"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!

Seven Blessings

1. An awesome home church and incredible pastor - being away from Madison Baptist Church and Pastor Allison's preaching makes me even more thankful for it! Thankfully, I can get the CD's.

2. A Godly husband - Tim has a lot of insight and wisdom. I love his preaching. He's doing such a great job preaching in Portuguese!

3. Mrs. Allison - the best pastor's wife and friend a person could ever want! I miss her so much! Thankfully, I can (and do) talk to her on a regular basis!

4. Charlie and Isabel Nichols - they help us out with a lot of stuff here.

5. Joao Paulo - he got saved in February. I've never seen someone so excited about being saved! He is an absolute joy to have around!

6. Support - despite the troubles in the US economy, our suppport has stayed stable. God continues to provide all that we need.

7. Church services, especially when I can understand them! I generally catch the topic or theme of the message. It's difficult to keep up throughout the entire message, though.

Campaign

During the month of March we had a campaign at church. The people were divided into two teams. You earned points by attending (100), bringing your Bible (50), and bringing visitors (400). The campaign ended with a five-day revival (this past Wed.-Sun.). Though my team did not win, we had a great month! There were many visitors that came, two of which got saved! One of my visitors, Valter, also brought visitors. How crazy is that! I don't think I have ever heard of or seen a visitor bring visitors! It was so awesome. When I talked to Valter today, he said that he was bringing more visitors this Wednesday night! All I can say is wow! Please pray that Valter and the other visitors will be saved!

White Sauce

The recipe for white sauce is:

2 Tbs. butter
2 Tbs. flour
1 cup of milk
Salt and pepper

Melt butter in a pan on low heat. Add flour. Mix together well. (I use a fork or whisk) Stir in milk, a little at a time while stirring to get rid of lumps. Add salt and pepper. Remove from heat when it starts to thicken.

Now isn't that simple? The white sauce is the base for gravy, creamy sauces, and cream soups. It adds a little flair to vegetables or meat. You can add any seasoning you want. I like to add chicken boullion, onions, and sometimes mushrooms. Experiment and enjoy!

My First Brazilian Funeral

Yesterday, Dona Ana went to be with the Lord. She was 89 years old. She had been bedridden for a long time. It was a very sad day for our church, because she will be greatly missed. She was a great prayer warrior and a blessing to many. It was a happy day because she no longer suffers and is in the presence of the Lord that she loved so dearly. Though I don't know much about her testimony, I can share a few things. Dona Ana spent the majority of her life as a devout Catholic. She was saved at the age of 77. Without anyone telling her to, she promptly took all of her Catholic icons/idols outside, broke them, and burned them! (Sounds like a story right out of the Old Testament!) She was faithful to church as long as her body allowed. Every month she would learn and recite 10 verses from Proverbs. She prayed for those she knew daily. My only regret is that I didn't get to know her better (language barrier).

Funerals in Brazil are very different from those in America. They do not embalm the bodies. This means that they have to bury them quickly, usually within 24 hours. For example, Dona Ana died around 11:30am. The body was delivered to the church between 2 and 3pm. The service was at 4:30pm and she was taken to the cemetery at 5:30pm. Whew! Talk about being quick! I think it's the only thing in Brazil that happens fast! The casket was a simple wooden box. The cemetery was a little different also. There were holes dug and lined with cinder block. Each hole can hold up to three caskets (stacked). Cement slabs are placed on top of the hole and covered with 3-6 inches of dirt. There is no meal after the funeral. Food is not prepared by others and delivered to the family. A Catholic funeral has a lot more wailing and praying for the soul of the person that died, I've been told.