Stories, News & Updates...

A New Home

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 13:35:21 -0300

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 shortened year?

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 13:13:27 -0200

What is it about the new year that inspires a fresh start? For most of us it is a chance to set some goals and aspirations for the upcoming year. For me, it hasn't quite hit home that we are in a new year. (For one, I am sending this newsletter in February!) Since being in Canada on furlough, the beginning of this year has just felt like an extension of 2010. The "new year" for me will start when we return to Brazil this week. I read an article in December about new years resolutions and how it can take up to 7 or 8 tries to successfully fulfill a goal. Not very encouraging. But as I contemplate returning to Brazil and the possibilities and challenges that face me, I am reminded of the verses in Lamentations 3:22,23, "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness". Even if I've already broken a new years resolution, what's to stop me from trying again? God gives us a fresh chance every morning to glorify Him through our lives.
We have had a spectacular furlough in North America over the past three months. We have really enjoyed being able to spend time with friends and family. Having the opportunity to share about our ministry in several churches has helped us clarify our vision for the ministry and we look forward to returning to Brazil renewed and refreshed. We took a two week road trip down to the States to speak at a church in Boise, Idaho and spend time with David's brother, Darius and his family there. We continued on to Tacoma, WA, to see more family and attend a wedding. At the end of January we shared at a church in Surrey, BC, and enjoyed catching up with friends and professors from our University days. We were blessed with very good road conditions, a trusty car and mostly co-operative kids. These last few days in Calgary are being spent cherishing time with our parents, doing last minute shopping and packing, as well as beginning the apartment hunt so we can hit the ground running once we arrive in Brazil on February 9th.
We appreciate your support as we seek to serve God in Brazil. If you have time to reply, we'd love to hear from you and uphold you in prayer.
Blessings,
Taara and David

Christmas Greetings!

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 12:42:53 -0200

We were dreaming of a white Christmas this year, and we've definitely got it in Calgary! The warmth, hospitality and fellowship of friends and family has more than made up for the frigid temperatures (which we're really not used to!) Time is flying by too fast; we've already been in Canada for almost 6 weeks. This month has been filled with family visits, Christmas baking, shopping, decorating and enjoying down time at home. Taara's parents are really enjoying having their two grandkids around - even with Lucas in his "terrible twos". For those of you who have small children, you will appreciate the frustration and hard work it took to get that mostly passable family photo (above). Thanks to my cousin Karen for being so patient and following us around the mall as we tried to get a few decent family shots.
We are looking forward to celebrating Christmas with all of Taara's immediate family. This is the first time we've been together for Christmas in 5 years. We will be honoring a few old family traditions as well as creating some new ones. We hope that this Christmas season is one of hope and joy for everyone.
Blessings,
David and Taara

Affiliated with World Outreach Ministries

Thu, 14 Oct 2010 16:25:04 -0300

We’re getting an early start on our New Year’s Resolutions! We’ve spent the last year and a bit getting settled into life here in São Paulo and as our furlough to Canada fast approaches, we are already thinking about what the new year holds for us. We have a renewed vision for ministry at Refúgio and are thinking about practical ways to support the ministry and help get things moving.
One way of getting started was by affiliating with World Outreach Ministries early this month. World Outreach Ministries will help us as a home office. They will send tax deductible receipts to our supporters and facilitate Online donations to our account. Their system can process International Cards for our friends around the world. They also help to hold us accountable as we seek to fully devote our lives here to ministry.
In the new year, we are looking forward to visiting several churches to share our vision for the church in Brasil through the Refúgio ministry.

Christmas Greetings!

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 11:51:35 -0200

Christmas has certainly snuck up on us this year - in fact the whole year seems like a blur! We’ve had a lot of changes this year; becoming parents, changing ministries, changing countries, language and culture and sometimes it hasn’t been easy. Through it all, we’ve been reminded of God’s plan and provision for His children. As we approach Christmas Eve, we are looking forward to spending time with our whole family, watching Lucas experience his first Christmas ever and sharing the blessings that are only possible because of the greatest gift the world has ever received - Jesus Christ.
We hope that your Christmas is full of awe at the miracle of Christ’s birth, and that you’ll be able to share the joy and wonder of this season with your friends and family, whether they are near or far.
Merry Christmas!
David, Taara and Lucas

Portela Post: September 2009

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 09:25:22 -0300

Dear Friends and Family,

As another month comes to an end, we can hardly believe we’ve been here in Säo Paulo for over three months. We are settling in, running after paperwork and visa issues, exploring our neighborhood, and generally finding our small place in this big, bustling city. Having family close by continues to be a great blessing to us. We are also very thankful for our ability to stay connected to you through email, Skype and Facebook.

