XM, Author at Xingu Mission

Merry Christmas 2016

Dear Friends and Family,

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

Denise and I want to wish you a Merry Christmas! Things are crazy and fun here in Macapá. We have Denise’s family visiting for 2 weeks! This is the first we have been able to spent time with them since last Christmas, so we couldn’t be any more excited! We are having a blast showing them around Macapá.

Our trip to see Starwars

Denise and I with her parents

Christmas was always my favorite holiday. I have such fond memories of Christmases in the past. The Christmas lights, the smell of pine needles and cookies in the oven, the sound Christmas carols, the crisp cold winter air, the whole environment, are things I have always loved. Since moving to Brazil, Christmas is very different. I find myself really missing my family and feeling very homesick during the holidays.

A few days ago I woke up feeling a bit down and homesick, so I grabbed my Bible and opened it. The page it opened to was Isaiah 9. I looked down and began to read: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” In this verse Isaiah is prophesying about the coming messiah. My first thought was how fitting the verse was during this time of the year, but as I thought and prayed the words spoke to my heart. I realized that the verse was not just speaking about something that happened 2000 years ago, but was about what Jesus was doing in my life that morning and every day. Jesus didn’t just come to rescue Israel, but is in constant pursuit of saving each and every one of us on a daily basis.

Denise’s and my prayer for you this Christmas is that you will sense Jesus – Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace – near to you.

Merry Christmas!

In His Service,

Christopher and Denise

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

December Amazon Update – Merry CHRISTmas!

Merry CHRISTmas. We pray that this Christmas will be very special for you and your loved ones. We are grateful to be back in the States to see our family and friends like you. I also felt like the Lord wanted me to tell you that He sees you, loves you, and that He is with you. Pray you enjoy the below email and again, have a great Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

Before coming back to the States we had a community wedding where 6 couples got married. It was a really great time and we were very proud of these couples. Two of the couples had been married at the justice of the peace several years prior but never had a formal celebration. We also had a Mom and Dad get married, alongside of their son and daughter. It was a really cool sight to see the Mom and Dad getting married with their children which is something that you do not see every day. There were lots of smiles of happiness and tears of joy, and the Lord was smiling in their midst as they made their public testimony of dedication and commitment to Christ. Another blessing was that all of the dresses were donated which went a long way to making this a very special day.

Also before coming back to the States, Elba went to Porto de Moz to speak to their congregation and encourage them in the Lord. Thankfully she was able to take a speedboat which only took about 4-5 hours to get there. They were really excited about her visit and they had many performances and dances for the special time. As a treat, Elba got to eat her favorite fish which is a hard shelled fish that is prehistoric in nature. It is a bottom feeder and she grew up eating it. Personally, I ate it once, and then went to the hospital….no joke.

We drove up from Florida which had some great weather. During our trip up we had many competing prayers between the kids and us. They were praying for snow and cold, and we were trying to rebuke those prayers with warm weather. When we arrived in Columbus this past weekend, it was a rude awakening, and the girl’s prayers prevailed. However, we are still praying for warmer weather….brrrrrr.

Please also continue to pray for spiritual, physical, and emotional health for us.

Much love, Steve, Elba, Camilly, and Alyssa

Tax deductible donations can be written and sent to:

The Xingu Mission

P.O Box 340785

Columbus, Ohio 43234

Or On-line donations at:

https://xingu.org/opportunities/giving/dolan-ministries/

We went on a little retreat with the church and I was just about to lay down in my hammock when I heard these plops on the ground. I thought it was fruit falling from the tree but upon further investigation I saw that it was poop. I then looked up and saw the monkeys just above me trying to mark their territory on my head. Then they started to unleash a poop storm. Needless to say I moved quickly from that spot. This was my firsthand experience of an animal marking their territory….they won. J

November Amazon Update and Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! As you will see below, we will be coming back to Ohio around December 15th and staying in the Ohio area until February 5th. We would love to see you. If this works for you, please send me some dates so we can mark something on the calendar. OK? Thanks and we look forward to seeing you soon. Pray you are blessed with the below email.

