Friends and Family,
Well, here it is a lot like winter. Our temperatures drop into the low 60s at night and I see people out in the mornings with big overcoats. But I must confess as of late I an feeling the chill more. Usually I´m in a short sleeve shirt and others are in winter clothing. We have had an abundance of rain---more than normal, and this contributes a little to the chill. Oh, by the way the rain is helping our roads, the holes are becoming much bigger. Mostly now we have holes with a little asphalt around them. I'm afraid sometimes to enter a watter puddle because you don't know if it has a bottom in it or not.
After our visit to the States in February I replaced the suspension on the pick-up. Well this past week I had to have it replaced again. Our vehicles really get abused here just from regular use. While on the topic of vehicles, the van is now doing triple duty. Wednesday nights route for the church and Sundays are double. Two trips in the morning and two at night. This is a good problem to have. Looks like we are in need of a bus for the new Church. Pray for this need with
us.
We have been visiting with several families with health problems (cancer patients) all men. Although 2 are terminal we are having wonderful visits. We visited yesterday in a small home and there was 4 generations and several neighbors. It was really wonderful to be able
to share the gospel in so many different areas. It is 2:30 at night and we have just gotten home from the home of the second terminal patient he went home to be with Christ this evening. I had the privilege of leading him to the Lord last month so his home going is not so bad for the family because they have the assurance that he is home with the Lord.Here in Brasil there is no embalming so the funeral will be at 9:00 in the morning and we are making arrangements to make the 3 hour trip to another city for the funeral. Pray for this family as they confront the loss of a husband and father.
One of the students in the Vocational School will begin training in as key shop here in the city this month. He will go to regular school for half of the day then go to the key shop for the other half. After he learns the trade of making keys he will trade places with on of the other students and will enter into another aspect of his training. We are able to continue the construction on the dormitory for the school thanks to the generosity of one of our supporters there in the States. So it looks like we will be able to start housing the students but the first of next year if all goes well. You never make concrete plans here as things change daily. This is one of the aspects of a foreign country that is hard to adapt to but I keep working at it.
With this new Church start there are many prayer request,pray for the construction, the visitation, the meetings, the building needs, the need for a bus, for physical strength and just for the work in general. This past Sunday night we had 83 people in attendance. How Awesome is that!!! This month we are able to lay the tile in the auditorium of the Church. We are going slow on the work as we are paying for the material as the money comes in. I preached on tithing this week and the income has picked up so we will be able to do several more things this month.
As you can see there is lots of ministry to be done and because of this we need lots of prayer. So continue to pray for us and ask God what part He would like for you to play in this ministry.
Start planning your trip down to visit us here in Caraguatatuba because you need to see what God is doing with your donations here and we could use your help in all of the areas mentioned above. Let us know and we will turn the bed down and put out clean towels and a mint on your pillow. Come on down!!!
In His service,
Aj and Barbara
18 de agosto de 2010
12 de julho de 2010
Newsletter - June 2010
Dear Friends,
Well, the Lords clock just keeps on ticking and as I see the signs of the times I just want to do more in His work.
I told you last month about the new work we are helping start. Well I had forgotten about all the HARD WORK that is involved in new starts. It's just AWESOME how needs can and are being met. In the building that we are renting (a big warehouse) we now have a stage area thanks to the group from 1st Baptist in Centerville Georgia. With the help of this group we built the pulpit area and I must truthfully say this was my hardest week of work this year. We accomplished in one week what everyone thought would take three weeks. Cement, blocks and a lot of back-breaking work ---result--- an AWESOME front area in the Church. It's better than I even envisioned. It just goes to show us/me how AWESOME He is. Oh me of such little faith.
Along with all the construction work this group did a vacation Bible School in a neighborhood and had just an AWESOME time and turn out. There were more than 50 children in attendance.
