Manaus

God is faithful

2010-08-09T12:33:00.000-07:00

I came across three words in the Bible the other day during my quiet time that are without a doubt three very important words. I started my devotion in I Corinthians chapter 1 and began reading Paul's letter to the Church. When I reached verse 9, the first three words really grabbed me. They read "God is faithful."

We began working overseas as missionaries three years ago, and I can truthfully say with all honesty that God is faithful. Though ill-equipped and unworthy, He still managed to use us and we can testify to many miraculous events that have taken place here in Brazil. On our last trip, we visited a number of communities and met some very interesting people. It amazes me, even after living here for 3 years, to visit remote, desolate places and find people full of joy. We have brothers and sisters in Christ preaching the word of God in places you couldn't imagine, but not all have heard. There are thousands upon thousands of people who have never had the opportunity that we have been given. We may take for-granted the wonderful story of Jesus Christ dying on the cross for the sins of man, but they don't even have the option.

I found myself in the home of a young mother suffering from malaria a few weeks ago. The village we were in only had 10 houses and it was located in the middle of nowhere. The only way to get there from the city we were staying at was by boat, using a maze of water ways through the jungle. We first asked her if she would come with us back to the city for treatment but she didn't accept our invitation. We then told her that she could die from this illness and her son of 1 year wouldn't have a mother to take care of him, but still she wouldn't leave. And after asking her if she died that day would she know where she would spend eternity and then hearing her say "No", all seemed lost with no hope insight. But then we began telling her about Jesus. I can still see the hope that filled her eyes as the story of forgiveness was told. And I'll never forget hearing her ask Jesus to forgive her sins and the sigh of relief that followed.

How many more are out there in need of hearing the story of hope. God has been faithful to us and he will be faithful to you. We just need only to hear His voice and obey.

Paul and Toni

Saying "Goodbye" to Santarém and "Hello" to Manaus

2010-05-18T07:04:00.000-07:00

Saying "Goodbye" to those you really care for is always tough. But, it is such a blessing to know that though we may never see our brothers and sisters in Santarém again here on earth, we will see them again in heaven one day. We will never forget our time spent in Santarém, Brazil. In the picture below, we are embracing two dear friends we will miss very much. Josias and his wife Eliene (whom we are hugging) were such a blessing to work with, and Eduardo (on the left) had just given us certificates making us honorary members of Nova Jerusalem (church) when this photo was taken.

We labored together for the Cause of Christ and shared in the blessings of seeing lives changed by the power of the Holy Spirit. Praise God for men and women like Josias and Eliene. It was also tough saying goodbye to everyone at Diamantino (church). I finished up the Trail of Life study with them and I sure hope they remember how important it is to choose Gods way over our own. Having the bicycle trail behind the church served as a wonderful prop to teach from. We talked about bearing fruit, staying on the trail (in Gods will) and dangers we find along the trail of life. Jesus was perfectly aligned with the Will of God through-out His entire life, all the way to the Cross. May we follow Him and His perfect example.

After selling much of what we owned in Santarém, we packed up our newly acquired truck and headed for Manaus. Manaus is a much larger city located about 400 miles west of Santarém on the northern side of the Amazon River. So we found a boat that could carry the truck and that had cabins for us to sleep in. Before we knew it we were on our way up river headed for Manaus.

Along the way we enjoyed beautiful views and meeting Brazilians onboard. It didn't take long for the kids to find out we were Americans and we talked different. We used this for an opportunity to share Christ with a group of children on board and their parents too. At the end of the trip to Manaus we ended up having to wait for all the fruit and people onboard to be unloaded, because the boat was too low to unload the truck at the ramp we needed to use. So, by the time we could unload the truck it was dark and we found ourselves on an old wooden pier with holes big enough to swallow a tire. Toni guided me around the holes and we made it safely off the line of piers and barges to dry land.

We were greeted by fellow IMB Missionaries (Bill and Silvia Lee) and taken to our new home. Bill and Silvia have been such a blessing to be around and we will hate to see them leave in a few weeks. After getting settled in here in Manaus we are looking forward to all the new adventures this city and our research has to offer. Thanks for your prayers.

Paul and Toni

Into the Jungle

2010-03-19T10:53:00.000-07:00

During the past two weeks I feel like I have learned a lifetimes worth. But before I get ahead of myself, let me first say thank you to all who have been praying for us. Toni flew to Peru and the trip went well. She met with some personnel within our mission and gained insight on how to coordinate efforts to reach unengaged people groups here in the Amazon River Basin. While she was doing the desk work, I took a trip into the jungle to help Brazilian Missionaries do just this. We loaded the truck up with supplies and headed off into the jungle.

