Bits December 2023

Tea time. Each December the church in Tupanatinga does a women’s Christmas tea. This year, (the 4th annual tea), the women of the church were more involved in the planning and setup which really excited Sarah. Forty-five women, most of whom were family and friends of women in our church, heard a clear presentation of the gospel. 

Six days later two of the Tupanatinga women drove to Arcoverde to participate in the first women’s Christmas tea in Batalha, a community our church is heavily involved with located close to our church. We have helped the community more and more through our social ministry and they have asked for more and more spiritual help. While we haven’t had the human resources to have a weekly gathering, some ladies in our church have started a bi-weekly Bible study. Soon, with the arrival of Stefan and Julia, we hope to have a weekly presence there. On this cool Friday night, the women of Batalha heard the theme of listening to God. 

Cindy Cook and Ashley Salyers were present from Chattanooga. Cindy brought the tea idea four years ago and was happy to see it continued here. Sarah and the girls had a fun time with them preparing cookies and wrapping presents. Due to some friends' generosity, we distributed lots of presents to kids this year. Our partnership with non-profit ministries has grown some this year. Thankfully our church social ministry has done a great job of being creative with fundraising and been able to help out as well. 

A couple started back attending our church and asked for a visit. She said that she feels there is a hole in her life that needs to be filled; she feels directionless. She sought that direction in church. After hearing both of their life stories I shared the gospel. They said that is what they want. Pray for Bruno and Maiara that they will be firm in their decision to follow Christ. We don't always share these stories, sometimes because this update goes online and we are not sure about who will read them. But there have been some neat stories happening. 

We had a great fellowship at our Christmas meal this year in both churches. The end of the year is always festive in Brazil. We also had a couple days of rest in our home with just the four of us. We had been looking forward to that and a little bit lighter week. 

We pray that you have had a Merry Christmas and wish you a Happy New Year!

God bless!

All for HIS glory,

David, Sarah and Santa’s little helpers Evie and Anna Claire 

Bits November

Christmas time is here. Just don’t think cool weather for us. Well, kind of; it got to the low 80’s for a bit and even rained some this week! Thanksgiving is a great time to remember how much God has blessed us. You all who read these updates and pray for us are a great blessing. This year our colleagues Dan and Carol Cook came from Recife to celebrate with us. They stayed three days and so we were able to catch up, have a meeting, and then stuff our faces for Thanksgiving lunch. We even got to watch our Lions lose on the big screen, a Thanksgiving day tradition. We had a couple of other visitors as well, Mike Smith (Roger and Marcy’s son) and his two kids, and then Marvin and Rebecca from our church (Marvin lived almost 20 years in the states). 

Last month we asked for prayer as a Brazilian couple would be visiting us and praying about moving to Arcoverde to help with church planting. Stefan and Julia had a whirlwind trip. We did two prayer meetings at each of the churches so that they could meet some of our members. We had some good conversations. After praying for a couple of weeks they have decided as a family to come to Arcoverde! What an unexpected blessing. They plan on helping out in the church in Arcoverde as well as helping advance another possible church plant. They will come as missionaries sent out of their church in south Brasil and so they will spend the next couple of months raising support. They will start with a two-year term and then see what happens from there. I hope to have more information on how you could help them financially in next month’s update.

Jailson, an elder in training, has been quite involved in preaching and trips to Tupanatinga. He suggested we take the Arcoverde youth group to Tupanatinga. That happened this month and everyone had a great time. The youth went in Jailson’s kombi, played music, games and listened to a lesson on what it means to be a disciple. Then we had some pizza. The event really encouraged both groups. Pray that we would have a youth group that brings energy to the church. Sunday night three of our youth led the music for a prayer meeting. That is exciting! 

The last six months have been a lot of organizing and structuring and working through conflict. Sometimes we feel like we are making little progress and other times there is great hope that the churches will burst at any time, in maturity and growth. Whatever happens, we are not called to grow churches, we are called to be faithful and to make disciples. Please for us to remain faithful!

Sarah and a young lady
wanting to know about baptism

All for HIS glory,

David, Sarah and my two favorite Bible students. This year we are going in depth on the Old Testament and have studied spiritual disciplines, devotionals and now are doing a hospitality class as well. 

Bits October

Monday fun day

Some people have asked if we will have new partners in ministry since our colleagues are not on the field anymore. We are not actively recruiting anyone, but if God sends someone, we will analyze and see if it will work. We were introduced to a Brazilian couple from South Brazil that are looking for a new ministry. They are interested in church planting and our boss told them about us. We have had a couple of conversations regarding philosophy of ministry and such and they seem to be a good match. They are attending a wedding in the Northeast this month and by a neat act of God are able to come and visit us next week. Please pray for wisdom for all of us in this decision for Stefan and Julia! 

