Categoria: News

Moses assembled the whole Israelite community and reminded them all never to work on the sabbath, not even was it permitted to light a fire, and the punishment for disobedience was death! 

Moses then made an appeal for donations of jewellery and materials from the people for the making of the tabernacle because they needed gold, silver, bronze, yarn, linen, goats hair, ram skins, sea cow hides, acacia wood, oil, incense and precious stones. They also needed skilled craftsmen to make the tabernacle, its curtains, furniture, and clothing, under the coordination of Bezalel and Oholiab who would be their spirit filled leaders in this work. The Israelites gave generously for this cause both from their possessions and from their skills.

On Saturday afternoon, in stormy conditions, QPR managed their first home victory of the season 3 x 0 against Norwich, taking us out of the relegation zone and up to 20th out of 24 in the Championship. This was our first home victory of the season (in December!) and our 4th game on the run without defeat. 😅

I always see Humming Birds visiting the flowers in our front garden. The species we see are the Glittering-bellied Emerald and the Swallow-tailed Hummingbird. I never tire of watching them.

On Saturday night I went and took the service at Green Pastures with Marina and Davi leading the worship, Isaac, Josué, Paulo Silas, Dodora and Fabrícia taking part and Ray bringing a word from Luke 22. It was a nice service despite numbers being down owing to a fine drizzle falling.

Last night I led the Bible Day service in Patos and our daughter and Bible college student Sacha preached an excellent sermon from Psalm 19. It was a blessed service.

Over the weekend it rained 6 mm and then 5 mm at Green Pastures.

Moses went up Mount Sinai to meet with God again carrying with him stone tablets to replace the ones with the law which he had broken, and Moses stayed there a long time without eating or drinking. There God renewed his covenant with Israel and ordered them to not make treaties with incumbent nations when they reached Canaan but instead destroy all their pagan idolatrous sites.  The Israelites should celebrate their festivals to the Lord with the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Ingathering. They should also keep the Sabbath. When Moses came down the mountain carrying the 2 tablets of the Testimony his face shone from the glory of God so that the people were afraid to approach him. Moses put on a veil when he had finished speaking to the people.    

God told Moses that it was time for the Israelites to leave Mount Sinai and start heading for Canaan, where an angel would drive out the native peoples so that the Israelites could take over as he had promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. However God said he would not go with them as they were a stiff-necked people prone to serious sin. This saddened the Israelites and they wore no jewellery as a sign of repentance.

Moses had a special tent of meeting outside the camp where he met with God face to face as a man speaks with his friend. Moses asked God to teach him his ways and God said he would go with the Israelites as Moses had requested. We again see God changing his mind as a result of Moses’s intercession. Moses also asked to see God’s glory to which God partially agreed though he couldn’t see his face as that would be lethal. God hid Moses in the cleft of a rock from where Moses could see his back but not his face.

The Brazilian census (IBGE) shows that in 2023 Brazilians in poverty fell below 30% (27.4%) for the first time and those in extreme poverty fell below 5% (4.4%) for the first time too. We rejoice with this improvement which is what EAB/ACEV works for in the name of Jesus.

I have just eaten a Custard Apple for my mid-morning snack which was delicious. I only eat fresh fruit for breakfast and in the mornings.

I had a good 3 km walk at Green Pastures under a little rain. I saw 6 wild tortoises out in the rain with a couple mating. I saw lots of birds: Southern Lapwing, Roadside Hawk, Pied-billed Grebe, Great Egret, Pileated Finch, Tropical Gnatcatcher, Caatinga Cacholote, White-tipped Dove, Solitary Black Cacique and Campo Troupial. (You can Google these English names to see them)

Please pray for Pastor Nezinho Abílio who has had a motorbike accident and fractured a collar bone and a shoulder blade. He is the pastor of 4 churches: Diamante, Barra de Oitis, Mata de Oitis and Vazante.

This chapter contains some amazing things such as the fickleness of the Israelites faith, including that of the future high priest Aaron, and the lethalness of the judgement of God upon the sin of his people.

The Israelites got fed up with waiting for Moses, who was up Mount Sinai receiving the law from God, and which took a long time. 40 days and 40 nights (Exodus 24:18) is not to be taken literally but is an idiomatic expression meaning a long time. So the people got Aaron to make a calf from the women’s gold jewellery, he made an altar in front of it, and the people worshipped it as their deliverer from Egypt! God was furious when he saw this and decided to destroy the Israelites, but Moses interceded, reminded God of his covenant (which the people had broken!) and God changed his mind. When Moses came down the mountain and saw what his brother and the people had done he threw the tablets of the law to the ground and smashed them to smithereens, and asked Aaron what had got into him? So Moses asked the people who was on the Lord’s side and the Levites said they were. Then Moses equipped them with swords and they went round the camp killing a total of 3,000 people and God struck the people with a plague. 

On Tuesday I went to the men’s fellowship’s end-of-year party held at the Coreto 2 open-air restaurant where 20 of us ate pizza together, chatted and played a game of Bingo which well-driller Caetano won. At the end we prayed together. Another nice shower of rain fell whilst we were in the restaurant.

