New Well

On Saturday we had the great joy of inaugurating a new well at the Jatobá Community in Carnaubeira da Penha County in the State of Pernambuco. This is the State which is immediately south of the State of Paraíba where we are based. The inauguration and thanksgiving service went off very well. This Jatobá Community is an indigenous indian community with 38 families. How they survived off the filthy water previously available to them I will never know. The community is overjoyed with the well and very grateful indeed. The thanksgiving service was lovely and the Gospel was proclaimed loud and clear.

Our church at Juru is about an hour and a half hour's drive south west of Patos where the pastor is Ezekiel de Oliveira. They have just held an evangelistic camp there for youth and report over 20 decisions for Christ! Praise God with us and please pray for the follow up to this camp.

Our Carnival Camp has really left our Patos youth ablaze for God and there were nearly 30 present in their Bible study group at the weekend. The youth have their own prayer meeting too tonight and it was lovely to see our granddaughter Alice eager not to miss it!

Our Sunday service went very well. The church was crammed to capacity. We received 5 new members into fellowship.

Testimonies

We are hearing and reading lots of very positive testimonies as feedback from the Carnival Camp. WhatsApp has been full of people telling how they were blessed by different messages and so forth. It is very encouraging when you see how people have been helped and encouraged in the faith. PTL! Thank you for your prayers and support.

Liz and I have been backwards and forwards from Green Pastures this week with the clearing up after the Camp. People always leave things behind. Somebody left their spectacles with a bag of crochet! We also have things to return to people who loaned us things. We had to return the hired digital projector. Our own projector finally bit the dust. We discovered this on the eve of the camp so there was no time to buy a new one.

In my earlier camp reports I forgot to mention the work we do with children. The children have a parallel programme of games, fun, swimming and Bible stories so that the Mums and Dads can focus on their services and the children can enjoy things at their level. The children followed the same camp theme as the adults, but obviously at their level.

Since the Camp we have had some rain at Green Pastures. It first rained another 35 mm (nearly an inch an a half). So this is progress! Then last night it rained 52 mm (just over 2 inches). So praise God! Please keep praying.

Carnival Camp ends

We have just got back from the Carnival Camp held at Green Pastures. Thank you for your prayers and support.

The Sunday night service went off very well with Pastor Wostenes preaching on "Christians caring for the family". His sermon was really blessed. The number present was increased by quite a few people who just came for the service from Patos. All the local Green Pastures Church people were there too. During the service a light shower of rain fell which lowered the temperature. It became quite chilly if you were sat near a fan! 

Every day at our camps starts with breakfast at 7 am. This is followed by a time for individual or small group Bible meditation and prayer at 8 am. Then comes the first service of the day at 9 am which goes till about 10:30ish. Lunch is served at noon and the afternoon is free for sport, walking, chatting, siesta etc. Sometimes there are extra optional activities in the afternoons. The evening meal is at 6 pm, the evening service at 7:30 pm (till about 9:15pmish) and silence for sleep is at 11 pm. The "silence" doesn't always work easily but this year it was pretty good.

On Monday the speaker was Pastor Gersé from Princesa Isabel both morning and night. In the morning he spoke on "Christians caring through social action" and at night he spoke on "Christians caring through evangelism/sharing the Gospel. He spoke very well.

On Tuesday afternoon we held a baptism in the swimming pool and baptized 7. 3 were from Patos, 3 were from São Mamede and 1 from Passagem. It was a very happy baptism with everyone crammed round the pool praising the Lord.

The main services on the Tuesday heard the ministry of Pastor Lindon Carlos. He was excellent. In the morning he continued the theme of "care" speaking on "It is time to care for the Church". At night he brought the final message of the camp speaking on "It is time to care for your spiritual life".

We had three power cuts on the Tuesday but we called in the electricians who tracked the problem down to some trees which needed pruning as they were short-circuiting the system rubbing against some electric cables. 

