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Xingu Mission Field Report August 2024

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The Blaylocks are on home assignment looking forward to planting a new church plant upon their return to the field.

The Xingu Mission has mentioned home assignment on numerous occasions.  After 2 initial years on the field, the Blaylocks are in the States for home assignment.

This home assignment is crucial for the Blaylocks.  Why?  When starting mission field work, the first 2 years is spent on language and culture acquisition.  Although this requires financial support for daily living and move costs, ministry expenses are rather low. They will be returning from home assignment, transitioning to the work of church planting.  

The Blaylocks upon returning to the field will go directly to a new location, João Pessoa, and begin relationship building and expressing the good news about Jesus, spreading God’s love and building His church.

This requires increased support.  So, while on furlough, they need to increase their team with both committed prayer partners that will support them, morally, emotionally and spiritually, as well as committed financial partners who share their vision in reaching Brazilians in João Pessoa, Brazil.  They need to increase their financial support by $1500 a month as their ministry expenses will increase.  That is only 30 people at $50 a month.  

If you would like to learn more about the Blaylock’s plans, please enter into contact with Derek at:

email – Derek.Blaylock@xingu.org
phone – (346) 698-6957

Invite them to your church, small group, or to your house for a meal.  Please consider becoming part of their team.

God bless you as you enjoy your summer.
 

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Xingu Mission
Contact us:

Derek.Blaylock@xingu.org
Steve.Dolan@xingu.org
Patty.Fultz@xingu.org
Bob.Lesher@xingu.org
Christopher.Meyer@xingu.org 
Keith.Wilson@xingu.org
Marsha.Wilson@xingu.org

Our mailing address is:
Xingu Mission
PO Box 340785 
Columbus, Ohio 43234

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July 2024 Update

Wilsons in Brazil

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In Summary 

We’ve previously noted that church planting is slow, this is especially true with a small team. So we’re not at all surprised that things are developing slowly with the Palmas church plant. Even so, things are moving forward, and we are very excited and full of expectation.

We continue pressing in through various strategies, trying to connect with people in the community. We are also encouraged as we see members of our group engaging and identifying more and more with this small church group.

Since our last update some anticipated changes have been initiated and yet other changes have presented themselves. Considered jointly, these developments give us the sense that bigger things are on the horizon. 

We thank you for all your support and ask that you continue praying with us. You are an essential part of what God is doing in Northern Brazil, and we thank you!

Some Developments

First, our friend and church planter, Abilene, has finally moved from Southern Brazil to Palmas to be part of our team. It’s been only a month or so now, but she’s already proven to be an asset to our team helping us take our worship to a new level, bringing a new perspective, and increasing our relational footprint. Our team has just gotten 50% bigger!

Secondly, since April we have been meeting on Sundays rather than Wednesdays.  The whole group was in favor of this change and it marks a subtle but fundamental shift in the level of commitment and the identity of the group. More and more our meetings are taking on the format of a regular structured church service. For our friends who are more leery of church, their continued presence and participation is a significant declaration that the group is relevant and a safe place for the unchurched.

Thirdly, though we have not yet outgrown our space with the regular attendees, we would not have room if all the periodic participants showed up on the same Sunday. So we’re at the point where we need to start looking for a commercial building, before our house rental ends in March 2025. This shift would also provide a better environment for a regular church service format. 

Fourthly, we’ve been praying about when this next step should happen, so we find it interesting that we were just able to sell our Pacjá house this month, allowing us to consider buying something in Palmas. Regardless of the house sale, we would need to move as we only rented this big house to accommodate the church.  Rental of a church facility and selling our house are not necessarily directly related events, but we feel encouraged about the timing and see it as confirmation of what we have already been sensing regarding the next steps for the church. The sale also removes one more anchor as we try to fully invest our attention and resources in Palmas.

In the context of slow, subtle progress, jointly, these changes affirm our sense that God is establishing something significant here in Palmas. Each change represents something we could not possibly do on our own, and the proximity of their timing suggests God is working consistent with the vision He has given us for Palmas.

An expansion of our leadership team, growing commitment by group members, and the promise of a more visible, adequate, and culturally relevant meeting context, collectively are signs that growth and new opportunities are around the corner. All this aligns with what we sense God has been confirming in our hearts for some time now.

Please pray with us as we seek wisdom and discernment concerning a house and the rental of a church facility, as well as what the next steps should be for this group.

 

 

Prayer

Please 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.