Our amazing grandson Arthur has booked flights for another of his international trips in 2025. 23-year-old Arthur is a qualified lawyer and has already visited Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Florianopolis, Brasília, Fernando de Noronha and Goiania in Brazil and made international visits to Wales, Scotland, England (various times), Portugal, USA (Florida, New York and Los Angeles next year), Bahamas, Chile, Italy, Vatican, Greece, France, Germany, Holland, Iceland, Spain and Morocco. Now he is scheduled to visit Japan next year via Peru, Panama and the USA, with the possibility of adding South Korea to the schedule if things calm down there. Congratulations Arthur on your amazing world vision for life and for your solid commitment to Christ in the process.

Yesterday we had hailstones at Green Pastures which fascinated the people because they had never seen them before! It rained 15 mm which was good.

Last night I led a lovely Christmas service at the senior citizens’ condominium where there are 40 chalets in which 60+ folk live. It was a blessed evening with a variety of folk from the church telling what Christmas means to them, and Pastor Rafael brought a word from Luke 2. Sacha led the praise with a mixture of carols and regular songs. We gave the residents a little gift each at the end. 

God appointed Bezalel and Oholiab to be the chief artisans responsible for the creation and manufacture of the entire Tabernacle and all its different elements. God especially gifted these men in design and craftmanship and filled them with his spirit to do the task.

Then the Lord strictly instructed the Israelites to observe the Sabbath as a day of rest, following the divine creation pattern, and failure to respect the Sabbath would be punishable by death. The Sabbath was to be holy to the Lord.

When God finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai he gave him the tablets of the law inscribed by his own finger and these were put in the ark of the Covenant in the Tabernacle.

God instructed Moses to make an altar of incense of wood covered by gold on which was to be burnt incense (representing the prayers of the people) morning and evening. This altar, 0.5 metres square and 0.9 metres high, was to be placed in the tabernacle in front of the curtain which separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. Once a year Aaron was to make atonement on this altar.

God then said that when he carried out censuses everyone from 20 years old upwards should pay half a shekel as a tabernacle tax. 

God instructed Moses to make a bronze basin with stand so that the priests could ceremonially wash themselves before ministering in the tabernacle.

Then the Lord gave recipes for the creation of exclusive sacred anointing oil (made from fine spices) and holy incense (made from fragrant spices) which nobody could copy. 

Sunday night’s main service of the week in Patos was a blessing when I preached on Genesis 26. Countless people thanked me for the sermon after the service. Every Sunday in December we have a Christmas related item and this Sunday two women, Dilma and Fia, did an excellent sketch.

One thing very interesting in the Sunday night service was to see Chico who I hadn’t seen for 33 years! When he appeared at the door in his wheelchair I couldn’t believe my eyes. He is now 65 and he has moved back to Patos from Fortaleza. 

Last night it rained 60 mm in Patos but only rained 2 mm at Green Pastures. Nevertheless it is a start for the rainy season for which we are grateful.

This chapter contains detailed instructions for the consecration of Aaron and his sons as priests which was a process which lasted 7 days with a bull sacrificed every day. Initially Aaron and his sons were to wash at the entrance to the tabernacle and then put on all their priestly attire. Then they should bring a bull so that Aaron and his sons can lay their hands on it before it is sacrificed. Now put some of the blood on the altar horns and pour the rest at the base of the altar. Then burn parts of the liver and kidneys on the altar, before burning the rest of it outside the camp as a sin offering. Then bring a ram on which Aaron and his sons shall place their hands before sacrificing it and sprinkling its blood on the altar. Then cut the ram in pieces prior to burning it as an offering to God on the altar. Then take another ram, Aaron and his sons put their hands on it before slaughtering it, and then put some of its blood on their right ear lobes, on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet! Then sprinkle blood and anointing oil on the priests to consecrate them. Then Aaron and his sons will wave before God as a wave offering parts of the lamb plus unleavened bread, cake and wafer, before burning it on the altar, but parts of the ram will be given to the priests, and it will be cooked for them to eat. Then from then on every day they will offer 2 lambs together with a grain offering and drink offering in the morning and late afternoon. Thus the priests will be consecrated as will be consecrated the tabernacle for regular meetings of the people with God.   

I have just received the book: “Responsible Grace – John Wesley’s practical theology” by Randy L. Maddox. I look forward to reading it as I greatly appreciate Wesleyan theology. “Wesley’s value as a major theologian lays in his ability to simplify, synthesize and communicate the essential teachings of the Christian gospel to laity, not in his contributions to speculative academic theology.” (Albert Outler) Thank God for this!

Liz and I went for a nice long walk at Green Pastures and found a dead fox on one of the trails. We also saw the following species of birds: Chalk-browed Mocking Bird, White-tipped Dove, Great Kiskadee, Caatinga Cacholote and Rufous-bellied Thrush.

I would like to congratulate our son Philip who has just completed his degree in theology with top marks! He already had a Master’s Degree in Computer Science and now he has a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology in a course officially recognised by the Brazilian Ministry of Education. How he managed to do this course over the last 3 years I will never know, as it was on top of his leadership role in his company with immense responsibility. Praise the Lord for this tremendous victory!

Yesterday QPR drew 0 x 0 away to Watford and are now placed in 23rd place out of the 24 positions in the Championship. That’s 3 games without losing on the run! 👍

Last night I led the weekly service at Green Pastures and I preached too. Sister Nega led the praise and there were a lot of joyful participations in the lovely service.

