XM, Author at Xingu Mission

Faster Than We Thought

Hello Everyone!

I hope you all are doing very well and enjoying the start of Spring! In Brazil, we are starting our “winter” which basically means that there is more rain and more wind than normal. We are grateful for both as it cuts down on the heat.
It has been a while since I have connected with all of you. We have been waiting to have some news to give you about our progress with the immigration process for Ronã. I believe I told you before that we expected the process to take around 10 months to a year, and we filed our paperwork to get started at the beginning of February. The first part of the process is to file a petition that proves that our marriage is legit, and if approved, allows us to start the visa process for a green card. When we were looking on the government websites, it was saying that the wait time just for this first step was taking an average of 8 to 10 months! As you can imagine, we were pretty discouraged with that time frame. However, I am very happy to say that our petition has already been approved! We got a letter in the mail at the beginning of May, which means it only took 3 months!
So, what does this mean for us, you may be wondering? Well, we have been trying to estimate how long the other steps will take, assuming that everything goes smoothly. We believe it is possible that everything could be complete within the next 6 months. IF that is the case (I am using that IF with some liberty), then that could put us back in the US before the end of the year! Please, pray for the rest of this process to continue to go smoothly and quickly. We are anxious to start the next chapter of our lives.
In the meantime, we have a lot happening here. Recently, Ronã was able to get a job as a graphic designer. He is really enjoying it, and it is giving him a lot of experience. Unfortunately however, even with a job like that, his salary is only about $300 dollars a month. He has also started taking an electrician’s course 2 nights a week. He has already completed the online course he was taking for an airport worker. I finished my hair styling course about a month ago, and I am also going to start teaching English part-time with an online company to help us save a little bit of money for our transition.
The other missionaries that we were working with here, Phil and Jen, are going back to Canada for a few months for a furlough. While they are gone, we are going to move into their house in order to take care of their furry friends. We were already having to move out of our apartment because the owner is selling it to her son. It worked out to be good timing for both of us, and we will save a few months of having to pay rent.
Last week, I had the privilege of having my Mom come visit! We had a great time together, and Oliver got to see that his grandma is a real person and not just an image on a video chat. She also got a taste of what my life has been like for almost 7 years living among the Brazilian people. I am grateful she got to see it before I leave here.

Watching videos on facebook together


Saying goodbye

We are always so grateful for your prayers and support of our family during this time. Even with all the many changes we are experiencing right now, we see God working in our favor on every side. He has been more faithful to us than we could have ever imagined. You all have been so much apart of that. We love you and look forward to seeing you all again soon!

Love,
The Moura Family

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Easter Reflections

When I was in university I heard about a guy who was giving way all his worldly possessions because ‘God told him to’. I just figured he was suffering from a mental illness. I also hoped I could get in line for some of his CDs.

When I was in Africa, one of our staff members showed me an article about a guy who had sold everything to move to Africa because ‘God told him to’.

I thought both of these people needed to check in with their family physician. Who does that? Who thinks God is talking to them? And who sells all their earthly possessions because of something ‘God’ said to them??

Flash forward 10-15 years.

There’s me explaining to my friends and family that ‘God is telling us to move to Brazil to be missionaries’.

Pretty sure most of my friends put me in the same place I put those two people I wrote about at the beginning. Jen needs to seek professional help, or Jen has been brainwashed.

I get it, years earlier I would have thought the same thing, I did think the same thing.

Phil and I were poised to have a great future, two great kids, Phil had his own renovation business and I was creating a great career in real estate. We lived in a great community, had wonderful friends and a big extended family. We lived in a country rated in the top 3 in the world most years.

What on earth made us give it all up, sell everything and move to a country where violence and corruption are rampant, education is expensive and we didn’t speak the language?

Were we brainwashed? Both of us at the same time? Or were we both, simultaneously suffering from a mental breakdown? Midlife Crisis?

None of the above.

