Action Child

Our little action schools are back in action for 2025 remembering that the school year here doesn't run from September to July as in the UK, but follows the calendar year with 2 semesters (February to the end of June + August to December). On Tuesday afternoon I had a good meeting with our schools team coordinators. Our little school at Green Pastures has closed this year as the region has run out of little children!

On Tuesday night I spent 45 minutes at the wake of Geraldo Batista. A wake here is held with the deceased person lying in an open coffin and people come in, look at the person, and then give their condolences to the relatives. People at the wake drink tea and coffee. The wake was held at our church.

On Wednesday morning at 9 am I conducted Geraldo's funeral service at the church followed by the committal at the central cemetery of São Miguel where we had to clamber over tombstones to get to the place where he was buried. Everything went off well.

It is amazing how adapted to urban conditions the Ruddy Ground-Dove is. I saw them in the centre of town near the cemetery and they are always around our house. They appear to be almost as plentiful in Patos as the House Sparrow. They have milk chocolate coloured brown wings and body with a grey head.

Sunday night service

In Brazil our main service of the week is on a Sunday night at 6:30 pm. In the morning we have Sunday School for all ages at 9:30 am. I led the Sunday night service and young lawyer and Bible College graduate Murilo preached on Matthew 16:13-20. It was an excellent sermon. The praise and worship was led by Sacha, Marina and Fabio on vocals, Rogério on keyboard, Rogaciano on guitar, Ricardinho on bass guitar and Netinho on drums. This group is very good indeed. It was a lovely service with a full church.

On my trip to Ipueira I saw 3 species of birds I hadn't seen for some time. I saw Yellow-chinned Spinetails, a pair of Blue-black Grassquits, and a pair of White-throated Seedeaters.

Today a university professor, Dr. Flávia Moura, is starting research at Green Pastures into termites. Her work, together with her team, will not disrupt the camp preparation as they will be out in the bush doing their work. This reminds me to ask you to please pray for the Carnival Camp which starts this Saturday. 🙏

I am very pleased to have completed my résumé of the Pentateuch. To cover all the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy took exactly 5 months. That's 187 chapters in 150 days which isn't bad with everything else I have on. 

Linda is our cook at Green Pastures and her husband Geraldo has just died of cancer a few hours ago. Liz went and broke the news to her. So I will have a funeral to conduct between now and tomorrow. Please pray.

Deuteronomy 34 (résumé): The Death of Moses

So Moses climbed Mount Nebo, as the Lord had commanded, from where he saw the promised land which had been first promised to Abraham hundreds of years earlier. There at 120 years old Moses died and was buried in Moab, though exactly where nobody knew. When Moses died his eyes were not weak nor had his strength gone. The Israelites mourned Moses' death for a month. It was then Joshua who took up the reins of leadership. He was "filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him". The book ends remarking that no prophet greater than Moses had ever lived.

Deuteronomy 33 (résumé): Moses blesses the Tribes

Moses is about to die so he gives his parting blessings upon the tribes of Israel, although he misses out on Simeon. Moses starts by exalting the glory and majesty of God before blessing each tribe. He starts with a very brief blessing upon Reuben in just 11 words. Next comes Judah calling upon God to help them against all their foes in 27 words. Then comes Levi who has a longer blessing of a full 4 verses which includes a blessing on their skills and the work of their hands. Next Benjamin's blessing has 27 words and focuses resting secure in God. Then come 4 long verses in the blessing upon Joseph with strong environmental comments about dew, deep waters, sun, moon, mountains, hills, earth and burning bush. Then come the briefest of blessings on Ephraim (7 words), Manasseh (6 words) and Zebulun (10 words). These are followed by the blessing on Issachar who "will feast on the abundance of the seas". This is followed by a 2 verse blessing upon Gad who is likened to a lion and then a 13 word blessing on Dan who is likened to a lion's cub. Next comes a full verse of blessing upon Naphtali who "is abounding in the favour of the Lord" and finally Asher saying that his strength will equal his days. Moses closes by pointing all to God "who rides on the heavens to help you" ... saying "blessed are you oh Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord?"

Deuteronomy 32 (résumé): The Song of Moses

This chapter contains an anthem-like poem which is the Song of Moses. It is a prophetic testimony lamenting Israel's eventual unfaithfulness to God and his judgement upon them. The song commences by praising God for his justice, faithfulness and greatness. It describes how God cared for Israel making it a great nation like an eagle nurtures her young. Yet despite God's wonderful care Israel would forget God and ignore his guidance, turning instead to pagan gods which greatly anger the Lord kindling a fire of wrath which would burn to Sheol. Therefore God said he would send curses on the Israelites: calamities, famine, pestilence, plague, wild beasts, venomous vipers, and violence. Then the song goes on to criticize Israel's senseless attitudes in which they fail to think about the long term. Yet it says that the Lord will judge his people and have compassion on those who love him. And the song ends exalting the greatness of God which is utterly superior to all the gods! God puts to death and brings to life, he wounds and heals and nobody can free from his hand. Moses and Joshua spoke all these words to Israel exhorting them to take great heed to the message of the song. For these "are not just idle words - they are life"!

On that same day God told Moses to go up Mount Nebo where he would die. Before dying he would overlook the promised land which he would not enter because he broke faith with God many years earlier at the waters of Meribah.

Deuteronomy 31 (résumé): Moses nears the end

Moses, at 120 years of age, knew he was reaching the end his life and he knew that he would not enter Canaan because God had said so. So Moses called Joshua to take his place telling him to be strong and courageous knowing that God would be with him. 

Then Moses wrote down the law and gave it to the priests saying that they should read it to the people every 7th year during the Feast of Tabernacles.

Then God told Moses to present himself with Joshua at the Tent of Meeting and there God told them that the people would soon prostitute themselves with pagan gods after entering Canaan, and this would make him very angry and would bring disasters and difficulties upon them. After this God told Moses to write down a song and teach it to the Israelites, and make them sing it, so as to be a testimony against them when they eventually rebel against God's law. God told Joshua to be strong and courageous as Moses had said previously. Moses then again predicted rebellion by the people after he has died.

Hornets

Hornets (Maribondo) are large dangerous insects and widespread here. They are brown, have large wings, and legs and a sting hanging beneath them like a lowered plane undercarriage. They are about the size of an old 50 pence piece. (I don't know if they still exist?!) I once was stung by 3 of them on my neck in an old disused farm house and it sure hurt! Hornets make nests out of earth on the walls of houses and one place they like to use is inside electrical sockets. As we prepare Green Pastures for the Carnival Camp next week we are having to clear out the electrical sockets so that they will work, because you can't plug anything in if the socket is full of earth!

Yesterday morning at 8 am Liz went to Ana Karla's birthday breakfast. Ana Karla is a member of the Patos church. It all went off beautifully.

I have just had an avocado pear smoothy. 😋

Sadly QPR lost 2 x 1 yesterday away to Portsmouth. 😔

Yesterday I travelled to Ipueira with Deacon Dedé, his wife Geralda, their daughter Maria Fernanda and Sister Madá. We had a nice time sharing the word of God, praising the Lord and praying. It was lovely to see a couple who I baptized many years ago still going on with God and firm in the faith.