Superbowl Sunday!

Pastor Moreno always says that “Every Sunday is Super Bowl Sunday”, (meaning that, as servants of God Almighty, it is the highlight of our week in the proclamation of the Gospel and the Name of our Great God. Sunday is rarely a “travel day”. However, this last Sunday was one of those rare exceptions. I left at 9:15 AM from Calvary to take two families to Curitiba to begin their Bible college experience.

I've written about these families before and so this is more of an update than a testimony about how they came to this juncture of their lives. Ronaldo and Adailza and their three sons: Mateus, Lucas, and Tiago, will spend the next two to three years studying for the ministry. Sandro, Gislene, and their sons:Juan and Josue will spend the next five years in that pursuit.

As I mentioned in my previous note on these two couples their move is a huge step of faith in God. They will prove His faithfulness in the coming months as they train to serve Him.

On the trip down (Ronaldo and Sandro had left at 2:00 AM with the moving van) we stopped at a roadside restaurant to stretch our legs after about three hours of driving. We spent about twenty minutes there and then left. About five minutes down the road Adailza, Ronaldo's wife realized that in the commotion of our departure (trying to get three little boys corralled) she had left her purse next to one of the benches outside the restaurant.

It took us about fifteen minutes to make the return trip only to discover that the purse had “vanished”. We had all whispered a prayer of protection on that little black purse but it was gone! Things like purses left in public places rarely stay put, no matter what country your in. As I walked into the nearby shopping center to ask if a purse had been turned in I winced with doubt. But, praise be to our Heavenly Father, as I asked the check out girl if a purse had appeared the first word out of her mouth was, “Adailza?”

That was proof positive that they had found the purse because there are no other Adailza's on earth (or at least that I know of)! The manager of the store came out with the purse which still had her cell phone, her money (little though it was) and everything else a womans purse holds. He said, “MAN were you LUCKY!!!” NO! I replied, “... it is God's blessing and protection!” “Yeah you are very, very LUCKY!” he repeated. In his way he was saying that someone turning in a purse full of valuables was something that he had never seen before! He didn't understand that God was protecting our journey.

After nearly three more hours on the road we arrived safe and sound at just after 3:00 PM. As we stood in front of the Bible college apartments that these two families will call home for the next several years, Sandro said to me, “This seems like a dream! A dream come true!” Please rejoice with us that these two young couples have had the courage to dream BIG and have begun to see God move in their lives; preparing them for His ministry and His glory.

Mike

Don't forget that you can help them too by giving toward their studies. Write “National Assistance” on the memo line of your check to our account.

Daughter and dog...

About six months ago we discovered that Ann was pregnant and were very excited for she and Jackson. We will have babies on this side and that of the Atlantic. We weren't prepared for that news and we we were even less prepared for the news that our little dog is pregnant. To date we have spent more on the dog than on Annie (don't tell her... Ann that is). Ann has yet to discover whether her baby is a boy or girl. Both ultrasound images were inconclusive. Though I did some further investigation of my own and was startled with what I found. to me it looks as if the baby is definitely a boy and has some resemblance from both sides of the family. Take a look for yourself and let me know what you think.

God’s Orchestration

I love to see the Lord work His Salvation miracles. His works are Master Pieces of sweet music. They are arrangements that only He can make happen. Two weeks ago I began my second attempt at cello lessons. I had tried the instrument about five years ago and found my fingers so rusty and decrepit that I had given up after just a few months. So, why my second go? Here’s one short and sweet story. There is a youg man that works with Alexandre at school. He teaches music and is a musical genius. At sixteen he began a city wide music program to train young musicians in Sorocaba. Recently he has worked with two deaf children and has been able to teach them to play violin using a method that he developed. There doesn’t seem to be an instrument that he cannot play. His seventeen year old wife also plays the flute and is studying nursing. They are a very young but very sharp couple. In a conversation after the recent Recital Junior convinced me that it would be a good idea for me to take up...

Abs of Steel with Glasses

Have you ever wondered why Clark Kent always took his glasses off before he turned into Superman? I hadn’t ever thought about it either until this last Saturday when I almost got sucker-punched. Wellington, one of my spunky Juniors, wanted to wrestle. He feigned a punch to my gut and I said, “Go ahead. I have abs of steel!” I think that my gym visits might be going to my head because my abs of steel are buried under a healthy layer of blubber. I have improved my six-pack but it is far from chiseled. It looks more like a quarter of a keg. Anyway, quick as a wink and with near lightening speed Wellington said, “Yeah but up here is made of glass!” as his poke went within a hair’s breadth of my glasses! I belly-laughed. His rapid reflexes and wit had caught me by surprise. And what he said was so true and funny. It was an excellent though brief lesson. I often prepare for an oncoming fray. I get ready, set and then “BLAM”! The proverbial punch comes from a totally different direction. ...

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