There are so many times when I am both overwhelmed and amazed at God’s goodness to and through the local church! This month is definitely one of those times.
We have been working in a new area of Pinda called Moreira César since we returned from our furlough. We have seen souls saved, people baptized and discipled from this area. The Lord opened the door for us to rent a small house in a strategic location. A lot of work has gone into making the house ready and we’ve already been able to have 2 services in it. This coming Saturday (March 7th) we are having the inauguration service for Hope Baptist Temple. It’s amazing how much God has done in such a short amount of time. We had one of our supporting churches give a generous offering of $4,000 for the new work and God has opened the door for us to look for property to be able to purchase and build. It’s all very sudden and humbling. We appreciate your prayer for Hope Baptist Temple and for souls to be saved and lives changed through this new work. We are currently holding services every other Saturday but this frequency will increase as we go on. Please pray for wisdom and laborers to properly care for this church.
The work at Victory Baptist Church certainly continues on. We’ve had a spate of new families visit and express interest over the last few weeks. Please pray for wisdom in working with these new families and that the Lord would continue to build His church.
I recently had the opportunity to visit with Ricardo. As is the case with many people here, he comes from an extremely diverse spiritual background. I was able to witness to him, and after nearly 2 hours, he finally understood the simplicity of the Gospel. I often think of II Timothy 2:26 when I am witnessing to people: “And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.” That is the condition of Brazil—100%. Whether the pride of religion or the ignorance of sin, the glorious Gospel is the only hope for this world.
We are continuing forward by faith to buy a piece of land. We have formalized the process and though there is a lot of bureaucracy already, and in the days ahead, we are confident that the Lord will bring us into the exact place He wants us at the exact time He needs us to get there. The property has been stuck in a legal process for some time and the attorney is highly motivated to close the case. Please be in prayer with us. We have a legal team helping us, and Lord willing, we’ll be able to finalize the sale within the next few weeks. We’ve received several generous gifts for us to be able to purchase the property outright. Several churches have already generously given over $35,000 for the purchase of the property. God has shown Himself bigger than anything we could ever ask or think. Please continue in prayer with us to be able to secure the remaining $35,000. Again, we recognize that a church is not a piece of property or a building but this will enable Victory Baptist Church to be stabilized, truly independent, and dedicate financial resources to the Gospel in the years ahead.
Again, we are humbled by your continued sacrifice, partnership, and prayer on behalf of the gospel here in Pindamonhangaba. It is truly our privilege to serve the Lord here and we strive to be worthwhile, trustworthy partners. We know you work long hard hours and give generously so that others can hear the Gospel and have not only their eternal destiny but their lives—even here and now—changed for His honor and glory! We love you and pray for you all on a regular basis. May the Lord continue to richly bless you all.