Watchnight Service

Our Sunday School (for all ages) will be at the normal time this Sunday (31st) at 09:30 am, but our main evening service will not start till 10 pm as it will be the watchnight service running through till about twenty minutes into the New Year. I have spent all day preparing my message. We will celebrate communion just after midnight as we always do and then all the family will come home for supper. A Happy New Year to everyone!

Today I had the pleasant surprise of a visit, together with a present, from Professor Dr Romulo Alves, who is a top biologist at the Federal University in João Pessoa, who has used a number of my photos to illustrate different scientific articles and books, but I had never met him personally. He gave be his latest big book on the snakes of our State of Paraíba.

Patos water supply balanced on a knife edge

The press today carries the alarming headline on the front page that Patos, a town of 107,000 population, faces total water supply collapse in February if rains do not fall in abundance between now and then. This is because of the accumulative effect of climate change and low rainfall over years. 

Patos's reservoirs are at rock bottom with Jatobá reservoir with just 1.9% left and Farinha reservoir reduced to 2%. Patos has long been enduring water rationing and survives today thanks to the pipepline we fought for 15 years ago. The problem is that the two joint reservoirs which feed the pipeline, Coremas and Mãe Dágua, are down to 4.27% and 3.13% respectively. 

Please pray for rain - big rain - abundant rain - monsoon rain in the first month of 2018. The consequences of no rain is unthinkable. 

Don Skivington with the Lord

Our thoughts, love and prayers are with Liz's cousin Pearl Skivington together with her son David and daughter Hazel - whose husband/father went to be with the Lord, aged 81, early today. Hazel kindly let us know early. Pearl is the eldest daughter of Liz's Aunt Flo.

Don was a longtime EAB supporter who first invented having the Brazilian flag at EAB AGMs and always provided them. Don was the most positive person imaginable with an amazing cheerful disposition and tireless sense of humour. It is going to be strange not having Don at EAB's 80th celebration next September but of course we praise God that he will be celebrating at a higher level!

Drug Free

I've just got home from another meeting of the Drug Free group which seeks to help folk seeking to get free and stay free from drugs and excessive alcohol and also to help their family members affected by the situation. Tonight we had a lady in whose son has been an alcoholic for years and she was pretty much at her wits end. We listened to her, spoke to her and prayed with her. Please pray for this lady who I cannot name and her son that God might do a miracle of deliverance in his life.

Christmas Hamper Video with Engish subtitles

We have put English subtitles on the Christmas Hamper video clip because it has such a beautiful message from such an unexpected source. Below screen to the right click on the 1st box with lines in it to opt for subtitles and then click on the cog to chose subtitles in English. I have watched this dozens of times! It is very moving!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwWpes5uSCI

14 baptized on Christmas Eve

14 were baptized at the EAB/ACEV church at Campina Grande - Catolé on Christmas Eve. We praise God for these new converts and thank you for your prayers and support in the spreading of the Gospel in NE Brazil. 

I must rush as I am busy cooking the Christmas dinner. Of course my vast experience helps things move along fast... but I must get on! 😉

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve was thoroughly enjoyed distributing more Christmas Hampers around poor farmstead folk in the Green Pastures region with the help of Tarcísio and Ray.

The Christmas Eve service was wonderful in Patos. The play had great impact. The church was packed beyond capacity. Since then we've had all the family round for supper. Happy Christmas!

State wide TV coverage of today's activities

I know most won't understand the Portuguese language spoken but this short TV report on the largest Brazilian Globo TV network will give you a good picture of some of the work done today.

http://g1.globo.com/pb/paraiba/jpb-1edicao/videos/t/campina-grande/v/moradores-carentes-da-cidade-de-patos-ganham-cestas-basicas/6377281/

And so this is Christmas...

Christmas was a magical time in infancy which for us got even better as life and Christian ministry went on. Christmas for us today focuses on church, reaching out to the poor and doing this with family and friends.