Last month this blog was read 1,226 times. 

We have had a big fire in the rubbish dump next to Green Pastures. Our fear was that sparks and flames could spread the fire to us in the extremely hot dry conditions prevailing at the moment, but thankfully the Fire Brigade managed to control the fire and then extinguish it. Green Pastures was untouched. 

I have been working on the programme for the March Carnival Camp, with the sequence of 7 services/messages around the theme of ‘The Revival/Renewal of the work of the Lord’ based around Habakkuk 3.

QPR have beaten Cardiff 2 x 0 away for our second victory of the season! 😀

Last night I led the mid-week prayer meeting and Bible study and all went well. We studied Jonah chapter 3 and had a nice time of prayer and worship.

 God told Moses to call his brother Aaron (high priest) and his sons so that they could serve him as priests. He told him to have priestly garments made for them: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a woven tunic, a turban and a sash. 

The ephod was to be made by skilled craftsman out of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and linen. It was to have 2 shoulder pieces in which would be placed onyx stones with half the names of the sons of Israel engraved on each stone. It would have a woven waistband. 

The breastpiece was to be made of the same material in a 22 centimetre double folded square. 12 gemstones were to be attached mounted in gold filigree, and then attach it by gold chains to the ephod shoulder pieces. Place the Urim and the Thummim in the breastpiece to make decisions for the Israelites.

The priest’s robe was to be made of blue cloth with an opening in the centre for the head. Its hem was to be decorated with cloth images of pomegranates alternated with bells.

A gold plate engraved with HOLY TO THE LORD was to be attached to the priest’s turban by a blue cord. And then the priests were to be anointed and ordained for their special role.  

Next God gave instructions for the building of the altar of burnt offering which was to be placed in the outer courtyard of the tabernacle. The altar was to be 1.3 metres high x 2.3 metres long and wide. It was to be made of acacia wood, covered with bronze and have a bronze horn on each corner to which would be tied the sacrifice. The altar would have poles and rings for when the Israelites were on the move.

The outer courtyard which surrounded the tabernacle was to be 46 metres long and 23 metres wide, with finely twisted linen curtains and 20 posts with bronze bases on the north and south, and with 10 posts on the west end. On the east side, which is the side on which the sun rises, there will be a curtain for an entrance 9 metres wide, with fixed curtains either side. All the hangings around the courtyard were 2.3 metres high.

Then the Israelites were commanded to bring clear olive oil for the lampstand and Aaron and his priestly sons were responsible for tending the light in the morning and the evening.

This chapter contains the miniscule details of the Tabernacle’s layout with curtains, supporting frames and covering in exquisite luxurious taste. God cares about detail and stressed the importance of making everything exactly according to the plan shown to Moses on the mountain. From this chapter it is most clear that God loves a beautiful place of worship. 

The tabernacle was to have 10 curtains made of blue, purple and scarlet linen with the imagery of cherubins interwoven, each measuring 12.5 metres x 1.8 metres. The curtains were fastened together using golden clasps in groups of 5 with 50 loops at the end of each group. It was also to have 11 curtains of goats’ hair to cover the tabernacle with each measuring 13.5 metres x 1.8 metres and held together by bronze clasps. Additionally the Israelites were to make a further covering for the tabernacle with ram skins dyed red plus the hides of sea cows.

Then Moses was to build 48 wooden frames covered in gold to support the tent structure. Each frame measured 4.5 metres x 0.7 metres and they were set on silver bases. 20 frames were for the south side, 20 for the north side and 8 for the west end. Added to these frames were wooden horizontal cross-bars overlayed with gold.

A curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and linen, interwoven with cherubins, would divide the tabernacle in two parts separating the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. The ark of the testimony would be placed inside the inner Most Holy Place and the golden table and golden lampstand were to be placed in the outer Holy Place. Then at the entrance to the tabernacle would be placed a curtain of yarn and embroidered linen, with gold hooks, and with 5 wooden posts overlaid with gold, set in bronze bases.

I have been going over my sermon for next Sunday in Patos on ‘The Wells of Gerar’ from Genesis 26. Your prayers are valued as I preach God’s word. May life-giving water be forthcoming from the wells as we share around God’s word in the communion service, which is always on the first Sunday of the month.

Our next Carnival Camp will be held at Green Pastures from March 1st to 5th 2025. Any people or churches who are able to help with this would be greatly appreciated as each person needs to pay 37 pounds to cover food, workers, cleaning materials, swimming pool materials etc. and not all can afford it. Please designate such gifts to the EAB treasurer with ‘Carnival Camp’. Our camps are rich times of fun, food, fellowship, sport, swimming and Bible teaching, with a total of 7 services of praise and worship to the Lord. Please pray for the Carnival Camp. 🙌

Our crashed car has been in repairs for over 4 weeks now but we are hoping it might be returned this week. A new radiator had to come from São Paulo so this held things up. We had an insurance car for 2 weeks in which we travelled for ministry to Joao Pessoa and Juru.

