Categoria: News

 I had a good 3 mile walk at Green Pastures this morning which was refreshing but very hot. One has to be ending a walk before 9 am owing to the increasing heat at this time of year rising daily to 38 degrees. It’s very hot and very dry.

There were 12 in the Monday night “knees to the ground” prayer meeting with 10 in-person and 2 online. Tonight is the Men’s Fellowship night and the women’s night will be tomorrow. 

Your prayers are valued for Liz’s arthritic knees. Her left knee is particularly swollen and painful and she will be going to the doctor’s tomorrow to remove the fluid and apply medication.

 Last night’s service in Patos was good as was the service up in the mountains at Teixeira. The local pastor Maesio sent me photos from there which I have posted on the EAB Facebook page. It seems odd everyone yards apart and wearing masks but this is the new normal.

It wasn’t long after my chat with the Teixeira pastor that I learnt of a forest fire in that region. The fire fighters are on the job but it is quite a challenge in difficult terrain. At this time of year we have seen no rain for months so fire outbreaks easily occur, sometimes deliberately. Please pray for this situation. The fire is on the northwest side of the Jabre Peak.  

 Last night’s service in Patos was good as was the service up in the mountains at Teixeira. The local pastor Maesio sent me photos from there which I have posted on the EAB Facebook page. It seems odd everyone yards apart and wearing masks but this is the new normal.

It wasn’t long after my chat with the Teixeira pastor that I learnt of a forest fire in that region. The fire fighters are on the job but it is quite a challenge in difficult terrain. At this time of year we have seen no rain for months so fire outbreaks easily occur, sometimes deliberately. Please pray for this situation. The fire is on the northwest side of the Jabre Peak.  

 Last night’s service in Patos was good as was the service up in the mountains at Teixeira. The local pastor Maesio sent me photos from there which I have posted on the EAB Facebook page. It seems odd everyone yards apart and wearing masks but this is the new normal.

It wasn’t long after my chat with the Teixeira pastor that I learnt of a forest fire in that region. The fire fighters are on the job but it is quite a challenge in difficult terrain. At this time of year we have seen no rain for months so fire outbreaks easily occur, sometimes deliberately. Please pray for this situation. The fire is on the northwest side of the Jabre Peak.  

Liz and I enjoyed our Sunday morning today when we joined our Children’s Ministry Team distributing sweets and lollipops to children from our Patos church in commemoration of Children’s Day which was on Monday. The shady side of the church was beautifully decorated by balloons and all the families needed to do was call by the church to receive their bags of sweets! It was a simple way to show God’s love and care for our children. The team called the morning – Drive Thru Kids! There were many smiles behind the masks. The whole event only cost us 50 pounds and everything was done safely as the pandemic demands. 

Now it’s time to get ready for the main evening service which again will be in-person and online. We value your prayers and support always for every aspect of the work here. These are difficult frustrating days but we are doing all we can to cope with the challenges and overcome the difficulties. Please DO pray for us as we DO pray for you. Not a day goes by without we pray for all our supporters and partners in mission for the glory of God. 

 We often use that expression – how the other half lives – when we are surprised by the desperate needs of others. A case came to light recently which exemplifies this. Tatiana is a 12 year old adolescent at the Fonseca ex-slave community who takes part in our Desert Flower Project which seeks to help women help themselves. For example, the women learn how to make bread and to bake cakes which they can sell. Tatiana never misses our project’s meetings or lessons but on one particular day recently she didn’t turn up. Our social worker enquired as to if she was unwell but discovered that Tatiana had missed our session because the one blouse which she has which is not torn or has holes in was in the wash!

The sad plight of Tatiana is not limited to her alone of course but this story made us want to do something to help her and many others like her. So we have a campaign going around EAB/ACEV churches and our people are giving used but decent clothes for distribution by our project team to the very poor and needy. As October 12th was Children’s Day we are concentrating on second hand but good clothes for children and we are encouraged by the results. Many people have dug out excellent clothes their children grew out of and during this month our team will distribute them at Fonseca Community. 

As Jesus said in Matthew 25:36 – “I needed clothes and you clothed me”. All we do we do for Jesus. Thank you for all your prayers and support.  

 We often use that expression – how the other half lives – when we are surprised by the desperate needs of others. A case came to light recently which exemplifies this. Tatiana is a 12 year old adolescent at the Fonseca ex-slave community who takes part in our Desert Flower Project which seeks to help women help themselves. For example, the women learn how to make bread and to bake cakes which they can sell. Tatiana never misses our project’s meetings or lessons but on one particular day recently she didn’t turn up. Our social worker enquired as to if she was unwell but discovered that Tatiana had missed our session because the one blouse which she has which is not torn or has holes in was in the wash!

