Dolan Archives | Page 4 of 5 | Xingu MissionXingu Mission

Hello,

Thank you so much for your continued prayers and support. We pray you are blessed with this month’s update.

CDR, our community center, has been reaching out to the community to help the underprivileged with affordable education in English and tutoring services for over 20 years. In addition to providing affordable education, CDR did an outreach to the community this month by providing doctor consultations, physical therapy, fluoride treatments, diabetes, and high blood pressure testing, medical consults, physical therapy, documentation, legal counseling, and haircuts. CDR did these activities in combination with the church to create more of a bridge of friendship to our neighbors to spread the Gospel. Lots of people volunteered their services and resources, and it was successful. In addition, our service to the community got the attention of local news, which shed a very positive light on the church, and CDR.

The church is very committed to missions, and every month makes the long journey through rough roads to visit a community called Suribim. It is remote and challenging to arrive, and it takes about 4 hours to get there. The first 100 kilometers are good, but the last 50 can be tough. We have been going for many years, and the congregation is very faithful. We use our mission vehicle for most of the trips, and when it comes back, it looks like it was in a war with lots of mud and rugged terrain. Praise the Lord, He makes it all work out, and Jesus is the One glorified.

The community cup. HMMM??? When I first arrived in Altamira, this was common in many public places. It was a culture shock to me and one I thought was disgusting. I thought those days were over, given everything we have been experiencing. However, we had a person who drank some water and kindly placed it on the water jug for the next person to use. I guess old habits are hard to kill. Thankfully, for the most part, that practice has wained considerably.

Thanks and much love, Steve, Elba, Camilly, and Alyssa

We appreciate your continued prayers:

· Please pray that we will identify the new senior pastor of the Belém / Ananideiua church plant.

· Please pray for our church, leadership, and congregation to help people draw close to God as we navigate this time and leadership transition.

· Please pray for the rejection of this virus from your loved ones and its eradication.

· Please pray for our family, especially our girls, in this next phase of our lives.

· Please pray for our spiritual, physical, emotional, and financial health.

Much love, Steve, Elba, Camilly, and Alyssa

Tax-deductible donations can be written and sent to:

Please click the donate button to make a secured online donation:

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ZDolan Steve

Dolan

Dolan May Amazon Update!

Hello,

Thank you so much for your continued prayers. They are working and we feel them. We pray you are blessed with this month’s update.

The church recently had a baptism, and it was a grand celebration in the church and heaven. There was so much joy and the touching of the Holy Spirit. During the baptism, the church sang and worshiped God. The symbolism of letting the person be wholly immersed in water, being baptized into Jesus’ death on the cross, and no longer being slaves to self or sin. When they are raised out of the water, they are raised into a new life in Christ and are with Him forever. Praise the Lord, and may His transforming power be upon them and us daily. Alyssa took the photos, we love the picture of Elzira with her arms raised, filled with joy and freedom. What an expression of baptism.

Our children’s ministry, in my opinion, gets the most courageous award this month. They had over 30 children come to the church and sleepover. The time together was filled with many games, swimming, watching a film, eating hot dogs over an open fire, and very little sleep. My hat goes off to them. I do not think I would have had the energy and patience. Praise God they did, and it was beyond a big hit.

Look who turned 17 on April 18^th, Camilly. The time goes by quickly. Many years ago, a very good friend told me to slow down and enjoy every moment with my kids because time goes by so quickly. I have tried my best to practice that advice, and you know what, the time still goes by so quickly. We are very proud of Camilly and the beautiful woman she is becoming inside and out. The girls took this picture just before going to church on Mother’s day. I have some stunning women in my life.

Thanks and much love, Steve, Elba, Camilly, and Alyssa

We appreciate your continued prayers:

· Please pray that we will identify the new senior pastor of the Belém / Ananideiua church plant.

· Please pray for our church, leadership, and congregation to help people draw close to God as we navigate this time and leadership transition.

· The rejection of this virus from you, your family, and friends and to be thrown out of this universe forever.

· Please pray for our family, especially our girls, in this next phase of our lives.

· Please pray for our spiritual, physical, emotional, and financial health.

Much love, Steve, Elba, Camilly, and Alyssa

Tax-deductible donations can be written and sent to:

Please click the donate button to make a secured online donation:

If you would like to unsubscribe to this email, please reply with the word “Unsubscribe,” and I will remove you. Thanks.

