Evangelism Visit

Hello all. My dad Aj and my husband Walmir took a group from our church here in Caraguatatuba to the mission point in Natividade da Serra to help with evangelism and visiting in general in that town. So the 16 individuals from our church left here early on Sunday the 15th to spend the day in Natividade.

They got there in time to participate in the morning service where Walmir preached to the adults.

In the afternoon they went around town sharing about the church and the services there and when God opened a door, they shared about the plan of salvation.

After all the visiting, they got cleaned up to run the evening service. Dad preached, a group of 3 youths played instruments as a special and the group sang as well.

They had 54 people attending the service that evening (this included our 16). God was good and the kingdom gained 3 new inhabitants that evening. And to add to that blessing, one of the men that gained eternity has said he is going to donate property for the church to build its own building. As dad would say, "AWESOME!!!!!!"

God is good.

June Newsletter

Dear friends,

I cannot say it has been an uneventful month. We have seen some sad endings and happy new beginnings. Three of our brothers in Christ have gone to live with the Lord, 2 young Christians united in marriage and work has been going on at the property as well.

Sometimes we wonder if when we are doing evangelism in the communities, "Is it really necessary?" Well the first of the three who passed away was a 37 year old man who had heart surgery 6 to 8 months ago. He accepted Christ before his surgery while sitting on the front steps of his home near one of our preaching points (Barranco Alto). My son-in-law, Walmir and I had the privilege of not only leading him to Christ but being with his family at the hospital when he went to be with the Lord. We were also privileged to participate in his funeral service, or as my late father-in-law would have said, "His promotion."

The second brother who passed away was Walmir's father, Gibson. He was 60 and was cutting down some fruit for his grandchildren in the back yard of his home. He was talking with Walmir and another friend and he fell forward. Mary witnessed most of the event and did CPR until the Fire Department Rescue crew arrived. Gibson was pronounced dead about 45 minutes to an hour later at the hospital. It is totally awesome to preach a funeral when there are no doubts that a person has Jesus Christ in their lives. His testimony and witness demonstrated his commitment to our Lord and Saviour. He was one of the assistants at the preaching point where the first young man died.

The last man who passed away was a father to one of our faithful church members. He was not a member of our church but we were privileged to participate in his funeral. He had been an alcoholic and had accepted Christ late in life. He lived his last 3 years going to church and demonstrating a witness that his life had changed. How awesome is the Lord we serve.

In the midst of this sadness we did have the joy of witnessing 2 young Christians join in marriage. Both of these young people serve faithfully in church and we are looking forward to God using them even more as a married couple.

So even though we has what appears to be a very busy month, we are blessed because these 3 men and this couple ave the testimony they had and have Jesus in their lives. How awesome is the Lord we serve.

This month has also been very busy with the vocational school. We have been installing the foundation and plumbing for a dormitory. It has required a lot more dirt to fill than was anticipated. The work goes on and it is simply awesome how the Lord supplies.

We have planned our evangelism for the rest of the year. Included in this evangelism outreach are our mission points located out of our area, Salesópolis and Natividade da Serra, as well as the communities in town where we currently have preaching points or congregations. In all of this, especially the 2 missions out of town, the van will be serving a vital part! Without the van we would be unble to go and visit in these mission fields. It is awesome when we can take some of our church members and help our missions. Not only is it needed but out church members enjoy participating in this church work. In each of the 2 towns, we are planning to spend a day each month evangelizing and having a church service in the evening before returning home. In the local communities, we are planning on going door to door spreading the good news of the gospel. We will rotate through these areas through out the rest of the year.

Barbara has been in the States visiting with her mother and recuperating from her surgery these last 4 or 5 weeks. She has surely been missed here. Pray for her as she will be returning June 19th.

So as we are ministering here, we request your prayers for the work that is ongoing. It is because of wonderful people like you that this work continues. Pray with us for more souls for the harvest.

Thanks so much for your financial support and prayers. Remember, there is always a bed and extra beans for you here with us. Like Motel 6, we'll keep the light on for you.

In His service,
Aj and Barb Hensley