Big Shoot Out at Ipueira

Ipueira is a small town in Rio Grande do Norte State where EAB has been working on a church plant for a number of years now. This morning at 10:30 am a gang of 20 highly armed thieves tried to rob two armoured money carrying vehicles but the only three policemen in town managed to keep them at bay until reinforcements arrived. The gang fled into the rural area which is not that far from Green Pastures so we are being verfy careful as they haven't been caught yet. Please pray.

On Wednesday when returning from Green Pastures I saw an awful accident in which a man was killed. He pulled out of a side road and didn't notice a big lorry coming his way. The lorry chopped his truck in half with the impact.

I had a good meeting with the deaf pastor Luis Carlos today working on details for another deaf conference on August 18th.

I wrote and dispatched the latest EAB Nutshell Update yesterday so if you didn't receive a copy and would like one then please do let me know.

I had a good meeting with our communications man Ray Santana this week who will help me prepare videos clips of short duration - say 2 or 3 minutes each - to use on our UK trip visiting churches. Hence instead of PowerPoint slide presentations like on previous trips we hope to use video material interspersed with Liz and I speaking.

So England and Brazil are into the second round of the football World Cup. Now we shall see what happens. England will not find Colombia a push over but I predict  a tight win for England 2 x 1. Brazil should beat Mexico with more ease - let's say 3 x 0. Actually things have worked out great for me personally with England being second in their group as it means they can only meet Brazil if both get to the final!

Unbelievable!

Well my forecast of 3 x 1 in yesterday's blog for today's game was slightly undercooked! 6 x 1 is a bit of a shock to the system but well done England!

FIVE x NIL!

This is difficult to cope with! England beating Panama in the World Cup 5 x 0 at half time! How will this end up? Crumbs!

Harvest Festival Thanksgiving

We held our annual Harvest Festival Thanksgiving service tonight for which a good number turned up. We had some lovely praise and choreographies in traditional regional steps. It was all beautiful. I brought a reflexive message on how we are communicating the Gospel. At the end everyone ate traditional maize food snacks.

The deaf fellowship was at the Harvest Festival in force tonight! It was lovely to see so many there. I have a meeting with their leader Pastor Luis Carlos next Friday.

This morning the youth asked me to take them on a nature trail at Green Pastures so this I did with pleasure. 

Tomorrow I'm preaching again in Patos at night. I'll watch England in the World Cup in the morning. I forecast a 3x1 win for England against Panama. 

This has been quite a week!

Sitonio, leader of the EAB/ACEV church at Mandacaru continues in hospital in Campina Grande but out of danger I am told. Praise God for his improved health. I just ask you to pray still for a proper diagnosis of what was wrong with him as I fear they will send him home to where he lives in the middle of nowhere without getting to the bottom of the problem.

Pastor Hamilton has now recovered from his severe Dengue fever. PTL! However we are under quite an attack at the moment and pastors Lindon Carlos and Wostenes are not at all well. 

The youth this week have had an intensive programme as they do every year in June. It's been a great week. Last night was beautiful seeing and hearing them presenting in groups the results of their Biblical studies on 4 topics: Corruption, Lies, Humility and the Environment. Tonight they are all sleeping at Green Pastures and I'll take them on a nature trail in the morning. At night they'll be back in Patos for a Saturday night special service.

I'm preaching tomorrow night and on Sunday night. 

Brazil plod on in the World Cup without being very inspired or inspiring. When the group stage ends we shall see who the 16 survivors are. It would seem both Brazil and England should get to at least the knock-out stage, but we will see. 

I went to my doctor this week for my general check-up with the results of blood tests enough to empty anyone's arm! All is fine PTL! Liz continues in much better health and thanks everyone for their prayers.

Please pray for Church leader Sitonio!

This is the leader of the Mandacaru EAB/ACEV Church in Santana de Mangueria County, far west Paraíba State in NE Brazil. His name is Antônio Otacílio, but, as so often happens in Brazil he is only know by his nick name of Sitonio, or may it should be spelt Citonio. 

Sitonio became suddenly ill out of the blue on Saturday with severe haemorrhaging and I awoke on Sunday morning to the news that he had been brought to the Patos general hospital where he was dangerously ill. Contacts with doctor friends confirmed the gravity of his health situation and that he would need to be transferred to a larger more advance medical centre at Campina Grande once he could be stabilized. This was eventually achieved and this Monday evening he has arrived in Campina Grande. Please pray for our dear brother. What the cause of the haemorrhage is is still unknown. He needed a lot of blood transfusion to stabilize him.

Sunday's services went well amidst all this and were a real blessing. News also came through of Pastor Hamilton at our big second church in Campina Grande having gone down with a more severe type of Dengue Fever which is life threatening. He has been in and out of hospital and today is a bit better. Please pray for Hamilton as well. The battle is hot!

I love preaching the Gospel!

I am near to completing my sermon preparation for Sunday on this Wednesday morning and I am already itching to preach it! My preparation started on Monday and I am more and more enthused with the text of John 13:1-17. I have preached on this passage before of course, but this time it's different! Preachers and pastors: if you never see anything new in a text or Bible passage over the years there's something wrong with you! You're stagnant!

I have seen the WASHING of the disciple's feet in a new way this time round. It is humility I know, but it is also washing! Washing which Peter is told he will only understand later. Why later? After what? Leon Morris is great on John's Gospel. 

Thank you Jesus for your washing! Can't wait for Sunday!