ZDolan Steve

Dolan

For He has Risen! Thank you Jesus! – Dolan Update April 2022

Hello,

Happy Easter! Praise the Lord for He has risen!

Finally!!! After a two-year hiatus, we had our traditional Easter early morning church service by celebrating the Lord’s resurrection, and serving breakfast. It takes a lot of work to pull this off, and it is essentially a whole church effort. Each of the home groups was responsible for bringing an item that would be enough to feed 200 people. Everyone chipped in and made it a great and inviting time for all guests.

We started by worshipping the Lord, and then Elba shared a short message about the resurrection of Christ. Then we celebrated the good news that Jesus is alive by eating breakfast together. Members of the church prepared food at their house and then brought it to the church for all to enjoy. Elba, Camilly and Alyssa were pancake duty. A member of our church made a watermelon cake…pretty impressive.

Also, the day before, some of the children went to the church and painted eggs.

CDR, our non-profit organization, just had a graduation for 27 students from our English program. It was an exciting night, and the students worked hard to get to this point to graduate. It was so nice to have a graduation in person. We had two students address the audience in English. CDR’s goal is not only to help empower the impoverished by providing English at an affordable price but to help bridge the gap between the community and the church. So when I heard the two students speak at the graduation and give glory to God for all of His help, I felt good that it was happening.

Did you know Brazilians who speak other languages tend to have better opportunities and higher monthly salaries than people who have only a basic knowledge of another language or who only speak Portuguese? For example, a recent study of 2,400 job positions in 19 thousand companies in Brazil compared different English and Spanish levels. They found that fluency in another language could increase the monthly employee’s salary by 51%. WOW!

Here are some pictures of the celebration. We were surprised by the great turnout.

Thanks and much love, Steve, Elba, Camilly, and Alyssa

We appreciate your continued prayers:

Please pray that we will identify the new senior pastor of the Belém / Ananideiua church plant.
Please pray for our church, leadership, and congregation to help people draw close to God as we navigate this time and leadership transition.
The rejection of this virus from you, your family, and friends and to be thrown out of this universe forever.
Please pray for our family, especially our girls, in this next phase of our lives.
Please pray for our spiritual, physical, emotional, and financial health.

Much love, Steve, Elba, Camilly, and Alyssa

Tax-deductible donations can be written and sent to:

Please click the donate button to make a secured online donation:

If you would like to unsubscribe to this email, please reply with the word “Unsubscribe,” and I will remove you. Thanks.

ZDolan Steve

Dolan

Amazon Update – March 2022!

Hello,

Thank you for your support and continued prayers. If I can pray for you in any way, please let me know. Be blessed with this month update.

As I have written in years past, Carnival is Brazil’s annual “Celebration of the flesh” before the initiation of Lent on the Catholic calendar. It’s a week-long party where “anything goes,” and every city in the country shuts down, allowing full participation by the people. The Vineyard churches began “Cristoval,” a retreat for youth, away from the city, with a focus on Jesus and having a lot of good clean fun. It has been a great success throughout the years, drawing kids toward Jesus and allowing an alternative during Carnival. I do not know the exact numbers, but around 200 participants from various churches were present.

Elba got to share one of the nights, and we got to experience more than 20 youth come to Christ. We understand that many people before us were working in the lives of these youths to bring them into a complete and loving relationship with Christ. As John 4:37-38 states, “Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.” That is true. We got the fantastic opportunity to see the heavens open wide and hear the cheers…HALLELUJAH!!!

As a part of the entertainment during the Cristoval, Alyssa participated in an obstacle course. She did really well. However, she forgot to wear pants, and she was all scraped up from crawling through the mud pits. OUCH!

The girls are trying to earn some extra money, and an opportunity to teach English at our school opened up. So they jumped on the chance, and they are now teaching ten children basic English. They love it and want to do a great job. The students love them as well, and they are always coming home with a small gift or something nice that the kids said to them.

Thanks and much love, Steve, Elba, Camilly, and Alyssa

We appreciate your continued prayers:

· Please pray that we will identify the new senior pastor of the Belém / Ananideiua church plant.

· Please pray for our church, leadership, and congregation to help people draw close to God as we navigate this time and leadership transition.

· The rejection of this virus from you, your family, and friends and to be thrown out of this universe forever.

· Please pray for our family, especially our girls, in this next phase of our lives.

· Please pray for our spiritual, physical, emotional, and financial health.