Family News

We have faced many health challenges since coming here to Brazil; David getting shingles, Lucas getting chicken pox and this month we have been hit with the flus. It’s winter here in Brazil and somehow both of us managed to get pneumonia and Lucas also came down with a bad cough and cold. We’ve had several doctors visits and have lung x-ray appointments in the next week to see if the pneumonia has cleared up. We are fortunate to have good health insurance, which is helping to cover these costs. Now that Taara (finally) has her CPF (Brazilian social security number) we are on our way to getting Brazilian health insurance. In the meantime we are covered by an international insurance company.

Planning, Planning, Planning...

The majority of our time this month has been spent working with the leadership teams both at the church and at Refúgio to plan for the future. The church leadership team, with their families, enjoyed a weekend retreat at the end of August to develop a strategic vision for moving forward. We enjoyed spending time together with everyone and strengthening relationships as we had devotions, meetings and meals as a group.

David is working on a new website for the church and is hoping to have it up and running by the end of October. We continue to be involved with the services, helping with the music and videoing the sermons.

We have spent a number of weekends at the Refúgio ministry center, talking and planning with the team there. Our main project at the moment is designing a building for guest accommodation. Both of us have been involved with this process and our next step is to get the plans looked at by an architect and to have the land surveyed. We have some donors who have expressed interest in helping to get the building started, but we will still need to raise funds for this project. We are also hoping to have the library and office building fully furnished and renovated by the end of the year.

Pray for us:

• Pray for the church plant we are helping to get off the ground. The planning retreat in August was very constructive; pray that the ideas and practical steps will be followed up by the members of the leadership team.
• Pray for the Refúgio ministry, the biblical counseling and leadership training center which will be the main focus of our work here in Brazil. Pray for the building work to go ahead, as we seek to finalize the plans and raise funds for this exciting project.
• Pray for our health as David and Taara recover from pneumonia and for Lucas recovering from a bad cough. David continues to take nerve medication as he is still prone to headaches and nerve pain from the shingles.
• Pray for Taara as she cares for Lucas and continues to learn Portuguese. She is meeting with a friend to work on her speaking and is using a computer program to learn grammar, reading, speaking and listening. Pray for confidence and opportunities for her to practice.
• Pray for our financial situation. We are looking for individuals and churches that can support us both in prayer as well as financially. At this point we are relying on a few key family members to sustain us. It is crucial that we achieve at least 50% of our target support ($3000 / month) by the end of the year. Please prayerfully consider whether you can contribute to our ministry in this way. For more information about donating either a one time gift or signing up to be a regular giver, check out our website http://portela.com or send us an email.
Thank you for keeping us in your prayers!

Love and blessings,

- David and Taara

Two Reasons NOT to Give to Missions

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 08:50:41 -0300

We often hear missionaries speak about their work and close with a short talk about why you should give to missions (and more specifically, to their particular mission). In these concluding remarks, there are sometimes rationales for giving which I feel do a great disservice to the kingdom of God and, sometimes, do a great deal of harm to the givers themselves.
Reason 1: Guilt
What is guilt? We all know what the feeling is, but some people have a hard time describing what it is or why they are feeling it. Here's what I define it as: guilt is the feeling you have in your heart when you measure yourself morally against a standard and find that there is a discrepancy between the two. There is, therefore, only one thing that should legitimately make you feel guilty, and that is the realization that you are a sinner and that you don't measure up, morally, to God's Holiness and to His standard for you. And this guilt has one purpose, and one purpose alone: to impel you towards His arms of grace, seeking salvation in Christ, from which comes liberty (including liberty from guilt!).
Galatians 5:1 says "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."