I have just completed 2 years of physical exercises in the Gym for an hour every Tuesday and Thursday. On the other 5 days I do a routine of exercises with 15 minutes on an exercise bike, 30 stand-ups and hands raised, 30 tip-toes to exercise the calf muscles and 30 pelvic elevations. On Friday afternoons I do a 3 km walk at Green Pastures. Keeping fit is an essential part of keeping well.

Last night we went out for a family pizza together to celebrate our granddaughter Alice’s acceptance to university to study psychology. Well done Alice!

God invited free-will offerings from the people of materials which could be used to construct a mobile tent-like temple called the Tabernacle which would be God’s dwelling place amongst his people. The construction and fabrication had to be exactly according to God’s instructions.

God instructed the construction of the Ark of the Covenant which was a wooden chest 1.1 metres long, 0.7 metres wide and 0.7 metres high. It would all be overlayed with gold as would be its rings and poles for transportation. It was to house the stones of the 10 commandments. On top of the Ark there would a golden atonement cover with 2 golden cherubins.

Then a wooden table 0.9 metres long, 0.5 metres wide and 0.7 metres high would be made and be covered with pure gold, as would be its legs, rings and carrying poles. 

Next a golden lampstand would be made with a central shaft and 3 branches on each side making a 7-branch lampstand with floral ornamentation. 

God called Moses to go up the mountain with Aaron, his sons Nadab and Abihu, and 70 elders. The people could not go up, but they had promised to do all God had said to Moses which he had written down. Moses built an altar at the foot of the mountain with 12 pillars representing the 12 tribes of Israel. There they offered young bulls as fellowship or peace offerings, and Moses read the Book of the Covenant to the people, sprinkling the people with the sacrificial blood saying that it was the blood of the covenant with the Lord in accordance with what he had read. Then Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu and 70 elders went up the mountain and saw God and worshipped Him at a distance. After this Moses went further with Joshua to receive the tablets of stone from God with the law on them. Then Moses went up further alone and the glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai as a cloud and Moses went up into the cloud and stayed there for over a month.

Laws of justice and mercy: Don’t spread false reports, don’t follow the crowd in wrong doing, if you find your enemy’s donkey lost somewhere take it back to him, don’t deny justice to the poor in their court cases, don’t accept bribes and don’t oppress foreigners. 

Sabbath laws: Plough and plant your fields in cycles of 7 years so that you plant for 6 years and let the land lay fallow on the 7th. Work for 6 days and rest on the 7th day together with your animals and slaves.

3 annual Festivals: First of all celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the month of Abib to commemorate leaving Egypt. Next celebrate the Feast of Harvest at the beginning of the harvest and then celebrate the feast of Ingathering at the end of the year. Bring the best of your first fruits to the house of the Lord, but don’t cook a young goat in its mother’s milk!

God then said that he was sending an angel to guide his people along the way and that they should listen to him and obey him always. God said that he would gradually wipe out the inhabitants of Canaan for them and would establish their borders from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines and from the desert to the River Euphrates. 

Our granddaughter Bia has won 2 further bronze medals in the State of Paraíba Table Tennis Championships. She won 2 medals because her age group of under 15s didn’t have enough competitors so she was invited to play in the older under 19 and adult tournaments, and she did very well to win third place in each category. Well done Bia! 😃

QPR managed to draw again on Saturday at home against Stoke 1 x 1. They haven’t won at home all season! We even missed a penalty and remain bottom in the Championship. 😦

I completed 2 months of résumés of the Bible on Saturday and have done 72 chapters thus far which is an average of over 1 chapter a day. If I can keep up this pace I will finish the whole Bible in 4 years.

Liz has put up our Christmas tree, with the help of granddaughter Amanda, and we have lights on a big Jasmin bush in the front garden. We have background music carols from King’s College, Cambridge.

Last night I led the main service of the week in Patos and my assistant pastor Rafael preached on the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law. It was a good service with a full church.

Now comes a list of laws governing the protection of property. An animal thief will repay between 100 and 400%. There is no guilt linked to killing a burglar unless it happens after sunrise. A thief must make retribution, but if he is moneyless he himself should be sold. If a man’s animals graze in someone else’s fields then the animals’ owner must reciprocate from the best of his land. He who starts a fire must pay for the damage caused. If a man has somebody’s property in their keeping and it is stolen a judge must rule on the matter unless the thief is caught. If a man borrows an animal and it is injured or dies he must make retribution. This is followed by a list of laws covering social responsibilities such as that a man having sex with a virgin must pay the bride-price and marry her. However if the girl’s father is against the marriage the seducer must pay the father the bride-price for virgins. Then sorcery, bestiality and idolatry are said to be punishable with death. Laws are also declared against the ill-treatment of foreigners, widows and orphans. The loan of money is required to be without interest between Hebrews and blasphemy is condemned. Offerings to God should always be forthcoming as were the firstborn of animals and men to be dedicated to God. All Israelites were to be consecrated to God. 

