Long story short (for the prayer sheet) – Mike Jewell is rejoicing that Jose, Eliana, Marcia, Eduardo, Edson, Sabrina, and Tadeu (the family that Mike has been working with for some time now)came to church as a family for the first time last night! Pray for their salvation.
Short story long – read on if you want to know how God brought it all together.
In computerese “ALL CAPS” is equal to SCREAMING (oops... sorry about that). But that is what I feel like doing this morning. Not in anger nor frustration but in excitement, joy, and praise to God!
Being alone for these last few days (13 days and 16 hours at this writing) has been teaching me things about myself that I had never learned in my fifty-five years. I am selfish, I am not as sloppy as I thought I might be (no dishes in the sink, most of the dirty clothes washed and put away, and I even vacuumed the house!), I can cook if I have to, I have my moods, I love my wife and family, and I need God (good thing for a missionary to know).
In a mood on Saturday I informed God that I was seriously considering NOT coming back to Brazil as a missionary. After asking God why I should I scrawled these words, “I await your response.” I was treading in scary territory.
As mentioned in earlier communiques this term has had its difficulties and it often seems to me that our efforts at church planting have been futile. Usually a step back and a look at the bigger picture (God's view) helps to refresh my missionary vigor. My mood didn't allow that on Saturday morning.
I “await(ed)” just eight hours for God's first “response”. At 2:00 PM our kid's Bible club started with 15 present; Including Jose Carlos, who hadn't been in church for several weeks. Two more kids showed up about twenty minutes later bringing our number to a record 17. That was the biggest “crowd” that we'd had in years!
Abigail (one of our teens not to be confused with Abby my daughter) helped with the music. Mara gave the story (about George Mülher), and Carlinhos lead the games (If your on your toes you will notice that that was an all Brazilian cast. Always an encouragement to a church planter! And one of God's first of several responses).
His next “response” came after church Sunday morning when Carlinhos and Mara invited me over for lunch. During table talk Mara related how that she was able to talk with Eliana after Club. “Pastor, I think that it is better for people to hear how God changes a person's life from people like me and Carlinhos rather than from pastors. They automatically think that you should be really different, more spiritual, than someone in the world. But coming from someone like us has an impact on people”. I thought that interesting commentary from a four year old Christian (she's 40 but been saved for 4 years).
In her talk Mara shared her heart with Eliana regarding her relationship with Christ and how He had made THE difference in her life. She encouraged her to come to church and see what she was missing.
I was really heartened by this interjection into Eliana's life from another channel and I looked forward to our afternoon Bible study with her and the kids. I was doubly encouraged as Carlinhos offered to come with me. God is placing a real burden on his heart for the people of our neighborhood.
We arrived and were greeted by Eduardo, who is usually very bubbly about the study (at nine years old he is the only saved member of the family). Today he was hesitant about our entry but asked us to come in. We entered the humble kitchen and I immediately noticed that Eliana was crying (not good!). She didn't want to talk and didn't want to be a part of the study (really not good).
Eduardo's dad Jose was there and glumly stood by as we studied with Eduardo. He wasn't talking either. The lesson was appropriately about “The believer's enemy, Satan.” Eduardo read several texts that I knew that they could only be God's perfect response to the need of the hour.
The lesson (the last one in the book) was over fairly quickly and we left. I offered to give the kids a short ride in the van around the block (a rare treat for these little ones) and was granted permission. All the while I was racking my brain as to how I could help Jose and Eliana. Nothing came to mind and I dropped the kids off after at the curb.
I went home totally dejected. I knew that there was a possibility that I could help this couple but was stymied as to how. I sat at the computer and said, “Father,what do you want me to do...?”
My gaze into the pile of bibles, commentaries, and notations for my evening message slowly focused on one of the outline points for that message (Another response), from Isaiah 61.1. It reminded me that I was to “...bind up the brokenhearted”.
Interesting that. The text pictures an object that has been totally destroyed (like a clay jar on rock hard ground) being bound back together by a taut and miracle working embrace.
With another God given “response” I returned to the house saying, “Father, help me, I don't know what I am doing.” I was nearly denied entrance at the gate but this misson was God's and not mine so the gate slowly opened and I went again into the humble kitchen.
Over the next hour and some I said very little, except under my breath, “Father don't You want to save this family?!”
Everyone was mad. No one wanted to talk except the kids, who hadn't seemed to be fazed by the fracas. At one point I thought that I was making some progress but in the end I simply invited the two to come to church in the evening and ended the conversation with prayer asking God for His salvation.
A few hours later, in pre-service prayer meeting I asked to prayer first because I was awaiting the arrival of a family that I had invited (though it was more wishful thinking than real hope that they would show up). Seconds before the start of service Edson, Sabrina (they don't come to night church) walked through the door followed by Jose (Another response)! I hugged and welcomed him with excitement!
We were into the second or third hymn when Marcia, Eliana, and Eduardo, walked through the door (Another really cool response)! The sight literally took my breath away. THAT WAS ALL GOD'S DOING! And so there they sat. As a family listening to a message of God's love, care, and salvation. Pray with me for God's continued responses to this family's needs and His Holy Spirit's work in all of their salvation!