Above picture- Paul(me), Raimundo, Aldemier, Flavio, and Luiz

We drove about 375 miles into the jungle before reaching our destination. From this point on we carried our backpacks and machetes to do the rest. There were six of us in our group. Three stayed at camp to work on building a house and myself and two others trekked into the jungle. I found myself in the presence of men who I consider present day heros of the faith. The journey was long, rough and the jungle was thick in places. Making a trail with our machetes turned out to be a task in and of itself. The air in the Rain Forrest is thick, heavy and hard to breath at times. We made our way to the first camp site and there was plenty of water in the stream close by. I was amazed at so many things as we made our way into the thick jungle.

Above picture- Luiz, Manuel, Paul

The tree's are huge. Some would measure twenty to thirty feet in circumference. I saw ironwood trees that are called by Brazilians "million dollar trees." The variety of fruits were numerous and I have to say, very tasty. The animals of-course were every where. Monkeys, turtles, alligators, jaguars and beautiful birds making sounds I never dreamed a bird could make.

But what was more amazing than anything was the devotion and drive the two men I was with had to reach the lost with the life giving gospel of Jesus Christ. Manuel was put in prison for three months after presenting the gospel to a group of people that certain other groups don't want anyone talking to. Luiz told me he once had to drink the blood of a monkey to survive in the jungle because there was no water to be found. I couldn't help but think of times in my life when I didn't have the courage to talk to my neighbor about Jesus, but these men are risking their very lives to do just this. During the trip; Luiz was bitten by a snake and stung by a scorpion, Manuel was stung in the eye by a bee, and I was stung five times by wasps. Laying in our hammocks at night, I prayed for safety from animals that could easily kill us as I heard them prowling around our camp.

Jaguars are plentiful in the jungle and signs of their presence are all over the place. These men face so many trials every time they make this journey. We had plenty of water along the way until our third night. On the third day we found the water bed dry where we were going to set up camp. We dug a hole in the ground and found enough to filter with the water filter provided by the WMU.

But, after exhausting the water hole and drinking water from roots of trees and vines, we realized we had to turn back. We couldn't go on without water. After making it over half way to our destination, we turned around and started making our way back to the truck. On the bright side, we were able to come back and help the other guys finish the house that will be for a Brazilian Missionary family. I've never been a part of a building project like this one.

We started by cutting down a a cedar tree and then cutting out every board with a chain saw. It was truly awesome to be apart of this project and now a missionary has a place to live that is closer to the people that he has been called to witness to.

Please pray for Manuel and his family as they seek to reach the lost with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

"No one has the right to hear the gospel twice, while there remains someone who has not heard it once." -- Oswald J. Smith

Run the Race

2010-02-08T06:04:00.000-08:00

Eph 2:10

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Praise the Lord! We had our first Sunday School Service inside the church at Diamantino.

As you all know we have been meeting under the mango trees. So you can imagine how much of a blessing it is to have a new roof on the church. During the month of January, we tore off the old roof and painted the new roof tiles. And then, while Toni and I were on a trip with the Caldwells down river, Josias and some others teamed up and put the new roof on. We had a great time yesterday singing praises to the Lord and teaching the Word of God in the shelter of a church building for the first time. The mango tree's served as a great temporary shelter, and we will never forget our humble beginnings.

But let me back up a bit. We arrived from our week long trip with the Caldwells on Thursday after visiting the city of Monte Alegre. The team that came from Eastwood Baptist Church was a true joy to work with. We will never forget our time spent with them and the enthusiasm they displayed for reaching the lost with the gospel. The team worked with a local pastor in Monte Alegre by the name of Pastor Anderson. What a joy he was to work with as well. We started each day with house to house evangelism and in the afternoons we had Children's Church. We were also able to offer a clinic for reading glasses which served to reach the lost with gospel in a powerful way.

Friday we worked on cleaning the inside of the church at Diamantino and the grounds for what was to take place on Saturday. On Saturday we set up a "Health Day Clinic." We provided blood sugar tests, blood pressure tests, a teen pregnancy clinic, and reading glasses were given out to those in need. We reached out to the community and touched many hearts by taking care of thier physical needs and, most importantly, we also shared the gospel with them as well. We praise the Lord for the two who prayed to accept Christ as their Savior and we hope to have the opportunity to disciple them.

But the day was not over. After taking down the tent and cleaning things up, we had a BMX bicycle race. We worked long and hard cutting down weeds and building ramps for jumping and finally finished the track a few weeks ago. And I have to say, the kids came together and did much of the work themselves and that was a big help. After running everyone around individualy as a time trial against the clock, they raced against each other in groups of 4 and 6 to determine the winner. After the race, Josias topped the day off with a devotion about the race of life. How many of us have our eye's on the finish line? Let's run well.

