Wow, there went May - Praise be to God!!

Dear friends and family,
 
Well another month has come and gone. I don't know about you but for me these months are going way to fast. I don't know why the time is passing so fast I don't want want to think that it has anything to do with age but it might be.
 
There is lots of work to be done and it seems that there is nothing going the way it should.The work on the Vocational School is getting started back again. This month we have gotten the wires put into the walls for the energy. Also we are leveling the floors for the tile work to begin. I get frustrated some times because I am used to getting into the work and getting it done, but here that is not the way things go. We are at a semi stand still on this work because of the paperwork that has to be done. But we know that anything that we do that God is in, we are more than winners. So maybe God is teaching me how to wait on Him with patience and not get frustrated. Pray for me in this area. This school will be a great ministry for training young men and we are seeing interest from adults (men and women) for this ministry also, and I am not talking about adults helping us but they also want to train with us. So God is opening yet another door for us in the area of adults.  Pray that we will be able to see where God is working and join Him there.
 
We organized our work into a Church this month. This work has been going on for a little over two years and now we are a full fledged Church. Our mother Church in Georgia sent her pastor to do the organization sermon and it was a blessing. We had a record number in attendance and God was present. Pray that we will continue to be a blessing in this neighborhood. Also pray that we can find a place to buy for us to continue growing in the Lord. Our contract on the building where we are presently will end this year and that means that the owner will have the right to up the rent. We are already outgrowing this present building so we need some place of our own where we can build for growth. Another need we are having is for a bus. Each week we are having to make various trips with the van that we have and this van is getting worn out because of the streets. So if anyone has an old bus that they would like to sell there in the States and donate the proceeds to us for a buss we would be greatly appreciative it.
 
We have had a blessing this month of visitors from the States. This was a group of Doctors, nurses and Pastors.The arrangements were  made  and everything was set for the visit, that is until the last week before the arrival of the group. At that time we were informed by the association of Doctors here in our city that we would not be able to do exams and certainly would not be able to give out meds. So we called the group and told them the news but they said that they were coming any way and we would see what God had in store for us and them. SO we set up for the Dr's in the Church and people started to come. The Dr's and nurses began to see people. They did not examine or prescribe meds but listened to the people and wrote down what they thought was their problems. We would, after they left make a visit to these people and give them the meds that the Dr's thought they needed. This way we could help the people and give an open door for us to make a home visit to each one that came to see the Dr's. See how AWESOME our God is, He made a way for every person to get their physical health taken care of and also their Spiritual health . God turns around the things that are meant to do wrong and makes them a blessing if we just trusty in Him. This is an answer to many prayers!!!  Everything worked out because God was in control. The group got to do what God sent them to do, our Church got to give a great testimony and God got the glory. Just one more example of you letting God work and you joining him where he is.We can plan and plan but when God puts it together --Watch out--.
 
Speaking of medicine and Doctors, Barbara took a member of our Church to an appointment last Monday to do a procedure at 9:00 o'clock. Well at 1:00 o'clock they were still waiting to be seen. This made me think about what those there in the States are wanting for our people there.  Barb's dad used to say that you could die waiting to be seen by the Doctor and today I can tell you that this happens here in Brasil frequently. Here some of our people have been called to come to the Doctor for an appointment that had been scheduled at least two years ago.
 
This month our son-in-law and daughter (Walmir and Mary) were to celebrate their 1 year anniversary in the ministry in Sales Olivera . The Church people wanted to surprise Pastor Walmir with something on the day and they called us to participate.  They asked me to bring the message on the Sunday night and on Wednesday night also. So Barbara and I sacrificed and went to spend some time with our children and grand kids(what a sacrifice). Pastor Wallmir was totally surprised and we had a great time of fellowship with Gods people.
 
We are entering into our winter season and things are cooling down, so if you are suffering with the heat there in the States come on down. There is; plenty of work to do and you can do it in cooler weather. As a matter of fact your bed is turned down and there is a mint on the pillow. And we will just add a little bit more water into the soup beans and there will be plenty to eat.
 
