Porto Alegre/Inter-Nation Coming Unglued!

I have written in the past about the 2 professional soccer clubs that are in Porto Alegre; Grêmio and Sports Club Internacional. Today, in Japan, SC Internacional won the FIFA Club World Cup against Barcelona! That means that they are the best team in the world (out of all the club teams-and there are a ton)! Barcelona has been considered the team to beat for quite some time. They have a lot of talent and experience and, not to mention, the best player in the world - Ronaldinho.

Today, however, belonged to Inter-Nation! I have been a fan on Internacional since before we moved to Porto Alegre (for over 5 years). To see this happen is really something special. When the game ended, the city came unglued! People have been shouting and running in the streets! All of the car horns and firecrackers make it seem like we are in a war zone. It is crazy!

Anyway, I just thought that I would give you a little cultural blurb today. I wouldn't expect the celebration to lighten up anytime soon; even with the 100 degree weather we are expecting. The celebration actually started last night (just because we were playing in the game). Every 15 minutes or so throughout the night we heard fireworks and firecrackers going off. It was a lot of fun for Elisa (sense the sarcasm)!

Transitioning in Faith

Our church family is in a time of transition. A little over a year ago our team started coming to the point where we realized that some changes needed to be made in our ministries in order to not only reach out to the "not-yet" Christians of the Porto Alegre area in a more effective way, but to leave a self-sufficient, growing and maturing church family. In September of last year we started researching different ways to minister to the people of this city. After several months of prayer and research we made a unified decision to put all of our emphasis on our small groups. We call our small groups Growth Groups. The reason for this name is that they are designed to grow! They are evangelistic groups. Our decision to put our emphasis on our groups goes a huge step further. We have been in a transition to move our evangelistic Growth Groups to a point where they can become House Churches.

Our small groups, or Growth Groups, have really been a great blessing to our Christian family in Porto Alegre. The Lord has chosen to use these groups to knock down the walls and barriers that exist between the "lost" and His family. In our time of study and prayer we have seen the Lord bringing us back to His church in the 1st century. We really want to take a step forward by looking at what the early Christians did in homes. We believe that the Lord has given us a vision that will allow His word to be taken to all people in Porto Alegre.

This past Sunday (December 3rd) Kevin, Paul and I shared our vision with our church family. With God's grace and our trusting in His guiding we will give more people the opportunity to have a relationship with Christ than we ever thought possible. Below is my part of the 3 part sermon that Kevin, Paul and I gave. I hope that it helps you understand a little bit about where we are coming from.

When Jesus chose his first disciples, he chose several fishermen. He said to them, “Come follow me, and I will make you fishers of men…” In the year 2000, our mission team, had this commandment in mind when we decided to come to Porto Alegre and start a church. We wanted, and still want, to be fishers of men. This is a task that all of us should take seriously – bringing other people to a relationship with Christ. So today, we want to use this analogy of fishing to explain to you where our church has been and where we want to go in the future.

There are two common ways to fish. One way is with a pole, line, hook and bait. The object here would be to put the bait on the hook, hang it in the water and hope that a fish is attracted to the bait, takes a bite and gets stuck on the hook. This way of fishing demonstrates the way that our church has tried to “fish” up to this point. We have tried to attract people to our church and a relationship with Christ. How do you make a church attractive to people? You have a nice, comfortable building, quality worship services, diverse activities for all ages, special events, a relaxed, comfortable environment, etc. During these last three years, we have worked hard to implement these types of programs and activities, trying to attract more and more people. Many events brought large crowds to the building, but few of those people ever came back.

