2011 Good News from Brazil

The year of 2011 has been very exciting for the church in Brasilia and Goiania. We started the year with the decision to delve deeper into the Bible.

Every Sunday, in three groups separated by different ministries, we have studied the Scriptures about marriage, parenting, and sexuality in the lives of singles. The classes are based on three books published by the church and which have also been distributed in all the other churches in Brazil. It’s been the first time in many years that books in Portuguese have been published among our churches.

In February we received the visit of the Bedoya family, from Paraguay, who greatly inspired us with their example of love and sacrifice. Also in February, Wanderson and Cristina, from Belo Horizonte, visited us and taught us, with great conviction, on evangelism, which cheered up all the disciples! In June, the whole church of Brasilia, with 58 members, and several friends, went to Goiania, an important city in our region, 250 kilometers from the capital. Together with our six brothers and sisters in Goiania and more than 100 visiting friends, we worshiped our God and spent an awesome day of fellowship.

In July, we received the visit of dear brothers from Cincinnati, Michael and Angela Deaquino, and also of John Hoyt, from Florida. At the end of July, we had a Bring your Neighbour Day, where almost 150 people could hear and see the power of God demonstrated through Christian relationships.

In September, we held our Women’s Day with the theme “Ties of Love”. Sisters from Brasilia and Goiania fellowshipped together and learned about relationships. The keynote lesson was given by Sandra Macciantelli from Sao Paulo, who with her life and message touched the ones present. The 43 Christians had slightly more than 50 friends present.

In October, we received the visit of Guy and Loretta Berndt, from Chicago, who taught the church, with Scriptures and through their lives, about the power of vulnerability and humility. Our first I Choose Us marriage seminar, by John Louis, took place, and, along with the 40 marrieds from the church, we had more than 40 visiting friends. Many of those who attended left grateful, and two couples have already started studying the Bible. One of them, by the way, has already asked to be baptized!

On October 30th we celebrated the 12th anniversary of the church. Along with our children, we were 200 people worshiping God and celebrating the grace He has bestowed on us during this period. The six brothers and sisters from Goiania visited us with a bus packed with 45 people, bringing even three friends who, after having studied the Bible for a while, decided to be baptized! Now, this little seed in Goiania, which began 2010 with a Christian couple, has already multiplied to nine disciples of Jesus Christ!

Some people were baptized along the way this year and others are still studying the Bible.

There are also two college students and a more mature couple, who are hungry for God, and also three brothers and sisters who had drifted apart from God, but have returned and have been living as disciples in the last few months. Our hope is that God will add these souls to His church by the end of the year.

We want to thank all the brothers and sisters around the world who have prayed for us, supported us, taught us and blessed us with their visits and also thank all the members of the Brasilia church, as God has helped each of them to grow in the understanding that each one of us was appointed by God as His holy priests, as 1 Peter 2 teaches.

We come close to the year’s end especially grateful to John and Kay Hoyt, who accepted our invitation to be in the full-time ministry here in the next year and with their generous hearts to join us in this exciting work to build the Kingdom of God in the Midwest of Brazil.

This has been a year of victories and also many challenges. However, in all things we have seen God’s hand teaching, training, disciplining, protecting and guiding us. His grace has been with us, as well as with those around the world who seek Him. For all this, to Him be all the glory!