The Most Important Meal of the Day

Breakfast is considered by many as the most important meal of the day. There is a saying in Brazil that goes like this: "Eat breakfast like a king, eat lunch like a prince and eat supper like a beggar." The idea is to eat less and less as the day goes on but like many of us we tend to eat little to nothing in the morning and more and more as the day wears on.

I am not writing to tell you about breakfast. I am writing to tell you about our men's breakfast in João Pessoa. Sorry, if you were making plans to come, it has already happened. We plan to have another one soon, if you are here we would love to have you.

There were about 20 men that showed up with food that could have fed a king and his family. We sang, prayed, ate and talked about future plans for the church. It was great food but even better fellowship.

Enjoy the pictures!

Please pray:

* that the plans made will not be left on paper but carried out by all of us, especially the Brazilian men;

* that the men of the congregation will live their lives in the fullness of God's Will. (I know that is aiming very high but why aim lower)

Teaching, Guiding and Sharing

PORmissões is the plan to evangelize the entire state of Paraíba through establishing congregations in each of the four major cities, maturing members and reaching out to the smaller cities around them.

There are now three others (Afonso, Júnior and Luciano) who are working with me directly to move this plan forward. This is a huge step for the work to continue without me in the near future. We met at the beginning of June to discuss the vision each one has for the state and how to carry that vision out. We are working to mature the members of the church and continually bring unity among the congregations through visiting, calls and statewide events.

Our next statewide event will be in João Pessoa where I will be teaching and helping each evangelist think about preparing and maturing men to be Elders and Deacons. We will also discuss what the role of the evangelist is and how to carry out his role in the congregation in which he lives and labors.

Please pray:

* that God may use me to help open our eyes to the possibilities and opportunities He provides to guide men to be "men of God";

* that God may work in all of our hearts for us to be fully dedicated to Him and His Kingdom;

* that God may help us to see our role as missionaries, evangelists and all of us as Christians to be light in the darkness.

Please shine through us Lord Jesus.

Let Go and Let God!

I traveled this past weekend to Belém do Brejo do Cruz with six others from the church in João Pessoa . Santo, the evangelist with the church in Belém invited all of his neighbors to hear an evangelistic message on Saturday night. We sang, I taught, and we ate. There were over 60 present.  

On Sunday, we met with the Christians where Francinaldo taught on James and I preached from the book of James. There were around 25 present on Sunday morning. We ate lunch together and made the 6 1/2 hour trip back.

Please pray:

• that the seed that was planted in the visitors hearts may produce fruit;
  
• that the church in Belém do Brejo do Cruz may continue to spread the seed and water where they have planted.
  

Modern Day Slavery

Ten hours to get there, all night on the bus, I arrived in Aracaju, the capital city of Sergipe. The church had invited me to teach Biblical Finances, and I started on Saturday at 8 a.m., two hours after arriving. This intensive course went for 9 hours on Saturday and 2 hours on Sunday. 25 came, and most admitted that they have debt and they do feel like slaves with a master.

My prayer for them is that they may learn to live according to God's ways of handling money, living on less than you make. The purpose for living in such a way is to invest more in God's Kingdom.

The church in is ready to take this next step in maturing in Christ and beginning to support its own workers and send out missionaries. The Christians I talked with in were excited, dreaming about the possibilities of maturing and investing in God's Kingdom.

Please pray:

• that the Christians in may grow in love for Christ and spiritual maturity;
  
• that the managing of personal finances may increase our focus on God and His Kingdom.
  

Three Months Rolled Into One

Hello everyone! I know it has been a long time since you have heard from me. I have been travelling and teaching quite a bit. In this newsletter, I will tell you what I have been doing and what my plans are for the next three weeks.

In March, I took a 10 hour bus ride to the south of where we are to teach the church in Aracajú over a weekend. My parents also came and spent 9 days with me and my family in March.

In April, I stayed more in João Pessoa teaching and preaching because most of the workers from the interior churches were in São Paulo for 18 days in intensive classes. I did get to travel with my family to Patos where Monica taught the women at their annual celebration of the beginning of the women's prayer group.

