Wednesday Pictures

Blake witnessing with a puppet - he did a great job!

Witnessing to street magicians - we just met up and started talking - one of them accepted Christ!

Jan sharing her testimony at church tonite.

Church.  I preached sitting down, as it was more relaxed in the home of one of the leaders.

Donne and Willie - He is not only an excellent translator, but also an 18 year old pastor in seminary who loves the Lord in a mature way beyond his years.

The host family for church tonite.  They open up their home each week to host the church, feed everyone, and give of the rest of their week to go out and share Jesus with others.  You could feel the presence of God at this house.

Church group from this evening.  Fellowship, worship, teaching, praying - God was glorified!

Church planters?  Yes.  Newly-weds?  Yes.  Director of the seminary in town?  Yes.  Two people who love Jesus, each other, and the people of Brazil?  Yes again!  Pray for them and their ministry as they take the light of the gospel into dark places every day.

Wednesday

Today we started out with arranged visits, then had lunch at a specific restaurant, then made more visits.  People came to know Jesus at multiple visits, and at the restaurant!  This was all in an area of a new church plant that is about 1 year old.  We had a church service in a home, and it went very well. 

Due to the time and exhaustion, more details will follow later!  Please continue to pray for the team as we make more evangelistic visits tomorrow in a rough area of town. 

Tuesday Pictures

4 Pastors

Eating dinner together before our church service

Brad leading worship

Donna giving her testimony

Joyce giving her testimony

Chris preaching

Worship after the service - we just started playing together!

Members of the church, translators, and our team

Tuesday

Today was an excellent day for ministry, and a long day for weather.  It has literally rained without stopping from the time we started until the time we ended.  Rain did not stop our plans for today, though it was less than ideal to be wet from beginning to end!

We spent the entire day in a part of Porto Alegre that has a baptist church.  The pastor arranged for us to make 20 visits, with our team sharing the gospel through translators all over the area.  We met at the church, then walked to different homes in the area.  Our team was recieved well!  While I do not have the exact numbers, I know that many accepted Jesus today! 

We had a service this evening that drew a packed house.  I (Chris) preached, and Joyce and Donna shared testimonies.  We seemed to connect well with this group of people.  Brad led worship with a guitar, I backed him up on drums, and Blake played the keyboards.  Blake is the 11 year old son of the missionary here, and this was his first time playing an American praise song.  He did excellent, and we did not even practice together!

After the service, Brad and I played drums and guitar with the praise band at the church.  We couldn't understand a word, but we played with them well.  Let's just say that they bring energy to songs that I have hardly seen before.  This time of spontaneous worship was incredible, and I know that God was glorified!

Tomorrow will involve much of the same as today, just in a different area of town.  Please pray for our witnessing opportunities.  I also would like to ask you to pray for my voice, as my throat is very sore from over-use.  Pray for our team to find physical strength, as our days are long and nights short. 

Monday Pictures

Be sure to read about Monday below!

The marketplace.

The town hall next to the marketplace.

Eating with a local pastor and translator.

Jan's new haircut!

Local church planter that we worked with today.

Monday

If the posts keep getting shorter and contain less detail, there is good reason - We started at 5 AM (4 AM at home) and ended today at 10 PM (9 PM at home).  Our team is tired physically, but alive spiritually.  Today was a great day of ministry. 

We began our day by serving a breakfast and sharing our testimonies with the workers of a teenage prison.  This prison is where the worst of the worst go, but the good news of Jesus was able to penetrate the darkness here.  Our team was able to interact with some of the teens present, and present the gospel.  We passed out many tracts.  Ultimately, we were able to come alongside a missionary who spends her time at the prison, and give her encouragement and help in this crucial ministry.

We then went to the center of Porto Alegre, which also happens to be the center of witchcraft and spiritism within the state.  Our missionary, Jeff, showed us just how pervasive witchcraft had become, in everything from magazine racks to seemingly normal shops.  Acknowledged or not, this place has a huge cultural influence on the people in Porto Alegre, as Satan has a firm grasp on too many hearts.

We then met up with a church planter and his family.  The church plant is in the earliest stages of forming.  The major strategy being employed right now is relationship building, accomplished by shopping and eating at the same places and meeting the same people over and over.  We were able to eat at the same restaurant twice, get our hair and nails done at a local salon, and share the gospel with multiple shop owners in the area.  We also made evangelistic visits to various groups in the evening, once again sharing the hope of Jesus with those who need it desparately.  Without going into a lot of detail, the church planter was able to quickly reflect on multiple things that happened today that he deemed "miracles." 

Please continue to pray for the team, for spiritual and physical endurance.  Pray constantly for the people of this city, that these churches would grow through the spread of the gospel message.  Pray for the workers and pastors of these churches.  They do not carry the burden to push back the gates of hell lightly. 

Be encouraged to go out in the next day our two, and INTENTIONALLY share what Jesus has done in your life.  You can do this in a few minutes through simply talking to others. 

Sunday Pictures

With the Pastor of the church we were at on Sunday.

Eating dinner before the service.

Worship service!

Eating lunch at the mall

At the market, getting a feel for the culture.

At the market.

At the market.  He played a leaf!

View of typical structures.

During our evangelism training and interpreter introduction.