First few days in the UK

Our flights on Wednesday and Thursday were excellent and we arrived at Heathrow on time. We spent the rest of Thursday, Friday and Saturday morning in London. There we received out rented car kindly paid for as a gift and we got our Sim Cards so as to have mobile phones whilst in the UK.

Mine is 07733 645268

Liz's is 07554 824468

On Saturday afternoon we travelled to Basingstoke and on the Sunday we spoke at the Lighthouse Community Church in the morning and at the Canada Road Gospel Hall in the evening. Both services were excellent.

Today we had a nice walk at a Nature Reserve in the Basingstoke area. On Wednesday we are going to have a meal with Ben & Miriam Price and on Friday we will travel to Weston Super Mare to spend part of Friday and all day Saturday with my cousins Peter & Vanessa.

On Sunday (Sep. 2nd) we'll be speaking at Bristol Ivy Church in the morning and at Bristol Pentecostal Holiness Church in the evening. On the following morning we fly to Switzerland to spend the week with Liz's brother Sam & his wife Gerti.

We value your prayers at all times.

Cases Packed

Our cases are packed and weights checked. TAP has now reduced the the checked-in cases' weight by 9 kilos each. We leave in about 2 hours for Recife airport which is a 6 hour drive. Out flight to Lisbon leaves tonight. It has been pretty hectic. I hope Liz and I don't snore too loud on the overnight flight!

God TV News

I was asked to write an article for Don Botham's "God TV online News" covering subjects such as my and Liz's calling to work with EAB in NE Brazil, EAB's ministries, challenges faced and the outlook for the future. I wrote the article, it has been accepted and I will give everyone the link to the article when it is out. I have also been approached as to the possibility of me being interviewed on Revelation TV whilst in the UK.

We leave Brazil tomorrow and arrive at Heathrow on Thursday afternoon. We're terribly busy getting everything ready for the trip and value your prayers.

We learnt that six decisions were made for Christ at the Deaf Conference on Saturday and not five as I had thought. PTL! It really was a wonderful Conference. The Sunday services went very well too and yesterday I had important meetings with some of our church leaders.

Yesterday I also saw the official markings showing the high tension electricity cables' route which praise God has been given a detour to avoid Green Pastures. I was very happy to actually see and visit the markings and follow its track round and outside the northern side of Green Pastures. God answers and certainly answered prayer so that Green Pastures has been saved from destruction! Thank you Lord.

Great Weekend

At the Green Pastures Nature Reserve and Christian Conference Centre from yesterday (Friday) to Sunday a Women's Christian Leadership Conference is happening and going very well. There are just over 100 women there I believe. 

In Patos today we have had another Deaf Conference and there have been five decisions for Christ. The service led by deaf pastor Luis Carlos tonight was fantastic. Luis Carlos is the only deaf pastor in the whole of our State of Paraiba. Tonight 5 new sign language interpreters graduated from their one and a half year basic course. It was a very moving service which brought me and many to tears at times.

Tomorrow (Sunday) I have a special dedication service to do at 10 am and then the final service in Patos until November.

Oh dear!!!!!

QPR lost 7 x 1 to West Brom! Unbelievable! Rock bottow of the Championship! Dear me! My correct prediction ratio is now devastated at 33.3% correct. Oh dear! This is going to quite a season! 

Prediction: QPR to draw at West Brom

My prediction for the mighty QPR playing at West Brom today is a draw. I was tempted to say a win, as QPR's track record against WBA is good, but I will err on the side of caution and stick to a draw. So far QPR are at the bottom of the Championship having lost their first 2 matches. My correct prediction ratio is at 50% to date.

Five

The countdown is on and there are five days to go to flying out to the UK. So far we have 66 saying they plan to be at EAB's annual 80th charity auction (with refreshments at 5:30pm) + celebration (at 7pm) on September 29th at Hardley, Southampton. The plan is to get to at least 80 present for the 80th!

All 13 videos to show round the churches are ready in HD format so that is great. All was finished yesterday. Of course we won't show all the videos at each church but we will have plenty of options. Liz and I plan to speak at each church and intermingle this with videos. 

An addition to our itinerary has arisen for which we are happy. This will be in Wales. On Sunday morning, September 16th we will be at BCLC, Cefn Cribwr near Bridgend and now at 5pm we will be at the Bridge Church, Neath, SA11 1RP. 

