2nd Mens Retreat

There's a saying that if something gets bigger and better, it has to be good. Well, that held true with our second men's retreat this past weekend. We had 20 guys particpate (4 more than last time, 7 of them first-timers), and we enjoyed a nicer location (a vacation house of a friend of mine in the mountain town of Nova Petropolis. Our theme: spiritual warfare. The "family crest" above the mantle of the house's fireplace provided the perfect backdrop for our exploration of this theme.

The natural setting of our retreat was perfect: a warm spring day on top of a ridge overlooking the valley below, plenty of green area to explore and plenty of opportunities to spend time together and time alone with God, equipping ourselves to be more faithful spiritual warriors.

As with any mens retreat, food is an essential ingredient! Our brother John Spencer celebrated his birthday with us by buying us all mini-hot dogs for our Friday evening snack. For Saturday lunch we were treated by our brother Lauro to two whole racks of grilled ribs. The gaúchos supposedly say that these ribs, when done right, are even better than fliet mignon. After eating Lauro's ribs, I would have to agree.

Our program included a bit of everything. Sascha and I each gave a lesson; we had a time of individual meditation; we had a time of small group Bible study and sharing responses with the entire group; we had a time of prayer in groups of two or three; and a "training exercise" - capture the flag, for those outdoor sport enthusiasts! We saw the Lord working in many men - through conversations, laughter, tears, spontaneous praise, and reflecting on nature.
Who says it can't be better the second time around! Thank you God for this retreat!

"Mobile" Church

In a email I sent out last week, I talked a bit about Dariu (Darius in English) and Mara, a couple that are friends of Renato and Branda in our house church. Dariu and Mara opened their home to us this Sunday to see what the church is all about. They have been friends with Renato & Branda for many years, have attended one or two church events in the past, but have never been really interested in knowing more about Jesus - until various circumstances in their lives recently opened the door to their curiosity. Dariu & Mara came to our most recent couples meeting, where Waleska & I met them for the first time. When they learned from Renato & Branda that we meet as church in our homes, they became very interested and invited our group to spend a Sunday in their house, to have a time of worship and a lunch together. We gladly accepted this missionary opportunity! This is the kind of opportunity I have been praying and waiting for as house church - the opportunity to take church to people who are seeking God yet possess a certain skepticism basd on what they have experienced in institutional church.

We had a time of singing, a time of prayers for request and for thanksgiving, and a time of discussion centered around one of my favorite passages - Luke 24, where Jesus encounters the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. The central theme of our discussion was that Jesus meets us where we are, and leads us to where we need to be. Our brother John Spencer did a fantastic job explaining the meaning of the Lord's Supper as practiced in a family home setting, in simple yet profound terms. Our sister Inês also contributed with some very meaningful and personal testimonies about her walk with Jesus. By the end of the meeting we could tell from their verbal and non-verbal expressions that Dariu, Mara, and Mara's mother Flavia (who lives with them and participated) were very touched and had been given a lot to reflect on!

In true house church fashion, we continued the fellowship with our lunch, a delicious barbecue prepared by Dariu himself. This guy has not one, not two, but three barbecue pits in his house! He works for a bank and is usually on the road during the week visiting clients around the state, while Mara takes care of their three daughters Bruna, Fernanda, and Isabela. They are both very outgoing, expressive, and energetic people, they love to talk and talk! Waleska & I really enjoyed being in their home; I was amazed by how hospitable and friendly they are. They are the kind of people you want to be around, because they just make you feel so at ease. I was thinking about them as we drove home yesterday afternoon and how they strike me as people who, upon dedicating their talents to Jesus, would be tremendous servants in the kingdom.

So what is next? We are praying that God will show us the way in terms of continuing to build our relationship with Dariu, Mara & their girls, and integrating that relationship into our church family - perhaps through a couples Bible study, more home church events, or something else we can't yet envision. Let's ask God to continue opening the hearts of this great family to the gospel and that this openness will result in response and transformed lives!

Meet Luzia

In this edition I will introduce you to Luzia, a member of the church that meets in our house. Luzia is in her mid 40s and is a high school math teacher. She teaches in Restinga, one of the poorest and toughest neighborhoods in Porto Alegre (a place that, according to Luzia, she would be reluctant to bring me because I might be seen as too "white" for them, considering all good intentions). She has been a Christian for many years, back to the time of her adolescence. She is very good friends with the Signoretti families who also meet in our house. How to describe Luzia? She is a loud person in the good sense of the term - not disruptive, but vocal, opinionated, and loves a good laugh. She knows her Bible very well, too.

I have some ongoing prayer requests I would like to make on Luzia's behalf. First, that Luzia will one day be able to reconcile with her ex-husband, Daniel. They were married for many years but divorced about three years ago. However, they maintain frequent contact and Luzia hopes that eventually he will rejoin the church & come back to her. Second, Luzia is attempting to adopt a child. She is not able to have children and has been waiting three years for her adoption to come through, but it continues to be stuck in the courts. Third, Luzia's mother is very sick right now with anal cancer. Her fragility has forced Luzia to spend a great deal of time taking care of her, on rotation with her sister. Luzia is the only one in her family who is a Christian, so that makes things difficult at times. Yet Luzia boldly and confidently lives her faith and expresses her trust in Christ in all circumstances. We thank God for Luzia and ask that you join us in praying for God's powerful hand to work in these situations!