In 2005, after the 2^nd anniversary of the Igreja de Cristo do Sul, we began to take a look at the results of our 1^st two years of existence here in Porto Alegre. We had done various special events like Friend’s Day, Kid’s Day, Women’s retreats, Youth retreats, Men’s retreats, Lets Start Talking, and VBS. Literally thousands of people entered our building through these events, and five people became Christians because of these activities. Today, only one of these people continues to come to this church. However, in this same time, people also became Christians not because of the special events, but because of their relationships with members of this church. In the end of 2005, there were 17 new brothers that became Christians because their friends or family talked to them about Jesus. Today, eleven of these people continue to come to this church. While we were happy because of the growth or progress that was made, we felt that God wanted and continues to want all of us to allow Him to do much more to reach the lost of this city through each one of us. We began to look for reasons for this slow progress. We could say that the people in Rio Grande do Sul are more resistant. They don’t open up their lives easily to new things. One thing that we began to realize is that many people here don’t feel a need for a “church” and so they aren’t even looking for one. The fish, so to speak, aren’t even hungry for the bait that’s in the water. However, we do see that people are hungry for something in their lives. They are searching for answers and we know that those answers are found in Jesus.

So, we began to think. We began to look at the way that we were “fishing”. We began to question “Is this the only way to establish a church here in Porto Alegre?” “Could there be a better way?” We began to study about the reasons that we do the things that we do and research other ways to “fish”. We prayed, and asked God to lead us and give us courage to make changes, if they needed to be made. We also have asked you to read and study the first example of church that we have in the book of Acts, and to pray for God to give you a vision of what this church could be in the future. In the meeting last month, you said that you wanted to see more emphases in the Lord’s Supper, more flexibility in the hours of activities, and more training for Brazilian leadership. Someone said, you have noted that we grow through prayer and that the church needs to have less religion and more spiritual flexibility. It needs to be a church that doesn’t depend on American funds and that it needs to better use its own resources. It needs to utilize more vehicles to promote unity like sports, theatre and music. You said that church can happen in a house or in any location. You said that we need to have a clearer purpose.

We want you to know that we have listened very carefully to you and have used your suggestions, along with our own experiences and study to come up with a new plan for this church. Above all, we want you to know that we feel the leading of the Holy Spirit in our decisions. Making changes takes courage, and we don’t take our responsibility as leaders lightly. We have prayed that God would lead us and he has and we continue to pray that you will have open and receptive hearts to the new vision that we are going to share with you today.

Staying Connected

Jennifer and I have been extremely blessed by our sponsoring congregation, Eastside church of Christ (Colorado Springs, CO). Yesterday they had their annual "Missions Sunday". This is a day when the mission works that they are supporting around the globe are really promoted and given the spotlight. They usually host an auction to raise money for mission efforts on this day. They sell all kinds of different items, most of which come from the countries where they are supporting a missionary family.

For the last 2 years this has been a great way for us to stay connected with Eastside. Last year they called us in the middle of the mission's worship service! One of the elders asked us some questions about our work in Porto Alegre and then he prayed over us - through the phone! It was really encouraging to us.

In yesterday's service they called me and another missionary (medical) that they support in Guatemala. Instead of asking us questions, Eastside gave us an opportunity to help lead the service. I was asked to lead the Lord's Supper over the phone. From what I have heard it went over really well. They had a picture of me and Jennifer and Elisa on the projection screen while I was talking and leading the prayers. I hung up my cell phone feeling a lot of love. I was encouraged by the Lord's ability to keep his family connected. Our bond is stronger than good phone service. We share the same grace and are washed in the same blood. Nothing can break that bond!

I heard that a couple of suggestions were made to do a video conference next year! Each year has gotten better, so I wouldn't be surprised. We'll just have to wait and see!

I want to encourage all of you who read this to try to do something creative like this to lift spirits of the missionaries that you or your church family are supporting. Do something to stay connected. You won't regret it.

Relationships

Do you think much about the relationships that you have? If you were to list all of the relationships/friendships that you have who would you include? Would you think of the guy who bags your groceries or the gas station attendant? Would you think of the mailman or your butcher (we have local butchers in Brazil)? Who would you include in your list?

I have been learning more and more about the importance of relationships in our daily lives. Ever since I went away to college I have been able to make friends fairly easily. In Brazil, however, it has been much more difficult. I have good intentions to befriend everyone I am blessed to have a conversation with. I pray often that the Lord would bless me with opportunities to become friends with more people, in particular Brazilians. Even though I have good intentions that doesn't mean that I am successful at making friends or even see those opportunities when they come my way.