For those of you who really know me, you know that yes, I have changed. But I haven’t become a religious zealot thumping my Bible and yelling ‘repent or the end is nigh!’ If anything I despise the word ‘religious’ and will often correct people when they say, ‘you’re religious’. Which usually gets me an odd look.

Religion starts wars, religion breeds hate, religion loves rules.

Jesus, the one that I have turned over my whole life too, hated all of that.

What Jesus was and is about, and what he has birthed in me, is LOVE.

I didn’t used to love people all that much. I loved those around me, the ones I knew, my family and friends, people I had things in common with especially.

But people who were different from me, quite frankly, annoyed me. People who thought differently or believed differently, I kept at a distance. Not that I was mean or rude to them, I just had no interest in knowing them.

In November of 2002, just a few months after we were married something completed shifted in my heart, and where I used to harbour fear, a need for the next thing, a gnawing unidentified hunger that couldn’t be satisfied was immediately and completely filled.

For the first time in my life it was like a light was turned on. Did I get a download to the meaning of life and everything in it? Sort of. Did I suddenly have all the answers to life biggest questions, no. But the thing was I was suddenly ok with not knowing the reason for everything. I was suddenly able to put my trust somewhere, that no matter what happened someone was driving this thing, someone who did know all the answers was in control and I could rest in that.

I had an inner peace I had longed for my entire life.

I know, sounds crazy, sounds impossible but 17 years later it’s still there and instead of fading, it only grows.

That peace is something that has no price. I used to live with a lot of fear, fear of wars, fear of loved ones dying, fear of disease, fear of the end of the world.

The world is full of a lot of scary stuff these days. It seems that doomsday looms over us, peers at us from around the corner.

Although I can’t say that fear doesn’t rear its ugly head every once in a while, it no longer controls and consumes me. I’m no longer a slave to it.

Why? What’s my secret? Well, I now have somewhere to put that fear, someone to take it to. I can say, ‘I can’t carry this it’s crushing me, please take it from me’ and as long as I remember to ask, He takes it, EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

And then there’s the love. Suddenly, people that used to annoy me became people I really wanted to know, maybe even understand how they ticked even if it was different to me. I love people in a way I didn’t think was possible before. Like really love them.

Especially the ones that look like everyone else has forgotten about, cast aside.

That love is what fills up that gaping void that I tried to fill before with alcohol, friends, new clothes, a better job, the next stage of my life, and on and on and on…..a constant search for something I couldn’t put my finger on but continued to try the next thing hoping that would satisfy it.

That gaping void has a shape, we all have one and I can tell you this, it won’t be filled with anything that has a different shape that what was created to fill it.

Once that love fills up that space, heals the hurts of your past, gives you a sense of meaning and purpose, there’s no telling the crazy things it will make you do.

It is often said that love is the most powerful force on earth, and maybe, just maybe because it isn’t of this earth. God is not just an old man with a beard sitting on a throne judging the world, He is a very real Father who loves his kids with the fierceness of a mama bear.

God doesn’t just love as an action, God IS love.

This weekend we celebrate Easter and for Jews, Passover. For most it’s the season of chocolate and daffodils. Easter and Passover are both about people being freed from slavery, that’s not a coincidence. For Christians, it’s the time we remember this man who gave up everything because of love. He gave up more than a career, a nice house and a neighbourhood. He endured so much more than living thousands of kilometres from those he loved.

He gave up his life so that I could have one.

And then he beat death! That thing we all fear, mourn over and wish we could escape. He died, and three days later came back. More than 500 witnesses saw him, touched him, put their hands in his wounds.

This season we celebrate that we too can be fully alive, no longer slaves to our wrong doings, fear and shame, because of what He did for us. He shouldered all of our wrongs, even though he was innocent, and then he forgave the very people that had beaten, tortured and crucified him.

‘Forgive them Father, they know not what they do’.

Who does that? Who forgives their killer? Who shoulders the entire worlds wrong doings? Was he mentally ill? Was he brainwashed? Midlife crisis?

Or maybe, just maybe, he was God in the flesh, showing us what love does.