The Centerville Church also brought sever army duffel bags of clothes new and used. We are using these clothes in supplying the families of the new work with clothing. As I have watched several families leaving our home almost in tears with clothing that was necessary for their families and they did not have money to buy. It's hard to put into words the gratitude these families have shown for these simple gifts of clothing. It humbles me when I think of giving
and how much we have and are so blessed. Every day I thank the Lord for allowing me to be here as a missionary. Yes, He can use anyone----and----He does.
While the group was here the cement mixer bit the dust---died in other words. One of the men in the group gave a special gift to purchase a new mixer and when I discovered how much a new one cost I had just enough to purchase the wheels from the new one. But not all is lost. this is the AWESOME part I have dismantled the old mixer, purchased several new parts, sanded and painted and now am ready to reassemble. I hope I have not lost any parts. And my old mixer has turned into a new bright RED mixer.(just another little miracle)
In the services in the new work we have already had 2 people accept Jesus as savior and several re-dedicating their lives to Gods service. Pray for us as we serve in this new work pray for His leadership and guidance.
For me, all I can say is HOW AWESOME is He who we serve.
Come see your work here in Caraguatatuba Brasil. You will receive a blessing and so will we.
In His service,
Aj and Barbara
Well, the Lords clock just keeps on ticking and as I see the signs of the times I just want to do more in His work.
I told you last month about the new work we are helping start. Well I had forgotten about all the HARD WORK that is involved in new starts. It's just AWESOME how needs can and are being met. In the building that we are renting (a big warehouse) we now have a stage area thanks to the group from 1st Baptist in Centerville Georgia. With the help of this group we built the pulpit area and I must truthfully say this was my hardest week of work this year. We accomplished in one week what everyone thought would take three weeks. Cement, blocks and a lot of back-breaking work ---result--- an AWESOME front area in the Church. It's better than I even envisioned. It just goes to show us/me how AWESOME He is. Oh me of such little faith.
Along with all the construction work this group did a vacation Bible School in a neighborhood and had just an AWESOME time and turn out. There were more than 50 children in attendance.
The Centerville Church also brought sever army duffel bags of clothes new and used. We are using these clothes in supplying the families of the new work with clothing. As I have watched several families leaving our home almost in tears with clothing that was necessary for their families and they did not have money to buy. It's hard to put into words the gratitude these families have shown for these simple gifts of clothing. It humbles me when I think of giving
and how much we have and are so blessed. Every day I thank the Lord for allowing me to be here as a missionary. Yes, He can use anyone----and----He does.
While the group was here the cement mixer bit the dust---died in other words. One of the men in the group gave a special gift to purchase a new mixer and when I discovered how much a new one cost I had just enough to purchase the wheels from the new one. But not all is lost. this is the AWESOME part I have dismantled the old mixer, purchased several new parts, sanded and painted and now am ready to reassemble. I hope I have not lost any parts. And my old mixer has turned into a new bright RED mixer.(just another little miracle)
In the services in the new work we have already had 2 people accept Jesus as savior and several re-dedicating their lives to Gods service. Pray for us as we serve in this new work pray for His leadership and guidance.
For me, all I can say is HOW AWESOME is He who we serve.
Come see your work here in Caraguatatuba Brasil. You will receive a blessing and so will we.
In His service,
Aj and Barbara
12 de maio de 2010
May in Brasil
Dear friends and family,
This month has been a real blessing in the respect that we have been able to move two of our widows back into their homes.
Allow me to talk about Granny, She and her grandson returned to their house at the first of the month. It was her house that flooded whenever it rained. We were able to keep her in our house for about 3 months while redoing her home. We raise her floor level 2 feet and after this it was a necessity to do the same to the roof. It all sounds simple but it turned into a very work intense job. She is now back in her home and all we lack is the porch. We will be doing that next month. Thanks to all who worked and prayed with us on this project. If you look up the work happy in the dictionary you will find a picture of Granny. She was so glad to be back in her home that you
could hardly see her face for the smile.