One of my hindrances in Brazil has been the language barrier. Although I speak Portuguese at a much higher level now, it is still difficult to be myself in this foreign language. I like to joke with people and it is difficult to feel comfortable being that way in Portuguese. I feel that some of my Brazilian friends, mainly those in our church family, are starting to get to know me on a deeper level. I am happy about this, I really am. It is difficult, though, not to get frustrated when my friendships with Brazilians outside of our church family are not developing as quickly as I would like or when I am being myself but am not being understood.

Sometimes my difficulties with growing and maintaining friendships here are just plain comical! Over the last 2 and a half years, Jennifer and I have been growing friendships with 3 different couples in our apartment building. We have had dinner together and have had some good times getting to know one another. Okay, here comes the comical part: all three of these families have moved or are making plans to move out of our building just when we started getting close to them (or closer to them). One of the families moved to Italy (Tanja and Stefan). They are a really cool German couple that lived below us. We miss them dearly and pray that they are doing well. We have shot a couple of emails back and forth since their move, but that is about it. The other 2 couples will remain in Porto Alegre. We will be able to continue to maintain a friendship with each of them, but it is hard to know that we will not see them as often as we used to.

I really want to be Jesus to everyone I come in contact with. I want to know people and I want them to know me. I want to be comfortable with myself in Portuguese or any other language that the Lord calls me to learn. I want to know how to maintain the relationships that I do have and not allow anyone who comes into my life to "slip through the cracks". I want to be encouraged that the Lord is giving me opportunities to meet new people each day and I want to see them for what they are!

Please pray for these things along with me. Relationship are essential. I believe that they are absolutely vital to our ministry here on Earth. I pray that we honor and glorify our Father through our relationship and that many will come to know Him all because we had the courage to say, "Hello, my name is..."

More Baptisms!

This last week we added 2 more to our family! Marcio was baptized on Wednesday morning by Paul Morrow at the church building. His mother, Miguelina, and sister, Daniela, were baptized back in July. We are praying that the remainder of this family will make a decision to follow Jesus soon!

Also, Elizabeth, the daughter of one of our members was baptized in Canada this last week. Elizabeth left Brazil for Canada a few months ago to study English and work. She has been well cared for by Christians there. Praise God that she found a home away from home!

Paul and Marcio prepare for "the plunge"!

You can see the joy as Paul welcomes Marcio to the family!

Searching for Vision

Our church family here in Porto Alegre, Brazil is searching for a vision from the Lord. On September 24th we challenged the leaders and hosts of our Growth Groups to fast and pray about the future of this family for 40 days (picking specific days of the week to fast - not fasting for the entire 40 days).

We have been feeling a deep burden to change our focus and reach out to this city in a more powerful, impacting way. The American missionaries working with this church family believe that the Lord has already blessed us with a very specific vision. We are anxious about following this call of the Holy Spirit. We are praying that this 40 days of fasting and praying for a vision will call our members to the same vision we already have. We want to be a family "agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose." (Philippians 2:2, NLT)

I know that the Lord will unify us through this 40 days of vision searching. We ask you to be praying for us and our unity in the Holy Spirit. Please pray that the Lord would touch all of us and bring us to the same place in vision and hope for this church family and this city.

I have been convicted to separate myself from my computer and from tv for the next 7 days. I am excited about this fast because I know that the Lord will bless the times that I normally "surf" to grow my relationship with Him! My prayer is that this fast will be a way for me to be more productive in my searching after God and His purposes for me and this family.

I ask for prayers of strength, peace, courage, conviction and protection for our church family. We have already seen many attacks from the evil one because we are recognizing the presence and leading of the Holy Spirit. If you feel a burden upon your hearts to fast and pray with us we welcome you with open and loving arms.

Thank you in advance for your prayers and encouragement. Know that we are praying for you too!

Kid's Day!