I started a small group bible study and we just completed our 26^th week. This bible study is unlike the bible studies that I am used to as we adopted the Discipleship Making model. It is a really simple model and one that is very easy to facilitate. The model has been adopted in many areas throughout the world and has really caught on fire. I cannot do the model justice in this brief email https://idisciple.cityteam.org/ but essentially we ask the same simple questions week after week like:

What are you thankful for this week? (Prayer/Worship)
What has stressed you out this week?
What do you need for things to be better? (Intercession)
What are the needs of the people in your community? (Ministry)
Let’s see what the Bible teaches us this week. Read this week’s passage. (Scripture)
What does this passage teach us about God? (Discovery/Scripture/Priesthood of Believers)

Our group consists of friends that do not attend church on a regular basis. I am not sure of the reasons why they do not go to church, however, week after week they continue to invite us back to have home church at their house to talk about their lives, God, and the Bible.

I like these questions because even if you know it or not, we are honoring and giving praise to God. Plus, we get the opportunity to open up the scriptures to our friends that normally would not read the bible.

Elba returned from London, England and we are glad to have her back. Elba went to London because she serves on the international board for Vineyard Institute. Vineyard Institute is an educational provider for the Vineyard movement, formed to develop leaders at all levels of church life through high quality theological training http://vineyardinstitute.org/ . While she was there for her meeting she had the opportunity to go and speak at the Trent Vineyard. She preached on “God’s People – A Missionary People”. While she was gone we celebrated our 13^th year wedding anniversary. Thankfully, I was able to send her some flowers for the occasion.

The girls continue to do well and excel at school. Obviously, we are very proud parents and are grateful to their dedication to school. They won 2 gold medals for their school performance. Camilly, with the help of Clenildo (one of her Brazilian Grandpas), made this replication of a river and Indian community. They made it out of Styrofoam, paper, and wire. They did an amazing job. Alyssa is also becoming an artist. She painted this on Styrofoam tray. Again, proud parents!

As we mentioned last month, Elba was invited to come and speak at the Vineyard Columbus woman’s conference to be held in February 2017. Elba is excited about this opportunity and since it is coming up to our time to visit the States, we accepted with great enthusiasm. We will be coming back to the States on December 10^th and staying in the Columbus area until February 5^th. We look forward to seeing and spending time with our family during Christmas. We also look forward to seeing you. Would you like to get together? If so, write me back and let’s get something on the calendar.

Please also continue to pray for spiritual, physical, and emotional health for us.

Much love, Steve, Elba, Camilly, and Alyssa

Tax deductible donations can be written and sent to:

The Xingu Mission

P.O Box 340785

Columbus, Ohio 43234

Or On-line donations at:

https://xingu.org/opportunities/giving/dolan-ministries/

Richie Bouthillier took this photo while on a boat trip with the Dentist team. The dog fell asleep like this.

Endurance

Hello to all of our Generous Supporters and Friends!

We are always so grateful for your involvement in our lives despite the distance. Whether it be packages sent or notes on Facebook and email, we know that we are in your hearts and thoughts on a regular basis. Thank you.

In my last blog, I gave you the great news that I was pregnant, and I also explained that I was suffering some severe symptoms.

The condition that I have is called hyperemesis gravidarum. That’s basically a fancy phrase for a very extreme form of morning sickness. And since the end of September, I have been battling with this condition. I have had days in which I vomited at least 10 times. I have had days in which I only moved from the bed to the bathroom and back. In that time, I have lost 16 lbs. I have gone to the hospital several times for IV treatments for dehydration. In the beginning, I was given a medicine for nausea and vomiting, but with little effect. Although Brazil does offer a public health system, the care is often indifferent and slow.

A few weeks ago, I was in really bad shape. I was so weak, I could hardly stand. Finally, with the financial help of some family members, we were able to visit a private doctor, and she admitted us in a private hospital for a few days. There, along with IV treatments, they gave me a medication that finally started making a difference. It is a drug often given to cancer patients to treat the nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy treatments. With this medication, I was able to get some relief. I was able to eat and drink again, usually only vomiting once a day.

As I explained before, the assumed cause for morning sickness is associated with the hormones flooding the body in order to develop the fetus. In the first 3 months of pregnancy, these hormones double every few days, therefore, the nausea and vomiting often grow stronger as you reach the end of the first trimester. After that, some of the hormones begin to subside, and most often, the symptoms of nausea and vomiting begin to subside as well. I have just reached the peak end of my first trimester. This week, despite the medicine, my symptoms have worsened again. Thankfully, nowhere near the level of before, but each day is a rollercoaster. My prayer is that now that I am at the end of the first trimester, the nausea and vomiting will start to lessen with each day. There is no guarantee of this, as some women suffer from these symptoms throughout their pregnancy. Please pray with me that this is not my case.

