Dilamar

When the guys at the chacara reach the 7-month mark in their 9-month recovery program, they are allowed to make their first visit to the home of their family and loved ones. Recently we had a unique situation with the latest guy to reach 7 months - Dilamar is his name. He's on the right here; I'm doing my famous Rehbein closing-my-eyes-pose for photos.

It was the first time I had ever met one of these guys who literally had nowhere to go for his home visit. Dilamar's father and one of his brothers are in prison; his mother is deceased; his wife and son want nothing to do with him; his other brothers have no contact with him. Imagine, a 40-year old man, who should be at the peak of his life experiences, yet apparently had no one who wanted to spend time with him. I talked with Waleska and Paulo Renato and Isaias, and we decided to receive Dilamar in our home on Sunday, October 25 for his first visit. It was a memorable experience!

Here is the crew that participated in the visit: Spencer, Dilamar, Paulo Renato, Valter (a recent chacara graduate who preached for us on Sunday morning), Christian, and myself. This particular Sunday was a Celebration meeting for all of our house churches. Valter gave a powerful sermon based on the book of Haggai and his own life experiences. Dilamar shared some of his story with the church family and they welcomed him with open arms. It was one of the best celebrations I've experienced here in POA. The intensity of love and commitment to God and to one another was fantastic.

When guys come to your house, you have to feed them - and I did, with George Foreman burgers and oven-baked fries! Needless to say, no one walked away hungry. All of us were encouraged by our fellowship on this special day, but Dilamar was encouraged most of all. Dilamar realized that God truly is on his side and that he has a family in Christ, the church local and worldwide, that cares for him. Pray for this special brother, that he will continue to persevere in his recovery!

Camila's Baptism

Pictured here are Camila and Rudinei, sister and brother (sorry for the bad photo crop, but it was the best I could do). They and their parents, Daniel and Miguelina, attend the Morrows' house church. Earlier this month, Camila made a decision that gave everybody great joy: she decided to be baptized!

Waleska and I were fortunate to be present for this joyous occasion, along with several other Christian brothers & sisters. The baptism was performed at the Lucas de Oliveira church building, a place I know well from my LST campaigns in 1999 and 2000.

Camila's brother Rudinei, her mother, Miguelina, and her niece, Emily...

Paul had the honor of performing Camila's baptism. The smile says it all! Praise God for Camila's decision and pray that she will be strengthened in her new walk with Jesus!

A Visit to Rats Creek

There is a city about 40 miles west of Porto Alegre called Arroio dos Ratos (Rats Creek in English!) I would probably never have set foot in this town were it not for an initiative of Silvio, our brother in Christ. A great friend of his named Junior lives in this town. Junior used to be very active in the church but for various reasons, he has stopped being active. Junior and Silvio maintain frequent contact, and two weeks ago, Junior invited Silvio to come visit his family and bring along some Christian brothers. So Paulo Renato and I tagged along for a short mission trip!

Junior is in the middle here, with Paulo Renato on the left and Silvio on the right. Junior's children Julia and Gabriel appear here as well. This photo was taken in front of the old coal mining company. From 1850-1950, millions of tons of coal were extracted from this area. After hydrolelectric power plants came into vogue, most of the coal-burning plants shut down and mining virtually stopped. I was completely unaware of this history and found it quite fascinating, being a West Virginian and the son of a geologist. Every town has a unique piece of history worth knowing!

After our trip to the coal mine site, an afternoon coffee and snack was waiting for us, including freshly baked bread! You know me, I won't ever refuse a good meal...

Junior's wife Marcia had everything ready for us. Both Junior and Marcia work as monitors at a juvenile detention center in Porto Alegre. It is a hard, emotionally charged job, and it takes its toll on them. Junior is currently on medical leave as he tries to recover from depression.

We ended our day with a devotional from the book of Joshua and prayer time, and have an open invitation to return to "Rats Creek" and visit this fantastic family. Pray for Junior, Marcia, Gabriel, and Julia, that God will bless them with health and happiness, and that they will choose to make their home one that is centered around Christ and His family!

Everton & Diana's Wedding

We are about a month behind in postings, so let's try to get caught up now! (That's what I'm telling myself here...) Everton is a young man who graduated from the chacara program in June. You read about him in earlier posts when the Aggies for Christ helped fixed up his new house when they were visiting in July. In September, Everton and his wife Diana officialized their marriage at the courthouse and before their Christian family, on a fine winter's Sunday at the Blumes' house. The Blumes and our sister Leni did a great job of planning this ceremony and celebration.

Everton's grandparents and aunts were present for the ceremony. He has overcome a lot of obstacles in terms of family; both his parents died when he was young and he was raised by a foster family that eventually rejected him. The church has truly become his family.

Diana's grandmother, sister, and brother were also present on the occasion.

Everton and Diana have five children! Going clockwise: Ismael (in Diana's arms), Leonardo (the oldest), Bruno, Diego, and Cassia (the newest arrival in Everton's arms!)

We praise God for this special family and ask you to pray for their strength and courage as they overcome life's daily obstacles. May the Lord continue to give their victory through faith, hope, and above all else, love!

new house church!

This is our new house church! We are just starting with Patricia (my sister) and her friend Sabrina. Raquel on the back is our church member. At the same time Joao and Clarice are helping another family to build a new house church! It`s wonderful to be able to multiply! Please pray for our new house churches! Love in Christ, Waleska!

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!