Besides visiting my sending church and school, I praise the Lord for being able to visit other dear friends and familiy as well. The Lord truly took care of me and provided for me far above and beyond what I could think or imagine. The most suprising blessing was receiving a phone call from my brother in North Carolina wanting to help pay for me to fly to see him and his family. However, I also thank God for my dear friends who allowed me to borrow their car to visit my grandparents in Indiana.
Although brief, I thank God for the three and half weeks I had back in the States. Thank you all for your prayers and continual support and thank you all who allowed me to stay in your home, who took me out shopping, paid for my meals, and who provided for several of my ministry needs. May the Lord truly bless you for you are a blessing to me!
World Cup Soccer Outreach!
For those of you who are not soccer fans, the world cup soccer is happening right here in Brasil! Although none of the games will be played in our city, people still go crazy over the games. Soccer is more than a sport here; it is a religion. However, soccer is also a great tool to use in giving out the gospel.
Thus, James and the men in our church decided to rent out a nice soccer field to be able to have a mini-soccer tournament for boys ages 9-14 - the goal truly being of reaching them with the gospel of Christ at the beginning of each game.
Overcast and rainy, we still went ahead with our outreach and although uncertain as to whether to have it, kids came and kept coming. =)
Thankfully, we also had a wonderful group of helpers from church. The ladies signed up each child with a name, age, and address, and the men were in charge of putting them on different teams, reffing, and coaching.
Before each game, the gospel presentation was given using the Baptist Mid-Mission tract - The 5 Cards - which uses penalty cards from soccer as an object lesson to share the gospel.
Not only that, but we took advantage to share the gospel with parents or boys sitting around waiting to play next!
We praise the Lord for the 44 boys that were given the gospel, as well as, other adults! Please be in prayer, as we will be following up with these new contacts soon by visiting each home, thanking the parents for allowing their child to attend our event, and sharing the gospel with them as well.
Additional Prayer Requests
A couple weeks ago, our church was robbed. The keyboard, soundboard, and projector were taken. Thankfully, we are borrowing a small keyboard for now, but a member from our church is willing to sell their nice electrical piano at home for $1500. Please pray that our members will see the need and want to give above and beyond what they are giving.
Thankfully, we are already seeing God work!
If you would like to help us in purchasing this piano or any of our other needs, please just send a special offering to BMM for me, but specify that it be given for Redemption Baptist Church ministry needs and I will know what it goes to.
We are starting a new study on Wednesday nights on "How People Change" by Paul David Tripp. Tonight was the second night and several came prepared with their lessons filled out and ready to participate. Pray others will get involved in this study and see the importance of having a relationship with God on a daily basis and letting God change them from the inside out.
I Peter 1:3-11
According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 4Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 5And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 7And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.8For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. 10Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: 11For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
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