Dear Friends,
How wonderful it is to get to see and visit family and friends in the States. Barb and I made a quick trip home in Feb. and got to see a lot of snow. Boy! What a difference in temperature; Brasil 104 degrees and in the States in the low 20"s I was thinking to myself at this time, maybe the trip was to get away from the heat(partially that was right).
We had two ladies visiting us this month. They did back yard Bible schools in two neighborhoods and helped in the two homes that were getting ready for the two widows in our Church. They were a blessing to us and to the areas where they worked. Thanks Rebeca and Cathy!!!
We have been and still are very involved with helping two widows in our Church. One is building a new house and the other is remodeling her existing house. Grannies house is about 2 weeks from completion. This is the house that was below ground level and every time it rained this 82 year old lady had to bail water. She has lost furniture and appliances because of this problem. The other lady, Gloria, will be able to move into her house in approximately 2 weeks. This is the family that has 6 kids and the father died about 1 year and 1/2 ago. The mother provides for the family by selling fish. We are also taking a counseling class in Sao Paulo each month to be able to help the people here through the Bible. Pray for us as the home work and the reading is extensive.
Sometimes we get so involved in the work that we allow "the work" to suffer. So we are trying to balance "needs" and keep the main thing the main thing. But isn't it AWESOME, we are about to move two widows into their new and remodeled homes. We serve and AWESOME God!!!!The
reason that these homes have taken more than the usual time to complete is that we have been battling the elements----RAIN. As I am writing this letter we have been in a rain period (Continual) for 2 days. The streets going into the various neighborhoods are covered with water and are only going to be getting more and more watter. As we were entering into one neighborhood yesterday we passed one woman walking on the street with the water half way between her feet and her knees. But thanks to God there is no water in Grannies home.
I don't know if I can blame the rain or not but we are in an Internet turmoil as of late. We cannot rely on it as it is maybe yes and maybe no when we want to use it. Oh well, in ALL things give
thanks.
This year we are planning to concentrate on the Vocational School and the students that need to have training. We will begin with the dormitory and the finishing of it.It consists of 3 bed rooms and three baths, livingroon and kitchen. We have the walls and the roof and the concrete floors finished. We will need to put in the windows and doors and the electricity and the plumbing and the plaster walls and the bathrooms and the kitchen and the tile on the floors. All this will be ongoing with the classes that we will be starting next month. Our classes will include beginning carpentry, basic electricity fot homes, and introduction to locksmith. Our first students will be from the surrounding area. They will be transported daily to the school. When the dormitory is completed we will then be able to have students living on site.This is an ongoing project and will fill a great need in this area as young boys 14-21 years old need work experience and job training. This training will prepare them for their future.
It goes without saying that Barb and I are blessed beyond measure. We have some of the most AWESOME friends in the world.!! We were going over some of last years accomplishments, construction, the Kingdoms work, and just plain personal growth. All this accomplished through
God who gives us friends, Churches, and concerned Christians. How AWESOME is He whom we serve!!!! "THANKS EVERYONE" without U through Him it would be impossible.
We are planning several work groups for 2010 and a couple of backyard Bible Schools. Pray for us and these helpers as they come to work and minister. And mark your calenders because in Nov 2011 we are planning a Pastors Conference. We are hoping to have Pastors from all over São Paulo State to come to this conference.This will be a great opportunity for outreach. We are asking that you be in constant prayer for this event.
Continue to pray for us in these ministries, for His will and the Kingdoms glory.
In His service,
Aj and Barbara
11 de abril de 2010
16 de fevereiro de 2010
Newsletter
Friends,
My! How time marches on. It seems as though there is more and more to do and less and less time to get the things done.
We have several widows in our Church with housing needs. The most pressing need at this time is the widow we call "granny". There are structural problems with her house, there are cracks in her walls and they are leaning. Also when it rains her house floods. So it was decided that we would build another wall inside of the house to prevent the walls from falling in on her. This however did not help with the water problem as we had hoped it would. Her house was one of
the first homes that were built in her neighborhood and after the road was built her house was lower than the road and all of the other homes. So naturally when it rains the run off from everyone goes to her house. Can you imagine an 82 year old woman and her grandson bailing out the house every time it rains. Well that is what was happening. So now we are moving Granny to our house with her grandson and we will be raising the floor level above the outside elevation. Simply put we will fill her house with dirt pour a new cement floor raise the doors and windows, remove the roof, raise the walls and replace the roof, tile the floor clean up, put back the furniture that survived the flooding, buy new groceries and move her back in. The work and materials will take about 3,000 dollars and take about 6 weeks to get done Thanks to several Americans we have the money to do the work but is you would like to help replace the furniture that was ruined with all the water you can donate to the granny fund.
