Week 34

Last week I started another course at the "Escola da Bíblia," at the downtown church. This time I am teaching the Book of Psalms. Teaching the Pentateuch was a great experience.
The Torah teaches ethical values that instructs us how to live orderly and how to please God, whereas Psalms teach us how to cry, rejoice, and give thanks. The Psalter is a book of prayer and of tears before the Father, who understands so well our diversity of emotions.
There is a good number of students and some of them haven't found a church to worship.
-- Pray this course will be as fruitful as the past ones.

Week 33

We had a wonderful couple’s seminar tonight. A fellow missionary with training in family and marriage therapy gave us a good lesson on how respect and cope with the spouse’s differences. Afterwards we had some entertainment and a delicious meal. There were around 30 couples and some were unchurched.

It’s wonderful to see His church active and growing.

Shalom.

Week 31

This was our last week of vacation. We're missing dearly the church family in São Lourenço!

A couple months ago I participated in the incipient beginning of a small Bible group, that eventually would open for the neighborhood around one of our brother's house. But this time we started that group a little different. We mixed new strategies with old practices. The new strategy is to hand out interesting biblical fliers for eight weeks straight in the same streets by the same church members. At the end the families in those streets would be acquainted with our faces. Then, we would invite them to participate at a small Bible group. At this point we would no longer be strangers to them. That's somewhat the new strategy. It's simple and efficient. The old practice, however, was to have all the participating brothers to pray earnestly before we go out handing out fliers. We prayed for good health, good weather, fierce barking dogs, open doors, warmth responses, safety at night, and our own personal problems that could hinder the progress of the Kingdom. Unfortunately I had to leave the group. Last news I heard after the group started, there were 15 unchurched new guests attending the brother's house! 

New strategy accompanied by the old practice of intercessory prayer brings about efficiency and good fruits. Bet on it.