June 30, 2004

Dear Fellow-saints,

We have now been back in Brazil for over a month.  As you know, I came in January to find us a place to live and went back at the end March to get Ursula.  The first two weeks back here we had wonderful weather.  It was not too hot and stayed cloudy a lot.  For the past two, it has been rough with smoke, dust, and heat.  I came down with bronchial pneumonia and high blood pressure problems.  I have been limited to only going out at night or early since I am on strong medicine.  I've lost a few pounds which I needed to do, but it's a tough way to do it!  In spite of all this the Lord is blessing and we have much to rejoice about.  Our daughter Michelle, who we left behind for the first time seems to be making the adjustment well.  She is on summer vacation from school but is working.  For the first time in over forty years, we are just us two now.  Not the same as family, but they are precious too.

Our work here in Mato Grosso continues to grow with all the challenges and blessings that come with doing the Lord's work in this wicked world.  The missions at Jardim Fortaleza and Primavera have really grown, not just in number but in the Lord.  We can see that they will be ready to organize in the not too distant future.  The works in Varzea Grande are going well, but at a slower pace.  The St. Marys work continues to be slow, but has great promise for the future as the population grows around it.  It is down on the river bank in a rural area.  The 7th of May work is going well and has thousands of people who live around it.  Pastor Jairo and the Faith Baptist Church take care of these two works with our help.  The work at Novo Diamantino is growing right now, but not without difficulties.  We just found out last week that one of the leading men of the church (not the pastor) who has helped out a lot in the past year has been acting in an improper manner with two young girls who are from two families of the church.  He confessed it when confronted, was not repentant, wanted to continue to work in the church as nothing had happened, but we had to remove him from leadership.  He has quit coming to the church.  Evidently he has not done any bad damage with the two children, but admitted that he has had incidents in the past.  His name is Mario.  Pray for him.  He has grown children and grandchildren.

We continue to marvel at the faith and strength of Pastor Joao Candido of the Boa Esperanca church.  The doctors gave him six months to live with pancreatic cancer.  He has already lived twenty-two months.  He preaches every Sunday.  It looks like the Lord could call him home.  He is very weak.  He is only 45 years old.  Brother Luis Antonio of the same church is now in Sao Paulo taking chemotherapy.  His colon cancer has spread to his liver and left lung.  Sister Teresa, the wife of Pastor Miqueas of our church at Chacara dos Pinheiros, has been gone for 100 days to Sao Paulo with cancer in her right jaw bone.  She is now taking radiation treatments and seems to be doing well.  Time will tell if the Lord will use the doctors to totally cure her or not.  I hate to give all this "bad" news, but it is a heavy burden on us here and we want all of you to pray for these dear people.  The way I have been feeling these days makes me realize that this heat in Cuiaba is taking its toll on both of us.  We are working hard to help three of our young preachers to study and be able to live in their remote communities.  They are trying to get an education to be school teachers so they can be financially independent.  Right now we are helping them stay on the field and helping them to go to school with the help of the As Needed Offerings that come in.  Help us to be able to maintain this.  It will take about two years to get them on track the way it looks right now.  God bless all of you there.

Harold and Ursula Draper

Harold Draper, your hard working missionary in Brazil.