Valentine's Banquet

In Brazil, Valentine's Day is celebrated in June. (My husband really likes this because his birthday is Feb. 14th. He feel like he gets a real birthday like everyone else - no pink or red stuff, nothing in the shape of a heart, etc.) Last Saturday, we had our banquet. This year's Valentine's Banquet seemed to go really well. We started off with salad and bread, followed by chicken stroganoff, rice, carrots, and broccoli. For dessert, we had chocolate cake with chocolate and strawberry syrup on top and some whipped cream. It was all very yummy! The young ladies did the decorating and the cooking. The young men served the food. Pastor Weber preached a great message. Charlie and Isabel did a little skit for us. It was hilarious! Everyone had a good time.

My Visit to Boticao

On Tuesday, June 9th, I went to Boticao with Dona Vera to visit her son, Anderson, and his family. We had such a good time! Anderson is the pastor of the church in Boticao. He currently has about 30 people that come to the services. You may think this is just a few, but there are less than 100 people that live in the town of Boticao! They are currently building a building to hold services in. Praise the Lord, they have plenty of space to grow. Anderson and Marianne had their first baby in April. Little Alexandre is such a cutie! He smiles easily and often. He is the only grandchild on both sides! He would definitely be spoiled if he lived near either set of grandparents!

While we were there, we went to the nearby town of Aguanil to visit Lucimar. Her husband was killed in a car accident in December. At the time, they had six children and Lucimar was eight months pregnant! The husband left behind a lot of debt. Needless to say, these last six months have been a time of trial, but also of blessing. God has provided marvelously for Lucimar and her children (ages 5 months to 12 years)! The mayor of Aguanil gave Lucimar a house to live in. Churches in the area have sent money, clothes, furniture, and food. It truly has been amazing to see God provide for this family!


Dona Vera with Alexandre


Alexandre


The church in Boticao

Baptismal Service May 17, 2009

Last Sunday, we had a baptismal service. (Since we don't have a baptistry at the church, we only baptize 2-3 times a year.) There were seven people that needed to be baptized. It was a pleasant sunny day with temperatures in the mid-70s. However, the water was very cold! Praise the Lord, everything went well. It was such a blessing to watch them follow the Lord in believer's baptism!

Cristiane

Nathalia

Maira

Joao Paulo


Mike


Felipe


Naomi

BUNCO!!!

There's a group of ladies from my home church, Madison Baptist, that get together once a month to play Bunco. I never had the opportunity to play. Last night, it was at Myra Limbaugh's house. I got to play via Skype. Woohoo! It was a lot of fun and very interesting too! We had to do a little adjusting to make it work, but I was able to play. It was so much fun to interact with some folks from home! Thank you ladies for including me!

"One Vision Only"

I just finished reading the biography of Isobel Kuhn, "One Vision Only" by Carolyn Canfield. Isobel was a missionary (approximately 1930-1960) in China for many years and Thailand for a few years after that. Her motto for every aspect of life was "God First". That is exactly how she lived her life. With her husband, John, they accomplished great things for God, sacrificing time with each other and with their children. It was amazing to read about how God used her and met her needs. Unlike many missionary biographies, it does not romanticize the mission field. It tells of the hardships that are sometimes endured by serving God. Likewise, it shows that there is no better way to live than serving God. Neither does it make Isobel appear to be perfect...she wasn't, neither are we. It's encouraging to read about people that serve God in spite of their failings. How God can bless when we humble ourselves before Him, confess our sins, and trust Him to do the work!

Couples Retreat

On Tuesday, we had a couples activity. Originally, it was supposed to be an overnight retreat, but that didn't work out. God knows what is best! Having a day activity instead, worked out so much better, with a lot more participation. We had a lot of fun. We played games, watched "Fireproof", ate some good food, and had a couple of great messages on marriage. One of the games we played was especially fun. Charlie would ask Bible questions. The guy that got it right had to pop a balloon and do whatever the paper inside said - tell what attracted you to your wife, what has made your marriage a success, look into each other's eyes for 30 seconds, give a long kiss, whisper sweet things in her ear, etc. A good time was had by all. Not only was it a blessing, but it was a great opportunity for each couple to do a reset on something in their marriage.

Visiting the Public Schools

Steve has been visiting us from Louisiana for the last week and a half. When he contacted us about visiting, he asked if we could arrange some visits to the local schools so that he could present the Gospel. I talked with my friend Enio (an English teacher) and he made all of the arrangements. On Monday, we visited three schools in town. The Gospel was presented to about 150 students. On Tuesday, we visited another three schools. Two of them were rural schools and the other was in town. Another 150 students heard the Gospel. On Wednesday, we visited two more schools. One in the country and one in town. About 120 students heard the Gospel. Though I cannot say with certainty how many were saved, I can say that they heard a clear presentation of the Gospel and that many showed intetrest. God is so good!

While at the school in Fazenda Velha, we met an assitant to the Secretary of Education in Formiga. She was very interested and impressed with what we were doing. She has asked us to come by the office to discuss visiting other schools in our area. God is opening a door for us. We cannot begin to imagine what will be accomplished as a result! Please pray that God will give us wisdom to know what we are capable of doing and to know His will in this matter!