Dear Family and Friends,
LATEST EVENTS
I’ve been very blessed to be a part of some very special events in the last few months. In May, God opened the door for me to speak at the city of Guaíba’s commemoration of International Women’s Day. One of the organizers of the event is a member at the First Baptist Church in Guaiba and so she invited me to bring an evangelistic message. I spoke on how, like Esther, God has put each of these women on the earth “for such a time as this” and that He has a plan for each and every one of them. I challenged them to seek God so they could know Him and know what this plan is. It was also a great time for me to reflect on God’s continuing plan for my life.
In June and July, I was invited to do some training on the teaching-learning process at two different Baptist churches. It’s always such a joy for me to visit local churches and hear about what God is doing in these churches and communities.
In August, Paulo and I were invited to be groomsman/bridesmaid for one of my former students who happens to be one of the twins I’ve mentored and written about before. What a joy to be a part of this special day for Clarissa and Elisandro!
OTHER NEWS
Paulo and I continue to travel to Santa Cruz do Sul, a city about 2 ½ hours away, where Paulo is doing pulpit supply at a church plant. We are excited to see how God has brought them together with a mother church. This is an answer to prayer and with this new development, Paulo’s role will diminish and we can become more involved in our new home church, Good News Baptist Church, which is also the home church for the Chain of Love families. As Paulo serves as Chaplain at Chain of Love, God has shown us that for the sake of Paulo’s ministry, we should make this church our home church. We are excited to see this in different areas God is already using us to serve there.
In October, Paulo and I are planning a trip to North America with Telmo Camargo, the Brazilian director of Chain of Love. We will be involved in a Missions Conference in Bismarck, ND; mission meetings in Dickinson, ND; the Northern Alberta Missions Conference in the Edmonton, AB, area; and the Brentview Missions Conference in Calgary, AB. God has already blessed Paulo and Telmo with USA visas and they are waiting to receive their Canadian visas.
God has opened the door for me to teach a weekly Bible study to 2 of Paulo’s cousins, Rosane and Rosaura. They are strong Catholics who have a tremendous thirst to know God more and to understand His Word better. It’s been exciting to see the impact of this Bible study on their lives as well as those in their families whom they are sharing with.
My health continues to improve. God has blessed me with a neurosurgeon, who happens to be my former pastor’s son, who has sent me for more tests and diagnosed me with a severe case of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in both arms which has spread to my upper back. I also have other nerves in the middle of my back which are inflamed and not functioning properly. This has also caused some muscular problems. I have been on medication for 2 months now and that is making a big difference. I am also going for physiotherapy.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRAYERS AND SUPPORT!