The first string of laws in this chapter are linked to slaves and their owners. Hebrew slaves were to serve 6 years and then be freed, but if the slave wanted to stay he would have his ear pierced (piercing is not so modern!) and remain for life. If a Hebrew bought a female slave as a wife, but was not happy with her, he could allow her to be redeemed but not by a foreigner. However if he bought the female slave for his son the owner was to treat her as his daughter. If a man married a slave and then married another wife he could not illtreat the slave. If he did illtreat her she should be freed. Then comes a string of laws regarding violence and abuse. He who kills or kidnaps should be killed, as should be he who attacks or curses his parents. If men fight they should compensate with proportionate payments according to injuries. Slave owners will be punished if they beat their slave unless the slave can get up after a day of two! If a pregnant woman is caused to miscarry owing to violence the man will be fined but if serious injury is caused he must be punished proportionately. If a slave owner destroys a slave’s eye or tooth the owner must compensate with freedom. Finally comes a list of laws linked to animals. If a bull kills someone then it must be stoned to death, but if the bull was in the habit of attacking people then the owner should be put to death too. If a man dug a pit but failed to cover it and an animal fell into it then he would have to compensate the loss. If a bull killed another bull then the live bull should be sold and the money be split equally between the 2 owners.

God then communicated the 10 commandments. Israel had many other laws, but these are the most well-known as the cornerstone of Hebrew law. First of all the people were to have no other gods and serve exclusively the Lord. Secondly they were not to engage in any form of idolatry. Thirdly they should never use the name of the Lord in vain. Fourthly they were to rest on the sabbath which was the 7th day of the week. Fifthly they were to honour their father and mother. Sixthly they were not to commit murder. Seventhly they were not to commit adultery. Eighthly they were not to steal. Ninthly they were not to give false testimony and tenthly they were not to covet the possessions of others. As the law was given the pyrotechnics of God’s presence on the mountain terrified the people, but Moses calmed them telling them not to be afraid. God then re-emphasized his abhorrence of idols and said that when they made altars they should either be made of earth or unhewn rocks.   

3 months after the Red Sea experience the Israelites set up camp in the Sinai Desert close to Mount Sinai. God told Moses to say to the people that they would be a unique special people for him as long as they obeyed him. Moses conveyed the message and the people committed to obeying God. So God told Moses that he should get the people to spend 2 days consecrating themselves, washing their clothes and abstaining from sex, and that on the third day God would speak to Moses audibly so that the people could hear him. God also said that nobody should touch the mountain or else they would die. Then on the third morning Mount Sinai was rocked by thunder, lightning, fire, smoke and blasts from a trumpet, because the Lord descended there and spoke audibly to Moses. So God called Moses to go up the mountain to him and then to bring Aaron up to him, but no one else could go up.

I led the mid-week prayer meeting and Bible study and I gave the study on the message of John the Baptist. Marina and Davi led the praise and worship and Espedita and Vasti sang solos. Mariana brought a lovely word of testimony about the Youth Conference and Dede, Deborah Maria, Mada and Marcio brought verses of Scripture. It was a delightful service with a good number present.

At Green Pastures yesterday I saw Red-cowled Cardinals, Chalk-browed Mockingbirds, Picui Ground-Doves, White Naped-Jays and Pale Baywings. The drought and heat are biting hard. Everything is scorched by the sun.

Last night we had a wonderful evening with our ‘Young at Heart’ seniors fellowship group held at Josinete’s house. We were all served a delicious meal (I ate 2 plates!), and then played some games, followed by the giving of gifts to all the ladies who regularly come to the weekly meetings. They were all profuse with their thanks for all the work done with them throughout 2024. This work with our seniors has now been carried on during 18 years and is led by Marah Danielle, Márcia and Josinete. 

This week’s Men’s Fellowship meeting centred on a talk by a doctor on men’s health, in line with the national emphasis on the topic in the month of November. Dr. Rafael Nóbrega brought us a very useful and interesting talk with discussion by the group.

Yesterday was another public holiday in Brazil, being 1 of 15+ such annual holidays! There are 8 in the UK. The married couples’ fellowship therefore made the most of the day spending it as an outing to Green Pastures and had a barbecue. The men cooked the barbecue whilst the women sunbathed! 😎

Jethro, the priest of Midian and father-in-law of Moses came to visit Moses together with Moses’ wife Zipporah and their 2 sons Gershom and Eliezer. Moses told him all about what God had done delivering the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, and Jethro was overjoyed and offered sacrifices to God. The next day Moses worked all day as judge of the people and Jethro observed how hard he worked, so Jethro suggested that he delegate much of this work to good men who could share his work load. Moses accepted the suggestion and appointed judges to take care of the simpler cases, just bringing the more complicated issues to him.   

I led the main service of the week on Sunday night and Bible College graduate Murilo preached on Matthew 5:1-8. It was an excellent sermon. The praise and worship flowed beautifully too led by Sacha and Fábio, backed by Rogerio, Netinho and Rogaciano. Our youth got back from their conference on the coast in Joao Pessoa just as the service finished.

Professor Flávia Moura of the Federal University is about to start research in termites at Green Pastures. Termites create large mounds on trees and it will be very interesting to learn from the professor and her team. The team of Maranhao biologists continue to research wild cats at Green Pastures.

The 246 young people from our churches, who went to their annual conference in Joao Pessoa, are now back home in their respective towns and villages. All report a real time of blessing for which we praise the Lord. Thank you for your prayers. 

Liz and I watched online Ken Rashleigh’s thanksgiving service this morning which was beautiful.