God bless and keep you all till the next time.

In His service,
Aj and Barbara

The States were great but it is good to be Home

Dear friends and family,

What a wonderful time we have had in the States. It has been so good that I have returned to Brasil 20 lbs heaver.(lol) And guess what that means, I have had to increase the size of my clothes. And that means new clothes. Oh well, so goes life --next week I'll start a diet(lol).

At Church Sunday we were welcomed back with a surprise party. Cake and the works. I guess this means more pounds. Not only did we receive a warm welcome from the Church people we also received a WARM welcome here in Brasil. The temperature has been in the high 90's. How great it is to serve such and AWESOME God!! With the temperatures being so high that means that the Church building also is extremely hot. Something like 105 degrees So I picked out place in the Church where a fan was blowing completely on me----(just a little selfish). But none of this high temperature keeps our people from coming to Church, Sunday morning we had 104 in attendance and 140 on Sunday night. Our Choir presented a piece for our Easter Sunday that was great.

Upon returning to Brasil we find that a very dear friend in moving back to the States. His name is John Norris and he is a retired fireman from Florida.He is having some health issues with his hearing--please put him on your prayer list.

While there we had a meeting with a young man in Georgia, Jason Hamlin, and set up for us to meet him in Atlanta for him to visit Brasil one more time to see where God would like for them to base their ministry. His ministry is to train youth pastors all over Brasil. To start with they will be getting some basic language training here in Caraguatatuba. And no I will not be doing their training because if I did they would definitely have my mountain accent (Hillbilly) This is another prayer request, please put this family on your personal and Church prayer list.They are making a big transition with 3 kids.

This has been a fast moving week here and we have lots more to catch up on in our ministries. So pray for Barb and I as we re-connect and integrate ourselves here.

Sunday night again it is so obvious that we really need a bus. The van was so over crowded and the people were so uncomfortable but they did not murmur or complain.We work some very special people.

While we were in the States we were able to visit many Churches and meet many new people. If we were not able to get to your Church we would like to put you on the top of our list for our next time. We would like to give a Special Thanks to everyone where we presented our ministry and preached. Everyone was so gracious and loving. We were treated like royalty.

We would like to thank BFM and all of you who support us financially and prayerfully. Without this support we would not be able to stay here in Brasil doing what God called us to do. Don't take our word for what is going on here and what God is doing, come on down and see for yourself. We have been here long enough to be able to turn the bed down and put a mint on the pillow, so come on down.

In His service,
Aj and Barb

Busy days in Brazil - July happenings

Hi friends and family,

This month has been very exciting and busy one for us. We have had groups from two Churches and they came two days apart. The group from Warner Robbins Ga. did a vacation Bible School at the home of our member Gloria. The exciting thing about this is that some of these teenagers had helped in the construction of Gloria's house. They also participated in the Tuesday night meeting that is held in Gloria's home. In preparation for the Bible School we canvased the neighborhood , door to door to let the children know when we were going to be there. During this door to door visiting we were able to present the Gospel to various people. We were invited to do some work in one of the public schools and were fed by the kitchen workers and ate with the teachers and the principal. This group scraped the walls, sanded the walls and then painted in two class rooms.From there we went to the Vocational School where tile was laid and other jobs were done.The next group from Gardenside Baptist Church in Lexington Ky. was able to do a Bible School in the same public school where the others had painted. So one opened the doors for the other.Even though the students were on winter break the principal invited them back to participate and also their parents. The Principal is new to this school and she wanted to get the parents involved and get to know them and she used us as a tool. It worked for her and for us too.She also brought her twin boys. A great time was had by all!!! This group also painted in this public school.We went from the public school to the Vocational School where tile was laid and walls painted along with planning for a electrical class in the future. Opportunities are unlimited when you come to do whatever God has for you to do.

We made many new friends at the school and I have been invited to start an English class for the teachers and workers. Among the new friends we have made are the principals twin boys that are teenagers. The family is catholic and we were surprised when the boys began to attend our youth meetings on Saturday night. And then even more excited when they started to come the Church every Sunday. AWESOME what God does and lets you be apart of. This is a small miracle but it is a miracle.

