Tuesday, November 21, 2006
16 - 20th November 2006 - Igreja Batista Maranata, Novo Hamburgo, Rio Grande do Sul
This visit went very well. I missed Cora, the weather was off-putting, but the sense of God speaking through the ministry was powerful. On the final night it would seem that a Uruguayan lady who has been attending the church was clearly converted. This was a brief visit to take anniversary services, but with a view to establishing a strategic contact. This seems likely to happen in the New Year.
Photos from a bus window
A view from the bridge.
Rice fields and mountains, Santa Catarina
Rice fields and mountains, Rio Grande do Sul.
Young gaúchas
A Tourist Trip into Porto Alegre
Inside the municipal market, Porto Alegre.
The flag of Rio Grande do Sul: state pride stronger here than anywhere else in Brazil.
Sausage - with and without pepper.
Erva mate. Chimarrão is one of the defining marks of the gaúcho culture.
Devotees of an Afro-brazilian religion
The gasometer, Porto Alegre
Gramado - Chocolate Capital of Brazil
A foggy, rainy, miserable day in Gramado - the Swiss-style building is quite typical: in this case the town cinema, home to a major film festival. As well as chocolate, cheese and wine feature large in the shops.
Gecko on my bedroom ceiling. We rarely get them in our flat, so it has been a while since I tried for a photo of one.
My hosts for the weekend: Pastor Humberto, Jonadan, Benaia and Brenda
The Maranata Baptist Church and school
Randy and Cindy Richner and their children. We first met Randy and Cindy in 1998, when we visited Brazil with Les White. We have only met once since, as couples. However, their friendship and fellowship mean a lot, and we are at last close to getting some regular contact and mutual support going.
Tiago and Emily giving their testimonies to the church. This couple are about to get married and then baptised: their testimony was clear, profound and wonderful to hear.
Roberto, head of the Maranata School, and his family.
Saturday Night Congregation. Randy Richner's maternal grandfather is visible near the front: Pastor Stähl has been a missionary in Brazil since 1939. It is a privilege to know him and have fellowship with him.
This visit went very well. I missed Cora, the weather was off-putting, but the sense of God speaking through the ministry was powerful. On the final night it would seem that a Uruguayan lady who has been attending the church was clearly converted. This was a brief visit to take anniversary services, but with a view to establishing a strategic contact. This seems likely to happen in the New Year.
Photos from a bus window
A view from the bridge.
Rice fields and mountains, Santa Catarina
Rice fields and mountains, Rio Grande do Sul.
Young gaúchas
A Tourist Trip into Porto Alegre
Inside the municipal market, Porto Alegre.
The flag of Rio Grande do Sul: state pride stronger here than anywhere else in Brazil.
Sausage - with and without pepper.
Erva mate. Chimarrão is one of the defining marks of the gaúcho culture.
Devotees of an Afro-brazilian religion
The gasometer, Porto Alegre
Gramado - Chocolate Capital of Brazil
A foggy, rainy, miserable day in Gramado - the Swiss-style building is quite typical: in this case the town cinema, home to a major film festival. As well as chocolate, cheese and wine feature large in the shops.
Gecko on my bedroom ceiling. We rarely get them in our flat, so it has been a while since I tried for a photo of one.
My hosts for the weekend: Pastor Humberto, Jonadan, Benaia and Brenda
The Maranata Baptist Church and school
Randy and Cindy Richner and their children. We first met Randy and Cindy in 1998, when we visited Brazil with Les White. We have only met once since, as couples. However, their friendship and fellowship mean a lot, and we are at last close to getting some regular contact and mutual support going.
Tiago and Emily giving their testimonies to the church. This couple are about to get married and then baptised: their testimony was clear, profound and wonderful to hear.
Roberto, head of the Maranata School, and his family.
Saturday Night Congregation. Randy Richner's maternal grandfather is visible near the front: Pastor Stähl has been a missionary in Brazil since 1939. It is a privilege to know him and have fellowship with him.