Despite these hardships, there has been some good things. Ronã, for one, has been amazing. He has gotten me everything I needed, made appointments with all the doctors, cleaned up after me, held me when I was moaning in pain, and so, so much more. He has served me and our baby so faithfully. I am so blessed to have him.

Another wonderful thing is that our baby is totally healthy and developing normally. We just went for an ultrasound yesterday, and we can already see it’s head and little arms and legs moving around, as well as it’s little heart beating so strong.

Though I have had to stop most of the things I was involved in before, on my good days, I have at least been able to continue meeting with some of the girls I have been counseling. It makes me very happy to know that I can still walk along side them in this time as they continue to grow.

Our friends and the other missionaries here have been very helpful and supportive of us. We are so grateful for their loving kindness.

Again, I want to say how much we appreciate your prayers and support. God bless and keep all of you.

Additional Prayer Request:

-A Visa for Ronã to travel to the US and Canada

-Increase in Financial Support

-Continued health of our Baby

-Wisdom as we serve

Love, Allison and Ronã

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Nov, 11

November 2016 Newsletter

Dear Friends and Family,

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

Denise and I have had a good month. It started out with a trip to our annual missionary retreat. This is a time for all the Xingu Mission missionaries to gather and be ministered to. It is extremely easy for us as missionaries to sometimes neglect our own spiritual and emotional needs. This year at our retreat we had Dan and Sandy Thiessen, a couple from Canada who have been professional counselors for many years, come and minister to us. They were amazing, and their insights and perspective into our life difficulties and challenges were extremely helpful. Denise and I, and all the other missionaries were very blessed by them. These retreats are also a time for all the missionaries to catch up with each other and have some fun. Every time we get together with my fellow XM missionaries, we feel so blessed to be part of this family!

From our missionary retreat

Back in Macapá things have been busy. At the moment our biggest focus has been discipleship and leadership training. When it is time for Denise and me to leave and plant a new Vineyard, we would like our present church to be in as healthy a position as possible. One thing I have found is that training leaders is more challenging than I realized. We have been very encouraged and excited by the progress made, but have learned that leadership training takes a lot of effort and commitment from those being discipled as well as those doing the discipling.

Our Small Group watching the testimony of John Wimber (who founded the Vineyard Movement). We watched with subtitles.

Small Group Worship

Over a year ago, when Denise and I were in São Paulo helping out with a worship seminar, we met a young man named Samuel. At that time Samuel had just begun a walk with Jesus. Throughout the week, Samuel began to share his desire to come visit us in Macapá. Before saying our goodbyes, he made a promise that he would visit us. Six months ago Samuel made good on his promise. While he was here, God did some powerful things in his life. By the end of his weeklong visit, he was talking about how he felt God was calling him to come live in Macapá. At the moment Denise and I didn’t know how serious he was, but two weeks ago Samuel moved to Macapá!

Samuel being prayed for at the church

Since arriving here, things have gone well for Samuel. He has found a job, a place to live, made many new friends and has fit right in. He is a very talented musician and can play multiple instruments. He has been extremely helpful with our worship band. We all love Samuel and couldn’t be happier that he is here with us! Although he is overjoyed to be here, he is experiencing many new things. This is Samuel’s first time living away from his mother’s house. In fact, his visit here six months ago was the first time he’d been outside of São Paulo. Please keep Samuel in your prayers!

Our church

Other Prayer Requests:

Continued growth, discipleship and sense of community in our church.

Continued leadership development.

Wisdom, discernment and God’s heart as we care for those inside and outside the church.

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/

Mixed Blessing

Hello to all our Friends and Supporters!