To top off the month we had a baptism last Sunday and two were baptized. There are several attending new converts class and soon we will enter into the waters of baptism again. Praise be to God who gives the harvest. We are still deep in the planning for the Pastors conference here in November. Our Church in conjunction with Second Baptist Church in Warner Robbins Ga. will be sponsoring our first Pastors Conference. We will be inviting pastors from across Brasil to attend so that we can encourage them in their ministry. Pray for this conference with us as we desire to reach Brasil for Christ. And what better way than to encourage Brasilian pastors in the work.

As we are writing this letter our son Bryan called to tell us that our long time friend and brother in Christ, Fred Hearn has gone to be with the Lord. I remembered that when we were just coming to Brasil to help other missionaries Fred and Pat made the trip with us. Pray for this family in their loss.

Our vehicles are giving us good service but at the same time are costing much in the mechanic shop.It is imperative to keep the van running because it is our churches only means of transporting the people that don't have cars nor money to come by public transport. I have begun to have to make two trips on Sunday morning and on Sunday night as we are having many people coming. Praise the Lord for this. That brings me say that we need a bus. Please put this on your prayer list and if you can help with an offering to purchase a bus that would be AWESOME.

We have had many visitors this month but that does not mean that we are not looking for you. The bed is turned down and I can get new mints for the pillow as the other groups have eaten the last ones.

In His service,
Aj and Barbara

Febuary Newsletter

Hi friends and family,

I like to sit on the front porch in the mornings and drink my coffee, read my Bible, pray and anticipate the activities of the day. As I am looking at the road in front of the house this morning I see two branches (creeks), one on each side of the road. Instead of the river (the road being completely covered with water), yes it is raining again. Whatever the plans for the day are it is a must that you include rain as a possibility for the day. Enough about the weather, this is the day that the Lord has made! Let us be glad in it.

We were in the States for a few weeks with a seriously ill brother. He had had a stroke and was undergoing surgery and the family was called in because of the seriousness of the situation. Well we arrived as soon as we could but we were late and we found my brother dismissed from the hospital and at home. When we as a family (4 brothers and families) arrived at his home his countenance completely changed. When we entered he was down in the dumps but upon seeing us he became chipper and sat up immediately. Insisted that we sit down around him with gestures because he could not speak. How AWESOME is our God. So instead of a final farewell we had a wonderful family reunion. And on top of being able to minister and pray for him we just had and awesome time together. And that is how it is with problems sometimes He takes the bad and turns it into blessings.

Sorry that we were unable to visit with you all this time but this was such a quick trip and was dedicated to family. We are looking forward to coming home and spending time with all of you soon.

Thanks to all of you for your prayer support for the new work. It is growing and lives are being changed. On our return we had a baptism and 16 new converts were baptised on Saturday night and were added to the Church role on Sunday.Since we started last year that makes 23 new brothers and sisters added to God's Kingdom. We still have several more for baptism and are planning another baptism this month. Awesome is it not?! We are now above 60 members and are averaging in the 80's for our principal service. We feel the Lord's presence with this new Church start.We are planning to organise this mission work into a Church in April. Keep on praying for this work and for the organization meeting in April. Don't forget to pray for the Vocational School, we are working on the dormitory for the boys and the work is going slow. But we are not discouraged, because we know that God is with this work too. Also continue to pray for the orphanage, the couple that was interviewed before we left has accepted the invite to come and be the parents at the orphanage. They will be coming as soon as they can finish some things that they had committed to do. And the Judge has said that as soon as there are parents there he has children to put in the orphanage.

As we work here we have a few basic needs. With all the expenses for our van and truck, it is becoming a real challenge to keep up financially. These vehicles are being used daily in our ministry and the roads are becoming a true challenge for the vehicles. Some of our roads are asphalt, some dirt, and the rest are holes with a little road around them. So you can see as the rain continues the roads become worse. The repair bills keep mounting ---however the ministry goes on. Pray with us for our vehicles and transportation needs. One of the greatest is a bus. Please pray that we would receive offerings sufficient to buy one. As you can imagine with the increase in members we need a bus to bring all of them to Church and have run out of room for Sunday School classes. We are in dire need of building more rooms in which to have Sunday school.. So pray for this need also.