Blessings in Christ,

Keith and Marsha Wilson

 

 
 


Xingu Mission Field Report July 2024

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Church planting in Palmas

What do we mean when we say we are planting churches? 

In many minds, planting a church brings the idea of putting up or renting a building, slapping a name on it, and opening the doors as we wait for people to come. The Xingu Mission plants by relying on the guidance of the Holy Spirit to go out into the communities and make connections with people, living an evangelistic lifestyle so people see Jesus in us as we nurture the sprouting relationships and express the good news about Jesus.  Although we get to participate through sowing and nurturing, it is the work of the Holy Spirit that grows a church plant.

This is what Keith and Marsha Wilson have done for 20 years on the field and are doing in Palmas, Tocantins, for over 2 years now. Their attempts to interact and make connections within their community have included hospital visits, cycling, running, walking, voluntary English conversation, cookouts, and Uber driving.  The process is slow, especially with a team of two, and at times discouraging.  However, they’ve been able to see small acts of God moving.  The small church meets in their home on Sunday evenings and has a few faithful attendees.  A little over a month ago, Abilene, a Brazilian from Belo Horizonte, joined them in their planting efforts.  God has been aligning things in his time so that the church plant will grow strong and healthy. 

How can you help plant churches in Brazil from North America?

  1. Maintain contact and support – keep up with the missionary’s challenges and provide moral, prayer, and financial support.  Use this information to find ways to care for the missionary in tangible ways as well. 
  2. Visit them on the field – it encourages the missionary when you have an interest in understanding where they are working, and a desire to help them in their efforts. 
  3. Network with potential prayer and financial supporters – this task is hard for them to do while on the field and with such little time during home assignments.  Your demonstration of partnership adds credibility to the missionary’s efforts.

Pray about how the Lord would like to use you as part of their team.

Pray for the Wilsons and the emerging church in Palmas.

Click here to Donate – Missionaries and Bases

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Xingu Mission
Contact us:

Derek.Blaylock@xingu.org
Steve.Dolan@xingu.org
Patty.Fultz@xingu.org
Bob.Lesher@xingu.org
Christopher.Meyer@xingu.org 
Keith.Wilson@xingu.org
Marsha.Wilson@xingu.org

Our mailing address is:
Xingu Mission
PO Box 340785 
Columbus, Ohio 43234

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Xingu Mission Field Report June 2024

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InterVinha 2024

InterVinha is the Brazlian national conference of Vineyard Churches.  They split the conference into the Northern and Southern regions for logistical reasons.  The Northern region, where our missionaries are planting churches, had around 300 attend the conference.  The speakers were the national directors of the Vineyards in Chile.  We were also privileged to have a few from the South participate among us as well.  It was a time of the body of Christ with one voice and united hearts worshipping God.  It was a time of realignment of values solidified through our Chilean friends.   Also, there was a casting of vision for more church planters within the movement, mentioning the need for more workers in the two new works in Palmas (with the Wilsons) and Belém (with the Dolans).

Enjoy the photos and pray for more workers as we continue to share God’s heart for Brazil and see His Kingdom expand.

May God bless you!

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Xingu Mission
Contact us:

Derek.Blaylock@xingu.org
Steve.Dolan@xingu.org
Patty.Fultz@xingu.org
Bob.Lesher@xingu.org
Christopher.Meyer@xingu.org 
Keith.Wilson@xingu.org
Marsha.Wilson@xingu.org

Our mailing address is:
Xingu Mission
PO Box 340785 
Columbus, Ohio 43234

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Xingu Mission Field Report May 2024

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Persevering the Distance

There is a play on words in the phrase “persevering the distance” addressed in this field report.

Persevering the distance is being used to consider the work of our missionaries on the field, the fulfilling of our call in what lies ahead as much as the burden endured in obeying God’s call that distances us from loved ones.

In the past month, two of our missionaries, Steve and Christopher, suffered the loss of their dear mothers. Christopher’s mother was a mentor to the mission family, so we all felt the loss of Penny.  Steve described feelings of numbness and disconnection because of the distance for over more than twenty years.  We feel as if the distance grows with the number of years on the field.  It most certainly affects family relationships.  The burden comes through loss, missed important events, and the “not being there” in the diminished personal time with the ones we love. Our sympathies go out to Steve, Elba, Christopher, Denise, and their children as they navigate this sad time and new realities.

Back to the topic of persevering the distance. 

