“ Abre a mão ”
Open Hands in Southern Brazil
By Jan Dormer , Special Assignment Missionary
“ Abre a mão .” “ Open your hand .” I taught our group of Taylor University students this Portuguese expression as we headed to the airport for spring break in Brazil . We had prepared for many months , even reading Boldly I Obey , the story of my parents ’ OMS missionary service in Brazil . Rod , my husband , and I were joined by our daughter Danna Jo , the author of this book , as a coleader . “ Abre a mão ” conveys an attitude of generosity and flexibility . I envisioned this phrase helping our team of all women from one dorm to better handle the inevitable delays and schedule changes that occur on any mission trip . I never imagined how much we would need to put this expression into practice during our short nine days in Brazil .
Upon arrival in São Paulo , we missed our plane to Caxias do Sul in southern Brazil . “ Abre a mão .” After several hours , we finally booked a flight for the next day and got a hotel . It turned out we were within walking distance of a Brazilian feira , an open market the students would not have seen in the south . God brought good out of the delay in multiple ways as we also had time to share testimonies and gel as a team .
The next day , we arrived in Caxias do Sul to serve with the OMS-related Missionary Church Comunidade da Esperança . We
14