Jornal Gaúcho

Dear Friends,

With a lot of hugs and well wishes, we turned the calendar from 12 to 13. Thankfully the tacos we ate at about 11pm had enough time to digest before we hit our pillows at about 1:30 am. Besides bringing an American version of a Mexican classic to the annual “festa da virada do ano,” we enjoyed a devotional from Psalm 139, fellowship together in worship, and a few testimonies. One brother shared how God enabled him to read through the Bible in a year for the first time in his life. Another gave testimony of God´s protection of their family when their house was robbed during the week before Christmas. A sister shared a little about her and her husband´s battle with depression before they came to Christ. And another couple thanked the Lord for His good and abundant provision for the family in 2012. We concluded our time with prayer for our families, for the men and women in the church, and for our church family as we prepare to organize officially as a church in the coming months. It was a good night.

The Year that was 2012

2012 was an eventful year in our family too and we do not want to say good-bye to the year without one last moment of thankfulness for all that God did. We traveled more than 19,500 miles in the United States and were able to visit more than 30 different churches. Events and ministries included presentations, opportunities to preach, missions conferences, Sunday School classes, VBS programs, weddings, and other family related events. Denielle and I were thinking the other day just how grateful we are for God’s provision and protection. I know that missionaries do that kind of thing all the time, but it was definitely a first for us.

We are thankful too for the smooth transition back into life and ministry in Brazil. We are grateful for little things and big things that God did in meeting our needs and the needs of our children.

The Year that will be 2013

The gospel must be central to our lives. God never intended the gospel to be a “once-in-a-lifetime experience. It is a daily experience. Paul said, “I die daily.” This is our goal for the coming year.

There is plenty to be done and we appreciate your prayers. The nature of our work truly is spiritual and the battle real. Pray for God’s Word to impact the hearts of people. We are excited about new coworkers who are planning to arrive in the next couple of weeks. Pray for adjustments to culture and climate for Cosmo and Sulamita and their family. We are excited about a baptism being planned for the beginning of March. Pray for several who have expressed a desire to be baptized. We are looking forward to organizing officially as a church body in Estância Velha. Tentative plans are for a founding service to happen in April. There are also several from other parts of Brazil and the United States who have expressed an interest in visiting us in the coming 6-7 months. Pray that we can be a blessing to all who spend time in our home.

Much more could be said, but space is limited. Later this month (on the 16th) we will be making the trek north again to participate in family functions. We plan to return to Brazil on Feb. 7th. We are thankful for the opportunity to spend a few days with our families. Thanks for praying for safety as we travel.

Love in Christ, Jonathan, Denielle, ElliAnna & Carter