Skip to main content

Unity Through The Word

          Thank you all for your prayers for the PORMISSOES meeting last month.  It was a great blessing.  We sat and studied God's Word together for the entire day.  There were some differences of understanding on some passages, but we worked our way through them.  In the end, everyone was saying how the meeting was edifying. 
          It started around 9:30 am.  We broke for lunch at 1 pm.  We started back around 2:30 and went until 6 pm.  They wanted to keep going, but the SEARA class started at 7 pm.  If every meeting could be as encouraging as this one, we would be in heaven.
          My goal with these meetings is to teach the church workers throughout the state how to listen to someone who has a different belief about God's Word, try to understand their logic, their thought processes and share their own understanding from the Bible.  My hope is that God's Word is heard above their personal wants, desires, or traditions. 
          This is not an easy thing to discuss.  Some subjects that we will discuss in the future will be more difficult than in this last meeting but I believe the door is now open for greater and clearer communication among the brethren.  
          We will continue to meet and strengthen our unity.  Please continue to pray that God's Word will be what is guiding us.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

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...

The Planting, the Watering, and the Increase

Emesson started coming to Bible Club over a year ago, when Neil Schultz and Cait Beckloff, our AIM team, were teaching it. For several months, they planted the seed in his and his sister's hearts. Unfortunately Neil and Cait's time in João Pessoa ended. In 2014 Bible Club received a boon when Erick and Jenny Paddy, former AIMers, returned to the field and picked up teaching the Bible Study for English speakers. They watered the sprouting seed in Emesson's life until God's Word became more important for him than just practicing his English. Last Wednesday night, God gave the increase, adding Emesson to the Family of Christ. Sometimes things don't happen when we think they should, but God is in control; His time is best, and we must thank Him for playing a small part in His plan. 

Goodbyes

             This past year took several people from the work in the Northeast of Brazil. Our longtime workers in Caruaru, Paulo and Simone Rodrigues, have moved down south to Curitiba. They received a proposal to help in a new congregation in that city. They were looking for a change, and the city offered educational and job opportunities for their kids not available in Caruaru. Fabio, an active brother in the Caruaru church, also moved to Curitiba. The congregation is sorely missing them, but knowing the workers they are, we are sure that God is using them well.             A goodbye a little closer to home – Hunter, Lori, Mathias, Sabrina, and Daniel Hagewood moved back to the US in July. We miss them greatly, especially our kids miss their cousins (they were inseparable while here), even though they are on Skype nearly every day. Hunter had to relocate because of hi...