In the service last night we had special prayer for Green Pastures which has suddenly come under threat from a high tension electricity cable project which we have just learned is planned to plough through Green Pastures and wreck it with bulldozers removing vegetation and massive pylons towering overhead. It would be the end of Green Pastures. We have started a campaign with the authorities requesting an alteration on the route so as to avoid us. Please pray.
Monday, 26 March 2018
Big Problem facing Green Pastures
We had an excellent service in the Patos church last night following on from a brilliant street service on Saturday night outside the EAB School in the Jatobá borough of Patos. 150 people came to the service which is really something! It was an amazing blessing in a place we have been trying to plant a church for some time. Please pray.
Sunday, 25 March 2018
Is this a Breakthrough?
I am happy to say that yesterday we received the results of tests done on Liz last week which have finally discovered the bacteria which is the root cause of all Liz's very serious health problems and which no previous tests had managed to discover.
Last Tuesday Liz had 7 syringes of fluid removed from one knee and this fluid was sent to a laboratory for different tests including a culture. This culture both discovered the hidden bacteria as well as defining which antibiotics will be effective in killing the bacteria. We are all very happy about this of course and thank you for your prayers. The specialist caring for Liz is really thrilled too and says that this bacteria is what had stopped all previous medications working for Liz.
Thus Liz today has started on a mammoth 2 month course of antibiotics and we hope and pray she will start to improve in the near future and feel stronger and better. Please continue to pray.
Last Tuesday Liz had 7 syringes of fluid removed from one knee and this fluid was sent to a laboratory for different tests including a culture. This culture both discovered the hidden bacteria as well as defining which antibiotics will be effective in killing the bacteria. We are all very happy about this of course and thank you for your prayers. The specialist caring for Liz is really thrilled too and says that this bacteria is what had stopped all previous medications working for Liz.
Thus Liz today has started on a mammoth 2 month course of antibiotics and we hope and pray she will start to improve in the near future and feel stronger and better. Please continue to pray.
Thursday, 22 March 2018
Blackout with bright spots!
The whole of north-east Brazil had a long blackout (which I refuse to call a power outage!) yesterday afternoon and evening. It was yet another example of the chaos Brazil is in at the moment.
Amidst all this the brightspot was to observe dear Liz just a bit brighter! PTL! She has had 2 B12 injections and will have another tomorrow which is at least combatting some of the side-effects of her condition. She also had lots of liquid removed from one knee which was sent to a laboratory for tests and it is now confirmed that she will soon be starting on different 'biological' treatment which we hope and pray will zap her illness. Please continue praying.
Please also pray for the rains to restart here. March has been a hiccup and the rains have stopped which is most concerning as either we get plenty of rain in the first months of the year, up until May, or we have had it till 2019!
I am working on my sermon for Sunday. Yesterday we received feedback from the ladies of the Desert Flower Project (pseudonymn for Battered wives involved in drugs - never use these terms on Facebook please unless you want me killed) and there was a wonderful general buzz of approval. 16 went plus 9 kids. We feel it was a real breakthrough with the group. Some have expressed their desire to come again. One woman made a genuine comittment to Christ out of the group last Sunday and we checked this yesterday which she reaffirmed. PLEASE PRAY. She is on drugs and trying to get free, lives with a partner which complicated things, has a child and wants to live for Jesus! We are doing all we can to support her first steps with the Lord and hope she will be back in church this Sunday.
Results in from Manaira's follow up work (2 months) after the special 10-day Outreach in January show 6 firm in the faith and 2 or 3 humming and harring and coming and going. We praise God and ask prayer for all.
I had an excellent meeting yesterday with Pastor Lindon Carlos about churches and projects issues. It really was a blessing.
Amidst all this the brightspot was to observe dear Liz just a bit brighter! PTL! She has had 2 B12 injections and will have another tomorrow which is at least combatting some of the side-effects of her condition. She also had lots of liquid removed from one knee which was sent to a laboratory for tests and it is now confirmed that she will soon be starting on different 'biological' treatment which we hope and pray will zap her illness. Please continue praying.