The last two weekends we had modules. We did our Gospel and Marriage module in Tupanatinga and had a good turnout and good discussion. I asked a couple of the guys this weekend how their week of marriage went and they said it had been a good week. haha. So at least there was some short-term success.

Module group presentation

This last weekend we did a module on conflict, in general, and then specifically in the church. You think when you sign up to Pastor that it is mainly to preach, but it is actually mainly to resolve conflict. haha. We have had a fair share of that lately and letting the church know how we deal with it was good. The gospel applies to conflict quite a bit and our immediate answer to conflict is the gospel. We were able to order more counseling books this month. There are sets of short counseling books that address many different issues using proper Biblical context. Pray for us as we counsel many different issues, whether it be through quick conversations or weekly meetings. 

We had a unique opportunity this month that generated interest from our members. A teacher contacted one of our members about her class visiting our church for religion class to see what an evangelical church is like. We gave them a tour of the church and then had a mini kid’s service where Evelyn and Anna Claire led the music. I talked about the priority we place on the authority of the Bible and then Evelyn came up to present the gospel with the wordless book. We also had the wordless book colored bracelets for them. The kids loved it. Evelyn did a great job with the gospel presentation. 

Friday nights at the house are pizza nights. We invite one family from the church over to the house to give more attention and hear how they are doing. We are almost all the way through the church after four or five months of this! We start over in January. 

Thank you so much for your prayers and support. You all are a blessing! 

All for HIS glory,

David, Sarah and my little teacher (and babysitter for the modules) Evelyn and our helper in everything, Anna Claire

Discipleship group baby shower

Bits September

This last Sunday we entered the new auditorium in Arcoverde. This project started while we were in the US. Since arriving we have been putting the finishing touches on what was mostly ready thanks to Roger and Marcy Smith. This past Sunday in the new building we talked about stewardship and using the building for God’s glory.

This was the first month in which we started doing a morning Lord’s Supper service. We wondered how it would go; would people show up? Culturally, services are at night, so it is harder to get people to come to something in the morning. But another cultural difference is the importance of the Lord’s supper here and the love for food. Since we attached a potluck to the service, this brought a good group to the service. So the first month of this format was a success! 

Under this format, we are in one service per week in both churches. The once-a-month prayer service has also been a blessing. We have felt that this format has allowed us better contact with both churches. 

Sarah has run into issues fitting women in small groups! They have been very popular among the women and we have seen good spiritual growth in some of their lives. 

In family life, I struggled with shingles the first couple weeks of the month but the effects are almost gone now. Anna Claire picked up chickenpox from me and had a rough go of it for a couple of weeks. She is better now but still waiting for all the spots to disappear. We celebrated getting over our sickness along with Evelyn’s 14th birthday at the beach. It was nice to rest for a few days and play in the waves and sand. Shingles taught me that I need to play sports again (for destressing) and not work as much. Maybe I will listen better this time. We tend to think that a lot depends on us and our efforts and that if we are not working overtime God won’t be able to accomplish as much, but the reality is that God never needed us in the first place. He can do what He wants when He wants. Jesus promised to build His church; we are fortunate enough to be along for the ride. 

Thank you so much for your prayers and support. We are very blessed to be doing what we are doing. 

All for HIS glory,

David, Sarah, Evelyn and Anna Claire

Bits August

Would you care for a cup of tea? Sarah and Cindy Cook put on a couple of teas for the churches this month. Jeremiah and Cindy Cook visit us pretty much once a year and this last month they came for three weeks. Silverdale Baptist in Chattanooga, TN (where Cindy is on staff) holds an annual tea that reaches many in the community. She spoke on hospitality and used Ephesians, which we are preaching through in the churches. 

Jeremiah was able to speak four times at local police stations. He always prays for their protection and wisdom as they make decisions. It is neat to serve local law enforcement in some way. 

We also had another family, the Derksons, visit for a week at the beginning of the month. They take their kids on international trips once in their teens so that they get a different perspective on the world. It was fun showing them around and they were an encouragement to us. They participated in our first gospel prayer meeting. We had a good group in Tupanatinga, who seemed to enjoy the different format. Later in the month, we had one in Arcoverde as well. We plan on having them monthly.

Since returning we have worked on leadership development. Part of that is holding modules. This month we did the module “Processing Life Biblically.” We had a good group for that and significant interaction. We have also started book clubs this month. In a couple of days, we will have a meeting with most of our leaders in Arcoverde to do some vision casting for the future. Please pray as we shoot towards strengthening a team leadership culture. The Bible shows the need for a plurality of leadership and we want that to practically play out well. 

