Battles of the Feminine Soul

This past August 16 ladies, 13 from João Pessoa plus 3 from interior Paraiba cities, embarked on a four day trip to learn about our "Battles of the Feminine Soul". Leaving our families, work or our daily tasks is a battle in itself, but we wanted to experience this journey to enrich our spiritual lives and be ready to face our troubles and strives ahead of us. We left early, taking a 12 hour bus trip, 2 dozen ladies from Recife tagged along and we reached our destination safely around 8 P.M. on a Thursday night.

The XXI Women's Seminar was held in Aracaju for the first time, and all 177 ladies that attended this year were very excited about the lectures, workshops and fellowship, that was to take place there. The hostesses did a wonderful job with our facility arrangements, we were able to enjoy a beautiful retreat site surrounded by nature, with simplicity and comfort. The atmosphere was relaxing, the food was delicious, but the most enjoyable part were brought by several speakers, two of our own, that delivered wonderful messages of encouragement, addressing very relatable issues we face in our daily lives, juggling with our marriage, young or teenage children, housework, jobs, church services, elderly parents, relatives or friends in trouble, grief, emotions, hormones, aging, persecution, faith and so on. We know we are on the winning side, but how wonderful it is to be reminded and to have the opportunity to share, and to hear from our fellow "sisters in arms." It was heartwarming. We came back renewed and reassured that all our battles belong to the Lord, and we are fully committed to resist till the end serving in His army.

Monica Newlin

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Consecration

We know that God can do anything. The question is what will He do? What will the Lord do in the lives of His people when they consecrate themselves to Him? We hope to find out. Friday, May 22 nd , the Luna congregation had an all night vigil of consecration. We went from 9 pm to 5:30 am, and over 50 people participated, from the ages of 10 to 75 years. In the prayer corner, brothers and sisters signed up for time slots so that we would have prayer without ceasing. The vigil focused on Consecrating our Lives, in Gratitude, in Unity, in Service, and in Sharing . Each part consisted of prayer, singing, Bible Reading and Reflection, and practical activities, like in Service, we washed everyone’s feet, and then everybody joined in making breakfast for the group: homemade bread, fruit, tapioca and eggs, juice, and coffee. In Sharing, we ended with a wonderful meal together in family, talking about people with whom we want to share the gospel. Spend

Luna Men

The men of the Luna church of Christ have a weekly meeting for the purpose of edification and planning God's work in the congregation. Some are going strong, others have family problems, and we all want to grew in God's purpose for our lives. Last night's meeting included a discussion of what really happened on the cross, on resting in Lord in the Psalms. We made plans about the upcoming Carnaval (Mardi Gras) retreat, and talked about the need to do some manual labor on our building. Though the group was smaller this week, there is a hunger to serve. Five out of the six committed spending Wednesday ripping up a big wall that needs to be redone. Whether leading, studying, admonishing, evangelizing, or tearing up a wall, let God use us to His glory!

Pentecost in Paraíba

"This is Pentecost in Cajazeiras," Rivaldo Café said, "Almost three thousand were baptized in Jerusalem, almost ten in Cajazeiras." A wild comparison, of course, but the excitement that produced it was legitimate. Six young men gave their lives to Jesus and were baptized on Saturday. I was blessed to be there: the sixteen hours on a bus, going and coming, was worth it. I went to teach a weekend couples' seminar on the theme "God Gave Me You". The couples (around 12) were mostly parents of kids in the Right Step Program. The changes in these boys' lives have made an impression on the families, many of which have started Bible studies too. Saturday morning, after the soccer practice, three of the boys asked to be baptized. We headed to the building. Café began filling the portable swimming pool while I talked to the boys about what it means to come into the Family of God. Franze (15 yrs), Luam (14 yrs), Jorcelam (17 yrs)

McKinney Report

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