Two months is a long time to be away from home living out of a backpack, but it was a blessing to lead the Xtreme Team, participate in the World Missions Conference and visit supporting churches from mid-June to mid-August.I even got to spend a few days with family and help Elena settle in at Willamette University in Oregon after spending the last year with us here in Brazil. But when the plane touched down in Belo Horizonte and I saw Ann and Asa through the glass of the arrival lounge, I realized just how good it is to be back home!

International Ministries created the Xtreme Team mission experience to connect young adults with global mission realities and cultivate in them a passion for God's mission in today's world. You can get more information on the Xtreme Team at its website http://www.xtremeteamonline.org. This year Xtreme Team Brazil, a team of 10 young adults and leaders, participated in a 6-week mission adventure that challenged them and stretched them in ways they are still discovering. You can still check out the daily journals and reflections of the team members on the team's weblog at http://xtreme-team-brazil.blogspot.com.

The Xtreme Team experience puts participants in the role of Jesus' disciples. What must it have been like to be a disciple of Jesus, to follow him around for those three amazing years of his ministry? The four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John tell us that the disciples didn't do a lot of ministry, but they learned a lot from watching the Master do ministry. They joined Jesus' "team" without knowing what to expect. They just dropped their stuff and followed. They learned by example: they saw, got involved, learned to see with new eyes, and were forced to reach their own conclusions. Most of the time they "didn't get it." But the book of Acts tells us that when the disciples received power from the Holy Spirit they understood—and then went out to do ministry to the ends of the earth.That's the result we are praying for from this year's Xtreme Team experience.

At the conclusion of their adventure, Xtremers shared their "xinsho" ("shin sho") learnings from their time in Brazil. We used this Chinese word to describe an "ah-ha" moment when the light bulb went on and we saw God at work. If you want an idea of how God worked on the hearts of the members of the team, just read their "xinsho" postings on the Xtreme Team website. The young adults that came to Brazil were not the same ones that returned to the US!

Those of us who were leaders didn't get to record our "xinshos", but we had them, too. The "ah ha" for me was the unpredictability that goes along with deciding to follow Jesus.I would like to keep Jesus in a box to make him more manageable.It is uncomfortable to willingly follow such an unpredictable Master regardless of the circumstances. We simulated this unpredictable life of a disciple by surprising members with "X-files." An X-file is a clue or message that announced the start of every new mission exposure for the team. Talk about a stretch!It was a struggle for them, especially at first, not to know what was coming or what would be expected of them.

Jesus was always giving his disciples X-files: come follow me and fish for people, go ahead and feed a crowd with this kid's lunch, we're leaving now for the other side of the lake, come walk on the water with me, I'm going to be handed over to the authorities for torture and crucifixion – and after this you'll get the greatest surprise: my resurrection from death. What amazing, unpredictable love!

As the Xtremers coped with a sometimes maddeningly unpredictable and unknown schedule, I discovered that I, too, want to know how all the dots connect ahead of time. ("I'd be a lot more cooperative if you'd just tell me what's going to happen, Lord!")Are you like that, too? Its one thing to talk about faith from the comfort of "everything is going my way and I'm in control here," but what about faith as an act of will in the face of the unknown?

My "xinsho" in a nutshell is this: faith when I think I understand and am in control is simply intellectual belief; but faith when I don't understand, when I'm not in control, and when the Master says, "Follow me, my beloved, I have something new for you" is a conscious decision, an act of the will. And I base that decision on who I know Jesus to be, and most of all on his love for me. The Xtremers had to make a decision every day to trust us leaders and simply follow their new "X-file." I have to make that daily decision as a disciple of Jesus, too.

We have passed the two-year mark of our ministry here in Brazil. We are grateful to God for all that we have been able to learn and do and for your support that made it possible for us to serve. But we are really still at the beginning. Now that our Portuguese language skills are increasingly up to the task, and our knowledge of JAMI and its global mission is deeper, what does God have in store for us? Are we in fact on the verge of something new and unexpected? When will the next "X-file" be coming? Pray with us that we will be found faithful when it does.

I see my "xinsho" at work in US churches and in International Ministries as well. For example, these next few months are critical ones for us and all who care about what International Ministries does to spread the good news of Jesus. We are promoting the World Mission Offering right now, the single largest source of financial support for God's mission through IM. We depend on the generous gifts you and your church make for a large part of our support. But what's going to happen? Will the offering be large enough for IM to continue to support ministries like ours in future years?

Join us in the decision to follow the Master wherever he leads, even if we don't understand how it's all going to turn out. Join us this month in an important act of faith and send your gift to International Ministries, PO Box 851, Valley Forge, PA 19482-0851 for the World Mission Offering.

Live as the disciples learned to live:love radically, give generously, and follow faithfully.

Bruce, Ann, Elena, and Asa Borquist

Belo Horizonte, Brazil