A couple of weeks ago I started experiencing some weird symptoms. Last week my face broke out and we discovered I have shingles. It has been painful and unfortunately, it is a virus that takes some time to get over. Please pray that they will go away soon! According to a lot of sources, they are a result of stress. That is disappointing for me as I don’t want to admit stress levels. Pray that I can find a good healthy balance here that doesn’t result in any more shingles!

The girls are doing well in school and church. Evie starts teaching another Bible study for Anna Claire and her friends next week. Thank you for your prayers and support! We feel very blessed!

All for HIS glory,

David, Sarah and our tea photographer, and our kitty cat lover

Bits July

11 days, 15 people, 10 events, and lots of fun. Bethany Baptist from Salem, Oregon paid us a visit this month. The focus events were Upward football, English conversation, and youth events. We hoped the football and English would pull more students into our teen group. The group was servant-hearted and our church was excited throughout the week. For church on their final Sunday night, we had more people present than we have had in a long time. Several visitors said they would be returning and have returned. 

Diego showed up to the first English night and kept coming back. He had a good spiritual conversation one night with Jason and Nelson. Nelson was able to get a Bible to him and he was excited because he had never had a Bible before. Diego went to church that Sunday night and the next. 

Last Sunday we were in Tupanatinga all day to celebrate Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We had five people who were baptized. That night I counted five more who could be baptized soon. One who has been faithful to church but hesitant to say he wants to be saved, told me he wanted to get baptized in the next baptism. I gave him a big hug. 

The girls went to camp this month. They attended different weeks and so they were separate. Both did well and were campers of the week. Evie is enjoying being in the youth group. She is also now assisting in organization for the nursery ministry. The girls started school last month and are getting used to a new full-year schedule, with four days a week of school. We take Monday off as a family and have enjoyed that so far. 

Friday nights are pizza nights here at the house. We have a signup sheet at the church for families to join us so that we can check up on their lives and have a good informal time of fellowship. This last week we successfully used our brick oven to cook the pizzas! 

We are back into a bit of a rhythm here. Our calendar is set for the rest of the year in regards to services and us being where we need to be. We are going to start a new schedule of celebrating the Lord’s Supper on Sunday mornings. This way we can be in both churches on Sundays three weeks a month. So far both churches have been flexible with us. Thank you so much for your prayers.

All for HIS glory,

David, Sarah, and our glad-to-be-home family

AC and Kiwi

Bits June

 One month down, a lot more to go. On the 18th the church in Arcoverde held the going away service for Roger and Marcy Smith. A beautiful poem was written about their story by a nearby Pastor friend of the church. Two days ago the Smiths landed in Florida after another going away service was held in their previous church plant. We are so grateful for their legacy here in Brasil and are now feeling the weight of their absence! 

In our first month here we have focused on conversations with people about their lives and the life of the church. There has been a lot to discuss and figure out! We have had difficulties in some areas, while other areas have shown great growth! We do have a good group of leaders and workers in the church in Arcoverde and we are grateful for that. We are forming a good leadership team and pray that God will use it to strengthen the church. 

Tupanatinga does not have as many mature leaders, but we have a very faithful group attending the church. We have been excited about that. We are hoping to have a baptism later this month. On Saturday the first we are celebrating a wedding for Lucas and Cassia. While we were in the States they were faithful in reading When Sinners Say I Do and talking with us on a video call. It was really neat to see their spiritual growth throughout the year. They are two that will be baptized in our next baptism. 

James 4 tells us that conflict shows us what our desires are. Our goal with conflict in the church is to target the heart issues and show how the gospel can transform us. This isn’t an easy process. Besides checking our own hearts, we are shepherding people through this heart transformation as well. Pray for open hearts to the gospel, not just in the lives of unbelievers, but believers as well. 

On Friday the 7th, a group from Oregon of 15 people will arrive to do flag football, English conversation, and youth events (and a few other activities). Please pray that the 11 days they will be here will be profitable for the gospel! 

All for HIS glory,

David, Sarah, and our two students. We are trying a different homeschool curriculum and school schedule this year and they have already started this month. I get to teach Bible and Sarah is teaching everything else, mainly using books and some videos. 

Bits May 2023

We made it home! Thanks so much for your prayers for the passport situation and our travels. On Friday the 19th, I (David) left for Oregon right after picking up the girls from their last day of school. I was able to meet with a missions team coming down in July to do youth group meetings, English conversation, Upward football, and a couple of other things. Then I spoke at the church (Bethany Baptist) on Sunday. 