Another AWESOME blessing I've been having is on Friday nights a "Servants Class" for 5 men. I have used all the qualifications and references for deacons as a basis for this class. They as well as I are receiving a great blessing from this class. I hoe to complete this class this week or next. This will possibly open the door for some of these men to serve as deacons in the future.

Well it seems all I have been doing in this letter is telling of our needs and prayer requests, permit me to put one more in front of you all, our son-in-law and daughter are looking at another place to serve the Lord and Savior. Pray for Walmir and Mary as they are considering where the Lord wants them to serve. Also pray for Mary as her dew date for our third granddaughter Ashley is at the end of March. I am going to be a grand pa again for the 3rd time. What an AWESOME blessing.

As I close this letter I ask that you keep praying as that is what keeps us going spiritually and keep giving as that is what keeps us going financially. Also think of coming down as that is what keeps us going emotionally.

Just remember that we can add some water to the beans and throw a few more grains of rice in the pot so a few more people at the table is not a problem. Hope to see you here in Brasil soon.

In His service,
Aj and Barbara

January 2011

Dear friends and family,

Happy New Year to all! Hope this letter finds everyone well and looking forward to an AWESOME new year. From what I hear a lot of you are suffering from freezing weather with snow. This may be a good time to leave your cold place and come on down to the heat of the tropics. A mission trip at this time of the year would get you out of that cold weather and put you into a warm climate where you can suffer for the Lord. Here we are suffering from the heat. But God is giving us some respite as almost every afternoon we get lots of rain. Today we will have to take everything out of the Church because yesterday it came a "chicken drowner" (probably about 5 inches of rain in about 5 hours) and it entered the Church. So we will have to do some extensive cleaning. As we sat on the front porch yesterday our street looked like a river. As we look at the changes in the weather--maybe God is telling us something.

The new work is going very well. We have had several services with over 100 people. The Lord is really blessing. We had a special Christmas program with and for the children and it was a success. Many visitors came and now we have the opportunity to visit them and take the gospel to their homes. Also our New Year service was attended by over 40 families that are members and several visitors. We praised the Lord and sang the new year in and then eat to our hearts content.

We are looking at many projects here on the Church property and also on the Vocational property. We are just waiting for the visitors to come and help us. What are your plans for vacation this upcoming year? Could you come on down and help us?

As usual our vehicles are undergoing weekly trips to the mechanic. Our roads are one big hole after the other and this does bad things to the vesicles. Our bigger expense right now is the insurance for these vehicles. We will have 4 to 6 months of payments to pay for the insurance. It is not like there in the States, you cannot make payments over the year. Here you have to either pay in one payment or they give you 4 or 6 months to pay. We have thought about letting it drop but here because we transport church people we have to have insurance. So between the holes in the roads and the insurance it is almost cost prohibitive to have a vehicle. I now understand why most Brasilians ride a bike or walk.

Barbara and I would like to thank each and every one of you who have brought or sent clothes to us here in Brasil. We do several things with the clothes, here is the process, we call each of the members to the house and open the boxes and say "cloth your family". Then when everyone has been clothed we are having a sale of the clothes for the neighborhood. In November we sold enough clothes to buy a new stove for the kitchen at the church. And this month we had another sale and we have enough money to pay half of the price for a new refrigerator. It is such a blessing to first see the church members leaving the house with sacks of clothes knowing that they would not have been able to have bought these clothes but they are receiving them for free. It is such a joy to see someone else using clothing that did not fit you anymore knowing that they are being put to good use. Come down and see if you can recognize something that you have left here in Brasil or have sent by someone else. Again thanks for your generosity.