Liz and I have prepared what we are going to speak on for our first Sunday in the UK (26/08) at Hardley in the morning and West Wellow in the evening and the videos have been chosen. 

QPR

My prediction for Saturday's game of QPR at home was wrong and we lost rather than win as I had predicted. That puts us at the bottom of the league after two games! Not good. However the League Cup match today was better with QPR winning 2 x 0 against Peterborough from a division below. If they hadn't beaten them it would have been serious.

Father's Day Service

Our Father's Day Service went very well. It was a good day in God's house.

We press on with all our preparation for our flights to the UK a week tomorrow. We have two important events here this weekend with a women's Christian Conference at Green Pastures and a Conference of the Deaf all day Saturday in the Patos church.

All 12 short videos for our tour of churches have been completed and just need to be put on memory sticks in HD format. The one final 13 minute video for the annual celebration is nearly ready too. I just need to record the narration tomorrow and then that will be finalized too.

My campaign to get a good number to the EAB 80th Annual Celebration is going well with 55 signed up to date and many yet to answer. We've got to have at least 80 on the 80th anniversary or more!

Liz's Aunt Rosemary is with the Lord

On Sunday (12th) Liz's dear Aunt Rosemary passed into the presence of the Lord aged 89. She was the last in a line of 8 brothers and sisters part of which was Liz's Dad Frank Dyer. All were children of Tom & Louisa Dyer. We praise God for Rosemary's wonderful Christian life and testimony. According to the doctors she should have died years ago but she lived to a ripe old age in the service of God leading Bethel Chapel at Verwood in Dorset.

I will have the honour of conducting the funeral on Monday, September 10th at 11:30 am (subject to confirmation).

QPR Forecast to Win!

I hereby notify to all and sunder that I predict that today QPR will win at home against Sheffield United. In the first match of the season I predicted correctly that we would lose. We will see what happens.

We are flat out here preparing for our trip to Europe a week on Wednesday. As you can see on this blog I am doing all I can to get maximum numbers present so please help us! I have also sent lots of invitations and confirmation requests via Facebook on EAB's page and on my own. I have done the same via email to many. I am glad that answers are coming in but await more.

The 12 short videos are completely ready now for showing round the churches. Just the longerish one to do now for the Celebration. 

I will be preaching tomorrow in Patos on Father's Day. The sermon is prepared and ready to roll.

Did some counselling too yesterday. It went well. 

EAB's 80th Annual Celebration

I am trying to make sure we have a good number present at EAB’s 80th annual celebration next month. Please could you help? Please tell me if you plan to be there and if you know anyone else who can go and support the event in praise to God. Both golden oldies and young boppers are welcome!

Date: Saturday, September 29th

Auction Time: The auction starts at 5:30 pm, led by an international auctioneer especially imported for the occasion – and you make your bids whilst you drink coffee and eat delicious New Forest Food!

Celebration Service: starts at 7 pm with Liz and I speaking and showing an exclusive video of the work of EAB specially produced for the occasion plus much praise and thanks to the Lord!

Bring & Buy Stall: will also be in action for EAB so please bring and please buy!

Address: Lighthouse Community Church – Hardley, Southampton, SO45 3NZ

Please reply sending me a message on Messenger or email me at eabrazil@gmail.com adding your name/s to the list of participants!

2 weeks today!

Two weeks today to lift-off! UK here we come with 11 short videos now completely ready (1 to go + 1 "best moments" bumper edition for the annual celebration to go). A keepsake bookmark is in production too for all around the churches. Here is our schedule which you can't miss!! (we hope)

August: 23 Arrival at Heathrow / 26 Hardley Southampton am + West Wellow pm

September: 1 Weston Super Mare (must see the new pier!) / 2 Bristol Ivy am + Bristol PHC pm / 3-8 Swiss Alps (what a hard life these missionaries have! - Liz's birthday on 8th will be celebrated in 2 countries - Switzerland am and UK pm) / 9 Verwood, Dorset am / 16 Welsh Wales am / 20 Hylton Castle, Sunderland pm / 23 Great Lumley am + WVCC, Bishop Auckland pm / 25 Horden, Peterlee pm / 28 EAB Board Meeting pm / 29 EAB's 80th Annual Celebration preceeded by auction for EAB conducted by world's greatest auctioneer + refreshments!) pm / 30 Cadnam am + Winterslow pm

October: 7 Bonnie Scotland / 14 Thamesmead am / 21 Danbury, Essex / 28 Devizes am / 31 Return flights to Brazil.

