EAB Board Meeting here we come!

This Saturday I will be taking part in one of the tri-annual EAB Board meetings, via Skype, which will be held at WestWellow, near Romsey, UK. I look forward to seeing everyone's smiling faces! We will need to sort out the GDPR business as D-Day looms!

Liz's health has improved a lot. PTL! She is in much less pain and is far more mobile. Please keep praying.

Last night's service in Patos was great finishing off a greatly blessed weekend. Philip preached very well from Romans 12. 

Tomorrow is a public holiday and the married couple's fellowship will be spending the day at Green Pastures. At night I will be chairing a meeting of the "Drug Free" group to discuss about how to improve our work. 

Next Sunday is communion Sunday so I need to prepare for that.

Great Street Service

I've just got in from preaching at a street service run by the youth under Philip's leadership in the Jatobá borough in south Patos where EAB's school is. A good crowd gathered and at the end at least 7 raised their hands in commitment to Christ. I preached on Romans 1:16.

On Thursday we received the visit at Green Pastures on the chief of the federal environmental organization from João Pessoa who came to visit Green Pastures. He loved it!

I have been doing work on EAB's magazine "In Touch" edition 89 and have sent off everything to co-editor Marian Rashleigh. 

Tomorrow I will be leading the main service in Patos and Philip will be preaching. On Tuesday the married couples fellowship from the Patos church will be having a fellowship day at Green Pastures. Last weekend a similar fellowship from the Princesa Isabel church spent the entire weekend at Green Pastures. This weekend we have a host of scientists there working on bats, frogs and butterflies! Never a dull moment!

Earth Day

We had a great day of services on Sunday around the theme of Earth Day, which of course was this Sunday. After all "The earth is the Lord's and everything that's in it"! The festive spirit was enhanced by the news that Green Pastures has been saved from the electricity pylons and we started with a great dance. The children presented a little play, we had an appropriate poem and I preached on Genesis 1:28 and Revelation 21:1-4. It is sad that God's first mandate (Genesis 1:28) given to man is so forgotten these days with all its long term implications.

Liz's health remains unchanged and she returns to see specialists in João Pessoa again tomorrow. Please keep praying especially for dear Liz. 

João Pessoa services went great!

Pastor Lindon Carlos and I got back to Patos a bit before midnight this Saturday after 2 days of ministry in a Baptist church in João Pessoa. We had been invited to speak about the integral mission of the church and tell about how EAB/ACEV works because this church wants to scratch more where it's itching as concerns so many in need in that big city.

All went very well. God really blessed. It was wonderful to see over 200 present for the Friday night opening service at which I preached. I also brought the final message on Saturday and took part in a debate too in the middle. Pastor Lindon Carlos also spoke in the middle section on Saturday. It was tiring but wonderful. PTL!

João Pessoa here we come!

I am on my way now to the State capital João Pessoa to preach today and tomorrow. Back to preach in Patos for Sunday. Pastor Lindon Carlos and his wife going with me.

Liz is having yet more scans done right now. She really is having a tough time.

Please pray for all mentioned above.

Liz back in Patos

Liz got back to Patos from João Pessoa this afternoon where she did umpteen tests and scans regarding her ill health. She has to return next week for more tests. Her health remains unchanged and we continue to value your prayers.

Lots of the children from our Pastor Frank Dyer School in Patos received dental care this week and the families really appreciate this care is given on top of school and food.

The rain has stopped here.

Green Pastures Battle Won!

We have been fighting a plan to run high tension cables and pylons through the middle of Green Pastures and thus ruining the place. We had made appeals for help from environmental agencies and the university professors united in speaking out on our behalf as did the press. Much prayer has been made too. So praise God we received an email from the electricity company telling us they had decided to attend our appeal to do a detour so as to miss Green Pastures as I had requested. We are rejoicing about this victory and thank all those who prayed with us on this matter.

www.eabrazil.org

Please note that EAB's new website address is http://www.eabrazil.org

Please pray for Liz

Liz is spending the week in João Pessoa, where there are more advanced medical facilities, having a whole battery of tests and scans done, to try to discover the root cause of her ill health which has now dragged on for seven and a half months. We value your continued prayers.

Sunday was a blessing in church in Patos. PTL! I will be preaching in João Pessoa on Friday and Saturday and in Patos on Sunday. Hence lots of preparation has been done. 3 down and one to go!

The Patos Band was fantastically blessed at Tavares on Saturday. The anniversary service there was great.

EAB's 2nd church in Campina Grande had a wonderful full outreach day on Saturday in the area of the city where they are busy planting a new church. It is great to see a church so mobilized for God and the community!

Charity Concert Success!

The Charity Concert held once again this year by Cadnam Methodist Church in aid of the work of EAB was a great success with a full church and great concert with wonderful musicians. Our thanks again to all those involved. We were especially pleased to hear that Brazilian music was part of the program!

Charity Concert for EAB

Cadnam Methodist Church will be holding its annual charity concert for EAB this Saturday, 14th April, at 7 pm and tickets are £10. As well as the Concert you still get tea/coffee and cake! This must be the place to go this Saturday if you live in the Southampton/New Forest region. The church is behind the White Hart Pub (please don't muddle things - the concert is in the church!) and the postal code is SO40 2NP.

We thank Hillary Babey for once again organizing this concert and for all who will take part and support it.

EAB Site address chaange

EAB's website has changed address to www.eabrazil.org

This change became necessary because of an incompetent company called 123-reg which previously hosted our dominion. Our period of paid validity with them ran out after some years, they didn't ask us to renew so we didn't know, and when it ran out they sold our old domain address to someone else who is now trying to sell it to EAB at an exorbitant price! Steer well clear of 123-reg!