The other widow that we are helping has 6 kids and was evicted from a home that she thought was hers but when her husband died she found out that it was not. So she has been working at building her and her children a home ever since. With the help of the Church here and several groups this year she is getting closer to finishing. Last week we put the roof on the house and this week she has an electrician putting in the electricity and a brick layer putting in the doors and windows. So she and the children are getting really excited about the prospect of being in their own home soon.
The work on both these projects are going surprisingly well. Pray for us as we endeavor to lend a helping hand to those in need. The Lord is just so AWESOME in supplying the help for these widows and their children. Pray with us that God will continue to supply these types of needs here in Brasil.
Things are changing here in the home Church, we have decided to change one of the mission points to a full time mission work. It will have a full time pastor full time services and works. We will lose some of the members from the home Church and about 1/2 of our Sunday School program as the children have been being bussed in on Sunday mornings and will now have a Mission point in their neighbor hood where they can have the same teaching and preaching. AWESOME!!!! It's great when you can say loosing is growing.
Pray for this full time work as they are building for the Kingdom. This work will be lead by our son-in-law Walmir and our daughter Mary Katherine and their daughter Chelsea. Pray for them as they take on a new endeavor for the Lord.
So now we will have 3 full time missions with full time pastors. Olaria, Salesopolis and Natividade da Serra along with our central Church and three house Churches.
Pray for these works and us as we minister in these endeavors for the Kingdom.
And as always the invitation to come see what God is doing in Caraguatatuba is open. The dollars you send is helping in the work here and you really need to see how far a dollar can go in Brasil.
The lights are on on the porch and the bed is turned down so come on down.
In His service,
Aj and Barbara
CP 1511
Caraguatatuba, São Paulo
Fone - 011-55-12-3888-4189
My! How time marches on. It seems as though there is more and more to do and less and less time to get the things done.
We have several widows in our Church with housing needs. The most pressing need at this time is the widow we call "granny". There are structural problems with her house, there are cracks in her walls and they are leaning. Also when it rains her house floods. So it was decided that we would build another wall inside of the house to prevent the walls from falling in on her. This however did not help with the water problem as we had hoped it would. Her house was one of
the first homes that were built in her neighborhood and after the road was built her house was lower than the road and all of the other homes. So naturally when it rains the run off from everyone goes to her house. Can you imagine an 82 year old woman and her grandson bailing out the house every time it rains. Well that is what was happening. So now we are moving Granny to our house with her grandson and we will be raising the floor level above the outside elevation. Simply put we will fill her house with dirt pour a new cement floor raise the doors and windows, remove the roof, raise the walls and replace the roof, tile the floor clean up, put back the furniture that survived the flooding, buy new groceries and move her back in. The work and materials will take about 3,000 dollars and take about 6 weeks to get done Thanks to several Americans we have the money to do the work but is you would like to help replace the furniture that was ruined with all the water you can donate to the granny fund.
The other widow that we are helping has 6 kids and was evicted from a home that she thought was hers but when her husband died she found out that it was not. So she has been working at building her and her children a home ever since. With the help of the Church here and several groups this year she is getting closer to finishing. Last week we put the roof on the house and this week she has an electrician putting in the electricity and a brick layer putting in the doors and windows. So she and the children are getting really excited about the prospect of being in their own home soon.
The work on both these projects are going surprisingly well. Pray for us as we endeavor to lend a helping hand to those in need. The Lord is just so AWESOME in supplying the help for these widows and their children. Pray with us that God will continue to supply these types of needs here in Brasil.
Things are changing here in the home Church, we have decided to change one of the mission points to a full time mission work. It will have a full time pastor full time services and works. We will lose some of the members from the home Church and about 1/2 of our Sunday School program as the children have been being bussed in on Sunday mornings and will now have a Mission point in their neighbor hood where they can have the same teaching and preaching. AWESOME!!!! It's great when you can say loosing is growing.
Pray for this full time work as they are building for the Kingdom. This work will be lead by our son-in-law Walmir and our daughter Mary Katherine and their daughter Chelsea. Pray for them as they take on a new endeavor for the Lord.