This Easter/Passover, if you are struggling, if you are feeling alone, if you have a void and gnawing emptiness that you have not been able to fill, I ask you to just for a minute, ask yourself if maybe, just maybe, I’m not crazy, and their is a God and maybe He wants to give you all the peace and love and meaning that He has given me and countless others who have taken that leap of faith.

Because I can tell you this, it really is just a simple request away, ‘God, if you are real, I need you in my life’.

Happy Easter to all near and far.

Happy Easter! Praise the Lord for He has risen!

As I mentioned last month the church started a new campaign to increase the number of home groups in the church. The idea is to have Elba create a video series called the “The Real Jesus” based off The Vineyard Columbus rendition. We would then distribute the DVD to members of the congregation that are willing to open up their home, serve a snack, and play the DVD. We have been working hard to produce the video’s weekly and we have already done 3 videos to date.

1. The historic Jesus

2. Jesus the Master

3. Jesus the Sufferer

During the campaign we have created over 20 new groups. This is very exciting and we are praying that after this campaign the groups will stay together and continue meeting together weekly. Below are some new groups meeting. Please join us in this prayer.

We also got the opportunity to visit our new church plant called “Mexicano” and Elba got the opportunity to share the Word. It is still a small community of believers but there is great faith and fellowship. It was exciting. After the service they served a rather large meal for everyone that came. I asked if they prepared a meal because we came, they said “no”, and thankfully I learned that on most Sunday’s congregants bring food and eat after the service. You can sense that there is strong fellowship and community. We could not be happier. Please continue to pray for them.

Camilly and some of her classmates went out to the local senior home to serve the men and women that live there. The conditions are primitive and we felt welcomed by our visit. One of the students read them a poem and then we began to serve cake and juice. We thought we brought way too much cake and juice, but nope, they really enjoyed it and they ate it all up. We were really happy to see Camilly participate in this outreach. Alyssa has been learning how to draw digitally, and this has become one of her hobbies. It is fun to see the creativity come from them.

Please pray for spiritual, physical, and emotional health for us.

Much love, Steve, Elba, Camilly, and Alyssa

Apr, 18

April 2019 Newsletter

Dear Friends and Family,

Thank you for your prayers and support. They have been greatly appreciated.

Things have been going great here at Vineyard Viva! This month we had the honor of ordaining our first assistant pastors, Sarah and Silas. We have been walking very closely to Sarah and Silas for the last two years and they have been a huge blessing in our lives. I often think about how much more difficult things would have been if they had not walked into our lives prior to planting this church. They are both extremely gifted, extremely committed to practicing what they preach, and are committed to pastoring people. Ordaining them was the natural next step in their lives as well as within our church. We are so excited to see what God has in store!

Ordaining Sarah & Silas

Us with Sarah & Silas

This last month I was asked to write an article for the Xingu Mission Field Report about our first church plant. I wanted to share the article with all of you. Please find it below.

Denise and I are doing well and thoroughly enjoy watching Jonas grow up in every way! We look forward to visiting OHIO in the fall on our furlough. It hard to believe that 2 years have passed since our last trip home.

Jonas

Jonas showing off his new teeth

Prayer Requests:

Continued growth and spiritual health for our church.
For Sarah and Silas as they continue to grow into their expanding roles.
Grace, provision and wisdom as we care for our church family, our son and each other.

Thanks again for you love and support. We miss you, love hearing from you and hope you have a wonderful Easter celebration!

In His Service,

Christopher & Denise

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

FIELD REPORT – April 2019

It’s been about 18 months since my wife Denise and I planted a church here in the city Macapá. To say that this has been a learning experience would be an understatement. Although we have definitely had our ups and downs, these last 18 months have taught us so much. It has become clear to us how easy it would be to make the goal of church planting to gather and grow the church. Over and over, God has made it clear to us that that is the byproduct. The goal needs to be, has to be pointing to Jesus and learning how to walk in step with Him. After all, it is His church, he is the great Shepherd and we are all sheep in His pasture.

