McKinney Report

Only 4 days till the Campaign in Campina Grande!!! Brothers and Sisters in Christ,       Campina Grande , the second largest city in the state of Paraiba will be invaded with a little over 50 people (some 45 from João Pessoa and some 7 from Recife), 3,000 tracts to hand out, and 200 correspondence courses.  We hope to impress the city with the unity and love of the body of Christ during these three days.      The team in Campina Grande has planned different activities to call peoples attention:  a tent in a public square where people can come for prayer, a group singing on a busy sidewalk, and door-to-door visits in a neighborhood.  The objective of handing out the tracts is to get people interested, then these new contacts will be offered a correspondence course to study the

February 28, 2011 was a tragic day for the McKinney family: Patrick, our friend and companion of four years, died. He was our pet cockatiel. A cockatiel can live up to twenty-five years, but Patrick's life was cut short when he got stepped on.     On the day,  intense grief cut short my breath, like a stone weighed on my sternum, blocking the air. The kids were devastated, and I couldn`t talk to anybody without my eyes tearing up.     I was embarrassed - I had to cancel the visits and Bible study I had lined up that day. I had comforted that very week three people, one who lost a father, and two who lost mothers, and here I was all torn up over a stupid bird. I was ashamed.     But then again, he wasn`t just a stupid bird. Patrick woke up every morning whistling the Brazilian national anthem. In his own way, he ruled the house, using his cage only for meals or to sleep. He was a bird free to come and go as he pleased - you`d think he would want to escape, not Patrick - he loved

Roberta is a single mom, whose parents and sister are Christians. We praise God for her decision to follow Christ also. She was baptized yesterday. A new beginning that signals the defeat of the Enemy in her life. Her daughter, though, wasn't too happy: Sara started screaming as if it were the end of the world when she saw her mother get down into the water.  ............................................................................................. Email comment from Jason Goldtrap: “It WAS the ‘end of the world’ for Roberta. ;) JG”

Thank you all for your prayers during my trip to Campina Grande.       I met with the team on Saturday night.  I wanted to hear from the three families  what Joe McKinney and Christopher Boyce had discussed with them during their visits.  My objective was to  to help the team in unity.  Joe McKinney has developed "The 16 C's to Team Building" and he went over the first, "Communication" with the team.  I asked the families what they would like to talk about from the list of 16 and they chose "Dedication".  Hey, the "16 c's" are "c's" in Portuguese not English.  Anyway, we talked about dedication to their team goal, dedication to one another and above all dedication to Christ.  We had a devotional time and fun conversation.      The team is really excited about the campaign on April 1st through 3rd.  We worked out some details and everything is pretty much organized.  Now, it is only a question of time before we hit the

The McKinneys and Newlins are back after report visits in the USA. Actually we have been back a month and a half. Getting settled in with new schools and new work routines, a process that should have taken a max of a couple of weeks has dragged on for what seems like forever. We have had some mishaps. But first we want to thank everybody who made our trip to the States a blessing from God. We are sad that we didn't get to spend time with everybody, but I hope to on our next report visit. Our first accident: Edda fell off a ladder and broke her toe. The ladder was old and rusted and came apart under her. Poor Edda had a list of 101 things that had to be done, but she couldn't walk well or drive. She hobbled around too much for it to heal properly so even after a month it is still swelling up. Our second accident: Edda spilled boiling water on her hand, a second degree burn that hurt so much that she couldn't stand to keep it out of cool water. Fourteen hours l

Hello everyone, I sent this report out Monday but I don't think it went through. If it did then I guess this will be the second time you are receiving it. God bless you all. I am sure most are wondering whether or not we made it to and from our destination, Cajazeiras, during carnival. Well, thanks to God, who has always protected us we made it back alive and, well, tired. It is about a 7 hour trip to Cajazeiras. We left our apartment a little later than we had hoped so we arrived after dark. There were 45 people at the retreat, and we all enjoyed our time together. Joe McKinney and I taught three classes each during the retreat. Joe McKinney taught on "Spiritual Gifts in the Body of Christ." I taught on "The Kingdom of God" and about using our gifts to draw people closer to our King and Savior. I was edified in the study, preparation, and teaching of this subject. I prayed and still pray that it edified all