November 7, 2006

Dear Friends,

The first Thursday of November was a holiday here in Brazil and our church took advantage of it by going off on a retreat for the day. We had the tremendous pleasure of baptizing four new converts while there. One man had been attending our church for nearly a year before accepting Christ as Lord and Savior. He came from a very devout Catholic background and was a leader in the youth group in that religion when he first started attending our services. Since surrendering to Christ he has been a constant servant warrior. He is so thrilled with his new relationship with Christ. He has been bringing other members of his family to the worship services and offers to help in any activity that we are doing. It is so evident that his life has been transformed by the presence of Christ.

Valter, who is one of our leadership trainees, had his faith and dedication to God put to the test last week. He had been working the early shift on his job for a long time and this worked out well for him to be in the Training Center classes and to help lead the youth ministry. The day before the holiday his foreman came to him and told him that he would be moved to the second shift, which would take him away from most of his ministerial training and activities. Valter told his foreman that he had church responsibilities that made it impossible for him to move to the second shift. The foreman told him that he wasn't giving him a choice, but that he had already made up his mind. He told Valter that he had until Friday after the holiday to decide if he was going to take the second shift or lose his job. Valter asked me for counsel and prayer and afterward he decided that if it were necessary to give up his job before letting it take him out of what God is teaching and using him to do in the ministries. He went to work on Friday and told his higher up boss that he couldn't work the second shift in good conscience and that if required to do so, he preferred to lose his job. After sharing with his boss his decision he went back to his job assignment. Not long afterward, the foreman who threatened to fire him came up to him, shook his hand, saying it had been an honor knowing him and that he himself had been fired. Valter just stood there speechless. He had not intended any ill toward his foreman, but he was amazed at how God resolved his situation. The way that God blessed Valter helped him to see just how real and present God is to bless those who will fully trust in Him. I'm sure that this experience will help Valter remember God's power and grace throughout his life as he seeks to serve Him.

We continue to invest the special offerings that we have received in the continued project of transforming the bus Logos into a fully operational motor home. This month we got three more rooms closer to completion. The bathroom only lacks the shower stall and sink top. The kitchen lacks only the counter top, a mini-microwave oven and one more cabinet door. We got a dining area that converts into a double bed nearly done also. The sound booth is complete. I purchased a laptop computer with some personal funds because the old one just wouldn't work any longer. The Alpha was greatly used this past month in the State of Minas Gerais, where we presented the Gospel in the public schools to over 3,000 students. We also had great receptivity in the public square in the center of town. Dozens of people made professions of faith publicly. We left a trained worker there to continue to disciple those who accepted Christ. There is a small church there now that we trust will help these new believers grow and that they in turn will help the church to grow.

We thank God so gratefully for His blessings and we thank you for praying for and graciously giving to meet our needs.

In Christ's love,

Bobby, Charlene, Jessie and Brennen Wacaser