Hbr 12:1

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

While we were away.

2010-01-08T10:25:00.000-08:00

I've mentioned in previous blogs how blessed we are to have Josias and his family to work with. But after being gone for a month and now seeing what took place without us here, its even clearer. We have heard many stories of missionaries going to countries and working hard to start a bible study, church, or in our case a simple Sunday School class for children, and it fall apart when they leave. Praise the Lord, it didn't happen to us and we are so thankful. As a matter of fact, things went very well. Four adults made professions of faith and are now attending Sunday School at Diamantino. Getting that news as a Christmas gift would have been enough for me.

We are truly blessed to be here and we are looking forward to all of what 2010 has in store for us here in Brazil. It was so good to see friends and family back home but for now its back to work and making the most of the limited time we have left here. Here are some pictures of what was happening here in Brazil while we were gone.

The children receiving Christmas gifts.

From left to right; João, Josias,Paulo, Solandia and Edwardo. Paulo and Solandia were one of the couples that accepted Christ while we were in the States. They were baptized on Christmas Day.

Ephesians 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

Go! Tell someone about Salvation; the forgiveness of sin and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ while there is still time.

Coming Home for Christmas

2009-11-30T04:30:00.000-08:00

Well, the day is almost here. The day we have anxiously awaited for a while now. We have enjoyed our time here in Santarém, Brazil, but being away from our friends and family has been kinda tuff. Its been one year and eight months since we have seen our family and friends in Virginia. We arrive in Virginia on Dec. 4 at 11:30 at the Richmond airport. We will be speaking at Carrollton Baptist Church on Dec. 13 (evening service), Nansemond River Baptist Church on Dec. 16 (evening service), Emmanuel Baptist Church on Dec. 20 (evening service) and at Alexander Baptist Church on Dec. 21 (evening service). We will return to Brazil on Jan. 3 and remain here until the end of Oct. We are looking forward to what God is going to do next year here in Santarém. Please don't hesitate to leave a message on this blog if you have questions about these speaking engagements.

Last night we presented a slide show at Nova Jerusalem Baptist Church with pictures of what God has done through us here. When I say us, that includes all the Brazilian nationals that we have had the privilege of working with. Hopefully we have encouraged them to keep striving to reach the lost with the gospel of Jesus Christ. The descriptions are in Portuguese and the music is too, but you may find the music to be familiar. Check out the slide show in the Youtube box near the bottom of the page.

Remembering those who are Suffering.

2009-11-09T07:48:00.000-08:00

Nov. 8 was the International Day Of Prayer for persecuted christians around the world. These are so often times the forgotten among us. Lets face it, we would much rather think about things that make us happy and help us get through the day. But let me share a verse of scripture with you; "Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body." Hebrews 13:3 In more that 51 countries, there are christians being persecuted because of their faith in Jesus Christ. I had an opportunity to preach the other night and I took this opportunity to show a church here in Santarém, Brazil how so many of their fellow christians are being persecuted around the world. I asked everyone to close their eyes and take a trip with me to China. We imagined we were in an abandoned warehouse with no electricity. We cut of the lights, fans and shut the windows because we didn't want the solders are patrolling the streets to hear us. They didn't have their Bibles either. If they were caught with their Bibles on the way to church, they would be thrown in prison. We sang songs and recited scripture from memory by the glow of a couple candles burning in front of the pulpit. I was amazed at how many recited scripture from memory. Praise God for the ability to hide His precious Word in our hearts. We ended the night with a prayer for the families of Martyrs around the world and then turned the lights on. I told them that, here in Brazil we have more religious freedoms than those living in the United States. We can do so much here in Brazil in the way of ministry. We can enter schools, parks, and so many other places and preach the gospel freely. Preaching this message opened my eyes to how blessed we are here in Brazil and I hope it did the same for them.

In the above picture is a fellow christian by the name of Maria. She suffers from tuberculosis and loneliness. Every time we visit the village of Santana, we make sure to visit Maria. I don't know many songs in Portuguese, but I know one called "Thank you Jesus" and we sing it to her on every visit ( in portuguese of course). On our last visit with her I'll never forget, as I was strumming the guitar and singing the song, she was singing with me for the first time. As she laid in her hammock in pain, she was singing "Thank you Jesus" as if looking forward to the day that she would see Him face to face. I have to admit, I missed out on these experiences back in the states. So many times I avoided opportunities to visit those sick in hospitals and those who are bedridden. Please pray for Maria as she deals with her physical condition. We want to say thank you to those at our home church " NRBC" for donating the money that bought the radio that Maria is holding. This will help her in the lonely times.

