Categoria: News

Liz and I have picked up fleas on our travels this week. Liz is especially badly bitten and we have both just been to the doctors and are now medicated. The jeep is having a special interior clean out too. Oh well… these things are sent to try us… or itch us!


On Wednesday night we finally had 20 mm of rain at Green Pastures. In Patos more rain fell too with 37.4 mm. We really need a lot more at Green Pastures now so that we can get planting our tree seedlings.


Last night’s “Praise, Prayer & Bible” went very well again. Another well balanced diet of the 3 ingredients. PTL! Especially good in the prayer time was a “hug-prayer” with me praying for and hugging an ex-convict who has come back to God and is trying hard to walk straight with God. He really was broken in the presence of God. The Bible study on the Parable of the Seed (Mark 4:26-29) went well too. 


Now to preparing my sermon for Sunday in Patos. I value your prayers.


The Patos EAB/ACEV School has started the 2015 school year with 182 children enrolled. PTL!

The EAB magazine (long overdue) edition 84 should be at the printers next week and hopefully in the post to one and all later in February.

We have more torrential rain tonight in Patos – even heavier than last night. However we have no word from Green Pastures.


What a fantastic video we have from yesterday at Green Pastures via the infra-red camera. Wow! The date and time are wrong on the video as I changed the batteries and forgot to re-adjust. https://www.flickr.com/photos/johnmedcraft/16253295507/

So Harry has resigned as manager of QPR. He probably made the right decision as it was not working. Let’s see if his replacement can do any better, whoever that will be.

The Met. Office’s official rainfall total in Patos last night was 82.8 mm (3.45 inches). PTL! I am now going out to Green Pastures to see the situation there.

We have had quite a good amount of rain in Patos tonight. PTL! We sure need it. I don’t know if it has rained at Green Pastures but the fact that Tarcísio’s phone isn’t working points in the right direction!


I have sent all the photos today to Dave Flowers in the UK who is producing the next edition of the EAB magazine ‘InTouch’ – so I’m looking forward to proof reading a PDF version soon. Thanks a lot Dave!

Last night in church the folk had prepared this little photo show video about my ministry in commemoration of my birthday. I know it’s in Portuguese, but there are lots of photos which I am sure will give you the gist. It was very sweet of the church. https://onedrive.live.com/?cid=4CFADD9F2E10EDA5&authkey=%21AD-h5xerIsTCDk4

2 Patos church babies have been born overnight! Jordan & Jordanya now have Miguel as a brother to João Pedro – born not long before midnight! Denis & Andréa now have Ayrla as a sister to Ayrton – born early this morning! Andréa was in church last night and we prayed for her! That’s the way I like mothers to be!


We are getting so much positive feedback from last night’s service in Patos. Wonderful! It was a great night in God’s presence.

I am home after a great communion service – church packed out – lots of visitors – some decisions at the end and 5 others asked for baptism at Easter. PTL! Sermon flowed like a river. It was a really encouraging night.


Liz is still not home as she’s trying to sort some medicine out for Arthur who has some sort of itchy allergy problem driving him crazy and no doctor available as far as I know.

I have just received the news that I remain top of the QPR prediction League! No doubt I will be inundated by requests for tips from a variety of Premiership managers and owners with the transfer window closing tomorrow night. These are problems that come with fame I guess! This coming Saturday we face Southampton at home so what should I forecast? I’ll have to give this some careful thought!


I concluded the preparation of my sermon for tonight’s communion service in the Patos church during the morning. I started the preparation on my birthday yesterday. I am ready to roll on the subject of the ‘edification or building up’ of the church as part of my review of our church’s vision.

I am writing this with Liz threatening me to go without lunch if I don’t get to the table right now! Help!


My week has been a mad rush like this with journies to Conceição and the State of Ceará. Exhasting but great. I met up with Pr, Márcio of the new Nova Olinda church whilst there. I had great fellowship with my Baptist pastor friend Fred.


The problem is when I travel that the backlog of work is gigantic – but I have to get away sometimes!


The newly expanded Green Pastures Nature Reserve was measured by GPS this morning. Wonderful! The bird singing this morning was gloriously deafening!


Last night’s service in the Patos church was wonderful. I am now off with Liz to an Action Child leadership meeting. I value your prayers at all times.

Philip is safely in India – hopefully asleep now as they are five and a half hours ahead of GMT. Sacha continues in Recife going into the final week of her course. Deborah is in João Pessoa with her sons and we are in Patos. Louisa is just off to the band practice as the service starts in two and a half hours time. 

