Taking Men To Ephesus

I traveled to Campina Grande on Sunday afternoon with four other men from the congregation in Luna. My hope: to spend time with these men and get to know them better, begin to broaden their vision of the work that needs to be done and can be done by them, and challenge them to look at their home congregation to see what they can do to help God's kingdom grow.

I believe this threefold mission was accomplished. I know it may sound boring, reading about such a thing, but I guarantee you that this small baby step is anything but boring. Some years back Ricardo Sobral and I began training members of the congregation in Luna (now the main congregation in João Pessoa, at that time the only congregation). They had classes on most Saturdays; on the other weekends, I would take some with me on trips to visit and care for other congregations. Years have passed. One of the couples we went to visit in Campina Grande was one of the couples that traveled the most with me. I am not saying that they became missionaries because they traveled with me, but it did open their eyes to see, think and pray about the needs of those without Christ. The little things we do, God uses too, taking the weeds and rocks out of the gardens of our hearts so that His seed may produce fruit.

The congregation in Campina Grande has just rented a building, and they are excited. One person has been baptized this year. Before they rented the building, they were meeting in Júnior and Kátia's house. Those who live around the church building are curious. With our prayers and the teams work some, if not all, of these families will be saved.

Please pray:

That God may continue to give wisdom, energy, and health to the missionaries in Campina Grande: Júnior and Kátia, Isac and Solange and Danny and Lee.
That God may go before the team into the homes and hearts of those who live around the church building.
God may give increase to their efforts to evangelize the second largest city in Paraíba and what is, in many respects, the Ephesus of Paraíba.

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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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