Excellent Carnival Camp

Yesterday saw an excellent start to the EAB Carnival Camp at Green Pastures. Pastor and psychologist Otoniel Cabral from Santa Luzia brought a very good message about Christians taking care of the emotional side of their lives and of helping others do the same. He emphasized the need for Christians to genuinely get to know their fellow church members in a non-superficial way. All this "is part of mutual pastoral care at different levels", he said. As well as the message there was some lovely worship led by our praise and worship team.

This Sunday morning the speaker was Pastor Wostenes Santos who is the pastor of our largest church at Campina Grande. He also brought an excellent message about Christians taking care of themselves in the physical realm. First of all he focused on the Christian being the temple of the Holy Spirit and all that that entails from 1 Corinthians 6. He then went on to speak about the practical ways we need to care for our bodies, such as physical exercise etc. (Wostenes has a degree in physical education as well as theology) Tonight he will be speaking again but the topic will be "taking care of the family".

Please pray for the continuation of the Carnival Camp. Tomorrow the speaker will be Pastor Gersé from Princesa Isabel and on Tuesday the speaker will be Pastor Lindon Carlos from Imaculada.

Storm

Last night we had a big thunder and lightening storm and this knocked out the electricity partially at Green Pastures. The praise and worship group were able to practice but the freezer with the meat in was cut off from power. We spent hours calling the electricity board to fix the problem. We finally found the fault ourselves at 9:30 this morning so we are relieved! 35 mm of rain fell which is about one and a half inches of rain.

Many people have already arrived at Green Pastures this morning. The initial meal was supposed to be at 6 pm with the opening service at 7.30 pm but we will manage!

The theme of the teaching at this year's carnival camp is "It's time to care" and the opening speaker tonight will be Pastor Otoniel Cabral from Santa Luzia. He is both a pastor and psychologist. He will focus on the need to care for the emotional. Please pray for this young pastor.

Another load

Yesterday afternoon Liz and I took another Kombi load of supplies to Green Pastures ready for the Carnival Camp which starts there tomorrow. All the food and sound equipment is now in place and the praise and worship group will have a practice there tonight.

EAB is to construct another 2 toilet/shower units at the Barra de Oitiz slave-descendent community in Diamante County. This week our projects team has been visiting many mud and sticks houses as part of the selection process. The needs are great, but we can't do it all, so we always make sure that the neediest of the needy are given priority. Please pray for God's guidance in this important project.

Esaú

Colonel Esaú, his wife Gisani and their two children Guila and Ian are members of our church in Patos. Esaú is a deacon and leader of our Men's Fellowship which meets together every Tuesday evening. Esaú is also the Patos Chief of Police and is doing a great job. As you can imagine it is a great challenge and responsibility policing a town the size of Patos with a population of 120,000. Please do pray for him, his family, his work as chief of Police and for his church responsibilities as deacon and men's leader.

Please pray for our Pastor Ângelo at Soledade. He was pastor of our church there until last year when he resigned as things weren't working out any longer. He is a good preacher and certainly not someone we would want to lose, so we have been praying for God to open a door for him as there are no suitable ACEV churches with vacancies. Pastor Ângelo has a degree as a Portuguese teacher as well as one in Theology so we are very pleased to report that he now has a post as a Portuguese teacher in Soledade which will provide for his family whilst leaving him available for ministry around our churches on Sundays. Hence we value your prayers for Pastor Ângelo, family and ministry.

I have finished reading the book 'Jesus and John Wayne' by Kristin Kobes du Mez. This is a fascinating book which traces at least half a century of the history of white evangelicals move to the hard right in the USA. The book is well researched and explains a lot, including similar tendencies in Brazil.

New Well

We are concluding a new well which will be inaugurated on February 25th. It is a deep bore well of 50 metres in depth that was drilled at a Brazilian Indian community called Jatobá in the County of Carnaubeira da Penha in the State of Pernambuco. The people are overjoyed as it is a location of extremely difficult access. Three companies turned down the contract to drill the well, but the fourth agreed to try and it worked out well. PTL!

The official inauguration and thanksgiving service on the 25th will be the result of months of work at the community. Having been shortlisted as a place that a well was badly needed we started visiting the community and analyzing the place. Once it was given the all clear a series of community meetings were held with our projects team leading. Such meetings make all the rules clear regarding the project and get the community's agreement to everything which is then drawn up into a formal registered document.

