From Sodom to Ephesus

I traveled to Cubati and spent three nights and one morning teaching the church about: the Lord's Supper, Fasting, Baptism, the Church. A total of four visitors showed up to hear the classes. They seemed to understand but later I heard one of the Christians wanted to hear about fasting again. Overall, I think the time was well spent and on another visit I will be able to better help. Please pray for this city which is kind of what I would imagine being a modern day Sodom, because of rampant drug use, prostitution, and Friday night gay night.

I received a call from Afonso and Vânia before sending out this article. They are very excited and have begun visiting people and offering for them to study the Bible through a correspondence course. There are around 60 people interested. I will be traveling to Campina Grande on June 14^th, and staying through the 17^th. I will head off to give the correspondence courses to those excited about studying in Cubati. I will also give an introduction to the course and set-up dates to go back and visit once a month to answer any questions and take them a little deeper in their studies. Please pray for the church and their excitement and efforts to evangelize this sinful city.

After the church service in Cubati, Afonso, Vânia and I traveled to Areial. You may remember that there are only three Christian women in this town and they have a program on the radio. We participated on the program and had cake and juice for our celebration of three people who finished a correspondence course and received certificates. There are five more who are studying. Please pray for this congregation and its efforts to evangelize this small town.

After Areial, I headed off to Campina Grande, a city that reminds me of what I would imagine Ephesus being. It is the gateway to Paraíba. To travel through the state of Paraíba you most likely will pass through Campina Grande. I went to visit and meet with the church and to share a spiritual blessing. There were around 25 people present at the church meeting. I was encouraged and uplifted. Please pray that God may open up the hearts of these visitors and others with which they may come in contact.

Please pray:

that God will open doors and hearts
that the Christians will speak boldly and truthfully about God's Word
that the church may grow spiritually, as well as, numerically

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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)

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