Dear Prayer Partners,
We are so thankful for each of you and for your faithfulness in praying for us. We praise God for all He has done and is doing. We are blessed to serve with such a great group of intercessors.
PRAISES:
- Jason – He is pretty much back to normal except for his weight! We are so thankful for God’s healing!
- Carlos and family – My brother, Carlos, and his family were able to get out of New Orleans before Katrina hit. God has provided for them in a wonderful way through His people. They are living in a duplex in Conway, Arkansas and their children are attending school there. Their house was not damaged.
- Bairro Ipiranga – The new Christians are growing. There have been more decisions to follow Christ this month. This weekend several members will be trained in Chronological Bible Storying. It has been a special joy to see the youth growing and wanting to reach their family members for Christ. Six of them were able to attend the youth campout the end of August.
- Brejaru – The “house church” in Brejaru has been going well. This past Saturday there were 18 people present. As we were leaving the neighborhood, one lady came running behind us and asked if we could go pray with her next time we were there. The Thursday Bible Study has been going well. It is beautiful to see God begin to change the lives of some of the women. Pr. Roberto is having a real ministry not only to the children of the public school where he has been teaching, but to the teachers and staff as well.
- Sao Sebastiao – Several of the women that attend the Monday afternoon craft outreach have made decisions. This past Tuesday afternoon we began a Bible Study with four of them. Four of the youth were able to attend the campout the end of August. It was really a blessing for these kids to be able to meet youth from two other congregations. They had a wonderful time and learned a lot as well.
- Estiva – A young pastor, Alessandro, has committed to spending two days each week with the boys at the Drug Rehab Center. That was definitely an answer to prayer. Ron continues to lead weekly Bible studies with the boys. A new development is that we have been given permission to bring two or three boys from the Center to church on Sunday evenings. They spend the night at our house then go back to the Center on Monday mornings.
REQUESTS:
- Bairro Ipiranga – Pray as the church council meets several Monday nights to pray together and develop a strategy to reach Bairro Ipiranga for Christ. Continue to pray for Pastor Zenilton and his wife as they lead the church and develop leadership. This weekend they will be trained in Chronological Bible Storying and Pr. Zenilton will also participate in a Haggai Leadership Conference next month. Pray that these training opportunities will be help him become a more effective leader.
- Brejaru – Please pray for the people that have been participating in the house church. Pray that more of them will commit their lives to Christ. Pray that they will be strengthened in their faith. Pray that they will “abstain from sinful desires, which war against their souls.” (1 Peter 2:11). Pray that they will share with their friends and neighbors what they are learning and how Jesus is changing their lives. It has been raining almost continually for the past 3 weeks. The entire neighborhood is a muddy mess. There is no way to walk out of their houses without stepping into mud mixed with raw sewage, and debris from the overflowing canal behind their houses. Please pray that as we continue talking with the people from local government there will be a solution to the drainage problem there because it is a threat to the health of the people. It is going to be quite a bit more involved than we had originally thought. We also would ask you to pray that God would send some sun to dry out the land so that all the foundation work can be completed before the arrival of the team from Woodmont Baptist Church on October 8th. Part of the team will be building a community center and part of the team will be doing medical work in the school and community. There will be a big Children’s Day party on October 12th . That day there will be opportunities for abundant “seed-sowing” and personal contacts with new people. Please pray that the seed would fall on fertile soil. First Baptist Church Winter Park will arrive October 23rd to continue construction of the community center and do dental/medical work in the community. We would really appreciate your prayers for both of these teams as they prepare to come and as they minister here.
- Sao Sebastiao – Please pray for the women who have recently accepted Christ. Pray that they will grow in their faith and that they will be bold in sharing their testimonies with their families and friends. Pray for Sandro’s family. Sandro is a new believer, but his wife is not a believer. She is 8 months pregnant. There have been some problems with her pregnancy. We have been praying for her and things seem to be much better now. We are planning a baby shower for her October 3rd. Please pray that through these contacts her heart will be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s voice. Continue praying for all new believers that are being discipled.
- Estiva – We are so thankful that Pr. Alessandro will be giving more time to providing spiritual guidance to the boys. Please continue praying that God would raise up some committed Christian men to work as monitors at the Center, and that there would be some stability in the staff. That is still a big need. Pray for Salete’s brother-in-law, who has liver cancer and now also in his lungs. Pray for his family because the doctors have told them there isn’t anything else that can be done for him.
- Training Event – Please pray for the training event that will be held this weekend to train people from our church planting networks as well as people from other churches in Chronological Bible Storying. Pray that the training received will be put into practice and that many new people will be reached for Christ.
- Loretta – We had written last month that Loretta had been recommended for a permanent visa. Well, the Foreign Relations Ministry recommended her for it, but the Department of Justice denied it. So she is applying for another temporary visa. She will be going to Miami next Wednesday, September 28th, to present all her documents and application for a new visa. Please pray that it will be granted quickly so that she can get back down here.
- First Baptist Church New Orleans – Please pray for these special people that sent a wonderful youth choir to work with us in June. Their lives have been suddenly changed since Hurricane Katrina. Most of them are still uncertain about their jobs, their homes, and whether there is a future for them in New Orleans. Many have relocated and many others are still waiting to return. The church members are scattered all over the United States. There is a small group meeting in Baton Rouge and making plans to return as soon as possible to minister to their neighbors.
“Finally, brothers, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you.” 2 Thessalonians 3:1
Please check out our Family Album and our Ministry Album. There have been a lot of new pictures posted since the last newsletter.
Love,
Ron and Alana
