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Hey Friends and Family!

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you all! We hope that you are doing well, that your faith is prospering in every good endeavor, and that the joy of the Lord would increase for you as we enter into a very special time in the church calendar. This will be our last newsletter for the year as we are looking forward to focusing on the seasons of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany. We will also be taking some time as a family to refresh and unwind before heading into a very busy new year in 2024.

We are entering this season with celebration! God has been working in the churches here, bringing people to Himself in faith, growing leaders, working miracles (yes, real miracles), growing families, and strengthening the community. Recently, we celebrated all of this with a large baptism and worship service (more on that below).

Thank you for your prayers regarding vision for the next season. Our prayers, conversations, and strategy meetings have been fruitful, and we think that we have some solid direction for the next season of ministry here in Brazil. We look forward to discussing that with you in the new year.

Our family is doing well. We all experienced a bout of illness that left us out of commission for two weeks, but we have now fully recovered. We looking forward to celebrating Thanksgiving with our missions partners, putting up our Christmas tree, watching Elf and It’s a Wonderful Life, and enjoying our 2nd Christmas in Brazil together. 

We do plan on returning for stateside assignment next August. We found a ministry in Houston that provides vehicles for missionaries who are back stateside and have submitted our application. They told us to apply now, so we did. Please pray that they can provide a vehicle for us when we return home.

Every year during this season, I always make the time to read St. Athanasius’ essay called On The Incarnation. It is a beautiful reflection on the reasons for, and outcomes of, Jesus’s incarnation. I want to leave you with an excerpt:

“For in speaking of the appearance of the Savior amongst us, we must needs speak also of the origin of men, that you may know that the reason of his coming down was because of us, and that our transgression called forth the loving-kindness of the Word, that the Lord should both make haste to help us and appear among men…

For by his becoming man, the Savior was to accomplish both works of love: first, in putting away death from us and renewing us again; secondly, being unseen and invisible, in manifesting and making himself known by his works to be the Word of the Father, and the ruler and king of the universe.”

God’s Immense Grace To You All!

Much Love, 

Derek, Amanda, Selah, Amaris, Josiah, and Adalee

Thank you all for your prayers and support on behalf of the ministry here in Macapa. This last year has been a fruitful one for our two churches. Last Sunday week we rented a space to throw a party! We have had 20 people commit their lives to Jesus and join the church by taking their first steps in obedience through baptism. As you can see, God has been working in both young and old, and men and women. This is the result of the Holy Spirit empowering not only the pastors but also small group leaders and everyday disciple-makers committed to seeing what the Father is doing and joining Him in it. 

This is not only the result of the work here. Your intercession on our behalf, your generous financial contributions, and your encouraging communication to us here – it all makes an impact for the Kingdom!

Praise God for the lives that He is changing here, and thank you for all that you are and everything that you do!

Prayer Support – We always need more prayer support! If you know someone that might be interested in receiving these updates and praying with us please send this link. They will get an introductory letter about us and the mission when they sign up. 

Financial Support – ln this coming year we will have some one-time ministry expenses. If you are able contribute, please use the link below:

Hey Friends and Family!

Happy fall to you all! Our favorite season in the United States was always fall. As the weather cools off, ball season starts up, and the rhythms of school, play, work, and church get into full swing. We miss the changing seasons. Here in Brazil, we have two seasons: hot and dry or hot and wet! We are in the dry season, which will last another 6-8 weeks. 

As our other pastors return from furlough or come back from paternity leave, Amanda and I are able to hand back over some of the extra responsibilities that we have been attending to during this last season. This is allowing us to both focus and double down on some core areas. This is also allowing for additional time in our prayer investment, relational outreach, and the new small group that we are fostering in our neighborhood. 

This last month, Derek and Adalee flew to Belem to visit with some of our leadership – Steve and Elba Dolan. After much prayer, fasting, discernment, study, and discussion, we think we have narrowed down the region where God is calling us to when our time in Macapa is complete. The trip allowed us to discuss this and begin the corporate discernment process.  It was a great visit and Adalee had a blast! She adores Elba, and we appreciate the time that Elba took to dote on her. Elba exemplifies the Kingdom value of welcoming and attending to children. 

We also celebrated Selah’s 11th Birthday! She had a great time celebrating together with our family and her best friend here.  

