Last night's rain was in fact 3 inches at Green Pastures as another inch fell after I had posted the blog yesterday. Now tonight more rain is upon us but Tarcísio's phone is not working so we don't know how it's going there. There was thunder and lightning tonight so almost certainly there is a powercut at Green Pastures.
I have had a lot of muscular pains in my back and neck today which a lot of people seem to get with the virus.
I have been preparing my sermon for Sunday today. I went out to Green Pastures this morning to see how things were after the heaviest rain this rainy season. Below is a photo taken by Liz whilst I was driving the Kombi at Green Pastures on Monday!
We have had 42 mm (nearly 2 inches) of rain tonight at Green Pastures and Tarcísio says it looks like more will fall during the night! PTL! Wow! What a relief! We will be planting tree seedlings tomorrow and pray for the rain to keep going throughout April!
Sunday night's resurrection celebration was great. PTL! Packed church and great blessing.
Liz and I went and slept the night at Green Pastures on Sunday night after church and spent the day there just the 2 of us. It was nice. We had a long walk together in the morning and then cleared up things after the Easter break in the afternoon.
I have just had long discussions with the Ceará leader tonight. It's good to see the work is going well there. Also good to receive news from far and wide of real blessing around the EAB/ACEV churches over Easter. PTL!
Liz and I and all the family had our traditional Easter break from Wednesday night to Saturday night at Green Pastures. We got back last night after a very nice relaxing time, but no rain sadly. I did lots of walking and look a good number of photos.
This morning back in the Patos church we had our traditional Easter Sunday fellowship breakfast followed by a short service in which I preached. Tonight we will have our big celebration service at which I will be preaching again.
Yesterday my niece Lisa married Steve Oakley at a church in Basingstoke. They will be living in London. Congratulations to the happy couple! May God bless you.
I can hear thunder in the distance and hope and pray we are in for a night of heavy rain! We shall see.
It's lovely to see out Action Schools teaching the true meaning of Easter amidst all the other stuff. These photos below from our Campina Grande School are a real encouragement. Our thanks to all who sponsor children so that we can make a difference in very poor children's lives. Happy Easter!
Edition 85 of the EAB InTouch magazine is on the way to everyone and is also available on the EAB website where it now has a better more reader friendly format. Check it out at http://www.eabrazil.com/
I have dispatched the EAB Diary Update today.
The electrical problem which was the Electricity Board's fault has now been sorted, so we will have electricty for the Easter weekend in the Patos church, which is a relief. My sermon is ready and the order of service already with the digital projector brother, so we are ready to roll this Easter.
I have completed chapter 9 of the ACEV Brazilian history of the work here.
We had a little over half an inch of rain last night at Green Pastures (16mm) so that was a small step in the right direction for which we are grateful. May it continue today and for many more days!
I worked more on ACEV's history in Portuguese yesterday and you will be pleased to know that World War II is over (in my book). I also checked Action Child reports for Sacha before she sends them to Marian in the UK.
The political turmoil just goes from bad to worse here. It is so sad to see the hate between pastors on facebook who have differing opinions on politics! It is disgusting. I see history repeating itself as it was in the sad days of the military regime here. Some never learn! Some pastors in those days had other pastors locked up in jail and even tortured! Oh Lord!
Saturday night's Youth service was exceptionally good and blessed with one young person making a decision to follow the Lord at the end. The P&W was brilliant as was the dramatic production "Jesus, the Light of the World". The closing message from one of our younger leaders from Teixeira was good too. All in all a great night with a massive turn out where you couldn't even get a mosquito into church! Philip did a great job organizing and leading the service. PTL!
Sadly this Sunday night we have a localised powercut (or as the Americans say a power outage) which affects our church and nearby houses. It has coincided with the time of the service so it looks like we are not going to be able to go ahead with it in the dark. I was all set to return to preaching tonight but sadly the electricity board workers are very slow in acting and it is not going to get fixed in time.
Please pray for Tarcísio who is far from well with the Zica Virus now at Green Pastures. I saw him this morning and he looked pretty awful - worse than when I saw him on Friday. I walked more there this morning than I did on Friday so I'm slowly getting stronger. Here are a few photos from this morning of a Greater Ani bird, 2 giant lizards in the grass, red cactus fruits and a dangerous wild swarm of bees. Bees are the biggest killers in the wild here - more than snakes - so I am always on the look out!
