Pastors

Yesterday I had an intense day working with various pastors as is part of my work here. I had important discussions with pastors Lindon Carlos (Imaculada), Oseias (Itaporanga) and Naldinho (Belém). Please pray for these pastors.

Sunday's services went well. There was a good number at the Sunday School in the morning and at night Sacha preached a brilliant sermon based on Deuteronomy 33:12. Many people were really touched by the message, after which both myself and Rafael prayed for people who requested prayer.

I have had discussions with Pastor Nezinho Abílio about Bible College students Malu, Dane and Clessinho in his area. It is good to see how these students are developing well. Please pray for them.

Adolescents

On Friday night 30 of our adolescents enjoyed an evening of healthy exercise at a Patos sports centre. It was lovely to see them enjoying themselves together and praying together too.

Last night I led the weekly service at Green Pastures and there was a good number present. Various people took part with prayers, songs and words: Rafael, Fred, Paulo Silas, Dodora, the women's group, Isaque and Manoel. Marina and Lucas led the praise and Bible College student Rayla preached the Gospel. It was a lovely service.

Other services were held last night at Ipueira and Passagem and the youth and the deaf held their meetings too. Evidently at Ipueira sister Madá gave a very good word.

Cool

The month of June is usually the coolest month of the year in the interior of northeast Brazil. Today our lowest temperature in the middle of the night was 22 degrees centigrade and the highest temperature in the afternoon was 34 degrees. The rainy season has now ended. We might get an occasional shower in June. This year's rainy season gave us just above average rainfall of 776 mm (just over 32 inches). The average annual rainfall in São Mamede County, where Green Pastures is, is 702 mm. 

I have just prepared a message for the married, engaged and courting couples evening meal event to be held at the Patos church next week.

Yesterday's church outing to Green Pastures went well. Liz spent most of the day there with the folks whilst I got on with other things in Patos.

Last night's Bible study went well with a good number present.

Youth Camp

Preparations are under way for another youth camp to be held at Green Pastures between 23rd and 25th June which will have as its theme "Guarding the heart" (Proverbs 4:23). I will be speaking at the camp and Sacha will be speaking too. Please pray for this camp.

Please pray for a young man from the Patos church called Elysson who has had 3 of his aunts die in a week! Elysson is a sound controller in church. Please also pray for Gisane, who is the wife of our chief of the police Esaú, whose father died this week. Liz and I went to the wake.

I have decided to study some physics and have bought 'The Physics Book' to read. It is like going back to grammar school and learning all I didn't learn then!

Tomorrow is a public holiday here and some folk from the church will be going to Green Pastures for the day. 

On the 16th of June our church will be holding a special couples' evening meal to celebrate the equivalent of St. Valentine's Day. I will be giving a devotional word to those present. The evening will be for married, engaged and courting couples.

Ministers List

I have just drawn up the up-to-date ACEV/EAB ministers' list according to the assemblies of our General Conference. We now have 35 pastors, 18 'missionaries' (women ministers. This is the way here that they sort of dodge the women's ministers issue by not calling women pastors!) and 15 non-ordained church leaders. Please pray for our team total of 68 ministers of the Gospel.

On Saturday night the Patos church had no less than 5 activities. I led the service at Green Pastures and granddaughter Louisa preached the Gospel. It was good to see the folk there from the village of Picotes. It was a good service. Another service was led by Eduardo at Passagem and another at Ipueira was led by Dedé. There was also a fellowship group meeting of the deaf and a fellowship group meeting of the youth.

Please pray for our daughter Sacha as she studies theology at the ISBL Bible College. She will be preaching in Patos this coming Sunday. Sacha also leads the praise and worship group. She is also a teacher at the Cultura Inglesa English School.

Yesterday morning the children's Sunday School had a very creative lesson about the parable of the Sower linked to environment day which is today. The children enjoyed sewing seeds and watering them which I am sure they will not forget. The entire ludic process of the lesson brought home to them the spiritual meaning of the parable.

I took the communion service in Patos last night. Louisa, Tiago, Marina and Fábio led the praise and worship and Rafael preached the Word of God. It was a good service.

Decisions for Christ

It was a joy to see father and son making commitments to Christ this week at our Matureia church and school up in the mountains. Hitalo Gustavo is a pupil at our school and him and his father Joelson came to the Lord. Please pray for Hitalo Gustavo and Joelson that they will grow in God and become strong Christians.

Yesterday I went for a good walk at Green Pastures and saw a Neotropic Cormorant diving for fish on our lake. It soon flew off, splashing a lot, once it saw me. I brought 2 buckets of lemons back to Patos with me.

My sister Jean has kindly sent me a new book to read. It is 'The Camden Murder' by Mike Hollow, which will be the 7th book I have read in the 'Blitz Detective' series, that I am enjoying very much. I look forward to getting down to reading this book and helping Detective Inspector John Jago to bring the murderer to justice.

I was talking to our fireman Romildo after the midweek Bible study and he told me about the abundance of snakes in Patos at the moment. Romildo said that on every shift he does he gets 2 or 3 phone calls to go and remove snakes from people's houses. Snakes are plentiful here out in the woods and bush, but they are not usually found indoors.

Honey

We have just brought home nearly 4 litres of honey from 2 wild swarms of bees at Green Pastures. This is enough honey to keep us going for ages! Our worker Francisco also had his share of the honey. 😋

Another drug addict is going to the rehab centre near João Pessoa this week. The man is from Curral Velho (Old Cow Pen). The previous man who went to rehab from this town is already impacting the place by the positive messages he is sending on social media. He is thrilled to be sober and feeling well and is telling everyone he wants to live at the rehab centre for ever!

I have written the annual resumé of the General Conference's decisions and sent it to all our pastors and leaders.

EAB's church at Juru is doing a great work with teenagers via football. Their under 15s team is in the Paraíba State Cup and have drawn a game with Princesa Isabel and won a game against Tavares 3 x 0. If they win their final match in the group stage they will qualify for the semi-final knock-out stage. Please pray that many young lads will come to know the Lord through this project.

This week's Men's Fellowship meeting went well despite only 7 of us being present. Chief of Police Esau led the meeting and assistant pastor Rafael brought the Biblical reflection from Psalm 88.

Liz has a heavy cold. Please pray for her.