Outside of some regular, seasonal flu, our family is doing well, and we are integrating into the rhythms and culture of our new community. 

Below, we discuss a very special holiday: Dia das Crianças!

Below are our prayer requests. Please keep them in mind and pray for us in these various endeavors. Your prayers ARE greatly appreciated and greatly needed. 

Much Love, 

Derek, Amanda, Selah, Amaris, Josiah, and Adalee

On October 12, 1923, Rio de Janeiro hosted the South American Children’s Congress. The congress brought together scholars and politicians from several countries to foster dialogue and raise solutions around education, health, food, and safety of children. As a result of the success of this conference, Brazil mandated that October 12 would be recognized as Dia das Crianças in Brazil to honor its children, commemorate the value of childhood, and recognize the sacred trust of developing the nation’s children. 

This holiday coincides with a federal holiday called Our Lady of Aparecida, which commemorates Mary’s Immaculate Conception of Jesus. As such, everybody takes the day off work and throws a big party! 

Here, children are given gifts and special treats, and there are often parties or family gatherings held to honor the kids. Here it seems as if more presents are exchanged on this day than on Christmas. 

Our churches came together to host a special event to commemorate this day with the community. We see in the Gospels the special care and attention that Jesus has for children and seek to emulate that. We have learned that if we approach the children in an incredibly intentional way by practicing the critical Kingdom value and spiritual discipline of welcoming and attending to the presence of children in a corporate manner, that Jesus is especially present to us!

Mathew 18: 1- 5 states: 

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a little child to him and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

The word ‘welcome’ in verse 5 is the word dechomai. It means to embrace, pay full attention to, and offer hospitality to someone. Jesus explicitly states here that when we offer welcome – offer dechomai – to a child – we also receive His presence and encounter the Kingdom of God!

This is something that our family has gotten to lean into ministerially in a very special way during this season. Amanda is in charge of the children’s ministry at Vineyard Viva, and we both frequently serve in the nursery or as teachers for children’s church. We can attest to the truthfulness of the above verses. We have encountered Jesus in a special way as we attended to these precious kiddos that God has entrusted to this community.

Prayer Support – The success of our church planting here is very much dependent upon the faithful and fervent prayer of God’s people. If you know someone that might be interested in receiving these updates and praying with us please send this link. They will get an introductory letter about us and the mission when they sign up. 

Financial Support – We are continually amazed at the generosity and provision we receive from you all. If you would like to contribute, please use the link below:

Hey Friends and Family!

We are sure your fall season is off to an active start!  Ours sure is. This month’s update will be a shorter one because we have quite a bit of ministry activity this month. 

Our kids have made some new friends in the neighborhood! They have a group of friends that they now see and play with daily. They have all but claimed a giant tree in the field across form our house and are working diligently on constructing a tree fort. This has been wonderful for them, and getting to know a few of these families has been quite encouraging. 

This is an important month for both our family and for the mission. We are currently hosting a team from the United States here in Macapa! We love having teams come down because it allows folks to experience cross-cultural ministry, make lasting connections with the people here, and enables our supporters to see firsthand our churches’ passion, work ethic, and spiritual vitality. 

We just had a team come down last month to visit the river ministry and water filter project, and we have another team coming down in early October to support our new church planting efforts in other cities. Perhaps you can be the next team down!

Next week, Adalee and Derek are flying to Belem to meet with the leadership to discuss where we believe the Lord is leading us after our time in Macapa. Please pray for discernment for all involved and for a good trip. We hope to update everyone in the near future on these plans. 

Below are our prayer requests. Please keep them in mind and pray for us in these various endeavors. Your prayers ARE making a difference. 

Much Love, 

Derek, Amanda, Selah, Amaris, Josiah, and Adalee

Prayer Support – The success of our church planting here is very much dependent upon the faithful and fervent prayer of God’s people. If you know someone that might be interested in receiving these updates and praying with us please send this link. They will get an introductory letter about us and the mission when they sign up. 

Financial Support – We are continually amazed at the generosity and provision we receive from you all. If you would like to contribute, please use the link below:

Hey Friends and Family!

We are sure that so many of you are in the hectic days of back to school! Some of you are sending your kiddos off to school for the first time, some to college for the first time, and some to new campuses. Amid new activities, new seasons, and new complications, we hope you know that we love you, we appreciate it. Thank you for your encouragement and support. 

