November 2, 2006

Dear Brethren,

Over half of this month was spent on the rivers and the other half working on three building projects. Of course all the other work had to be taken care, business as usual.

My first trip was to Porto Walter. I have been there three times this year, besides a number of other meetings with missionary Mário, to help them get back on track and resume a normal growth pattern. Things are well again. Attendance has more than doubled and quite a few people have been saved. We had four services during this last visit. On Sunday morning I baptized four more.

The next week I was with the congregation at Valquírie. Both of these towns are up the Juruá River. The river has been very low, but God sent just enough rain to bring the river up a little for each trip. We dedicated the brand new brick building on Saturday night. They did most of the building with just a little help from the mother church, First Baptist. There were well over 200 present. Our missionary there is Brother Marinho. He is crippled. He goes there every weekend and holds services in three villages. During the week he also takes care of one of chapels in Cruzeiro do Sul. Even though he cannot swim he gets in his canoe, travels several hours, then once at Valquírie has to crawl or be carried up a steep bank that is over 100 feet. Besides all these hardships his wife is a leper. She has already lost one leg and has no fingers or toes. Yet they have several children that serve Christ with them. The kids are all healthy and have a great spirit about them. A family like theirs is a joy to serve with. On Sunday morning after the regular service we all went down to the river where I baptized four more.

By Sunday night I was back in the pulpit of my home church, First Baptist. Fortunately I can be away often because I have three faithful Brazilian pastors who I have trained and do most of the pastoring.

Last week I went to visit the works on the Moa River, This time the river was about as low as it can get. By time I got to República the river was so shallow that you can wade across with water just barely ankle deep. This kind of trip is tough not only because of the shallows, but mostly because of the stumps. Some places you wonder whether you can get through at all. I still make most of these trips all by my lonesome. I realize that some of you don’t like that, but I am quite comfortable traveling by myself and the Lord is with me always.

My visits were to São Salvador, República and Serra do Moa. We had good crowds at all three villages and all of them are working hard on this year’s general mission project. All of our churches, congregations and missionaries have mapped out the whole upper Juruá River and tributaries (over 20 rivers and streams) to take the gospel to every house on every river. We should be able to reach that goal before the year ends.

The work at the Nukini Indian reservation (República) needs your prayers. Our missionary there is brother Rivaldo. He is under great pressure to leave the village. Outsiders (government, anthropologists etc.) have been there regularly and are telling the Indians that they don’t need a church. Church, according to them, disrupts Indian culture, and they are right! These agitators are pushing the Indians to resume using three kinds of drugs, reject monogamy, encourage rape of 12 year old girls and reject Brazilian national laws. The week before I was there the school teacher seduced the chief’s 13 year old daughter. He had already done this at least twice before. The tribal leaders have gone to Rivaldo to tell him that he can stay as long as he allows the Indians to live their way and not teach on sin. Sin is not an Indian concept and thus should not even be mentioned. Where have we heard that kind of talk before? Please pray for Rivaldo and family.

Well time to stop and get ready for my next trip. Before I do though, I need to let you know that Bev and I are finally going to try to fit in a short furlough. We have been on the field for over 5 years this tour. We plan to leave Cruzeiro do Sul on November 18th and arrive in Detroit in time for the Thanksgiving conference. We are planning on staying through March 31st. After that we would really like to visit your church and present the work to you. Hope to see you soon.

In Christ,

Mike Creiglow

New building at Valquírie.

Baptism at Valquírie.