Spring walks in the park
Jacarandá. If this tree in full bloom doesn't gladden the heart, then what can, at least in the natural world.
I always think of fungus as an autumnal phenomenon. This magnificent specimen is in full sub-tropical spring.
Monkey and nut.
Jacarandá. If this tree in full bloom doesn't gladden the heart, then what can, at least in the natural world.
I always think of fungus as an autumnal phenomenon. This magnificent specimen is in full sub-tropical spring.
Monkey and nut.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Visit to Novo Hamburgo, Rio Grande do Sul 16 - 20 Nov 2006
After nearly seven years in Brazil, Andrew will at last be visiting the only Brazilian state to the South of Santa Catarina. Our friends from Rio Grande do Sul marvel that it has taken so long to get to know the best part of the country. (The State has made odd noises about independence, and certainly has a distinct culture and tradition. It is a bit like Yorkshire, perhaps.) Catarinenses have marvelled at how wonderfully our life has been preserved through seven years. We shall see.
The invitation is to be the speaker for the weekend at the Maranata Baptist Church, Novo Hamburgo, just north of Porto Alegre, the state capital. It will be the Anniversary "conference" of the church, which is involved in running a Bible School. We therefore hope that this visit will pave the way for more strategic opportunities in the future. One special aspect is that some of our very first contacts in Brazil, Randy and Cindy Richner, work in the same grouping of churches, and we should meet up.
The journey will be about five hours by bus to Porto Alegre, and then a car back up to Novo Hamburgo. Andrew is going alone this time, leaving Cora to forge on with her degree studies. Please pray for safety for us both, profitable work and fellowship, and God's blessing on the ministry of the Word.
Encontro da Fé Reformada, Goiânia 22-25 Nov 2006
From next Wednesday (22) to the following Monday (27) we will be in Goiânia, God willing, for the Encounter of the Reformed Faith. This year Iain Murray is the main speaker, on the theme of the Holy Spirit. Andew has to give two papers on the Spirit in Acts 2, the second one closing the conference. The full programme is available, in portuguese, here. It will be very good to spend time with Iain and Jean again.
Air travel has been very problematic here over the last few weeks as air traffic controllers have been struggling to get their industry back to the legal standards for numbers of flights being monitored by each operator. We sympathise with their goals, want safe flights, and also want to arrive on time on the Wednesday! Please pray for our journeys.
Renato and Néia
Please pray for Renato as he preaches the two Sundays that Andrew is away from the church.
After nearly seven years in Brazil, Andrew will at last be visiting the only Brazilian state to the South of Santa Catarina. Our friends from Rio Grande do Sul marvel that it has taken so long to get to know the best part of the country. (The State has made odd noises about independence, and certainly has a distinct culture and tradition. It is a bit like Yorkshire, perhaps.) Catarinenses have marvelled at how wonderfully our life has been preserved through seven years. We shall see.
The invitation is to be the speaker for the weekend at the Maranata Baptist Church, Novo Hamburgo, just north of Porto Alegre, the state capital. It will be the Anniversary "conference" of the church, which is involved in running a Bible School. We therefore hope that this visit will pave the way for more strategic opportunities in the future. One special aspect is that some of our very first contacts in Brazil, Randy and Cindy Richner, work in the same grouping of churches, and we should meet up.
The journey will be about five hours by bus to Porto Alegre, and then a car back up to Novo Hamburgo. Andrew is going alone this time, leaving Cora to forge on with her degree studies. Please pray for safety for us both, profitable work and fellowship, and God's blessing on the ministry of the Word.
Encontro da Fé Reformada, Goiânia 22-25 Nov 2006
From next Wednesday (22) to the following Monday (27) we will be in Goiânia, God willing, for the Encounter of the Reformed Faith. This year Iain Murray is the main speaker, on the theme of the Holy Spirit. Andew has to give two papers on the Spirit in Acts 2, the second one closing the conference. The full programme is available, in portuguese, here. It will be very good to spend time with Iain and Jean again.