The number one thing that has become more and more obvious is that people desire real connection with God. Increasingly, we have focused on how to organically bring this about in our church. One of our values we emphasize at each gathering is leaving a chunk of time and space for the Holy Spirit to come minister. An example would be our Sunday service as we deliberately keep our sermons somewhat short so that we can have more time to pray for one another and to invite His presence. We don’t want this time of ministry and prayer to be an afterthought, we want it to be a focus. Leaving room for the Holy Spirit’s movement is a huge priority in our small groups as well.

A person can gain many things being part of a church. They can grow in their understanding of the Bible, be encouraged during difficult times, live with healthy accountability, and much more. These things are good and should not be overlooked. But, above everything else, our desire has been for a person to encounter the real living God. As I said gathering and growing a church is a byproduct. A very necessary God ordained byproduct! It naturally happens when people grow in connection to Him.

Another strong emphasis of the church has been is to acknowledge how much people desire to connect with one another and to feel part of a family. This year we have been amazed by the number of people who struggle with severe loneliness and feelings of isolation. Although many of these people are regularly surrounded by others, they still feel isolated and as if no one truly knows them. For that reason, we began to invest heavily in small groups. We wanted safe places for people to come together, eat together, open up together, encourage one another and allow God to come minister. Small groups have been a huge value in our church from day one and because of this over 90% of our church are regular attenders of a small group.

We realize that these are not new concepts. That connection with God and connection to Christian community are central themes throughout the church and church history. I guess we have just realized these needs in a more profound way, now that we are pastoring a church. Although there are always decisions to be made and questions to be had, we feel that the key will always be about connection.

And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” – Matthew 22:37-40

March 2019 Amazon Update!

One of the annual events that the churches participate in is our annual “Cristoval” celebration. Carnival is Brazil’s annual “celebration of the flesh” before the initiation of Lent on the Catholic calendar. It’s a week-long party where “anything goes” and almost every city in the country shuts down allowing full participation by the people. However, and praise the Lord, this was the 2^nd year that the mayor’s office did not fund any carnival event here. The Vineyard churches combined efforts many years ago to begin “Cristoval”, a retreat for youth, away from the city, with a focus on Jesus and having a lot of good clean fun. It has been a great success to redirect the youth’s energy towards God instead of the temptations of the world and drawing kids toward Jesus. During the three day retreat, the youth had opportunity to connect with Jesus through lively worship and dynamic teaching. Elba had the privilege to preach the first night.

It was really powerful in the lives of the hundreds of youth and adults that participated in the conference. However, there was one youth in particular that we were so fond to send to the event. Yes, Camilly was old enough to participate and she had a great time being with her friends, and celebrating the Lord. As parents, we got to experience Camilly for the first time initiate prayer for one of her friends on her own. It was deeply exciting for both Elba and I and we were close to tears. Unfortunately, in her 2^nd day at the event, she got very sick and we took her home.

The church is doing well and we are in the midst of starting a new campaign to increase the number of home groups in the church. Home group growth has always been a challenge for the church. Challenges range from the home group leader feeling inept, to members not having time due to the busyness of life, work and such. The campaign that we are using was developed by the Vineyard Columbus. The idea is to have Elba create a video series and then we distribute the DVD to members of the congregation that are willing to open up their home, serve a snack, and play the DVD. We are trying to keep it as simple as possible with the ultimate hope that the group stays together after the campaign. In addition, once a month, we have been training our current small group leaders. Please pray for great success and lasting results for the campaign. I will keep you posted.

During our time off we got the opportunity to visit the Maquine caves in Minas Gerais. It was really massive, awesome and beautiful to see.

We appreciate you so much for all your prayers and support. May the Lord’s joy and comfort be upon you always.

Please pray for spiritual, physical, and emotional health for us. Also, please pray for Steve as he will be having a small surgery to remove a large varicose vein.

Much love, Steve, Elba, Camilly, and Alyssa

Mar, 5

March 2019 Newsletter

Dear Friends and Family,

As always, thank you for your prayers and support. They are greatly appreciated.

