Puppets in the City of the Gonzagão

Over the weekend I made yet another trip to the city of Exu, this time with our seminary puppet team, the Amiguinhos de Jesus (Little friends of Jesus). Our team worked very hard, both in preparation and presentation. We did four separate performances, one in the main square of the city, one in a school, and two at the church plant. Many contacts were made for pastor Edson to follow up on, and one lady accepted Christ during the evening service.

Accompany our adventures with the pictures below:

Our trips with the puppet team would not be possible were it not for the generosity of missionary colleague John Peterson in loaning us his trailer. Last week I installed a hitch on our VW, and now we are able to take our equipment to places outside the valley.
In the above picture Eder adjusts the canvas on the trailer.

Edson, Marli, and Esdras

Pastor Edson and his wife, Marli, are recent graduates of our seminary who are serving as missionaries in Exu. Their ministry has a special place in my heart because I placed them in Exu for their internship in 2006. They have been there ever since.

Misael and I getting the attention of the crowd.

Our first presentation was Saturday morning in the public square used for an outdoor market. At first it threatened to rain, but we prayed, and then watched God send rain in all different directions. At only one point in our presentation did we get any sprinkles, and that was just as we were finishing up one segment.

To begin each segment, Misael and I played some peppy little numbers on the trumpet (Misael played for the Brazilian Army band before coming to the seminary).

Then it was puppet time!

The crowds came in droves.

Some let their curiosity get the better of them. This is usually an issue with kids, but this elderly lady also wanted to see what was making these puppets “tick”. She took a peek, and then pronounced herself “astonished” (abestalhada, for all you Portuguese speakers).

That afternoon we put on a presentation at a local school where Pastor Edson has begun a kid’s club.

Once again, the kids hung on our every word.

Notice the loudspeaker in this picture (the box in front, not Renata). We were able to purchase it as a result of a generous donation from a couple in our home church. It was used for the first time this weekend, and it worked marvelously!

Exu is a very historical city, with numerous interesting places to visit. I have been there many times, and made a point of taking our seminary students to see places like the Saint John the Baptist chapel…

…or the Luiz Gonzaga museum.

When we were shown a collection of items allegedly used by 19th century Brazilian outlaw Lampião, I could not resist getting into the spirit myself.

On Sunday we did a puppet presentation for the Sunday School opening, and then I gave the lesson. At night, I spoke on Romans 2. God was gracious and a lady who we had invited to church that afternoon accepted Christ.

After a weekend like this, the next picture is self-explanatory!

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