Paulo Renato Preaching It!

I thought that it would be cool to share a clip of my precious brother Paulo Renato sharing a word during a class out at the Chácara. Now this is in Portuguese, but you should still feel the power! What a teacher!

Chácara Blessings

Over the last 9 weeks Paulo Renato and I have been going out to the Chácara to teach a class on sexual purity using the book "Every Man's Battle". Yesterday was our last study with the men and it was a great one! Although it was hard to say "this is our last study" it was wonderful to say "and now you are armed and prepared for the fight for purity!" The guys chewed and chewed on this study. They are hungry and are looking for ways to fight for the right life - for the Christian life (Colossians 3). I reminded them a few different times over the 2 months that we were studying with them that they can interchange the examples of sexual addiction in the book for drugs and alcohol. It is possible for us to win the battle against any temptation or addiction with the tools that we have in the Word - if we want to.

I am so blessed to have spent the time that I did at the Chácara on these Thursdays. The relationships that I formed with these men have already had an impact on me and my walk with Christ. After seeing what most of them have gone through and overcome I have no reason not to live a blameless life in Christ. I know I have been armed with the Spiritual weapons I need in the every day battle against Satan and his schemes. I will always be encouraged by the men of the Chácara - because of their smiles and hugs and most especially their powerful prayers!

All the guys are deep in the study. Even guys who are there for the first time participate in the discussion.

Paulo Renato (middle) leads the discussion. He has been a tremendous blessing as a teacher and leader.

Adão Claudio gives us a word.

Accountability Groups:

Leandro, Adão Claudio, Christian & Paulo Rogierio

Rafael, Paulo Renato & Daví

Rodrigo, Anderson & Fabio

Marcelo & Eduardo

Gabriel & Andre

Josimar & Isaías (Isaías is the selfless director of the Chácara)

These two guys are in "accountability group" pictures above, but I wanted to point out that these are the two guys that I mentioned in a previous post. This is (L to R) Daví and Anderson. On March 16th they gave their lives to Jesus through baptism! Praise God!!!

This last Sunday (Easter) there was a short program aired on a local TV station in the afternoon. It was about an up-and-coming Christian hip-hop music group. The 3 guys in the group have come from difficult backgrounds. One of the guys was actually at the Chácara a few years ago recovering from drug addiction. For the TV program they went out to the Chácara to promote freedom from addiction. This really gave the Chácara a lot of publicity that it doesn't get. From Monday until Thursday of this week there were 6 new guys at the Chácara - 4 of them saw the program on Sunday! Although this seems like a huge blessing, it isn't the best part. The best part is that there is no more room! They are out of beds! That is a great problem to have at a place that tries to free young men from addiction!!! We can see that God is working at the Chácara. Who knows, maybe we should pray for another new dormitory to be built in 2008!

Here is a picture of the hip-hop group. The guy on the far right was at the Chácara a few years ago.

Hopefully, from the pictures above you can put a name to a face and find it easier to pray for these guys. They know that many people are lifting them up to the Father. I ask you to carry them in your hearts and your prayers as we do. They are sons of God who are discovering grace and mercy and the truth - that Jesus loves them no matter what they have done. Please pray for them and their spiritual growth. Please pray for the Chácara and the blessings that continue to flow. Please pray that God would send us more and more Brazilian leaders like Paulo Renato and Isaías. Please pray!

Easter Retreat

This Easter we went to a nearby town with our church family for a retreat. It was a wonderful time of worship, fellowship and relaxation. We have had a couple of retreats in the past over the Carnaval holiday (normally in February), but this year we decided to do something different. We spent the weekend, as a church family, thinking about how Christ's suffering on the cross relates to our sufferings in this life and how we have victory through his resurrection.

We had 70 people participate in the retreat, which included several friends that were invited by our members. What a way to reach out - invite your friends to an Easter retreat! One of the friends that was invited decided to give his life to Jesus and will be baptized in the near future! Praise God! We ended our retreat with an Easter sunrise worship and a traditional Easter egg hunt and Brazilian churrasco (bar-b-que). It was a great weekend!