We are now hosted by a civilised company and the address has changed so that we don't need to buy back what was ours!

www.eabrazil.org is the place to be!

Rain stopped pray!

We had 37 mm of rain today at Green Pastures but many other places in the area had more. This meant that my planned trip to the church plant at Belem had to be cancelled as it was impossible to reach the place for most people going, owing to the condition of the earth road. My 4-wheel drive jeep would have made it but it wouldn't be too helpful preaching to empty seats! Rain stopped pray!

The Cost of True Worship

"The Cost of True Worship" was the title of my sermon on Sunday night based on John 12:1-11 where Lazarus's sister Mary poured expensive ointment on Jesus's feet in a beautiful act of humble personally involved worship which filled the house with the aroma. She didn't pour ointment on His head but on His feet and she didn't dry them with a towel but with her own hair. The message I believe was a blessing to many. In fact the whole service was blessed with a lovely spirit of praise and worship.

This week I have been preparing ministry for a seminar I will be preaching at in João Pessoa and further ministry at Belém Village in Tavares County on Friday. I will also be visiting a new church plant endeavour ar Jurema Village in that area.

The battle goes on to protect Green Pastures from invasion by a powerline. We have had a group of 50 adults visiting for a good 4 mile walk through the trails which is all part of our educational work and next week we will have a school visiting.

TV Paraíba at Green Pastures

I spent my entire morning with the state-wide TV Paraíba team filming Green Pastures and interviewing me as a result of the widespread public interest and support for us defending the place from the invasion of a high tension power cable system. The report will be broadcast on Monday I am told.

We received just over an inch of rain last night for which we are grateful. Rains were poor in March and we hope they will be better this month. The general situation of the reservoirs in the region here remains critical.

Brazil is tense tonight with ex-president Lula refusing thus far to go to jail, despite a 12 year sentence, and surrounded by thousands of supporters in São Paulo. The whole situation is extremely delicate and explosive.

I'm profoundly sad about Brazil's situation

I feel profoundly sad with the news just in of the imprisonment of ex-President Lula planned for tomorrow. I do not think he is an angel or agree with all his policies, but much less do I think his opponents are angels or agree with their policies. I am not convinced he is guilty, yet he is getting 12 years in jail. I am not convinced about the independence of the judiciary nor do I like the implied threats and undertones of the military.

From tomorrow onwards anything can happen in this country. It is split between right and left and I can't see this ending very peacefully. I think we are all in for a very rough ride. Ex-president Lula was on track to be re-elected president in October. Hence obviously his support base is very large. He was a very good president for the poor and for black people.

Please pray for safety, justice and peace in Brazil.

Sermon ready for Sunday

I have just completed my preparations of my sermon for this Sunday in Patos on John 12:1-11 and entitled "The Cost of True Worship" about the story of Lazarus's sister Mary annointing Jesus' feet with expensive perfume and drying his feet with her hair.

Liz's health continues to be a concern. She is up and down with one day more pain and the next somewhat easier. The antibiotics have not had the desired effect as yet and on Monday Liz will face more drastic treatment for which we ask your prayers. We hope and pray that this new biological treament will have the desired major effect and improve her health big time.

The work presses forward and good news from the Travessia village is of further decisions for Christ there. PTL! This is an absolutely pioneer place where there was no previous Gospel witness. In the town of Manaíra 8 were baptized at Easter. A new work in the city of Recife seems to be developing which has been a long-time strategic goal of EAB/ACEV so as to move more heavily into that State of Pernambuco. The regular Patos church services broadcast weekly has had a direct input into this development. 

We still need much prayer in defense of Green Pastures against a planned invasion by high tension electricity pylons and cables. We have hopes that the Federal Environmental Agency will help us and we ask prayer for this.

Easter

As we do every year we went to Green Pastures for our Easter break with all the family from Wednesday night to Saturday night, being back in Patos for Easter Sunday. It was a lovely family time despite all the stress we are under about Green Pastures and the would-be invading company. However we now believe that the environmental authorities are going to defend us and not permit this destruction of God's nature and we ask all to pray that this promised defense will indeed be put into practice.

The break was a lovely relaxed family time. Just a pity to see Liz so unwell. She has certainly not improved as yet with the antibiotics and she is going back to the specialist today. Please pray. Liz managed to organize as usual the Easter Saturday egg hunt with my help as she can't get around so well. That was good fun, especially for the kids as it always is. Here is the family photo just before prayers folowed by the egg hunt.

Then yesterday (Easter Sunday) we had a great day in church with the fellowship breakfast for the whole church at 8 am together with worship and a short Biblical reflection from me on Colossions 2:13-15 + 2 Timothy 1:9-10. All ended with 4 people winning Easter eggs as their names were drawn out of a hat.

In the evening we had the big Resurrection Celebration with the church packed and the service really blessed. The highlight was a special presentation of the Easter story, all done in 7 minutes, which was very impactive, bringing the story to today's context. It was very strong and emotional. Quite wonderful! The presentation involved the drama groups, the dance group with ballet (including granddaughter Alice who is quite brilliant at ballet), the deaf group signing everything and the praise and worship band. All were on stage at once and it was tremendously blessed. We also heard a sermon from Pastor Lucena (ex-Congregational pastor and now with us) and then we closed breaking bread together which I led. All this, with lots of praise and worship too in between, in one hour and forty minutes!