August, 2007

Dear friends,

This week AJ,Walmir and Pastor Epitacio are at a conference on missions so I get to write the monthly letter. We have had a good month of July. Pastor Epitacio Dona Fatima, AJ and I started the month by visiting the mission point at Salesopolis. The work there is holding its own in numbers and seems to be growing spiritually. The Pastor, Luiz, and his wife, Danella are hard at work there. This couple has been married for eight years and are in the process of adopting their first child and guess what, she is pregnant. Please pray for her as she is in her seventh month and the Doctor has put her on complete bed rest. Continue to remember this work in your prayers.

Speaking of pregnancies and prayer, I would like to ask for your prayers for our daughter-in-law Jill and our son Bryan. Jill is pregnant and it is an at-risk pregnancy. So, the future grandpa and grandma ask you to hold our children in prayer as they trust in God throughout this pregnancy.

The next part of July the man who drove the boys for the group in June called AJ and told him about a minibus in his town. AJ went and looked at the minibus and it was just what he wants. He told the owner that we did not have all the money to purchase the bus and the owner said that he would hold it for him. We have the bigger part of the money thanks to various Churches, private individuals and Bible School groups that have donated to the bus fund. And since the time that AJ looked at the minibus we have had several calls from friends and family members telling us that they have sent money designated to the fund also. So God is working and we just need $4,000 dollars now to buy the minibus. Isn't our God great?!? He says that we have not because we ask not, we have been asking and He has been providing.

Speaking of receiving, we received some money several months ago for the foundation of the dormitory but we have not started that project yet because we need a little more to do the foundation. So we are holding that money waiting for enough to start and complete the foundation.

AJ has preached in the mission point at Barranco Alto and has visited in this neighborhood with his son-in-law. On these visits one man, the husband of one of the women that frequents the mission point there, accepted Christ. This mission point is in the carport of our member Gloria. She lost her husband this year and is left with six kids to raise by herself. But this does not impede her zeal for the Lord. Pray for Gloria. I mention these people by name because I feel like when we pray by mane it becomes more personal.

We finally got to work on the office at the Vocational School last week. We cut the door and window in one of the containers and we found drywall in the next town. So the window is set with half of the glass cut and in and the door is in, and the drywall hung and the electricity run. We are at a standstill again because of that pesky thing called money. But we are well on the way to becoming efficient.

We have the two young men living with us and several more waiting to come when we have a permanent place for them to stay. There two are being trained in the carpentry shop, the key shop, and in the picture framing shop. We are planning to start working the block making machine again in the near future. So that will make four professions for them with various others waiting to be taught. Mary is waiting for the office to be finished to begin to teach computers, basic finances, and basic English. So as you can see we are moving forward in all areas here in Caraguatatuba.

We are cleaning the building and preparing to open another mission point. Pray for Walmir, Mary's husband, as he leads this work also. Our work in Morro do Algodao is continuing in homes as the remodeling of the Church building continues a little at a time. We have shored the building up and have poured a new floor and built a new bathroom. We are just waiting for the front door and the tile on the floor and the painting of the walls. The congregation there are so anxious to get back into their building that they say "Just get us a door and we will go in without the tile and the paint, that can come later". The work at Olaria is booming with four young adults pushing Walmir. They have Bible studies every day with the new Christians and have a children's Bible study on Saturday afternoon. Walmir preaches there on Thursday and Saturday nights. George and Alda, in Natividade de Sarra are doing well with the work there. And in Pereque we continue having services in the homes of the believers. When I tell you about all these works, I don't want you the think that AJ and I do all of this, we believe in getting things started and training the native Brazilians to take the lead. God is blessing here in Caraguatatuba.

Thanks for your faithful support in offerings and prayers. Without the offerings we could not finance the works but without the prayers we could not work. So keep up the good work there as we keep up the good work here.

And as always, the sheets are turned down and the light is on so come on down and see your offerings and prayers at work.

In His service,

Barbara and AJ