This month was an exciting month of firsts for us as well!

For the first time, we have all four kids in school. Adalee officially started kindergarten. We have met some new neighbors for the first time, made some new friends, led worship in Portuguese for the first time, and had our first small group meeting in the neighborhood (more on that below). 

Here is a quick story from Amanda:

On our daily walks around the neighborhood, the kids and I have made an acquaintance with a mom and her 2 daughters- a 6-year-old and a baby. As our familiarity (and my Portuguese) has increased, we have become friends. I noticed the baby has a severe cleft lip, but I never mentioned it. About 3 weeks ago, the mom stopped me and mentioned they were raising money so that the baby (now 5 months old) could have surgery. They will have to travel to another city for the surgery, which is very expensive. I talked to Derek, and we gave what we could, and even reached out to some other friends who gave as well. The mother was brought to tears. The next week she came by our house to visit and to let the girls play. We have invited neighbors over for meals and have been invited to their houses for meals, but this is the first time somebody casually dropped by, uninvited, for a chat. This brought me great joy and a sense of belonging! Since then, this woman has come to our monthly neighborhood social and weekly small group Bible study. It is amazing how a consistent smile and a friendly hello (when you literally feel like all you can say is hello) can open the door to a relationship. This relationship has been so life-giving to me. Please continue to pray that I can understand and speak Portuguese well and have meaningful conversations about Jesus with her. Please also pray for the family as they travel and for the baby as she has this surgery.

Below are our prayer requests. Please keep them in mind and pray for us in these various endeavors. Your prayers ARE making a difference. 

Much Love, 

Derek, Amanda, Selah, Amaris, Josiah, and Adalee

Recently, the assistant pastors at our central church welcomed a new baby! While they are out on maternity leave, they asked if we could co-lead their small group. Amanda and I thoroughly enjoy this group of folks. This group is important not only for the formation of the members but also as a core training ground for leadership in the church. 

Additionally, in the last several newsletters, we have written about our efforts to prayer-walk our neighborhood, the intentionality with which we engage our neighbors on the street and around shared meals, and that we sensed God was stirring up new work. As a result of those efforts this last week, we had our first small group meeting in our neighborhood! This is a group of folks from this neighborhood or some nearby neighborhoods in Marabaxio, a small community where we live. 

We have started leading worship in these settings. Amanda and I are both enjoying this and working hard to expand our repertoire of songs. We have learned enough of the language that we can generally follow along with what people are saying, and we greatly appreciate everyone’s patience as we endeavor to listen to them in our new language and the Holy Spirit simultaneously.

This is also essential training for us, and what God has done here is essentially the methodology for church planting we intend to use in the future. Please pray for formation, fruitfulness, joy, and understanding as we continue to meet. 

Prayer Support – The success of our church planting here is very much dependent upon the faithful and fervent prayer of God’s people. If you know someone that might be interested in receiving these updates and praying with us please send this link. They will get an introductory letter about us and the mission when they sign up. 

Financial Support – We are continually amazed at the generosity and provision we receive from you all. It does look like we will have an extended season of unfavorable exchange rates, and we will need to raise additional support to get us back to monthly break-even. If you would like to contribute, please use the link below:

Hey Friends and Family!

We cannot believe we have been in the country for one year! In some ways, the time has flown by. Thank you all for your love, support, prayers, texts, calls, emails, and well wishes. We are very well loved and cared for. 

This newsletter will be a bit different because we want to reflect on a few things that stood out to us in year one. Here are the things that have stood out to us the most:

After moving here, we adopted a new dog into the family. His name is Snickers, and he is a very good boy. He has been an excellent addition to our family. His love and zest for life have been a tremendous benefit to helping our kids acclimate, and frankly, he is more well-known in our neighborhood than we are! 

Prayer Support – The success of our church planting here depends on the faithful and fervent prayer of God’s people. If you know someone that might be interested in receiving these updates and praying with us, please send this link. When they sign up, they will get an introductory letter about us and the mission. 

Financial Support –  We are continually amazed at the generosity and provision we receive from you all. It does look like we will have an extended season of unfavorable exchange rates, and we will need to raise additional support to get us back to monthly break-even. If you would like to contribute, please use the link below:

Hey Friends and Family!

We hope you all are having an enjoyable start to your summer!

