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We
are now well into our second semester at the Seminary. For the first time we hosted a visiting pastor, Dr. Stefano Piva (back row, 6th from the left), from Bethany Baptist in Richmond, BC, Canada. He taught a two-week intensive course about preaching to our Seminary students as well as other lay leaders who participated with us. Pastor Stefano also taught a workshop to pastors and lay leaders on how to preach the parables. We had 54 participants for the workshop who came from a number of different places in our state. We also had another 30 who watched the workshop live on-line. We are very thankful to Pastor Stefano for his willing to come and teach this course in Brazil. I would also like to thank Bethany Baptist, one of my supporting churches, for allowing their pastor to come and serve in this way. I also want to thank Bethany for providing the funds to buy enough textbooks for all the students and for our library! It’s great when I can deepen my connection with a supporting church who is investing in the ministry God has given me here in Brazil! We are also looking forward to hosting our next international professor in December.
OTHER NEWS:
As a missionary, it’s always great to deepen your understanding of the culture you are working in. In September, Paulo and I had a chance to participate in a “Tertúlia,” which is a celebration of the
gaucho traditional culture. We enjoyed getting dressed up in our gaucho clothes. There was music, poetry, a dancing demonstration and food. The event was sponsored by two churches so there was even an evangelistic message!
Currently, it is spring here in Brazil. With the new season, our state has seen a record number of rain and hail storms that have left around 160,000 people homeless. We are trying to help those families that have been affected by these storms. On example is that one of our Seminary students, Douglas, and his family had to abandon the house they were renting. Fortunately, they found another house to rent but lost some furniture in the process. When I asked him what he needed, he shared that they needed a kitchen table and chairs. It just so happened that we had an extra one, without legs, in storage! Paulo and I were able to get new legs and arrange for the table and chairs to be delivered. What a great reminder that the Lord provides!
Additional Prayer Requests:
Continued prayer for our Seminary students; that they will be able to keep up with their studies and be well prepared as they work and serve in their local churches. One of our students, Marcos, recently had surgery and his recovery is slower than anticipated. It looks like he will not be able to return this semester. Please pray for healing and recovery. Another student, Marco, suffered a stroke 4 years ago and is still recovering. Lately he’s struggled with his memory. Please pray for him. Another student, Nathan, is church planting but may have to take on a job to help him support himself. Please pray for financial resources so he can stay focused on church planting.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRAYERS AND SUPPORT!