The sad plight of Tatiana is not limited to her alone of course but this story made us want to do something to help her and many others like her. So we have a campaign going around EAB/ACEV churches and our people are giving used but decent clothes for distribution by our project team to the very poor and needy. As October 12th was Children’s Day we are concentrating on second hand but good clothes for children and we are encouraged by the results. Many people have dug out excellent clothes their children grew out of and during this month our team will distribute them at Fonseca Community. 

As Jesus said in Matthew 25:36 – “I needed clothes and you clothed me”. All we do we do for Jesus. Thank you for all your prayers and support.  

 Last night Liz and I held a very good meeting in our back garden, with our assistant pastor Rafael, to discuss different topics relevant to the progress of the church. We also invited pastor Lucena (ex-Congregational) who I used to work with at the Patos Bible College and who now is with us in the Patos church. The main topic was how we will now run the São Mamede church after the ex-leader left. We decided to run regular Saturday night services there. We also discussed some problem individuals in the Patos church whom I can’t name here and we agreed ways to deal with them. We value your prayers for both these matters.

 Last night Liz and I held a very good meeting in our back garden, with our assistant pastor Rafael, to discuss different topics relevant to the progress of the church. We also invited pastor Lucena (ex-Congregational) who I used to work with at the Patos Bible College and who now is with us in the Patos church. The main topic was how we will now run the São Mamede church after the ex-leader left. We decided to run regular Saturday night services there. We also discussed some problem individuals in the Patos church whom I can’t name here and we agreed ways to deal with them. We value your prayers for both these matters.

 This Sunday’s service went off very well and today, October 12th, is a bank holiday for the patron saint of Brazil – Our Lady of Aparecida. Today is also Children’s Day. Later in the week we will be holding a special ‘drive through’ sweets distribution for the children in commemoration of their day. Cars and motor bikes will be able to pull over by the church for the children to receive their sweets and lollipops. I thought it was a pretty good creative idea which the kids will love!

 This Sunday’s service went off very well and today, October 12th, is a bank holiday for the patron saint of Brazil – Our Lady of Aparecida. Today is also Children’s Day. Later in the week we will be holding a special ‘drive through’ sweets distribution for the children in commemoration of their day. Cars and motor bikes will be able to pull over by the church for the children to receive their sweets and lollipops. I thought it was a pretty good creative idea which the kids will love!

 We have just held an excellent online leaders meeting, which I chaired, to discuss our wide range of projects. There were about 40 leaders from all over the State of Paraíba in northeast Brazil taking part in a lovely spirit. We would normally hold this meeting at Green Pastures but the pandemic made this impossible. We chose the projects leadership team for the next 2 years and heard reports on our projects. We look to the Lord for His blessing as we press on with our projects in these difficult times. We value your prayers always. 

 We have just held an excellent online leaders meeting, which I chaired, to discuss our wide range of projects. There were about 40 leaders from all over the State of Paraíba in northeast Brazil taking part in a lovely spirit. We would normally hold this meeting at Green Pastures but the pandemic made this impossible. We chose the projects leadership team for the next 2 years and heard reports on our projects. We look to the Lord for His blessing as we press on with our projects in these difficult times. We value your prayers always. 

 We badly wanted to visit Maria José following the death of her 90 year old mother. However the quarantine restrictions made it impossible until we had the idea of a drive-through visit! Liz and I drove to her little house and Maria stood in front of it whilst we spoke to her from inside our jeep with the windows open. It worked very well and she was very grateful. We were all in masks and far apart but able to talk to Maria and pray with her. Where there’s a will there’s a way!

We took part in the Bible Study last night which was another hybrid in-person and online edition. All went well with a total of about 40 taking part with 21 in-person. 

Pastor Maésio leads the EAB/ACEV church up the mountains at Teixeira and we had a good chat today. He is positive and encouraged by the services going quite well there despite of the pandemic. The sister who leads the São Vicente do Seridó church tells me she is feeling better after a severe period of anxiety. Please continue to pray for Nenem as she is called. 

 We badly wanted to visit Maria José following the death of her 90 year old mother. However the quarantine restrictions made it impossible until we had the idea of a drive-through visit! Liz and I drove to her little house and Maria stood in front of it whilst we spoke to her from inside our jeep with the windows open. It worked very well and she was very grateful. We were all in masks and far apart but able to talk to Maria and pray with her. Where there’s a will there’s a way!

