IT was cool to work with the government for this event and the one we are doing on Saturday, because they provided us with a stage, tables and security. This event was in a very poor area where many of the victims of the flood are living in temporary shelters. These people have nothing and the kids really suffer. They were thrilled to get a free show and see all the magic. We had made over 500 sandwiches which we gave out afterward.
Today was definitely one of the best days of my life:)! Last week we ran a race that was in benefit of this school and so it was really special to perform for them and spend time with them. Even with all the challenges these kids face, down syndrome, autism, ceribal palsy, they were so precious and engaged.
My youngest brother wrote a rap/song that has a message in it about being the bigger person and helping make peace with others. The words “I am sorry” can be so powerful and prevent heart break, sadness and even divorce. “I am sorry”, “its my fault”, “I love you” are words we all need to be quick to say. We act out two people arguing, we comes in and loves them and says he is sorry and helps them make peace. So many of these children come from broken homes and at times hear their parents shouting at each other. Sometimes…
We do a cool thing where we ask who of them wants to be a leader and doesn’t care what their friends think. After we get a few volunteers (in this case like 20!), we give them cards to read that have historic quotes written on them such as, “We have nothing to fear but fear itself”, and many inspiring quotes from past famous figures. We then have a competition to see who can read it like a leader with emotion and passion in their voice. These boys really got into and gave it all their heart. So much so…
Now this one was tough. It is the largest prison in Paraguay and was a very, very bad place. Unlike most prisons we have been to, there were no “patios” or separate sections here. As in, all 5,000 prisoners were all walking around the prison at the same time and in the same area. Basically like a huge city inside a prison and just complete chaos. People shouting, the guards blowing whistles, little fights breaking out between the prisoners, soccer balls flying, guys crowding around an begging us for things, ecs… The conditions were just horrible with the walls covered…
We had been in contact with a school for children with special needs and they asked us to run a 10k race with them that was for their benefit, so we did:) It went through the center of Asuncion and along the river. It was fun to run the event with my family even though I was not in the best shape;) After the event I asked the director if I could say a few words and he gave me the microphone:) I was able to share with the whole crowd, about 7000 runners how even in difficult times and…
My sister does a beautiful ballet dance where she teaches kids to reach for their dreams. She starts all wrapped up in a black piece of cloth and then slowly unwinds into a ballerina. She explains how we all feel trapped sometimes by our own fear, by others, by circumstance, but if we can reach beyond ourselves, and reach out to our Father, we can find a dream greater than we imagine. A dream to love others and care for those in need. Through the dance she teaches a “blind man” how to play a drum, (my dad acting), she…
This school was in the poorest area in all of Paraguay. Maybe you saw a while back there was a 60 min episode about a school that built musical instruments out of trash. Well that was here. There is a massive pile of trash where all the people savage through to try to find things they can use or sell. This whole are is one of the poorest saddest places I have seen. There were 600 kids here so we did two presentations, one in the morning and one in the evening. Of course many of the kids never left,…
I talked to an older man here named Juan. He had 19 more years to serve and just broke down talking to me. He explained that someone broke into his house and was attacking his wife. In his rage he ended up killing the intruder and getting a 30 year sentence. Here and in many third world countries, there is no allowance for self defense in the justice system so this man was charged for murder. We shared many things with these men as well as spent time listening to their stories. As the book of Proverbs says, laughter really…
After meeting with the Minister of Education, they opened to us the doors to all the schools and colleges in Paraguay. Three ladies spent their time to drive from school to school organizing events for us at the schools that need it the most. I really appreciated their help and care! At this school, there were 800 kids and we had to do a few groups. This was a new school just built for all the families and children that lost their homes in the flood. When I fist walked in there was a little girl standing there just weeping….
