May 2008 Newsletter

Well, our lives are quite the fruit basket upset with all that is going on down here. Between construction, the church, studies, School of the Bible, youth activities, and being parents, we are pretty busy. We long for the day when the construction is finished and we can walk in the house without feeling rubble crunch under our feet. (Do you ever stop to thank God for the clean floor in your house? I suggest you do it right now if you haven’t. God does use experiences like this to remind us to be grateful.) The kids don’t seem to notice the crud, however, and love to walk barefoot anyway. Stephanie especially seems to hate wearing shoes, socks, and sandals. She has taken her shoes off as many as 20 times in one day. How can we convince her that broken ceramic tile has sharp edges?

Construction on the front wall is almost complete

The house is looking a lot better now

Enrique, our electrician. He and his wife will be studying with Francisco and Liduina beginning Tuesday.

Ricardo (top) and Tiago working on the side wall of the house. Ricardo and his wife are studying with Francisco and Adauto on Thursday nights. Tiago is interested in the School of the Bible, but his current schedule doesn't allow him to attend.

Alessandra working with the kids to make cards for Mother's Day

Alessandra and the kids' class decided to make origami to present to the mothers of the congregation on Mother's Day. Lucas taught the origami, the girls made cards, and Chris made lunch. The best part is that the idea came from the kids themselves. Happy Mother's Day to all moms out there!

Jose and Audiclea, recent members who moved to Praia Grande from the state of Bahia

Claudio (right) is one of our newest members. He brought his daughter Claudia (middle) and granddaughter Richele (left) to visit worship services

Carlos and Adriana Guerrero, and their daughters Isabele and Leticia

Life is about normal for the kids in spite of the construction mess

Worship in São Vicente

20 people in our house (11 came unannounced) makes for a lively evening

Nivaldo and Francisco chatting before School of the Bible class

The school of the Bible is going well. We are well into our study of the Old Testament, and though we have lost a couple students, mostly due to busy schedules, they all remain very interested and committed. Please pray for these students: Nivaldo, Eduardo, Edmilson, Neuse, Luis, Elma, Claudio, and the Rodrigues family.

Luis and Elma, a couple attending the School of the Bible on Saturday mornings

School of the Bible class on Saturday morning

We had our first youth activity ever on the Santos coast here in Praia Grande two weeks ago. There were 10 youth from the Praia Grande and São Vicente congregations (including 2 visitors) and 4 adults. We opened the activity with some Bible trivia games, then Junior Lira gave a lesson about the rich young ruler. We finished with a snack of sandwiches provided by our adult volunteers (Liduina and Janete). Both the youth and the organizers were very glad to finally begin a work dedicated to youth here on the coast. May God bless our future activities and contacts to be fruitful in taking the Gospel to the youth here.

Please continue to pray for our newest members in Praia Grande: Claudio, Pedro, Carlos and Adriana, Jose and Audiclea. They are dealing with the challenges that normally come with an increased commitment to Christ. May God bless us all as we grow and conform to the image of our Lord, Jesus Christ. It is for that reason that He saved us on the cross: that people all over the world become like Him, even from cultures and places that are very different. Then He will truly be the first among many brothers.

Chris and Alley Kelley