October in Porto Alegre is a really great time! The weather starts warming up as we get into Spring. Flowers of purple, red, yellow and blue bloom from various trees throughout the city. It is a lovely time.

One of the things that makes October great in Brazil is Kid's Day. Children are really appreciated in Brazil. So, there is a special holiday designated to honor them. It usually falls on a Thursday in the middle of the month. On this day the children of Brazil don't go to school. They go to parties and are showered with gifts! It is like having their birthdays and Christmas all on one day! Needless to say, they really enjoy it.

It just so happens that the street that our church building is on closes down for a "block party" the Sunday before Kid's Day. This "block party" is called Criança na Avenida (literally translated: children in the street). When I say that the street is closed down I mean that no cars are allowed to drive down it. The street is full of pedestrianswalking from storefront to storefront and from activity to activity. Different groups and business owners have food stands out and games for the children to play. For the last 2 years we have made and sold Entreviero sandwiches (a mixed meat sandwich - very yummy!) and have all kinds of activities for passers-by. We sell the sandwiches to raise money for our Carnival Retreat. This helps us off-set some of the costs. Inside our building we have different games and a karaoke setup with Brazilian and American songs. The karaoke can be really funny sometimes! There is also a parade that goes down the street twice during the day. There is a small marching band and several different groups seeking exposure in the community. I think I saw the Lion's Club! We have built Noah's Ark for the last 3 years. It has been a huge way for us to be seen.

The greatest thing about the "block party" is the exposure. For the last 3 years we have had approximately 2,000 people come into or up to our building on this day. We hope and pray that our good attitudes and loving spirits touched people who came by this last Sunday.

This is me managing the selling of our sandwiches, drinks and cake. My first customer of the day!

Our member, Lauro Lima, is the master chef behind the wonderful Entreviero sandwiches.

This is our Noah's Ark float going down the street in the parade. If you look closely you can see some of our kids dressed up like animals. In this picture we have some ladybugs and a couple of lions.

This was Elisa's first parade - she was a bunny rabbit! You can see a picture of her on our other blog: www.terrysinbrazil.blogspot.com

We set tables and chairs up in front of our building for people to sit and relax and enjoy their food. Here you can see Jennifer eating a sandwich and visiting with some of our friends.

Jennifer and Elisa walked around and visited with people most of the day while I worked the cash register. It was a really fun day!

The Chácara

The Chácara (pronounced sha-ka-ra), or little farm, as we call it is the Center for Youth Recovery outside of Porto Alegre in the town of Lavorada. This is a small facility that has between 15 and 20 young men trying to leave their worlds of drug and alcohol abuse. The Chácara was started by an evangelical church in town, that has since left the project. It is a ministry that our church has been involved with for the last few years, primarily because of one of our members, Paulo Renato. Paulo struggled with alcohol for a long time. It had such a stronghold on his life that he found himself living on the street and isolated from his family and friends. He eventually found the Chácara, where he learned who Jesus is: his Lord and Saviour. Paulo lived at the Chácara for about a year and a half. Over time he overcame his addiction to alcohol, found Jesus and became a mentor and teacher to the younger men staying on the farm. Since that time, Paulo Renato has had a special place in his heart for the Chácara. He goes there to visit and encourage the men every Sunday and Wednesday. The men of our church try to go to the Chácara the last Sunday of each month for the same purpose. This has become a wonderful way for many of our members to learn the importance of helping and encouraging others. We have all learned a great deal of humility too.

The Chácara is a very simple place. The men sleep on little cots in one of two bunkhouses. Their showers are very basic (without hot water). They work the land, growing several different types of vegetables. They depend on donations of money and food to get by with what they cannot grow. Our church has been giving most of their food donations as of the last few months. There is one other church in town that pays their electric bill. Sometimes, they are in desparate need and will call or visit us asking for a donation. If this happens I will take money from our benevolence fund and buy enough food for a couple of weeks and deliver it to them. I am always happy to stop what I am doing to help these men. It really brightens my day. Everytime I arrive with food for them they greet me with shouts of "Glory to God!" and "Hallelujah!" It really is something!

