Dear friends,
We apologize for the delay in getting news out to you. Some of you were probably wondering if you had been removed from the mailing list. We have a lot to share with you, so this newsletter may be a little longer than usual!
PRAISES:
- Bairro Ipiranga – Our first baptismal service was held May 1st. It was a very festive occasion, with each of the new Christians giving their testimony before being baptized. The youth continue meeting on Friday nights. One of the other members is leading the younger youth and we are leading the older youth. A new women’s outreach has begun on Thursday afternoons. We continue having visitors in each service.
- Brejaru – Plans are moving along as far as building a place to house all the different ministries to the neighborhood. Praise the Lord for the men who have been attending the worship time on Saturday afternoons.
- Sao Sebastiao – So much has happened in this neighborhood in the past three months. In the last newsletter, we shared that we had found a building to rent. Since moving into our new space, we have had many new people attending. The women’s craft outreach has been running between 30 – 40 women each Monday afternoon. Several of the ladies that started attending the craft classes have now begun attending the Tuesday evening worship services. Loretta has 15 English students. Hilda and her daughter have at least 40 children that attend Bible School regularly. They presented a beautiful tribute to their mothers for Mother’s Day. We have had between 15 and 20 youth each Saturday and several have made decisions to follow Christ. The older youth are becoming interested in getting more of the older teenagers involved, so we are beginning a separate time for them on Saturday evenings after the younger youth meet. A mission team from First Baptist Church Minden, LA was here during the week of April 16-23. What an impact they made in the neighborhood! They brought an optometrist, an optician, two nurses and a great evangelism team. Vision screenings were done in the two schools in the neighborhood. Over 300 patients had their eyes checked and many of those left with new glasses. There was a Ladies’ Tea, blood pressure checks, diabetes screenings, home visits, Children’s Bible School, visits in the classrooms of two schools, health seminars, etc. The church certainly became known in the entire neighborhood after that week! What a blessing!
- Estiva – There was a community-wide service on April 1st with the presence of the youth from Jardim Eldorado church. They presented two very powerful dramas about the bondage of sin, and Christ’s love for us, his death, resurrection and free gift of salvation. There were several decisions made. Ron continues to lead Bible studies with the teenagers at the Drug Rehab Center in Estiva. The boys are growing in their faith. Recently Fabio led one of the new residents to the Lord.
REQUESTS:
- Bairro Ipiranga – We will be receiving a youth choir from First Baptist New Orleans June 8-15. My brother, Carlos Ichter, is the leader of this group! It will be a special treat to have him, my niece and nephew here for a week. We have been invited into two of the public schools in the neighborhood. Please pray that the Holy Spirit will prepare the hearts of the children and teenagers that will hear the musical presentations and who will also hear the gospel through testimonies and song. The young people will also visit classrooms and tell about their life and culture, and will have the opportunity to share their testimonies. The choir will sing at the Mall and in the Cultural Center of the largest grocery store in our city. On the weekend, there will be a community-wide Bible School for the children. They will also do some door-to-door visitation in the neighborhood. Pray for the youth as they prepare for their time here and pray that many doors will be opened through their presence here.
- Brejaru – We will be receiving 52 youth from Immanuel Baptist Church in Little Rock, AR June 18-25. This is the church where we spent our stateside assignment, so we are excited about seeing many familiar faces! They will be hosting a block party one day, then a 3-day Bible School both in Brejaru and in Jardim Eldorado. The school in Brejaru has opened its doors and has allowed the entire school to participate in the Bible School! What a tremendous blessing! Please pray for the youth as they prepare, and also pray for good weather. Several of the activities depend on good weather. Also, pray for Leandro. He has faithfully attended the Saturday services for several months. He is 17 years old. He will be meeting with the manager of the pizza restaurant at the orphanage (CETE), (which is also a training school for waiters, pizza makers, and fast food cooks) so that he can begin learning a trade. His younger brother has several people wanting to take his life. He has been involved with drugs and many robberies in the neighborhood. Pray that Leandro will be a positive example for his brother and that, through his witness, his younger brother will realize he needs Jesus.
- Sao Sebastiao – Pray for Almir and Vania and their four daughters. Almir and Vania both accepted Christ and are being discipled. They are so hungry for the Word – and it is exciting to see them beginning to grow in their faith. Pray that they will soon begin to see other family members and friends following Christ. Please pray for the women that attend the Monday craft outreach. The past 2 weeks we have had the opportunity to visit with several of them in their homes, at their request, to share the gospel. Pray that as they reflect on what they heard, the Holy Spirit will convince them of their need for a Savior.
- Estiva – Please pray for the community-wide service being planned for Saturday, June 11th at the Drug Rehab Center. The youth choir from New Orleans will be the program. Pray that many of the youth of the community will attend and that the message presented will touch the lives of many.
- Loretta – will be leaving for stateside assignment June 7th. We will really miss having her during the months she will be in the States. Please pray that she will be granted a new visa so that she will be able to return in September.
We are so thankful for the wonderful week we had with my parents last month. They came a week before the rest of the mission team from their church arrived so that we could have a little time to visit. They are such special people and we are so thankful for their lives, their example, and their encouragement! Next month, Jana and Joel will be coming with the youth team from Immanuel Baptist Church in Little Rock. They will stay for a week after the team leaves so that we can have more time to visit as well. We are so thankful for the time we will have with them, and we are also very thankful for the help they will be to us. Joel is leaving for India Tuesday with a group from Ouachita Campus Ministries. Please pray for the group as they “let their lights shine” in India.
We appreciate the notes of encouragement and the prayers of all of you who are “holding the ropes” for us!
Love,
Ron and Alana
