Pandemic worse

The Covid pandemic is now in its third wave here in Brazil. Yesterday the pastor of the Assemblies of God church in Patos, Jonas Pereira died with Covid. In our church Tiago, who is our main guitar player, has gone down with Covid as has Milena who is another of our young people. This coming weekend it will be difficult to get a worship team together owing to the pandemic. Also the second guitar player is on holiday and the third is away studying at university. In the last 24 hours Brazil registered 606 Covid deaths plus 219,878 Covid new infections. The situation is increasingly serious again here which puts us in a dilemma as to whether we will be able to hold the Carnival Camp in just over a month's time. 

I have been talking to Pastor Nemias (Nehemiah) at Flores in Pernambuco State who asks for prayer for the young man, Cícero, who leads our sport for children and adolescents project there. He is in intensive care in Recife with Covid. 

Yesterday I received a phone call from the Christian organization World Vision which is interested in perhaps working in partnership with us linked to our projects. We will have talks with them next month. I also had further discussions yesterday with the ACEV senior leadership team as regards the new leader for our Soledade church. It is good to see that the church there is improving a lot with the revitalization work in progress under the leadership of our Campina Grande churches. Numbers are up in the services and the spirit in the church is fresh and full of hope. 

News just in tells me that we are now up to 10 people down with Covid in our Patos church. Nurse Liliane, a family of 4 and another couple have joined the ranks. We value your prayers.

We have just heard of the home calling of dear Brother Deryck Scard who went to be with the Lord on Monday (24th). Deryck was 94 I believe. He was a faithful supporter of EAB and an ex-member of the Board of Trustees. We visited Deryck the last time we were in the UK at Poole in Dorset and he sent us a Christmas card this Christmas with a note in perfect handwriting.