This one lady we met while walking through the villages, started a home for the elderly that she tries to keep up in her own home. Her husband helped her start in but he died, and now she struggles to be able to afford to take care of all the elderly folks that come to her. We gave her 35$ which allowed her to be able to get a lot of rice and beans. She broke down crying, just so extremely grateful. She said God sent her angels today to pick her up:) Because of the floods here, many people…
We had a beautiful night on the boardwalk here and so many families stopped to listen. I just love performing for kids! We have so many magic, clown, puppet and funny acts they love and through it all we can teach them beautiful things. For Good Friday it was special to do our act that depicts the death and resurrection of Jesus. Many people were in tears as they watched. It is a really tragic situation here in Paraguay. The city is in extreme poverty and just a complete disaster. Because of bad flooding in January, thousands of people lost…
It’s cool to be in a Spanish speaking country again, but also super difficult to switch back after speaking Portuguese. We have to really focus! I spent Tuesday writing letters and meeting with high officials to begin working in the prisons, schools, orphanages and down town center here. It all went pretty good and after Easter, hopefully some doors will begin to open (if not I will go back to all the same offices again…and again till they let us in:))
The border we crossed is known for being very difficult to cross and even dangerous and corrupt. Someone told us it was best to cross it late at night so we drove 12 hours straight to make it there and crossed late. The border was pretty deserted and it all went smooth. The next day we drove another 7 hours to the Capital. It’s neat when you look on google maps and even though you only have 15 miles left to go, your estimated arrival time is 2 HOURS! Yeah for traffic:)
Todays was my youngest brothers birthday, and he was blessed to share the day caring about these young men. We did two performances for two different groups and both times we really got through to the kids. The director told us that in 15 years of working there, and seeing other groups come in and talk to the kids, he had never seen anything like what we did. He said we were the first people he ever saw “speak their language”. That is why we use cool music, do a little rap, cool magic ecs, so that we can speak…
We meant a beautiful groups of people who are starting a foundation to help the homeless and those in need. They are a big family with others joined on and even thought they are not rich, they are doing what they can to start to make a difference. The father, has been battling cancer for 8 years and it is heartbreaking to talk to his wife of 48 years tell me she knows he does not have much time left. His three sons are starting the foundation in his honor and are beautiful men that really love their family. We…
This was one of the worst patios we have been in. There was trash everywhere (because they are not allowed bags or anyway to deal with trash), open sewage, and the walls were covered in mold. My heart just breaks for these guys suffering these conditions. A lot of the guys knew Capoeira and were so excited to participate! One guys said, “wow, thanks! I haven’t done that in 5 years!” Doing Capoeira brings a lot of energy into the whole crowd so everyone becomes more attentive to listen to all we share.
We were able to revisit the prison I wrote about early that was on the coast, where the men did not get enough food because of corruption. The previous day my sister and I went to the local fruit market and talked to the sellers. We were able to get a bunch of fruit, potatoes, watermelons and beans donated to add to the food we were bringing. The prisoners were so grateful we remembered and came all the way back with more food. We did two performances here again, and reached a lot of guys.
We had a beautiful time visiting and performing at a large home for the elderly. It was so cool to see these beautiful, but sad people, slowly warm to us and then accept us like family. The director of activities was a 17 years old girl! She was mature well beyond her years and really cared about the people she worked with. Her mom had died when she was 11, her dad just left and her grandparents were raising her. Seeing the kindness of her grandparents, gave her the desire to work with older folks and choose to lay down…
My crazy brother really made the prisoners laugh when he climbed up this pole to get away from the angry “dog” that was chasing him in a clown routine:) There were about 250 guys all spread out along the wall, all of them were really engaged and listening to all we shared. I felt so bad for this older man who had lost one of his legs in a hit and run accident years ago. Imagine dealing with the hell of prison with one leg! We do a traditional Brazilian dance called a, “Gaucho dance”. It is a song and…
I share with you a letter we just got that one of the men from inside this prison dictated to a worker to send us. He wrote it in his attempted English:) : “This date will surely be remembered in my memory and in my heart. the day that a group of Americans who might even call them angels, have arranged to come to a penitentiary, where much of society wants to stay away, to give their personal testimony, to present themselves theatrically and to demonstrate knowledge of the culture of our state. I wanted to thank everyone without exception….
We were down town in the center for a looooonnnggggg time last night:) It was super exhausting but really blessed. We reached so many people that were crossing through the plaza on their way to the bus stop. When they heard our music they stopped in the crowd, and many of them ended up staying the whole time! My sister does a really classy ballet dance that stops people in their tracks:) My brothers do this act where they use a net and a really cool costume they made, to communicate that we each have a free will. Our free…
Spent a day doing multiply presentations at a center for at risk kids. We made a color flyer with a cool car on it and use the example of a car, to teach them how they have to start their mind (think), shift into gear (make right choices) and drive their life (short version of a detailed and helpful example). No one can drive our “car” (life) for us, if we are distracted by peer pressure and all the voices of the world, we can “crash”,. We communicate these ideas through a theatrical act, and large colored posters as well….