We took part in the Bible Study last night which was another hybrid in-person and online edition. All went well with a total of about 40 taking part with 21 in-person. 

Pastor Maésio leads the EAB/ACEV church up the mountains at Teixeira and we had a good chat today. He is positive and encouraged by the services going quite well there despite of the pandemic. The sister who leads the São Vicente do Seridó church tells me she is feeling better after a severe period of anxiety. Please continue to pray for Nenem as she is called. 

 I have just had a good talk with Betinho who leads both the Ibiara & Conceição EAB/ACEV churches which are fifteen minutes apart. Both churches are holding services again with people wearing masks and observing social distancing. Betinho asks for prayer for a couple to take on the leadership of the Conceição Church as he finds it difficult to cope with both. Betinho lives at Ibiara and that was his lone responsibility, but he had to take on Conceição too when their pastor moved away. 

Please pray too for the Caroá church where we dug our first well many years ago. The issue at Caroá is that their pastor Valdemy is standing for election as a town councillor. The election will be held on November 15th. Valdemy was elected in 2012 but not in 2016. A mandate here is 4 years. Now he is trying again. I am not opposed to Valdemy being a councillor as long as he can conciliate politics and the church. He has done many things to benefit Caroá and neighboring communities which is important and good. However we don’t want to see him growing cold spiritually and there has to be the balance. Valdemy is a lovely brother and we want him to stay that way. It is excellent how he has served and is serving his region. This brings glory to God as long as it’s done with honesty and balance. My experience just makes me feel cautious and wary. May God richly bless Pastor Valdemy and the Caroá church. 

 I have just had a good talk with Betinho who leads both the Ibiara & Conceição EAB/ACEV churches which are fifteen minutes apart. Both churches are holding services again with people wearing masks and observing social distancing. Betinho asks for prayer for a couple to take on the leadership of the Conceição Church as he finds it difficult to cope with both. Betinho lives at Ibiara and that was his lone responsibility, but he had to take on Conceição too when their pastor moved away. 

Please pray too for the Caroá church where we dug our first well many years ago. The issue at Caroá is that their pastor Valdemy is standing for election as a town councillor. The election will be held on November 15th. Valdemy was elected in 2012 but not in 2016. A mandate here is 4 years. Now he is trying again. I am not opposed to Valdemy being a councillor as long as he can conciliate politics and the church. He has done many things to benefit Caroá and neighboring communities which is important and good. However we don’t want to see him growing cold spiritually and there has to be the balance. Valdemy is a lovely brother and we want him to stay that way. It is excellent how he has served and is serving his region. This brings glory to God as long as it’s done with honesty and balance. My experience just makes me feel cautious and wary. May God richly bless Pastor Valdemy and the Caroá church. 

 A lot of my daily work is taken up with the oversight and coordination in conjunction with all our leaders. In recent days I have had discussions with members of our senior leadership team involving a wide range of matters. Pastor Wostenes, who is my vice-chairman, is excellent. He pastors the first EAB/ACEV church at Campina Grande. He and his wife Gleydice are Liz and I’s closest colleagues and friends. 

I have had discussion on money matters with our ACEV treasurer pastor Hamilton and with the projects treasurer Eduardo. I am in constant contact with Pastor Lindon Carlos at Imaculada who is our projects team leader. I often need to chat things over with his assistant leader and social worker Marah Danielle too. We are now about to drill a further well at Macambira Community in Princesa Isabel County and we are praying of course that we will hit water. Drilling 150 feet underground is always a challenge as you never know for sure if you will hit a vein of water. The location is defined by an expert but that doesn’t make the endeavor a certainty by any means.

I am constantly in contact with Gerlânia who is our head-teacher at our Action School here in Patos. This the Pastor Frank Dyer School has once again just received top prize as the best school in its category in Patos. Gerlânia is a very capable and dedicated administrator who helps oversee all our Action Child Schools as well.

I am also busy working with my new assistant pastor Rafael in Patos who is doing very well, not forgetting in Patos our men’s fellowship leader Esau. Esau is a lovely brother and a Major in the Patos Military Police.

Finally I must also mention my discussions with pastors Umbirajara and Manoel Oliveira Filho in João Pessoa. Despite the fact that they are 200 miles from me on the coast, modern technology allows us to share rich fellowship in Christ on a regular basis.