Despite God’s constant provision for Israel the people’s faith was very limited, and when no water was readily visible and available the people began to moan again. So God instructed Moses to go and strike a rock at Horeb from which water flowed out, and he called the place Massah (testing) and Meribah (quarrelling) because the people quarrelled and tested the Lord there. Then the Amalekites attacked the Israelites, so Moses sent Joshua to take some men to fight them whilst Moses stood on top of hill with his staff raised. Whilst he maintained his arms raised Israel prevailed but if he lowered his arms Israel started to lose. So Aaron and Hur held his hands up all day and by sunset the Amalekites had been defeated. Moses built an altar of praise to God and called it the Lord is my banner.

A month after leaving Egypt the Israelites left Elim and came to the Desert of Sin between Elim and Sinai. Here they started to moan about the lack of food saying they would have been better off staying in Egypt as now they were liable to starve to death. So God started to send them manna (a type of delicious bread) in the morning and quails in the evening. They were to collect sufficient for each day (not more and not less) but on the 6th day they were to collect sufficient for 2 days so that they didn’t work on the sabbath. The collected food would last for the stipulated period of time, but if they collected too much it would become full of maggots and begin to smell. God told the people not to grumble at Moses and Aaron because if they did they would be in fact complaining against Himself. And the Israelites ate manna provided by God for 40 years until they reached the border of Canaan.

In reply to my comments about me perhaps playing for QPR, Pastor Michael Rollo (Found Church, Scotland) has suggested that if that doesn’t work out I could try Manchester City as they have lost 4 in a row! Meanwhile Mrs. Joan Heard has agreed that I should play for QPR! 😂

Last night I both led the service at Green Pastures and preached the word. It was the monthly communion service and Nega led the praise and worship. Josué, Paulo Silas, Fred, Dodora and Julio also took part. It was a good service.

Our annual youth conference finishes today. Over 200 young people from around our churches have gathered in Joao Pessoa for fellowship and spiritual renewal around God’s word. It has been a time of blessing.

Then Moses and the Israelites sang a song of rejoicing and victory unto the Lord, and Aaron’s sister and prophetess Miriam danced with tambourines. They praised God for their mighty deliverance hurling the Egyptian troops into the sea. They worshiped God for shattering their enemy by engulfing them in the sea after having delivered themselves on dry ground. They praised God who is incomparable among the gods, majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, doing wonders! The Red Sea deliverance strengthened the Israelites’ faith and belief regarding the future conquering of the land of Canaan. Then Moses led the people from the Red Sea into the desert and they grumbled about the lack of drinking water because when they arrived at Marah (bitter) the water wasn’t drinkable. Moses cried to God who directed him to throwing in some wood which made the water sweet. God then exhorted the people to listen carefully to his voice because he would not punish them with plagues as he was the Lord who heals them. Then they arrived to camp at Elim where there were 12 springs and 70 palm trees.

God told the Israelites to camp facing the Red Sea but Pharoah changed his mind about letting them go and prepared 600 plus chariots and troops to pursue them. When the Israelites saw them they were terrified and complained to Moses that he had had brought them to the desert to die. However God told them not to be afraid because he would deliver them and liquidate the Egyptians. Then God told Moses to raise his staff over the sea and it opened up a pathway through the sea which was totally dry, and the Israelites were able to escape through this pathway. However when the Egyptians pursued them it was no longer dry and they started to get bogged down in their chariots. After the Israelites had crossed, God collapsed the walls of the Red Sea engulfing the Egyptians, and they were all drowned. Thus the Israelites feared God and trusted him and trusted in Moses as they witnessed this miraculous deliverance.

Yesterday we had an hilarious incident in Patos. For days now we have had air force jets zig-zagging across the skies of Patos. Yesterday there was a large explosion breaking up boulders at a building site and word spread in Patos that one of the jets had crashed! Social media was soon full of the story reporting that the pilot had ejected and was alive! It just goes to show how lies are easily spread.

Last night I led the mid-week prayer meeting and Bible study. Sacha and Rogerio led the praise and Pastor Rafael gave the study on Jonah 2. It was a nice service.

Today is our 55th wedding anniversary and I will be taking Liz out for lunch to celebrate. God has been very good to us over the years and I am very grateful to Him for such a wonderful beautiful wife. 😍

In a direct link with the Passover rescue of the Israelite firstborn God established an annual ritual of the consecration of the firstborn interwoven with the Feast of Unleavened Bread. As they moved into Canaan they were to remember to consecrate to God all their firstborn, including that of their livestock, and when their children asked about the meaning of this they should tell them that it was to remember all God did for them bringing them out of Egypt. Then God led the Israelites via the desert road towards the Red Sea, avoiding possible war with the Philistines on the more direct route. Moses took the bones of Joseph to bury in Canaan and God went with his people guiding them with pillars of cloud (in the day) and of fire (at night).

Another EAB/ACEV toilet/shower unit is starting to be built this week in the village of Barra de Oitis at the house of Lucinho and Leila. The building materials were delivered on Monday morning. Thank you for your prayers and support.

On Tuesday, November 19th at 1 pm, the thanksgiving service for the life of our great friend and brother in Christ Ken Rashleigh will be held at the Shirley Warren Action Church, 117 Warren Crescent, Southampton, SO16 6AY. Please attend and support our sister Marian. 

