Our New Ministry

Have I explained our new ministry? We are in a new church plant. It is called Faith Baptist Church (Igreja Batista da Fé) and is on the north side of the city of Sorocaba. Our other churches (New Life, Calvary and Hope) are sending teams each Sunday to help with Junior church, song leading, special music and the like. This last Sunday at church Aline from Hope said to me that her husband Cristiano didn't know that we were working in the new church plant! I was a bit shocked with her statement but it made me wonder... "have I officially told anyone?" I thought that I had but if you are not aware, let me explain.

This work is a bit different than our first two works. In those we were in a team of Americans planting a church in Brazil. This time we are still planting a church in Brazil but we are a part of a Brazilian team. Our coworker Alexandre is the team leader and also less than half my age. He came to Christ in 1999 at our Calvary work and then felt God's call to ministry and graduated from our Bible College in Curitiba in 200? (2005 I believe).

Back in early July he sent us an invitation while we (I) was still stewing about what the Lord would have us do when we got back to Brazil with our team in the transition of "Home Assignment". Wow, that was a long sentence. And I thought that it was just that, a long sentence, that I was looking at with our rapidly approaching return to Brazil. Alexandre's invitation was an option but in saying that "I'd pray about it" I didn't give the idea much hope.

Though I was initially reluctant to accept the invitation I now realize that this is where God wants us for now. We have seen several children, adults and teens make professions of faith in these last few weeks. The neighborhood is a rough one but our God is more than able to tame the ruffians. Just the other night while visiting one of our teen's parents, the father said, "This is no place to try and raise kids! If I get the chance I'm getting out of here!" Alexandre's confident reply reflected both his and our desire, "We're going to change this neighborhood!" Of course he meant that the Word of God has the power necessary to make that everlasting difference.

Faith Baptist started in March and we joined the effort in late August. We meet in a school building on Sunday afternoon from 4:00 to 5:00. On Sunday mornings we hand out tracts and invite kids and adults to come to a short game time/ Bible story time on the playground. So far we have been averaging 25 each week with several professions of faith. During the week we have "In House" prayer meeting. These times too have been special and have seen lives affected for the Savior.

Alexandre has key rings with little foam hearts (telling the wordless book story). After each story on Sunday morning we give our key chain to a boy or girl who paid attention and sat still. Two weeks ago I shared with Denis. He went home and shared the story with his mom Maria. Both she and her sister have come church two weeks in a row. Maria is a barber and I had her cut my hair last Friday. She shared about how excited Denis is about church and Bible club and how that he has her listen to the verses that he is memorizing! Praise the Lord. Pray for Maria, her husband Jose and Denis, and us too!

Hot Enough to Cook a Pizza!

It has been quite a hot week here in northern Sorocaba. The last few days have each been a 100 degrees or better and with air conditioning scarce one tries to lay low. We spent Monday in a mountain stream and so didn't notice the heat too much. This morning at about 1:55, however, was a different story.

I was awakened from REM sleep by a dive bombing mosquito that sounded like an F16 on a suicide mission. As I staggered from the bedroom and came as close to my senses as I could at that hour I realized that I was dripping wet from head to toe! I'd been under the sheets. I guzzled a cup of water and tried to remember what planet I was on. I wondered if Al Gore might have a point with his goofy global warming idea (just kidding!).

But as the day wore on it has gotten hotter. Dawn's oven thermometer is coming in handy to get a read on just how hot. I'm not kidding! Just yesterday that little gizmo climbed to 107!

Our house has a vaulted ceiling that is about 13 feet at its peak and are we glad for that! The sun broiling on the clay tile roof takes awhile to heat up which makes the mornings rather bearable. The afternoons and evenings the house begins to really get cozy as the warmth begins to accumulate and by bed time, OH BROTHER! The choice becomes, "Do I stay out from under the sheets and suffer being levitated by the F16s or do I go under and suffocate?

So, where does the pizza come into this article? Alexandre had a contest a few weeks ago and the winners got a pizza party. Since we are the new "kids" on the block our house was elected for the festivities. In just moments we will be invaded by six giggling, screaming and laughing little girls who will be dying to make (probably for the first time) pizza. It is really going to be fun!

So what that the oven is going to be at 350 for an hour. Who cares that the pizza will be really hot. We won't even notice the heat... until about 1:55am that is.

Spirited Conversation with a Spiritist

Oh NO... I feel a trend coming on. Cutesy titles (if you remember my last one, congratulations).

Anyway, I went downtown yesterday afternoon to get a tiny screwdriver. I was in the middle of taking my Sony 150, 8 mp digital camera apart. I had preserved it's life during my trip to the waterfalls. Well, almost preserved it anyway. During my last half hour there I had stuck it in my shorts pocket. That was just before I stepped into a BIG hole in the riverbed and soaked that very same pocket!

Anyway as I was doing open heart surgery on my Sony I came to a minuscule screw that I thought needed to be remove. It was that tiny tool that lead me to an hour long talk with a Spiritist. This particular Spiritist is my coworker's (Alexandre) father who happens to own a tool store in town.

Yesterday was a blistering 107 and as I made the 20 minute trip downtown I wondered if I wouldn't melt before I found my "Barbie" screwdriver. On a lark I thought that I would visit Alexandre's dad's store. As we small talked for a few minutes the first Narnia movie came into the conversation. My friend thought that it was interesting how that Asland had to die to pay the witch's ransom. It was a perfect lead-in to the Gospel, so I let him have it both barrels! It was my first time sharing with him.