 A lot of my daily work is taken up with the oversight and coordination in conjunction with all our leaders. In recent days I have had discussions with members of our senior leadership team involving a wide range of matters. Pastor Wostenes, who is my vice-chairman, is excellent. He pastors the first EAB/ACEV church at Campina Grande. He and his wife Gleydice are Liz and I’s closest colleagues and friends. 

I have had discussion on money matters with our ACEV treasurer pastor Hamilton and with the projects treasurer Eduardo. I am in constant contact with Pastor Lindon Carlos at Imaculada who is our projects team leader. I often need to chat things over with his assistant leader and social worker Marah Danielle too. We are now about to drill a further well at Macambira Community in Princesa Isabel County and we are praying of course that we will hit water. Drilling 150 feet underground is always a challenge as you never know for sure if you will hit a vein of water. The location is defined by an expert but that doesn’t make the endeavor a certainty by any means.

I am constantly in contact with Gerlânia who is our head-teacher at our Action School here in Patos. This the Pastor Frank Dyer School has once again just received top prize as the best school in its category in Patos. Gerlânia is a very capable and dedicated administrator who helps oversee all our Action Child Schools as well.

I am also busy working with my new assistant pastor Rafael in Patos who is doing very well, not forgetting in Patos our men’s fellowship leader Esau. Esau is a lovely brother and a Major in the Patos Military Police.

Finally I must also mention my discussions with pastors Umbirajara and Manoel Oliveira Filho in João Pessoa. Despite the fact that they are 200 miles from me on the coast, modern technology allows us to share rich fellowship in Christ on a regular basis.

 A lot of my daily work is taken up with the oversight and coordination in conjunction with all our leaders. In recent days I have had discussions with members of our senior leadership team involving a wide range of matters. Pastor Wostenes, who is my vice-chairman, is excellent. He pastors the first EAB/ACEV church at Campina Grande. He and his wife Gleydice are Liz and I’s closest colleagues and friends. 

I have had discussion on money matters with our ACEV treasurer pastor Hamilton and with the projects treasurer Eduardo. I am in constant contact with Pastor Lindon Carlos at Imaculada who is our projects team leader. I often need to chat things over with his assistant leader and social worker Marah Danielle too. We are now about to drill a further well at Macambira Community in Princesa Isabel County and we are praying of course that we will hit water. Drilling 150 feet underground is always a challenge as you never know for sure if you will hit a vein of water. The location is defined by an expert but that doesn’t make the endeavor a certainty by any means.

I am constantly in contact with Gerlânia who is our head-teacher at our Action School here in Patos. This the Pastor Frank Dyer School has once again just received top prize as the best school in its category in Patos. Gerlânia is a very capable and dedicated administrator who helps oversee all our Action Child Schools as well.

I am also busy working with my new assistant pastor Rafael in Patos who is doing very well, not forgetting in Patos our men’s fellowship leader Esau. Esau is a lovely brother and a Major in the Patos Military Police.

Finally I must also mention my discussions with pastors Umbirajara and Manoel Oliveira Filho in João Pessoa. Despite the fact that they are 200 miles from me on the coast, modern technology allows us to share rich fellowship in Christ on a regular basis.

 The ex-landless community at NS Aparecida II was happy to receive the visit last night of the Patos Men’s Fellowship. The community is a few miles north of Green Pastures. The men conducted an open-air service there in front of Brother Paulo’s house and his wife Dora who are proud participants of our market gardens project which is being a great blessing in their lives. The couple both made commitments to Christ some time back as an indirect result of the well and market garden project. They also are beneficiaries of the 4 Legs Goat Project. Please pray for this couple and community that many more there will come to the Lord.

 The ex-landless community at NS Aparecida II was happy to receive the visit last night of the Patos Men’s Fellowship. The community is a few miles north of Green Pastures. The men conducted an open-air service there in front of Brother Paulo’s house and his wife Dora who are proud participants of our market gardens project which is being a great blessing in their lives. The couple both made commitments to Christ some time back as an indirect result of the well and market garden project. They also are beneficiaries of the 4 Legs Goat Project. Please pray for this couple and community that many more there will come to the Lord.

 Our first in person service in months was held yesterday and it was a real blessing. Our new young assistant pastor led and preached and he did very well. He admitted to me that he was a bit tense but that it is only natural. The service was broadcast live as well for all who couldn’t be there. Please pray for Rafael – our new assistant pastor.