Much love, Steve, Elba, Camilly, and Alyssa

Tax-deductible donations can be written and sent to:

Please click the donate button to make a secured online donation:

We saw this Toucon while in Tocantis. They are beautiful.

If you would like to unsubscribe to this email, please reply with the word “Unsubscribe,” and I will remove you. Thanks.

ZDolan Steve

Dolan

Amazon Update – February 2022!

Hello,

Thank you for your continued prayers. If I can pray for you in anyway, please let me know. Be blessed with this month update.

Last Sunday, we told the church our plans to move to Belém / Ananideiua to plant a new church. It did not seem like the news came as a surprise except for a small group of people. We believe that word must have spread about the Lord’s intentions for our lives. In addition, Elba often said on the pulpit that if the Lord calls us to another place, we are going. We were joking around and said that we were relieved that the congregation did not give a big cheer with the words “good riddance.” LOL. We are grateful for your prayers and continue to ask for more as we start the process of transition out of the Mirante and into Belém / Ananideiua. Another exceptional thing that happened at the service was this lady raised her hand to receive Christ as her Savior.

After our travels to our future church plant in Belém / Ananideiua. We arrived back in Altamira and went directly into a regional pastors conference. We invited all the pastors in the Northern part of Brazil to participate. We had over 110 pastors and leaders come and participate. Over half of them were new leaders, which we think is fantastic!
Our National leaders, Milton, Elba, and Clenildo, were the main speakers. It has been a long time since we have all gathered together. The focus of the meeting was to reinforce our values and DNA as a church. The other focus was to talk about leadership and ministerial structure. This time proved to be very helpful for our new leaders/pastors and us old-timers.

The girls are doing their best to embrace this move to Belém / Ananideiua, but I will not make light of it. It is challenging, especially for Camilly. We would be planning to move at the start of her senior year of high school. However, we are trying to think of alternatives for Camilly to graduate with her class. Please pray for our girls and a workable solution. Below are some pictures of us in Belém. One is in the city, and another in a state reserve.

We will keep you updated on our progress.

Thanks and much love, Steve, Elba, Camilly, and Alyssa

We appreciate your continued prayers:

Please pray that we will identify the new senior pastor of the Belém / Ananideiua church plant.
Please pray for our church, leadership, and congregation to help people draw close to God as we navigate this time and leadership transition.
The rejection of this virus from you, your family, and friends and to be thrown out of this universe forever.
Please pray for our family, especially our girls, in this next phase of our lives.
Please pray for our spiritual, physical, emotional, and financial health.

Much love, Steve, Elba, Camilly, and Alyssa

Tax-deductible donations can be written and sent to:

Please click the donate button to make a secured online donation:

If you would like to unsubscribe to this email, please reply with the word “Unsubscribe,” and I will remove you. Thanks.

Nov, 16

XM

Dolan, XM

Amazon Update – November 2021

This month’s update is our annual fundraiser, and we are seeking your support to team up with us financially to continue with the work here in Brazil. As missionaries with the Xingu Mission we are required to raise 100% of the support needed for both personal living and the ministry where they are involved. Financial support received is a two sided coin. On one side the missionary receives what is needed to live with the freedom to champion the Gospel and make and impact on the lives of the least, the lost and the marginalized. On the other the side God is using the giver as an agent of provision and a way to make a difference in lives around the world from right where you are. Please consider giving and bless you!!!

Elba has been teaching our leaders how to become better preachers. The course is weekly, and each person in the class preaches in front of the other. Then the everyone in the class evaluates the preaching with positive and sometimes not-so-positive feedback. It takes courage to expose yourself to your peers, and we are proud of their participation. We are also glad that we can give a safe environment so that when our weaknesses are revealed. They can be talked about in a healthy and constructive manner. The group has been surprised with each other, and the power of their preaching. Lucas was the first one out of the gate to preach after the classes. He was nervous but did a great job. Praise the Lord! Training leaders and planting churches.

Thanks for your consideration to donate; please remember that you are storing up treasures in heaven as the Lord says in Matthew 6: 19-21“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” So please give and become a partner with us as we train leaders and plant churches here in the Amazon Basin. We need your help. Please find out how to donate below.

Would you mind praying for spiritual, physical, emotional and financial health for us?

Thanks and much love, Steve, Elba, Camilly, and Alyssa

We appreciate your continued prayers:

· Please pray for our church, leadership, and congregation that we help people draw close to God as we navigate this time.