On Monday night Liz led the prayer meeting at which there were 7 present. Liz says it was a good meeting.

Last night I travelled to the town of Sao Mamede with the Patos men’s fellowship and held another street service in front of the house of José and Maricó. Chief of the police Esau led the service, there were various participations and Pastor Rafael preached the Gospel. It was a lovely meeting.

I played my granddaughter Bia yesterday at table tennis and lost 11 x 5, 11 x 4. It was fun.

This chapter lays out the rules for the celebration of the Passover and for the Feast of Unleavened Bread which were to be carried out in the spring, constituting the first month of the new ecclesiastical year in commemoration of Israel’s deliverance from slavery in Egypt. God told Moses that each Hebrew family should slaughter a year old lamb or kid which was without defect, with small families being able to share. They should then paint the blood on the sides and tops of their front door frames and roast the lamb or kid, eating it with bitter herbs and unleavened bread. They should eat whilst wearing a cloak tucked inside their belt, wearing sandals and holding a staff. (ready to march to freedom!) That same night God would kill the Egyptian firstborn,  but where he saw the blood he would ‘pass over’ and leave them unaffected by the plague of death. God said that the Passover festival together with the Feast of Unleavened Bread should be commemorated every year to remember the great deliverance of God in all future generations. At midnight on the first Passover God struck down the Egyptian firstborn without exception and there was loud wailing throughout Egypt, but where there was blood on the doorposts the angel of death passed over. During the night Pharoah finally gave in and told Moses, Aaron and the Israelites to get out of Egypt, and all the Egyptians urged them to leave quickly! So the Israelites’ 430 years in Egypt came to a close. They were 600,000 men plus women, children and livestock on their way to Canaan. So the Passover commemorates the setting free of the Israelites from slavery, no foreigner could eat of it and no uncircumcised men. God was finally bringing the Israelites out of Egypt!   

Last night I led the main service of the week in Patos and I preached too on ‘New Heavens and New Earth’ from Isaiah 65:17 and Revelation 21:1. The service was disturbed a bit by the noise of football supporters celebrating the victory of their team ‘Flamengo’ (Philip’s team) who won the Brazilian Cup against ‘Atletico Mineiro’ . The church was full with 8 non-Christian visitors.

I have had various discussions with different pastors today talking about different aspects of the work of God. Of special focus is our central Princesa Isabel church which is in great need of prayer.

Every Wednesday evening we have a small team which goes to our Pastor Frank Dyer School on the south side of Patos in the borough of Jatobá. They faithfully go there to hold an evangelistic service targeting children and teenagers from the school and their parents. Owing to the violence at night in Patos people are now very reticent to let their children out at night because the drug gangs have decreed a curfew! The shooting of the little 6-year-old girl also makes people jumpy. Please pray for peace in Patos and for God’s blessings on our weekly meetings at our school.

Our brother Etinho from our little church at the picturesque village of Picotes has had a nasty accident tonight whilst loading a cow onto a truck. He has double exposed fractures of his shin bones on one leg (Tibia and Fibula). Please pray for Etinho. 

We are having a good but exhausting weekend. On Friday we travelled to chair a church business meeting at our Princesa Isabel church. We installed a 3-man team of pastors Robério, Nemias and Lindon Carlos to care for the church whilst it is without a fixed pastor. Then on Saturday morning we visited a family there prior to travelling to Juru where I preached at the 40th anniversary service held in the street in front of the church. We got back to Patos and to bed at 1.30 am this morning.

QPR lost again! Oh dear! We lost 2 x 0 away to Leeds and are now back at the bottom of the league.

God told Moses that he was about to bring the last plague upon Egypt which would finally secure the release of the Israelites. So God instructed the people to ask their Egyptian neighbours for gold and silver for their soon coming journey to freedom. Moses then went to Pharoah and told him that at midnight all the Egyptian firstborn would die, including the cattle, and that loud wailing would be heard everywhere. This would have the effect that the Egyptians would be glad to see the back of the Hebrews. However Pharoah stubbornly refused to set the people free. 

8 have been baptized at our Juru church where Esequias (Ezekiel) is the pastor. I will be preaching there this Saturday at the 40th anniversary service. Juru is 115 km south-west of Patos where we live. On the Friday we will be travelling to nearby Princesa Isabel (33 km further west) where I will chair a church business meeting to try and sort out some problems there. Please pray. 

QPR lost at home 4 x 1 to Middlesbrough on Tuesday night! How very sad! 😒We remain in 23rd place in the 24 team Championship. I think I will have to pop over to Loftus Road and play a few games for them! Do let me know if you think this a good idea. 😉

On Sunday night I preached at our Joao Pessoa Boa Esperança church’s 19th anniversary service. In the city of Joao Pessoa we have 4 churches: our central one in the borough of Cidade Universitária (Pastors Umbirajara and Matheus), then one in the borough of Cidade Verde (Pastor José Vieira), the third where we preached in the borough of Boa Esperança (Pastor Manoel and Missionary Alexandra) and our fourth in the borough of Funcionários 3 (Pastor Iremar). It was a good service.

Yesterday we drove back from Joao Pessoa in the afternoon, arriving back in Patos safe and sound at 7:30 pm after a 5 hour journey.

