Skip to main content

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 14th, and staying through the 17th.  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

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

"What About Baptism?"

Edda and I went to a nearby city to study the Bible with a family, Genilda (who is already a Christian), Ana, Mariana, Luiza, and Jefferson. While we were reading God's Word, Ana's husband, Silva, came in and sat down, and then blurted out: "What about baptism?" It took me by surprise because he has barely studied with us, but, most certainly, is already thinking about spiritual matters. Our Bible study then took a lot of detours, answering this question or that. Silva said he still has a lot of questions, and we pray that the Lord will use us to answer them, bringing him to understand the Good News!

For the Kids, Part III

    In the USA, there are two special days during the year that children love: birthday and Christmas. Brazil adds one more: Children's Day. On this day, children receive a present and since it coincides with Our Lady of Appeared Conception, Brazil's patron saint, it is also a national holiday.     Each week we get kids from the Castelo Branco neighborhood together at the square in front of Dona Terezinha's house to talk about Jesus. For Children's Day, we invited the parents to watch the kids perform a play of the "Prodigal Son," then each kid receives his or her fill of cotton candy, cake, and a sack full of goodies. The parents who came received a Today's Portuguese New Testament and an invitation to the weekly Bible study at Terezinha's.     Lori Hagewood has organized this activity for three year with the help from Terezinha, Joseph, and Michel (from the China Taiwan restaurant). Michael, Ashton, and Tif...

Walking With A Holy God

            I was invited to teach a youth class in Recife, a city about 2 hours south of João Pessoa.   I have been focusing my time and attention on teaching and training Christians in Paraíba.   This would take one of my weekends away from Paraíba.   Besides the time away and focus off the state, the subject I was asked to teach on also brought some discomfort: "Masturbation: A Sin Against Holiness."   This is not a subject you just bring up in a casual conversation with young people who you do not know.               I decided to accept the invitation so that I could better prepare myself to help other young men deal with this problem, and I do confess, I had already been thinking about how to talk to my own sons about this subject.   Thankfully, they is not ready yet, but unfortunately, I'm sure it will not be too far off.    ...