August 4, 2005

Hello Brothers & Sisters in Christ,

Another month has flown by and we are one step closer to eternity. I'm so thankful that I can look forward to eternity! We have been busy as usual this month. I just got back from a trip to Primavera do Leste. Last week the Boa Esperanca church had three adults saved and several young people there in a week of Vacation Bible School. The work there is without a permanent worker at the moment. Several young preachers are going there to take care of it until the Lord sends the right man.

Pastor Jairo in Varzea Grande is starting up his school again with 90 students. The three works that he heads up are being blessed. Our new family who came up from Sao Paulo are still learning to live here in this heat and this culture. They have struggled somewhat but show signs of coming out of it. The new pastor at the Boa Esperanca church is really adapting well and the church is being blessed with souls saved and a sweet spirit among the members. All in all, things are going pretty well here.

At the Altos do Coxipo church we have a lot of sickness this month and I have spent considerable time trying to help out the sick folks. The greatest sickness is "sin sickness". There is no shortage of that here. How awful is the suffering caused by sin. Every day here in our city somebody is murdered and many crimes are committed. Many homeless kids run the streets taking drugs and committing crimes. What a mess our world is getting in! The Gospel message is the only thing that God uses to make a difference to the lost world.  Let us be faithful in carrying it to our generation.

Several have commented on the picture of Ursula with her two brothers and her sister in last month's Mission Sheet.  We are so thankful that the Lord allowed us to see them.  We thank all of you who the Lord used to make this possible.  We will be in the States the first part of next year to visit churches.  We ask that you pray for Ursula.  She was in a car wreck this past Spring and is having serious problems with pinched nerves in her neck and lives in a lot of pain.  She is taking therapy and medicine.  The doctor has told her that it will take a long time for it to get well and may not totally recover.  We thank all of you for your faithful support to our work here in Central Brazil.

Yours in Christ,

Harold & Ursula Draper