Xingu Mission field report January 2025
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Wilson’s December 2024 Update
Newness!Thank you for your continued prayers! Over the last few months, there have been several exciting events as we slowly move forward as a new church. First, we have two young professional families interested in being part of the church! They seem to be mature Christians who are talented and seem to be humbly interested in helping the church grow. So we are very encouraged by that. Secondly, we have now rented a commercial space. We are already meeting in it though our signage and some modifications are still pending. Our group is encouraged by the change and we can see subtle signs indicating that, in their minds, we are more of a “real church” now. This step brings another level of organization to our basic functions, such as utilizing sound and AV systems, and more adequate reception and seating arrangements. In November, we held our first special worship service jointly with our sister church in Taquaralto, a community on the city’s outskirts. It was a wonderful time to seek more of the Lord’s presence and help our church understand the relevance of worship through music. As we planned the event we anticipated renting a conference room, then everything worked out for us to rent our new facility, so it was our first event there! Finally, we had the honor of hosting our first short-term team to Palmas. It was from our sending church in Columbus, Ohio. Teams provide several opportunities. They inspire a curiosity in the local community that though sometimes subtle, is significant. They also inspire a sense of expectation, again which is often subtle. Together these factors create special opportunities for us to engage in ministry. Sometimes the activity becomes more relevant because of this curiosity, like the conversational English and Thanksgiving dinner times we had with this team. Other times the team provides the willing workers needed to make a ministry event viable, like the prayer in the park event we did with this team. Finally, sometimes the expectation related to their presence provides an opportunity for a non-routine ministry time, like the midweek service we held at the Taquaralto church.     
PrayerPlease continue praying that God will connect us with key people and give us direction as we seek to guide this group and form a community of Christ followers. Pray for God’s provision and discernment as we adapt our new meeting space to meet the needs of the church. Blessings in Christ, Keith and Marsha Wilson 
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Giving Tuesday, Xingu Mission financial needs – December 2024
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Xingu Mission Field Report November 2024
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Xingu Mission Field Report October 2024
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September 2024 Update
GrowthOnce again, we want to thank you for your prayers and support! The Lord has been very faithful in supporting and guiding us in the mission He called us to! Thank you for partnering with that calling. We continue to see the Lord work in subtle but significant ways in this new church plant in Palmas. During the last two months, we have started to receive a number of visitors. That first started on Sunday, July 28 when we had 9 visitors representing 5 families. During worship, they just kept appearing. Since then, we have had several visitors over the weeks. Sunday, September 22nd, we had a family visit for the second time. We’ve had other visitors along the way, but this recent activity has been cold contacts via our social media activity, suggesting we are having some success in communicating the Kingdom in an accessible and relevant way. Though visitors are important, we know the process of finding a church that aligns with a family’s present needs is a bit of a process. We also know that our current phase as a group is not for everyone. For example, we don’t have an active children’s, youth, or young adult ministry. Even so, our group has been noticeably encouraged, as if they are excited that the group that has become relevant to them is also generating interest among others. Please, pray that God will direct the right people towards us, and that we will have the discernment to receive and care for them well.  TransitionsIn general, we have been transitioning to a more traditional service setting and format, verses our original home group style. This has been gradual based on the size and needs of our group. A big change was moving from Wednesday to Sunday in April. Now with the constant expectation of visitors, we have moved from our living room to our veranda which allows us to set up chairs in a more traditional congregational style with the preacher now standing, and in front. This change was necessary to allow us to receive visitors more discretely as they come in at various points during the service. This flux of visitors brings additional confirmation to our sense that we need to find a more commercial setting soon. This has intensified our search for an adequate space to rent. Subtly, these developments have encouraged our existing members and given rise to opportunities for them to take active ownership in the group. We have seen them subtly and naturally seeking to engage and receive visitors and actively express interest and ideas about a future facility. This is all very organic and exciting. The Kingdom is at work!  OutreachFinally, we recently did our first outreach event as church. We wanted to engage the public in a relevant and natural way. During Father’s Day (in August here) weekend we set up a table at the waterfront park and gently engaged folks while handing out thermal cups to all the fathers and briefly praying for them. The gesture was well received and it was exciting to see our group members present and participating, each one in their own way.   On a personal noteRecently, we were overjoyed to have our kids come to Brazil for a week of vacation with us at a beach in the State of Pará. The boys were excited to have their wives enjoy the same beach they experienced during their years in Brazil. It was a refreshing week of relaxation, conversation, walks together, games, and sand castle building. Incidentally, their visit occurred during our 20th anniversary of service in Brazil. We feel honored that the family took some vacation time and travel to spend with us. We also feel honored that God chose us to be a part of what He is doing in Brazil. 
PrayerPlease continue praying that God will connect us with key people and give us direction as we seek to guide this group and form a community of Christ followers. Pray for God’s provision and discernment as we seek a new meeting space for the church. Blessings in Christ, Keith and Marsha Wilson 
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Xingu Mission Field Report September 2024
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