Mission Santana

2009-10-01T11:53:00.000-07:00

First of all, I just have to say that God is so good. We just came back from visiting the village of Santana and we had a great time. Yesterday, we were able to visit a couple houses and do some visitation to begin the day. I'm learning how important it is to visit the older christians in the community. I have to admit, this is tough for me. Sitting down with the weak and frail is a situation that I'm not comfortable with, but I'm seeing how important it truly is to spend time with them. After visitation we spend some time with the children and youth. We were so surprised to see how many showed up. There had to be over 100 children there with us. I taught them how to play frisbee soccer and SAMURAI.

While I was working with the older kids, Josias was working with the younger ones and it worked out perfect. Josias brought a parachute craft and the kids thought is was great. Its neat to see how these games and crafts lead into Bible story's. The game samurai leads into a great lesson of how we need to read our Bibles and the parachute is a great illustration for a lesson on faith. After playing with the kids, we took a bath in the Amazon and got ready for a church service. This service was a special one because it was the first time we preached behind the "Living podium." Thats right, it's the first of its kind that I've ever seen. It is a mango tree that we cut and turned into a podium and it was a great segue into speaking to them about how the podium is living but word of God is Life.

The word of God is living, active and sharper than any two edged sword. Hebrews 4:12. And the word of God will never die. Praise the Lord! All in all, it was a great day and we are so thankful for your continued prayer support.

Here is where we slept and let me tell ya, the mosquito nets were a life saver.

Church service in the park? If they won't come to us, we will go to them.

2009-09-24T16:00:00.000-07:00

Toni, myself and Dan worked with a local church yesterday in the park. We gave out tracts and then had a service right there in the park. Our good friend Josias painted two pictures with paint that glows in the black light. As he painted he presented the Gospel in a way that was so easy to understand. After the painting, we sang some songs and then it was my turn. I stood in front of everyone and told them that I had a couple questions. I told them that if they answered the question right I would give them two reis (money). If they answered the last question right I would give them five reis. Surprisingly the kids were answering all the questions and loving every minute of it. It was a good time and I had everyones attention. After the first three questions I said " If you can prove to me that you are a good person, I will give you five reis." They all looked at me like they were a deer in the headlights of a car, then a couple hands went up. This turned out to be a great way to prove to everyone that there is only one who is good and that is God. And, we are all sinners in need of Salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ.

For so many Christians (including myself), it's so much easier to sing, worship, and talk about the things of God within the church walls. May we all break down the walls of fear in our lives and share the Gospel everywhere we can.

We had a great time and the highlight of the evening was when Dan told me he was able to lead a young man to the Lord. Amen!

Street Ministry in Santarem

2009-09-15T19:42:00.000-07:00

I know that there are places in this world where you can't walk to the nearest park and talk to people about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. And there are places where you can, but you may be persecuted in one way or another. Well, I am so thankful to live in a place where the gospel is received so well. I talked with four people in the park the other night and they all thanked me for sharing the gospel with them. What's crazy is, I am nervous when I do this but seeing their eyes light up when they hear about the hope of salvation makes it worth the while. I'm going to begin a class at a local church soon to teach them how to use "The Way of the Master" program in street ministry. Please pray for the Lord to raise up laborers for the harvest.

Kids love the flannel-graph.

2009-08-30T18:30:00.000-07:00

This week we received a package in the mail from a friend of ours by the name of Dudley. He and his church sent us some flannel-graph to use in children's ministry here in Santarém. Let me tell ya, Toni was very excited to get the package and using the flannel-graph added another dimension to the story of Adam and Eve this morning. The kids were mesmerized by the figures and for me, it brought back memories of being in Sunday School as a child. I'll never forget Faith Amick using the flannel-graph with the story of David and Goliath. And here I am, 30 years later using it with children in the Amazon Basin. Praise the Lord! So many times in the ministry, Toni and I are separated. She usually works with one group and I work with another. Now that we are actually putting a program together, we are learning how to compliment each other and most of all, impact the lives of the children we are speaking to more and more. I'm so thankful to have Toni by my side. Well, on my other side, my pet sloth "Lucas" is still a hit with the kids. Lucas was a gift as well from friends back home. Thank you Susan and Bill. I parallel a make believe story of when I found Lucas with the true story of when Jesus found me. I never thought a sloth could help me share my testimony with so many children and adults.