So now we will have 3 full time missions with full time pastors. Olaria, Salesopolis and Natividade da Serra along with our central Church and three house Churches.
Pray for these works and us as we minister in these endeavors for the Kingdom.
And as always the invitation to come see what God is doing in Caraguatatuba is open. The dollars you send is helping in the work here and you really need to see how far a dollar can go in Brasil.
The lights are on on the porch and the bed is turned down so come on down.
In His service,
Aj and Barbara
CP 1511
Caraguatatuba, São Paulo
Fone - 011-55-12-3888-4189
13 de janeiro de 2010
January 2010
Dear friends,
It just doesn't seem possible that another year has come and gone. However, we must face these facts--I'm now another year older! It's amazing how we look at New Years, make suggestions on what we would like to change or accomplish in the New Year. The list could go on and on. But what we need to say is this "With His help and leadership, I am going to do --" Maybe with this thinking we would accomplish the things that we are needing to accomplish this year.
How AWESOME is the God we serve, there is always more people to reach with the gospel. And I am thankful to be a part of a wonderful sending institution BFM! Because of them and you the work goes on. Pray for us to be up to the task for this New year. And to all of you-one more time-Thanks for the financial support and prayer support you continually send for us. How AWESOME it is to be a missionary here in Brasil doing His work. It is because of "YOU" that we are able to live and minister here. Again we can only say "Thanks and God bless all of you."
Up until last week we can say that is has been snowing here ---but it melted before it got to the ground.(lol) I think it has rained almost every day for 3 months. The ground has been totally saturated with water. This has been a very hard time on our roads. We used to be able to drive around most of the holes--now we cannot. If you try to miss one hole you hit three more . Or the water is standing in them and you wonder if there is a bottom to the hole and sometimes if you hit it you know that there is not.
The weather brings me to talk about our now project. We are helping a grandmother with her house. She is between 80 an 90 and every time it rains here three rooms fill up with water. Her home is a humble home but it is hers but she does not have the strength to or the stamina to be dipping out the water from it. So we have started working on the house without the funds believing that God will provide, because in the Bible it commands us to help the orphans and the widows. We thought that we could inter and repair the existing walls but after closer inspection we found that the existing walls were so cracked that we were amazed that they were still standing. So what we are doing is this, inside her house we are digging a new foundation and building new walls. And as we are doing this we are water proofing all of the walls. She is having to live in this mess but she is so thankful for our help she is not minding the mess. I am not saying that this is not hurting because it is. I come home at night, take a shower, sit down and when I try to get up it hurts in places I didn't know I had.Even though for us this is a small job I think in the eyes of the Lord it is an AWESOME work. Pray for the grandmother, her home, and if you want to financially help with this project donate to "grannies house".
Well, my vehicle "problems" continue. My6 S-10 is in the garage more than it is at home and just as soon as it is out the van has a problem that has to be fixed. I just can't figure it out--they are respectively 10 years and 11 years old. Now I'm not complaining, I'm bragging on the Lord because I have two trucks and they are still running. AWESOME is the Lord we serve.
We had visitors for the New Years from the States--What a blessing. Pastor Foy and wife and several members of Mount Eden Church in Western Ky. were with us. You just don't realize what visitors mean for Barb and I. It lifts us up and says "Keep on keeping on" I think the word is encouragement.
While it is very cold there in the states, the weather for the past 2 weeks has changed. Here it is in the 90's and if we could carry around an electric fan and a water hose it would be great. What a getaway from the SNOW,WIND,COLD there in the States. Come on down-- and as Barb says "The beds are turned down and we are waiting for your visit".
Have an AWESOME New Year and God bless every one of you.
In His service,
Aj and Barbara
It just doesn't seem possible that another year has come and gone. However, we must face these facts--I'm now another year older! It's amazing how we look at New Years, make suggestions on what we would like to change or accomplish in the New Year. The list could go on and on. But what we need to say is this "With His help and leadership, I am going to do --" Maybe with this thinking we would accomplish the things that we are needing to accomplish this year.
How AWESOME is the God we serve, there is always more people to reach with the gospel. And I am thankful to be a part of a wonderful sending institution BFM! Because of them and you the work goes on. Pray for us to be up to the task for this New year. And to all of you-one more time-Thanks for the financial support and prayer support you continually send for us. How AWESOME it is to be a missionary here in Brasil doing His work. It is because of "YOU" that we are able to live and minister here. Again we can only say "Thanks and God bless all of you."
