These scenes have almost zero to do with ministry but, rather, with everyday surroundings. Enjoy your visit to Pinhais, Brazil!
Maybe you've never wondered what it looks like where we live. Maybe you're not interested. But for those of you who are, here are a few scenes on some streets near our house, taken when I went for a walk today. Granted, the majority of them include flowers. Oh, now why IS that?? Well, I (Rena) started my walk with the intention of taking "window pictures"-you know, those cute windows with flowers nearby to beautify them? Well, I just saw too many other things to take photos of so...here you have them. There's a brief explanation on most of them. These scenes have almost zero to do with ministry but, rather, with everyday surroundings. Enjoy your visit to Pinhais, Brazil!
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The 5 months of July-November went by just like...THAT! We've had many blessings both in the Bible college and at church. In July there was a Music Conference which took place at the seminary. I, Rena, had a decades-long-dream fulfilled when I was able to have a harp "lesson" from the visiting musician's wife. Below is a slideshow of some of the events and musicians during those 3 days... We began the second semester in August. We have a great bunch of students, we really do. Teaching continued as usual, Johnny with his 2 classes of Missions and Homeletics, Rena with English IV and Piano. Speaking of piano...there was a Recital in October. My two students, Lara and Sueny, did very well... Our November prayer letter tells of some of our church events in September and October. You can read that here.We had Thanksgiving with our missionary collegues a week early since the college graduation was the week of T'giving.There were 18 of us, including 5 children. The last week in November, while most of you were celebrating your Thanksgiving in the States, we finished out the semester with a banguet and the graduation. A wonderful ending to a wonderful year! We're proud of our mini-coral from the seminary. Here's one of their final presentations. On June 25th we ended our first semester at the Bible College. It's hard to believe we've been back from furlough for 6 months already! Time do fly, as they say. :)
Here are a few photos to show some highlights of this semester. As American citizens abroad, we routinely get emails such as the one below from our U.S. Embassy in Brasilia (Brazil's capital). Security Message for U.S. Citizens U.S. Diplomatic Mission to Brazil brazil.usembassy.gov June 25, 2013 The U.S. Embassy in Brasilia alerts U.S. citizens traveling to and residing in Brazil to continued protests in several cities throughout the country including Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia, Recife, Belo Horizonte, Porto Alegre, Fortaleza, Salvador, and Manaus. Protests have occurred throughout Brazil in the past week and more are planned for June 26. There have also been calls on social media for a series of strikes and protests throughout Brazil, which could potentially occur in the next week. U.S. citizens should avoid the protests and areas where large gatherings may occur. Even demonstrations or events intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and possibly escalate into violence. U.S. citizens in Brazil are urged to continue to monitor local news reports and to plan their activities accordingly. If you require assistance, please contact the nearest Embassy or Consulate... __________________________________________ These protests for political, social and financial reforms have been happening off and on for about 9 months but have increased in intensity and frequency over recent weeks. To understand more about them and see some photos, click on this link. This link also gives some of the history of the movement.
Please be in prayer for this situation. There has been some loss of lives and much damage of property, especially government buildings, banks and businesses. On May 29th Johnny received word that his oldest brother, Bobby, was killed in an accident the night before. After considering different details, he decided that he should go to be with his family. The Lord enabled him to buy a ticket at the agency near our house, paying about $150 less than if it had been bought online! All went quite well and the Lord truly blessed both of us during the 16 days that he was gone. He preached the funeral and his brother received military honors at the graveside ceremony. Johnny was also able to spend a few days with our five children. On one occasion, they let me in on their time together. Thank you, Skype, for working SO well! Meanwhile, back at the ranch...I (Rena) stayed by myself for the longest time that I've ever done! But with the help of the Lord and Morgan (our dog), I stayed safe. What's more, nothing broke down during those days! Activities went on pretty much as usual and I went to the seminary almost daily, drove across town to church and took the bus downtown to buy more material to make Wordless Book keychains.