Children's Church

2009-08-23T19:16:00.000-07:00

We had a great time at the first Children's Church held at Diamantino today. We dusted off some benches from inside the church at around 8:3o and after setting them under a huge mango tree, we waited and hoped for some children to arrive. Well, at 9:00 we had two little boys show up and the man that helped me cut grass at the church. We began with a word of prayer and some songs in Portuguese. After that we taught them about the 7 days of creation. Toni did a great job of putting together a craft for the children and by the time we started working on the craft, we had 12 children there with us. Praise the Lord. In the picture are the two boys who showed up first and the craft that Toni made for them. In the middle of the flower, they wrote Genesis 1:1 and then on each petal they drew what happened on the different days of creation.

The Adventure Continues.

2009-08-09T10:01:00.001-07:00

The adventure continues here in Brazil, along the Amazon River. We have set a goal to start a children's church at Diamatino, either next Sunday or the following and we had a great time at Santana yesterday (Aug.8). I went to Diamatino a couple days ago and as I was pulling the lawn mower out of the back of the truck, the guy next door to the church started talking to me. I told him I was going to cut the grass and try to get the church ready to hold services there. He said "you mean those small tree's." Well, through Antonio, I was able to meet another man by the name of Edevalter, and he is helping me clear the "small tree's" on the church property. I'm glad to have some help and I've been able to meet some of the people in the neighborhood too. Well, getting back to yesterday and what happened there in Santana. Upon arriving there at Santana, we were asked if we could introduce ourselves to the children at the Catholic Church. So we went and sang some Christian songs with them in Portuguese and English, and then invited them to our Bible study/water balloon war. On the way back we stopped by an elderly lady's house to see how she was doing. It was very sad to see this woman laying in her hammock in pain from her many illnesses. It was good to know that she was a Christian and since we had the guitar, I asked her if I could sing her a song. I only know how to play and sing 3 songs, but one seemed to perfect for her. The song is called " Thank you Jesus for the morning sun." It was the highlight of the trip for me to see her smile and hopefully take her mind off the pain for a little bit.

All but a few showed up and we had about 40 children and teenagers at the Bible study. Toni told them the story of David and Goliath and I closed with with a talk on spiritual warfare. We are so thankful to have had the opportunity to speak to them and we pray that decisions will be made to follow Christ in the future. Well, then it was time for the water balloon war. We divided up into two teams and commenced to bombarding each other with water balloons. We had a great time and began many new relationships with some we've never met before.

We had a great time with the Caldwells last week at the Rodeo too. They set up a tent and hand out tracks there every year. Making balloons for the kids turned out to be a good idea but many people didn't take one because they couldn't believe they were free.

Heres a couple prayer concerns;

- The work and reopening of the Church in Diamatino.

- Church build in Santana and salvation for the lost villagers we are speaking to.

- Work along the Highway in the schools. ( We will make a visit there on Aug. 12 with Josias)

We praise God for our prayer partners. Thank you so much.

Month of July

2009-07-23T04:46:00.001-07:00

First things first, sorry for taking forever to write but we have been kinda busy. We went to a regional prayer retreat at the beginning of the month and had a great time. The retreat was held in Belem, which is on the East coast of Brazil, near the mouth of the Amazon. We were able to fellowship with other missionaries, swim in salt water, and watch a movie in a MOVIE THEATER! We even ate at a McDonald's! Man, those fries were gooooood. After a great time at the retreat, we brought home two additions to our family. Just kid'n, we had two journeyman missionaries stay with us for a few days. Daniel and Chris went to Santana with us and helped us put a roof on the temporary church building. These guys are really something. They will travel to villages in Manaus and live there for a period of four months. While there they will story the Bible and live like the villagers live. Please, keep these guys in your prayers. We also went on another boat trip up river with the Caldwells. This was our first trip with an all Brazilian team. These guys were great and we learned so much from them as we worked with the children together. The Caldwells held discipleship classes for the new believers there in Curuai and showed the film "Fireproof" one night. What a powerful film! Please pray for the new christians in Curuai and for God to raise up leaders in the faith there. Everywhere we go we are sharing the good news of Jesus Christ and it is being received with open arms. We praise God for those who have made decisions to follow Christ and for the privilege to be used of God here in Brazil. Here is a picture of Daniel, Chris, Josias and I as we put the roof on in Santana.

Toni and the Children

2009-06-22T14:15:00.000-07:00

I am so proud of my beautiful wife. She has really come a long way since we arrived here in Santarém almost a year ago. In the picture she is teaching the children a Bible story while they color a picture. She is also teaching the children songs in Portuguese about the Bible. It's been a real joy to see the Lord use my wife in the ministry. We still have a long way to go, but we have come so far.