Please pray for Liz’s very painful arthritic knees. Also pray for EAB finances which are very low. Please pray for this Saturday’s meeting online of all our church leaders. We will be discussing all our projects and how we are coping in the pandemic. We will also be choosing the projects leadership team for the next 2 years. 

We need a new caretaker worker for Green Pastures so please pray for this and for a service to be held near there tomorrow night. Please pray for a serious electricity supply problem at the Patos church.   

 Our first in person service in months was held yesterday and it was a real blessing. Our new young assistant pastor led and preached and he did very well. He admitted to me that he was a bit tense but that it is only natural. The service was broadcast live as well for all who couldn’t be there. Please pray for Rafael – our new assistant pastor.

Please pray for Liz’s very painful arthritic knees. Also pray for EAB finances which are very low. Please pray for this Saturday’s meeting online of all our church leaders. We will be discussing all our projects and how we are coping in the pandemic. We will also be choosing the projects leadership team for the next 2 years. 

We need a new caretaker worker for Green Pastures so please pray for this and for a service to be held near there tomorrow night. Please pray for a serious electricity supply problem at the Patos church.   

 Thursday night’s Bible Study went well. We managed to cover the whole of Acts chapter 15 which was good. The praise at the beginning was led by Tiago as Philip and family are now in the UK. Philip and Louisa took part in the service from Basingstoke. The pastor and an elder from one of our João Pessoa churches also took part from there so the Bible study was far reaching!

We have been busy organizing this Sunday night’s service as it will be our first in person service in months. It will also be broadcast live for those who can’t be there. Seating has been arranged according to the rules keeping everyone 1.5 meters apart. Everyone must wear masks. People over 60 are recommended to stay home and take part online. We expect to have about 60 people present as of course the distancing rules reduces our capacity a lot. We value your prayers for our services under very challenging circumstances. 

Our team has been to Barra de Oitis this week working with the community, especially with the participants of the market gardens project. We did a distribution of seeds and our agricultural specialist was there to further teach and train the people and to answer all their questions. A new garden/allotment was also set up this week. It is so good to see the success of this project which restores poor people’s dignity as they have the joy of producing fruit and vegetables which enhances their income. People are also more open to the Gospel as they see and feel God’s love for them in such practical ways.

I walked another nearly 3 miles yesterday at Green Pastures. I try to do this three times a week like I did this week and last.

 Thursday night’s Bible Study went well. We managed to cover the whole of Acts chapter 15 which was good. The praise at the beginning was led by Tiago as Philip and family are now in the UK. Philip and Louisa took part in the service from Basingstoke. The pastor and an elder from one of our João Pessoa churches also took part from there so the Bible study was far reaching!

We have been busy organizing this Sunday night’s service as it will be our first in person service in months. It will also be broadcast live for those who can’t be there. Seating has been arranged according to the rules keeping everyone 1.5 meters apart. Everyone must wear masks. People over 60 are recommended to stay home and take part online. We expect to have about 60 people present as of course the distancing rules reduces our capacity a lot. We value your prayers for our services under very challenging circumstances. 

Our team has been to Barra de Oitis this week working with the community, especially with the participants of the market gardens project. We did a distribution of seeds and our agricultural specialist was there to further teach and train the people and to answer all their questions. A new garden/allotment was also set up this week. It is so good to see the success of this project which restores poor people’s dignity as they have the joy of producing fruit and vegetables which enhances their income. People are also more open to the Gospel as they see and feel God’s love for them in such practical ways.

I walked another nearly 3 miles yesterday at Green Pastures. I try to do this three times a week like I did this week and last.

 Thursday night’s Bible Study went well. We managed to cover the whole of Acts chapter 15 which was good. The praise at the beginning was led by Tiago as Philip and family are now in the UK. Philip and Louisa took part in the service from Basingstoke. The pastor and an elder from one of our João Pessoa churches also took part from there so the Bible study was far reaching!

We have been busy organizing this Sunday night’s service as it will be our first in person service in months. It will also be broadcast live for those who can’t be there. Seating has been arranged according to the rules keeping everyone 1.5 meters apart. Everyone must wear masks. People over 60 are recommended to stay home and take part online. We expect to have about 60 people present as of course the distancing rules reduces our capacity a lot. We value your prayers for our services under very challenging circumstances. 

Our team has been to Barra de Oitis this week working with the community, especially with the participants of the market gardens project. We did a distribution of seeds and our agricultural specialist was there to further teach and train the people and to answer all their questions. A new garden/allotment was also set up this week. It is so good to see the success of this project which restores poor people’s dignity as they have the joy of producing fruit and vegetables which enhances their income. People are also more open to the Gospel as they see and feel God’s love for them in such practical ways.