Up until last week we can say that is has been snowing here ---but it melted before it got to the ground.(lol) I think it has rained almost every day for 3 months. The ground has been totally saturated with water. This has been a very hard time on our roads. We used to be able to drive around most of the holes--now we cannot. If you try to miss one hole you hit three more . Or the water is standing in them and you wonder if there is a bottom to the hole and sometimes if you hit it you know that there is not.
The weather brings me to talk about our now project. We are helping a grandmother with her house. She is between 80 an 90 and every time it rains here three rooms fill up with water. Her home is a humble home but it is hers but she does not have the strength to or the stamina to be dipping out the water from it. So we have started working on the house without the funds believing that God will provide, because in the Bible it commands us to help the orphans and the widows. We thought that we could inter and repair the existing walls but after closer inspection we found that the existing walls were so cracked that we were amazed that they were still standing. So what we are doing is this, inside her house we are digging a new foundation and building new walls. And as we are doing this we are water proofing all of the walls. She is having to live in this mess but she is so thankful for our help she is not minding the mess. I am not saying that this is not hurting because it is. I come home at night, take a shower, sit down and when I try to get up it hurts in places I didn't know I had.Even though for us this is a small job I think in the eyes of the Lord it is an AWESOME work. Pray for the grandmother, her home, and if you want to financially help with this project donate to "grannies house".
Well, my vehicle "problems" continue. My6 S-10 is in the garage more than it is at home and just as soon as it is out the van has a problem that has to be fixed. I just can't figure it out--they are respectively 10 years and 11 years old. Now I'm not complaining, I'm bragging on the Lord because I have two trucks and they are still running. AWESOME is the Lord we serve.
We had visitors for the New Years from the States--What a blessing. Pastor Foy and wife and several members of Mount Eden Church in Western Ky. were with us. You just don't realize what visitors mean for Barb and I. It lifts us up and says "Keep on keeping on" I think the word is encouragement.
While it is very cold there in the states, the weather for the past 2 weeks has changed. Here it is in the 90's and if we could carry around an electric fan and a water hose it would be great. What a getaway from the SNOW,WIND,COLD there in the States. Come on down-- and as Barb says "The beds are turned down and we are waiting for your visit".
Have an AWESOME New Year and God bless every one of you.
In His service,
Aj and Barbara
23 de dezembro de 2009
November in Brasil
Dear Friends,
Barbara and I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and yours a blessed Holiday as we look at the reason for the season, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Here in Brasil this holiday is not as big as it is there in the States as the people here do not have the resources that we have there in the States. Their celebration is to have a big meal on the passing of the 24th to the 25th. To have their family together is the biggest pleasure. Rarely are there presents exchanged just love and togetherness. We will be having a service in the Church commemoration the birth of our Lord and Savior on the night of the 25th with many activities and much singing and preaching.
I remember telling you about rain last month, and this month we are having a bit more of the same. And because of this rain we are discovering several leaks in the roof of our house. Here it is a little different and possibly a little more difficult as the roofs are made of tile and this makes it more difficult to fix. Due to this rain many areas are flooding and this brings big problems. One of the areas that is having this problem is at the home of a 92 year old widow in our church. Her little house has been built early on in the neighborhood and when the other home were built they built them higher than hers. So now when it rains her house fills with water and there is no drain system because of the depth of the house. So this 92 year old grandmother and the 14 year old young man that she is raising has to bail out all the water and sometimes they cannot keep up with the flow.So we are thinking of raising the floor of her house and then we will have to raise the roof also. This will cost about $2,700.00 dollars. So when we have the money we can begin the work. Pray for the project and if God lays on your heart you can contribute in the name
of the widow.
We continue to remodel and build here in the Church and the different Mission points.In the Church, thanks to several Churches there in the States we have done a major renovation in the Kitchen and the nursery and the stair well. In the Kitchen we opened a wall and made a pantry that was much needed and will be a blessing for the women of the Church when there are things going on in the Church.
The carpentry shop which is part of our vocational school has been a blessing this month as we have been able to help several members of our Church with wood projects needed in their homes.
Our newest Bible School in Morro do Algodao is progressing, one week we will have 7 the next week 15. There is no way to predict how many will show up.This is an area where we need to concentrate more because our bus route passes through this area. We are planning to do
some extensive visiting here after the holidays. This will help our bus ministry in this area.
