December 1, 2003

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, 

Another month has flown by. The Lord has been so good to us here in the Draper household. Ursula's health is stable and she has been traveling with me for the past three months. Michelle is doing well in College and on her part-time job. Michelle asked that I acknowledge the scholarship offering that was given to her by James & Rebecca Lessley, Alma, Arkansas. Also, Sister Evelyn Penny, Lessburg, Florida. We want to thank also the Bohon Road Baptist Church, Harrodsburg, Kentucky and the Storms Creek Baptist Church, Ironton, Ohio, for their offerings to the H.H. Overbey Scholarship Fund. This help is very much appreciated both by Michelle and by us.

The work in Brazil is doing well. Our new work in Primavera do Leste is growing in spite of some problems with the young preacher not knowing how to organize some things. The mother church at Boa Esperanca is very able and quick to help him out when things arise. We are so thankful that these brethren there know the truth and stand for it. All of the other works are holding up well. On the 29th of this month, we will have a baptizing in the new baptistery at the Jardim Fortaleza Mission. There are eight candidates awaiting baptism.

We will continue to travel and preach until December 14th. Then we will have to cut off the travel and make preparations to go back to Brazil. I plan to leave in January.

We have traveled a great deal since last month. I have been to five mission conferences in three states and have preached in several churches. I am trying to buy my ticket tomorrow for my return to Brazil in January to start our next term. I left Ursula at our daughter's near St. Louis yesterday at noon and came back to Kentucky to preach at my home church in Arlington to help out Brother Howard Wilson Jr., who is sick with the flu. Tomorrow I will go back to where Ursula is to go with her to the doctor. She is going for tests to see if her medicine is holding her under control.

We make an appeal for the General Fund this month. It is very important that it not fall more but increase some.

We thank all of you for your faithful support. The Lord is faithful. Next month I will write a longer letter telling about the needs and what's going on in our work in Central Brazil. I do ask that you pray for two of our Brazilian preachers who have cancer. They both are 45 years old and have teenage kids. They are both from the same church. Their names are: Luis Antonio and John Candido. It seems that the first has the possibility of totally recovering from colon cancer. The outlook for the latter is bleak. They have detected a tumor in his liver. Both are on chemotherapy.

God bless all.

Yours in Christ,

Harold & Ursula Draper

Pastor Agostanho - Pastor of work in Varzea Grande.