February Newsletter

Back in Brazil

I made it back safely to Brazil on January 5th after my home assignment in Idaho. It was an amazing and surprising experience to preach and share with so many people in the Northwest about the ministry here in Anapolis. It was very encouraging, but also I got to grow as a preacher through preaching the same message to different congregations and contexts.

Sanctuary Update

This month saw some big changes to our sanctuary space. Pastor Marcos attached corrugated steel panels to the sides of the tent to protect the space better from wind and rain. We are getting into the peak of rainy season, and it will probably rain 4-6 days a week for the next couple months. We also made a new projector screen. I say "we" because the girls and I helped wrap and tie the fabric around the structure Marcos made. It is very MacGyver on the back. The cross is very special because it is the same cross that hung in our first worship space in the pastors' garage, and it is made from pieces of a broken wardrobe from the missionary house.

Evangelism

It is summer here in Brazil, and schools have summer break during December and January. Many adults also take vacation time during January, so life rhythms are a little different as people travel mostly to visit family in other areas. We were still able to get out and evangelize in our neighborhood. The first time, we went through a commercial and residential area handing out invitations to church and offering to pray with people. The second time, we handed out invitations in front of the grocery store as people were coming in and out. Most people were in a rush, so we didn't try to stop them to talk too much, but a lot of people did stop to ask questions about the church and what we were doing.

Prayer Requests

For the people we meet through evangelism and outreach events, that they would have the courage to open their hearts and lives to the good new things God wants to do.
Our pastoral family as they continue to deal with the sudden loss of Ericleia's dad and are carrying for her mom who has alzheimers.
For two young women who have expressed interest in growing in their relationships with God. One is a Christian with a lot of religious confusion and baggage and the other is not a Christian yet. Pray that they would surrender their lives fully to Jesus and that I would have wisdom to love and guide them well.

Acts 4:29-30

This week, I got to preach on radical discipleship, and these verses are still rattling around my brain. After witnessing a miracle, preaching and seeing God bring thousands more to faith, spending the night in jail, being interrogated by the Sanhedrin and eventually freed, Peter and John go to where the other disciples are. They don't take a nap or eat a decent meal, they go to where the other believers are and pray this prayer: "And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word." They could have prayed thanksgiving or asked for protection, but they prayed for courage to continue telling others about Jesus. They prayed for something that, by all appearances, they already had in abundance. They knew that God is the source of everything we need. They had already preached and prayed with great boldness, but they knew that boldness wouldn't continue to sustain them. They needed to return to the source, return to relationship and connection with God, return to be continually filled with the Holy Spirit and continually guided by God's wisdom. May we continue to return to God, to sit in His presence, to be filled and transformed by His love.

Brazilian Culture: Tapioca

Cassava root is an important part of Brazilian food where I live. It can be served baked, boiled, fried, essentially like a potato. It can also be processed to make different kinds of flour, like tapioca flour. My roommate, Aline, gets to participate in this process when she visits her parents in northern Brazil.

First, the cassava root is peeled and ground in a food processor. The resulting "pulp" is boiled in water. As it boils, it releases starch into the water. After boiling, the main "pulp" is spread loosely and roasted to become cassava flour. The starch that is left in the water is also dried and becomes tapioca flour.

Tapioca flour has an almost gummy texture and is used to make Brazil's famous cheesy bread. Cooked on its own, the granules gel together to make a sort of quesadilla that is also called tapioca or beiju. It is delicious with anything from butter, sweetened condensed milk, ham and cheese, or any savory filling.