Patricia's Baptism

A few months ago, Waleska began a Saturday Bible study with her younger sister Patricia. Two weeks ago, Patricia and her friend Raquel B. came to our house. They shared that they needed to change their lives, but were not ready to do so yet; they did not want to be hypocritical and choose to follow Jesus while continuing in their same old vices and behaviors. They ended the prayer session asking for God to give them a sign that they should change. Be careful what you pray for because it might happen! Last Sunday, we received a phone call from Patricia asking for help for her, Raquel, and a third friend, Sabrina. That phone call, resultant from a series of strange but true events in their lives., led to seven days of intense conversation, prayer, and Bible study, and to her baptism two days ago!

It was a pretty tight fit, being in a bathtub and all.! We did the baptism at our friends Mark and Ju's house, they are missionaries working in the east zone of Porto Alegre. Thanks for the props guys!

Our nephew Cassiano was happy to see his mom being baptized! He kept commenting, "You're too big to be baptized - only little people can do that!"

This is the crew that was involved in our marathon week of study and prayer. On the far left is Raquel B., and on the far right is Sabrina; both are friends of Patricia's that I mentioned earlier. Moving inward from left is Raquel G. and from right is Clarice; they participate in our house church network and were instrumental in conversing and praying with these girls during our week. And front and center, Waleska and Patricia.

That's a happy family! Praise God for Patricia's decision, and continue to pray for her as she strives to follow Jesus as her Lord! Also, pray for Raquel B. as she rededicates her life to Jesus, and for Sabrina as she desires to study the Bible more!

Aggies for Christ Campaign

Last month we had the pleasure of hosting the "Aggies for Christ," a group of seven students from Texas A&M University. We started by spending two days helping our brother Everton fix up his new house. Everton just graduated from the chácara and faced the dilemma of having to return to his old neighborhood. Fortunately, one of his fellow graduates, Valter, and his family offered Everton a house rent-free on their property in exchange for caring for the property. However, the house had been abandoned for some time and needed a lot of work.
Check out this house before the Aggies went to work...

...and after! From L-R, the Aggies: Reece, Chris, Chelsea, Robert, Traci, Whitney and Michael.

Here is the yard before our work...

...and after! A much-needed improvement.

Here is Everton, first on left, with the crew. He is one happy camper. The group did a lot to help Everton on his way: paint inside, install electrical wiring, replace roof and ceiling boards, in addition to building the new door and gate.

We also had an English party with the Aggies and our Brazilian friends. The Blumes were gracious hosts. We enjoyed roasted hot dogs and S'mores. What could be better than that food-wise? A great time was had by all. Here is Waleska with her student Ricardo at the party!

We also spent a day at the chácara fellowshipping with the guys there and starting work on painting the exterior of the new kitchen. Check out the Aggies' painting skills! Teamwork makes jobs like these go a lot faster.

The guys at the chácara really enjoyed their interaction with the Aggies, and I know that the Aggies were really glad to spend time with them as well. Here is everybody enjoying some traditional gaúcho tea after a hard day's work.

Thanks for the great memories, Aggies - you were one of the best campaign groups we've ever worked with here! God bless you guys in all that you do!