This has been a bad month for our truck. I have had to replace the whole front-end suspension and on top of that the fuel tank had to be removed and cleaned. This due to unclean fuel and rust problems. As you know our roads are giving us a major challenge. And they are not
the best friends to our vehicles.
Our Church was in a Pastoral search but our Pastor decided to remain. We as a Church were praying for the Lord's will, so we are now praying for the Lord's leadership and direction for His Church and His work.
Again Barbara and I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. And as we pray for all there remember us here and pray for us.How AWESOME it i8s to serve here in Brasil. Come and see.
In His service,
Aj and Barbara
Barbara and I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and yours a blessed Holiday as we look at the reason for the season, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Here in Brasil this holiday is not as big as it is there in the States as the people here do not have the resources that we have there in the States. Their celebration is to have a big meal on the passing of the 24th to the 25th. To have their family together is the biggest pleasure. Rarely are there presents exchanged just love and togetherness. We will be having a service in the Church commemoration the birth of our Lord and Savior on the night of the 25th with many activities and much singing and preaching.
I remember telling you about rain last month, and this month we are having a bit more of the same. And because of this rain we are discovering several leaks in the roof of our house. Here it is a little different and possibly a little more difficult as the roofs are made of tile and this makes it more difficult to fix. Due to this rain many areas are flooding and this brings big problems. One of the areas that is having this problem is at the home of a 92 year old widow in our church. Her little house has been built early on in the neighborhood and when the other home were built they built them higher than hers. So now when it rains her house fills with water and there is no drain system because of the depth of the house. So this 92 year old grandmother and the 14 year old young man that she is raising has to bail out all the water and sometimes they cannot keep up with the flow.So we are thinking of raising the floor of her house and then we will have to raise the roof also. This will cost about $2,700.00 dollars. So when we have the money we can begin the work. Pray for the project and if God lays on your heart you can contribute in the name
of the widow.
We continue to remodel and build here in the Church and the different Mission points.In the Church, thanks to several Churches there in the States we have done a major renovation in the Kitchen and the nursery and the stair well. In the Kitchen we opened a wall and made a pantry that was much needed and will be a blessing for the women of the Church when there are things going on in the Church.
The carpentry shop which is part of our vocational school has been a blessing this month as we have been able to help several members of our Church with wood projects needed in their homes.
Our newest Bible School in Morro do Algodao is progressing, one week we will have 7 the next week 15. There is no way to predict how many will show up.This is an area where we need to concentrate more because our bus route passes through this area. We are planning to do
some extensive visiting here after the holidays. This will help our bus ministry in this area.
This has been a bad month for our truck. I have had to replace the whole front-end suspension and on top of that the fuel tank had to be removed and cleaned. This due to unclean fuel and rust problems. As you know our roads are giving us a major challenge. And they are not
the best friends to our vehicles.
Our Church was in a Pastoral search but our Pastor decided to remain. We as a Church were praying for the Lord's will, so we are now praying for the Lord's leadership and direction for His Church and His work.
Again Barbara and I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. And as we pray for all there remember us here and pray for us.How AWESOME it i8s to serve here in Brasil. Come and see.
In His service,
Aj and Barbara
13 de novembro de 2009
October in Brasil
Hi friends,
As weather is changing everywhere here is no different. It has been raining on the average 5-6 days then two without. This makes work on construction almost impossible. With this rainy weather the temperature has been comfortable. Well for about a week now there has been no rain and you guessed it---very very HOT weather. Sometimes we just can't be satisfied can we.
Here in Brasil we celebrate Children's Day in October and this year it was AWESOME. We had over 180 children in attendance. We worked for over 3 weeks preparing for this Sunday. We had special programs, activities, Bible studies and food. This special day helped us reach children that we would not have been able to reach otherwise.