I will be leading the service this evening, dedicating a baby and preaching on our church’s vision concerning being a worshipping church.


I have just realized that with Clayton away in João Pessoa (who normally does the visual aids stuff for the service – songs etc. for the big screen) and Philip in Mumbai who can also do it as a back up – we have nobody to do this. Help! Clayton has put it all together and will send it to me via email. Now trying to find someone to install it all in the church computer.


Just received news from someone who is going to send some financial help for the Carnival Camp. Many thanks indeed!

Yesterday involved a very long tiring journey to Camalaú to inaugurate yet another well, but it was well worth the effort. Social worker Marah Danielle went with me in the jeep to give a talk to the ladies on health issues and Marcia Alencar also went with me to work with the children. We always start these events with health talks to separate groups of men, women and children. Then everyone comes together for my talk on the environment prior to the actual thanksgiving service at which the Gospel is preached. It always ends with my prayer of consecration of the well. The events are always joyful as was the event yesterday.


I am very tired today and need to prepare my sermon for tomorrow. I value your prayers. On the journey I had a lovely chance to chat to those that went with me. It was great to talk to Marah and Márcia and to get to know and understand them better.

Philip is now on his long flight to India. Please remember him in your prayers. Please pray for Sacha too still in Recife, going into the last week of her Cambridge teacher training course. She is doing very well, but it is a long haul!

We have changed our weekly services sequence this year in Patos with house groups on Tuesdays and Praise, Prayer & Preaching on Thursdays. Many more are coming to the latter than was the case with the set up last year. I am really pleased with how things are going.


Tonight’s service was really good despite Philip (gone to India) and Sacha (still on a teacher training course in Recife) as they make a big difference in the praise and worship. Tonight’s service was packed with a fast flowing programme of praise, prayer and preaching + some testimonies thrown in from the youth that went to the 10-day Outreach.


Last night’s leadership meeting of the Patos church was excellent. Positive decisions and much unity.


I went to Green Pastures this morning and the second fence of the three being constructed for the nature reserve expansion is now done. This is good as the expansion will be done and ready for the carnival camp. The team preparing the buildings for the camp is doing well too.


Anyone able and willing to help subsidise the carnival camp will be most welcome. We need help to be able to help poorer people go to the camp by giving them reductions as many can’t afford the £25 for the whole camp.Please send designated donations to the EAB treasurer. Thank you and God bless you.

With less than 4 weeks to go to the kick-off of the 2015 EAB/ACEV Carnival Camp at Green Pastures (the first was in 1979) the team started all the cleaning and painting work in preparation for February 14th. Liz, Philip and I also have worked on the spiritual programme, speakers, subjects etc. It is yet another big task which we have over the coming weeks. The preparation won’t be made easier with Philip having to spend next week back in India, but at least he’ll be back in good time for the camp which runs from February 14th – 18th. Of course Philip has all the band practices to fit in and he will be leading the camp – so do pray for him a lot over the next month please.


I have managed, at long last, to send off the first draft of the next edition of the EAB magazine InTouch to the UK Board. It is a relief to have got this ball rolling at last!


Tomorrow evening we have a meeting of the Patos church leadership team and value your prayers for this too.


I went for a good walk at Green Pastures this morning to check things over and relax at the same time.

Last night’s trip to preach at Soledade went well. I took 3 of the Patos youth with me. The service was great and the sermon went well. Always so lovely to see a big group of vibrant Christian youth. The team was 70 strong this year and they saw about 20 make decisions for Christ during the event. PTL!


I got back late – slept in a bit later this morning – then went to teach a class at the Patos church Sunday school. I had lunch at Deborah’s after dropping two sacks of cactus plants at Green Pastures to be planted at the Cactus Rockery I am developing. I then led the service in Patos and preached. Full house and the sermon flowed really well. PTL!

Tomorrow the Jeep goes in for a service. My Jeep is for me the best thing invented since HP Sauce! Liz is returning from Recife tomorrow together with Alice and Bia. Philip & Gyl finally moved house yesterday.


QPR lost as I predicted yesterday so I think my lead at the top of the QPR prediction league will be slightly increased! We now have 2 weeks to get ready to play away at Stoke. A draw would be wonderful! West Ham have dumped this player (Zarate) on us and he is so unfit he can’t play. ‘Arry is losing the plot falling for old bubble blowing tricks!

