Campaign in Campina Grande

Only 4 days till the Campaign in Campina Grande!!!

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

 

    Campina Grande, the second largest city in the state of Paraiba will be invaded with a little over 50 people (some 45 from João Pessoa and some 7 from Recife), 3,000 tracts to hand out, and 200 correspondence courses.  We hope to impress the city with the unity and love of the body of Christ during these three days. 
    The team in Campina Grande has planned different activities to call peoples attention:  a tent in a public square where people can come for prayer, a group singing on a busy sidewalk, and door-to-door visits in a neighborhood.  The objective of handing out the tracts is to get people interested, then these new contacts will be offered a correspondence course to study the Bible, not by themselves, but with someone accompanying them as they go through the lessons.  Plant the seed, water the seed and wait for God to give the increase.  We have the Good News and we want to share it.

 

    We ask for your prayers as the group from João Pessoa goes to help the church in Campina Grande generate more contacts to visit and to study with. 

    

    The campaign does not end on April 3rd.  The most important part of the campaign is following up with these visits and studies.

    

    If you would like to come and help in the campaign you are more than welcome to do so but you do not have to be here to participate in this campaign.  You can pray before and after April 1-3.

I ask that you pray:

1. That God will prepare the hearts of everyone that we will come in contact with during the campaign;
2. That every person involved in the campaign, that includes everyone who is praying, will be encouraged and will grow in love and faith in God;
3. That God will add many people from Campina Grande to His Kingdom.

There are 4 days before the grande campanha in Campina Grande.

 

May the peace and grace of our Lord and Savior be with you all,

 

a servant of the King

Campina Grande Travel Update

Thank you all for your prayers during my trip to Campina Grande.

 

    I met with the team on Saturday night.  I wanted to hear from the three families  what Joe McKinney and Christopher Boyce had discussed with them during their visits.  My objective was to  to help the team in unity.  Joe McKinney has developed "The 16 C's to Team Building" and he went over the first, "Communication" with the team.  I asked the families what they would like to talk about from the list of 16 and they chose "Dedication".  Hey, the "16 c's" are "c's" in Portuguese not English.  Anyway, we talked about dedication to their team goal, dedication to one another and above all dedication to Christ.  We had a devotional time and fun conversation. 

    The team is really excited about the campaign on April 1st through 3rd.  We worked out some details and everything is pretty much organized.  Now, it is only a question of time before we hit the streets with the message of God's saving work through Jesus Christ.

    I met with the church at night and preached.  I really enjoyed my time with these wonderful families who have dedicated their lives to spreading God's kingdom wherever they may be.

    Please pray that:

• God will work through the team in Campina Grande to build-up His church in that city;
• God will bring those whose hearts are good soil to study His word
• the church will be energized and edified through participation in the campaign.
  

God bless you and keep you,

 

 

 

Jeremy, Monica, Nicholas & Dylan

 

You can call us in Brazil at our Magic Jack #; this is a Nashville, TN area code: (615) 752-2969

 

Skype us at: jeremy.newlin

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Carnaval Camp Update

Hello everyone,

I sent this report out Monday but I don't think it went through. If it
did then I guess this will be the second time you are receiving it.
God bless you all.