When I use the word AWESOME it is just a way to brag on our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and how AWESOME He is. When you need something---maybe it is a pickup full of something and He sends you a tractor-trailer full, how AWESOME He is. Well that is just what happened this month to us. In our English Service on Saturdays we have been having in attendance another Pastor who is studying English. For about 3 weeks he has been telling me that he had something to show me in his Church. Finally I had time to go with him to see what he wanted to show me. We went to his Church, and he showed me the 15 beautiful benches covered in blue. We sat down and started talking. He is telling me that this Church has been closed and he is showing me all the instruments, controls, sound equipment, pulpit. So what do I think this Pastor is going to do? You guessed it I think that he wants to sell all this equipment to me. So finally I asked what was the value of all this equipment(knowing that I do not have the funds to purchase). He showed me all the recites for everything and sum quickly mounted up in my mind. Now are you ready for the AWESOME moment? Pastor Carlos wants to give all this to our ministry here in Caraguatatuba. And to think that I had put this meeting off for over 3 weeks. How AWESOME is our Lord. This week we removed everything but when we went to take it down the Pastor had already dismantled everything for us so we did not have to work hard at taking it apart just load it into the truck and move it. We have put the pews in the Church at Olaria and moved their chairs to another mission point. Now we are praying about where the rest of the equipment can be used in God's work here.
The sad part of all this is that a Baptist Church has closed. But I am looking on the positive side of all this. Where He closes a door of opportunity He opens, in another area, other oors.Needless to say this has been an AWESOME help for our ministries and Pastor Carlos was very humble in stating that he did not want to sell the equipment but wanted to bless our ministry here. And in this way he will always receive a blessing from our ministries.
My hearing problems are much improved--the Dr. has put tubes in both ears and my hearing is almost back to normal. I still have some selective hearing disability--but we can't have it all!!Ha Ha.
We have also opened another Saturday Bible School for our children. We had two active and now we have the third in the neighborhood where we are ministering. The first Saturday we were expecting about 4 or 5 and God blessed us with 17. This shows us how we underestimate our
Lord in most things. We need to have more faith.
Continue to pray with us as we are fast approaching the selection of a mew first Pastor.We know that the Lord has the right person ready , we the Church just need to have the same vision. Pray for us by name and our ministries here in Caraguatatuba. And as always THANK YOU for your prayers and your financial help. We are here because of Him and staying because of you.
With this HOT weather here and the COLD weather there I know that some of you will want to come down and see us to get out of the cold. So I will just say that the bed is turned down and I will try to find a mint to put on the pillow. So come on down.
In His service,
Aj and Barbara
As weather is changing everywhere here is no different. It has been raining on the average 5-6 days then two without. This makes work on construction almost impossible. With this rainy weather the temperature has been comfortable. Well for about a week now there has been no rain and you guessed it---very very HOT weather. Sometimes we just can't be satisfied can we.
Here in Brasil we celebrate Children's Day in October and this year it was AWESOME. We had over 180 children in attendance. We worked for over 3 weeks preparing for this Sunday. We had special programs, activities, Bible studies and food. This special day helped us reach children that we would not have been able to reach otherwise.
When I use the word AWESOME it is just a way to brag on our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and how AWESOME He is. When you need something---maybe it is a pickup full of something and He sends you a tractor-trailer full, how AWESOME He is. Well that is just what happened this month to us. In our English Service on Saturdays we have been having in attendance another Pastor who is studying English. For about 3 weeks he has been telling me that he had something to show me in his Church. Finally I had time to go with him to see what he wanted to show me. We went to his Church, and he showed me the 15 beautiful benches covered in blue. We sat down and started talking. He is telling me that this Church has been closed and he is showing me all the instruments, controls, sound equipment, pulpit. So what do I think this Pastor is going to do? You guessed it I think that he wants to sell all this equipment to me. So finally I asked what was the value of all this equipment(knowing that I do not have the funds to purchase). He showed me all the recites for everything and sum quickly mounted up in my mind. Now are you ready for the AWESOME moment? Pastor Carlos wants to give all this to our ministry here in Caraguatatuba. And to think that I had put this meeting off for over 3 weeks. How AWESOME is our Lord. This week we removed everything but when we went to take it down the Pastor had already dismantled everything for us so we did not have to work hard at taking it apart just load it into the truck and move it. We have put the pews in the Church at Olaria and moved their chairs to another mission point. Now we are praying about where the rest of the equipment can be used in God's work here.
The sad part of all this is that a Baptist Church has closed. But I am looking on the positive side of all this. Where He closes a door of opportunity He opens, in another area, other oors.Needless to say this has been an AWESOME help for our ministries and Pastor Carlos was very humble in stating that he did not want to sell the equipment but wanted to bless our ministry here. And in this way he will always receive a blessing from our ministries.
My hearing problems are much improved--the Dr. has put tubes in both ears and my hearing is almost back to normal. I still have some selective hearing disability--but we can't have it all!!Ha Ha.