Time for bed

Oh boy! What I've got done today is nobody's business! Masses of work on the sanitation project, 4 legs project plus loads of other work preparing for euro-trip 2018 which lifts off 2 weeks this Wednesday.

We now how 9 short videos completely ready with English commentaries - the lot! Done are: Wells, Market Gardens, 4 Legs, Evangelism & Church Planting, Community Sanitation, Food Bank & Soup Runs, Caring for Creation, Deaf Ministry and Action Child projects.

To finish we have Leadership Training, Desert Flower and Young at Heart projects plus a longer special video for the EAB annual celebration on September 29th.

Good Weekend

The weekend went fine and now it's flat out preparing for the August 22nd lift-off for Europe!

Saturday at Curral Velho (Old Cow Pen) all went very well. We had a nice fellowship meal at the leaders' (Tica & Ramos) house prior to the service and discussed a lot of issues which was good and helped them. Then the service went great. We got home at 11:30 pm so it wasn't too bad. I was just sad because I killed 2 young foxes on the trip home in different incidents. I did everything I could to avoid the young foxes but it was impossible other than by turning the car over which wouldn't have been good!

Philip preached at the Portelo church on Saturday night too and took the band from Patos. They got back at 3 am! Ugh!

The Communion service in Patos was lovely on Sunday night. A good service with a good crowd.

Sermon ready for the Cow Pen Church tonight!

I have just rounded off my sermon preparation for tonight's 28th anniversary service at Curral Velho (Old Cow Pen) and am ready to roll. We will travel there this afternoon and have a fellowship meal with the couple who lead the church, Tica and Ramos, before going to the service. I am looking forward to it.

Curral Velho is a small town or village. The entire County only has a population of 2,500 which includes all the farming communities in the 180,500 square kilometers of the county. It is hot, dry and poor. The United Nations's HDI (Human Development Index) which reports on life expectancy, schooling and living standards has Curral Velho as low (0.595). 

The trip to get there takes about 2 hours. We'll be travelling back late tonight and value your prayers.

QPR start another glorious football season!

I am a bit late in making my first prediction of the season as the match started 20 minutes ago, but my prediction for today is that QPR will lose. The match is still 0 x 0 as I post this.

Less than 3 weeks from arrival in the UK

I have worked for hours today on video productions for our UK / Switzerland tour of EAB supporters and supporting churches. We now have 9 short videos almost completed of an average of around 3 minutes in length each. The ones nearly completed are on the following EAB projects: Wells, Market Gardens, 4 Legs, Evangelism & Church planting, Community Sanitation, Food bank and Soups runs, Caring for creation, Deaf Ministry and Action Child. 

Still needing more work are 3 more on: Leadership Training, Desert Flower and Young at Heart projects. There will also be a 10 minutish video with the highlights of everything for the annual celebration including some exclusive extras.

The 9 videos virtually ready have the visual part all finalized plus musical soundtracks, and today we recorded the commentary sound tracks in English with Liz and I, plus daughter Sacha and grandchildren Felipe and Alice all helping. Quite a team effort. The other 3 short videos plus the bigger highlights video still need visuals definitions plus muiscal and commentary sound tracks.

We are not exactly sure how this is going to be done as we've never worked with videos around churches before, but Liz and I feel we will speak to each church interspersing our messages with different videos as we feel led. At the 80th celebration we will both also speak and show the larger longer video too. This is what we think may happen but we will see how things work out as the Lord leads.

The 80th EAB annual celebration will be near Southampton on Saturday, September 29th. We will have a fellowship get together with refreshments starting at 5.30 pm, which will include an auction of Brazil related items, and with me as the auctioneer as usual! The Celebration service will start at 7.00 pm. 

We value your prayers as we continue the busy preparations for our trip. Larger organizations have staff to do all these things but we have to do the lot! This is on top of regular ministry here preaching at Curral Velho (Old Cow Pen) on Saturday and back for the communion service in Patos on Sunday plus a school visit to Green Pastures this Friday morning and a Patos Bible College meeting in the afternoon.

The Postal EAB Update was sent in the post yesterday.