What happens when, after we have been freed, we turn our backs on God and turn towards sin/slavery? Once again, the difference between the standard and the reality becomes more apparent and guilt drives us back into the Father's arms. And that is the only response that guilt should prompt. If guilt itself is used as a motivation for anything else, that action is being done in order to assuage your feelings rather than out of a proper desire to do God's will.
So if you've allowed someone to give you an additional standard against which you've measured yourself (or you've created one yourself), and you've been contributing to missions (or to any other ministry) to numb your feeling of guilt for 1) not being able to go yourself, or for 2) not having contributed before, or 3) for failing to measure up in some other area of your life, you need to seriously question your motivations for giving and your sincerity in supporting that work.
Reason 2: Merit
Sometimes we fall into the trap of using the ministries in God's Kingdom to showcase our own qualities or to put ourselves on a pedestal. People often like to point to worship leaders as examples of this pitfall, but for every self-exalting worship leader I've seen several pastors, elders, and Sunday School teachers who loved making their intellect and knowledge known, regardless of whether it was relevant to what they were teaching.
Ephesians 2:8-9 says "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast."

If we're contributing to the kingdom because it makes us feel good about ourselves, or because we feel that doing so will in some way earn us a reward in heaven, once again our motivations and sincerity need to be questioned.
Your Calling
If you have been in church for a while, you may have heard several times that you should be a missionary in whatever situation you are in. And it's true! You're called to be a living, viral agent for the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Mark 16:15 says "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation."
Some people who know koiné Greek a heck of a lot better than I do say that a better translation would be "As you go into the world, preach the good news to all creation." But either way, the message is clear. On the one hand, the "Go!" pushes us out of our seats and into the messy business of speaking about Him to a world that is often hostile to the notion that they need to be saved from anything. On the other, the "as you go" makes it clear that this is a process that should be happening naturally in the life of every Christian, if they are truly engaged in following God and knowing Him. If Christ is in you and you are in Him, if He is the one who gives you strength to withstand the storms of life and the energy to celebrate its victories, if He truly is your Lord and Savior, you will never be able to hide Him from those around you. The Bible says that we are an "aroma of Christ" (2 Corinthians 2:15), and that wherever we go, if we are in Him, His presence will not be ignored.
But What About Missions?
So now that we've talked about what should not be motivating you to give or participate in missions and/or ministry, and we've defined what your calling as a Christian is, we can talk a bit about the way that God has described His kingdom-building work and how He has provided ways for us to be involved. Let's start by taking a look at 1 Corinthians 3. Read the whole chapter for context (it's full of goodies about our role in ministry), but for the moment let's focus on verses 7 and 9:
So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. and For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.

Two things become clear from the passage as a whole but more specifically in these two verses:
1. God is the one who "makes things grow." It's His work.
2. He considers us his "fellow workers," that is, He calls us to work together with Him for the expansion of His kingdom.
The next question is, how are we to work together with Him in this project? Well, we've already talked about how everyone should be preaching the gospel "as they go." The Bible gives us many examples of these as it discusses those who were instrumental in the growth of the early church, people who hosted churches in their homes and/or ministered to the believers in their areas. But the Bible also gives us examples of those who took the "go!" a bit further and took off across the world of their time to preach Christ to those who hadn't heard about Him, and to build the Church through teaching, preaching, discipling, and living the Gospel (Paul, Timothy, Barnabas, and so on). So what structure was in place for the "as they go" folks and the "go!" folks to work together?
Paul, our prime example of a "go!" guy, describes this relationship in Philippians 4:10-20, when he praises the Christians from Philippi for supporting his work:
I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need.
Paul also makes it clear that those who are called to serve in this supportive ministry (and make no mistake, it is a ministry and is as essential as the legwork being done by those who "go!") will receive all the resources they need in order to fulfill that calling:
2 Corinthians 9:11 (read the full chapter for context!) says "You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God."