School Evangelism

2009-06-11T18:00:00.000-07:00

We went to one of the schools we visited a few weeks ago and did a presentation today. We partnered with a local church that we have been going to called Nova Jerusalém. This is where our good friend Josias preaches. His wife Eliene and his two sons, Vitor and Artor were on hand to help, as well as 1o members of his church. We have been so blessed to have Josias to work with. We started the presentation out with some music. Vitor and I have been working on playing "Deus e tão bom", which is "God is so good" in English. With Josias backing us up on the accordion, it sounded pretty good. What really surprised me was when Josias asked Toni to teach them how to sing "God is so good." For those of you who don't know Toni real well, she does not sing in public, or not until today. She did great and for the first time, we were singing and playing the guitar together. From there, Toni and Eliene taught two separate classes on good general health practices. Afterwards, we brought the kids back together and I spoke to them about the Lords Supper, since they were celebrating Corpus Cristi. I tried to stress the importance of remembering Christ and what He did for us on the cross. We then gave each of them a red, pre-tied bow to fit on their finger and told them how, in the United States, we tie a piece of string around our finger to keep from forgetting something. Being able to share the gospel with children in public schools is such a blessing and we are trying to take advantage of it. After a little more music, it was time to get to work. We cut the grass and cleaned up around the school to show our appreciation for the time that was given to us. Everybody chipped in and it turned out to be a good way of getting to know the children. Please pray for continued ministry opportunities in this school and others. Thank you so much for your prayers.

Oh yea, the spider may be their school mascot but I'm not sure.

School visits

2009-06-06T08:43:00.000-07:00

It has been really tough to get anything done for the last couple months. It's no fun playing baseball in the rain at Bel Terra and the road to Santana do Ituqui is all but washed away. A bus flipped over on its side two weeks ago trying to traverse the road to Ituqui. The rain destroys the dirt roads around here within hours and they are very dangerous. In the picture of the map above, you can see some places that we are working in. Bel Terra is to the left, and that is where we are putting on a baseball clinic every Saturday, when it's not raining. Mojui dos Campos is where Dan Caldwell is preaching and he is trying to help this church get back on its feet. Rosilda Walton, Santo Antonio, and São João are schools that we have visited this week. We were well received and we have been asked to do a presentation at two of the schools. We will do our first presentation at Rosilda Walton on the 11th of June and a presentation at São João in August. We are working hard on preparing for these school visits and we hope to see a Bible study group or a church start come from these visits. Toni will be teaching the children about health and Josias is working on playing his accordion. Yes, accordion! The kids are going to love hearing him play that thing and I will do my best to keep up with him on the guitar. Dan Caldwell has also offered to do some of his clowning too, so there is alot to be excited about. With all of this and most importantly, Bible stories, we hope to lead many of these children to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Please pray for continued guidance and vision for what the Lord wants us to do here. There are so many needs but so little time.

Street Ministry in Santarem

2009-04-11T12:59:00.001-07:00

Last Wednesday night, Toni and I ( Paul ) went to a local church to teach about how to street evangelize. The program that I use is called " The Way Of The Master." I used the program with success back in the States but I was concerned about how it would be accepted here in Brazil. Well, after teaching how to use this program on Wed., I was able to demonstrate how to use it on the streets yesterday with the same group. We had some great conversations with people walking from house to house but the best came last. We stumbled upon three kids playing in the dirt and I thought I'd show them a little trick. I reached in my Bible and showed them two funny shaped cards. They are both the same shape but the one on the right always looks bigger than the one on the left. They got a kick out of it and then I asked them if their father was home. Immediately, one of the boys ran off yelling " Pai, Pai!" When the father came out we greeted him and then started to go through the program with him. I first asked him if he was a good person and he said " Yes." I then asked him if he had ever told a lie. He said " No." Without arguing with him I went on to the next question. Have you ever stolen anything in your life? He said " No " to this question too. Jokingly I asked him if he was perfect and he said " No ", so I went on to the next question. Then I asked him if he had ever looked at a woman with lust. He answered " Yes " to this one and I then read Matthew 5:27-28 to him. As I was reading this passage, his eyes started welling up with tears. For me, there is nothing more beautiful save someone receiving forgiveness for those very sins. And after telling him that Jesus died on the cross to pay the debt for sin and that this was a free gift to receive, he did just that. Praise the Lord! One more for Jesus!

