Alley started off November attending a week-long women's missionary conference hosted by Continent of Great Cities (http://www.greatcities.org/). It was a time of deep encouragement and renewal for the women who participated, and Alley was truly blessed in many ways by the experience. Thanks, CGC! Thanks also to Liduina who helped me with the kids while Alley was gone.
São Vicente participated, as well as Pedro and Eduardo, two of our newest members. The Brazilia team will be leaving for Brazilia in January.
(Left to right) Members of the Brazilia team: Junior and Patricia lira, Renato and Carol Pereira, Alessandra and Otavio Calegari.
At the end of November we had the privilege of participating in a goodbye conference for family members of the team in São Paulo, at which Otavio's mother finally decided to be baptized!
Otavio (right) and his sister (left) accompany their mother as she confesses Jesus as Lord.
I can't imagine a better way to begin their work in Brazilia.
We took a little "break" in the middle of November to go to São Paulo for a number of things. The first was that we made the final payment (in Brazil) on our house, and recieved the title. It took half a day of signing and bank transfers, but it was an inportant step for us as homeowners. The next day we picked up Junior and Patricia Lira at the airport, who were returning from two months of fundraising in the states. It was great to be reunited with family and be helpful in hauling all the luggage to their house. Th bonus was that they were carrying a serious payload of things our family had been holding, waiting to send to us via someone travelling to Brazil. So we had an early Christmas with Junior and Patricia, opening things like Red Vines, Zip-Lock bags, marshmallows, and most important of all, Peanut Butter. We can't get those things here so it is wonderful when people send us a taste of home. Thanks to all who participated in those care packages!
A day later, while still in São Paulo, we attended the wedding of Patricia's sister. The next day we finally returned home. It was good to stay with family and be there when they needed us.
Church members sharing pizza after worship. The pizzeria is next door to our building.
The church continues to prosper here. Eduardo, a member through the School of the Bible, finally found a job. Francisco, who was having a lot of leg pain, has been doing physical therapy and is recovering well. He walks with a cane, and probably should from now on, but the pain is gone and he is able to make his visitation and study rounds much better now. We still average about twenty on Sundays, but continue to recieve visitors on a regular basis.
(Left to right) Marcia, Liduina, and Edson , after worship service
Edson, Marcia's husband, worship with us regularly. Paulo and his son João visited recently. Paulo is the brother of Antonio, one of my students in the School of the Bible.
November brought the conclusion of Module 2 of the basic Bible course in the School of the Bible. Of my first 15 students, 2 continue faithfully (Eduardo is already a member). Next year we will reopen with Module 3, as well as the first two. Please pray that we can find a great group of students who will be truly interested in the Word and living it out in thier lives.
In all the hustle down here, I forgot about Thanksgiving until someone mentioned it to me in a phone call (the day before). Alley and the rest of the family here jumped to put together a delicious Thanksgiving meal, with a little Brazilian flavor thrown in. It was one of the most meaningful in my life, though, because I was feeling far from home. Thanks, Alley.
It's not, truly, how much you have, but with whom you share it, that makes the difference. We wish you all a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year wherever you are. May God bless you all as you seek to grow in the faith and knowledge of the Lord, and as we share together in the work of the Kingdom.Chris
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