I walked another nearly 3 miles yesterday at Green Pastures. I try to do this three times a week like I did this week and last.

 I finished reading a book on the Trinity by Roger Forster today. I quite enjoyed it. It’s a challenging subject to put it mildly! The emphasis on the dynamic nature of the trinity was very helpful as was the emphasis on worship.

I have prepared this week’s Bible Study on Acts 15. The focus of the chapter is on the Council held in Jerusalem which sought to lay to rest the constant efforts by the Judaizers’ efforts to impose Jewish law on gentile converts to Christianity. Gentile Christians were growing greatly in number all over the place.

 I finished reading a book on the Trinity by Roger Forster today. I quite enjoyed it. It’s a challenging subject to put it mildly! The emphasis on the dynamic nature of the trinity was very helpful as was the emphasis on worship.

I have prepared this week’s Bible Study on Acts 15. The focus of the chapter is on the Council held in Jerusalem which sought to lay to rest the constant efforts by the Judaizers’ efforts to impose Jewish law on gentile converts to Christianity. Gentile Christians were growing greatly in number all over the place.

 I finished reading a book on the Trinity by Roger Forster today. I quite enjoyed it. It’s a challenging subject to put it mildly! The emphasis on the dynamic nature of the trinity was very helpful as was the emphasis on worship.

I have prepared this week’s Bible Study on Acts 15. The focus of the chapter is on the Council held in Jerusalem which sought to lay to rest the constant efforts by the Judaizers’ efforts to impose Jewish law on gentile converts to Christianity. Gentile Christians were growing greatly in number all over the place.

 Our main Sunday service will start shortly. It will be strange without Philip, but Sacha will be now leading the band. I will be preaching on Philippians 3:1-11 and value your prayers.

Philip and family are safely installed in their Basingstoke house after a long grueling journey. They are exhausted but fine. Our tremendous thanks go to Ben & Miriam Price for all they have done in support for Philip and Gylmara. We now pray for a incident free two weeks of quarantine. 

 Our main Sunday service will start shortly. It will be strange without Philip, but Sacha will be now leading the band. I will be preaching on Philippians 3:1-11 and value your prayers.

Philip and family are safely installed in their Basingstoke house after a long grueling journey. They are exhausted but fine. Our tremendous thanks go to Ben & Miriam Price for all they have done in support for Philip and Gylmara. We now pray for a incident free two weeks of quarantine. 

 Our main Sunday service will start shortly. It will be strange without Philip, but Sacha will be now leading the band. I will be preaching on Philippians 3:1-11 and value your prayers.

Philip and family are safely installed in their Basingstoke house after a long grueling journey. They are exhausted but fine. Our tremendous thanks go to Ben & Miriam Price for all they have done in support for Philip and Gylmara. We now pray for a incident free two weeks of quarantine. 

 I set my alarm this morning for 04.45 am. Philip slept at our house so we could call him. The large car taking him to João Pessoa airport with 11 cases (2 per person and 1 extra) arrived an hour later and they left at 06:04 am. His wife Gylmara and the 3 children had been in João Pessoa with her family since Thursday. 

All met up at the airport for the 13:30 flight to São Paulo. They have to wait now for the London flight which is due to leave just before midnight. They should be at Heathrow at 15:05 on Sunday afternoon and then need to get to Basingstoke. They then of course will have 2 weeks of quarantine at their house. Fortunately for them they have great friends in Ben and Miriam Price who live at Basingstoke and who will sort their shopping etc. So we value your prayers for Philip & family at this time.

 I set my alarm this morning for 04.45 am. Philip slept at our house so we could call him. The large car taking him to João Pessoa airport with 11 cases (2 per person and 1 extra) arrived an hour later and they left at 06:04 am. His wife Gylmara and the 3 children had been in João Pessoa with her family since Thursday. 

All met up at the airport for the 13:30 flight to São Paulo. They have to wait now for the London flight which is due to leave just before midnight. They should be at Heathrow at 15:05 on Sunday afternoon and then need to get to Basingstoke. They then of course will have 2 weeks of quarantine at their house. Fortunately for them they have great friends in Ben and Miriam Price who live at Basingstoke and who will sort their shopping etc. So we value your prayers for Philip & family at this time.

