December 1, 2003

Dear BFM supporters,

Sooner or later that flu bug gets everyone and this past week it got me. I have been basically in bed for days. Today I got up and walked around some and was sweating up a storm. I think that means that maybe it is breaking up. I hope so anyway.

We have been blessed these past two weeks. We have had a visiting pastor, Tom Counts, from the First Missionary Baptist Church in Oregon. His Church has been in the past great supporters of our Church here in Caraguatatuba. They gave a great offering to help build the Church building and part of the First Mission Church. He preached for one week at the main Church and all of the mission points. It was a great week of revival. We had 29 members rededicate their lives for the Lord's work and one person saved. The Lord is really AWESOME! I have been writing my messages in Portuguese and on Thursday nights I have a language teacher come in and help with the correction that is needed. Boy, have I got a lot of work to do with grammar in Portuguese. Last week I had written one sermon which I thought was really good. When she got done with it, it changed color from blue to red. Sometimes growing is really difficult.

We did not have the usual Thanksgiving celebration this year. We decided to just forego it and begin to focus on Christmas. But even that will not be the "normal" Christmas that we know there in the States. Here we will have the regular Christmas feast but it will be eaten on the eve of Christmas. And the food will consist more of fruits and tropical things than in Kentucky. Also, as we now live in a beach town, the weather will not be the "norm" either. But we will have our daughter Mary with us this year and that will make it a much better time. We are planning just a small Christmas, probably a couple of outfits for the boys that will get them through the upcoming months. But no matter what, it is the Birth, the Death and the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior that makes the season.

We are planning a trip to the States in January. Our visas came back undecided again and we have gotten counsel from a Christian official in the Brazilian government and he says that the best thing for us to do is to begin the request over again in the States. So on January the 11th, we will be on our way back to the frozen bluegrass state. We plan to go straight to Washington when we get there and get the paperwork started. Our tickets are for us to return on the 14th of February, so we need all of you to pray that this goes through rapidly and without a snag.

This week the boys and I are doing some finish woodwork. We are building six pulpits and I expect it will take a couple more weeks of slow work to finish. The wood we are working with is a little green and causing some problems. Pray for the boys in their spiritual growth and in their Bible study.

We are still looking at the same property to buy and the owner is doing the necessary paperwork to get it zoned to be able to run the machines that we want to use in the school. Pray for this procedure to go through and that we will be able to sell our piece of property there in the States to put a down payment on this one here.

As always we want you to know just how much we appreciate your help with each and every project we endeavor here in Brazil. Thanks, and I wish for you and yours a very happy holidays.

In His service,

A.J. and Barbara