Friday 29 May 2020

On line work gathering speed!

Our Patos church is getting more and more into the online gear. We now have 4 slots on a Sunday, 1 on a Tuesday, another on a Thursday and another on a Saturday. We have one daily slot too at midday. Tuesday night's online prayer meeting saw 20 taking part for 2 hours! Last night's online Bible study, via Google Meet, saw me give the study for 41 people including pastors from our João Pessoa - Boa Esperança, Matureia, Teixeira and Juazeirinho churches as well as Patos foll. The Sunday main service has lots of the members from our Imaculada church and Curral Velho church joining us. PTL!

I have done 2 good Green Pastures walks this week. On Monday I walked for 4.3 km and yesterday I walked 3 km. These walks are both good for me physically as well as refreshing me spiritually and psychologically. There is nothing like walking in the "garden" of God's creation and nature. It blesses me inside and out!

Next week is International Environment Week, as the International Day for the Environment will be on Friday, June 5th. I will be taking part in two nationwide events organized by renewourworld.net which is an international Christian Movement to mobilize Christians environmentally and increase awareness of the need for action by the church. I will be taking part live in online events on Monday (1st) and Saturday (6th). Please pray!

Monday 25 May 2020

Good service

I hope you can get to have a look at last night's church broadcast which even has a bit of English in it for the non-Portuguese speakers! https://www.facebook.com/acevpatos/videos/3859744854096533/

The service was lovely and thousands of people tuned in and were blessed. PTL!

Sunday 24 May 2020

Today's broadcast

I am happy to announce that today I will be back on our live transmission together with Liz, Philip & Louisa. I will be speaking on 1 Peter 2:4-5 and then on John 21:1-6 a bit later. Please pray for us. The transmission is from our Patos church Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/acevpatos/

The transmission starts at 6:30 pm our time (10:30 pm BST) but you can always watch the recording tomorrow if you fall asleep!

Saturday 23 May 2020

Prayer Update


EAB SPECIFIC PRAYER TOPICS FOR ALL STANDING WITH US IN PRAYER
May 2020 (NEW ITEMS IN RED)

1.        We pray against Covid 19. Brazil is now where the virus is spreading fastest in the world!
2.        We pray for a change in attitude from the government so as to take the virus seriously following scientific
            guidelines in national unity.
3.        We pray for the poor who EAB ministers to and who stand in great need at this time.
4.        We pray for those of ACEV who have Covid 19: Elizionaldo up in the mountains at Matureia and El. at Campina
            Grande. Marah Danielle (Patos) and family  awaiting test confirmation. 82 year
            old father of church leader Tica (Curral Velho) confirmed positive.
5.        We pray for John and Liz under tremendous stress at this time and for all the EAB teams of workers.
6.        We pray for a true spiritual revival as a result of this pandemic.
7.        We pray for atheists and agnostics now being forced to think about the meaning of life – that we might reach
            them with and for Jesus.
8.        We pray for EAB folk and friends on the front line of battle against Covid 19 as professional health workers.
            Protect and strengthen them and fill them with supernatural strength and compassion.
9.        Help the authorities to develop a vaccine quickly and discover adequate treatment.
10.      We pray for all suffering mental stress in these exceptional times.
11.      We especially pray for the poor in the area of EAB’s work. We pray for the poor who today face inadequate
           health facilities owing to long term corruption which had syphoned of funds for personal things.
12.      We pray for sufficient funding at this time of crisis for EAB as we seek to feed the hungry and poor, broadcast
            and counsel via internet etc etc.
13.      Please pray for situations of extreme domestic violence which have erupted in one or two churches under the
            stress of lockdown.
14.      We pray for the protection and feeding of EAB’s very poor action children at our schools.
15.      We pray for God’s help to help the landless and homeless.
16.      Please help John, Liz and EAB to take hope to the hopeless without God.
17.      Bless and keep all our pastors and leaders – together with all our church members.
18.      We pray for our youth who struggle to understand this new world we are in and we pray for the seniors and
            lonely.
19.       We pray for our ex-son-in-law Cleytson who has Covid 19. Two of his sons are our grandsons Felipe and
             Arthur.
20.       Please pray for an atheist I am evangelizing in the middle of all this.