One of our other members (who is mentioned in the last post), Moema, has a real heart for the Chácara. She, along with another member, Leni, wrote a letter to the hotel where Leni works asking for help with a food donation. This hotel, the Blue Tree Towers Hotel, has a promotion where they give you a discount on your room if you bring food items for them to give to the poor. The hotel usually looks for a different group or organization to help each month. After they read the letter that Moema and Leni sent they realized that the Chácara had a big need. They decided to put the Chácara at the top of the list of those they want to help. Today, several of us from church went to the hotel with a small trailor to load up the food to take to the young men of the Chácara. In total we took 297 kilograms, which is over 650 lbs., of food to the Chácara! It was awesome! A few employees of the hotel went with us. Due to their visit they decided that they want to continue helping the Chácara. So, we expect to make similar deliveries once every 3 weeks! We are amazed and in awe at the Lord's provision. He has shown these men that He truely cares for them and wants a relationship with them.

This kind gift does more than feed bellies. This kind of gift also feeds souls. These men are encouraged and are giving God the praise and glory. Please join us in praying for the young men of the Chácara. Please pray that they would find strength in the Lord; strength that can break the bondage of drugs and alcohol and lift them up higher than they have ever been. Please pray for their decisions to follow Christ. Please pray that we would continue to be able to give donations like we did today - feeding bellies and feeding souls!

Men of the Chácara with Blue Tree Towers Hotel employees and church members.

Growth Groups: Update #2

The following Growth Group Update was written by our teammate, Benay Blume:

Dear Loved ones,

I want to share some stories with you about how God is working in the lives of the people who come each week to our small group.

We have 4 couples coming each week, along with one teen and some children. One couple we met through Garrett's soccer class. Roberto and Moema came to us with extremely open hearts and have already given their lives to Christ. They were baptized on August 17 (you can see pictures of their baptism in a previous post on this Blog, entitled "Baptisms"). When we asked them who they wanted to be at their baptism, they said, "Well, our family, of course"; meaning, our small group. Moema is a sociologist and is already using her skills and resources to help in many areas of benevolence at the church. Roberto is professional singer and has already started leading some songs in the worship. They have a son, Kjeld, (pronounced kelgi) who is friends with Garrett and Carys. We praise God for bringing us this new family.

Another couple, Andre and Luzia, have been our friends for several years, but always resisted our invitations to church related and regular social events. Earlier this year, they came over to our house to explain the reason why. They told us that they were just so different from us, they thought of religion differently than we did, they had a different heritage than we did, etc. We talked to them about each thing and, getting to the bottom of it, discovered that they were scared of taking the risk and opening up their hearts to new relationships. Luzia had been hurt by some other friends in the past and didn't want it to happen again. She told Kevin that we could keep inviting, but she would probably still resist. He looked at her and said, "I'm going to keep on inviting you and I'm going to win." She said, through tears, "I hope you do." Well, we are seeing result. God is winning! They are a part of our group and we can see that they are opening up their eyes to what it really means to be a Christian.

Moving on to one more couple, Silvio and Miriam. Silvio has been a Christian for many years. He has been in a relationship (like common law marriage) with Miriam for many years also. He has hidden his relationship with her from his church family because he was afraid. He has led a double life, so to speak, for a long time. Last year, he began confessing to a select group of men what was going on. This year, through lots of prayer, he stood up during a worship service and confessed everything to the church. Not long ago, Miriam reluctantly agreed to start coming to our small group. In the beginning, I called her every week to encourage her to come back. Now, I don't need to call anymore. She and Silvio consistently come every week to study and fellowship with us and last weekend they hosted a wonderful churrasco (cookout) at their house for our group. Miriam has also started participating in visiting some women at a homeless shelter with our ladies' group. Please pray for her as she tries to overcome the years of being hurt from being excluded and for him as he continues to reconcile himself to her.