To learn more about " The Way Of The Master " go to this web site- www.thewayofthemaster.com

Back to Ituqui

2009-04-06T05:52:00.000-07:00

Well, we went to Ituqui again and we made more benches. I think we're starting to get the hang of it. We were able to get four made this time and we held our first Bible study with everyone seated comfortably. The trip there went pretty smooth and all the meals as well. It was when I took a bath that night, when things got a little crazy. Josias wasn't feeling very well that night, so I took a couple of the kids down to the area where we bathe. We walked down to the floating dock and as usual, the kids jump in first just to make sure the coast was clear for me. The kids are instructed to do this by their parents and I sense that it makes them feel good to look after me. After all, even though I am learning, I am still ignorant to some of the dangers they face everyday. Ok, now that I know that there aren't any alligators, skates, or snakes in the water, I jump in. The water felt great and I had to teach them how to do a back-flip since I was getting wet anyway. I then got out and started washing with some soap and then I see something quite large floating in the water. No, it can't be, I thought to myself. But yes, it was a dead sheep. I quickly told the kids to get out of the water because there was a dead animal floating towards them and they did. But kids will be kids, they then started jumping towards it and kicking it. Needless to say, I felt like I needed another bath.

Here is a picture of Josias and I at the new church build. All the cutting and planing are done by hand.

2009-03-29T17:50:00.000-07:00

Josias and I ( Paul ) went to visit Ituqui this past week. It takes about 2 hours to drive there and it is a rough trip. The roads get washed out so fast and you can only hope and pray a hard rain doesn't come along while your driving. On the way there we stopped to help push start a full size bus. Yea, the size that seats about 6o people. After failing to push start it with 10 other Brazilians, I hooked our pick-up to it. We snapped 2 ropes, but just after I heard the second rope snap I heard the engine start on the bus. We shook hands with everyone, gave them some gospel tracks and headed for Ituqui. Our mission for this trip was to make benches for the temporary place of worship, which is behind a families house. The trip was a success. We built 3 benches, one for the children and 2 for the adults. After taking a bath in the river that night, it was time for dinner. The food we eat in the villages is pretty good. It kinda churns my stomach when they don't take the heads off the fish, but thats ok. What did mess me up was when we were eating by candle light at night. Everything was great at first and then half way though my meal I noticed that my food was moving. The bugs were all over my food and I didn't even know it. This trip was a little different from the rest because it was my first time spending the night there. A house ( hut ) was offered for us to sleep in and we accepted the offer, but I had no idea what was awaiting us. We drove to the house and grabbed what we needed to sleep. Every time I walk into a hut I feel so tall because I have to duck. I'm only 5'7" but thats above average height here. There were so many bugs in this hut. I'm talking about big ones. Some of them are big enough to put a leash on and take for a walk. All I wanted to do was get some sleep. We set our hammocks up and just after laying down, I heard something flying in the room. They were bats. I was so tired at this point that I just put my hat over my face and fell asleep. The sound of the bats flying around my hammock actually ended up putting me to sleep. Well, when we woke up the next morning, there was another surprise. The biggest frog I've ever seen was about 6 feet from me. Usually I wouldn't pay it any mind but some frogs here in the Amazon are poisonous. Thank the Lord, this one wasn't but it was ugly. Sorry, no pictures of the frog. Here is a picture of the host family and our first bench built for the baptist church of Ituqui.

Into the jungle.

2009-03-19T20:54:00.001-07:00

On the last trip up river, we went to a village by the name of Anuma. We spent a couple days there going house to house and working with the children. That was great but what we did next was even better. A group of guys from N.C. had enough courage to go with me through the jungle sharing the Gospel with those who rarely see visitors of any kind. We surprised them by acting out stories from the Bible and presenting the Good News of Salvation through Jesus Christ. We had a great time and we were blessed by one woman praying to receive Jesus into her heart. Thats what its all about and we are so glad to be a part of what God is doing here in Brazil.

2009-03-03T00:31:00.000-08:00

We just came back from a trip up the Amazon River, and what a wonderful time we had talking to people about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. First we went to Curuai, which is about a 5 hour boat trip up the Amazon River. Then on the way back we visited Socorro. The name of this village means " help " in portuguese and thats what we came to do. In both villages we went house to house, meeting and sharing with families why we were there. We also had the privilege working in two schools. The schools here are very different from back home. We can go into a school here and speak plainly about the need for salvation in a persons life. It's a real blessing to be able to do that. We also played games with the children and held bible studies afterwards. We gave out glasses to about one hundred and fifty people who had problems with their vision. Praise the Lord, so many can now see to read the Bible. Many also came to know the Lord as Savior. They were once blind but now they see.

The Lords promise in scripture:

Isa 42:16 And I will bring the blind by a way that they know not; in paths that they know not will I lead them; I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight. These things will I do, and I will not forsake them.

The Lord is at work here in Brazil and we thank you so much for partnering with us in prayer.

We will be leaving on another trip this Saturday, March 2. Please pray for safety as we take college students from N.C. on a long hike through the jungle. We will visit homes during this trek that possibly have never heard the gospel. Please pray for the Holy Spirit to go before us.