Things have been rolling along and going great here in Macapá. The church is growing, we are developing new leaders, and we now have a total of six small groups. Denise and I feel like we are stepping into a new season of the church’s development and we can’t wait to see what God has in store.

Group that we lead at our house.

Denise’s Women’s Group

Another group we lead in the nearby city of Santana.

Once a year Xingu has a Missionary Retreat. This is a time for us to get together, relax, have fun, and receive ministry from guest pastors or speakers. This year was especially exciting because my parents were the guest speakers!

Our missionary retreat

And Denise’s parents were able to stop by for a few days as well. This was the first time both of our parents were together with Denise and me since our wedding!

Our family

Prayer Requests:

Please pray for the continued growth and health of our church.
Please pray for grace as Denise and I balance ministry and family life.
Pray financial provision for the growing needs of our church and family.

Thanks again for your prayers and support. We love hearing from you!

In His Service,

Christopher and Denise

Contribution link: https://xingu.org/opportunities/giving/meyer-ministries/

February 2019 Amazon Update!!!

We have been traveling for personal vacation time which was very nice and needed. We ended our time in Brasilia and the church asked Elba if she was interested in hosting a woman’s conference. She agreed and spoke to the women. During the conference she talked about the empowerment and transformation of women in ministry and encouraged the women to step up into leadership.

As a strong woman leader in a predominant male hierarchy culture, Elba is unique because women in leadership is not embraced by everyone with welcoming arms especially in the North where we serve, but also in the South of Brazil. It is a fight not only to be heard as a woman, but to be respected and to have authority. Elba has done a great job in establishing and positioning herself as a woman leader, and is passionate to keep empowering and pushing through the resistance and removing all of the barriers. We really believe that if we are to evangelize this world, we all need to participate and lead.

After the conference, Elba spoke at 2 of the churches in Brasilia. During Elba’s preaching she wanted to make it clear to the congregation by saying “you invited me to come and speak to the women and empower them, I believe that was accomplished, so now, let them do it.” It seems clear to us.

After the conference we went to our missionary care retreat. The missionary care retreat is awesome as it allows all of our missionaries to come to one place and be with one another. Our missionaries are now spread out distance wise and almost all of our missionaries are serving alone. Serving alone in a foreign land with a different culture is difficult and challenging. Day by day we walk out the call of God in our lives and our dependency to lean into the Holy Spirit is crucial. Community with other missionaries who are walking out that same journey is incredibly refreshing, re-energizing, and encouraging. We highly value this time. We were grateful for Danny and Penny Meyer to come to minister to all of us.

My sister Lynn came down as well, and she helped with child care at the retreat while we were in the meetings

Unfortunately, during our travels our cat, Bob, passed away. It was very sad and there were tears. He was a good cat, extremely smart and a good rat killer. We will miss our Bob. During that same time, one of our dogs had a litter of pups. They are cute and are just learning how to start walking around.

We appreciate you so much for all your prayers and support. May the Lord’s joy and comfort be upon you always.

Please pray for spiritual, physical, and emotional health for us.

Much love, Steve, Elba, Camilly, and Alyssa

Plans for the Future

Hello to our Friends and Supporters!

I want to start by thanking you all for the incredibly gracious words we received from so many of you after the news we sent out last month. It was very hard to explain to everyone what was going on, and you all made us feel very loved and supported. Thank you again.
We want to let you all know as well exactly where we stand as a family. Please understand that Ronã and I are very committed to each other and to do whatever is necessary to take care of our family. I think the beginning of marriage is often hard for most people because of all the changes. There is a lot to learn about each other and how to live with one another. For us, we have had to deal with that as well becoming parents, several moves, working as missionaries, an age difference and a cultural difference. All those things together have created a lot of pressure that we just weren’t handling very well. We needed space to grow and learn how to do life together.

