banhocheiroso

Back to Brazil

So – we are home! We thought that it was a good moment to put some general prayer requests up for the semester ahead. From now on we will also try to keep a regular statement of prayer needs – in advance!


Peregrinos

Our group is VERY small, and we really need to see significant numerical growth if we are to be a stable and viable local church. One of the most positive aspects of church life also generates some of our difficulties: the fact that in general the members are fairly long-term or even second generation Christians who have fairly recently come to a more reformed position. In the overwhelmingly activist Brazilian scene, it is all too easy for a kind of practical Hyper-Calvinism to creep in, effectively neutralising evangelistic impetus. Please pray for the Lord’s help through this year, for an aggressive evangelistic outlook to be adopted, and for the church to be ready to use means and strategies, looking to God for his sovereign blessing.

Rodrigo and Lívia

The refusal of a visa to this couple was a very great disappointment, and all the more so as it seems that initial attempts by Brits to avoid a longwinded appeals process were given short shrift. Things are certainly very tight for the granting of visas to Brazilians at the moment: sadly, rightly so, given the vast numbers of illegals, with many involved in criminal activities. It is frustrating that the behaviour of some has made it so difficult for legitimate applicants to get a visa, but also disappointing that the consulate felt the need to go beyond points of law in their refusal, making personal accusations of intent to stay on as illegals.

Rodrigo and Lívia’s appeal has gone on to London, where a decision will be taken in “six months to a year.” For September entry into Cornhill, with adequate time for English studies beforehand, this is clearly useless. The Consulate has said, however, that it is perfectly in order for the couple to make a new application while their appeal is being heard. This seems a little strange, but it is what Rodrigo and Lívia will have to do. So they are busy preparing a new set of application documents, and we are trying to help them so that this application is as water-tight as it can be. The documents, together with the £200 fee, will go off to the consulate in Rio on Friday. This all reminds us very much of our own visa experiences.

Please pray for Rodrigo and Lívia at this very stressful time. She has gone temporarily back to the job she had just given up; he is still working in the church. Some of the changes that needed to be made to their application will involve more financial drain: if anyone out there feels able to help with any costs for English tuition, or for regular travel expenses, either in the language phase or at Cornhill, please contact the Proclamation Trust. Please mark any contributions with "for Rodrigo and Lívia Pena," and send for the attention of Richard Green.


IBE

We are about to start our busiest semester yet at the Instituto Batista de Educação. Andrew will be teaching three nights a week: Cora two. There is a lot of preparation to do, and the challenge of many new students – we hope! Although we have a number of ministry trips planned outside of Florianópolis, in general this semester will probably be quieter (and therefore more consistent) than the manic activity towards the end of last year. In particular we want to see the new course, Aprofundamento Bíblico (sort-of “Biblical immersion”) to take off and make an impact in the city. Please pray for stamina in preparation and teaching of the three hour classes, and that we will keep coming back fresh to the work. The key goal is to enthuse the students with Bible Study and Theology, and with God himself – simply passing information accurately is not enough.


Blumenau

We have not had one Saturday available to visit the group in Blumenau since June last year. They seem to be small, but stable; we value prayer for their growth, in every way, just as we do for our own church here.



The Reformed Baptist Fellowship of Brazil

This could be a critical year for the CRBB, as a number of unpleasant attacks have been made in the Christian press, and as we face some key internal issues of definition and direction. This year our congress is in June, with much to be resolved. Pray especially for Gilson Santos (Pastor, Grace Baptist Church, São José dos Campos), who is our gifted and hard-working president, and Paulo Cesar Valle, (Pastor, Peregrinos’ Church, Volta Redonda), whose church is hosting the congress, and who has suffered some of the most unpleasant personal attacks.


Cauane

Thos of you who have prayed for Cauane (the little girl with a cancer in her face) will be glad to hear that at present she is responding very well to treatment, is at home and playing with the other children on the military base where she lives. Give thanks for this!


Acts 14

As a spin off from work on Acts done for the Carey Ministers’ Conference in January, Andrew has prepared on Paul at Lystra and preached on the passage for the first time in Portuguese at Kobrasol Baptist Church last Sunday. There was a most encouraging impact from the message, which may prove to be a particularly important one in our context. Basically, the theme was, what is the gospel for the man who has everything. This may seem strange in a society known for having many poor people, but it is terribly relevant where the church has basically turned the gospel into “You are sad. Come to Jesus. Be happy.” We so need to hear, “You have joy! Have you never given thanks in the right place, to the right person? Come to Jesus and be forgiven of this terrible wrong!” Andrew suspects that he will return to this passage various times through the year: pray that he will keep seeing more in it and putting it across better.


Cora’s Mother and Stepfather

Ken and Maisie Wood will be visiting us for the first time ever next week, and staying into February. We are so pleased! Please pray for safe journeys for them, and for a good time here. It will not be easy coming to a Brazilian summer from a Toronto winter, and we hope that they will really enjoy seeing something of Brazil. Cora has not seen them since 2001, and Andrew since 1999, so we have a lot of catching up to do.