Turns out that he has heard it ALL before and cares nothing whatsoever for the Gospel, the Bible, Jehovah or church. As he rambled on I learned some very interesting facts about the United States: We have alien remains at Area 54 (like that is a new idea). We can't return to the moon because we were warned NOT to come back by it's inhabitants! We actually have communicated with extra terrestrials (through, of all mediators, the Roman Catholic Church).

His was, what seemed to me, a twisted rambling of oddities that left me wondering how on earth he makes sense of his "Religious" views. We both stepped on each other's toes pretty hard for the next 50 minutes. One of my consolations was that the Holy Spirit, though He has no toes, can cause much more discomfort in other's spiritual toes than I can. Both my friend (whose name escapes me) and Martins the JW need desperate help that only the Holy Spirit of the Living God can deliver.

It was later that evening that Alexandre shared his frustration about his father with me. He told me that there was a point in his seminary training that he told God, "If killing me will help my parents come to You, I am willing for that to happen!" Please pray for the miracle of salvation in both Ale's dad and his mom's lives. Thanks.

A Lively Day of the Dead

November 2nd in Brazil is a big day. It is the Day of the Dead. Not to be confused with that old B movie where one sees those zombie people walking out of the cemetery. It is a day where the nation shuts down to "honor" and remember their loved one who have gone on into eternity before them. I got the following article from Wikipedia:

"The Day of the Dead ... is a holiday celebrated in Mexico, [Brazil] and by Latin Americans living in the United States and Canada. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. The celebration occurs on November 1st, and November 2nd in connection with the Catholic holiday of All Saints' Day which occurs on November 1st and All Souls' Day which occurs on November 2nd. Traditions include building private altars honoring the deceased, using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed, and visiting graves with these as gifts."

Our day was NOT spent at the cemetary but in a lovely flowing stream about two hours south of Sorocaba in the small city of Tapiari. We had eight of our teens and one mom, Marcia, who spent the day in the lovely, crystal, cool water.

I thought that some of the stuff that we did was going to help us to be among the "honored" in NEXT years November 2 celebration. There were a few times that I thought that we were going to have to return home with the, "We have some good news and some bad news... what do you want first?" scenario. But praise our graceful Heavenly Father we were very protected all day long.

It was such a lovely day and we had such fun that it was difficult to imagine that there were actually many people who spent all or part of their day praying for their dearly departed loved ones. We were celebrating life and the just discovered eternal life of some of our newer teens. In fact just yesterday after church, Alexandre, Dawn and I spent an hour with a couple of the teens parents assuring them that we would be very careful with their young people as we spent the day with them. Neither of those parents are saved and we are praying that our little excursion today will help these precious parents to see their need for the Living Water of Jesus Christ.

Tiago

I met Tiago for the first time last night and our conversation was a rather short one as conversations go here in Brazil. Alexandre, Dawn, Maicom and I had just finished a couple of other visits when we were directed to Maicom's house for some odd reason. In fact as I got out of the van Dawn asked me something to that effect, "What are we doing here?" We were on our way to prayer meeting and if this chance meeting lasted too long we were going to be late!

As I hopped out into the busy street I was almost run over by a speeding mororcycle but that's quite common where we work. Maicom came running out of his house with Tiago sleeply following him in a half-awake stooper (mind you that this was 6:45pm!).

After about a minute of small talk Maicom said to me nearly under his breath, "So, where's your Sword?" With a half wink and a raising of his eyebrows I knew exactly what Maicom was doing. He later told me that he had bribed his brother (19years old) with a cookie, to come and talk "spiritual" things with me! Maicom has a zeal to see his disfunctional family saved.

For the next 10 minutes Tiago got a mini message of Hope. At the end I asked him if he had understood what I had said and he said that he had. He also said, "I know that I need to follow God it is just that I have been on the wrong path for so long I know that it will be hard to do."

He's right you know! Pray that God will help him find that narrow path.

So Much to Say (part 2)

(all names have been changed)

There are so many weird scenarios as to why people don't want to accept Christ but most boil down to pride or not wanting to give up a lifestyle. Even in very humble conditions we are finding that people do not want to give up their vices to come to the Savior.

There are exceptions, however. Last week I had the privilege of leading one such "exception" to the Savior. Jim has lived a life on the run. Because of a parole violation years ago he was told to "go and dig a hole somewhere far from Sao Paulo and disappear". And that was a police officer's suggestion!

The weight of that encounter on Jim's shoulders caused him to do just that. He ran until he reached Sorocaba. Through the years since that horrible day he had sought advice from several "pastors" and each had told him "You need turn yourself in to the authorities".

A recent, near fatal, family brawl brought Jim's wife to us crying and asking for help. As I sat for two hours and listened to his story God brought wise words to my mind which I in turn shared with Jim, "You need to turn yourself in to the Lord and allow Him to work on your case." It was just two days later on Sunday afternoon that Jim raised his hand at the invitation and then walked the isle to give himself to Christ! Just this past Sunday I had the privilege of leading his step daughter Julie to the Lord!

As we shared Christ's liberty with him again in our first study with he and his family just this Tuesday he said, "I have never been so happy in my life since I asked Jesus to come into my heart!" Jim and his wife Ellen are our first couple saved as a results of God's work through Igreja Batista da Fé (Faith Baptist Church)! Praise the Lord and pray with us for this new family.