Spent a day doing multiply presentations at a center for at risk kids. Many of the kids have come from broken families, had no parents or been through a tragedy. A certain section is a detention center that holds teens who have committed crimes. We were able to reach a lot of really beautiful young people and give them some real direction. They were quick to ask questions and participate. It was like they were just starving for love and attention. All the teachers and director were extremely grateful and asked us to return and perform for all the sections…
We drove three hours away up into a mountainous area. It was a long drive down a narrow windy road and we came in and out of of and rain. We finally found the prison which was buried behind a small town. The workers were expecting us and very glad to see us. The temperature at this higher elevation was a bit cooler so that was really nice for a change:) The men were very sad and it took some work to enter their world and get them to trust us and let us in. But we were able to…
We try to make it to this plaza once a week, and many people come out to look for us. It is so busy here and at times our crowd gets really large, full of people from all walks of life. I do a magic routine with my brother (who wears a cirque do solid type mask) where I make an invisible “seed” turn into flowers. We go up to random people in the crowd and make them put a “seed” in my bag then I turn it into a flower:) Seeds are those things which can seem so insignificant,…
When we were in this, we noticed right away that something was wrong. All the guys were unbelievably thin, way more than any other prisons we had been too. They began to come up to us and ask us if we possibly had any food we could give them! It was just tragic. They explained they only got one meal a day and sometimes not even that. We could not figure everything out, but realized that there was some serious corruption going on between the gang leader, prison guards, and a huge (very evil) “church”. Anyway, long story short, it…
Its really awesome when it works out and we can go back to visit a previous prison. All the prisoners have had time to read the material we give out and think about all we shared and now they get the chance to ask us any questions and engage in conversation. We keep track of what of the acts, magic routines and dances we did the first time, and do all new things the next time so they get a whole new show. My sisters and I do one magic routine that is about time (obviously this is such a…
We had a beautiful time inside a women’s prison the other day. It was pouring rain so we had to cram into a small space but we were able to really touch some precious women who were hurting. I am so grateful to the chess company that donated some beautiful quality chess boards to us that we can give to those we meet. It has been such a blessing, and those that receive them are extremely grateful. It allows people in difficult situations to get lost in the game and focus their minds on something besides their pain. We can…
We took a trip to Rio during the week of Mardi Gras. Literally millions of people flood the streets every day. We performed on the streets and beach board walk and also made beautiful flags with Portuguese messages on them that we carried in the large crowds. The beaches were just crammed packed and we walked them with our flags talking to the people. Countless people would come up and want to talk and take the flyers we were giving out (we gave out 30,000 beautiful color flyers all together that said, “don’t give up, you are wanted” on the…
In the patio that we were scheduled to visit, a part of the building structure had just collapsed and a major sewer pipe had broken. All the guys had to bring their stuff onto the outdoor part to try to clean it and everything was a disaster. The smell was just horrible. But the men had been anticipating our visit and really wanted a break from the nightmare that is their usual reality, so we decided we would figure out how to work around what they were dealing with so we could give them a little laughter and hope. We…
So many families and people from all the surrounding cities came to this festival. Some to participate in the religious ceremonies, but many came just to get out and enjoy the holiday. We had a good spot in the shade so a large crowd gathered and stayed a long time. We were celebrating my dads birthday so it was extra special:) I even got the crowd to sing him happy birthday. My parents have been married almost 40 years and so they teach a lot of things that help other parents raise their kids and keep their families together. I…
I love performing on the streets at the end of a busy work day. There is always a “rush” in the evening when everyone leaves the city to go home. The bus stops are just packed. We are able to reach people from all walks of life, both rich and poor, old and young. As well as just constantly talking to the crowds, through our performance we weave in the many beautiful truths of the Gospel. The need in this country is very great. There are so many new strange religions, churches and teachings here. Its like thirsty people drinking…
At this prison we did three presentations, each for around 200, to 300 guys and were able to reach one entire section of the prison. The area was not ideal because there was not much space and the acoustics were a nightmare, but we figured it out:) The men here were very sad and had long sentences. It took work to get through to them, but by the time we left, we were family. There were literally no guards or staff that helped us in and out. It was like the place was abandoned except for all the prisoners crammed…
I don’t know if I have yet seen such a forsaken place as this prison and the town that it was beyond. First we could not find it and got lost. Finally we found someone who told us where to go and we had to drive miles down a real bad dirt road. There was no one around and even the guards at the gate had the attitude of absolute hopelessness and despair. We had to explain again why an American family drove all the way out here and was trying to get in. Once we finally got into the…
There are just so many homeless on the streets and in the parks here. The rains can be very severe and flood the streets. The homeless suffer greatly and it is very hard for them to find shelter. We make up hundreds of lunches and care packages and then walk and drive the streets giving them out and talking with the people. So many, many stories of suffering and tragedy. I wish I was rich and could help them in greater ways. I wish I could afford to get them a room sometimes, or new clothes, or constantly feed them…
