McKinney Report

In Cajazeiras, Paraíba, the Right Step program has produced another young man who has given his life to Christ. His name is Italo Fernandes, fourteen years old, and he has been studying the Bible for eight months. We praise God for Italo and his young faith, we thank God for the Right Step program that is giving these young men hope where otherwise they would face lives of addiction, perversion, and darkness. The celebration included his friends jumping in the baptistery with him.   Pray for Rivaldo and Leila Café as they continue to serve in the Right Step Program despite the difficulties that arise.  

            Last month I spent time with the mission team in Campina Grande, my objective was to encourage them to keep on going and growing, tag along for visits and Bible studies and teach.  I was able to accomplish all of these objectives and the team also greatly encouraged me, as well.                          They have started a small group in Isac's house and are inviting people to come and visiting those who do.  They seem really excited about the initial results and want to grow this group to a size where they can multiply it into another group in another person's house.      We visited contacts they have in other neighborhoods.  One that really impressed me was Carlos.  He has been faithfully married for 35 years and seems to understand the importance of living what you preach.  He is not a Christian, yet, but is really an exciting person to be around and is seeking to help the church in Campina Grande grow in his neighborhood.  He wants to help the team

          We want to thank the Joelton church of Christ for sharing their VBS material again this year. We thank Steve and Darlene Newlin, Candie Putman, Carolyn Hagewood, and Abbey Troxler for hauling it down in their suitcases – it’s heavy! We want to give an extra thank you to Abbey, who, though on the countdown to her wedding, came to help us in VBS – she spent hours making posters, decorations, and helped in the games department. And most of all, we thank God to be able to give our children an experience that they will remember for a long time.           The theme, The Gold Rush, was adapted to Brazil’s historical discovery of gold in Minas Gerais in 1698 by the adventurer Antonio Dias. In the skits, we had him discovering gold for the first time, while his slave Joaquim, through a Bible, discovered the true treasure, and with his new found knowledge evangelized indians and tried to stop the historical Emboabas war. Though a little bloody in the end (just catchup),

        The church in Alagoinha began 10 years ago when I went to give a Bible study to a group of about 20 people, one of which was Antônio Germano.  His wife had died just some months before, so I never had the privilege of meeting her.            Antônio was excited to hear the Gospel.  He had already been baptized biblically but was meeting with a denomination that was not teaching truth.  He kept insisting that I come back to help begin the church.  Ricardo Sobral and I went and simply asked him what was stopping him from beginning to meet and call others to meet with him.  So, that is what he began doing.  The church grew to around fifteen members in a short time but, not too long after that, dwindled back down to four faithful members.  Part of the reason is that Antônio is a very zealous man.  He is zealous for God's word and God's will, but he has a hard time encouraging others to continue in their faith.  A lot of times he comes off sounding like he wants to m