NTM

This past month I visited the Ash people along with my brother and we were encouraged to hear such stories.  This same man was also wanting to know what sin was.   Thank you for praying for the Ash people!   Continue to pray that the Lord will continue to prepare their hearts for the Gospel message.  Continue to pray that the Lord will grant them mercy and spare their lives until they hear the Gospel message.

As Carl F. Henry wrote, "The Gospel is only good news if it gets there in time."

I know you already do this but please do continue to pray for the Ash. people,  that the Lord will be preparing their hearts to some day hear and recieve the Gospel message.

Please pray with us this week as we have Portuguese evaluations this week.  Our field and leaders would like us to be at a certain level before we move on to our tribal ministry. 

when we take all three kids out in our double wide jogging stroller. The jogging stroller is a novelty down here in Via.  The locals love it and are always making comments about it.  I am seriously considering auctioning it off in the town square when we leave…half the town would show up I am sure.

But last night as I lay awake I kept hearing grunting, panting, and an occasional bark that would make my hair stand on end….it hit me, I am actually sleeping about a yard and a half away from a big, bad pit-bull. There literally is only about a yard and a half between our bed and the next door neighbors wall. Yes, I have checked the wall and I do think it is not climbable by a pit-bull. There is no screen in our window but an iron grate. We hear a lot of night noises, the neighbors singing at 5:30 a.m. one morning, to which my wife says, “Wow they sing pretty good!”  What???  Let me tell you we could be living right next to Randy Travis and I wouldn’t say that if he was singing at 5:30 a.m……there isn’t a whole lot that sounds pleasant at that hour.

Our prayer for this upcoming year and for the time remaining here in Via is that we will be open, friendly and allow Christ to shine forth through us to all we come in contact. We don’t mind living in a fish bowl, we just pray that the fish the people see look a lot like their Creator. We want to tear down cultural walls, the language barrier but we sure are thankful for that three meters of concrete wall that separates us from the pit-bull!

Please do pray with us as we think about putting Baylee in a local school in January.   Please pray for Baylee that the Lord will be preparing her for this adjustment if we do put her in school.   Her school time would be 1 p.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Praise the Lord for one semester of Portuguese study completed as of last week.   Mary-Jane has learned so much and we thank the Lord for all of you who pray.

Please pray as we have started a Bible study with some of the locals.  Pray that the Lord will give me the words to say and that I will be able to effectively communicate.

Pray for those coming to the Bible study….they are very needy spiritually.

Yes one round down and one to go.   Mary-Jane had evaluations last week to see what level she is at and we will get the results of those before school starts back up January.   She has learned so much this semester and it just amazes me how fearless she is with getting out with the locals.  

I wasn’t required to take evaluations but I trust my Portuguese is improving as well.

We are on break now and look forward to having some special family time.   I have also started a Bible Study with some local people and I am going through the Chronological Bible Study.   It certainly is a challenge for me as my mind races way ahead of what my mouth can produce in Portuguese.   The neat thing about it all is the students all seem pretty excited about studying God’s Word and I know that the work is the Lord’s as far as changing lives.  Hey that is quite a relief and encouragement as I stumble and fumble along trying to teach.

There is one girl who is coming to the Bible study that is only 16 years old.   We were told she was wondering if she should even come to the Bible study as she didn’t think that God could accept her.    She was worried that maybe she couldn’t come because she had relations with a married man.   Please do pray….the people that are coming are very needy spiritually.

Thank you all for praying and loving on us.

Just a reminder that Mary-Jane and the kids permanent visas are in process and we would covet your prayers that they will get those soon.

By God’s grace a lady, Laura,  that lives down the road from the school has come to know the Lord.   She has five children all by different men.   We have had an opportunity to visit and befriend them and we ask prayer that we might be sensitive and available in helping this family in any way possible.   Her boys crave and need a good role model.  We are not sure that all her children have accepted the Lord so that is a prayer request as well.