Singing a New Song

Earlier this year I posted a video of Waleska & I teaching the folks at our church in Beckley how to sing in Portuguese. Now check out this video of us teaching the folks at Cantão, one of the house churches here in Porto Alegre, how to sing in English!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLT71zRAgnk

Sowing Seeds

This is my friend Julio Rosa. He just recently graduated from the federal university with his master's in metalurgic engineering. He and I have been studying the Bible together for the past year and a half. We became friends through the Let's Start Talking program when we last hosted LST in 2005. This week Julio is moving to Vitoria, in Espirito Santo state, north of Rio de Janeiro. Julio has taken a job as a railroad engineer for Vale, Brazil's largest mining company. Praise God for this opportunity that Julio has and pray that he will continue to seek God and study His Word!

Marriage, Family & Ministry Seminar

They seem like ordinary people at first glance - and in fact, they are ordinary people, a husband and wife who've been together for 40 years, drinking their daily coffee and chatting about life. Yet as you get to know them and listen to them teach together, you realize that they are extraordinary faithful followers of Jesus. They are Bryan and Jacqueline Bost, missionaries in Brazil for 32 years, who have dedicated the past seven years to work in multiplying the church from house to house. We had them in Porto Alegre last year for a weekend seminar on house churches, and the response was so overwhelmingly positive that we just had to have them come back again. This time they spent the weekend (June 13-15) teaching from their book "Partners in the Kingdom: Challenges and Victories in Life Together," based on their life experiences.

We had a packed house on Friday night, Saturday morning and Saturday afternoon to hear Bryan and Jacqueline as they engaged us in Biblical reflections on marriage and family life. We were especially blessed to have brothers and sisters from four other area congregations present to share this special time!

We held our monthly celebration worship on Sunday to coincide with the Bosts visit. Bryan gave a fantastic lesson on "Seeking First the Kingdom" which really is the fundamental principle in all things related to marriage, family and ministry. We also had a special presentation involving the newest-born child in our church family: Emily, daughter of Daniela and Jorge. As is tradition, we presented them with a framed Bible verse and asked all present to sign it, and had a prayer of blessing for this family.

We enjoyed a home-cooked lunch after worship and tried to stay warm together as we waited for the final session of warming our hearts, discussing the power of ministering together as a family united in Christ!

Thanks to God for this wonderful couple and their vivid example of "seeking first the Kingdom!" as they work from house to house in the greater São Paulo area and throughout Brazil!