The Church is Now Here!

Campina Grande is the second largest city in Paraiba, and the church is getting ready to take Christ there. The church is praying, Brazilian congregations are raising money to send two national families there in addition to a missionary family also preparing to move there this year. But even before they arrive, God is working, as told by Joe McKinney below:

I usually travel through Campina Grande on my way to anywhere in Paraiba so when I discovered that Izaias, an old friend whom I had not seen in over 15 years, had been transferred there (he is an agent with the Federal Police), I decided to stop and try to find him. When I got there, I called him and his wife answered, whom I had never met. She told me how to get to the house. Izaias took off from work and came to meet me at home. We had lunch and spent the day catching up and talking about life, God, the Scriptures until I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. I spent the night at their house and the next day went on my way.

Three weeks later, Izaias called me out of the blue and said there were three people who had decided for Christ and wanted to be baptized and would I come do it? Of course I went and after a Bible study with the family, baptized Izaias and his two daughters, Patricia and Vanessa. I went on my way rejoicing.

The church in João Pessoa is right now preparing three families to move to Campina Grande to begin the church there, hopefully in June or July. Izaias, right after the baptisms, told me "The church is now in Campina Grande."

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"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!

One More Goodbye

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Men Preparing Themselves in the Word

Every Tuesday night for the last month we have been getting together to study God's Word. The subject is controversial but needed because it affects relationships and families in the church, and we as spiritual leaders will be more effective if we are united in teaching Jesus' will on marriage and divorce. Just like Jesus, we want to go back to beginning and uphold God's ideal when He created marriage: “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” Matthew 19:4-6

McKinney Report

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