The Hopkins

While I was in Brazil I had a lot of great experiences, but when you boil it all down there were two which were the top. The first was being able to see and interact with a church which is very much like my own, very biblically based, and growing in both size and spiritual maturity all in a different and very dynamic culture. I will post an article on this sometime in the near future as time permits. The second great experience was the chance to spend some time with the Hopkins. On that note I thought I would just write a little bit about each family member.

A lot of people read my blog and never leave me comments so I don’t know who you all are. But before I start I thought I would encourage everyone reading this to consider signing up to support the Hopkins on the GMI missionary adoption site. Even if it’s only $10 a month it would be a huge help for them. With all the changes in currency conversion rates, things sometimes get difficult. $10 a month is making coffee at home one morning instead of going to Starbucks. Here is the link http://www.gracechurch.org/ma

TYLER: Tyler has a passion for ministry and for unreached people groups. I love people who have a vision for their life and ministry but at the same time are devoted to their own spiritual growth and their family. I got to go on a couple long walks in the park with Tyler, as well as hear him tell the team about his vision for how he contributes to the ministry in Fortaleza Brazil, and more in South Africa within his long term goals. He lives his life to the fullest for God, and at the same time is a great and fun dad for his kids and husband to his wife. Tyler is someone I would like to be more like.




GIGI: Gigi is like your best friend, sister, and mom all at once the first time you meet her. I really enjoyed how much she cared for everyone’s well being while we were there. Gigi was actually originally from Fortaleza, moved to the U.S. with Tyler, then to South Africa for a number of years and now back to Brazil. She also has a passion for ministry and is willing to help Tyler in whatever way she can. Gigi also plays a big role in the ministry to the slums of Brazil all while raising her three girls. Some people amaze me.




JULIE: I enjoyed getting to know Julie a little more and seeing how willing she is to serve at her church. Sometimes life can be a little hard for missionary kids, but I personally think they are lucky in a lot of ways to be able to learn a lot of life skills early on when many kids in the U.S. are watching TV or playing video games. I enjoyed Julie’s quite sincerity as she seems to think things through a lot as she encounters different obstacles in her life. She is also very involved in her youth group and plays on the band amidst various other things. I love it when kids catch on fire with the passion their parents have for ministry.




BRI: Bri was fun to hang out with and actually helped me as well as the rest of the team with a lot translating, as well as explaining different aspects of the culture. I could really see that she loved to be able to serve in the church in whatever way she can, and simply loves to be around God’s people. I enjoyed her cheesy humor and sometimes dry sarcasm which was almost akin to my own humor which for some reason a lot of people don’t ever seem to get. I was impacted when Bri, Julie, and Amelia all so quickly jumped in to help with the VBS stuff all without a second thought. Their quickness to do so and familiarity with the minstry made me notice that doing such is a regular pattern in their lives. This was confirmed as I saw them all serve in different areas of the church on Sunday.




AMELIA: Amelia is just always happy. She is the kind of girl who is always everyone’s friend. She was fun to have around for the week even though I already knew the answers to most of the riddles she threw at me. I also caught a little bit of her character when even though she had to miss some swim practices because the team needed to use the car she didn’t seem to complain about it and just took it in stride. She also suprisingly enough works at the food station for the main service at their church among other things.


Over all the time I spent with the Hopkins will get put up somewhere in the tops days of my year, and I will continue to pray for their current and future ministry endeavors. And finally don't forgot to sign up to support them both in pray as well as financially.