Bible Colleges

Our Campina Grande Bible College currently has 27 students. This number is down owing to the pandemic as normally we would have a number somewhere in the 40s. We hope that next year the number of students will increase. We also have 17 students doing online theology courses with ISBL (15) and FTSA (2) which are of a very high standard. These online students are very encouraging because some of them are in very off the track places and are thus preparing future leadership for difficult locations. 

EAB/ACEV has 68 registered pastors and leaders. We have 50 fully fledged churches plus 39 church plants, giving us a total of 89. One of my jobs is to maintain contact with all our leaders, coordinate things with them, and sort out problems when they arise. I have this week been liaising things with pastors Maesio (Teixeira), Renilson (Matureia), Wostenes (Campina Grande and Soledade) and Lindon Carlos (Imaculada). 

We were disappointed this week because one young man who was taken to the drug and drink rehabilitation centre last week has already given up after just 9 days! This is very sad. Please pray for a young mother in the Patos church called Aline who has suspected Lupus. Please also pray for Madiel (husband of our excellent deaconess Deborah Maria) who had blood pressure 220/150 yesterday but is now improved. The Men's Fellowship took the service last night at the ex-landless community where we regularly preach the Gospel. A nice little group of farm workers gathered for the service.

Yesterday Liz & I went for a walk at Green Pastures and a Fox (Cerdocyon thous) ran and jumped right in front of us. We also saw a Spot-backed Puffbird.  

BBC

I keep myself informed about world affairs watching the BBC World News on TV every lunch time and following the BBC News online. I am part of the BBC 'Global Minds' followers panel. I sometimes watch a bit of CNN at night. I subscribe to the Brazilian national newspaper online 'Folha de São Paulo' to keep myself in touch with Brazilian politics and affairs. I read this first thing every morning.

The Sunday service in Patos, which I led and preached at, was very good. I preached Mark 2 entitled 'This is Jesus!' - part 2. At our Soledade church, which is in transition to a new leader, our renewal team from Campina Grande was in action with Pastor Jânio preaching God's Word. We value your prayers for this church.

We have received photos from Antonio Rufino & Maria de Fátima at the Tamanduá Community showing their new Chicken Pen. They are very content with this help to their income. The new well at Macambira dos Lúcios is working out very well and will be officially inaugurated on the 17th, when we will hold a community thanksgiving service and preach the Gospel. The wide-mouth well has hit a good amount of water for which we praise God. This well will be known as 'Sylvia's Well' as the funds were donated in memory of Sister Sylvia Pusey.

My latest book in the Blitz Detective series has just arrived. I was starting to suffer with withdrawal symptoms as 'The Dockland Murder' by Mike Hollow took a long time in coming via the Brazilian section of Amazon. I see from the book's cover that the murder victim is a member of the Home Guard this time. I only hope it's not Captain Mannering or Corporal Jones!

Last night we had our Pastor Lucena with us crying his eyes out because him and his wife will be moving away from Patos to Recife around the end of the year. Lucena is a retired Congregationalist pastor who has settled in very nicely with us over the past 5 years in our Patos church. Lucena worked with me a lot in the Patos Bible College and has been a great friend for many years. We will miss them a lot.

Our daughter Lynn is now recovering well from her surgery and is getting over a post-op infection. Thanks for your prayers.

Rain stopped pray!

Last night's service at Green Pastures was cancelled owing to a most welcomed heavy shower of 8 mm (one third of an inch) of rain. When I left Patos all was dry, but on the main road, about half way to the Reserve, the rain hit us with lots of wind. I knew then that the service would be cancelled as the local farming folk can't make it in the mud. It wasn't a lot of rain last night, but for us that have not seen a drop for 4 months, it was most welcome. All the trees will be budding green within 5 days.

I have 3 babies to dedicate in the coming month and at least 8 people to baptize, including our 14-year-old granddaughter Alice. The church youth are having their Christmas pizza party on the 13th and the Men's Fellowship are having their Christmas get-together on the 21st. We will be inaugurating another well - this time at Macambira dos Lúcios in Tavares County - on the 17th. 

Please pray for our daughter Lynn who has a post-op infection. Please also pray for 4-year-old Maria Isabelly (Matureia Action School) who will have her cancerous kidney removed next Thursday (9th). Please also pray for the bereaved family of our sister Salete whose brother Messias died yesterday in his 40s. He died as a result of an untreated gall stone which got stuck in a duct and caused sepsis. If only he had gone to the doctor earlier, but he refused. 

Brazilian Passport

I had to go to the Federal Police's office in Patos yesterday afternoon to renew my Brazilian passport. The policeman who attended me asked me if I was Sacha's father. He then told me that the electronic checking of my fingerprints would be unlikely to work (which it didn't) as "beyond 60 years of age fingerprints wear out!" I now have to go and pick my new passport up in 10 days time. I am still waiting for news about the renewal of Liz and I's British passports, but I have renewed my British driving licence on line.