Today Johnny returned, even able to arrive one hour earlier than scheduled. Did I not say that He truly blessed us?! We are thankful to be back together again. Many thanks to those of you who prayed for us during this time. He is always our comfort, protection and strength. At Igreja Batista Bereiana (Berean Baptist Church) on Easter Sunday, March 31, we had a 7 a.m. service and then breakfast together. That evening we had a Culto de Louvor (Praise Service) in which we had our best attendance yet: 60! The blessings were abundant and they continue, for which we are grateful. Then on April 7th we had a business meeting. Most of the faithful core group was there, about 35 people. We invited a lawyer, Madalena, from the Calvary Baptist Church to assist us as documents, minutes, etc were set in legal order and the church was basically restructured. The secretary, Ilanya, concentrated on doing her job right...under Madalena's guidance. All of those present eagerly anticipated (and were happy with!) the outcome of this meeting. Johnny was officially asked if he accepted the invitation to be the pastor. He answered "Eu aceito" (I accept). You could feel the joy and relief in the air and could definitely hear it! We look forward to continued blessings here at Bereiana. But there are many hurdles to jump and challenges to face yet as we continue to help this wounded church to heal and grow again. March 4th began classes in the new school year at the Bible Institute. We began the year with 15 new students, bringing our total up to 39, the highest we've had in several years! Registration took place the week before and Johnny was busy with that for two days since he is the treasurer. Returning students, new students...waiting to register. Johnny has three classes, Rena has one plus a couple of piano students. Our days are full, we're blessed to be serving Him as we help to prepare these young people to, in turn, serve Him, too.
On February 24 we had what could be called a last chapter/first chapter sort of day. That morning was our last service at Victory Baptist Church and that evening was our first service at Berean Baptist Church. Here are a few scenes from both chapters... We will be at this church during the month of March before we give them our final answer as to whether we will stay. Please pray for us as we seek His will in this. Pray, too, for them as they recover from some recent problems.
(Fhoto credit: Wikipedia) The biggest holiday in Brazil finished at about noon on Ash Wednesday (finished is a relative word. Some people continued their celebrating). When did it begin, you might ask? Oh...roughly last Friday. Most business places are closed for the l-o-n-g weekend of 5 days so we usually try to make sure we have enough groceries to last that long. But what exactly IS Carnival?? According to everyone's favorite encyclopedia, "Carnival is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent...(It) typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party." Ok, that is a super-simple and super-basic definition. And in some places that may suffice. However, in Brazil it does not! You can find a more detailed description of this country's Carnival by clicking here. It is quite involved, to say the least. To most people who live in, I'll call it, a non-Carnival country or region, that word mainly conjures up visions of masks, costumes and confetti (think Mardi-Gras). But here it is much more than that-perhaps the same difference between American soccer and Brazilian soccer! (RCC two blocks from our house) Carnival is connected to the Catholic church. Brazil is the largest Catholic country in the world so, of course, their Carnival is big. As you noticed in the definition above, it occurs just before the Lent season of 40 days. To put it simply, Carnival is the time when people indulge to an exaggerated degree those things that they plan to "give up" for 40 days. Without a doubt, they go a bit overboard and I am NOT talking about food. Drunkenness, scandalous dress and immorality of every description abounds, as was evidenced by the government giving away more than 68 million free condoms (one for almost every 3 people that live here). To add to this, they end the celebration on Ash Wednesday when they crowd the Catholic churches to repent of all the sins which they committed during the previous days. For sure, all of those who pula Carnaval don't go and confess and repent. And of those who do go, most do it out of ritual and tradition, which leaves their hearts and lives the same as they were before. Flaviane and Carol worked hard to go to camp! Not all Brazilians celebrate Carnival. The Christians (believers in Jesus Christ) have a joy that transcends the shallow, empty, transient one of Carnival. Happily, many of our church young people have camps available to them and we were encouraged to see 7 go from our little Victory Baptist Church. They worked hard in the weeks beforehand, trying to earn enough money to be able to go...which they did! They returned with beaming faces, happy voices and encouraging testimonies of the blessings during the 4 days of camp. This is the recent tract we printed. It is an attempt to speak the truth in love. We hope to distribute the tracts here in the States during the next few months before we return to Brazil. Let us know if you'd like to obtain some. Just click on the file below to read the text.
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