Our main mid-week meeting is on Thursdays with praise, prayer and preaching of the Word (Bible study) – so I’ve prepared for this today and am ready to go!


Prior to this we will have a little family tea for Bia who is 5 today – bless her heart. It’s a pity that her Mum’s away in Recife at an advanced English Language Cambridge teacher training course, but Bia is no trouble and takes it all in her stride.


News from the 10-day Outreach continues good. I’ll be preaching there on Saturday. Tomorrow I go to Manaíra to sort out a few project issues there. I value your prayers for all this.

I have made my prediction for the QPR prediction league for Saturday’s match at home against Man. Utd.  I have forecast a defeat for us 3 x 2. Of course I hope we win but consider even a draw unlikely.

The very kind lady dentist (sorry I don’t know her name) has delivered Gymara’s mobile phone to our house in one piece and functioning! Thank you doctor!


Lessons learned: mobile phones do not travel well on car roofs and dentists are not only good at drilling teeth!

Here is the latest hot news on Gylmara’s mobile! A dentist travelling in her car behind Gylmara saw her phone fall off the roof of the car and stopped to pick it up. She then charged after Gylmara sounding her horn… but Gylmara just put her foot down all the harder and the dentist lost sight of her in the traffic. This news has come back to us via the policeman!


Watch this space! We now have a lady dentist with Gylmara’s phone looking for Gylmara and we don’t know if her phone will work anymore after the crash to the ground as the phone doesn’t answer or give any sign of life when we call it!

Gylmara (Philip’s wife) overslept and goes charging off to her new house, where they are in the process of moving to, because some workers were waiting outside to get in to finish off some bits and pieces in the house! In the panic to get in the car she put her mobile phone on the roof of the car and drove off! A policeman saw this and called out to her but she didn’t hear and put her foot down all the more!


The policeman has now come to our house to report the incident! Watch this space!


This blog passed the 134,000 visits mark yesterday. Many thanks!

All preachers know that sometimes it’s so hard getting going on a sermon and then other times they just flow like a river! Well today has been a river day! PTL! Today I have the consolidated bases of both my sermons for Saturday and Sunday. I am rejoicing and keen to get preaching them! That’s always a good sign! Not that all is done… still more prayer, thought and adjustments to make… but both messages are well on their way. Thank you for praying for me someone somewhere. I feel it as I was a bit low and discouraged with one or two matters in the work earlier in the day, but the Lord has lifted me up higher! PTL!

Please pray for EAB income too as we are in an extremely tight situation… very tough at the moment. Please pray harder if you’re already praying!


Thanks to Linda Matthews and my sister Jean who spread the word about the EAB English Language page today properly and to their friends. May many more follow suit!

We have now passed the 600 ‘likes’ on the EAB facebook page https://www.facebook.com/eabrazil . This is a very important modern means of communication for EAB as it is worldwide. We now have people following EAB news in this way in the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand as well as the UK, Switzerland etc. previously linked to EAB. This obviously doesn’t mean they are EAB supporters, but they can’t become supporters if they have never heard of us!


So again I come to ask you to please spread the word about EAB’s English language only facebook page as it costs you nothing other than a couple of clicks of your time!


So what you need to do to help is go to the EAB facebook page – click on the 3 dots to the
right of the word ‘message’ (top right of the page) – then click on ‘share’ – then write a few of your own words – then click on ‘share page’. Thanks a lot!

Just as a way of suggestion let me tell you what one EAB supporter wrote to her friends when she shared the EAB page in this way: “This is an amazing organisation doing fantastic work amongst the poorest
people in NE Brazil. Please take a few moments to read more about what
they do and encourage them by “liking” their page. Thank you”.

The trip to Passagem to conduct a communion service, dedicate two children and preach the Gospel tonight will be the first time we have done it on an asfalt road. Only the second child I dedicated over 40 years ago was at Passagem and up till now it has always been an awfully bumpy dusty track to get there. Then 4 years ago we elected a decent State Governor who has administered public funds with honesty and efficiency and here we are driving right left and centre on tarmacked roads as a result. PTL!


Philip has gone to Soledade with the Patos church band for the big opening service in the town square tonight of the 10-day special evangelistic Outreach.


The Christians in Action group from Patos are in Ipueira in Rio Grande do Norte State at the church plant there tonight as well.


In the Patos church the deaf fellowship will be holding its main weekly meeting too – so all in all you can see how the EAB/ACEV Patos church is still a real missionary church to this day. PTL! 77 years on and we’re still marching for Jesus!