Please also pray for the rains to restart here. March has been a hiccup and the rains have stopped which is most concerning as either we get plenty of rain in the first months of the year, up until May, or we have had it till 2019!
I am working on my sermon for Sunday. Yesterday we received feedback from the ladies of the Desert Flower Project (pseudonymn for Battered wives involved in drugs - never use these terms on Facebook please unless you want me killed) and there was a wonderful general buzz of approval. 16 went plus 9 kids. We feel it was a real breakthrough with the group. Some have expressed their desire to come again. One woman made a genuine comittment to Christ out of the group last Sunday and we checked this yesterday which she reaffirmed. PLEASE PRAY. She is on drugs and trying to get free, lives with a partner which complicated things, has a child and wants to live for Jesus! We are doing all we can to support her first steps with the Lord and hope she will be back in church this Sunday.
Results in from Manaira's follow up work (2 months) after the special 10-day Outreach in January show 6 firm in the faith and 2 or 3 humming and harring and coming and going. We praise God and ask prayer for all.
I had an excellent meeting yesterday with Pastor Lindon Carlos about churches and projects issues. It really was a blessing.
Tuesday, 20 March 2018
Tarcisio nearly died of shock!
When I drove into Green Pastures this morning in a large police van, followed by three more full of police armed to the teeth, Tarcisio nearly fainted! The special police visit had not been planned and Tarcísio thus was expecting nothing. What happened was that I had had a meeting with the new environment police chief and other police authorities in Patos - and everything went so well that they asked if they could go and visit the Reserve at Green Pastures there and then! I said sure, and we took off in convoy!
It was a fantastic opportunity to speak to these powerful men and discuss how we need to care more for God's creation and combat hunters, poachers and tree choppers! "The earth is the Lord's" is what I told the Police chief. I think he got the message!
It was a fantastic opportunity to speak to these powerful men and discuss how we need to care more for God's creation and combat hunters, poachers and tree choppers! "The earth is the Lord's" is what I told the Police chief. I think he got the message!
Monday, 19 March 2018
Special prayer for Liz please
Liz has become very unwell indeed and stands in need of much prayer. I have never seen her so ill before. She has a sudden and severe version of reactive arthritis, formerly known as Reiter's syndrome. It has developed suddenly in her body as a response to an unknown infection, causing cross-reactivity. She is being looked after by two specialists but has thus far not responded to any medication. She is weakened, has much pain and has limited mobility. She will apparently need a long period of treatment over many months. Please pray.
Sunday, 18 March 2018
Oh my my my... what a service!
I have just got home from a great Sunday night "Desert Flower Project" service which went so well. PTL! 16 of the 23 women at present in the project came with 6 smaller children plus an older daughter and her boyfriend! Even 4 of the devout spiritists came!
The service had had lots of prayer put into it and it was electric. The praise was great and the sermon flowed in the Spirit. At the end 2 of the women made decisions plus a number of others who were visiting as well. Thank you Lord.
After the service we had the sale of their handicraft products and that went very well too. So thank you for your prayers and support. God is good!
The service had had lots of prayer put into it and it was electric. The praise was great and the sermon flowed in the Spirit. At the end 2 of the women made decisions plus a number of others who were visiting as well. Thank you Lord.
After the service we had the sale of their handicraft products and that went very well too. So thank you for your prayers and support. God is good!
Travels & Big Service tonight
Liz and I were travelling on Thursday and Friday as Liz needed to see a blood specialist as she is far from well. She has something which has recently and abruptly cropped up which is wrong with her immune system and we value your prayers very much.
Today is the big "Desert Flower Project" service at 6.30 pm our time and I have prepared my sermon and we are looking to God for a greatly blessed service. We count on your prayers. A big spiritual battle is going on around this and the spiritist women involved in the project are creating difficulties - but we believe God is greater than all the opposition and difficulties.
Today is the big "Desert Flower Project" service at 6.30 pm our time and I have prepared my sermon and we are looking to God for a greatly blessed service. We count on your prayers. A big spiritual battle is going on around this and the spiritist women involved in the project are creating difficulties - but we believe God is greater than all the opposition and difficulties.
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