In May, I taught Financial Peace at the São Lourenço congregation, a four day intensive course, beginning with contentment. I also preached at another congregation in Recife and scheduled a time to teach in June at the Varzea congregation. On Thursday, May, 15th of this month I will be travelling to Patos to teach the Gospel of Matthew, a four day course. From Patos, on May 19th, I will be travelling to Feira de Santana, a twelve hour drive to begin a four day course on the same day I arrive. From there I will be travelling up to Aracajú for a Leader's training camp, about four hours from Feira de Santana and then back to João Pessoa, about 10 hours from Aracajú. Lord permitting, I will arrive back in João Pessoa on May 26th. On May 31st, I will be travelling with a group from João Pessoa to Belém do Brejo do cruz, about five hours from João Pessoa and arriving back in João Pessoa on June 1st.

After these trips I plan to stay more in João Pessoa, teaching and visiting the members with the intent to help them grow and begin doing some of the travelling and taking care of one another that I have been doing.

Please pray:

* that God will use me at all times during the driving and teaching on these trips;

* that God's Word may be taught without fear of persecution or rejection;

* that God may give peace and paitents to Monica, Nicholas & Dylan while I am gone.

Three Months News Rolled Into One

Hello everyone!  I know it has been a long time since you have heard from me.  I have been travelling and teaching quite a bit.  In this newsletter, I will tell you what I have been doing and what my plans are for the next three weeks.  

In March, I took a 10 hour bus ride to the south of where we are to teach the church in Aracajú over a weekend.  My parents also came and spent 9 days with me and my family in March.

In April,  I stayed more in João Pessoa teaching and preaching because most of the workers from the interior churches were in São Paulo for 18 days in intensive classes.  I did get to travel with my family to Patos where Monica taught the women at their annual celebration of the beginning of the women's prayer group.

In May, I taught Financial Peace at the São Lourenço congregation, a four day intensive course, beginning with contentment.  I also preached at another congregation in Recife and scheduled a time to teach in June at the Varzea congregation.  On Thursday, May, 15th of this month I traveled to Patos to teach the Gospel of Matthew, a four day course.  From Patos, on May 19th, I traveled to Feira de Santana, a twelve hour drive to begin a four day course on the same day I arrive.  From there I will be travelling up to Aracajú for a Leader's training camp, about four hours from Feira de Santana and then back to João Pessoa, about 10 hours from Aracajú.  Lord permitting, I will arrive back in João Pessoa on May 26th.  On May 31st, I will be travelling with a group from João Pessoa to Belém do Brejo do cruz, about five hours from João Pessoa and arriving back in João Pessoa on June 1st. I will send pictures when I get back to João Pessoa.

After these trips I plan to stay more in João Pessoa, teaching and visiting the members with the intent to help them grow and begin doing some of the travelling and taking care of one another that I have been doing.  

Please pray:

• that God will use me at all times during the driving and teaching on these trips;
• that God's Word may be taught without fear of persecution or rejection;
• that God may give peace and paitents to Monica, Nicholas & Dylan while I am gone.  

God Is Not Dead

It was a bright and sunny day the Friday we left João Pessoa on our way to Belém do Brejo do Cruz. The trip was going to be long, a lot longer than what we thought it would be. The car I usually travel with blew the head gasket the week before, so Francinaldo, Roberto, and I were travelling in Roberto's brand new, used car, a 21 year old Fiat Uno. My traveling car is a 22 year old Fiat Uno so we were moving up in style.  

Roberto's car began to overheat about an hour into our 6 to 7 hour trip. We stopped for breakfast to let the car cool off. We sat and talked as we ate. Everything was going well. I was at the cashier paying for the food when Francinaldo received a call. All I remember him saying is "Be calm, Ivani!" He said this same phrase many times. The look on his face became more and more serious as the news of his mother-in-law's death sunk in each time Ivani said that she found her mother on her knees with blood coming from her head that she had hit on the floor and she was already purple.  

