McKinney Report

              The "Great Supper" (Grande Ceia) is a weekend of catching up with people, hearing God's Word, learning and growing in faith, and hearing about needs from other brothers and sisters throughout the state in which we live, Paraíba.           There were people from almost every congregation in the state at this event in Patos.  Around 200 present at the Sunday meeting, 150 slept in the public school on the floor or in hammocks.  I chose the hammock.              The theme was "Unity", taken from Ephesians 4:1-6.  I spoke on the unity among congregations in the state, the challenges, and the rewards, one of which is that we become stronger by overcoming difficulties together.             Two men from João Pessoa talked to a brother there. When they heard of his difficulties, they decided to help.  They have already talked to other members of the church in João Pessoa and plan to travel to Pombal, about 5 ½ hours away, to help t

             I have been studying the Bible with a 19 year old for a couple of months now.  Some days he seems curious to learn, while others he just seems to show up.  Granted, he is very timid and somewhat confused.  Last study, though, he brought a friend called Victor.  Victor surprised me with his desire to learn.  We studied Matthew chapter 10.  I asked questions as usual to help their comprehension.            When our study ended, Victor kept on reading into Matthew, chapter 11, then chapter 12, and then on through chapter 13, all the while asking questions about what he was reading.  What a breath of fresh air.  Please pray for both of these young men, that they will continue to learn and desire to know God. Please pray: that both of these young men will go from curiosity to faith and obedience in and to Jesus.

            In September, I taught Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace course to the church in one of the neighborhoods of Recife.  Twenty-five participated in this eleven hour intensive class Friday, Saturday and Sunday.              One couple, who participated in last year's class, shared that the husband could not sleep the night after the first night of class.  He ended up cutting up his credit cards in the form of a cross and now uses them as keychains.              The church in Brazil is beginning to learn to support its own evangelists.  Money is tight and this course has helped many Christians restructure their finances and their hearts in a Biblical way.  May God be praised. Thank you for your prayers.

         Regina was baptized in João Pessoa at the Women’s Seminar last year. She went back to her city, Cajazeiras, bringing the influence of Christ into her home. Her daughter started taking the Bible course on Thursdays, that the Right Step program offers to the public. Her name is Ravena, 14 years old, and October 18 th she was baptized into Christ, and now she knows the joy of her mother.

                            Rildo and Cida are Christians in Cajazeiras, and they have a goal to bring their whole family to Christ. The rest of the family has been studying the Bible at the church building, and two of them participate in the Right Step program. On October 16 th the harvest began. Cida’s mother, daughter, and son went down into the waters and gave themselves over to God’s love. Our new sisters and brother are Francisca, Beatriz, and Leonardo, just two more to go to bring the whole family into Christ. This is the Lord working in Cajazeiras. All praise and honor to our great God.

             The theme for this year’s Women Seminar called ladies from the Northeast to live this life with a heavenly purpose. With speakers and teachers from Recife, São Paulo, Natal, and Fortaleza, 275 ladies spent a whole weekend experiencing a little piece of heaven. 15 ladies went from João Pessoa.           The church in Natal hosted this year’s seminar, and it was a party with cake celebrating the 25 th year of Women Seminars. Heaven is going to be a little fuller because 25 years ago dedicated Christian ladies began this encounter, calling women to follow and be more like Christ.