 This week is a sad one for us as our son Philip and family move back to the UK. We will be calling in at their house in a while to say goodbye to his wife Gylmara and their 3 children Louisa, Lucas and Luis as they will leaving for João Pessoa in the morning where Gylmara’s family live. Philip will go straight to the João Pessoa airport on Saturday morning where the rest of the family will join him. Philip will be taking all the cases. The logistics of a family of 5 is quite a challenge! They will fly out of João Pessoa this Saturday at 13:30 and go to São Paulo. There they will get the overnight flight to Heathrow where they will arrive on Sunday afternoon. Please pray for Philip and his family as they go into two weeks quarantine in Basingstoke where they have rented a house. Their period of adaptation promises to be quite a challenge.  

 This week is a sad one for us as our son Philip and family move back to the UK. We will be calling in at their house in a while to say goodbye to his wife Gylmara and their 3 children Louisa, Lucas and Luis as they will leaving for João Pessoa in the morning where Gylmara’s family live. Philip will go straight to the João Pessoa airport on Saturday morning where the rest of the family will join him. Philip will be taking all the cases. The logistics of a family of 5 is quite a challenge! They will fly out of João Pessoa this Saturday at 13:30 and go to São Paulo. There they will get the overnight flight to Heathrow where they will arrive on Sunday afternoon. Please pray for Philip and his family as they go into two weeks quarantine in Basingstoke where they have rented a house. Their period of adaptation promises to be quite a challenge.  

The bush fires on the western edge of Patos have been brought under control. It would seem that the largest threat to houses, lives and animals in and around Patos has been solved although the fires still burn in the neighbouring County of Santa Teresinha which is further west. There are reported to be some extra smaller fires which have started thought to be arson. There are always arsonists around it is sad to say. So thanks to all for their prayers.

Sadly Sunday night’s online service did not take place owing to the failure of the internet. It was a frustrating night as everyone battled to get things working but it was impossible.

As from October 4th our services will be a mixture of online and in person as we will then have a young assistant pastor called Rafael with us who is not in a Covid high risk group. Rafael will be replacing Philip who together with his family are going to England this Saturday. Philip will be greatly missed and we are sad he is going, but such is life. We pray that God will bless them in the UK.

The bush fires on the western edge of Patos have been brought under control. It would seem that the largest threat to houses, lives and animals in and around Patos has been solved although the fires still burn in the neighbouring County of Santa Teresinha which is further west. There are reported to be some extra smaller fires which have started thought to be arson. There are always arsonists around it is sad to say. So thanks to all for their prayers.

Sadly Sunday night’s online service did not take place owing to the failure of the internet. It was a frustrating night as everyone battled to get things working but it was impossible.

As from October 4th our services will be a mixture of online and in person as we will then have a young assistant pastor called Rafael with us who is not in a Covid high risk group. Rafael will be replacing Philip who together with his family are going to England this Saturday. Philip will be greatly missed and we are sad he is going, but such is life. We pray that God will bless them in the UK.

The bush fires on the western edge of Patos have been brought under control. It would seem that the largest threat to houses, lives and animals in and around Patos has been solved although the fires still burn in the neighbouring County of Santa Teresinha which is further west. There are reported to be some extra smaller fires which have started thought to be arson. There are always arsonists around it is sad to say. So thanks to all for their prayers.

Sadly Sunday night’s online service did not take place owing to the failure of the internet. It was a frustrating night as everyone battled to get things working but it was impossible.

As from October 4th our services will be a mixture of online and in person as we will then have a young assistant pastor called Rafael with us who is not in a Covid high risk group. Rafael will be replacing Philip who together with his family are going to England this Saturday. Philip will be greatly missed and we are sad he is going, but such is life. We pray that God will bless them in the UK.

Yesterday afternoon we noticed the sunshine was a strange colour and it was only when we drove out to Green Pastures that we saw why through our mirrors. We could see huge columns of smoke west of Patos. We have now learnt that the fire started on Sunday in Santa Teresinha County and has been raging and spreading ever since. It has spread into the rural area of Patos too and has already killed lots of animals. The Fire Fighters have called up help from all over the State. It is a very dangerous and tragic situation. It hasn’t rained here at all for months so the bush catching fire easily happens. Added to this it is quite windy and we have temperatures of 37 degrees every afternoon. Please pray!