We hope you all are doing well, and as always, we thank you for your generosity and prayers.
As I look on social media, it seems that the United States is going through a very tumultuous time. There seems to be conflict and upheaval in almost every area of life. I pray for all of you that peace would reign in your hearts, above all else. It is important to remember that the Earth is not our true home, and that our ultimate security cannot be found here. We have hope for a better day in a better land!
This year has brought a lot of changes into our lives. Ronã and I are adjusting to married life as well as moving once again. So, in order to keep with the theme of “major life changes”, we have a new one to announce. I’M PREGNANT!!!!!!
Because of my age, Ronã and I wanted to get starting trying to have a family right away. We are both very happy and looking forward to yet another new stage in our lives.
However, I am sharing this news with you a little earlier than is usually recommended. The reason is that since becoming pregnant, I have been experiencing some severe symptoms.
You have probably heard of “morning sickness” being pretty common in pregnant women, and although it is actually a good sign for the health of my baby, it has been pretty debilitating for me. I have been having severe nausea and vomiting, accompanied by extreme weakness and fatigue. I basically can’t do anything. There are only a few foods that I can manage to eat, and if I am careful, I can get them to stay down. I have had to stop almost all my other activities, including teaching at CDR.
I am simply taking it one day at a time, trying to find out what works for me. I have already been to the doctor, and they have given me some medicine, but it helps little. Here in Brazil, they do not have all the resources available in the States for this condition. However, Brazil does offer free medical care, and the doctors and nurses here are helping me with all my prenatal care needs.
As an American with a innate flare for independence, this has been difficult for me more than just physically. I am weak and in need of the help of others. Basic things like cooking and cleaning, I can no longer do for myself. Of course, Ronã is doing everything he can to help me, but it is a challenge for him as well. We are blessed to have some faithful friends and other missionaries who have been very willing to do what they can.
In most women, the morning sickness lasts only during the first 3 months of pregnancy. It is believed to be caused by a rush of certain hormones filling the body during those first 3 months as the fetus begins developing. However, there are other women who do experiences these symptoms throughout their pregnancy.
We are asking for your prayers. I really hope that these symptoms do not last the entire time. Of course, we have no control over the results, but we hope for the best.

Also this week, Ronã is traveling with a group of missionaries from another denomination. He will be translating for them as they visit their churches and provide training. This is a great opportunity for Ronã, but it is also very challenging. Translating can be mentally exhausting and require a lot of focus and attention. Please, pray for him that he would excel and that the Holy Spirit would give him strength and endurance.
While he is traveling, I will be staying with Art and Cyndi Rae. They have been so kind and generous to open up their home to me in my time of need. Please, pray that God returns to them the goodness that they have given to me.

Ronã and I are so grateful for your support, so grateful for your sacrifice and prayers for us. As I said before, it takes a lot of humility to rely and lean on others. You all have been here for us from the start. Our desire is to take what you have given us and use it to advance the Kingdom of God. That is our daily mission from our hearts. Every time we serve someone else, it is a testament to your loyal support. Thank you.
If you are interested in supporting us as missionaries, please click on the link below to make an online donation. God bless all of you!!!

Love, Allison and Ronã

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Oct, 6

October 2016 Newsletter

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

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

Teaching a class

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.

A few more pictures of our baptism

One of those baptized was a young man named Marcelo.

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/

Walking with the Broken

Hello to all my Friends and Supporters!

I hope you enjoyed hearing from Ronã last month. Even though you haven’t gotten to meet him in person yet, I hope you at least feel that you know him a little bit better.
We are both feeling settled back here in Altamira, and have been very busy. As I said before, Ronã has been working at CDR teaching English as well as helping with the worship team at church.

For those of you who don’t really know my history, I would like to share some of my story. When I started going to Vineyard Tuttle Crossing back between 2006-2007, I was not in a good place in my life. It had been several years since I had gone to church. I was in a very difficult marriage with a man who was an alcoholic and verbally abusive. I also had my own problems with an addiction to marijuana. At VTC, I found a home and a refuge. Being there was very different from many of my previous experiences in churches. I felt that the people there really showed me love and grace despite my many failures. After about a year, I met a member of the church who was a recovering alcoholic. I asked her if she could help me with my addiction, and she agreed. She showed me how to the 12 Steps, and after that, my life was forever changed.

Through the process of the steps, I found freedom from addiction, but I also found a new way of life. I had a wisdom and a clarity that I had never experienced before. I understood how to manage my life and my emotions in ways that I never had before. I knew when to say no. I stopped taking responsibility for the feelings and opinions of others. I had boundaries! I knew how to protect myself in healthy ways. And I knew how to have relationships. How to be vulnerable and transparent, yet still an individual. It was a miracle.

Since that time, I have always wanted to help others in the same way that I was helped, but I wasn’t sure if I would ever have the opportunity. When I came to Brazil, I really had no idea what would lay ahead for me. I just knew that I was following the call of God. The past 4 years have presented many challenges for me, and it seemed that the road was not straight.

Now, it seems that the road has led me back to where I started in Altamira. At first, it felt as though I was going backwards, but I have quickly learned that is not at all the case.

As I said before, I have been helping the missionaries, Art and Cyndi Rae, with a group called Living Waters. Living Waters is a healing care program designed to guide people to find God in the midst of their brokenness and pain. It helps them identify how the past is effecting their present. It touches on many of the same principles used in the 12 steps.