EAB’s facebook English language page has now passed the 550 “likes” point! It just shows what can be done! Please spread the word folks! This is a brilliant worldwide means of communication. Visit us at https://www.facebook.com/eabrazil

Thanks to my sister Jean for the 2015 diary which arrived yesterday! Thanks to Joyce & Alex Sims, Mrs. Yoakley and David Shearing for Christmas cards which have also arrived.


My youngest daughter Sacha continues her one month Cambridge Teacher Training Course in Recife and has received news that she passed in the highest level (CPE – Proficiency) Cambridge language exam so well done Sacha all round! Well done to our eldest grandson Felipe who not only surprised everyone by getting into the Modern Languages Course at University in first place but has now received news that he has passed the FCE Cambridge Language exam which is the third in five levels. He obtained a very good mark – so well done to Felipe too.


The 10-day Outreach starts today at Soledade. Those going from the Patos church have already left. Please remember them all in your prayers that many will be won for Christ in this outreach. 


I have a meeting with a non-EAB/ACEV pastor who has asked to speak to me this afternoon who is travelling a long distance to come for this. I understand that he likes our approach to integral mission and is interested in joining the cause. Please pray for God’s guidance on this and possible subsequent meetings on this matter.


I will be preaching, conducting communion and dedicating two children and the small town/village of Passagem tomorrow. Please pray.

We follow the news on the awful violence in France with much concern as this is exactly what I have referred to with concern in the past on this blog. A mutually tolerant pluralistic society is fine as long as everyone plays by the rules but there are those who openly declare they won’t play by the rules and infact want to impose their own laws. May God help us as this is a difficult nut to crack! Nut being a wholly appropriate word!

Tonight’s mid-week service in the Patos church was a wow service! Really blessed, relaxed, flowed – good content and numbers up. The P&W was superb, the prayer time was equally good and the Bible study hit home strong. PTL! Real good! Thank you Jesus for such an encouragment. 


With the adjusted weekly schedule, as from January 1st, it has freed up the Tuesday evenings for house groups and the likes. This meant that dear Sandra (Down’s syndrome) was given communion at her home as she is unable to come to church these days. It went beautifully.


Tomorrow is launch day for the 10-day outreach at Soledade. Please pray for much fruit!

EAB’s Action Child programme, in partnership with our Brazilian brethren of ACEV, has today finally launched the new policy adjustments to the excellent work this programme does so as to improve and refine the work with children yet further. We will eventually tell all in the UK about the adjustments to the programme, but ask you to, in the meantime, pray for this and be patient as we put all the pieces in place spread over a vast region with busy workers who have so many other things to do as well as this. We only want to explain the changes overseas to sponsors and EAB supporters in general when we are certain that the new policies are fully functional in Brazil. This takes longer than we would like sometimes, but with God’s help we will get there.


I am pleased to announce that EAB’s English language facebook page has now passed the 500 “likes” point. For the uninitiated let me explain that this means that over 500 people have now expressed at least interest and some sort of appreciation for EAB’s work and ethos, and our news will appear on their “pages feed” on facebook from time to time for them to check out if they want to. It is an excellent way of keeping people informed about the work of the Mission and spreading the word to people who have perhaps previously never heard of EAB.


I just wish that more EAB supporters would spread the word about EAB to their friends on facebook. This would mean we would spread the word to many more. I have asked so many times for this help, it doesn’t cost whoever does it a penny, but few have done it. So hear I go again making this appeal for help PLEASE!

Once again QPR were slaughtered at the weekend in the FA Cup beaten 3 x 0 at home to a team 2 divisions below them! I think it’s 13 years since QPR managed to win a game in the FA Cup! Every time the excuse given is that we’re concentrating on the league! Oh well… let’s hope so! 

I actually couldn’t care less about the FA Cup as our team can hardly keep its head above relegation waters in the Premiership so I guess the team felt the same and were not motivated to get stuck in in the FA Cup. Now we’re away to Burnley in the Premiership where the most we can dream of must be a draw!

EAB is steadily increasing its number of readers/followers on its exclusively English language facebook page which has regular news snippets, photos and explanations of EAB’s vision. Please help us spread the word about this important communications tool by first of all visiting our page https://www.facebook.com/eabrazil and clicking on the word “like”. 


Once you have done this please share the news of EAB’s English language facebook page amongst your friends and contacts on facebook by clicking on “share” near top right on the page and writing a word or two of recommendation like “I recommend” or “this is worth a look at” or the likes, so that your friends understand we are not a load of unknown nutters! (I hope!)