When Francinaldo got off the phone and told us what had happened, I called Monica, she immediately called others and went straight to their house. David drove the hour that we had driven to pick-up Francinaldo so that Roberto and I could continue on our trip to the meeting. As we waited for David to arrive, we prayed, we did not talk very much but we sat together. Francinaldo had left home about an hour and a half before and had spoken with his mother-in-law who was happy and healthy. What a shock! She had a heart attack as she was folding clothes and died. The next day she was buried. That is how it is done in Brazil.  

Right before David arrived to pick up Francinaldo, Júnior, who was organizing the PORmissões meeting, called and said he was going to visit Francinaldo's family. Roberto and I looked at each other and we decided to return to João Pessoa and have a mechanic look at his car.  

That night Roberto caught a ride with Júnior from João Pessoa to Campina Grande. I got on a bus and made the trip. We slept at Júnior's house and left the next morning at 4:30 a.m. We stopped in Patos to pick up some others and finally arrived in Belém at 9 a.m. The meeting is for people working with the churches that are spread out over the state of Paraíba. There were Christians from Cajazeiras, Belém, Patos, Campina Grande, Luna (João Pessoa) and Colinas (João Pessoa). Six out of twelve congregations represented.  

We spent the morning reading from God's Word, praying and talking about where we are in the PORmissões plan and where we go from here. After lunch we synchronized our calendars for the big events.  We had a drawing to see which congregation would visit another before the next meeting in July. We decided on the subjects to talk about at the next meeting and closed with a prayer.  

After the meeting, we, along with the congregation from Belém drove 11 miles to a nearby city to have a Bible study. The next morning, we met with the church in Belém, had lunch together and drove back to our respective cities. Those are the facts.  

The good about this meeting is that someone other than me was conducting it; Júnior and Luciano are becoming the face of PORmissões instead of me. The next meeting's subject will move us in the direction God wants, that is, how to prepare men to be deacons and elders. We will also talk about the role and work of the full-time evangelists in the field, what they should be focusing on and what they should delegate to others. Things are going forward.  

I continue to be amazed at seeing God work these past three years. When I came back to Brazil in 2011, I felt God was pulling me, and my main focus became working with the workers and the congregations throughout the state. I had prayed for many months, asking God to use me for the growth of His Kingdom, I also asked Him for vision to see where I should be leading others. I had and still have a plan that has steps and goals to accomplish. This plan has been executed, each step, each goal up to this point and even beating my established timeline. I am amazed, not at my planning, I and my plans are nothing. I am amazed that God showed me His plan, that the vision I asked for was what He is accomplishing before my very eyes and even faster than I imagined it would happen.  

There was a time during this process that I thought "my plan" was working very well. Usually, when I make plans they change as I move along, not drastically but modifications need to be made, unforeseen things happen or people are not cooperating. Not with this plan! Everything is falling into place as "I" planned. When I began to execute the plan in 2011 and things were moving along, I knew what the next step should be, and I was pleased.  

The end of 2013, things were still moving along exactly as "I" had planned them, but something was different. This step was planned, but I had not put it into motion yet. In my mind, I was going to begin involving a Brazilian in the planning and this year for him to take over next year. This came out of nowhere, without my prompting it. This is God at work. Then I realized, this was not "my" plan. This is God: He has been moving things along, He has a greater interest in this than I do, He just showed me what He was going to do and how He was going to accomplish it.  

When I realized that, I cried in front of the whole group. How great is our God! How awesome is He! Who am I that I should be so privileged to be involved in God's work to save the world, letting me in on His plan even though I thought it was mine. I am speechless! My God, my Lord and my Savior, praise be to You always and forever!  

Please pray:  

• that the congregations in the state of Paraíba may be united in one cause, with one mind and may we be one family;  
•  that the evangelists will know what they are to accomplish, in their respective cities;  
•  that God may give us all vision of His work and what He wants us to do for the growth of His Kingdom;  
•  that we may be deeply involved in God's saving the world by getting out of His way and letting Him use us, His servants, however He sees fit to do so, even if it will cause us great pain in this life.