I have been preparing for a series of classes with the men at Church. In these classes I am going to be teaching service, getting the men ready to serve. Our men have begun to meet monthly and the group is growing wonderfully. Yesterday's group had 14 men present. In the classes that I will be teaching I am including a wide range of subjects and the men are becoming excited about the class. Included will be evangelism, discipleship and deacon training. Please pray for us as we prepare for and start these classes.

Construction right now is at a standstill because we are out of money to do construction. But we are using the time in another area. We are having more time to make visits and other training of the church members.

The house Church is going very well. We average 20-25 on Tuesday nights. We also have a children's club there on the last Saturday of the month. This is good as you reach the parents through the children. From this neighborhood I have been working with 3 boys At the Vocational School. They are showing much progress. The other young man that is doing his training at the key shop is coming along real well. The owner who is training him says that he is a good student.

It seems like every month we have not accomplished nothing but when we begin to write it down we see that God is accomplishing many things through us. Continue to pray for us here in Brasil as we pray for you there in the States.

And Barbara and I would like to say again how grateful we are that people like you send people like us to tell the world about Jesus. Come down and see what your help is doing here in Brasil. The beans are on the stove and the table is set.

In His service,
Aj and Barbara

It's December - Newsletter

Dear friends,

Somehow it just does not seem as though it is time for the Christmas season, but it is here and I'm going to just have to go along. At home in the States I hear that it is COLD. Here it is in the 90's and the air is heavy. We have been having rain so with a lot of help --maybe I can see the rain as snow and get into the spirit. Have an AWESOME Christmas season.

This month has just flown by. Barb and I have been taking a "Bible Counseling " course in São Paulo.It has been a year long course and will be well used as the course was totally based on biblical principles for counseling. It was intense but we received our certificate of accomplishment this past Saturday.

Church is going very well with lots of work, both physical and spiritual to be done. We have had several teenagers accept Christ as personal savior---AWESOME. With this we have lots of work to do. That´s what it is all about. Construction is going at a slow pace at Church. Mostly because we have lots of projects that needs to be accomplished but don´t have the financial resources to accomplish them.

Sometimes the needs have to be prioritized ie; we need Sunday School chairs and tables. And these could double in use for breakfast for the children on Sunday morning. We need 12 tables and 50 chairs.We also need 4-6 more Sunday School rooms. We have 3 rooms and the rest of us are sitting outside. This so far has not been a problem even though we have been having lots of rain.

Speaking of rain, tonight during the service it came a "chicken drowner". The noise was so loud we could hardly hear the message. This is because the roof is tin and we need a suspended ceiling which would give some insulation for the sound and also for the heat. This morning service was heal in somewhere around 90 degrees temperature on the outside and on the inside also.(pix included notice everyone fanning). This is just another one of the needs we have for the Church building.

We also need some flannel grafts for the Sunday school teachers. You know what it is like starting from scratch you don´t have anything so you just improvise until you can get the necessary things for you to use. We know that we are on the winning side because with our Lord on our side we cannot fail.

With our Church being in the beginning faze we are being Awesomely blessed. Please pray for us, all the workers and the new members. Your prayers are our key to a successful new Church plant.

If you get tired of the snow and cold, just know that you have an open invitation to come on down and sweat with us. Your bed is turned down and there is a mint on the pillow.

In His service,
Aj and Barbara

Hello Friends,

And the work goes on.......! What on AWESOME God we have. It is just great how things come together. With our new work it seems there is a never ending list of "things-to-do". But it's a wonderful problem to have. We have just about got the interior of our building inhabitable and having the appearance of a Church. We have completed the pulpit and painted the walls, tiled the floor, arranged a sound-control area, put our name on the front of the building, we are fixing a kitchen,and next week we will install our permanent entrance doors. And along with all this you can imagine the mess that goes with "on-going" construction and renovation. Hey, I'm not complaining, I'm rejoicing! Continue to pray with us as the new work progresses.

We have already had our second baptism and are planning a date for our next one. How blessed we have been with growth. We are averaging in the high 70 and low 80. We are praying about buying more chairs s we only have 100 and have space for over 200.