Over the past month, we have spent a lot of time talking with each other as well as our pastors and leaders to decide exactly what our next steps should be and what our options are for moving forward. It is clear that the best thing for us is to go back to the States. However, this requires us to go through the immigration process. After a lot of research, we determined that we need to do the entire immigration process here in Brazil in order for Ronã to receive a green card before going to live in the U.S. This process could take as long as 2 years, however, we do not believe it will take that long for us. We have a friend who also married a Brazilian, and they both live in the U.S now. Their process took 10 months to complete. Of course, there are no guarantees, but we hope that our process will take anywhere from 10 months up to a 1 year.
As we explained before, the Xingu Mission is allowing us to continue to receive support until June 30, 2019. This is for the purpose of allowing us time to transition into our new lives. However, as you can see, our situation is a little bit different because Ronã is not a U.S. citizen. Because of the legal restrictions of receiving support through the Xingu Mission beyond June 2019, we have asked our home church, Vineyard Tuttle Crossing, for help.
Fortunately, we are able to continue to receive support through the church without a time limit. We are asking that our supporters would continue to give to us financially until we are able to receive the green card and start a new life in the States.

This process is the following. *Please note that if you are already giving through the Vineyard Tuttle Crossing church, there is no need to make any changes.

1. You would need to cancel any reoccurring donations that you have been giving through the Xingu Mission website. Contact Patty.Fultz@xingu.org in order to do that.

2. After the cancellation process is complete, set up a new reoccurring donation at Vineyard Tuttle Crossing website http://www.vineyardtc.org/egiving

3. Enter the amount you would like to give and be sure to select the option for “Missions”. Follow the instructions to complete the donation.

During our interim, we are doing what we can to cut down our expenses. We are also setting aside funds to pay for the green card process, as there are many fees and expenses involved. You may remember that I had started a hairstylist course in order to meet new people in the city. We have decided that it would be best if I continued with the course in hopes of possibly getting a job as a hairstylist in the future. Ronã is also going to take a course that trains airport attendants. We are doing these things as a way to help prepare us for a new life in the States. We are going to continue to be apart of the small church starting here in João Pessoa, but we will no longer be involved in active ministry.

We still have a lot of unknowns ahead of us, but we are taking one day at a time and trying to do our best to prepare ourselves for the future. We ask for your prayers for God’s favor and direction during this season of our lives. We thank you again for all of your faithfulness and sacrifice for our family. We are truly blessed because of you.
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

Love,
The Moura Family

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Jan, 19

Jail Story

When I went to the jail this week I was surprised to see that the cell where I go was packed. Thirty-one guys are crowded into a one-room cell with a closet and an open bathroom. After the guards locked me in through the last double gate and walked away, I looked around. They were all new. No one knew me. All the old crowd had been sentenced, freed, or transferred to another prison. I explained who I was and they offered me a bucket to sit on. I hesitated because there were only a few buckets to sit on, but they insisted as they all sat down on the raw cement floor.

I explained the Discovery Group format in a couple of sentences, and passed the page with questions to one of the vocal guys. Everyone participated. They were all curious and respectful, and many responded to each question. Several said what when well for them that week, (Question 1 in our study). One of the guys saw the moon the night before for the first time in six months. He was transferred from another jail where he could not see outside. This cell has a two inch gap in the skylight area. Many commented on how cool it was to see the moon. Then another guy started thanking me for “coming to the most dangerous cell etc. etc.”. Finally I stopped him. “This might be dangerous, or maybe not. It doesn’t feel dangerous. I can sense the presence of God stronger here . . .”. I wanted to say “stronger here than I feel it in church” but I got interrupted. Everyone burst out cheering and clapping so loudly I couldn’t keep talking. Finally I cheered and clapped too, and then we carried on with our study.

The story was about when Jesus went to Simon’s house, and the prostitute washed his feet (Luke 7:36-50). They reread and retold the story a few times, and then tried to imagine what if they were at a pastor’s supper, and a prostitute wanted to wash their feet. Some of them had been to meals with pastors. Then the conversations shifted. “I went to a church to see this one pastor I knew. As we were talking a poor person came in. The pastor asked that person to leave the church building. If that person had been well-dressed, the pastor would have treated him differently.”

