have received 136. (And we have unconfirmed sightings of 8-for-$1 sales at local dollar stores.)
Our second goal is to raise enough money to purchase 400 pairs of glasses at a cost of $10 each. These are the sets of interchangeable lenses and frames that will allow us to exactly match each patient’s prescription. So far we have raised enough to purchase 147.
Our third goal is to raise $5000 to help the team purchase medications for the trip. So far we have collected $2950.
The medical team can use all the help we give them, so thank you for your continued generosity. Keep praying that God will use the clinic as a tool that draws many people back to Him.
Tthere is still time for you to go on the Medical Mission trip to Fortaleza, Brazil that takes place May 30-June 7. We need laypeople to work in the eye clinic, participate in evangelism, and assist the medical teams. We also need medical professionals in any specialization, and are particularly looking for a dentist who would be willing to come. If you are interested in being a part of this exciting opportunity contact Cliff Lusk at clusk@tallowood.org.
Friends, there is still time for you to go on the Medical Mission trip to Fortaleza, Brazil that takes place May 30-June 7, but you need to act soon. We need laypeople to work in the eye clinic, participate in evangelism, and assist the medical teams. We also need medical professionals in any specialization, and are particularly looking for a dentist who would be willing to come. If you are interested in being a part of this exciting opportunity contact Cliff Lusk at clusk@tallowood.org.
A new Worship in Action emphasis has launched! For the next two months we will be partnering with the Brazil Medical Mission trip as they bring much-needed medical care to the slums of Fortaleza, Brazil. Meeting the physical needs of the people gives the team an open door to address their spiritual needs as well. A team of evangelists will present the Gospel to every patient that walks through the door.
The team will be in Brazil from May 30-June 7 and will be converting a church in the heart of Fortaleza’s poorest districts into a medical clinic. There they will provide medical services across a wide range of specializations to people who cannot otherwise afford it. Eight hundred people will pass through the clinic each day, meaning hundreds more will be turned away. Many will choose to wait overnight to keep their place in line. The sheer volume of patients means that a well-stocked pharmacy is critical. We want to raise $5000 to purchase medications for the trip.
The team will also be running an eye clinic using a portable instrument called a Focometer to find corrective lens prescriptions for hundreds of people. The workers will then attempt to find the correct prescription among thousands of donated used glasses. This work is time-consuming as it is often difficult to find a pair of glasses that exactly matches the prescription. However, the developers of the Focometer have also developed a one-size-fits-all frame with lenses that can be snapped in to fit the prescription of the patient. Each pair of these glasses costs only $10. Our goal is to purchase 400 pairs of glasses.
The medical mission team also loves to give out toothbrushes, especially to the children. The Brazilian diet is full of sugar, particularly among the poor. Sugar is cheap because sugar cane is so abundant in this tropical nation. However, dental care is poor leading to many dental problems throughout the society. Even something as simple as a toothbrush can make a big difference to a child’s dental health. We want to collect 300 new toothbrushes for the team to distribute in Fortaleza.
As the medical team works to mend the wounds of the poorest of the poor, they will have a wonderful opportunity to point the people toward the Great Healer, the Mender of souls. Don’t miss your chance to support this team with your gifts.
It’s always exciting to be a part of something new, and particularly when we look back at what God has done so far through Worship In Action we get excited for what He will continue to do. Don’t miss the launch of our new emphasis this weekend, April 5-6! I won’t give anything away just yet – you’ll have to attend the services to find out – but our new emphasis is part of our plan to take Worship In Action to each of the continents. (Well, except Antartica. You understand…) We hope that this will be one more opportunity for you to be involved in God’s great work on the earth: the process of drawing all people to himself. Don’t miss it!
