Maturing
Greetings from Brazil!
It’s wonderful to be serving the Kingdom of God with such an amazing team both in the States and here in Brazil!
As we continue to contemplate the completion of 2014 and consider 2015, we are amazed at God’s goodness and His amazing ability to use fragile vessels.
After some 20 years in the working, the national church leadership team continues to mature and increase its vision, while as a mission we are trying to figure out how to hand established works over to the Brazilians and move on to start new ones as peers.
In all of this we realize how inadequate we are as we struggle to fulfill God’s call on our lives. In this process we are constantly reminded of God’s marvelous provision and grace.
The small church here in the city of Pacajá just completed two years of operation and we see real disciples being formed.
Over the last several months it has become clear that God is really transforming hearts as we see folks starting to participate in various ministries and share testimonies of how God has changed their lives. There is a clear and genuine sense of community among the group.
Please pray with us that the Lord will continue to preserve and grow this unity, as we know the enemy will be fighting against it.
(The included photos are a snapshot of the church’s life over the last several months.)
We sense that 2015 will be a year of maturing for these new believers and a time to start forming leaders. All of our emphasis this year will be to that end, and we ask that you pray with us as we seek more of the Holy Spirit’s activity in this group.
There will be two Holy Spirit weekend retreats in March; Couples Discipleship in April-June; a Community Wedding for unwed couples, in June/July; and Leadership Training School in August-December. As the Lord leads, we also hope to start one interior church plant this year.
We are also wrestling with what should be the next step in our building project. Our 700 sq. ft. meeting space is no longer visitor friendly as there is just not enough room. For our Christmas celebration we had to limit how many people each family could invite so the experience would be positive instead of negative! We are considering various options, but it seems most likely we will seek to construct a large meeting hall rather than opt for another interim phase. Please, pray with us as we work through this big step.
Another big step for 2015 is college! Logan has already started his second semester of college courses via internet and plans on moving to Ohio this summer to start his second year. He will be studying Civil Engineering with the hopes of returning to work in Brazil. This will be the beginning of a new phase for us as a family. In 2016 Justin plans to move to the States in order to start college, with the plan to return and work in Brazil as well.
You are very special and we are praying for you regularly. We greatly value your prayer, moral, and financial support!
Blessings in Christ,
The Wilsons