· The rejection of this virus from you, your family, friends, and to be thrown out of this universe forever.

· Please pray for Elba and I that we may hear clearly where to put our focus and energy in this next phase of our lives.

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

Much love, Steve, Elba, Camilly, and Alyssa

Tax-deductible donations can be written and sent to:

Please click the donate button to make a secured online donation:

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Nov, 16

XM

Dolan, XM

Amazon Update – October 2021

We had 7 people get baptized. First, I like the public testimony that it gives to people in the community. Second, I love that during the baptism, the church is singing and worshiping God. Lastly, the symbolism of letting the person be wholly immersed in water, being baptized into Jesus’ death on the cross, and no longer being slaves to self or sin. When they are raised out of the water, they are raised into a new life in Christ and are with Him forever. Praise the Lord, and may His transforming power be upon each of them and us daily.

Leia baptism was very emotional. Her mother, who has been sick, has been evangelizing and praying that Leia would commit her life to Jesus. Leia finally came to accept Jesus, and one of our pastors told her that we were doing a baptism the next day. Leia said she wanted to get baptized. She came and with sincerity in her heart, got baptized. The next day her mother died, and her prayers were answered. Leia has peace, and we know that her mother is in the loving arms of Jesus and has peace as well.

This month at the church, we had our annual celebration of Children’s day. Children’s day is a holiday, and there is no school, and some businesses close for the day. The church had many games and activities for the children, followed by small teachings of the love ofChrist. The kids played lots of games, danced, and sang. Camilly and Alyssa participated in the Children’s day celebration as the ref for the tug of war matches. It was a big hit, and they loved it! Alyssa took one for the team. LOL

The girls are doing well and are participating more in the church worship band and helping in the children’s ministry. Camilly is playing the keyboard for the teen worship band. She practices hard and does not want to make any mistakes. Alyssa has had some incredible experiences with the Lord in prayer. For example, we had a small group at our house, and a lady came with her husband. They have been half-hearted followers, and she wanted that to change. At the end of our time, she asked for prayer. Elba was praying for another woman, and Alyssa thought she would go over and put her hand on her and pray silently. Instantly the lady’s back got healed entirely. She started praising God and gave Alyssa a big hug. Alyssa, nor anyone else, knew she had problems with her back, but God did, and He healed her. Alyssa just shrugged and said that she did not do anything. This is somewhat true because God does it all; however, we need to show up. The other night as well, Alyssa got to be a part of helping another teenager accept Jesus. We are super proud of our girls and continue to pray that they will always be faithful followers of Christ.

We appreciate your continued prayers:

· Please pray for our church, leadership, and congregation that we help people draw close to God as we navigate this time.

· The rejection of this virus from you, your family, friends, and to be thrown out of this universe forever.

· Please pray for Elba and I that we may hear clearly where to put our focus and energy in this next phase of our lives.

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

Much love, Steve, Elba, Camilly, and Alyssa

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Nov, 16

XM

Dolan, XM

Amazon Update – September 2021

We had our dear friends, Midge and Renee, come back to Brazil again. Midge Shaw has been with the mission from almost the start. She has brought teams to Brazil for more than 20 years, and has been faithful to the Lord by preaching the Word of God with love and effectiveness. Even during these difficult times, she continued to travel to Brazil and the Lord has blessed her courage and preaching of God’s Word. During their trip they were able to have a 3-night conference at the Colina church. Then they traveled with Elba and Alyssa by boat to the Souzel church and another river community. I stayed back with Camilly as she was still not feeling well. Then they ended their time by having a conference on “Prayer” at our church. They were received well, and the Holy Spirit came in greater power. Lives were changed, and there were lots of healings spiritual, emotionally, and physically. Praise be to God!!!

Below are pictures of each of the places that the team ministered.

The final days were spent at the Mirante church teaching about prayer. We had a really great turnout for the service. Actually, everywhere Midge and Reness went, there was a wonderful turnout of people to hear the Word of the Lord.

On a quick personal note, the girls have been given the choice if they want to go back to school. Alyssa jumped on board and will now be going back each day. She is super excited. Camilly will only go certain days.

We appreciate your continued prayers:

· Please pray for our church, leadership, and congregation that we help people draw close to God as we navigate this time.

· The rejection of this virus from you, your family, friends, and to be thrown out of this universe forever.

· Please pray for Elba and I that we may hear clearly where to put our focus and energy in this next phase of our lives.

