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Dear Friends and Family,

Thank you for your prayers and support. They are always greatly appreciated.

It has been an exciting time in our church recently. Our numbers have continued to rise and each week we see new people starting a walk with Jesus! We feel very blessed to be part of what God is doing here. As we stated before, we have been so encouraged with our rising numbers in the church, but because of our small building we have run out of room. Lately we have been discussing the option of going to two services. We believe that for our church to continue to grow, we will need to find a solution to our lack of space. We are not yet in the financial position to afford new construction, therefore we believe two services is our best option. Please keep that in your prayers.

Vineyard Macapá

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Our small group. In the second picture, Marcelo is on the left – for more on his story, keep reading J

Mexican Food Night at our small group

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Teaching a class

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We have also been discussing the planting of a second Vineyard in Macapá. Denise and I knew that at some point we would be planting a church, but were a bit unsure exactly when this would happen. Lately, we have been having talks with Pastor Felipe along with some other leaders about the two of us planting, and it seems like the reality of this happening is beginning to take shape. Although there is a ton of planning that needs to occur, Denise and I are looking at November 2017 as a send-off date. This would be after our planned furlough next year. We are SO looking forward to sharing our plans with all of our U.S. friends!

This last week we had a baptism for some of the new Christians at Vineyard Macapá.

The five people who were baptized this week.

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A few more pictures of our baptism

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One of those baptized was a young man named Marcelo.

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Marcelo showed up at our church about a month ago. Shortly after he became part of our small group, Denise and I began to spend some time with him. One evening Marcelo shared the fascinating story of how he ended up at Vineyard Macapá. A few months before, Marcelo was brought to the hospital because he had passed out multiple times in a day. After running tests, the doctors were perplexed because apparently Marcelo’s heart had stopped multiple times throughout the day, but they were unable to find any reason for it. (Marcelo continues to be monitored by his doctors, but no cause has been found and he has had no further symptoms. We continue to pray for him.) The fascinating thing about this story is what Marcelo says he experienced while his heart was stopped. He says that he saw a figure radiating with love and kindness. This figure came close and embraced him. This figure didn’t speak, but Marcelo felt assured by the figure that everything was going to be alright. He also said that even though the figure didn’t speak, he instantly knew the figure was Jesus.

After waking up, Marcelo was a bit confused about what to do with what he had just experienced. He hadn’t grown up in the church and didn’t know many people who attended a church. A few days later, Marcelo ran into an old friend who had recently recommitted his life to Jesus and was attending Vineyard Macapá. Marcelo right away asked if he could join his friend at the upcoming church service. That Sunday night during ministry time, Marcelo came forward and made a commitment to walk with Jesus. It’s been amazing watching Marcelo grow. Every time he is talking about Jesus, his face just lights up. Every time we pray, tears of joy stream down his face. It is encountering people like Marcelo that makes any hardships of our job totally worth it.

We would appreciate your prayers for:

• The logistics and needs that will come with a second church service.
• Continued growth in Marcelo and the many new converts in our church.
• More salvations.
• Wisdom and provision for a 2017 church plant.

Thanks again for your prayers and support. We always love to hear from you.

In His Service,

Christopher & Denise

Link for contributions: https://xingu.org/opportunities/giving/meyer-ministries/

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