We want to draw attention to the apostle Paul.  Paul knew the life of a missionary.  He went, sometimes far from home and sometimes alone.  He knew of the great need for prayer to persevere, to run the race and finish the distance (2 Tim 4:7), both as a man given to prayer and the need to have the prayer of others.  Thus, Paul asks, covets, and pleads for help through prayer several times in his letters.

We ask for your prayers!  Please pray that each of our missionaries can be refreshed for the ministries God has laid before us, in the obedience of our callings.  We plead for prayer that the sting of physical distance does not inhibit our race and that the longings of missing loved ones do not crush our spirit.  We covet your prayers so that through union of the Spirit and aggregation of faith our spiritual fortitude, empowerment, and perseverance will increase as we share God’s truth and see His Kingdom advance in Brazil.
 

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Xingu Mission
Contact us:

Derek.Blaylock@xingu.org
Steve.Dolan@xingu.org
Patty.Fultz@xingu.org
Bob.Lesher@xingu.org
Christopher.Meyer@xingu.org 
Keith.Wilson@xingu.org
Marsha.Wilson@xingu.org

Our mailing address is:
Xingu Mission
PO Box 340785 
Columbus, Ohio 43234

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Xingu Mission Field Report April 2024

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Training Leaders

In 2022, Christopher and Denise Meyer consecrated Leo and Leda as auxiliary pastors at Vineyard Macapá.  This began the journey of training them to eventually lead the church as senior pastors. 

Christopher and Denise focus on training faithful, accessible, and teachable leaders in creating a team that serves the Kingdom of God.  Leo and Leda fit that focus and have grown into gifted leaders.

The training ended with the recent consecration of Leo and Leda as senior pastors of Vineyard Macapá.  It was a joyous celebration and the church was encouraged. 

Planting churches and training leaders leads to raising up the leaders and handing over the churches to them.  It is advancing the Kingdom of God.  We are proud of Christopher and Denise for their diligence and a job well done.

Please be in prayer for the leaders that are in Brazil that are being trained to serve the Kingdom.

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Xingu Mission
Contact us:

Derek.Blaylock@xingu.org
Steve.Dolan@xingu.org
Patty.Fultz@xingu.org
Bob.Lesher@xingu.org
Christopher.Meyer@xingu.org 
Keith.Wilson@xingu.org
Marsha.Wilson@xingu.org

Our mailing address is:
Xingu Mission
PO Box 340785 
Columbus, Ohio 43234

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Wilson – March 2024 Update

A summary of new developments in the Palmas church plant.

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Thank You! 

We want to start by saying thank you for all your prayers, moral support, and financial support.

We are so very thankful for you and how God has continually used you to strengthen and encourage us in many ways. We couldn’t do what we do without your support!

The Process

As we reflect on where we are with this new church plant in Palmas, we also reflect on our experiences from the last 19 years. Connecting and identifying with a new group of people in a new context is always challenging. It takes time, demands great intentionality, and it stretches our natural personalities.

Though our current context seems harder to break into than others, we are thankful for some key relationships that God has blessed us with and which continue to develop. We feel like we are entering a season of ripening. Having been here two years and working hard to develop visible routines, we feel some new relationships will develop over the next six months. We also sense we are in a season of retooling as God further molds us to work in this new context.

Please pray that God will continue working in us and that some of these loose connections will mature into more personal ones. Pray that God will give us discernment and great favor.

Exciting Developments

As a group, we are excited to move our meetings from Wednesdays to Sundays starting in April.

For now, we will maintain our informal small-group format. However, this change to Sunday has some significant implications for a loosely connected group with some non-churchgoers. We’ve been praying about it for some time now, and we were very excited when the group started expressing interest in the change.

We will also gain another member for our church planting team in mid-May.  Abilene (photo above) is a Brazilian woman who was part of a church plant in Altamira back in the days when we arrived in Brazil. She has been part of the national church family for many years and is very talented, balanced, and wise. She will be joining us for an undetermined amount of time, perhaps a few years, and will be significant to the next phases of this small group.

Finally, another family we know has been planning a move to Palmas for over a year. They are from here, know many people, are outgoing, and love the church. Finally, everything has lined up for them to move, and they just secured a house here, with a move planned for later this month.

We sense these changes will significantly impact the group’s development over the next several months. We pray that the church can move out of our house by year-end into a more commercial space!

Prayer

Please 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.

Blessings in Christ,

Keith and Marsha Wilson