Our family is doing well. Thank you for your support, texts, calls, emails, and prayers! All of it makes a difference. Update on our family celebrations and wellbeing is below. 

The two churches are likewise doing well. As Christopher and Denise are away on stateside assignment, our pastors and leadership have embraced the opportunity to step into the roles they have been preparing for. The children’s ministries are thriving, small groups are growing, we have a rotating preaching team that is serving well and faithfully, and we will need to have a baptism service soon. 

In addition, Amanda and I now have a group of people in our neighborhood with whom we are partnering with to share the Good News! We are very excited about this, and there is more on that below. 

Please be praying with us as we are beginning the process of discernment for this next season. Pray that we may have clarity and discernment for these things which God has placed in our hearts. 

Pray also for God to continue to raise up leadership in the church, specifically in the area of kids church directors, and treasurer responsibilities, so that we can begin training the next generation of leadership here in Macapa. 

Also, please be on the lookout for some communication from us around The 300 Campain – which is our effort to grow our prayer support base. 

Much Love, 

Derek, Amanda, Selah, Amaris, Josiah, and Adalee

May and June have been a whirlwind of celebration for us as a family!

In May, I (Derek) traveled back to the United States for my last residency and graduation with my Master’s degree. The program is in Christian Spiritual Formation and Leadership through Friends University in Wichita, KS. 

To say that the program was life-changing would still not do it justice. I received practical theology,  hands-on training in discipleship, spiritual direction, the ministry of writing, and the role of community in formation for mission. I also made life-long friends. Those wonderful folks in the bottom picture are my small group within the cohort. I am not exaggerating when I say that we talk every day. I highly recommend Friends University to you all!

After returning home, we took a week of family vacation (stay-cation) and just enjoyed the time with each other and with our Brazillian friends. 

June is also a month of celebration for the Blaylock family. We celebrated Dia dos Namorados – Brazillian Valentine’s Day on June 12. 

Then on June 14, Amanda and I celebrated 15 years of marriage! The Lord has wonderfully blessed our marriage and having the support of our wonderful families, friends, and Christian community has made our marriage even better. 

Then on June 17th, we attended a neighborhood celebration for the Festival of St. John. People dress up like country bumpkins, serve traditional dishes, dance, and sing karaoke. Through this, we made some new acquaintances that we hope to get to know better in the near future. 

But wait – there is more! Amanda turned 38 on June 18, and Derek turns 38 on June 25th. 

This has been a wonderful few months of celebration for our family and we are doing very well. 

A significant part of our transformation as Christians happen when we begin to move from operating out of willpower to the development of godly, automatic habits. Willpower is a finite resource and if we are going to make much progress at all it will be by grace-fuelled automatic responses to life and the development of godly routines. 

As a family, we seek to have a few simple routines that we undertake in order to be faithful to Christ’s mandate to make disciples. 

These routines are ones that we adopted from a guy named Dave Furgeson from his book: B.L.E.S.S. 

BLESS is an acrostic that stands for:

B – Begin in Prayer

L – Listen: To your neighbor and God at the same time. 

E – Eat 

S – Serve

S – Share the Story

Suffice to say that our family has been living into these practices ever since we moved into this neighborhood. But now we have partners!

Through our efforts to live into these rhythms, God has brought together a few other people (pictured above) who also have a heart for Jesus and want to share the Good News in this neighborhood. We are beginning in prayer -together! This last week we had our first neighborhood prayer-walking session together – asking God to open up doors to serve our neighbors and share Jesus with them. 

I’m very excited to see where this goes, and ask that you join us in prayer for this endeavor. We hope to have a small group of new believers meeting together in the near future. 

Simple, faithful, quiet, scripturally informed, Holy Spirit-empowered routines are the way God uses His people to change the world. If this is something that you are interested in hearing more about we would love to chat with you!

Prayer Support – The success of our church planting here is very much dependent upon the faithful and fervent prayer of God’s people. If you know someone that might be interested in receiving these updates and praying with us please send this link. They will get an introductory letter about us and the mission when they sign up. 

Financial Support – Our family is currently taken care of thanks to your generosity. However, the recent events surrounding the BRICS economic agreements may bring about a less favorable exchange rate going forward and we may need to undertake some fundraising efforts to make up the difference. We are approaching these next few months in prayerful discernment about how to proceed given these new developments. 