I have told you a little before about the dysfunction in families here in Brazil, but as I work with helping others in these groups, I realize just how profound it is. Many people were past around as children from their grandparents to an aunt or uncle or even to strangers who were willing to take them in. Very few grew up with both a father and mother present. They suffered severe neglect due to poverty and lack of concern. They were even sometimes treated like slaves, expected to work just as hard as adults. I can conservatively say that at least half of the women I have talked to have suffered some sort of sexual abuse as children. The stories that I hear break my heart on a regular basis.

I feel deeply privileged to have the tools needed to help these very broken people. I get to walk with them along the path to their healing. I get to see God touch these dark places with his profound compassion and grace. To be honest with you, nothing has ever felt so rewarding.

My current goal is to see if their is a possibility for me to start a 12 step program here in Altamira. I am already working with a few individuals, walking them through the steps. I am praying to see if this is something God would like me to pursue. Please, pray with me for discernment and direction.

Bless you all!

Love, Allison and Ronã

Donate Online to Ronã and Allison/Xingu

Aug, 26

August 2016 Newsletter

Dear Friends and Family,

Thank you for your prayers and support. As always, they have been greatly appreciated.

We wanted to give a short update of some things that are going on here in Macapá. As we stating in our last newsletter, after all the excitement from the last few months, Denise and I have looked forward to slowing things down a bit to focus on needs within our church. Here are a few things we are excited about.

One question Denise and I continuously ask our leaders is “what kind of church do we want to be?” The reason we ask this question is because we believe it is easy to lose touch with what we are doing and why we are doing it. It is easy to gravitate toward just going through the motions. Two priorities that we want to establish as a church are creating a sense of family where we can have fun together and having a church where people can grow in their faith. We have tried to prioritize both of these values.

To encourage an atmosphere of family and fun, we had an all-church party a few weeks ago. It was a blast. There were games, music, food etc. We also had a lot of visitors from the neighborhood. We will definitely do this again!

Here are a few pictures from our party. We were very involved in our games J

The second strong value for our church is discipleship which we believe primarily takes place in a small group context. Our home group has been doing great! Prior to Denise and me coming to Macapá small groups where non-existent in the church because church was never trained on how to run a small group. This has been something that Denise and I have worked hard on. Denise and I co-lead a group with our good friends Diego and Sidneia who are new to small group leadership. Denise and I have worked side-by-side with them, slowly handing over increasing levels of responsibility so that eventually they will become the sole leaders and Denise and I will leave to start another group.

A couple pictures from our Small Group

Us with Diego and Sidneia, our Small Group co-leaders

One thing that our group has started is what we call “Mexican Night”. Every fourth week we get together and attempt to make Mexican food. Mexican food is not at all common in Brazil. This has become a fun night where we invite our non-churchgoing friends to come experience Mexican food. We have people making tortillas, people making guacamole, people making the salsa and so on. It always turns out to be a fun night. Our group has many new members because of Mexican night.

Mexican night

We have also been scheduling various workshops and trainings each month at our church. We just finished doing training on the Vineyard 5 Step Prayer Model last week which went super well. The leaders in our church were required to go, but we opened it up to anyone who was interested. We didn’t think we would get much of a turnout, but over 20 people showed up which was extremely surprising and exciting. Everyone seemed to really enjoy and get a lot out of it.

Something else we are really excited about that starts this month is an 8 week class where we will be investigating the difficult questions about the life of Christ. In the U.S.A. skepticism about Jesus and Christianity is commonplace. In the American culture people are encouraged and almost praised when they question things. And although I do realize that in Christianity, there is always a step of faith to be taken, I have found that digging into some these difficult questions has strengthened my faith. Here in Brazil, we believe that as a whole there is less skepticism than in the U.S., but that tide is starting to turn. Christianity is more frequently under fire here in Brazil. Every week I am being asked difficult questions about the life of Jesus from people within the church. Many are being influenced by questions raised at the schools and universities. We decided to address many of these questions in this once a week class. We will be addressing such questions as “Can the biographies of Jesus be trusted?”, “Are the Gospels that we are reading today the same as what was written 2000 years ago?”, “Does archeology contradict the Gospels?”, “Was Jesus really convinced that he was the Son of God?”, “Was Jesus’ resurrection a hoax?” and many more! Our hope is that these classes will strengthen our faith, but also equip us to know how to respond when faced with these difficult questions.

We’d appreciate your prayers for:

Continued growth, discipleship and sense of community in our church.

