May, 2008

Dear Brethren,

Since turning 60 I have just made my first long river trip. Once again I was by myself. My traveling buddy, Hudson, was off preaching on another river. My trip was up the Moa River, which is one of my favorites. This river is always beautiful, even when it is at its lowest and hard to get through. This time of year though all the rivers are out of their banks. We are having a really big flood. I was many miles up river before I came across a place that I could pitch my tent if there was any motor trouble.

My destination was São Salvador. Over the past few months we have been preparing to move Rivaldo from Republica to São Salvador. Most of you know the difficult ordeal that Rivaldo went through with his unfaithful wife at the tribal reservation, Republica. Well, Rivaldo decided to give her another chance when she came back repentant. I have worked closely with both of them through the whole thing. It looks like they are going to make it. The folks at the tribe were not willing to let her back in, though. Things were already pretty bad even before all this came up. We prayed long and hard about whether Rivaldo should stay or move to a more productive location.

While all this was going on I was also talking and praying with the pastor of the church at São Salvador. He had sought me out last year expressing how old and tired he is. The church has been very weak and under attack by Pentecostals for a while. Moises, the pastor, of our church has been living here in Cruzeiro do Sul for quite a while. We all know that there is no such thing as pastoring a church from afar.

After all was said and done, the church there asked Rivaldo to be their new pastor. Pastor Moises will continue as emeritus and will help out going along on some of the mission trips. My trip was to talk to the church again and tell them what they needed to be aware of during the transition. Our meetings went very well. Everybody seems to be happy with the new arrangement. Pray for them. They have some pretty big challenges ahead. Moises has always been a very low key, sloooow type guy. Rivaldo is a bubbly, upbeat and always smiley guy. It is quite a contrast.

Well my solo trip at age sixty was as much fun as all those solo trips when I was 20. I thank the Lord for the opportunity to continue to serve Him in a small way.

Thanks for all of your prayers and support. God bless you as much as He has us.

In Christ,

Mike Creiglow