On Monday I flew back to Nashville and met Sarah and Anna Claire and we flew to El Paso, Texas, the one passport agency in the entire country that had openings for a rush passport. It took a little longer than expected, but our flight was delayed and so we still made our flight to Tampa easily after receiving Anna Claire’s new passport (and actually she saw mine would expire in December and was gracious to recommend I just do it then and there). Meanwhile, Sarah’s dad Bob and Evelyn drove the car down to Tampa from Chattanooga with all of our luggage. Many thanks to Bob for being super flexible and helpful! He even had his flight delayed by weather, missed the connection, and had to sleep in the Charlotte airport. He is very selfless and we appreciated that so much!

As he was delayed by a Tampa thunderstorm, our plane was behind him. That delay also made us miss our flight to Brazil; so we rebooked for the next day and our arrival in Brazil was delayed about 27 hours. But we had a huge blessing by being picked up at the airport with our new car that was able to be purchased even though we were not present. A generous friend in Brazil as well as our colleagues Dan and Carol Cook met us at the airport so we could drive straight to Arcoverde. 

In the last couple of weeks, many details had to go right. Even if they didn’t, we know God is in control. Why in the world was it God’s purpose for us to go to El Paso (besides my own irresponsibility)? Yet God provided and blessed. We didn’t know how it would all turn out, but we had to give it over to God and He gave us His peace (yes, our stomachs were turning knots for 10 days), but we still knew that no matter the outcome, God’s will was in it. On the flight to El Paso, I sat next to a Lebanese soldier. I was able to talk to him about war and the peace of God based on what I know Jeremiah Cook has been telling Ukrainian soldiers on the front line. I am grateful for my friendship with Jeremiah and how it prepared me for a good conversation with this soldier. I shared the story about King David from the Bible (we were talking about names) and read Psalm 23 to him. I received his contact information and we have interacted since then. 

We had a reception pizza party in the Arcoverde church on Saturday night where we gave big hugs to lots of friends. Evelyn and Anna Claire felt very much at home as their friends received them so well. On Sunday we went to Tupanatinga for the day. At night we counted only four empty chairs (we have fifty chairs there) and felt so welcomed… and had another pizza party after the service. It felt good to be preaching again. I am grateful for how the church did during our absence. It was not easy for them but they persevered. 

As of now, we are adjusting to living here, painting and organizing our house, and evaluating our plans in light of reality. Pray for us this month as we transition the Arcoverde church from the Smiths to us. 

Thank you for your prayers. I know many increased their prayer life on our behalf this month and we appreciate it so much.

All for HIS glory,

David, Sarah, and our glad-to-be-home family

Bits April

Cutting the cake

We are excited to say that this month we will return to Brazil. We have our tickets for May 24 to leave out of Tampa where we will return the car we had during furlough. We were so blessed by a friend who has a car dealership and gave us a great price on a nice car, even promising to buy it back for the same price. So essentially we used a car for free for the year and can put that money back into a car for Brazil. Then another friend in Brazil has already researched a car for us to buy in Brazil. Due to online capabilities, we are able to have it ready for us at the airport upon arrival. God has blessed us with wonderful friends.

God has also blessed us through generous donors. Last month we talked about a $600 dollar deficit in monthly contributions, but that was pretty much covered by an anonymous donor. So whoever you are, thank you very much! We have now received financial clearance through ABWE. 

The marriage workshop ended up being a success. We had a good group out and no one looked bored at least. Actually, we had some great feedback. As we take furloughs in the future, we would love to offer the workshop to our supporting churches while we are visiting. If you are interested in the material, we did record it and it is available on our youtube channel under the Gospel and Marriage. 

Easter 

The book rollout has been interesting. I just released the audio version of it for free on Spotify as a podcast. This is the first place to announce it, so feel free to listen and share. Sometimes people ask about missionary stories; the best chapter for that is Chapter 11 on patience. I hope you enjoy and also see how the gospel can transform our daily lives and our struggles with sin. 

Anna Claire had her first double-digit birthday and we had a Brazilian-style party for her American friends. They enjoyed the beans and rice and brigadeiros, a little chocolate ball, amongst other Brazilian specialties. 

Brazilian meal

At the end of the month, we were able to enjoy a vacation with some family in Destin. Sarah grew up going to Destin, but hasn’t been since 2013; so we were excited for the opportunity to return. The day we traveled down we spoke in chapel at Oakwood and then stopped at a supporting church in Prattville, Alabama. This month we also spoke at a church in Chattanooga pastored by our former Bible professor from college. Next Sunday the 7th David will be preaching at Cloud Springs Baptist and then on the third Sunday of the month will be at a church in Oregon speaking. They have gone down on a couple of mission trips and are going in July of this year as well; so it will be good to be able to meet the team before they travel. 

Thank you all for your love, prayers, and support through ABWE!

Boardwalk with family

All for HIS glory,

David, Sarah and our first-year volleyball player whose team went 11-1, and our new ten-year-old