Finally, Paul also gives us a vivid picture of what happens when this partnership (with each other, as we partner with God) breaks down. He compares the unsupported missionary or minister to an ox that has been muzzled while he's treading the grain, a powerful message of what it's like to be out there without the support of the rest of the Church. (1 Cor 9:9)
Cliff's Notes (Summary)
1. God calls all His children to be co-workers with Him in the building of His kingdom. (Mk. 16:15)
2. He calls some to "go!" in full-time ministry, commanding that those who preach the gospel in this way should receive their living from it (1 Cor. 9:14!).
3. He raises others to support those full-timers and doesn't make them starve in order to do it, but rather provides them with an abundance of wealth so that they can be generous in this way. (2 Cor. 9:11)
Giving to missions (or any full-time ministry) must thus be motivated not by guilt or merit, but by an understanding of one's role as a co-worker for the Kingdom of God. It must be done in a partnership with those in full-time ministry, supporting them not only materially but also in prayer, weeping with them in their sorrows and celebrating with them in their victories. If God has called you to this ministry, supplied you with the resources, and given you the opportunity, then go for it! And rejoice in the promise that "because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else." (2 Cor. 9:13)

Portela Post: Brazil Edition

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 10:02:23 -0300

Dear Friends and Family,

It’s time for a much-needed update from the Portela family. So much has happened in the past seven months. Of course, the biggest change came early on January 3rd, 6:45 am, to be precise, when Lucas was born. He is such a blessing to us and is growing into a little boy already. Some would say not so little!

Wrapping Up in Dhaka

As most of you know we made the move from Dhaka, Bangladesh to São Paulo, Brazil in June of this year. The weeks prior to the move were filled with finishing up our youth programs, putting together a manual for the youth work, recording a worship CD with a church worship team, and of course sorting, packing and selling. Taara also finished up with her piano students and held a piano recital in May. We had a great send off from the church and already dearly miss all our friends there!

We spent about 10 days in India, primarily to get Lucas’ birth registered with the Brazilian Embassy as well as getting passports for David and Lucas. The Lord really went ahead of us and granted us favor with the people there – all the documents were ready in one day! We also met up with some old boarding school friends of Taara’s and were able to take a trip down to the school in South India. Although it was quite rainy, we enjoyed walking around the school, attending the graduation ceremony and connecting with many old teachers, parents and friends. We also savored the cool weather of the Nilgiri hills after the sweltering heat of Delhi!

Getting Started in São Paulo

We arrived in Sao Paulo on June 17th and by the 27th, David was in the hospital. Unfortunately he had quite a bad spell of colds, food poisoning and general stress and fatigue during the preparations for the trip and the trip itself. This lowered his immune system and he contracted shingles. David had to stay in the hospital for a week under observation–it affected one side of his face and could potentially produce both optical and/or brain damage–as well as to prevent Lucas from getting chicken pox from him. (It is the same virus that causes both diseases). It was a tough week, since David’s parents were away in the States and Taara couldn’t visit him for most of the week. Through it all, we were again reminded of God’s presence in our lives; as David was diagnosed through a doctor friend at church, the hospital costs were footed until our insurance can come through, and we experienced tremendous encouragement and help from family and friends.

Please pray for us as we hit the ground running with the ministries we are involved in here. Here are a few specific requests:

• Pray for the church plant we are helping to get off the ground. They have embraced us and have provided us with a small amount of support to keep us afloat over the next few months.

• Pray for the Refúgio ministry, the biblical counseling and leadership training center which will be the main focus of our work here in Brazil. We are enjoying this time of planning and dreaming about what the Lord may accomplish there in the next few years.

• Pray for David’s health as he recovers from shingles. The doctor says he will be suffering from nerve pain over the next few months, as his body heals. He is taking medication that affects his nervous system and this can be tough on his energy levels and emotional state.

• Pray for Taara as she cares for Lucas and climbs the steep hill of learning Portuguese. We have gotten a computer-based course that has been helping her quite a bit, but eventually she will need to have lessons with a real teacher. Pray that God will provide both the person and the necessary funds.

• Pray for our financial support situation. Leaving Dhaka for São Paulo meant not just a 400% increase in cost of living but also a nearly 90% drop in income, since Taara will not be able to teach piano here for some time (as she is engaged in language learning and mothering) and David’s time is fully taken up by the church plant, the Refúgio ministry, and the STM (Master’s Degree in Sacred Theology) he has started this month.

Thank you for keeping us in your prayers!

Love and blessings,

- David and Taara