 Sometimes things happen in the work which are very disheartening. Yesterday Tarcísio, who used to take care of Green Pastures and lead the church there, abruptly left following the death of his wife on Sunday. I feel very disappointed and sad about this. I counselled him against this knee-jerk reaction, wanting to be away from all that reminds him of Maria, but he would not listen. He was adamant. I know these are difficult days for Tarcísio but the fact is that he has gone and it’s hard to come to terms with things after 30 years with him taking care of things and leading the local EAB/ACEV church at Green Pastures.

I do ask you for special prayer at this time for Tarcísio and family. I also ask for prayer for us as we look for the way forward in the light of what has happened.

Last night’s Bible Study went well and we covered Acts 14:1-18. My head was in a bit of tizwaz with all the happenings, but we made it and the Lord blessed.

 Sometimes things happen in the work which are very disheartening. Yesterday Tarcísio, who used to take care of Green Pastures and lead the church there, abruptly left following the death of his wife on Sunday. I feel very disappointed and sad about this. I counselled him against this knee-jerk reaction, wanting to be away from all that reminds him of Maria, but he would not listen. He was adamant. I know these are difficult days for Tarcísio but the fact is that he has gone and it’s hard to come to terms with things after 30 years with him taking care of things and leading the local EAB/ACEV church at Green Pastures.

I do ask you for special prayer at this time for Tarcísio and family. I also ask for prayer for us as we look for the way forward in the light of what has happened.

Last night’s Bible Study went well and we covered Acts 14:1-18. My head was in a bit of tizwaz with all the happenings, but we made it and the Lord blessed.

 Sometimes things happen in the work which are very disheartening. Yesterday Tarcísio, who used to take care of Green Pastures and lead the church there, abruptly left following the death of his wife on Sunday. I feel very disappointed and sad about this. I counselled him against this knee-jerk reaction, wanting to be away from all that reminds him of Maria, but he would not listen. He was adamant. I know these are difficult days for Tarcísio but the fact is that he has gone and it’s hard to come to terms with things after 30 years with him taking care of things and leading the local EAB/ACEV church at Green Pastures.

I do ask you for special prayer at this time for Tarcísio and family. I also ask for prayer for us as we look for the way forward in the light of what has happened.

Last night’s Bible Study went well and we covered Acts 14:1-18. My head was in a bit of tizwaz with all the happenings, but we made it and the Lord blessed.

 Tarcísio’s wife Maria passed away this Sunday morning in the Patos General Hospital. This leaves us all feeling sad but our prayers are with Tarcísio and his family at this difficult time. Please join us in prayer. Maria had battled against a brain tumour for a number of years. Tarcísio is the leader of our Green Pastures Church.

This evening’s online service is going to be a bit subdued as a result of Maria’s death. We value your prayers for the service. 

 Tarcísio’s wife Maria passed away this Sunday morning in the Patos General Hospital. This leaves us all feeling sad but our prayers are with Tarcísio and his family at this difficult time. Please join us in prayer. Maria had battled against a brain tumour for a number of years. Tarcísio is the leader of our Green Pastures Church.

This evening’s online service is going to be a bit subdued as a result of Maria’s death. We value your prayers for the service. 

 Tarcísio’s wife Maria passed away this Sunday morning in the Patos General Hospital. This leaves us all feeling sad but our prayers are with Tarcísio and his family at this difficult time. Please join us in prayer. Maria had battled against a brain tumour for a number of years. Tarcísio is the leader of our Green Pastures Church.

This evening’s online service is going to be a bit subdued as a result of Maria’s death. We value your prayers for the service. 

 Maria is the wife of Tarcísio who both leads the church at Green Pastures and who oversees the place in general. Maria was operated on for a brain tumor a few years ago and recovered well for a while, but has got slowly worse again since then. Now today she has taken a severely worse turn and is in intensive care in the Patos General Hospital where there is little more they can do for her. We ask everyone to please pray for Maria and the whole family at this time.

 Maria is the wife of Tarcísio who both leads the church at Green Pastures and who oversees the place in general. Maria was operated on for a brain tumor a few years ago and recovered well for a while, but has got slowly worse again since then. Now today she has taken a severely worse turn and is in intensive care in the Patos General Hospital where there is little more they can do for her. We ask everyone to please pray for Maria and the whole family at this time.

 I walked 2.7 miles this morning which was exactly the same distance I walked on Wednesday too. I try to walk three times a week. I walked 3.3 miles on Monday. Keeping fit is an important aspect of living.

Last night’s Bible study went well. Pastor Lucena, who is a retired Congegational pastor and an old friend of mine, gave the study on the life of Peter and I led the service. Philip led the praise and worship with his guitar.