Air travel has been very problematic here over the last few weeks as air traffic controllers have been struggling to get their industry back to the legal standards for numbers of flights being monitored by each operator. We sympathise with their goals, want safe flights, and also want to arrive on time on the Wednesday! Please pray for our journeys.
Renato and Néia
Please pray for Renato as he preaches the two Sundays that Andrew is away from the church.
Marquito and Anna Silvia's wedding
Marcos Fernandes Pereira Raccioppi and Anna Silvia Tosin have at last got married. This day was one of the happiest and best in our years here. We have been through all kinds of moments with this couple and the bonds of friendship have become very strong. Now they are married, and we rejoice with them, and pray for God's blessing on their future.
The wedding and period leading up to it was significant in the amount of contact with the two families, for which we are very thankful. May God use this for his gracious purposes.
Andrew preached picking up two key points from the Pharisees' and Saducees'questions in Mark 10 and 12: Marriage is for Life and Marriage is not for Ever. The presence of many spiritist-leaning people made the second point sensitive, and it provoked some interesting conversations after the service.
This wedding was also significant for us as a church. Although Daniel and Priscila last December were both attending Peregrinos, this is the first time that two long-standing members have married one another. We are expecting some more weddings though, so watch this space!
Windblown and happy
Elisa and Mila: two of our various adopted children
Peregrinos suffering in the cold wind while hoping for the Bride and Groom to come for a photo on the beach.
Kito and Anna with Solomon, who sang, impromptu, at the wedding.
Anna and her sisters. (Sounds like a film title...)
The Registry Office on Friday 10 November. The legal part was done here, with a sumptious high tea at Kito's mother's place afterwards.
There are more photos here.
Marcos Fernandes Pereira Raccioppi and Anna Silvia Tosin have at last got married. This day was one of the happiest and best in our years here. We have been through all kinds of moments with this couple and the bonds of friendship have become very strong. Now they are married, and we rejoice with them, and pray for God's blessing on their future.
The wedding and period leading up to it was significant in the amount of contact with the two families, for which we are very thankful. May God use this for his gracious purposes.
Andrew preached picking up two key points from the Pharisees' and Saducees'questions in Mark 10 and 12: Marriage is for Life and Marriage is not for Ever. The presence of many spiritist-leaning people made the second point sensitive, and it provoked some interesting conversations after the service.
This wedding was also significant for us as a church. Although Daniel and Priscila last December were both attending Peregrinos, this is the first time that two long-standing members have married one another. We are expecting some more weddings though, so watch this space!
Windblown and happy
Elisa and Mila: two of our various adopted children
Peregrinos suffering in the cold wind while hoping for the Bride and Groom to come for a photo on the beach.
Kito and Anna with Solomon, who sang, impromptu, at the wedding.
Anna and her sisters. (Sounds like a film title...)
The Registry Office on Friday 10 November. The legal part was done here, with a sumptious high tea at Kito's mother's place afterwards.
There are more photos here.
Graham and Tina Nash
From 3rd to 7th Nov Graham and Tina Nash from Belem / UFM / Chessington were with us here in Floripa. The weather was for the most part dull and rainy, not lending itself to showing visitors the delights of the island, but we made up for that with some very good conversations. Graham preached to the Peregrinos on the Sunday (David and Abigail) and he and Tina also spent time with a number of the younger members on the Saturday night. (For a write-up and photos of our visit to Graham and Tina’s home in July, see here.)
The purpose of this visit was to talk about the possibility of working together in the future. Graham and Tina are coming to the end of their first term with UFM, and will spend, God willing, a year or so in the UK, from mid 2007 to mid 2008. On their return to Brazil, they intend to recommence in a different area, and are considering the possibility of coming to Florianópolis.