Working with the villagers of Ituqui

2008-12-16T06:09:00.000-08:00

Toni and I had a wonderful weekend working with the villagers in Ituqui. This village is about 60 miles outside of the city of Santarem. We love working with the children and they love it when I use our puppet. His name is Lucas and most of the children think he is real. Even the adults have their suspicions. Josias is playing the guitar beside me and we will be working together at the village of Ituqui and in getting another church back on its feet back in here in Santarem. He is a great guy and we are blessed to have someone like him to work with.

2008-10-30T03:46:00.001-07:00

We have been hard at work trying to get settled in, here in Santarem. We are very happy to have a place of our own and we are so thankful for your prayers. The Lord has taken care of us in so many ways. He has given us Brazilian friends who have helped us in language learning and with the house as well. We have been on two trips up and down the Amazon so far. One with our home church back in Va. and one trip with a team from Fla. Both trips were very fruitful because of the obedience that accompanied their confession of the gospel. So many stepped out in faith and did things that they never dreamed they would do. There were over 200 professions of faith in Jesus Christ as thier Savior. The Lord is at work here in Brazil and again we say " Thank you for your prayers." We will also be working with a local Brazilian by the name of Josias in villages on the outskirts of Santarem. He and I will go and start building a temporary shelter to hold worship services until the church is built. This construction will be in a village by the name of Santana this weekend. Another prayer was answered by the IMB supplying us with a 4x4 truck. The roads are pretty rough on the way to some of these villages. There is another local pastor who has asked me to help him with a baseball clinic. We will start this program in March. With this program we will have bible studies every practice and visit one family a week of the children who are playing. With these two programs and the boat ministry, we are pretty buisy. With all these ministries we will be doing house visits, so please pray for the Holy Spirit to prepare these families for the gospel that will be presented. Please pray also for Toni as she begins to make our house a home for us. Life here is different, but we are trying to adjust and make Brazil our new home for the next couple of years. Pray also that the Lord will give direction as to what He wants Toni to do. There are so many needs and it is important to make sure we are doing what He wants instead of what we or others want. Again, thanks for the prayers and just a side note thanks for all the goodies that have been sent from friends and family. Toni and I had a great 6th year anniversary here in Brazil and Toni had a great 31rst birthday here also.

Here we are in Santarem

2008-09-16T17:42:00.000-07:00

It has taken a long time to get here and let me tell ya, its HOT! We are doing our best with the limited amount of language we have, and I think we are doing pretty well. We are still working on getting an appartment. The family living there should be leaving this week and we will move in a few days afterward. We have had so many things go wrong since arrival. Our computer is down and one of our GPS units is acting up on us. But, on the good side, we have taken advantage of opportunities to evangelize and God has blessed our efforts. We were able to lead a woman to the Lord last weekend while visiting homes in a villiage 100 km south of Santarem. We will be going back to this villiage once a month and hopefuly showing the Jesus film on our next visit. Please continue to pray for us as we learn the Portuguese language. We love you and God Bless!
We need short term mission teams to come and help in evangelism. Whether your the type to sleep on the boat or an extreme type who likes to rough it. Let me know if your interested.

Wonderful time of Evangelism.

2008-07-22T17:08:00.000-07:00

We have been very busy for the past three weeks. After going to Rio de Janeiro, we came back to Campinas and fell back into our school routine. This past weekend was the best time we have had since being here though. We were connected with a short term mission team working here in Campinas and we helped them with neighborhood evangelization. We were able to put our Portuguese to work and share our testimonies with Brazilians. We were also able to go through the track called "Steps to peace with God " with them. There were over 40 decisions for Christ and it was so nice to take part in the Lords work. We had one conversation with a woman on the street that really touched me. We went through the track with her really fast at first because she said her ride was on his way to pick her up. Well, after we finished the track she said that she was religious and that was enough. We then took her back to the part of the track that shows how its not and we talked a little more about the seriousness of dying without surrendering our lives to Christ. It was at this point that she began to cry in true contrition. What a beautiful site. She then prayed to accept Christ as her Savior and we all rejoiced together.

God is at work here in Brazil and we are so glad to be a part of it. You are too, as you pray for us and we are thankful for every one of them. Above is a picture of the Brazilian team we worked with.

AGM

2008-07-04T19:40:00.000-07:00

AGM was awesome! For those who have no idea what AGM is, it the Annual Mission Meeting for all IBM missionaries in South America. We were able to talk to so many missionaries and we gained a wealth of knowledge talking to them. One thing that was mentioned was the fact that one person dies every 15 seconds without knowing Jesus Christ as their personal Savior in Brazil. That is a sobering thought. Lets get out there and tell people about Jesus.