There are always needs here in the churches and if you would like to contribute additional resources please use the link below!

Hey Friends and Family!

We hope you had a wonderful and worshipful start to your Easter season! Our first Easter in our new country was eventful, joyful, and worshipful. 

We have been putting forth a lot of effort into the kid’s ministry as it has grown. As a church, we are emphasizing our kids’ learning to worship and memorize scripture. During Palm Sunday we had the kids participate in the worship service by joyfully celebrating with palm branches and the response of the parents was quite something. You could see the imagination for spiritual formation and wonder on their face as they observed their kids joyfully worshipping during the service. Gathering the palms themselves was quite the adventure as I had to venture into the jungle to cut some branches only to be attacked by biting gnats! It’s always an adventure! During Easter service, the kids were able to recite their verses to the congregation – celebrating the resurrection with the entire church. 

We celebrated our tradition of Easter lunch with another missionary here in Macapa. Narry a plastic egg is to be found here, so we made homemade dye and made our own Easter eggs. The kids hid, hunted, and re-hid the eggs until they literally fell apart. 

This next week Christopher and Denise Meyer, the head missionaries here in Macapa, leave for three months to complete their stateside assignments. The assistant pastors at our two churches will be assuming the full responsibilities over these next few months which is a big step for them. Please be praying for them as well. 

In just a few weeks I (Derek) will be traveling back to the United States for the final residency of my Master’s program followed by graduation! This has been a transformative undertaking for me – and I have made friends that I fully expect to have for the rest of my life. This degree has greatly shaped my thinking and practice, and we fully expect to implement this in our future church planting efforts. Please pray for Amanda and the kids as I travel. 

 Also please be on the lookout for some communication from us around The 300 Campain – which is our effort to grow our prayer support base. 

Much Love, 

Derek, Amanda, Selah, Amaris, Josiah, and Adalee

As we enter into the season of Easter leading to Pentecost I’m struck by the mystery and wonder of this season in the church calendar. I can’t help but think that Jesus likewise found this to be a special time and that the message and ministry He undertook with the disciples would be especially important, pregnant with a sense of urgency as he sought to instruct them and prepare them for the mission that was to come when the Holy Spirit was sent. 

The end of the Gospel of Luke and the beginning of the Book of Acts record some interesting details about what Jesus did at this time. He often ate with the disciples, further elevating and demonstrating the importance of the Kingdom table practice I wrote about in my last newsletter. While eating He often “spoke about the Kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3). He told them to wait for the Holy Spirit. He prayed. I also imagined that He played and enjoyed their company. 

But what is particularly striking about the narrative is just how adamant Jesus is about helping his disciples see that all of the scripture pointed towards and prefigured the very events they were now living!

Luke 24:44 -45: “This is what I told you while I was still with you. Everything must be filled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms. Then he opened up their minds so they could understand the scriptures.” 

One of the Gospel passages that is most near and dear to my heart is the narrative about Jesus meeting the man and woman on the Road to Emmaus. I dearly love this passage and think about it often. It was also the passage we read preceding our weekly communion during worship at our old church. One of the aspects of this passage that I  find absolutely fascinating is the reason for which Jesus admonishes his disciples. He does so not on the basis that they did not believe what He told them before His crucifixion and resurrection, but rather because they were “slow to believe all that the prophets had spoken” (Luke 24:25)!

My sincere prayer for you and for the churches here in Macapa is that we will take this season to have our minds set on what was most on the mind of Christ before he ascended. That what He spent the last 40 days of His earthly ministry hoping to impart to His Church would be present to us. That we would ask the Holy Spirit to show us Jesus in all of the scriptures. That our minds and imaginations would be illuminated by the revelation of Christ in even the hardest of passages, and that we would more fully live into God’s grand plan for the redemption of all things – as the scripture says. 

In this season my prayer for our local churches, and for you who steadfastly support the work here, is that when we gather for Pentecost Sunday we will be able to say along with the disciples on the Emmaus Road: “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the scriptures to us?”

Prayer Support – The success of our church planting here is very much dependent upon the faithful and fervent prayer of God’s people. If you know someone that might be interested in receiving these updates and praying with us please send this link. They will get an introductory letter about us and the mission when they sign up. 

