John of God has said that he prefers, when possible, that people going for the first time to the Casa go with an experienced guide.  As of March 2009, author Josie RavenWing has been a guide for 70 groups to the Casa.  She provides in-depth information about the functioning of the Casa and guidance throughout your stay in Brazil, translates, helps you with your healing process (including adding various perspectives and processes you can use from her own several decades of healing and spiritual work), and offers additional insights about Brazil's spiritual healing culture. In 1998, John of God/the healing entities of the Casa entrusted Josie with the mission of bringing people to the Casa from outside of Brazil, and have blessed the work she does with her groups.  She thus became the first North American Casa guide, and has also been a medium of the Casa since that time, assisting John at his request both at the Casa and on the rare occasions when he works outside of Brazil.