EAB celebrates 77 years of integral mission in the poor and semi-arid north-east of Brazil this year. We believe in saying and doing the Gospel for the glory of God! Please spread the word and thanks for your prayers and support as we start another year of service by God’s grace.

I have completed today the preparation of my sermon for this Sunday’s celebration service in Patos. The subject will be: “The Church’s Mission for 2015 and always”. The month of January is the big holiday month here (like August in the UK) so many go away whilst others turn up in Patos visiting family and friends – so you never know how full the church will be. 


Being holiday month it’s that time again when some give up 10 days of their holiday for the 10-day Outreach with a team usually around 60 strong. This year the Outreach will be at Soledade from January 9th to 19th so please note this down to include in your prayers.


Sacha goes off tomorrow for a month’s teacher training course in Recife linked to the English Language School – so please pray for her too as it is a very intense course linked to Cambridge. Her daughters will stay with us.


Yesterday we received just 3mm of rain at Green Pastures which is very little, but better than nothing. It’s a start to what we hope will be a good rainy season in this first half of the year.

Tomorrow we will be distributing the Christmas, which have become New Year, Hampers to the poor in Patos. Things were put back from the usual around Christmas Eve distribution to the around New Year’s Eve distribution owing to all the work we had finalizing the work refurbishing the church and re-opening it. One can’t do everything, and even less so all at once! Nobody is worried here about it anyway as long as they get their hampers!


Last night’s service went very well. PTL! The deaf had a special worship slot which was lovely and Pastor Angelo from our Soledade church preached well.

Two men were murdered in Patos last night – exactly in 2 of the 3 boroughs where our new project against drugs and domestic violence is starting. These are the boroughs of Placas and Rua do Meio. The police suspect teenagers as the murderers. May the Lord help us!


News on our church leader Tica at Curral Velho is that she has been released from hospital with a broken arm in plaster. She is all bashed, bruised and sore but we praise God that she is alive! Thanks for praying. Please don’t stop.

I hear that the youth, led by Philip & Gylmara, had a great day of fun and fellowship at Green Pastures yesterday. They got back very late to Patos so it must have been good! I await details.


Sabrina, Liz’s sister Esther’s daughter, gave birth last night to a little boy weighing 3.855 kg and named Lorenzo. Both Mum and baby are fine. Congratulations to Sabrina and Daniel!


I prepared my sermon yesterday for the watchnight service on Wednesday.


Now we have Sunday School here in Patos at 9.30am and the big weekly celebration with praise and the ministry of the Word of God at 6.30pm back in our own church of course! Thank you Lord. We no longer have any noise from the busy streets outside with the new acoustic church. Really wonderful!


‘Christians in Action’ went to Ipueira in Rio Grande do Norte State last night for another church plant service where we already have 5 Christians. PTL! This is wonderful in a very tough pioneer place. Maybe some of the folk from there will be coming to the celebration in Patos tonight which would be nice.


The deaf brothers and sisters will be taking part in the service tonight in Patos. They were supposed to a week ago, then it was put off to Christmas Eve, but they finally assure me that tonight is the night! Oh Lord! We just take it as it comes! Watch this space!

Sacha left hospital about 10pm yesterday having spent 24 hours on a drip. She is on the mend. The girls stayed with us again last night. I woke very early (3.40am) and couldn’t get back to sleep. I watched the 5am news on BBC World.


I am now preparing the service for tomorrow in Patos. Pastor Angelo from Soledade will be coming to preach. The youth will be spending the day at Green Pastures today.


I must now prepare my sermon for the watchnight service as well, when we will have communion and baptize some.

As I say every year, Boxing Day is a normal working day in Brazil. We woke up this morning after a complicated night as Sacha was taken into hospital about 9pm with some sort of gastritis which got steadily worse and infected and so she is on a drip and on the mend today. This meant that we had her daughters with us for the night.


Liz woke up this morning, not having slept much, and feeling a bit lost as she didn’t have to rush to the church to sort the workers out! I went off early to Green Pastures for a good walk.


This afternoon I watched QPR lose to Arsenal 2 x 1. I predicted a 3 x 1 loss with 1 x 0 to Arsenal at half-time (correct) and that Austin would score for us (correct) – so I reckon this should keep me in pole position in the QPR prediction league. On Sunday we play Crystal Palace at home which we must win.