Today has been a Christmas hamper & toys distribution day and tomorrow will be too prior to going to church in the evening for the big Christmas celebration, play and distribution of presents to all the Sunday School kids. Everything in Brazilian culture focuses on the eve of whatever day it is - so Christmas Eve is the big thing - and after church all the family will come back to our house for Christmas supper. Here are some photos of today's distribution:

Christmas Hamper Distribution this Saturday

Drug Free Project blessed

We had 4 visitors in to the meeting last night of the drug free project. That's the most we have had in one night so far. PTL! People in serious need of help being either dependent on drugs or drink and struggling to be free. We value your prayers for this ministry.

I visited the special needs school yesterday as they had invited me and I spoke to them. It was really nice. (photo below)

There were also events at the English School which the girls asked me to support and we also went to see Alice's ballet concert. She did very well and I was quite amazed at how much she has developed and how confident and correct she was in her performance. She's only 10 but will be going up to a higher level next year.

I've prepared my message for the Sunday evening service today, which will be a short one after the play. The play I wrote 30 years ago and is called "The Hope of the World". 

This Friday I'll be visiting the Green Pastures building work in the morning and will have a meeting with the projects team leaders in the afternoon. On Saturday morning will be the big Christmas Hampers main distribution and on Sunday morning I will continue this in the rural area of São Mamede. 

We as usual are dreaming of a wet Christmas as the region is again in desperate need of abundant rains.

A very happy Christmas to one and all!

Green Pastures Camp Facilities revamp

I was at Green Pastures this morning and Liz went there this afternoon as we oversee the building work now flat out to be ready for the next Camp which starts on February 10th. Other smaller events will carry on as normal in other buildings in the mean time. You can see the car park facilities being made for the first time here:

Also below you can see the work being done on one of the dormitory blocks with a new and higher roof (to make the rooms cooler) plus other changes you will see as we do it. Watch this space!

The Nativity Play went great on Sunday night and decisions were made for Christ at the end of the service. I followed the play with an evangelistic message.

Our "Drug Free" Project is to go beyond the prison walls from January onwards after agreement on the matter with the Judge and Prison Governors yesterday. (below) Part of our team went to the meeting with me. Praise God for this! Please pray and support!

The Church in the Street (2)

Here are some more photos from the 'Church in the Street' service and action day yesterday in one of the most drug ridden boroughs of Patos. It was a joy to share the true Christmas message of Jesus there!

The Church in the Street

We held our Sunday morning service in a narrow street of the dangerous borough of Placas in Patos this morning and parallel to the service, followed by a kids service, we did a whole host of social action like cutting hair, trimming nails, checking blood pressure and glucose levels etc. Doctors and nurses got to hear of our plans and offered to join the team so we had doctors' visits going on too. All this was held under 3 big tents we hired for shade. Philip led the service and I preached the Gospel which everyone heard loud and clear. Below is a selfie I took of the action with better photos to follow. Happy Christmas!

Liz & I speaking at the Action Schools Christmas Service today

First shower of rain since July!

We have just had a sixth of an inch of rain (4 mm) at Green Pastures and we are rejoicing! Last year the rains started on December 17th and this year one day earlier! May they long continue! Below is a photo taken from a high building in Patos showing the rain falling in the Green Pastures area.

Action Child Christmas Service in action!

Liz and I were roped in to joining the kids in their festivities in church this morning! It nearly killed me but it was fun! What a joy to see the church packed with so many very poor children hearing the true Christmas story and praising Jesus!

Action Child Christmas Service

I have just gone back to the office from the beautiful Saturday morning Christmas service with the EAB/ACEV Action Children from our Patos School. Liz and I spoke together to the children telling them the true Christmas story and there was lots of happy singing praise to the Lord led by Sacha and aided by her daughters Alice and Bia and a few other church kids. Praise the Lord for such a joyful service at the end of which all the children received a gift and a snack. Happy Christmas!

Green Pastures Facilities Upgrade

Green Pastures was a small farm that became a Christian Events Centre and Nature Reserve for the glory of God. The Christian events in 2018 will include the Carnival Camp in February, the annual Field Conference in May and the annual Leadership Conference in November. On top of this there will be regular smaller church outings and events as well as the local Green Pastures church which is run on site. All this is carried out in the semi-arid Brazilian north-east which will complete 5 months without one drop of rain on Boxing Day.