For some time we have been at our limit in terms of juggling the different aspects of ministry here. Between church, IBE and national ministry, it is all too easy to do nothing well. The solution for the church must be the recognition of other leaders, and especially the provision of someone else alongside Andrew as a regular preacher and teacher. But even with such a person in place, development of the training ministry would still be precarious. Any consistent course for Bible Teachers needs a very consistent presence: we are loath to jettison the rhythm of travelling ministry, but know that such ministry disturbs the flow of teaching, even in the IBE. A desire to have a more clearly Biblically oriented course for preachers and teachers makes more man-power and urgent need.
Graham has been leading and teaching at the Evening Bible School of MICEB in Belem. He and Tina are from Chessington Evangelical Church – which very kindly supports us too! So far as we can see, we are highly compatible and complementary, without being clones! We are therefore considering the possibility of Graham and Tina moving down south, with the goal of establishing a course specifically aimed at equipping Bible teachers. Nothing is presumed about how such a course would be structured or hosted, but it we believe that it is a vision worth consideration.
For Graham and Tina the move would involve a significant cultural shift, as well as very different weather! The largest challenge for them is probably the question of their three girls’ schooling: Chloe, Shona and Anna have been at AVA, an English language school in Belem. (Chloe has recently started NorthStar for GCSEs, the Internet school our own children used.) There is no English school in Floripa – the nearest being in Curitiba, 4 hours away. And NorthStar does not yet offer A-levels. This issue is a key matter for the family, and we would all value your prayers for them as they think this over.
God willing, all five will visit at Easter for a bit of holiday, for the girls to see Florianópolis, and for the family to look at some practical issues in more detail. Please pray for all involved in this important matter.
From 3rd to 7th Nov Graham and Tina Nash from Belem / UFM / Chessington were with us here in Floripa. The weather was for the most part dull and rainy, not lending itself to showing visitors the delights of the island, but we made up for that with some very good conversations. Graham preached to the Peregrinos on the Sunday (David and Abigail) and he and Tina also spent time with a number of the younger members on the Saturday night. (For a write-up and photos of our visit to Graham and Tina’s home in July, see here.)
The purpose of this visit was to talk about the possibility of working together in the future. Graham and Tina are coming to the end of their first term with UFM, and will spend, God willing, a year or so in the UK, from mid 2007 to mid 2008. On their return to Brazil, they intend to recommence in a different area, and are considering the possibility of coming to Florianópolis.
For some time we have been at our limit in terms of juggling the different aspects of ministry here. Between church, IBE and national ministry, it is all too easy to do nothing well. The solution for the church must be the recognition of other leaders, and especially the provision of someone else alongside Andrew as a regular preacher and teacher. But even with such a person in place, development of the training ministry would still be precarious. Any consistent course for Bible Teachers needs a very consistent presence: we are loath to jettison the rhythm of travelling ministry, but know that such ministry disturbs the flow of teaching, even in the IBE. A desire to have a more clearly Biblically oriented course for preachers and teachers makes more man-power and urgent need.
Graham has been leading and teaching at the Evening Bible School of MICEB in Belem. He and Tina are from Chessington Evangelical Church – which very kindly supports us too! So far as we can see, we are highly compatible and complementary, without being clones! We are therefore considering the possibility of Graham and Tina moving down south, with the goal of establishing a course specifically aimed at equipping Bible teachers. Nothing is presumed about how such a course would be structured or hosted, but it we believe that it is a vision worth consideration.
For Graham and Tina the move would involve a significant cultural shift, as well as very different weather! The largest challenge for them is probably the question of their three girls’ schooling: Chloe, Shona and Anna have been at AVA, an English language school in Belem. (Chloe has recently started NorthStar for GCSEs, the Internet school our own children used.) There is no English school in Floripa – the nearest being in Curitiba, 4 hours away. And NorthStar does not yet offer A-levels. This issue is a key matter for the family, and we would all value your prayers for them as they think this over.
God willing, all five will visit at Easter for a bit of holiday, for the girls to see Florianópolis, and for the family to look at some practical issues in more detail. Please pray for all involved in this important matter.
