A prayer schedule has emerged from nowhere as an answer to the gigantic needs being faced by us in NE Brazil at this time. The prayer group have decided to pray for 30 minutes each evening at 9:30 pm BST for us and EAB's work in general. The group has been started by my 2 sisters Joy Levermore and Jean Medcraft-North together with Laurence Levermore + Steve and Lisa Oakley and Dr. Liz and we would very much like to know of others willing to commit to such prayer times each evening or at least most. Please add your names to our EAB prayer warriors list via eabrazil@gmail.com.
Prayer does change things more than this world dreams of and we certainly stand in need of it at this time. The situation is grave with Brazil in 4th place in the sad world virus rankings and rising very fast indeed, surely to second place very soon. Please pray for us.
Hospitals are over run like in so many countries but here little effort is being made to solve the problem. In fact the president himself ridicules what all the fuss is about! It is a sad situation and we badly need your prayers and support.
Please pray with us and for us and let us know if you will be joining the group. This is both a public health battle, political battle and spiritual battle and we must stand together in prayer. We look to the Lord.
The broad guidelines for our prayers are laid out in my prayer from Patos transmitted yesterday at https://www.facebook.com/acevpatos/videos/289830242046449/. Please do join us in prayer.
Monday, 18 May 2020
Saturday, 16 May 2020
Wednesday, 13 May 2020
Unusual National Conference
This Saturday we value your prayers as we will be holding our annual Leader's Conference via Google Meet as opposed to the less secure Zoom. It will be quite an experience!
All our leaders debating, discussing and electing the leadership
team for the coming 4 years - amongst other matters. We sure do value your prayers.
We are blessed with an expert (Philip) on all this tech stuff and will be doing a trial run tonight just to make sure all is in order for Saturday. Then the minutes have to be registered at a solicitors on Monday 18th in time for our deadline of the 20th.
I personally am vastly improved in health. Thank you for praying. Please don't stop. Liz is the rock of Gibraltar as ever! God sure blessed me with Liz!
The whole family has helped so much as have the teams for the variety of ongoing activities.
On Sunday the election results will be displayed here! Watch this space.
The Covid-19 virus bites harder and harder in Brazil now with a sad division amongst the politicians. The Federal Government is ridiculously flamboyant about a "load of fuss about a minor cold", but the State Governors resist as does the Supreme Court and we fumble on. Also years of corruption siphoning off money from health care for personal things (robbery) means our healthcare system is utterly inadequate. All the talk about the heat being conducive to combatting the virus, plus plain ignorance and the ignoring of scientists - means the virus is deeply embedded all around us. We lie low and trust God!
One particular case of domestic violence has greatly upset us but the wife was gladly kept from her husband's knife by their 20 year old daughter's intervention. These are difficult times. Philip has been greatly used of God is astounding wisdom. God is our refuge and strength.
All our leaders debating, discussing and electing the leadership
team for the coming 4 years - amongst other matters. We sure do value your prayers.
We are blessed with an expert (Philip) on all this tech stuff and will be doing a trial run tonight just to make sure all is in order for Saturday. Then the minutes have to be registered at a solicitors on Monday 18th in time for our deadline of the 20th.
I personally am vastly improved in health. Thank you for praying. Please don't stop. Liz is the rock of Gibraltar as ever! God sure blessed me with Liz!
The whole family has helped so much as have the teams for the variety of ongoing activities.
On Sunday the election results will be displayed here! Watch this space.
The Covid-19 virus bites harder and harder in Brazil now with a sad division amongst the politicians. The Federal Government is ridiculously flamboyant about a "load of fuss about a minor cold", but the State Governors resist as does the Supreme Court and we fumble on. Also years of corruption siphoning off money from health care for personal things (robbery) means our healthcare system is utterly inadequate. All the talk about the heat being conducive to combatting the virus, plus plain ignorance and the ignoring of scientists - means the virus is deeply embedded all around us. We lie low and trust God!
One particular case of domestic violence has greatly upset us but the wife was gladly kept from her husband's knife by their 20 year old daughter's intervention. These are difficult times. Philip has been greatly used of God is astounding wisdom. God is our refuge and strength.
Saturday, 18 April 2020
Not posting much
I am not posting much because with the lock down we are limited to do anything other than on Internet. Philip and the others of church leadership are doing a good job in Patos on this, as is Pastor Wostenes and leadership team of all the general churches here. Thus I am having a long needed break to build up health and strength, which is much needed, and value your prayers.