This prison was way in the middle of no where. It is a relatively new prison and was built to accept prisoners from some of the over crowded prisons, but it is filling up so quickly that it soon will become over crowded as well. We performed for a group of young men. At first, they were very skeptical of who we were and what we were going to do. Often times evangelical preachers will come in and just preach at them and they dread it. Some of these preachers actually tell the prisoners they need to tell their families…
It was a really sad situation at this prison. All the men suffered mental disorders to various degrees. Some minor, and some severe. They have committed crimes and are being help here until their cases make it to court. Many of them were like children, very simple and just wanting attention. They loved to paint and wanted to show us all their drawings. Some of them were almost completely normal, just something was slightly off in their brains. These guys would tell us how hard it was to be at this place, surrounded by others who had serious issues. Its…
Merry Christmas everyone and happy new year! I hope you can all take time to let the stress of your routine go and just be in the moments that really matter. May God bless you and lift you up as we celebrate Jesus, the greatest gift ever given. It was just an ordinary night in an ordinary town and yet something extraordinary happen. Hope was born and they laid Him in a manger. Over this time we perform at special city events as well as in the down town center and parks. We also spend time visiting and helping the homeless. During vacation…
We performed inside the largest prison here as well this last week. It was actually on lock down because of a fight that occurred, but a certain social worker sort of snuck us into an outer patio so we could visit with the guys she cares for. It was really sad to realize that the prison was closed to visitors for Christmas so none of the prisoners got to see their families on Christmas. They said that this Christmas, we were their family. It was a smaller group this time so we could really spend time with each of them, listening and teaching.
The down town plaza has been very, very busy these days leading up to Christmas and we performed in the center for large crowds. I love just being on the streets in down town city areas. It is difficult because you’re just out there and any thing can happen, but you reach people from all walks of life. We had so many people that came up to us and told us that they had seen us from other events. It made us realize that we are reaching this whole city. A few men actually saw us perform inside a prison…
We put on an event at a really poor neighborhood out side the city. The people here live in tent type shacks and really have nothing. Thanks to some companies that donated little toys to us, we were able to give every little kid that came a Christmas present. We made up little packages with the toys, some candy, crayons and a little children’s book that my brother wrote. The parents were so grateful that their kids could get something on Christmas and it was a beautiful time. They loved our Christmas play! We even had a huge star to lead the wise men to…
We had a beautiful experience putting on a Christmas party at the largest orphanage in this part of Brazil. The children were so precious and so grateful for every little thing. We had games, activities and prizes. Total chaos and total fun! We certainly got our work out picking up kids and throwing them in the air:). The director was explaining to me that usually the little children will get adopted, but once the kids are around 10 and up, no one will adopt them and they will live at the orphanage till they turn 18. You see so much sadness in the…
The day after we landed there was a super cell storm and it poured all night. We woke up to a river outside our door:). Since we had not yet exchanged money or got groceries and water, we had to wade through the river to get to the store:) We were knee deep trekking along for a few miles (trying not to think about everything we were stepping on and everything that was floating in the water). The whole city was completely flooded and our street was actually better than most! Hey, its Brazil and this is just another adventure. …
After a long, turbulent flight and delayed layover, my family and I made it to Brazil safe and sound:)! It’s really good to be back and to have so much opportunity before us and so many open doors, we pray for Gods grace to carry us. We have had to do a lot of work these last weeks to get stuff ready. The vehicle that we had here was not in the best shape and we had to work on it to get it fixed up and running again.
So much to do and so little time:)! It takes a lot of work to translate everything into Portuguese and figure out all our equipment, props costumes and gear. We are so extremely grateful to the individuals that donated to us Portuguese Gospels of John, stuffed animals, little toys, bracelets and chess boards. Shortly after we arrive we will be performing for a Christmas party at a large orphanage and we are happy to be able to bring some little toys and stuffed animals to give them for Christmas. The department of government that runs the prisons in Southern Brazil…
We spent a good amount of time in New York city working with so many. There are so many people that sit on the street corners with cardboard signs asking for help. So many sad stories. A few that really broke my heart were ones like, “Please see me”, “Today is my birthday, could anyone please help make this day a little special”, “I am just so hungry”. You see just crowds and crowds pouring past these people and so few see them. No matter what we face dear friends, we have to “see” each other and never let our…
It has been a great privilege to help and work with so many people in Chicago. So many have suffered so much due to the gang violence in this city. It is just so tragic how many shootings have occurred. It makes me so angry that more is not being done to help all the innocent people that get caught up in the violence. We worked with a lot of people as well as making up a tun of care/lunch packages and just walking the streets helping and talking to those along the way. Even on along the Magnificent mile…
We spent time working in Denver and Ohio. So many beautiful people. Right now Dayton is dealing with a serious drug problem, the stats are just overwhelming of how many people are becoming addicted and losing there lives from Opioid and Meth. So many children suffer greatly from parents that are addicts.
