Begun in Faith

Painting In July and August, we worked on painting the entryway, reception area, and children's room of the church. I really got nostalgic thinking back on how painting has been a staple in ministry and service. In just about every country and ministry I have been a part of, we have painted churches, homes, rooms, furniture, just about everything. And often because we are restoring something for new use. Our current church building used to be a school, and little by little it is becoming more beautiful, welcoming, and useful for ministry.  Ana While we were painting at the church, I was checking the mail slot everyday because I am the church treasurer and we hadn't received the electricity bill yet for the month. I never found the electricity bill (I figured out a way to pay it online), but instead one day there was a handwritten note from a woman named Ana. She had recently moved to the neighborhood and her husband was unexpectedly unemployed. She was asking if we had any food...

This is the plaza where Heliene, Cintia, and I meet for Bible study during their lunch break (I love it here) Cintia Heliene has been attending our church for about a year and a half now. During that time, she's gone through some big life changes. A few months ago, we planned to get lunch together to catch up and she asked if she could invite her new coworker, Cintia. She said that Cintia was a Christian who occasionally attended church, but that she was in a really bad spot emotionally and spiritually. When we met, Cintia said she felt completely dried up. Her faith was like a plant that had never been watered, alive but only just. We continued to meet to read the Bible and pray together. Every week my heart broke for her more and more. After converting from spiritism, this other church had consistently blamed Cintia for the difficulties in her life. Even deeply tragic personal losses were blamed on Cintia's sin of wearing pants instead of skirts. Cintia had develop a sort of ...

Season of Sickness When I published my last newsletter, I was just getting over dengue fever. The dengue epidemic has continued to worsen across Brazil and other countries. With school back in session, there has also been an increase in flu viruses, especially among children.  In our local church, most of our church leaders have either been sick or have been taking care of sick family members. We may have our whole worship team together this Sunday for the first time since January. We are extremely grateful that no one in our congregation had a dangerous/deadly case of dengue, and that everyone seems to be healthy or healthier this week. Since I got sick first, I had the privilege of serving in areas I usually don't, including running worship practices for several weeks and preaching three Sundays in a row. Although they were very unfortunate circumstances, it was also a great time of learning and growing for me and others who had to step up. I usually preach once or twice a quarte...