With love,

John & Liz

PS – Please do join our daily John & Liz / EAB prayer times from 9.30 pm UK time if you can.

Fastest on the Planet

Click here to see the latest sad news from Brazil!
https://twitter.com/i/status/1264103777268719616

Wednesday 20 May 2020

Sad day for Patos

Dr Orlando Damascena delivered Sacha at birth and also delivered Sacha's daughter Bia when she was born. Today he sadly died as yet another victim of this awful Covid 19. 

Brazil is now the third country worst affected by this virus and will soon be second. Please pray.

Pray without ceasing

Three more have joined the EAB prayer group which prays for us and EAB every evening from 9.30 pm to 10 pm. We are very encouraged and grateful. So far we have:

1. Joy Levermore
2. Laurence Levermore (High Wycombe)
3. Jean Medcraft-North
4. Dr. Liz Williams (Basingstoke)
5. Steve Oakley
6. Lisa Oakley (London)
7. Peter Court
8. Vanessa Court (Weston Super Mare)
9. Marian Rashleigh (Southampton)

If you could join the group please send me an email at eabrazil@gmail.com

Monday 18 May 2020

Prayer changes things

A prayer schedule has emerged from nowhere as an answer to the gigantic needs being faced by us in NE Brazil at this time. The prayer group have decided to pray for 30 minutes each evening at 9:30 pm BST for us and EAB's work in general. The group has been started by my 2 sisters Joy Levermore and Jean Medcraft-North together with Laurence Levermore + Steve and Lisa Oakley and Dr. Liz and we would very much like to know of others willing to commit to such prayer times each evening or at least most. Please add your names to our EAB prayer warriors list via eabrazil@gmail.com.

Prayer does change things more than this world dreams of and we certainly stand in need of it at this time. The situation is grave with Brazil in 4th place in the sad world virus rankings and rising very fast indeed, surely to second place very soon. Please pray for us. 

Hospitals are over run like in so many countries but here little effort is being made to solve the problem. In fact the president himself ridicules what all the fuss is about! It is a sad situation and we badly need your prayers and support.

Please pray with us and for us and let us know if you will be joining the group. This is both a public health battle, political battle and spiritual battle and we must stand together in prayer. We look to the Lord. 

The broad guidelines for our prayers are laid out in my prayer from Patos transmitted yesterday at https://www.facebook.com/acevpatos/videos/289830242046449/. Please do join us in prayer. 

Wednesday 13 May 2020

Unusual National Conference

This Saturday we value your prayers as we will be holding our annual Leader's Conference via Google Meet as opposed to the less secure Zoom. It will be quite an experience!

All our leaders debating, discussing and electing the leadership 
team for the coming 4 years - amongst other matters. We sure do value your prayers.

We are blessed with an expert (Philip) on all this tech stuff and will be doing a trial run tonight just to make sure all is in order for Saturday. Then the minutes have to be registered at a solicitors on Monday 18th  in time for our deadline of the 20th.

I personally am vastly improved in health. Thank you for praying. Please don't stop. Liz is the rock of Gibraltar as ever! God sure blessed me with Liz!

The whole family has helped so much as have the teams for the variety of ongoing activities. 

On Sunday the election results will be displayed here! Watch this space.

The Covid-19 virus bites harder and harder in Brazil now with a sad division amongst the politicians. The Federal Government is ridiculously flamboyant about a "load of fuss about a minor cold", but the State Governors resist as does the Supreme Court and we fumble on. Also years of corruption siphoning off money from health care for personal things (robbery) means our healthcare system is utterly inadequate. All the talk about the heat being conducive to combatting the virus, plus plain ignorance and the ignoring of scientists - means the virus is deeply embedded all around us. We lie low and trust God!

One particular case of domestic violence has greatly upset us but the wife was gladly kept from her husband's knife by their 20 year old daughter's intervention. These are difficult times. Philip has been greatly used of God is astounding wisdom. God is our refuge and strength.