We decided to sell our belongs and get back on the road. We have been invited to many places back in Brazil and requested to continue our work in the prisons there. We want to work in the US for a few months before we head back since there is so much need here as well.
After we got back from Asia we continued to work in Las Vegas to save up money. We each worked two jobs as servers at famous restaurants on the strip. During our time working, we were also able to continually work with the homeless and help those in need. There are tent cities where many homeless live, especially by Fremont street. We also took trips to New York, Seattle, Chicago and Denver to work with different groups of people. Our employers gave us time off here and there so we could get to these places. So many suffer in silence…
We arranged to have a long layover in China on our way back. This allowed us to visit, and get to touch the country without having to each buy a visa. China allows you to visit the country without a visa if you are only going to visit for less than 72hours. Obviously since China is still communist we had to use caution in what we did and where we went. We were able to walk the streets, talk to the crowds and hand out our color flyers that we also translated into Mandarin. The Chinese are a beautiful people…
Thanksgiving today and I am so grateful to be here!! We performed on the streets, parks and subway stops. It was really cool to use laughter as a way to break through their wall and find a crack in their armor. In one act we depict a child playing with a ball. Eventually the ball is stollen away and he is given a heavy burden instead (such is life as we loose our innocence and take on the world). In the end someone depicting our Lord, takes back the burden and gives him back the ball (just summing it up,…
We woke up to an earthquake that shook the apartment where we were staying. There were aftershocks the next two days. The earth quake delayed a number of trains throughout the city making the already crammed metros even more crammed(you wouldn’t think that was possible but it was:)) There was also a heavy snow storm the last day we were there. It was the first time it had snowed this early in 50 something years. It was so pretty and magical! I loved it. One morning we squeezed in a hike up a nearby mountain. You could see Mount Fuji…
We split up and visited the largest fish market in the country and also the largest China town (I guess there are a lot of “largest” in Japan:)) We talked to so many from all walks of life. A simple phrase I learned in each language was, “Don’t give up!” I would say it over and over to the crowds on the streets and when we performed. I would see it lift peoples countenance and even make them smile. Sometime, when you see someone who is down, try it, tell them not to give up, lift them up. Kindness is like…
It was amazing that in a city this massive, the homeless were basically invisible and hidden from society. Late at night and early morning we would find the metro stations full of the homeless hiding out and sleeping wherever they could. They were so grateful for anything and any word of hope and encouragement.
Most evenings we would end up standing on the corners of Shibuya to talk to so many and give out the beautiful color flyers we had worked hard to create and translate into Japanese. This is the busiest crossing in the world with over one million people crossing a day. Around 10k each time the light changes! We touched so many.
Since we did not speak much Japanese , we also used theater and dance to help communicate ideas and messages. We used magic to communicate ideas like little seed taking root and growing, or to communicate how starting to care about someone else can be like magic and lift you up. We do an act of a caterpillar becoming a butterfly to communicate the new life we can each find in the Father. I talked to a number of young people who had no Bible and no way to get one. The religion of the nation is called, Shinto, “It is…
We got up really early and each took a different train to a university. All the students got out at 12 and since most of them spoke English we were able to talk to so many and give them material to read. Many had never read the Bible and it was so awesome to give them one for the first time.
It was a challenge communicating in countries where we did not speak the language at all. We used theater, dance and music to communicate on the streets. We did theatrical performances and skits to communicate different messages. The one we were doing in the picture below depicts a man spending his whole life chasing the dollar bill. Gradually he grows old and dies miserable and empty still chasing money. It really hit home to a lot of people, especially in Japan where their culture revolves around success and everyone is consumed with the newest, best things.