This triggered another story. “One time I went to a church, wearing a R$900 (about $300 – an extremely extravagant amount for this crowd) blazer. Of course, I never paid for it. I stole it from (a well-know big store that everyone knows). I wanted to look nice for the pastor.” I interrupted him to verify that I was hearing correctly. Everyone is all ears, of course. These kind of bible studies are interesting. After he confirmed his story about how he was wearing his stolen R$900 blazer, he kept talking but I missed the rest of his story, as I was still trying to imagine the scene.

As the group got to comparing pharisees and pastors someone says in a kind of discouraging voice, “It’s all the same. Everyone is the same.” Everyone was looking at me to see how I would respond to this. I smiled as I looked back at all of them. “Hmmm. You think everyone is same?” They were starting to nod as I continued. “You think that this prostitute got forgiven, became a pastor, and started treating poor people badly? And that you would do the same if you got a chance to be a pastor?” It got real quiet. This wasn’t exactly what they were thinking.

This group of criminals was recently thrown together from about 10 of the surrounding towns. A few are from Marabá. They all await trial, so they have hope. The bad things that happened last week (Question 2 in our study) have to do serious arguments among themselves. They are just getting to know each other. After a long pause I carried on. “I have a dream. I would like to help you guys start Discovery Bible Studies like this in your home towns. You guys have credibility among your people. You are God’s best choice to help lead them to Himself.” It got quiet again. I gave them my WhatsApp number so we’ll see what happens. I have no idea how this could work out, but these guys consider themselves fearless so if God can get hold of them who knows how far they can go? Hopefully there are some Apostle Paul’s hidden in the group.

As I was leaving one of the guys asked me, “Would you call my aunt and let her know I’m here?” She lives in a town 400 kms away, where this man was in jail before he got suddenly transferred. He gave me her number. When I got home I called her. After many rings a woman answered. After I introduced myself she asked me to call back. “So and so just died, and I am in a funeral procession.” She sounded torn up and defeated. Someone at the jail earlier that morning said to the group, “It is hard to be a Christian.” I’m thinking the opposite is more true. It is hard to be a not-Christian.

All this confirms my belief that we are living in a region that is ripe for a church-planting explosion. Please keep praying for us.

Merry CHRISTmas and Happy New Year from the Amazon

We experienced two very exciting things at the church. The Xingu Mission is all about training leaders and planting churches. Unfortunately, these are not instantaneous occurrences and they take time to develop, nurture, grow and release. We just had 15 member of our church complete training through the Vineyard Institute here in Brazil. Vineyard Institute exists to equip people through high quality biblical and theological education integrated with spiritual formation so that they are prepared for kingdom work at any level in the church. We are hoping that one day they will be church planters!

In addition, Cleiton and Cristiane have been serving faithfully as our youth pastors for many years. They are passionate leaders and love the Lord. We have a small group that is about a 20 minute drive from the church. This small group has been growing and are developing into a large congregation that is outgrowing their small wood house. We are sending Cleiton and Cristiane to be the pastors of this congregation to help in the work that the Holy Spirit is doing. We are so excited about sending them and we are excited about what the future holds for this group of believers. Planting churches and watching lives change to be like Christ is such a blessing and brings joy to our hearts. Please pray for them and the new Mexicano church.

The girls helped prepare the Christmas tree this year. However, there was a lot of fuss because Mom wanted to put the tree up before December. It just did not feel right to put the tree up in November for the girls. But since it was just a couple of days before December, they conceded, and the tree was up and they did a great job. The girls also did well in school and received awards for their grades and performance. They had a presentation and everyone got dressed up for the occasion. They are always excited if they can go to school events without their everyday uniforms. We feel blessed!

Again, Merry CHRISTmas to you. We appreciate you so much for all your prayers and support. May the Lord’s joy and comfort be upon you always.

Please pray for spiritual, physical, and emotional health for us.

Much love, Steve, Elba, Camilly, and Alyssa

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