You know I just love bragging on the Lord and how He works in our lives and the life of our Church. Not only is all this work going on in the Church building but we have started a house Church on Tuesday nights. This work is going AWESOMELY. We have met in this neighborhood for 4 weeks and have had in attendance the first week 20+ second week 20+ third week 44 and fourth week 31. And just this past week we started a children's bible study on Saturday afternoon we had around 25 in attendance. It is just great to see the children's interest in learning more about the Bible and hearing Gods word. During the week we have discipleship two nights in our home. Also other members are doing the same in their homes.

I've been talking a lot about the new work but lets not forget our training school. I have been working with 4 young men (boys) in the school.We are doing some woodworking and working in the key shop.The boys working with wood are anxious to have class every day but I can only have class two days per week. The locksmith training is every day of the week for half the day.Lots of young boys here are interested in learning a trade and we are able to make a difference in a few young lives. One of our four boys just was suspended from our school because of behavioral problems in regular school. Not only are we teaching life skills but they are learning other things such as attitudes, Church attendance, to have good grades at regular school, respect for others and other disciplines. These young men need to be a productive member at Church at home and in the community. I am working with two of the young men and they are really opening up about their lives and family problems.

With all of this going on what are some of our more urgent prayer request? First off we need a bus!!! Here a good used bus runs about $30,000 dollars. Also we are holding Sunday School classes outside and this means that we need more class rooms. We are trying to keep all of this in prospective as this building is rented. We need property for our future so we can build our own Church building. And as we are looking to that end we have been looking for lots. We have had a petroleum company move into our town so that means that prices have gone up on many things but not the salaries of our people. But that means that the price of land has sky rocketed. So you can see that purchasing land is a dream (a great prayer request) but nothing is impossible for our God.

Well I will hush for now but will just say "U-all come"! Come on dawn and see and experience a new work start, see the love and excitement and how the Lord is working in such an AWESOME manner. Continue to pray for us.And THANKS for your financial support and prayers. Without your help this work would not have this success.

In His service,
Aj and Barbara

Newsletter

Dear friends,

I no sooner turn around and another month is gone. But that's OK because it gives us a chance to look back to see what has happened and lets us plan for the future.

This has been one of our most active months here in Brasil. Between funerals, ministry, discipleship, and construction it is just AWESOME what is getting done here.

Our new mission Church is going AWESOME.For about 3 weeks straight we were averaging in the 80's; however we have slowed somewhat to the mid 70`s. We are planning a baptism on the 24th of this month. We have between 20 to 30 candidates for baptism. How AWESOME He is!!!!!!The discipleship we are doing is really taking from our schedules however the results are worth it all. When your students come and ask how can they better study the Bible it just makes you want to jump for joy. Don't tell anyone --but I can´t remember when I have had so much fun.

We have a couple that we are discipling and their backgrounds are opposite. He was raised in another denomination and she was raised without any Church background. They are growing with leaps and bounds. He is knowledgeable in the Bible and she is not. To watch them grow in the Lord is amazing. He is wanting to work more in the Church, ie driving the Church van and working at the Church when he is not working his own business(He installs air conditioning and works on appliances). And she is like a sponge, the more she learns the more she wants to know. He is in his late 40's and now he is calling me Dad.

When you are starting a new mission there is always many needs and this time is no different. One of our greatest needs is transportation. Our van is doing more than double time work and still we need help with the transportation. This said maybe this helps you understand that one of our primary needs right now is a bus. A dependable buss will run around $35,000 dollars or more. With the exchange of the dollar falling every day it will probably cost more. Pray with us for this need.

About the building that we are renting for our Church services: it is a warehouse and property which includes 3 rooms and one bath.The main structure(the warehouse) opens into the area that is between it and the 3 rooms and one bathroom. We are remodeling the warehouse to be the meeting area and the 3 rooms are serving as Sunday School rooms. We had to take the small kitchen area and make it into a second bathroom. Now we don't have a line at the door of the one bathroom door. Now like all good Baptist we are in need of a kitchen.We are now using a 2 burner gas camp stove and the refrigerator sits alongside it. And it is always cool in the makeshift kitchen as it all sits outside And with the rate of growth we are having we also need more Sunday School rooms.At this time I am looking at how I can meet these needs but building temporarily because we are renting the area and someday will move to a permanent home. At that time we will want to take as much of the things we are building with us as possible. Building temporary will allow us to dismantle and take them with us. I can not put a cost on this construction until I have done some more research.Another need that we have is a sign on the front of the building so that people will know where we are congregating. These are just some more things for youto pray with us about.