One last story: Diego is a remarkable teenage boy who became a Christian at a church near his home. This church has services on Sunday morning. Diego attends this service and then comes to our service on Sunday night. He participates in all the youth activities and comes each week to our small group. Diego is pretty much on his own. He has a family but they seem to only provide a place to sleep and food. Didi (as we call him) has lots of freedom, but uses this freedom to go to church events - not to get into trouble like most teenagers would do. Diego is a special guy who is a great example for all of us and has a wonderful heart for God. One day he will be a strong leader for the church here.

These are just some of the stories I could tell about our small group. There are so many great things happening and we praise God for allowing us to be a part of them. Thanks to all of you who pray for us and support us spiritually and financially. We thank you for allowing God to use you in this way. We wouldn't be here without your support. We love you all so much!

Much love in Christ,
Benay

back row- Bronwyn Blume, Roberto, Andre, Silvio, Kevin, Benay
front row-Luzia, Diego, Moema, Miriam and Anderson Blume

Growth Groups: Update #1

I visited a Growth Group this last Saturday that I had never been to before. It was such a blessing to me! It was at the home of the Wherplotz family. Our church's janitor, Paulo Renato, led the group with Felipe Wherplotz. Paulo Renato and I have become pretty good friends. He is quite the evangelist. He has a very interesting story, but I will save that for another post.

Felipe Wherplotz is 16 years old and participates in the church's Youth Group. This young man is on fire for the Lord. I am studying personal evangelism with Felipe on Monday nights. Unfortunately, he is a rare breed. I don't know too many young people who are concerned about the eternal destiny of their friends and family. He really wants to know how to tell others about Jesus.

To get to this group Paulo Renato and I needed to walk up a very steep street. After about a half mile the street turned into a dirt road with pot holes. It was a different world for me. It was as close to walking through a slum that I have come to. It was a very poor neighborhood. As we approached the house where the group meets I was surprised to see a little house that was clean and cozy. The house was painted a cool green and had all kinds of plants and trees in the front yard. The back yard was one big garden, full of every kind of vegetable and plant you could imagine. Inside we spent most of our time in the living room. It was nice and clean and the pictures of family on the wall reminded me of my own home.

This group really tries to reach out to their neighbors. It is difficult though. Not many people in this neighborhood have an interest in Jesus. This group is mainly made up of Wherplotz family members. If everyone who frequents this group would all come on the same day it would be a big group. Unfortunately, that doesn't happen often. The people who were at this particular meeting were: Paulo Renato (leader), Irotildes Wherplotz (the mom), Felipe Wherplotz (co-leader and son), Luis Wherplotz (father), Vitor Wherplotz (son), Louvo (Vitor's brother-in-law), Raquel (daughter) and me. It was a family gathering!

I was very encouraged by the discussion and the fellowship that we had. It was a very good experience for me. It makes me feel good to see how this group is really doing well. They are glorifying the Lord! I am excited about my next visit to this group and my future visits to the other groups.

It is hard sometimes for us (Christians in general) to be evangelistic and to continue inviting people to know Jesus after we have been turned down time and time again. We want to grow! We want to share the Saviour! We believe that these Growth Groups are a great way to make these things happen. Please continue to pray for us as we continue to reach out to this great city.

2.5 Years... Unbelievable!

It is hard to believe that today marks the halfway point of our family's original commitment to work in Porto Alegre, Brazil. 2.5 years... unbelievable! We have seen some really great things and some really difficult things. We have seen "not-yet" Christians turn their lives around and give themselves to Christ. We have made many friends. We have had many opportunities to help and bless people. We have been blessed.

We really don't know what the future holds for our family here in Porto Alegre, Brazil. We don't know for sure that this day actually does mark the halfway point of our time here. We recognize that there is a lot of work to do still. But, the Lord can and I believe will do amazing things in this city in a short amount of time.

At this point in our work here we are starting to make some transitions. We are moving away from our original "strategy" and allowing the Holy Spirit to give us new direction. It is a very exciting time!

