Video report on the 10-day Evangelistic Outreach

You can access the new short 2-minute EAB video, made by Philip Medcraft, about the recent 10-day Evangelistic Outreach via the link below. May we suggest that you show it in your church and/or your church house fellowship.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ZRe8PBIdzPOQwdqq9n2nK9yPK000KJRq

Very Good EAB Board Meeting

I took part, via Skype, in today's EAB Board Meeting at West Wellow where 3 new members joined: Jamie & Josie-Ellen James and Steve Oakley. We are very pleased with these reinforcements to the UK team. Here's today's Board photo:

We are extremely sad about the terrible mining dam tragedy further south in Brazil which may have killed 300 or so. Outrageous! The second such incident in the same area in a little over 3 years.

The 10-day Outreach finished well with 15 decisions for Christ and 3 redications of lives to Christ. I preached there a week ago today and was back in Patos to preach again on the Sunday as I will again tomorrow. Today I will be conducting a wedding of a deaf man to a non-deaf woman. It should be interesting!

I have done a lot of work with the senior leadership team for the whole work this week with lots of issues to sort out. We value your prayers.

Sermons ready and loaded!

My sermon for tomorrow night's final rally in the 10-day Evangelistic Outreach is ready to roll at Curral Velho as is my sermon ready for Patos on the Sunday. There have been a good few decisions at the Outreach and I will get the full picture there tomorrow.

I have had quite a bit of counselling to do as well this week together with meetings with various pastors and some trouble shooting in the Patos church. Easy life!

We had an inch of rain at Green Pastures yesterday so that's good, taking us up to 5 inches with 35 to go. It's rained again tonight in the area but will find out tomorrow if it rained at Green Pastures.

Evangelistic Outreach facing opposition and difficulties

Please especially pray for the 10-day Special Evangelistic Outreach at Curral Velho with a team of over a hundred taking part which is facing stiff opposition from many in this village where medieval catholicism reigns and where many have clearly been prepared to not receive the team with the traditional Brazilian friendliness and are slamming doors in our team's faces! Powercuts two nights in a row have also hindered the evening street services a lot. 

I spent today preparing my evangelistic sermon for the closing evangelistic rally on Saturday of this year's outreach as I do every year. 

I have had a meeting with one of our pastors and his wife today which went well. Tomorrow I have a meeting with a group from the Patos church. 

Mosquitoes

Mosquitoes are a part of life here of course. Initially they drive you nuts as visitors here discover! However slowly the body builds up resistance and you ending up taking them in your stride. But in the last month or so our house is under attack from mosquitoes in an unprecedented way and I don't know how to explain it. To sleep at night Liz and I only have our noses out above the sheet in order to survive!

I am fired up ready to preach on Psalm 40 tonight. It's always good when one can't wait for the time to preach! Philip is away at the 10-day Special Evangelistic Outreach at Curral Velho which is going well. It started on Friday (11th) and runs to next Sunday (20th). I will be preaching at the main closing evangelistic rally on the Saturday night. Please pray for this Outreach which involves a team of 100 plus.

Yesterday was our granddaughter Bia's 9th birthday and we had a lovely family day at Green Pastures. 

Special 10-day Outreach starts this Friday

The first Sunday in the year went well in Patos although the numbers were down somewhat, as this is the main holiday month in Brazil like August is in the UK. Nevertheless the sermon on Psalm 98 went particularly well. PTL!

Please pray for the annual special 10-day evangelistic outreach which starts this Friday (11th) and will run through to the 20th. Philip will be taking a group from Patos for the 10 days and folk will gather from most of our churches making up a 100 strong team. The outreach will be held at Curral Velho this year together with other villages and farmsteads in the region. I will be preaching in the closing street service as I always do.

First Rain of the Year!

On Friday night (4th) we rejoiced to receive nearly an inch (21 mm) of rain at Green Pastures constituting the first rain of 2019 and we sure need it. As always our prayer and goal is in the vicinity of 40 inches of rain during the year. Last year the total rainfall at Green Pastures was 36 inches which was fine.

It was a sudden electrical storm last night and electricity is knocked out at Green Pastures which is a pity for the Sunday School kids going there for an outing today. In Patos the wind was frighteningly strong ripping off roofs partially, knocking down walls, ripping off gates from houses and breaking some windows.

I am working on completing my sermon preparation for the first Sunday of the year today.