Liz had 2 hours on the beach whilst we were in Joao Pessoa together with Lynn and Amanda and Liz got quite a good suntan. 

The killer of 6-year-old Ayla has been caught by the police together with the other 2 cronies with him in the crime. The 3 have confessed the crimes of killing the little girl and shooting a 17-year-old boy. They say it was a case of mistaken identity as they thought the boy was a member of an opposing drug gang. The boy remains in hospital but is out of intensive care. What a sad story! Please pray for the boy’s recovery and for the comforting of the little girl’s parents.

On Friday night we held an excellent meeting of the 9 person Patos church council. We discussed subjects such as chewing gum (we have an epidemic of deposits in church!), the friends service, the Care Centre, the young at heart, the deaf, and the next carnival camp etc.

Yesterday QPR did well again drawing 0 x 0 at home to top of the table Sunderland, having had the same score line against next to top Burnley the week before. That’s 3 draws on the run now so let’s hope we will start winning soon! 

We are in Joao Pessoa to preach tonight but we have to be very careful with the water here as thieves robbed 450 metres of copper cable from the city’s water distribution centre and cut off the whole city from water!

Next God sent a plague of locusts in all of Egypt because Pharoah continued to resist setting free the Israelites. The locusts devoured what was left of the crops after the hail and they devoured the foliage of the trees. So Pharoah repented of his sin, but soon retracted once the locusts had left. Therefore God sent a plague of darkness over Egypt for 3 days, but the Israelites were not affected. So Pharoah tried to negotiate a partial release of the Israelites, without them taking their livestock, but this was unacceptable to Moses. So Pharoah lost his patience, told Moses to get lost and threatened to kill him if he saw him again. 

Last night I led the mid-week prayer meeting and Bible study and it was a good service. After some initial praise, led by Marina and Rogerio, we had a nice time of prayer together. I put people’s requests up on a flip-chart and then different brothers and sisters led in prayer. After the prayer sister Espedita sang a solo and then Adriana, Dedé, Marcos, Rayla and Espedita read out verses of Scripture. Then came the Bible study with Pastor Rafael concluding the book of Obadiah. 

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Now God sent further plagues to try and force Pharoah to set his people free. First he sent a plague on Egypt’s livestock whilst Israel’s was plague free. This plague caused the death of all Egyptian livestock, yet still Pharoah remained resolutely intransigent. Following this God sent a plague of boils and festering boils broke out on the Egyptians and their animals. God kept calling Pharoah to release his people, but he would not heed. So God sent the biggest hailstorm ever with thunder and lightening and the plantations were ruined. Pharoah was initially relented with this, but once Moses had called off the storm he changed his mind and resisted giving the Israelites their freedom.  

God continued to pressure Pharoah into freeing his people through the sending of 3 further plagues of Frogs, Gnats and Flies, but stubborn Pharoah would not give in. Twice he initially said he would release the Israelites, but he went back on his word each time. The Egyptian magicians even managed to imitate the plague of frogs, but not the gnats or the flies. Despite the repeated infestations of frogs, then gnats and then flies, Pharoah would not be moved and just hardened his heart and would not let the people go.

The Tuesday men’s fellowship meeting was cancelled because one of its participants’ Fabio’s father (Buita) died that morning. His father had been ill for four and a half years so it was a happy release from his suffering.

Yesterday morning I conducted the funeral service of 66-year-old Buita. Sacha and Rogerio did the praise and Liz and Pastor Rafael also spoke. Everything went off smoothly. When the service ended we walked over the road to the committal in the cemetery and as Buita had been an ambulance driver the road was blocked off by ambulances with their sirens sounding and their lights flashing. Then at the entrance to the cemetery there was a guard of honour with lines of men from the ambulance brigade in uniforms. It was very moving. 

I have prepared my sermons for this Sunday in João Pessoa – Boa Esperança (19th anniversary), and for the following Saturday at Juru (40th anniversary). The pastor of the first church is Manoel Oliveira Filho and of the second is Esequias (Ezekiel!) de Oliveira. 

There has been a terrible murder this week in Patos of a beautiful little 6-year-old girl called Aylla. She was shot and killed in cold blood as she played with a 17-year-old boy in front of their house. The boy was also shot and is in hospital in intensive care. What the motive was for the shootings is not yet known, but I have heard that arrests have just been made. 

Sunday night’s service was a ‘Friends Service’ when the church members were encouraged to bring a friend to church. 32 friends came in a wonderful night of evangelism at which our daughter Sacha preached a lovely message entitled: ‘Jesus – the friend for all circumstances.’ One decision was made for Christ at the end of the service.

In the election run-offs Brazil’s largest city São Paulo re-elected their right-wing Mayor Nunes and in the capital of our state, Joao Pessoa, the incumbent Mayor Cícero Lucena was also re-elected. 

In edition #102 of EAB’s InTouch magazine the cover photo I took of an elder sister Ana Sophia caring for her baby sister Ana Cecília is a lovely shot. You will soon receive it in the post, but it’s already available on the EAB website at www.eabrazil.org

I had various online meetings with pastors today discussing a variety of subjects. Your prayers are valued for this constant important aspect of my work.