Please pray that the Lord give us direction and wisdom in all we do. Please pray that we would be submissive to His will and purpose for us and this city. Please pray that we not limit the power of the Holy Spirit and that we continue to "think big and thank God". Please pray that we would be protected from Satan and his attacks - we expect them to come and to come strong.

We will keep on truckin' along, strong in the Lord. Thank you for your prayers. We need them and appreciate them.

Growth Groups

In May of this year we began a new season of small groups in houses. We are re-focusing these groups on evangelism. In the past, our small groups were more about maturing and growing our current membership. While this is good, they were not geared toward doing what we must do in order to grow - evangelize! We like to think that our groups are fresher and are starting over; that they are new. Because we are focusing on evangelism and growth in these groups we are calling them Growth Groups. We currently have 6 active Growth Groups that meet throughout the week. Some are growing more than others, but they have all seen some growth. We are very excited about these groups because we believe that they are the key to growing the family of Christ in the city of Porto Alegre.

As of last Sunday, the missionaries and the leaders and hosts of these groups are studying the book of Acts together (outside of the groups). We are searching for and learning about how the Lord grew the early church. Please pray for us to seek and recognize His guidance and wisdom as we collaborate together (Americans and Brazilians) to grow God's family.

These groups are a real adventure! I am planning on visiting each group to encourage them and see how they are doing. As I visit them I will give you an update on each one. You can catch these updates throughout the next several weeks. I will entitle them "Growth Groups: Update #_".

Ricardo

One-on-one Bible studies is something that I enjoy immensely. I have grown lasting friendships with many of the people that I study the Bible with. For the last 13 months I have been studying and working through the book of Acts with Ricardo. Yesterday we finally finished Acts! Next week we will begin studying the life of David, starting with Samuel and Saul.

Ricardo first came to our church in June of 2005 to participate in LST (Let's Start Talking). He was really reclusive and I percieved that he didn't have much confidence in himself. A year ago, Ricardo would act surprised if you treated him with respect or if you were friendly toward him.

Over time, and I believe through our study, Ricardo warmed up to those of us he interacts with at the church building. He is a completely different person than he was when I first met him. A few months ago Ricardo asked that we end each study with a time of prayer. I love that I didn't need to bring prayer up in conversation and then suggest that we try it. I love even more that we saw responses to our prayers almost immediately! He saw how it worked for the Christians in the book of Acts and he wanted to experience it. He wanted to grow his relationship with God.

Ricardo has allowed the Word to touch him. He always acts very intrigued with what we are reading. Whenever he sees something powerful that the Lord did in the book of Acts, while he is reading, he will say "bhaaa!" in mid-sentence. It is great! I praise God for my friendship with Ricardo. Over the last year and one month he has taught me to be patient and to let the Word of God speak. I pray that the Lord would continue to bless my life with people like Ricardo and that I would in some way be a light to him and to others. Studying with Ricardo has been so fulfilling and fun that I hope I study with him for the duration of my life in Brazil.

Baptisms!

We have had several baptisms this year! Four of them have been within the last month! Miguelina and her daughter Daniela were baptized by Matt Rehbein on July 30th and husband and wife, Roberto and Moema, were baptized by Kevin Blume this last Thursday, August 17th. We had 2 other baptisms in April; Ygiani and Adriana gave their lives to Christ!

Benay speaks to Moema before Kevin prepares to baptize her
and her husband, Roberto.
Their Growth Group was there to give encouragement.
August 17,2006

Matt hugs Daniela after baptizing her and her mother, Miguelina.
July 30, 2006

Kyle reads scripture before baptizing Ygiani and Adriana. Friend and church member, Leni, gives encouragement.
April 9, 2006

New Blog...

Hello! My wife, Jennifer, and I were pretty consistent in sending out monthly newsletters via email to let everyone know what was going on with us here in Brazil. Needless to say, that hasn't happened in quite some time. I have decided that creating a new blog might be just the thing to keep you all up to speed with our ministries and lives. I hope it works! Stay tuned for posts and changes as I get this blog up and running.