Please pray for the thanksgiving service and inauguration on February 25th. Please pray for all the community as it hears the Gospel on that day. Please also pray that the on-going blessing of the well will open people's hearts to the truth of Jesus' love.

We are extra busy this week preparing for the Carnival Camp, getting all the food shopping done and transporting it to Green Pastures. Liz is especially busy with all this. Please pray for the Camp which will start on February 18th.

Sunday service

Yesterday's Sunday service at 6:30 pm went very well. The church was packed to capacity. It was nice for me to sit with Liz in the congregation so as to have a rest. Also sitting in the congregation gives you a different view of the people and a different feeling of the worship from the midst of the people.

After church yesterday it rained in Patos, but sadly it didn't rain at Green Pastures. Please pray for the rain at Green Pastures. Things are very dry and this is the rainy season so if we don't get it now we don't get it till next year.

I have been catching up with administrative work today.

The last service in Patos this week will be on Wednesday with the ladies fellowship and the school service. On the Tuesday the Men's Fellowship will be leading a service in São Mamede. From Thursday onwards everything will be focused on the Carnival Camp at Green Pastures.

Wild Cat Researchers

 We have had a further visit from the Maranhão Wild Cat Researchers at Green Pastures. They changed the memory cards and batteries in their eight automatic cameras spread around the Reserve. They will send us the photographs and films.

We are very busy preparing for the Carnival Camp which will start at Green Pastures this coming weekend. Please pray. Pray for the pastors who will be doing the teaching. They will be Pastor Wostenes, Cabral, Gersé, and Lindon Carlos. Pray too for all those involved in leading the Camp and administering it.

Liz and I returned from the doctor's trip to João Pessoa and now await results. We continue to value your prayers.

Excellent service

 I took part in the Green Pastures service on Saturday. It was very good. The Christians in Action group were responsible for the service and Eduardo from our Passagem church preached the Gospel. I found the heat almost overpowering.

Sunday night's service in Patos went well. Sacha led the worship and assistant pastor Rafael preached. It was a good service with one decision for Christ at the end.

Tomorrow we are travelling to João Pessoa which should take about 5 hours. I am going to see a doctor as they continue to try and discover the cause of my ill health. I am not sure when we shall return. Your prayers are valued.

Outreach

The 10-day special outreach was held at Juazeirinho this year. Juazeirinho is about half way between Patos and Campina Grande. 110 mainly young people gathered for the annual event of personal, door to door and street evangelism. The event was greatly blessed and had a great impact on the town.

The team distributed 2,347 items of Gospel literature and 6 Bibles were given to people who showed special interest in the Gospel. 458 houses were visited by the team and the Gospel was shared with all through Bible studies.

180 children were creatively evangelized by a lively youth team. 122 young people were personally evangelized. 466 middle aged people were likewise evangelized and 168 senior citizens were also personally evangelized.

A total of 936 people were evangelized on a door by door system. An average of 238 children attended each of the 8 evangelistic services for children. The average attendance at adult street services was 248. 109 of these people actually requested visits in their homes. This work is being done by a follow-up team.

3 people made firm commitments to Christ during the outreach and one person returned to the ways of the Lord. There is now a lot of follow up work being done.

Thank you for all your prayers on behalf of this special outreach. Please continue to pray for the follow up.

Serenade

Yesterday was my birthday and loads of people from the church came to our house to do a serenade at about 9 pm. They sang lovely Christion songs and were a great encouragement. They brought me to tears. A number of people brought short testimonies of how God has blessed their lives through my ministry. The folk prayed for me and sang and danced "Happy Birthday"! It was a lovely evening. They gave me two shirts. After the serenade I was able to have a nice talk to our assistant pastor Rafael about the ongoing work whilst I am not as well as I would like to be.

In the afternoon the family made a cake for a little family gathering as is our family tradition.

On Saturday another EAB Board meeting was held and all went well. We praise God for the committee members who faithfully  serve the Lord in this way.