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Birthday Present

marcia Yesterday, Tuesday, we had our first Bible study with Marcia (left to right: Dawn, Jonatas, Marcia and Joelma, our coworker). She had informed me earlier that it was her birthday and so Dawn made a birthday cake. She celebrated her ___ years with the FIRST (yes first!) birthday cake she has ever had! Man that is hard for me to believe. I’ve been spoiled with about 56 in my lifetime!

During the study she related time and again how confusing her religious past has been. At one point she said, “I have been in church since childhood and NONE of my pastors have ever told me how I could have the Holy Spirit’s peace until you all shared it with me just two weeks ago!” She also had many good questions about spiritual things.

Marcia has four sons. It was her teen son João that got baptized just three weeks ago and we are seeing God begin to move in this family. The oldest, Josué (Joshua), is a big 250 lbs teddy bear and is in my juniors Sunday school class. He just LOVES his teacher and we are becoming buddies. He suffered a mishandled birth and is handicapped.

Jonatas (Jonathan) is four and a little pistol that aunt Dawn is learning to control and she’s good with this type of gun! I believe that the Lord is going to save these two young men real soon.

Pray that God continues to open the doors in this troubled home.

My visit with Alex has yet to happen but I am planning on seeing him within the next day or so. Yesterday he spent the day in the principal’s office after being left at school by his grandfather who said, “What this little good for nothing needs is a good beating! And I give you my permission to do it!”

The title grand father takes on a new meaning doesn’t it? Two families vastly different needs but one basic need, Jesus Christ the sure Foundation!

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