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.

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

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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!

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

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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.
 

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

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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.

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

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We are so blessed to be able to celebrate the church opening in Belem.  The Belem team has been working for over a year through their home church to build up a body of believers to start a church outside their home.  A month ago, that became a reality.  In their first church service, they were blessed to have many brothers and sisters from other Vineyard churches come and celebrate with them.  They came as far as Altamira, Santarem, and Portel to support the new church plant opening.  In addition, the National leader of the Vineyard church association shared God’s Word.  The church continues to meet and they are seeing salvations and the Kingdom of God in their midst.

It was an extraordinary moment bringing excitement throughout the movement.  We pray that more moments like this continue to occur more and more in our church planting efforts. 

Please continue to pray for this new Belem church plant, the other church plants in progress, and more workers to take up the cause to plant churches.
 

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

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