Short story long – read on if you want to know how God brought it all together.
In computerese “ALL CAPS” is equal to SCREAMING (oops... sorry about that). But that is what I feel like doing this morning. Not in anger nor frustration but in excitement, joy, and praise to God!
Being alone for these last few days (13 days and 16 hours at this writing) has been teaching me things about myself that I had never learned in my fifty-five years. I am selfish, I am not as sloppy as I thought I might be (no dishes in the sink, most of the dirty clothes washed and put away, and I even vacuumed the house!), I can cook if I have to, I have my moods, I love my wife and family, and I need God (good thing for a missionary to know).
In a mood on Saturday I informed God that I was seriously considering NOT coming back to Brazil as a missionary. After asking God why I should I scrawled these words, “I await your response.” I was treading in scary territory.
As mentioned in earlier communiques this term has had its difficulties and it often seems to me that our efforts at church planting have been futile. Usually a step back and a look at the bigger picture (God's view) helps to refresh my missionary vigor. My mood didn't allow that on Saturday morning.
I “await(ed)” just eight hours for God's first “response”. At 2:00 PM our kid's Bible club started with 15 present; Including Jose Carlos, who hadn't been in church for several weeks. Two more kids showed up about twenty minutes later bringing our number to a record 17. That was the biggest “crowd” that we'd had in years!
Abigail (one of our teens not to be confused with Abby my daughter) helped with the music. Mara gave the story (about George Mülher), and Carlinhos lead the games (If your on your toes you will notice that that was an all Brazilian cast. Always an encouragement to a church planter! And one of God's first of several responses).
His next “response” came after church Sunday morning when Carlinhos and Mara invited me over for lunch. During table talk Mara related how that she was able to talk with Eliana after Club. “Pastor, I think that it is better for people to hear how God changes a person's life from people like me and Carlinhos rather than from pastors. They automatically think that you should be really different, more spiritual, than someone in the world. But coming from someone like us has an impact on people”. I thought that interesting commentary from a four year old Christian (she's 40 but been saved for 4 years).
In her talk Mara shared her heart with Eliana regarding her relationship with Christ and how He had made THE difference in her life. She encouraged her to come to church and see what she was missing.
I was really heartened by this interjection into Eliana's life from another channel and I looked forward to our afternoon Bible study with her and the kids. I was doubly encouraged as Carlinhos offered to come with me. God is placing a real burden on his heart for the people of our neighborhood.
We arrived and were greeted by Eduardo, who is usually very bubbly about the study (at nine years old he is the only saved member of the family). Today he was hesitant about our entry but asked us to come in. We entered the humble kitchen and I immediately noticed that Eliana was crying (not good!). She didn't want to talk and didn't want to be a part of the study (really not good).
Eduardo's dad Jose was there and glumly stood by as we studied with Eduardo. He wasn't talking either. The lesson was appropriately about “The believer's enemy, Satan.” Eduardo read several texts that I knew that they could only be God's perfect response to the need of the hour.
The lesson (the last one in the book) was over fairly quickly and we left. I offered to give the kids a short ride in the van around the block (a rare treat for these little ones) and was granted permission. All the while I was racking my brain as to how I could help Jose and Eliana. Nothing came to mind and I dropped the kids off after at the curb.
I went home totally dejected. I knew that there was a possibility that I could help this couple but was stymied as to how. I sat at the computer and said, “Father,what do you want me to do...?”
My gaze into the pile of bibles, commentaries, and notations for my evening message slowly focused on one of the outline points for that message (Another response), from Isaiah 61.1. It reminded me that I was to “...bind up the brokenhearted”.
Interesting that. The text pictures an object that has been totally destroyed (like a clay jar on rock hard ground) being bound back together by a taut and miracle working embrace.
With another God given “response” I returned to the house saying, “Father, help me, I don't know what I am doing.” I was nearly denied entrance at the gate but this misson was God's and not mine so the gate slowly opened and I went again into the humble kitchen.
Over the next hour and some I said very little, except under my breath, “Father don't You want to save this family?!”
Everyone was mad. No one wanted to talk except the kids, who hadn't seemed to be fazed by the fracas. At one point I thought that I was making some progress but in the end I simply invited the two to come to church in the evening and ended the conversation with prayer asking God for His salvation.
A few hours later, in pre-service prayer meeting I asked to prayer first because I was awaiting the arrival of a family that I had invited (though it was more wishful thinking than real hope that they would show up). Seconds before the start of service Edson, Sabrina (they don't come to night church) walked through the door followed by Jose (Another response)! I hugged and welcomed him with excitement!
We were into the second or third hymn when Marcia, Eliana, and Eduardo, walked through the door (Another really cool response)! The sight literally took my breath away. THAT WAS ALL GOD'S DOING! And so there they sat. As a family listening to a message of God's love, care, and salvation. Pray with me for God's continued responses to this family's needs and His Holy Spirit's work in all of their salvation!
God truly answers pray in his timing and in His way. You know the old saying "keep your chin up" but in this case keep your chin downand your eyes focused on him.
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