Financial Support – Our family is currently taken care of thanks to your generosity. However, the recent events surrounding the BRICS economic agreements may bring about a less favorable exchange rate going forward and we may need to undertake some fundraising efforts to make up the difference. We are approaching these next few months in prayerful discernment about how to proceed given these new developments. 

There are always needs here in the churches and if you would like to contribute additional resources please use the link below!

Hey Friends and Family!

This has been quite the month for contrast! On one hand, as we have taken steps of faith by investing in the people and locations that seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us we have seen some growth and momentum in our two churches. People are choosing to welcome Jesus into their lives and begin an earnest discipleship process. We have had some new families begin to participate and new leaders select into the leadership training pipeline. Our current leaders continue to serve faithfully and tirelessly. Our Ministry Times have been fruitful and we have seen physical healing, emotional well-being, and relational restoration. 

At the same time, this was a very difficult month for our family. We had several instances of physical illness, some strong bouts of emotional struggle, running into bureaucratic dead-ends, and some major, unplanned financial expenses. 

We have experienced the reality of the Kingdom of God which is both already a present reality and a not-yet but sure-to-come hope. And yet – in the midst of all of it – the presence of Jesus is sustaining and encouraging us. Like Charles Spurgoen said, “We have learned to kiss the waves that throw us up against the Rock of Ages.”

We appreciate the love, faithful prayers, and support that you all show us. We couldn’t do this without you. 

If you are interested in attending the quarterly partners meeting the link for that is below. Also please be on the lookout for some communication from us around The 300 Campain – which is our effort to grow our prayer support base. 

Much Love, 

Derek, Amanda, Selah, Amaris, Josiah, and Adalee

The Gospels contain this interesting phrase that is repeated three times. 

The Son of Man came to…

“The Son of Man came not be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). 

“The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10),

“The Son of Man came eating and drinking” (Luke 7:34). 

Jesus came as the self-emptying servant, willing to lay down his life as a ransom for ours in order to draw back a lost and rebellious people into the loving communion of Trinitarian life through teaching about, proclaiming, and demonstrating that the Kingdom of God is available here and now – and will be fully consummated in the future when he restores all things under the lordship of His Father. 

But one of the primary ways he went about this – was to share meals around tables with many different types of people. He literally eats and drinks and fellowships his way through the Gospels. Some of his most profound teachings about the Kingdom of God are given around intimate dinner table conversations. Some of his greatest miracles take place around shared meals – sometimes with as many as 5000 people!

One of the foremost living missiologists is a guy named Alan Hirsch. He observes that “Sharing meals together on a regular basis is one of the most sacred practices we can engage in as believers. Missional hospitality is a tremendous opportunity to extend the Kingdom of God.” 

Taking our cues from Jesus – Amanda and I maintain an evangelical discipline of sharing at least three meals per week with people from our neighborhood or the broader community. Once per month we also host a come-and-go brunch on our patio. The Brazillian people are wonderfully warm and hospitable, and they love to get together for meals. (And I love Brazillian BBQ and coffee!). Around these tables, we are learning the language, learning to really understand our new countrymen and countrywomen, and we are beginning to have some deep spiritual conversations leading to real opportunities for ministry. 

What we have learned in this practice is that many of our neighbors have had terrible experiences with the Church. There is a need for healing and restoration, an opportunity to see Jesus in a new light, and a place for them at His table. 

Please pray for us as we seek to be faithful to the discipline. That we would learn how to be Brazillian, that opportunities for sharing the Good News would continue to be made available to us, and that God would form a discipleship group in our neighborhood.

Prayer Support – I have been working hard on laying the foundation necessary to recruit a robust prayer support network. We need it! The success of our church planting here is very much dependent upon the faithful and fervent prayer of God’s people. If you know someone that might be interested in receiving these updates and praying with us please send this link. They will get an introductory letter about us and the mission when they sign up. Also please share my signup links if you see it on Facebook.

Financial Support – Our family is currently taken care of thanks to your generosity.  There are always needs here in the churches and if you would like to contribute additional resources please use the link below!

Hey Friends and Family!

This has been a busy month for us! Now that we have a modicum of language facility we are able to take additional meetings with neighbors, Brazilian church leadership, and discipleship initiatives. This has all been quite fun and invigorating. 

We launched our services in our new location in downtown Macapa! We have a healthy attendance, not just on Sundays but also in our small groups where more focused discipleship takes place. We also have new leaders rising up and new folks being trained for various ministries. 