We have also opened another Saturday Bible School for our children. We had two active and now we have the third in the neighborhood where we are ministering. The first Saturday we were expecting about 4 or 5 and God blessed us with 17. This shows us how we underestimate our
Lord in most things. We need to have more faith.
Continue to pray with us as we are fast approaching the selection of a mew first Pastor.We know that the Lord has the right person ready , we the Church just need to have the same vision. Pray for us by name and our ministries here in Caraguatatuba. And as always THANK YOU for your prayers and your financial help. We are here because of Him and staying because of you.
With this HOT weather here and the COLD weather there I know that some of you will want to come down and see us to get out of the cold. So I will just say that the bed is turned down and I will try to find a mint to put on the pillow. So come on down.
In His service,
Aj and Barbara
7 de outubro de 2009
Aj and Barb Hensley
Caixa Postal 1511
Caraguatatuba,Sao Paulo Brasil 11672-300
phone:0115512-3888-4189
Dear friends,
How is the weather where you are? Well, here it has been raining for the past 2 months plus(one week rain and one day dry). Well let's not complain too much although that is our nature. Let's move that complaint time to prayer time. We will accomplish more that way.
Sometimes it seems like all we talk about is construction and we are doing a lot of that (construction that is). However this month we also did some demolition. The Church building in Morro do Algodao has become unsafe due to all the wet weather which makes constant flooding in that particular area. We had tried to save this building but sometimes things don't go the way we have planned. So the building comes down and the for sale sign goes up. We will be looking for another area to build. Pray for the work in this area as we are now holding our meetings in a members home. Not only have we lost the Church building but the ministry leader in this area has gotten a new job and is now unable to lead this mission. So back to the drawingboard. I am preaching there until God sends another man to assume this mission point. We will be training some men in the Seminary and looking at each of them for this work. Pray for these future pastors.
We had a group from Centerville, Ga this month and due to the rain we changed from construction outside to a much needed project inside the main Church building. We (they) installed tile over 130 square meters of the walls in the entrance and the stairwell and the nursery of the Church.The nursery was of special interest because of the tendency for mold here in this area. We treated the walls and installed tile half-way up these walls. What and AWESOME blessing. The stairway was the challenge as it spanned two floors that are each 10 feet tall. Can you imagine the problems with scaffolding? This work has made a wonderful improvement before we could paint and in just one or two weeks with the children going up and down rubbing their hands on thewall it looked like we had never painted. We have been truly blessed by this project. The group of last month had installed tile in theupstairs room and this group painted the ceilings and what was needing it also. Thanks David and 1st Baptist Church of Centerville!!
Well one blessing after another. Last week we spent Saturday at our Mission point in Natividade do Serra with our mission Pastor Jorge and his wife Alda. We spent the whole day there. We rented a farm, had a wonderful meal, and the most important part, had a baptism. We baptized 6 young people. We filled the bus and the van with members from our church here in Caraguatatuba and spent the day there praising the Lord and enjoying his beautiful creation. It was AWESOME!!!!!
We are planning a work trip to Salesopolis to build Sunday Schoolrooms in the mission there. These trips to the mission points are helping our members see the work first hand and gives them a bigger heart for missions. We are praying for another point in a city about 1 1/2 hours away from our city. Pray with us about this that God would raise up workers for the labor.
Maybe our communications will be better now. Our computer, or should I say, our provider, is back on line. This has caused us considerable problems with communications. Hopefully we are ready to go now and will not have more of the same problems.
Here in Brasil we have a day of celebration in Oct. that is called Children's Day. The people of Brasil celebrate this day more than Christmas. It is a day that children get presents and are treated to whatever the parents can afford. So we at Church are planning a day ofcelebration on this day also. The children will also be treated to many things, sweets, a meal, presents (McDonald toys etc.) but with a twist, everything will be based on God's word. All the things they win will be accompanied by a Bible verse and all will have a Bible theme. We are looking for 100 to 150 children and praying to plant many seeds that continue to grow for many years to come. Having these children come to Church opens the doors to their homes for us to evangelize their parents. Pray for this work and pray for us as we continue to work here in Caraguatatuba.
Look at your calender and find the right date for you and your family or Church family to come down and see God at work here in Brasil. We will have your bed turned down and the light on on the porch.
In His service,
Aj and Barb
23 de setembro de 2009
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