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

Much love, Steve, Elba, Camilly, and Alyssa

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XM

Dolan, XM

Amazon Update – August 2021

Praise the Lord the church is still going strong and is recovering slowly each day. We have been doing 2 services on Sunday. One in the morning, and then in the evening. The morning services have been relatively full, and people seemed to be comfortable with the idea of early morning service. We have been able to maintain children ministry as well, praise the Lord!

Elba and I held a mini conference about investments. About 50 people came. Here in Brazil, and in most 3^rd world environments, it has been our experience that when someone has money, they almost immediately spend it. There are lots of reasons for that behavior and we want our congregation to start thinking differently about the future. As Proverbs 21:20 states “The wise store up choice food and olive oil, but fools gulp theirs down.” Everyone seemed excited about the concept of investing for their future, but they do not know where to start. So, we talked about the basics, such as, how to open up bank accounts, and a broker account, how to transfer money, and etc. During the conference, I also showed them some basic financial instruments so they can start investing in Brazil. For a month or so afterwards, I have been working with people individually to get them setup to start investing. It is getting some traction, so let’s see what happens.

Dentist and helpers came throughout Brazil to serve the dental needs for children and adults here in the North of Brazil. It was another amazing time of serving the community and helping people with dental needs that otherwise would not be able to get easy access to this care. Unfortunately, it did not end on a high note as we made the decision to stop serving the community. The reason was because almost the whole team tested positive, including us, and we felt that it was best to stop. There were lots of safety measures in place but it did not prove to be enough. We are now home resting. Thanks for your prayers!

Before the project came to a rude stop, the team worked tireless hours serving the community needs. In these short two weeks the volunteer dentist team performed cleanings, fluoride treatments, repairing cavities, and pulling teeth. It was an incredible work and we pray the Lord’s hand upon them all. It has been a pleasure working to serve the people, and share Jesus Christ through words and deeds. Please keep us and the team in your prayers for excellent health! The team is still there recovering since they are restricted to travel via airlines. It is not fun to be far from family and home.

We appreciate your continued prayers:

· Please pray for our church, leadership, and congregation that we help people draw close to God as we navigate this time.

· The rejection of this virus from you, your family, friends, and to be thrown out of this universe forever.

· Please pray for Elba and I that we may hear clearly where to put our focus and energy in this next phase of our lives.

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

Much love, Steve, Elba, Camilly, and Alyssa

Tax deductible donations can be written and sent to:

Please click the donate button to make a secured on-line donation:

If you would like to unsubscribe to this email, please reply to this email with the word “Unsubscribe” and I will remove you. Thanks.

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XM

Dolan, XM

Amazon Update – March 2021

The church just moved to 2 services starting last weekend because we were approaching over capacity due to the restrictions. This is really good news. The bad news is that the city is again on red alert and there are lots of lockdowns again. Unfortunately, people are suffering to a great degree, and we have many people in our church that are going through their 2^ndround of the virus. It is distressing because they are young and in good health, but their lungs are compromised and they have been admitted to the hospital. As I understand, the hospitals are at capacity, and they are stacking the rooms with patients. Please pray for the sick, the church, and us. UPDATE: Due to high cases, church is closed again, and we are back to on-line services. 🙁

The church continues to be the hands and feet of the Lord. We have continued to go out to the neighborhood and give food. However, given the uptick, we will probably stop for a short stint of time. We have delivered meals and groceries to the sick to help as we can. We are desperate for more of the Lord’s intervention, and to give us wisdom on how to continue to touch the lives of others.

Elba made her famous chicken with tucupi sauce. If you are unsure, Tucupi is the yellow juice extracted from the root of a manioc (cassava) when grated and squeezed. She puts lot of garlic, jambu, greens and chicken in the dish. It is really delicious and it put some smiles on people’s faces.

The girls are doing well. They are still doing on-line school, and this is keeping them busy. We are very proud of them and their diligence to achieve in school. Here is a picture of the girls with their Mom. Wow, they definitely got their beauty from their Mom.

Continued prayer requests:

Please pray for our church, leadership, and congregation that we help people draw close to God as we navigate this time.

The rejection of this virus from you, your family, friends, and to be thrown out of this universe forever.

Please pray for Elba and I that we may hear clearly where to put our focus and energy in this next phase of our lives.

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

Much love, Steve, Elba, Camilly, and Alyssa

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