Here are some retreat pictures of our growing church family....

Matt Rehbein brings us a lesson.

In addition to lessons we also had activities for the kids, "break-out" sessions and plenty of fellowship (hang-out) time...

The Kid's Class:

Let's not forget the traditional Easter egg hunt...

"Break-out" Sessions:

Fellowship (hang-out) time:

Easter Worship at Sunrise... in the rain:

No. 31

Sunday was my 31st birthday. One thing that is great about birthdays is that you can (and should) spend them with people that you are close to. I don't really care for the big bash. Instead I prefer to invite just a couple of families to have a little fun. On Saturday (the day before my birthday) we had over the Blume family (teammates), our friends Milton & Juliana and their kids (2 girls and a baby boy) and Dani (her husband couldn't make it) and her little girl Ana Luisa (Elisa's good buddy). I grilled hamburgers and hotdogs and we had a banana split buffet for the desert. It was a lot of fun for everyone. Later, Jennifer and I reflected on the day and it was a really good day. A blessing in fact!

Above: Dani, Milton & Juliana partake of the hamburgers and hotdogs.
Below: Kevin, Benay, Bronwyn & Jennifer converse while Elisa and Carys come to break things up!

Sunday (on my actual birthday) we went out to Claudio and Rute's house for worship and a Bible study. Afterward, Jennifer took me out to the Outback Steakhouse for lunch - it was great! Then we made it back home in time for our 2nd house church. By the end of the day we were feeling a little blah from all the food, but it was really good. Benay Blume gave me a plate of homemade cinnamon rolls, which we took care of with a candle lit in it! We ended the day with opening presents and cards. It was a lot of fun.

Elisa's birthday card to me...

that she decided she wanted to wear. Check out her arm!

We miss our families and friends in the states on days like these, but it is special to be able to share experiences with people that we have grown close to in Brazil. These special occasions build a bond that can be strengthened some day through the blood of Christ. We want our friends to know the Lord on a deeper, intimate level. Please pray that we have the wisdom and strength to be their friends as Jesus would be.

Chacara Update & New Small Group

Chacara Update: Today we had our 7th study out of 9 out at the chacara . It was really good. We studied and conversed about "bouncing your eyes", "starving your eyes" and arming yourself with your "sword and sheild". The Lord has really been working through this study on sexual purity to bless the young men of the chacara. Although we have seen many young men leave for various reasons, we have seen many stand up in faith and show the strength the Lord has given them.

Special Announcement: This coming Sunday, March 16th, two of the young men at the chacara (Anderson & David) will give their lives to Christ through baptism! Please keep these young guys and their new walks with the Lord in your prayers.

New Small Group: Last night Jennifer and I started a new small group in the south zone of the city with our sister-in-Christ, Luzia. It was just the three of us (+ Luzia's 2-year old son, Mateus) for this first meeting. Despite the low number it was great! We were extremely blessed with a wonderful time of fellowship and prayer. It was especially productive since we believe we were given a confirmation that we should study the gospel of Mark together. There is potential for several more people to join this group in the coming weeks and months. Please pray that the doors to this time of fellowship and study with the Lord will open up to the hearts of those who are seeking.

Anniversary at the Waterfall House Church

Yesterday we celebrated our 4th anniversary of our arrival in Brazil with a little house church trip. We combined with another house church and went to a small town about an hour and a half away from Porto Alegre. The purpose of this trip was to escape the city and enjoy the nature that the Lord has blessed us with. In English the name of this town is "Two Brothers" (or Dois Irmãos). It is pretty well known in these parts for the magnificent waterfalls that are nearby. I believe there are 5 large waterfalls in all.

We had a great time of fellowship and devotion to the Lord. I really needed this time to take a step back and reflect on the Lord's provisions in my life. Believe it or not I was able to really focus on what the Lord is calling me to as I jumped off the waterfalls several times.

The Lord amazed me with the power of the waterfalls and the beauty of His nature yesterday. I must have seen 10 different species of butterflies. The trees and the rocks and the water all demonstrated God's power and His artistic hand. I can't wait to get back to the falls and reflect on His majesty as I fling myself off a 20+ foot drop!