The second lady is the widow with 6 children, she was displaced from her home when her husband died and though she thought they owned the home she did not. She was moved into her new home this week.Thank the Lord for some extra help. We have had my brother's pastor from Texas, Dr. Edge and Bro Ward visiting with us and they have been yoke men this week. Along with moving Ms. Gloria house of furniture we have placed several tons of dirt in front of her house, purchased her electric pole (thanks to the First Baptist Church in Bastrop, Texas). Also completed the ridge row on her roof and finished her plumbing. All this completed she and her family spent their first night in their new home Friday night. And tonight (May 11th) we had the second meeting in her home and we had 27 people in attendance. How AWESOME is the Lord we serve!!!
Lots of financial help from Churches there in the States and individuals helping also and the many prayers have made these 2 miracles! I was just thinking back-- about a year and one half ago we were helping Gloria move out of the house where she and her family had lived for several years. I remember thinking, how are we going to be able to help this lady and her children. The Lord has His time and His people ready to accomplish blessings and miracles for Him.
We have been blessed this month to be able to start discipleship with 5 people. Two different families these too are miracles. Why? Because they have accepted Christ as their personal Savior. We do their training on Monday and Tuesday nights. Isn't it AWESOME when we, along with you all, can be a part of Kingdom building.
We have also been doing work on the vocational school area and buildings. We are planning to start classes with 2 young men in 2 weeks. Their first exposure will be basic construction and introduction to key making. Pray for our school as we need to complete the dorm building. We have been making blocks on the school property for the mission point at Olaria. We are planning to build a fence around the building there.
Continue to pray for us and the work here in Brazil. And come visit your work here. The bed is turned down and the light is on out front.
In His service,
Aj and Barbara Hensley
This month has been a real blessing in the respect that we have been able to move two of our widows back into their homes.
Allow me to talk about Granny, She and her grandson returned to their house at the first of the month. It was her house that flooded whenever it rained. We were able to keep her in our house for about 3 months while redoing her home. We raise her floor level 2 feet and after this it was a necessity to do the same to the roof. It all sounds simple but it turned into a very work intense job. She is now back in her home and all we lack is the porch. We will be doing that next month. Thanks to all who worked and prayed with us on this project. If you look up the work happy in the dictionary you will find a picture of Granny. She was so glad to be back in her home that you
could hardly see her face for the smile.
The second lady is the widow with 6 children, she was displaced from her home when her husband died and though she thought they owned the home she did not. She was moved into her new home this week.Thank the Lord for some extra help. We have had my brother's pastor from Texas, Dr. Edge and Bro Ward visiting with us and they have been yoke men this week. Along with moving Ms. Gloria house of furniture we have placed several tons of dirt in front of her house, purchased her electric pole (thanks to the First Baptist Church in Bastrop, Texas). Also completed the ridge row on her roof and finished her plumbing. All this completed she and her family spent their first night in their new home Friday night. And tonight (May 11th) we had the second meeting in her home and we had 27 people in attendance. How AWESOME is the Lord we serve!!!
Lots of financial help from Churches there in the States and individuals helping also and the many prayers have made these 2 miracles! I was just thinking back-- about a year and one half ago we were helping Gloria move out of the house where she and her family had lived for several years. I remember thinking, how are we going to be able to help this lady and her children. The Lord has His time and His people ready to accomplish blessings and miracles for Him.
We have been blessed this month to be able to start discipleship with 5 people. Two different families these too are miracles. Why? Because they have accepted Christ as their personal Savior. We do their training on Monday and Tuesday nights. Isn't it AWESOME when we, along with you all, can be a part of Kingdom building.
We have also been doing work on the vocational school area and buildings. We are planning to start classes with 2 young men in 2 weeks. Their first exposure will be basic construction and introduction to key making. Pray for our school as we need to complete the dorm building. We have been making blocks on the school property for the mission point at Olaria. We are planning to build a fence around the building there.
Continue to pray for us and the work here in Brazil. And come visit your work here. The bed is turned down and the light is on out front.
In His service,
Aj and Barbara Hensley
11 de abril de 2010
Newsletter
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
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
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
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