July activities

The move from our old building to our new location. We really really like the new one better.
Francisco helping load the moving van... er, the moving VW van flatbed...
Jonas, one of my students from the School of the Bible, helped out all day.
Not much left now
The former kids classroom
The former kitchen/fellowship area

Our new place needed some renovation as well. Luckily, the bar came right out and all we had to do was paint the wall.
The cleaning crew was rewarded with a nice lunch made right in our new kitchen.

The other side of the classroom is our kitchen/staircase. It is cozy, but has worked wonders and is even a major evangelistic tool.
The new kids' classroom is cuter, better-organized, and yes, a little smaller.
The new kitchen is a real step up from the old one, which was outside and leaky. It is a little tight, but it is clean and has no leaks.
The first worship service in our new place was full of energy. We can sense that God is going to grow us and bless us as a church in this place, even though our hopes are that in a few years we can move again into a permanent facility. Keep that in your prayers!


The old financial officer (Chris) breaking in the new treasurer (Liduina). Working with numbers is a great gift when used in service to the kingdom. Accounting can be daunting to some, but is an absolute necessity to good stewardship. Liduina will serve as the treasurer after our return to the US, together with others in the congregation like Jorge, who already signs off with her after counting the offering. These details may seem insignificant, but they are milestones in planting a mature congregation, especially when starting from zero.
Our move has brought us 10 new kids every Sunday. Pray for them. They are high-energy, love Bible class, and are a fantastic opportunity for evangelism as well.
The Kids celebrated their birthdays in the church building this year (Jonathan turned 5, Stephanie 4). The event had over 50 people, including many new members from the neighborhood who helped in many ways. Showing the Church as a family is one of our biggest assets when we seek the lost in Praia Grande.










The above video is the baptism of one of the twins from Sao Vicente. They were both baptized on the same day, witnessed by the Praia Grande and Sao Vicente congregations, after many years of patience on the part of the Sao Vicente congregation. Praise God for this encouraging victory!