The raising up of new leaders.

Wisdom, encouragement and protection for Denise and me.

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/

"Missionary By Accident"

Happy Mid-to-the-End-of-Summer Everyone!

I hope that doesn’t make you sad, but just remember that that means Fall is coming, and Fall is easily the best season :)!
So, this month, I am doing something a little different with the blog. I realized that, of course, none of you have gotten the chance to meet Ronã (Ronan), and that everything you hear is always from my side of the story. So, I wanted to give you an opportunity to at least meet him virtually! I asked him to write the blog for this month, and talk a little about his experience being a new missionary.

“Missionary by Accident”

That’s what I usually tell Allison about how my life changed after I married her. On August 23th, we will complete four months of marriage, and this missionary life has already brought us many great and unexpected experiences.

My Version of the Story

I know well that you are already aware of much of my life. You know where I live, where I work, the church I attend, what I do there, how I met Allison, when we got married and other details, but I would like to talk about a few things you don’t know about me.

Since my childhood, I have been a “church kid”. I always liked the message of the gospel, and I loved to sing and hear about Jesus. But I always had difficulty connecting with the most fundamental Christian principle: Love. Even though I attended church regularly, I always had a bad habit of judging and condemning people. I judged them for their clothes, what they ate, their tattoos, the denominations they attended and many other things. It was automatic for me. In addition, I also had a wrong view of the person of God. Just as I judged people, I also believed that God judged me the same way. My relationship with him was based on fear. That was the thing I prayed about to God. I wanted to be used by Him, but I understood that I didn’t have what was essential. I needed to be close to Him and feel compassion for people.

Since I met Allison and we have been together, that area of my life has been touched. Behind the tattoos, there is a person who is very sincere and dependent on God. Several times, I have seen Allison helping needy and dependent people and praying for them. When she is preaching with words and actions, she is also preaching to me. Last semester, we had the opportunity to work together in a city that I did not know, with people who I had never seen before. There we helped the church, caring for and teaching very needy children, helping with worship, and meeting with very poor people and praying for them. Things that I never imagined I would do. On our trip from Portel to Altamira, we prayed for a group of women who accepted Jesus. This was the first time I saw that happen, and it was very good.

I joke with Allison that I became a missionary by accident because I married her, but the truth is that I do not believe our meeting was an accident. I believe that God was answering both of our prayers. He is using us.

My Frustration

When I considered marrying Allison, this was my plan: my wife will focus on missionary service, and I will help in everything that she needs, but my priority is to get a job wherever we go to help in our finances.

I thought this was the perfect plan, but I was wrong. It did not work and will not work. The missionary life requires constant change and availability. Last semester, we were in Portel, and today we are in Altamira. In just two months, we will need to travel to Belem, and we do not know where we’ll be going in 2017. The truth is that I could not get a good job, much less make money, because a good job requires a commitment of long period of time. Something I don’t have.

I do not know how it is in the U.S., but in Brazil, it is the duty of man to be the provider. This philosophy is well steeped in our culture, and we agree with it. So you can imagine how I feel. That’s right, I feel frustrated.

I talked about it with my friend, Steve Dolan, the leader of the Xingu Mission in Brazil. He explained to me that I should not feel that I am not contributing with the finances because when we are receiving your donations, this money is not only for Allison, but you are donating to both of us. It’s our money. But Steve also added something I did not expect. He told me that as a missionary, my focus should be in the ministry and providing services for free. He explained that that was the purpose of your donations, allowing us to do this work. And lastly, he explained that if I needed to increase our finances, my option would be to work on raising more support. That was a shock to me. Until now, I still have not assimilated to the idea that I will be totally dependent on donations, but I am beginning to understand that this is the path of God for us.

I am very grateful for the trust you have given us until now, and I would ask you to pray for our finances. Now I’m going to go out of my comfort zone and ask if you would consider supporting us financially?

Please also pray for …

The mother of my friend Christopher Meyer, who is being treated for cancer;

That God may help us to have children;

Insight from God for our ministry in the coming year;

My development as I study the piano.

Thank you so much for listening,

Sincerely Ronã Moura

If you would like to make a donation, below are the options.

Donate Online to Ronã and Allison/Xingu

or send your check to:

Xingu Mission

PO Box 340785
Columbus, OH 43234

-Make your check out to Xingu Mission, with Ronã and Allison* in the memo. Thanks!
-All donations are tax-deductible.
*If you don’t add our names to the memo, the funds will NOT be allocated to us.

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