Because of our budget, we were on a very tight time frame for this trip and so had to squeeze a lot into each day. Our flight from Manila to Japan left at 5am and since we got back late from being out all day on the streets of Manila, we got no sleep before our journey (We were kind of sleep walking and I am just grateful we got on the right flight and didn’t end up in Zimbabwe :)) Once we landed in Tokyo we had to take a two hour train to where we were staying. It…
There were so many kids living on the streets just trying to survive. In 2013 Typhoon Haiyan killed more than 10,000 Philippines and left many with no where to live. Many families came to Manilla seeking to start over and ended up living on the streets. Malaria is something they constantly have to deal with and we had to take great measures to avoid. The children had absolutely nothing and were very desperate for both love and attention as well as physical provision. I just love making them laugh and seeing their eyes full of wonder because of a magic…
(See photos at the bottom of this post) It was around 107 degrees with high humidity. They had a huge parachute they strung up to give everyone shade. A head director in one of the prisons actually translated for us our entire presentation into Tagalog to ensure that all the inmates understood everything (they all speak some English). There gratitude was incredible and they all begged that we would come back. They set up big speakers and sound equipment for us so that everyone in the whole prison could here. They introduced us and gave us a warm welcome. It was like they…
We visited a few of the large universities in Manilla, including the largest Catholic university in the world. We had talked to so many and had crowds of students who were so grateful that we had come there. We took the side car transportation to get around since the traffic was hopeless. It was so hot here, one day it got up to 107 with high humidity and to think that it was freezing in Korea!
Manilla was definitely one of the poorest and most desperate cities I have ever been to. There was a board walk by the water that was literally full of people sleeping on it. In some case whole families had little camps made up. They wander the streets in the day, and then spend the night here. Its really sad. The need was just overwhelming and the only answer I could offer them was the only real answer there is…for all of us. That we have a loving Father who is kind and patient and wants to help us. He can…
(See more pictures at the bottom of this post) After many phones calls, emails and faxes sent, we were miraculously able to get authorization to visit the prisons in Manilla where they brought out all the men to see our performance and listen to us. It was such a privilege (and a big gulp). If you follow world news, you’ll know a little about how bad the situation in the Philippines is. The current president has a very strong stance against drugs and has basically given the cops a “shoot on sight” ordinance on anyone reported as using or dealing…
We left early Sunday morning and flew to the Philippines. Talk about a different culture! From the perfectly clean and quiet streets of Seoul, to the third world, dirty noisy streets of Manila. They used side cars attached to motorcycles for taxis. The traffic was so bad everywhere, like complete grid lock, if you wanted to get anywhere one of these things was the fastest (all though not the safest…or cleanest..). The price and speed depended on how many people the driver could cram on (one fat guy and your in trouble:)). A taxi driver we had cracked us up…
There was a massive protest going on to impeach the president (who is now impeached). It was a gathering of a few million people. We found a spot up on a pick up truck where we could get above the people to share with the crowds and hand out a lot of flyers. Preparing for this trip we made beautiful color pictures and wrote a message containing the hope and forgiveness of the Gospel. After a lot of time and work, we were able to translate them into Japanese, Korean, Mandarin and Tagalog. It was very difficult for a number…
One day when we were down town in Seoul Korea, ministering on the streets, we realized that we were only a few blocks from Kukkiwon, the world head quarters of Tae Kwon Do. My brothers and sisters and I are all second degree black belts in the sport and incorporate this art in our performance. It was cool to see the center where we originally got our black belt certificates from. Life is a fight and if we can win our mind, we can change our life. We can fight to not give up. We can fight with kindness to touch…
We performed at a number of different parks, plazas and market places in Seoul, Korea. There was one area where all the university students would go on Friday and Saturday nights called Hongdae. It was just packed with crowds. Very large crowds gathered to watch our performance and hear us. It was a challenge since there were only three of us to keep our performance going and prepare for the next thing. Laughter is such a powerful thing. You can win a crowd if you can make them laugh and then, before they even realize it, plant a seed of…
We got out before 6am and took the metro to all different parts of the city. It was a challenge navigating the metro and figure out where to go. We visited many of the large universities in Seoul. Most of the students spoke English and we were able to communicate so much with them.
Seoul Korea has an anual lantern festival where they tell the story of their history on a river with lit up statues. It was really cool to see and drew large crowds. It was super cold out, some nights freezing, but was a great place to reach a lot of people.
We had to fit a lot into each day since due to our budget we were on a tight time frame and had limited days in each country. So the same day we arrived in Seoul Korea, we dropped our bags in our the very small room we rented (which took about an hour to find on some back streets:)) and headed out to the center. The streets were just packed with crowds and it was so exciting to touch the Asian culture for the first time. It was a challenge communicating since we only spoke very limited Korean. WE…
As well as continuing our work in South America and the U.S, we also want to touch Africa, Australia, Eastern Europe and Asia and are praying for the Lords leading and provision. Recently, all though at this time we could not afford to all go, I was able to find inexpensive plane tickets and save up enough to take a trip with two of my brothers. We visited Seoul, South Korea, Tokyo, Japan, Manilla in the Philippines and Shanghai, China. These are among the largest cities in the world and it was an absolutely incredible trip. We landed in Seoul, South…
We had to come back to the US for a while to work and save up money. We are all working as waiters and waitress at restaurants and each have two jobs so we can save up quicker. It was hard to leave Brazil, especially when so many doors had been open to us in the city, schools and prisons, but we hope to save up enough to be able to stay longer in the future.