I am sure most are wondering whether or not we made it to and from
our destination, Cajazeiras, during carnival. Well, thanks to God, who
has always protected us we made it back alive and, well, tired.
It is about a 7 hour trip to Cajazeiras. We left our apartment a
little later than we had hoped so we arrived after dark. There were 45
people at the retreat, and we all enjoyed our time together.
Joe McKinney and I taught three classes each during the retreat.
Joe McKinney taught on "Spiritual Gifts in the Body of Christ." I
taught on "The Kingdom of God" and about using our gifts to draw people
closer to our King and Savior. I was edified in the study, preparation,
and teaching of this subject. I prayed and still pray that it edified
all who heard.
There were a couple of adventures that always make these get-aways
memorable. The first: climbing a small mountain. Joe McKinney,
Nicholas, my 10 yr. old son, and 3 other adults climbed the untamed
beast. They asked me to go, but I looked out at the almost cloudless
sky, at a temperature of what had to be close to 96 degrees that felt
like 110 and said, "No, I think I'll go tomorrow." When they arrived 3
hours later, they looked like they had swam the widest ocean and then
had climbed mount Everest. I was glad to see everyone back and o.k. I
asked Nicholas if he had fun and he almost started crying. You see, he
had been stung by yellow-jackets, bitten by flesh-eating ants, and had
come within feet of a rather large snake. It wasn't just him, this
happened to everyone on this quest for the modern-day, caveman manhood.
The next day they were all fine. The adults were talking about going up
the mountain again next year, Nicholas said he would stay behind. How
nice it must be to live without an ego. The second adventure happened
the day after. We decided to go to a lake, actually, a reservoir that
supplies the city's water. It took us almost 50 minutes to go 6 miles
down the holey dirt road. We climb a steep bank and arrived at the
reservoir. Some of the group took a quick dip in the piranha infested
lake. (That's what we were told. I have never heard of piranhas in a
lake, only in rivers, but hey, I'm not taking my chances; I've been
attacked by fish before. I was having a Psoriasis crisis and fish in
the
ocean started ramming me and biting. One drew blood and it wasn't even
a
piranha). We saw the storm coming but did not imagine that it would be
so bad. The drops of rain felt like needles on our backs from the wind
blowing so hard. We had to walk 1/3 of a mile to get back to shelter
and then drive back down an extremely muddy holey road for another 50
minutes or so.
To go along with these adventures I also found out that the
pictures I had on my SD card were not copied onto my Hard drive. I am
sorry but I don't have any pictures to share with you on this trip. I
will try to get some from someone else who was there.
Hey, adventures like these are what we tell stories about. They
are memories that we can tell our children, grandchildren and share
with all of you. You would have loved it, I know we did.

May the grace and peace of God live within you,

Jeremy, Monica, Nicholas & Dylan Newlin

Trippin'

Cajazeiras

    I went to Cajazeiras this past weekend to teach a class on God's plan of salvation.  The church is small in number and growing both spiritually and numerically.  The class started Friday night; it went on Saturday afternoon and night and ended with a class Sunday morning before the church meeting.  I also interviewed Café, Leila, 4 girls and 3 boys from the Right Step program, the main evangelistic thrust in the city. This program helps underprivileged families with their children in school, on the soccer field, in their homes, and most importantly in their personal lives.
    Please pray for Café, Leila, and their four daughters. They are the only family working full-time with this program and are feeling the weight of visiting and caring for 93 boys, girls, and their families.  Please pray that God may send another couple to this city to help His Kingdom grow in and around Cajazeiras.
    On a side note, we read 2 chapters of Ruth while on our 7-hour trip, studying for the Bible Cup in João Pessoa.  It is good for all of us to have time and an incentive to study God's Word.  Here is a picture of Nicholas, my son, reading while on the road.


Cubati
    On our way back from Cajazeiras, we stopped in Cubati to visit Afonso and Vânia.  The church in this city has only 4 members. Afonso and Vânia pray for God to bring more to Christ as they visit others and show faithfulness to God. Growth is coming slowly but surely.  There were 10 at the Sunday church meeting, not including my family.  Afonso is a man of perseverance and wisdom, and he is always seeking to grow in his knowledge of the Word to live, teach, and to know God better.
    Please pray for Afonso and Vânia, that Christ's love through them will reach this city of over 6,000 inhabitants.

Little Lake

     It was a hot autumn day, just before Easter - remember we are in the southern hemisphere - when we set out towards Alagoinha (Little Lake).  This is one of the last cities in the state that I, myself, would have picked to preach the Gospel but God, as always, sees beyond our limited vision.
    In the year 2000, I studied the Bible with a man whose wife had family in Alagoinha, and he insisted that I go visit them and tell them about God.  I eventually went and, to make a long story short, the church began in this small, out-of-the-way town. Unfortunately, the man who insisted so much on others hearing the Word of God was killed in a car wreck.  I buried him, and I miss him.  He himself never became a follower of Christ, but two members of the family that he took me to visit did and so did others in the town.
   