Alongside all this church activity the Nature Reserve receives schools from the region as well as running its own little rural school on site. The schools come for nature trails and field lessons in a place where God's creation is protected as it should be for His glory. The Reserve is also a constant site for scientific research into the wildlife, trees and vegetation of what is known as the unique "caatinga" biome which for those who know it and understand it is an utterly amazing part of God's earth!

The Green Pasture Christian Events Centre and Nature Reserve is thus increasingly a key part in the work here and constantly stretched to the limit of its capacity to cope with hundreds at camps, events, services etc. This has meant we have now started upgrading our facilities to cope and this will take months to do. Initially we have started to transform the old cow pen area, which is no longer needed, into a car park. We want to keep cars out of the beauty of the centre and give the cars a measure of shade from the intense sun (over 38º C today in the shade) and security. The photos below will give you a sort of idea of what is being done in this area:

The second thing we are working on in the build-up for the February Carnival Camp is the expansion, re-roofing and revamping of one of the dormitory blocks where there are 10 rooms. These are too low and hence hotter than ever, the doors are desintegrating with age, the roof needs renewing and we are to add a covered veranda around the block plus mens and ladies toilets and showers at the end of the block. Please see photos of this work which has commenced and please pray and support this endeavour for God's glory.

Judges

I had an excellent meeting with two judges (below) this morning who are enthused with our new "Drug Free" Project. A further meeting has already been marked for next Monday with the Directors of the Patos Prison also present to discuss opening the doors of the jail to our group for meetings! Please pray!

Bible Day

This Sunday was a lovely Bible Day. I preached about the Bible and on Psalm 19:7-10. My sermon has been published in Portuguese which I guess you can translate with all the modern means available so as to get the gist of the sermon if you have time.

http://www.acevbrasil.org.br/noticia.php?id=203

Young at Heart on Safari

Today has been a great day for the Young at Heart group. It was such a pleasure to take them to Green Pastures for an outing. I wanted to show them at least part of the Reserve and the challenge was how to do this with many of the group using walking sticks, frames and lacking mobility. So I turned it into a sort of motor rally and the Kombi plus other cars followed me round part of the Reserve and did they not half enjoy it! It was a joy!

Then the ones that were able to went in to the pool and we also gave them lots of fruit and later served them lunch etc. It has been a wonderful day. Some of them confessed they couldn't sleep last night as they were so scared to oversleep and miss the outing! Bless their hearts!

Fourteen recent Baptisms

We praise God that the Gospel is being preached and people are coming to Christ. Recent baptisms of new converts have taken place at Juá (below), Soledade, Portelo, Teixeira and Flores. A total of fourteen were baptized. We thank you for your prayers and support. You are our partners in the Gospel in NE Brazil.

A Weekend of Blessing

My trip to preach the Gospel at Curral Velho was blessed of the Lord on Saturday, December 2nd. The church there in that small town/village is progressing well and has expanded the building to house those coming to Christ there. There are now 40 members plus new converts not yet members plus children. PTL! We layed hands on a new deacon in the service too. Here are some photos of the service:

Philip travelled on Saturday as well to preach God's Word at Portelo and that service was mightily blessed of the Lord too. On Sunday it was our monthly communion service in Patos and it was a real blessing too. God is good!

Old Cow Pen this Saturday

I will be speaking at EAB/ACEV's Curral Velho (Old Cow Pen) church this Saturday. I will be having a meeting with the local and regional leaders at 5pm prior to the evening service. Our communications man Ray Santana will be going with me to do the photography. I will be preaching on "Fan into Flame the Gift of God" (2 Timothy 1:6-8). Your prayers are valued.

I led another school group round Green Pastures this morning on another educational nature trail. I altered the normal route to take in more tree shade as the heat is so unbearable in December. Schools can never get there very early which complicates things. But it was good. A family of Tropical Screech Owls posed nicely for them in a tree and a Rock Cavy also posed. The last time we had a light shower of rain at Green Pastures was on July 26th!

EAB Christmas Gift/Card List