NEWS
NEWS
In early March we wrote you asking for urgent prayer regarding the possible rental of an apartment in the city of São Paulo. Our thanks go out to those who joined us in prayer and especially to those who took the time to write us, with messages of care and encouragement. You make a huge difference in our lives!
Though God was pleased to answer our specific prayers for that apartment with a "No", we were able to experience His leading in our lives as doors were closed and opened, culminating in the rental of an apartment in the city of Mogi das Cruzes, where the Refúgio ministry is located. In the end His solution for us ended up being dramatically cheaper and much nearer to Refúgio, opening the door for us to be more involved and present there than would have been possible, had we made our home in São Paulo. It has been an exciting and challenging couple of months as we made the transition to our new place and started transforming it into our home.
Refúgio Counselling Ministry
In our last letter we wrote about some infrastructure challenges that Refúgio was facing and some needs that ministry was facing. We want to thank you for your prayers and for the generous gift that was sent towards finishing the weather-stripping on the Library / Offices. We now have enough funds to purchase the materials needed and I'm searching for a carpenter who has experience with this, so that we can get it done as soon as possible.
The past couple of months have seen many couples and families come through the center, and Rev. Wadislau has had the opportunity to serve several people in this way. Our hope is that as our infrastructure work progresses, there will be proper facilities for families to stay in (rather than staying in the counselor's house) and for the counseling itself (sound-proof and separate rooms free from distractions). But as we hope for the future, we continue to take things step-by-step, aware that God's timing is always better than ours and striving to reflect the excelence of Christ in those things which he has enabled us to do.
Igreja Presbiteriana Paulistana Church Plant
We continue our weekly work in support of the IPP church plant. The sermon videos that David has edited weekly have been played over 6,000 times on Vimeo, and the audio versions he creates have been accessed several thousand times as well, meaning those messages have had the opportunity to reach many people who might never have been able to visit the church itself.
At the same time, the Lord has continued to add people to our weekly gatherings and Bible studies. The hotel room we meet in is beginning to feel a bit tight, with nearly 100 people present during the last few services. David is heading the search for a house to rent for IPP, not only for a place to host weekly Bible studies but also to make room for church offices and to expand the joint IPP-Refúgio counseling ministry into the city of São Paulo itself, a couple of days a week.
Acts 29 Brazil Conference
David just spent three days in Rio de Janeiro for the Acts 29 Brazil Conference, "The Gospel Call: Planting Churches in the Light of the Gospel". It was a wonderful opportunity for meeting others who are facing challenges in church planting, to exchange ideas, prayer, and encouragement, and to learn from those who have a heart for a restoring the country of Brazil through the preaching of the Gospel. Many of the ideas discussed have a direct bearing on our own efforts at IPP, and David is looking forward to sharing them with IPP's leaders.
Blessings and Praises
We praise the Lord for the mercies he continues to pour out on our lives! The last couple of months we have been blessed with a couple of families and individuals who have committed to support us for a year. We also received a one-time anonymous gift which came at just the right time to help cover travel and lodging expenses to the Acts 29 Conference.
Even in light of an increasing "survival" budget (rent/electricity/internet, which were free at Mom and Dad's before), we continue to trust in the Lord for all our needs. He has been faithful in providing for us in every way. We thank those who have chosen to partner with us by supporting us financially. These are precious expressions of love and care and we do not take them for granted.
Continuing Challenges
We covet your prayers are we press forward on several fronts.
* Please pray for continued strength and energy for both of us as we strive to continue our respective courses (Taara with language classes, David working on his M.Div./S.T.M.)
* Please pray for the health for the families involved in the Refúgio ministry. Rev. Wadislau has been dealing with severe back pain, putting him in some tough situations with counseling appointments that sometimes need to be kept in spite of the pain.
* Please pray for efficiency and speed in completing the work in Refúgio's Library and Offices, so that we can move onto other projects, leaving those places ready for study and work.
* Please pray for an ever-present focus on the person and work of Christ in all aspects of IPP, including Sunday preaching, Bible studies, and other activities.
* Please pray for Lucas and Elena and their integration into Brazilian church and society. Lucas will soon need to start school so that he can interact with other children and be exposed to a setting where Portuguese is spoken exclusively, if he is to be truly bilingual. We are currently looking for options in this regard.
* Please pray for God to prompt the hearts of a few more people, challenging them to support us on a monthly basis. Given the gifts mentioned above, we have just reached the point where we are nearly at the monthly support levels we budget for. However, new expenses like schooling for Lucas will soon be coming up, which will stretch the budget even further. David continues to take on Web Development projects to bridge the gap in the mean time, but those projects take up precious time which could be spent working on ministry goals and/or studies.
Thanks for reading this far, and for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers. May our Lord continue to bless you and your families, just as he has blessed us and ours.
Love,
David, Taara, Lucas, and Elena
A New Home
Wednesday, June 22, 2011