Bits March

 

Happy Good Friday and Resurrection Day to all! We are so blessed to  serve a living Savior who is involved in our day-to-day lives. I pray that this Easter there will be renewed hope in all that God is doing in your life and around the world. In this part of the world, we are more and more excited. Our new Brazilian partners Stefan and Julia have arrived and are settling in. God provided a place for them to stay sooner than expected. They have already jumped in on some ministries, including preaching, and have shown servant hearts.  

Last weekend Evelyn and I went to the camp in Recife for English Camp. A church from Grand Rapids, Michigan (my hometown) came down to run the program. There were 19 people from the church and 5 from Lake Anne Camp that brought down games and messages. I helped with small group discussions and Evelyn had fun participating and making new friends. Ellen, from our youth group, went and we had good discussions on our way there and back. She did not grow up in church and so she has asked some good questions about faith.  

This month Sarah spoke at a women’s breakfast about stress and trusting in God. She involved some other women in the programming as well. It is neat to see some women stepping up and using their gifts in the church. 

 

The teens also ran an Easter program for the kids in Batalha. Evie did a great job doing a play and helping with the games. Pray for direction as we look at planting a church in Batalha this year. On Saturday the women from Batalha are going to our church for a special program.  

This last week a lady from our church, a school secretary, set up two groups of 35 1st and 2nd graders to visit the church and learn about Easter. We had three Pastors present to help out with the guided tour with stories about Jesus. Evelyn did a great job on music and the wordless book. 

We are excited about what is to come here, whatever that is! haha. We are grateful for God’s many blessings, part of which are you. We have been able to be more and more helpful to others here because of your generosity. 

All for HIS glory,

David, Sarah, Evelyn (as you can see from the letter, she is already on full-time missionary status), and Anna Claire (who turns 11 next Saturday)  

Bits February

We are excited! The new year in the two churches has brought a lot of excitement. Last year was a time of transition with us being gone half the year and then getting back into the swing of things and trying to put everyone in the right spot. We don’t have all of our ducks in a row yet, but enough to feel like we are organized and ready to roll. The New Year in Brazil struggles to start until after Carnaval every year as people vacation and school is out. 

This year we decided to test some programming during Carnaval to see if people would come. The Arcoverde church went out to Tupanatinga for a Saturday Baptismal service and time of fellowship. Many spent the night and we had a fun Sunday morning with breakfast, Bible study and another service before we wrapped up the weekend with a traditional meal together (feijoada). On Tuesday we regathered in Arcoverde and did a short module and ate again! I would like to say that I got smoked in dominos on Saturday and Sunday, but on Tuesday I won a couple of games (probably because I had an older experienced guy as a partner). 

This month Evelyn started an apprenticeship. We have had a close relationship with a local English school for years. Evelyn can’t work yet, but she can help out and she started doing just that a few weeks ago. She goes in on Thursdays for a few hours. We are excited for this opportunity for her to get out, learn more about teaching and to have fun as well. 

Our new Brazilian colleagues are on their way! Stefan is making the five day drive from South Brazil and left on Wednesday. Pray for his trip! Then Julia and their three kids come next Tuesday. Pray for them as they adapt to the new culture and find their roles in the church planting vision here. 

My brother Dan and his family came this month for ten days. It is so neat to have family down here. They were very encouraging and were able to participate in some ministry. We were able to take some time off to hang out with just them. It was an amazing time together. Here are a few photos. 

All for HIS glory,

David, Sarah, my busy working Evie and my living the life of a twin (cousin) Anna Claire 

Bits January

This month we did an experiment as a church with sabbath principles. January is Brazil’s summer and so a lot of people vacation. We decided to put a pause on ministries and focus more on studying the Word and meditating on the gospel. The book Gospel Primer has been very influential on our family as far as applying the gospel to every area of our lives. We translated the 31 texts that he has and I posted that each day in our church group as well as on social media. Instead of our praise band on Sundays, different individuals led music. Instead of kid’s service, the kids stayed in the auditorium. Other ministries did less as well. This Sunday we return to normal. This past Sunday there was a good group and good spirit. Pray that keeps up! 

Sarah’s parents Bob and Ginny Hall visited us for two weeks. We had a great time. Her dad, also known as Coach Hall because of over 40 years of coaching different sports, but mainly baseball, did a men’s event in both churches on “Dare to be a Daniel.” He grilled chicken and served their famous white sauce along with a traditional barbecue meal. The guys liked it, tried to get the secret white sauce recipe, and paid attention as he told the story of Daniel and gave a challenge towards trusting the Lord in all areas of your life. 

Usually around the New Year, we look forward to what we would like to accomplish in the following year. This year in Arcoverde we want a more established leadership and a congregation that thrives around the gospel. In a little over a month, we will have an assistant Pastor arriving whom we will partner with to also plant a church. We are excited about this opportunity! 

In Tupanatinga we would like to get more and more people involved. In a couple of weeks, we will have another baptism and several desire to be baptized. We have mostly new Christians in our congregation and are still figuring out some basics! Praise the Lord. We have started studying the Old Testament stories and will be in that series for a while with the goal of laying a base for beliefs. 

Sarah has done a great job on our midweek studies with the ladies. In Tupanatinga she is teaching on emotions and a good group of ladies are showing up! The same rings true for Arcoverde and their study of a Jen Wilkin book about the Ten Commandments. The men have studied Nehemiah. The next couple of days we are reviewing our studies of Nehemiah and Daniel and trying to apply it to our lives. Pray for men with integrity who are proactive in changing their communities! 

We have been so blessed. Pray that God would use us for His glory!

All for HIS glory,

David, Sarah and our soon-to-be English school apprentice (Evie will start helping out at the English school one day a week), and our bouncy cat lover Anna Claire