We also were able to commission a new youth leader at Vineyard Macapa! See this month’s ministry highlight below for more info and please keep Erica in your prayers. 

Additionally we have assumed some new responsibilities within the two churches and launched a monthly outreach to our neighborhood which has been well received. 

This is also our first Carnival season in Brazil. We are excited to participate in some of the festivities even as we discern what it means to be a faithful witness to Jesus and his Kingdom in the midst of this season. 

Overall our family is doing well and we sincerely appreciate your prayers, texts, emails, and generosity. Thank you for all that you do. 

Please also know that we are praying for you. Taking our cues from Jesus and the Apostle Paul we maintain a discipline of praying for you all regularly. Be on the lookout throughout the month as I reach out to you for prayer needs!

Much Love, 

Derek, Amanda, Selah, Amaris, Josiah, and Adalee

In the Vineyard we place a lot of emphasis on proclamation, teaching, and demonstrating the Kingdom of God in both posture and power. The Kingdom of God is essentially every sphere of life in which God’s presence is attended to and where He has the final say-so. It’s available here and now. And it’s also not yet fully realized and will not be fully realized until Christ returns. 

The typical way this passage is taught would have us strive to have a more child-like attitude with regards to trusting in our Father. We are admonished to approach Him with a posture of childlike humility. Yet for all the admonishment – what is typically left out is the practical how-to. 

The word ‘welcome’ in verse 5 is the word dechomai. It means to embrace, pay full attention to, and offer hospitality to someone. Jesus explicitly states here that when we offer welcome – offer dechomai – to a child – we also receive His presence and enter into the Kingdom of God!

If you desire to “become great” as it were in the Kingdom – Jesus offers a practice. Welcome children and fully attend to their presence. Do this communally in the church and see the Kingdom in your midst. 

At Vineyard Macapa we are attempting to do just that. We recently invested in safe and comfortable meeting rooms specifically for the kids in the neighborhood. As we made space to attend to them God raised up a new leader from our midst to help guide, serve, and teach them – with the full support and attention of the church. 

On Sundays the kids stay with us during our time of worship, giving, and the Lord’s Supper and then go their classroom to receive tailored instruction and ministry time. During the week we have small groups specialficlaly for kids and a youth group! The Holy Spirit is inviting Vineyard Macapa to love and serve the kids of this neighborhood and is opening up a door to reach the neighborhood through this ministry. 

Recently Erica felt invited by the Holy Spirit to assume the role of leading the youth group. She has a true heart for them, and this last month the church recognized her commission from Jesus to serve these precious kiddos! 

Please be in prayer for her as she is assuming her new responsibilities and for the church as we follow the teaching of Jesus and the Spirit’s guidance in extending the Kingdom into the neighborhood!

• Recently Amanda and I have assumed the role of coordinating the children’s ministry at Vineyard Viva. Additionally one of us serves weekly in the ministry. This has been a joy and has also helped our kids become more involved in the life of the church. 
• I have also assumed the role of treasurer at Vineyard Viva. Our previous treasurers served faithfully and well, but reached a point where they could not continue. 
• I also serve in the kids ministry on Saturday evenings at Vineyard Macapa. It suits me well because I have the Portuguese proficiency of a young kid. We tend to relate! 
• We are doing well in our physical health and have been making it a priority to eat well and exercise daily. 
• Our kids continue to develop friendships and are coming along in their Portuguese lessons with Teacher Abi!
• We are thoroughly enjoying getting to know our neighbors and are starting to have spiritual conversations with them! Game night is a blast and since they have learned that I am a Texan – they are after me for some Texas-style BBQ. 
• Learning how to keep up with the laundry for 6 people in the wet season with no dryer is a real challenge, but we are learning some of the tricks of the trade.

Prayer Support – I have been working hard on laying the foundation necessary to recruit a robust prayer support network. We need it! The success of our church planting here is very much dependent upon the faithful and fervent prayer of God’s people. If you know someone that might be interested in receiving these updates and praying with us please send this link. They will get an introductory letter about us and the mission when they sign up. Also please share my signup links if you see it on Facebook.

Financial Support – Our family is currently taken care of thanks to your generosity.  There are always needs here in the churches and if you would like to contribute additional resources please use the link below!