We had to go down a long winding tunnel and through a lot of locked gates to reach the area where we could perform. We passed by many cells with men calling out to us and asking us what was going on. There was a massive storm brewing in the distance since we were right on the coast and we had to hurry everything along because we knew we were on the clock. We had to quickly set up and be very focused in what we did and said. My brothers and sisters and I do a Tae Kwon Do choreography…
It was such a privilege to hold, dance with and love these children and touching to see their sadness slowly turn into a smile then a laugh. I had been able to get a bunch of lightly used stuffed animals donated from thrift stores in the States to bring. I had enough to give each child one and they really meant a lot to them. My brother also designed a coloring book with an inspiring story and a company donated crayons to us so they each got this as well. The parents were so grateful for our words of hope and encouragement…
Getting our van into the area where we had to unload our equipment was tough. We hit the roof backing up and damaged our back doors a little, but not too bad. It took work to get through to these men, they were more harden criminals and had been in for a long time. It is amazing how laughter is like medicine and sometimes, if you make someone laugh, you win their heart and their trust to talk about deeper things. When I did my Irish step dance here and shared my story of how I recovered from being in…
This park is a great spot because people from all the surrounding villages come here with theirs families to relax and enjoy the evening. We constantly run into people we have seen at other places, including in prisons. A large Capoeira group watched us perform a dance we do that incorporates the Brazilian martial art of Capoeira. After it they joined in and “played” with us in a large “Roda” (pronounced “hoda” meaning “circle” in which players take turns entering two at a time).
Sometimes people say that you can’t really change a life in a short encounter and you would have to be continually working with the same people to make any real difference. But if you look at the life of Jesus, He constantly met with individuals for a short time, sometimes just once and changed them forever. Look at the women at the well (Jn.4), the thief on the cross who exchanged one sentence with Jesus and found eternal life, and so many others. Anyway, its just encouraging to think that even one moment of touching another persons life with reality and…
We went back a few times to continue working on the septic system in this prison and teaching the men how to do it. My brother is a certified welder and since the prison already has welding tools for certain projects, he was able to teach a few guys how to weld frames to then fill with concrete and use to cover the hole where the sewage drains into. This will make a huge difference in getting rid of the terrible smell. It had rained the day before and a lot of the patios were flooded so this delayed the…
We were invited to visit a hospital for children battling cancer, the press covered this event as well and some of the pictures are ones they sent to us. We performed outside for a group of kids that were able to come out along with their parents and nurses. Afterward we went room to room in the hospital and visited the kids that are bed-ridden with our costumes, puppets and magic. These kids are so precious and some of them have been in the hospital for a long time. One young girl, about 17 was there because her niece has…
The press heard about the work we are doing in the city and sent a crew to document our performance in this women prison. They were really taken with what we do and the effect it has been having. They printed articles and broadcast a program on the evening news. We are hoping this will lead to more opportunities and more open doors. My brothers do a comedy act that is just hilarious, I have seen it a thousand times and I still laugh and look forward to seeing the crowd react. In short, a “dog” steals a soccer a…
I love performing for families and it means so much to people, especially poor families, that we do not ask for money and that they can just enjoy our show and not feel like they have to give us anything in return. We do a theatrical act and narrate a story where a caterpillar becomes a butterfly and realizes that if he gives up what he knows, he can become something new. After we dance a choreography, we choose little kids from the audience (sometimes too many little kids and it gets a bit chaotic :)) and give them butterfly wings…
We had to ask permission from the prisoners in order to be allowed to go in. They of course have no idea who we are or what we are going to do. At first they assumed we were staff because we were dressed in black and did not want us to come in (we wear black uniforms simply because they hide sweat and dirt in the extreme heat.). After some explaining the head guy let us in and after about 30 min (of making them laugh and stumping them with magic) we had won them all. We were able to teach…
The conditions at this women’s prion are better as in cleaner, but the prison is in a city way in the middle of no where and looks like an abandoned warehouse. Again, they never get visitors because they are so far out here and all the women are very sad and depressed. In the pictures you can see an act we do about soil and seeds. Certain soil is better than other soil for the cultivation of plants. There once was an island that burned to the ground but then from the ashes a vine grew that contained the sweetest grapes ever…