Tonight Philip will be leading a special youth meeting in the Patos church. Initially the band will lead praise & worship and then the drama group will present a short play called "The Light of the World". Then Rafael, the young man who leads our Teixeira church up in the mountains and will receive probational pastoral status at the Field Conference in May, will preach the Word. I will be going together with Liz which will be my first time in church for a couple of weeks. I am steadily feeling better. I plan to preach this Sunday night. We look to God for a great weekend. The youth have certainly done a great job inviting people to hear the Gospel tonight, which is most encouraging.
Yesterday I went for a short walk at Green Pastures for the first time in a couple of weeks. That was really refreshing. Tarcísio is now down with the virus and looked pretty rough. Please pray for him.
Liz and I had eye check ups today. I am fine but Liz will have to have a cataract removed within the next couple of years the doctor said.
I did a short interview for TV this afternoon about Easter. I gave them the simple Gospel very straight and joyfully as all the catholic leaders want to talk about are the ceremonies, processions and customs deemed to be vital to Easter which in fact divert attention from the fact that Jesus is alive!
This afternoon it has started to rain in Patos. It's a steady gentle rain. I just hope and pray that this is the start of big rains to change the dramatic water shortages the whole region is facing. I don't know how the rain is at Green Pastures but hope to go there and see in the morning. I am feeling steadily better.
Liz took part in the work with the ladies (battered wives) today and she says it was lovely to see their love and appreciation for the project in their community teaching them income generating skills. Some said to Liz that they just live for the project as it is giving them hope of better days. There are over 40 women in the project who mostly turn up with their kids making quite a crowd! We need to buy fans to cool the crowd down and little tables and chairs for the kids when we can.
I did chapter 5 today of the Brazilian history book I am writing about the work of ACEV/EAB. I also prepared a sermon for Easter Sunday so now have sermons prepared to preach over the next 3 weeks. I have also worked on the agenda for the Field Conference in May as we will have a leadership meeting next month in preparation for the Conference.
I still don't feel 100% well. It's a question of being patient and slowly building up health, strength and energy.
We desperately need rain. February and March have been disastrous thus far.
Political turmoil here in Brazil is reaching a level which makes one fear what is going to happen. I am keeping quiet about the tremendously confusing situation and pray for peace and solutions.
It has been great to receive a lovely update on the EAB Action Child School at Imaculada today and to see how well it is going. What a difference this is making in so many very poor kids' lives! You can see photos at https://www.facebook.com/eabrazil/
My blood test yesterday was fine and the doctor is pleased with my progress and recovery from the Zica virus. It is an awful thing with different side-effects turning up all the time! Nevertheless in general I am progressing although I still don't feel I can cope with my so enjoyed walks as Green Pastures.
I have made some progress writing and sermon preparing these last few days. I have two sermons ready to roll. I hope I'll be alright to preach this Sunday. I am writing the Brazilian history of the work here to keep my mind occupied. I have now completed 4 chapters.
I want to thank everyone for their prayers and say that I am improving in health. My secondary infection is much better and I am now resting as much as possible recovering from the Zica virus. I have
done a further blood test today to monitor progress, will be seen by my
doctor later, and continue to value prayers. I certainly feel I have turned the corner and it is a matter of slowly building up strength again whilst resting as much as possible.
Liz tells me that the service in Patos last night went very well and the Lord really blessed. Philip does a great job leading in my absence. Please pray for him too.
Blood tests today confirm that I have the Zica Virus and secondarily infected legs. Please pray for my speedy recovery and for Philip as he leads the Patos church in the meantime.
My virus drags on and I will be having blood tests done in the morning. Please pray. I feel lifeless and far from right.
The rain crisis also drags on. We just get the odd shower from time to time which is useless for filling reservoirs. Some towns are without water completely (Itaporanga, Princesa Isabel etc.) causing great hardship and the men are moving away to find work in the south. We desperately need big prolongued heavy rains this month and next. Please pray.
Politically and economically Brazil is in a very bad state too. The country is very tense. Please pray.
I value your prayers as I have had a nasty virus since Thursday afternoon. There is an abolute epidemic of virus in our part of the world at the moment with Dengue, Zica etc.
Philip will be leading the service in Patos tonight.
I have just done an interview on local TV (see photo) which went very well. PTL!
We have received sad news that EAB Action Child Raquele from our Matureia school up in the mountains has been admitted to the Patos Children's Hospital Intensive Care Unit with Zica. This terrible virus which is everywhere in Brazil is totally out of control and a great cause for concern. It is affecting much more than pregant women and their babies and this girl's case shows clearly. A doctor told me yesterday of 4 or 5 cases of serious paralysis caused by the Guillain Barré Syndrome resultant from Zica in Patos right now. Please pray for this terrible situation we are faced with.
