"Men are like grass and their glory is like wild flowers... the grass withers and the flowers fall... but the Word of the Lord stands forever". (1 Peter 1:24)
We're not eternal brothers and sisters, and our energy is fragile... but the Word of the Lord stands firm and resolute come what may... for all eternity... so trust in the Lord always!
A small but important thing I always need around this time of year is a diary for the coming year which usually my sister Jean used to send me from England. However the Brazilian government started charging so high import duty that it made it non-viable. However thankfully I have managed to purchase one from amazon.com.br and I received it today which is good.
Pigs are in the process of being involved in EAB's 4-Legs Project at the request of a community at Diamante. So now the 4-Legs Project involves goats, hair sheep (non-wool) and pigs!
A further drug addict will be taken to rehab at Princesa Isabel today. Please pray for this young man that God might transform his wretched life.
Yesterday Liz and I made a 2 minute 20 second video for the EAB AGM this Saturday and sent it to Roy. Saturday will be a busy day for us as we will have the EAB board meeting and then we will also have the main service of the week here in Patos on Saturday at 5:30 pm instead of Sunday, because on Sunday is the second and final phase of the presidential election between President Lula and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, with the latest opinion polls showing them tied at 50% each.
Last night I led the mid-week prayer meeting and Bible study and Firefighter Lieutenant Romildo brought a good study on Acts 1:6-11 as he proceeds with a series of studies in the Book of Acts.
It was lovely to see 2 children from our Patos school bringing their mother to the weekly service we hold there, and she was really blessed and says she will return! Please pray for her salvation. 🙏
Let me remind everyone that the 88th EAB AGM will be tomorrow!
Yesterday Liz and I travelled to the town of São Mamede where we rented a small hall to officially function as a church for £77 a month as from November 1st. Please pray for this venture of faith. EAB/ACEV's work in this town goes back decades. In the 1950s Missionary Pastor Frank Dyer was attacked by an Armadillo on his way back from evangelism in São Mamede. About 20 years ago we made another church plant attempt and now we are trying again. The church will be led by Deaconess Dodora so please pray for her.
In the Patos High Street they are putting up the Christmas lights! 🎅
News from Betânia, Henrique and team in China is good and they are now in the north having travelled for a day yesterday by coach and plane. Please pray for them.
Last night I travelled with the Patos Men's Fellowship to the town of São Mamede where I preached in a street service on 'Jesus sends out the twelve' from Mark 6:6-13 which is part of my series there in the Gospel of Mark. Pastor Rafael led the service and various people took part. At Green Pastures I am doing a series in John's Gospel and in Patos I am doing a series in Romans and am also about to start another series in Revelation. I am enjoying preaching more and more and value your prayers.
We especially ask your prayers for a new church plant to start in December or January in the beach area of Bessa in João Pessoa. This new venture of faith has been under discussion for some time but we have now rented a house to start the work which we will receive on December 1st, and the church plant will be led by Thyago from Campina Grande and his wife Letícia. This young missionary couple are really blessed and intelligent with Thyago now finishing his PhD and Letícia about to do her master's degree. However above all they are on fire for God!🔥We already have 8 people committed to this new church plant and yesterday we had a meeting with Thyago and Letícia together with Pastor Wostenes and his wife Gleydice. 🙏
When on this blog I announced my aim to write a résumé of the entire Bible chapter by chapter I imagined that this could take me 7 years. So I started on September 23rd 2024 and 2 years and 25 days later I have completed the 1,189 chapters of the 66 books of Scripture. This means that over 2 years I averaged about one and a half chapters a day, not just reading, but writing an abbreviated summary of each chapter and publishing this initially on this blog to be later published on the EAB website. I am very pleased and blessed to have finished this task.
Last night I led the service in Patos and preached the first of a series of sermons on the Book of Romans covering chapter 1 with the title: "I am not ashamed of the Gospel". It was a good service and the sermon went well. Pastor Murilo went and preached at our Imaculada church, and Pastor Rafael went and preached at our Catolé do Rocha church.