     The church now meets in a rented house three or four times a week.  Many of those that began their walk with Christ in Alagoinha have fallen back into the world.  Those that remain are fighting to be faithful to our Lord, sharing our Savior's love with those around them.  Alagoinha is a town that has many denominations so evangelism has been a little slow for these Christians on their own. 
    I was invited to go visit and study with some who were thinking about being baptized.  I packed up the family and we went.  I studied with José Humberto, a 39 year old father of two.  He had been evangelizing even before he became a Christian.  His wife, his sister, her live-in boyfriend, and José's mother all want to know more about what it means to be a Christian and how they too can be saved.
 

   The church in Alagoinha now has five Christians.  Five souls, so far, that will not see the fire pit of Hell.  I would not have chosen Alagoinha to go preach, right now, because of its size and where it is located.  I am glad, though, that God not only chose this city but also allowed me to be used by Him to take the Gospel there.
    Please pray for the church in Alagoinha.  Please pray that they continue strong in their faith.  Please pray that they might grow in the knowledge of God's Word.  Please pray that they will live and share with others what they have learned from their walk with God.

Building A House On The Rock

     As with all newborn babies, new Christians also need a lot of attention, care, and teaching.  My family will be in Cajazeiras from April 16 to April 18, teaching a three-day intensive class to new converts and some visitors as well. 

   Café asked me to come edify the church.  Thinking about about God's perfect plan of salvation, about new Christian's needs, especially in worrying about what happens if they sin after being baptized, I decided to teach my routine evangelistic Bible study because it deals with these things. Therefore, visitors have been encouraged to come to these three days to learn God's will.  These are the eight lessons:

 
I.    God Created And Man Sinned;
II.    Abraham, Moses, and God's Chosen People;
III.   Prophecies About The Messiah;
IV.  Faith in Jesus And Repentance;
V.   Repentance And Confessing Jesus As Lord; 

VI.   Confessing Jesus As Lord And Baptism;
VII.  Baptism, Uniting Yourself To The Body Of Christ Which Is The Church;
VIII. Grace And The Church, The Fulfillment Of The Promise To Abraham.
   
Please pray:

that we will have a safe 7 hour trip going and coming;

that God will open my mouth to speak the truth of His Word;

that God will open the ears and hearts of those present so that God's Word will have an everlasting effect on their lives.

Please pray also for Café and Leila - they feel the need for spiritual renewal. Café said, "I have served the church for 22 years now, we need the church to serve us."  It is not out of selfishness that he says this but out of a desire to serve more with a wisdom of being still and knowing that God is God. 

Please take a moment and pray for these things and may God bless you.

Do You Know The Way From Death To Life?

  On Monday, March 1st, a group of 10 people set out on a journey from João Pessoa to Cajazerias.  7 hours of road, good conversation, deep thinking and getting to know one another even better.  The road trip was just the beginning of what promised to be an uplifting and edifying experience for the Church in Cajazeiras.  We were going to campaign for Christ in the neighborhood in which the church building is surrounded.  The neighborhood's name is Cristo Rei or Christ the King, that is exactly what we wanted to show through our words and actions as all 22 of us; 10 from João Pessoa, 11 from Cajazeiras and 1 from Belém door knocked on some 550-600 houses during 6 days.  We kept going back to the same houses everyday and handing out 6 different tracks.  The objective?  The objective is to create trust, build a relationship that allows us to get past the door and allow Christ to do some heart knocking by setting-up Bible studies and allowing our King to speak.
          Cajazeiras does not have a movie theater; so to begin building relationships, we invited everyone to watch a movie on
Wednesday and Thursday nights.  Friday, Saturday and Sunday were the main attractions; lessons on "Forgiveness",
"Transformation" and "Resurection from the dead".  As time past we began to move from the door to the couch and from the
couch to the heart.  Mind you, not everyone opened the door to the heart for Christ but some wanted to know Him better.  Friday, we had 13 visitors, Saturday, 18 and Sunday 21 visitors.  That is great but we wanted to go further down the road of life. 

We want to continue this journey.  We went to show everyone who wanted to be pointed in the right direction the way from death to life.  6 people asked to be shown how to transform their death into life.  Please pray for them as they study God's Word, as they answer Christ's knock at their heart's door and listen to Him speak about life eternal. 
        
    Do You Know The Way From Death To Life?  If you do, are you showing those that surround you?  I hope that you are and that you feel the love and joy of being able to take Christ with you as you go heart-to-heart knocking until someone opens their heart and allows Christ to speak.