As we look back at this year and all that the Lord allowed us to do, we can only praise Him and express our love and appreciation to you all. It’s truly humbling to know how many are praying for us and helping us along the way. We trust that we are a worthwhile investment for His honor and glory.
November was a wonderful month as we continued working on the groundwork for the new church plant. A deaf family came to the service at the park and expressed interest in participating at the church. Jesse’s wife, Claudette, signs, and so it’s been a joy for us to have this young family coming. The deaf are often a forgotten segment of any society. I took a Libras (Brazilian sign language) course a couple of years ago but I am admittedly rusty. Their 4-month-old son Diogo was dedicated on a recent Sunday night. What a joy it was to see this couple’s desire to yield their young (hearing) son’s life to Christ! They have an obvious desire to grow. I hope to soon have the chance to personally witness to them. Please pray for Guilherme, Ana Lucia, and Diogo.
Anderson and Ana also had their baby. Ana was due the first few days of December, but Rebeca arrived on November 12th. It was our great joy to be able to go visit with them. It’s exciting to see them continue to grow. Lord willing they will be able to be an active part of this new church plant as they live in this neighborhood. There’s nothing like crying babies and singing men in the local church. It’s always interesting and exciting.
Isac and Regina were saved and baptized late last year and have brought many visitors to church. One friend they brought recently, Rafael, has had some difficult things happen in his life. The following week, I had the opportunity to visit him with Bro. Isac. For me, it was exciting to see Isac in his mid-70s on a soulwinning call and to see Rafael get saved. As I was witnessing to him, he had so many questions, and I wasn’t sure he understood the clarity and simplicity of the Gospel. Finally, after nearly 2 hours of his questions, he very simply asked, “So what do I need to do to receive God’s gift of eternal life?” It’s great to know that the Holy Spirit and His Word are doing the work. Often, it’s best to just get out of the way. Please pray for Rafael and his spiritual growth.
Looking forward to 2026, we anticipate what the Lord has in store for us, Victory Baptist Church, and the new work in Moreira César. Many people have asked about our building situation. Please continue to be in prayer for that. Per our contract, we can give our landlord 30 days’ notice for leaving. We’re not worried about the cost, but we do want to be good stewards of the financial resources the Lord has given us—between our church’s savings and our financial partners. We have several pieces of land that we’ve looked at. We will likely be a few months without a permanent location while we look for land and save money. We’re not in a rush and we know that the Lord will bring us exactly what is best for us. We’re doing our part in giving, sacrificing, and planning, and trust the Lord to bring us along. A building is just a tool. It’s not the land. Or the building. It’s what the Lord can and will do through that place that gets us excited.
We will be having our Christmas cantata on December 13, once again in the new area. New Life Baptist Church from Taubaté is bringing their choir and we expect many visitors and the Lord to work. Please pray with us for this soul winning opportunity.
God has been good to us in 2025. He has cared for us through you all. We know He has great and mighty things which we can’t even imagine just around the corner!