With some calculations, planning and letters, my family and I were able to get the authorization and the supplies to install the plumbing for a number of patios. My father and brother are construction minded so we were able to come up with a practical way to repair the situation. MY whole family worked on this project along side some of the prisoners and guards. It took a number of trips just to get all the piping from the hardware store to this way out in the middle of nowhere prison. This prison had no septic system and raw sewage…
We put together about 100 meals, loaded our van and spent the day with people on the streets and at a few shelters down town. I think some of the most beautiful people I have met are homeless and I have become friends with some of those that can always be found in the same spot down town. One guy, whose name is Ronaldo, has no legs due to polio and its really hard for him to move out of the sun, yet he still always has a smile and upbeat attitude. Another man, named Leo, has a teenage son with…
On the way to the prison we passed so many small villages that were barely standing. “Houses” were mere shacks, kids played in fields full of trash, there was no running water or electricity and they were in the middle of no where. We found ourselves asking, If this is how the common people live, can you imagine what the prisons are really like? At this prison the head guard was actually from Ireland, and really loved when I danced Irish step dance for all the prisoners. This was the second presentation we had done for this prison and the other…
We stayed after our presentation for a long time, talking to the men, teaching them games, exercise routines and bits of english. I love teaching the game of chess and giving out a chess board (which were donated to us by ChessHouse). When the evening came and the guards called that we had to leave, all the men gathered to gather and shouted, ” Que volte!”, come back. It really touched us. The gang leader who was in charge of the patio and reluctantly gave us permission to enter, ended up asking if he could have a Bible. We have visited this prison…
We always want to bring the men a snack or treat of some kind but to get anything in this large of a quantity is expensive. So we came up with the idea of making large batches of pop corn (since its cheep) and bagging it into 300 or 400 bags. It takes a lot of time on a small stove and obviously in the big picture, its nothing in comparison to the immense needs they have but at least for a moment, it really cheers them up. We also give out reading material, Bibles, and inspiring posters as well…
My mother made most of the costumes we use, including large skirts and culture shirts for us. We do a version of their “Gaucho” cultural dance which is a dance you do with a partner but in a circle. Even though we have a ways to go before we are even close to as good as they are, the crowd is really touched that we try and care enough about their culture to do it. After we do it, people will participate and show us other steps. This dance is like a key to open hearts and win peoples trust,…
When we came in with our all our equipment to perform, an entire swat team went in ahead of us with weapons drawn to sweep every area and cell, it was really incredible. This prison is so far in the middle of nowhere that most of the prisoners never get visitors. The conditions are horrendous. It is considered one of the most dangerous in the region and when we first approached the director, he said there was no way we would be allowed to get in because they could not secure our safety. After a long time of explaining to him…
Today is my dads birthday and we had two events scheduled, however we had to reschedule them because the street out our door was completely flooded as was the only road to reach our destination. The power was out for a while so no fans or fridge, but don’t worry, eventually ONE guy with flip flops on showed up to fix the power for 250,000 people. Oh yeah, this looks hopeful! The main power box is literally right below my window so every morning I got to watch (and hear) the fixing process. With a chisel, he eventually dug a hole…
Mardi Gras is huge in Brazil! Mostly in the Northern Cities like Rio and Salvador, but even here in the South, large crowds fill the streets to celebrate. We were invited to various festivals and were able to touch people from all over Brazil.
We performed for a very large Catholic festival that was for families in a poor neighborhood. Before we were even set up there was a big crowd waiting and everyone instantly got into our music. We do an act wearing all neon with high energy music. One of my brothers wears a cool costume he made out of heater ducking tubes and my other two brothers plug into him like he is charging them. A bit hard to explain, but through the act we convey the idea that we each have a free will, and if we engage our will to think, to love, to care,…
There was a massive horrible storm that hit here. It destroyed thousands of trees and buildings. The park where we performed (you can see it in the very top picture), looks like king kong walked through it (yes I know king kong is not real:). Every where there are huge thick trees that have been snapped in two. 300,000 people lost power and water. We had to buy drinking water and then fill buckets with rain water to wash and flush the toilet for awhile. The wind was hurricane force and in the center there was certain kind of tornado. We had a…
We performed for half the prison at the same time, about 400 men. They were so grateful and eager to participate in everything. I love to see them laugh, it makes everything we go through worth it. The prisons here are run very differently then other countries. Brazil has the 4th largest prison population in the world with most prisons being at double the capacity they were built for. The conditions are outrageous and violate human rights. I met a man named Marcos who had been shot in the spinal cord and was paralyzed Imagine not only living in hell, but…