We are helping feed the hungry in a very discreet way. If it was publicized we would have multitudes asking for help non-stop and have no peace. Similarly such work is being done round the projects and churches. Much teaching is being done online for all the communities with which EAB works, both spiritual and health wise, including about how to avoid the virus. Thus contacts are maintained. Please pray for us and EAB.
We are helping feed the hungry in a very discreet way. If it was publicized we would have multitudes asking for help non-stop and have no peace. Similarly such work is being done round the projects and churches. Much teaching is being done online for all the communities with which EAB works, both spiritual and health wise, including about how to avoid the virus. Thus contacts are maintained. Please pray for us and EAB.
Monday, 6 April 2020
Zoom is helpful
The church youth in Patos had their meeting on Saturday via Zoom again, but included our Juazeirinho and Teixeira church young people as well together with Beatriz who is on an exchange year in Demark
We, as most of our churches, did live broadcasts on line at the normal time of our church services. Strange, difficult and stressful times for all of us. We pray for each other.
We, as most of our churches, did live broadcasts on line at the normal time of our church services. Strange, difficult and stressful times for all of us. We pray for each other.
Friday, 3 April 2020
Adapting
This is an unbelievable time of adapting to a new world reality and we are certainly working hard on this. The work load is incredible coordinating all the different teams and church leaders around EAB/ACEV's 88 churches. Let me try and give you an overview of some little bits of everything.
The senior leadership team of 10 has regular coordination meetings to discuss umpteen questions that arise. Please pray for pastor Umbirajara's wife (one of the team) whose wife has discovered she has a malignancy and is being operated on right now.
Then there are issues linked to funds to support this outlying pastors in small churches. How to manage this? Then there is the problem that next month is statutory time to elect a new team (this is done every 4 years), or re-elect the old one, at our annual Leader's Conference, which almost certainly won't happen. This has to be officially registered with a public notary which is closed. Without this registered change in the leadership board the banks won't work for us and we wouldn't be able to do bank transfers to pay workers, projects etc. We can organize an internet general assembly for the election under these exceptional circumstances, I think, but will we be able to get a public notary to register it so as to have legal public value before the banks and authorities? I am sharing the details of this one issue, or a long list, just for you to understand the dilemmas and challenges facing us as leaders of the Mission. Please pray and support. Thank you.
The senior leadership team of 10 has regular coordination meetings to discuss umpteen questions that arise. Please pray for pastor Umbirajara's wife (one of the team) whose wife has discovered she has a malignancy and is being operated on right now.
Then there are issues linked to funds to support this outlying pastors in small churches. How to manage this? Then there is the problem that next month is statutory time to elect a new team (this is done every 4 years), or re-elect the old one, at our annual Leader's Conference, which almost certainly won't happen. This has to be officially registered with a public notary which is closed. Without this registered change in the leadership board the banks won't work for us and we wouldn't be able to do bank transfers to pay workers, projects etc. We can organize an internet general assembly for the election under these exceptional circumstances, I think, but will we be able to get a public notary to register it so as to have legal public value before the banks and authorities? I am sharing the details of this one issue, or a long list, just for you to understand the dilemmas and challenges facing us as leaders of the Mission. Please pray and support. Thank you.
88 EAB Churches preach the Gospel in Lockdown
With church services cancelled everywhere the Church of Jesus Christ adapts and reaches out with teaching and preaching the Gospel. The church buildings may be closed but the church moves on. Of course we miss the physical company of everyone, but the body of Christ continues in fellowship with Christ and His body.
I was encouraged by Brother Paulo, speaking to him on WhatsApp yesterday, from the ex-landless community not many miles from Green Pastures. He spoke to me from his little farmstead he received from a government project where EAB/ACEV drilled a well for the community and set up a community market garden project. I checked he was being duly careful even though he is in such an isolated community. He assured me they are. Then he told me that they had heeded my advice, from some time back, to hold little daily family times of prayer, praise and Bible reading, by who can read. He said these times "are being a great blessing to him, his wife and family, because they are learning to pray more and praise from the heart"! So this is one example of a cloud having a silver lining. Please continue to pray for us and support the work here in these difficult times.
I was encouraged by Brother Paulo, speaking to him on WhatsApp yesterday, from the ex-landless community not many miles from Green Pastures. He spoke to me from his little farmstead he received from a government project where EAB/ACEV drilled a well for the community and set up a community market garden project. I checked he was being duly careful even though he is in such an isolated community. He assured me they are. Then he told me that they had heeded my advice, from some time back, to hold little daily family times of prayer, praise and Bible reading, by who can read. He said these times "are being a great blessing to him, his wife and family, because they are learning to pray more and praise from the heart"! So this is one example of a cloud having a silver lining. Please continue to pray for us and support the work here in these difficult times.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)