I have been preparing my sermon for this Sunday on Mark 2 - called "This is Jesus - 2". Doing a chapter at a time, in a 30 minute sermon, the idea is to get people to think back to what it must have been like reading the Gospel of Mark for the first time some 1,965 years back and reading "This is Jesus!" (Mark was probably the first Gospel written) On Sunday I will cover Jesus' authority to forgive sin & heal; Jesus' calling of Levi (Matthew) & the controversial meal at his home; Fasting and the fact that Jesus is Lord of the sabbath.

The end of year services are now organized. A week on Sunday (12th) we will have our annual church business meeting in the morning. This day is Bible Day in Brazil. On Christmas Eve we will have our main Christmas service at 7:30 pm. On New Year's Eve we will hold our watchnight service also at 7:30 pm. Sunday services will be as normal at 6:30 pm.

Last night I had a nice time of fellowship with a young pastor from another denomination. His name is Williton. It was nice to share about our respective ministries. I hope and pray I was an encouragement to the young man.

Wostenes

Wostenes is the name of the pastor of EAB/ACEV's largest church at Campina Grande in the borough of Catolé. He is also the deputy chairman of the work here and I am the chairman. The 11-person leadership team is elected by all our church leaders every 4 years with the next election in 2024. Wostenes is a lovely sound and balanced brother and a real personal friend. On Monday we had one of our regular online meetings discussing the transition at our Soledade church from where the current pastor Ângelo has resigned. Wostenes is now responsible for this church for a few months because the church is at a low ebb. Our aim is for Wostenes and team to inject new life into the Soledade church before a new pastor is brought in. Please pray for the Soledade church and for Wostenes.

We have taken a further man to drug and drink rehabilitation this week. We pray that this man, whom we know well, will be set free.

On Monday night we had a terrific service with the church packed out with teenage students, teachers and family from the Fera School. It was a thanksgiving service for the students having finished junior high school. I led the service and preached a lively crisp Gospel message for the glory of God. Just think that on one night we had the opportunity to preach the Gospel to over 100 non-evangelical Christians! Amongst the students was our granddaughter Alice.

Yesterday I went to Green Pastures to take cleaning supplies and to go for a walk. I heard a Green-barred Woodpecker whilst there and I saw a Great Kiskadee in it's bright yellow colouring. We have just had the 3 bird tables repaired and they are looking great. We have also repaired and rebuilt 5 benches.  

Saturday night

Saturday night was a night full of activities with the Patos church. First of all there was, as always, the deaf fellowship's meeting in the Care Centre. Then the Christians in Action group held their regular service at Ipueira in Rio Grande do Norte State. I also led the normal Green Pastures service and I preached too on John 8:12. Granddaughter Louisa and her boyfriend Tiago (guitar) went with me to take care of the praise and worship. What was particularly encouraging at this service was how a young local farm worker called Francisco came forward and asked to read a verse of Scripture from Isaiah. He had made a reconsecration of his life to God in the previous meeting and this was his way of saying he meant it! He can hardly read and slowly read one syllable at a time, but he made it. The good number at the service burst out in applause when he finished. 

On top of these three Saturday night activities we also held a special night of child evangelism in the borough of Jatobá on the south side of the River Espinharas in Patos. This event was in the open-air outside our school and it attracted a large number of children together with a good number of their parents. We have been trying for years to plant a church in this borough. Saturday night's service was the return to regular monthly services in this place now that the pandemic has calmed down somewhat.

Yesterday we had the Sunday School for all ages at 9:30 am and the main service of the week at 6:30 pm. I led the service and assistant pastor Rafael preached on Jonah 1. Tonight I will be leading and preaching in a service for teenage students whilst parallel to this two prayer meetings will be held in the Care Centre. Prior to this I will be having an online meeting with Pastor Wostenes (Campina Grande).

Nationwide Meeting

I took part in a 4-hour meeting of RENAS today online, which is a network of Brazilian evangelical Christian organizations that practice social community action. Whilst I was in this meeting our daughter Lynn got back to Patos after her surgery.

Yesterday I went for a good walk at Green Pastures. I heard the Red-legged Seriema which are large birds between 70 and 90 cm tall. I also heard the Stripe-backed Antbird and the Long-billed Wren. I also noticed that the two Turkey chicks that have hatched had been put into a different pen separate from the guinea pigs because the chicks were killing the guinea pigs with their sharp beaks. We keep some animals like this especially for the children.

Last night there was the usual Friday night sign language lesson training new interpreters for work with the deaf. This work is led by our deaf pastor Luis Carlos. The deaf and interpreters are also preparing a presentation for our special Christmas Eve service. The drama group is also preparing a short play with reduced numbers owing to the pandemic.

I have also been doing a lot of ACEV church administrative work. On Thursday night was the usual Bible study going through the book of James.