Looking for a good spot to make "the jump".

I was able to land a couple of "can openers" that made decent splashes (from what I heard).

This is me and Tiago (James) taking a plunge together!

Prayer Requests and Updates

With all we have going on here in Porto Alegre sometimes we forget to remind our supporters and friends of the things that they can be praying about. Needless to say, we all have praises and needs. Here are a few of ours that we would appreciate you lifting up to the Father:

• Claudio's Job: One of our brothers in Christ has been working as the "super" of an apartment building here in the city for 10 years. He and his family moved to another town about 30 minutes away (by car) back in June 2007. Because of the distance and the fact that things just aren't going well with the management of the apartment building we are praying that the Lord would bless Claudio with a new job closer to home. He is a very hard worker and is dedicated to his walk with the Lord. It would mean a lot to this special man if he new that brothers and sisters in Christ around the globe were praying for him and his job situation.
• Teen pregnancy: Unfortunately, we all make mistakes. Sometimes our mistakes are permanent. One of the members of our youth group is pregnant and expects to have her baby in May. She is learning a hard lesson and really needs a lot of prayers and encouragement. Her family is really poor and their living conditions are difficult. They expect to move into a new house sometime this year, but don't really know when they will be able to. This girl is only 16 years old and the father of the baby is only 14. They really have a hard journey in front of them. Please bathe them in prayer as they make decision that will shape how they live their lives. They need you to pray for peace, wisdom and encouragement through the Spirit. Please also be praying for purity for all our young people.
  
• Men's Study: On March 8th, I will begin a new 8-week study with the men in our church family. We will study and discuss the Spiritual Disciplines (prayer, meditation, worship, fasting, etc). I expect this to be a heart and mind opening experience for all of us. Please pray that the Lord bless us and lead us and we strive to grow closer to him and to each other in fellowship.
• English Class: Jennifer began and English class last week. She has 4 students on Tuesday and Thursday nights. 3 of these students are not-yet Christians. Please pray that Jennifer would be used mightily and that the hearts of these students would be touched to follow Jesus.
• Bible Studies/House Churches: We continue to reach out to our community through the house church network and through one-on-one Bible studies. I have a couple of studies and hope for more. I have studied with Ricardo for 2 and a half years. Please pray for Ricardo as we search the scriptures together and learn about the Christian walk. We have had 5 house churches since June of last year. We really believe that going out into the different neighborhoods and setting up small churches in people's homes is the most effective way to reach this entire city for Jesus. In the next week or two Jennifer and I will start working with our 3rd group which we hope and pray will become a house church. This will be a mid-week group Bible study in the South Zone of the city where there currently are no house churches. Please pray that the Lord bless us with wisdom, joy and endurance. We are very excited to take a study to a new part of town where many want to know Jesus!
• Easter Retreat: This year, instead of our Carnaval Retreat, we are planning an Easter Retreat (March 21-23). Please be in prayer that this will be a time when many who don't yet know Jesus accept him and that the rest of our church family will grow closer to him. Also, please be in prayer for our planning - that we would allow the Holy Spirit to guide us in all that we are doing.
• Chácara Study: We are half way through the study out at the Chácara (just finished week 5). The guys are excited and very animated about the things they are learning. Please continue to keep these young men in your prayers. There is a lot of turnover at this rehab center. It seems like each week there are one or two guys who have left and one or two new guys that just got there. They need the physical, mental and spiritual strength to endure coming off their various addictions. Please keep my co-teacher, Paulo Renato, in your prayers as well. We took over leading the study at week 3 and hasn't looked back. I am so happy to turn a ministry over to a Brazilian and so proud of the work and preparation he is putting into it. I praise the Lord for this humble brother who loves the men at the Chácara with all his heart. We all need purity and self-control, so I ask that you pray for this as well.

I thank you for your faithful, fervent prayers on behalf of our ministries and our church family. May the Lord bless you for your faithfulness to His Kingdom.