Here in Brasil we have Children's Day and it is a holiday that is celebrated greatly as they love their children, as a matter of fact it is celebrated more than Christmas. So Yesterday our Church had Children's Day at Church. We were blessed with 105 children and 55 parents and workers.In town one of the bus services loaned us a buss to pick up the children. This just showed us how much we need a bus of our own. Imagine bringing all those children to Church each Sunday.

You may be thinking why do they need so much help, do the Church members not help? Yes they are helping but our folks here are just everyday folks and here in Brasil the minimum wage is about $307 dollars a month. So the tithes and offerings is paying the rent and utilities and we need help with the other things. Thanks to you folks we are able to do much more and will continue doing with your help.

Thank you each and every one for reading and listening. What an AWESOME God we serve. And Thanks one more time for your continued financial and prayer support. Also for your support for Baptist Faith Missions because without them we would not be serving here in Brasil

In His service,

Aj and Barbara Hensley

Newsletter

This month has been really fasting passing. I don’t know if this just happens when you start approaching the senior years…… or what.

The ministry has kept us really busy this month. A little over a month ago I was privileged to lead a man (55yrs) to the Lord. The reason I was in their home for this visit was the wife frequents our church and requested a visit to pray for and with her husband. Half way through my presentation he accepted the Lord and said I want this (LIFE ETERNAL) more than anything else. It was one of those times you really felt the Holy Spirit working. Then this month he enters the hospital and after two (2) days he goes to be with the Lord.

I was able to do the funeral for the family and we spent around two (2) days with the family comforting them in their loss, and exhibiting our love, “Christianity” to the family. During this time the church ladies and Barbara really did an awesome ministry-caring for the widow and immediate family. Also during the funeral (IN SÃO PAULO CITY) I was able to witness to his extended family approximately one hundred plus (100+) people, tell them about where he was now, and present Jesus Christ to them also. How AWESOME is the God we serve.

In our Sunday School two (2) weeks ago we had five (5) children, 12-15 years old, accept Christ. Our Lord is really working in a special way, opening doors and making it possible to reach many others. Pray for these young people.

It seems as though we have made lots of “sick visits” this month, but regardless of the circumstances for many visits, people are accepting Christ. Just in our home visits this month, with the Holy Spirit working we have had nine (9) people accept Christ. How AWESOME He is, whom we serve.

Our youth this past Friday and Saturday went to São Paulo for a youth rally. There were sixteen (16) in all and they really came back “changed-up” to do even more for the Lord.

As I am writing this letter I am doing hospital visits for another man with cancer. Before he went into the hospital I visited with him and his family. He already knew Christ but wanted me to talk with his family to make sure they also had what he had in his heart.

Our vehicles have really given us a challenge this month. I had the “bicos” cleaned in my diesel S-10 and was also informed they needed to be replaced. The van’s side door needs the rollers replaced and our list goes on. Lots of our repairs are from everyday use, and our roads are always a challenge for our vehicles.

Construction work has been slower than slow. It has been raining almost every day and makes outside work very hard to accomplish.

Because of this in climate weather “raining”, I have had to change our roof tiles between the rain drops. Barbara finally got tired of the buckets and I had to get to work.

Well, as always our doors are open. Why not come down for a visit and see what the Lord is doing in Caraguá Brazil.

Pray for us as we minister here in Brazil

IN HIS SERVICE

AJ & BARB

August Newsletter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Aj and Barb Hensley

Caixa Postal 1511

Caraguatatuba,Sao Paulo Brasil 11672-300

ajcaragua@gmail.com

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

Roof on the School