August 4, 2008

Greetings!

Time is flying by so fast it is hard to believe August is already here! It makes me realize the saying, "time flies when you're having fun!" This month we have had a lot of things happening, but we just praise God for the great times He has given us. After all of the difficult times, and much sadness, it was good to have some joy back.

We have had some company this month, including a young lady from Oregon. She has been here once before while in school in Missouri. Then, later on in the month while she was here, the rest of her group came. It was a very small group, but WOW, what a blessing! They were very encouraging to us. They only had five days to spend with us, including a Sunday, yet they still worked very hard. They fixed some screens, painted an office, and bought new glass for all of the broken windows. It seems like glass is always a need! They also bought twenty security lights and some of the conduits needed to put the lights up.

Last Sunday we had a very exciting day. We invited the community to come over and spend the day with us. This was the first time that the entire church had done something like this. We had all sorts of things on our soccer field: games, inflated toys, kites, food, and horseshoes. At the end of the day we held an outdoor service for everyone and everything went very well.

Another great thing was that several of the kids that had left our care came to spend that day with us, plus the entire next week. We are trying to get the guardian papers for several of these kids. Since the court has not finished the hearing, we are doing several things with the community kids. It has really been exciting. Keep us in prayer for the court hearings, wisdom, peace, and for our supporters, that they will understand what's going on and continue to help.

Some of you may not remember, but about four years ago we started a mission in Iguacu Falls. The work is doing well there. The city has a population of about 1.5 million. The missionary there has started another mission on the other side of town from the first mission point. They are trying to buy a small house to have services in. They need some help with the finances to buy one. Pastor Edson said that they can put a down payment on one for about 4,500 dollars. If you are interested in helping in this ministry, just send your gift designated to "IGUACU FALLS BUILDING." May God continue to bless you.

Love,

Odali and Kathy