A Final Word

Those of you who know me, know that there is no such thing as a final word! Once again, I am here in the air conditioned internet cafe, and Seth and Kenny are suffering somewhere in the sky or an airport. I will stay here for an extra week in order to meet with leaders and pastors, have some sit down evaluations, as well as times of encouragement and prayer for future worship leadership conferences and small missions teams. In less than 24 hours I have seen the great benefit of the extra time. Just because the team has gone home, you can't stop praying for me! In days to come, I hope to use my personal blog, so feel free to check it out. Again, thank you friends and family, and thank you, Jesus for the privilege of serving You.

Going Home

To any and all of you who made it possible for these people to be in Brazil for our first ever worship conference, we give a big "Obrigado!" It was a great success. We accomplished all of our goals and so much more. An even bigger

"PRAISE THE LORD!"

is in order. Thanks for all your love and support, and especially your prayers. I hope we can convey somehow when we get back home just how many ways the Lord answered them and blessed us and your Brazilian brothers and sisters. Your partnership with us and them will help so much to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ and to plant churches here in northeastern Brazil. Believe it!

Too much to tell

From top to bottom and left to right (see below):
Today we went to Guadaljara for the Birthday Party For Jesus. What a treat to see so many poor children hear the gospel and receive sacks of gifts from people in the U.S. For many it will be the best part of their Christmas. Thanks to every person who purchased and bagged the gifts, sent money for the party and carried the trunks. We thank the Lord for the blessing of watching them open each one with such excitement...The worship has been glorious and lots of fun. It's been one of those "you had to be there" experiences... Seth has made many new friends, but especially Maninho. He plays several instruments, all very well. The Lord really used the whole team to encourage him in his desire to use his talents the way God intends. Gary Wright preached this morning about being filled with the power of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Maninho was one of many who stood with tears falling to recommit to a fresh walk with the Lord...The quilting class was a huge success! Sue had at least a dozen women in and out, who not only tied and put binding on two quilts (for the two pastors/wives who recently had babies), but also made bags and purses. You should have seen it! Our worship and music conference became a worship and arts conference...We have made so many wonderful friends. Our goodbyes will be very sad...Seth shared his testimony, focusing on how God has led him to Barclay College to study missions, instead of taking a scholarship to a big school to play music. His new Brazilian friends anxiously gathered around him to lay hands on him and pray that God will bless his fuure...The playground is having the finishing touches put on it as I write. Yesterday we all gathered around it and laid hands on it, too! We asked the Lord to find a way to get it finished. Even I had some doubts about if it would be done before we left. But, God did find a way! A special touch...Kenny had no idea when he bought the canopy that the colors of the Brazil flag are blue, yellow and green. All he could say when we discovered what happened was, "it was a God thing!" The castle wall was built this week by three Brazilian men. Soon there will be a walking bridge from the wooden playground to a castle that will match the wall...Our speaker for the week, Wes Davis was truly annointed for the task here. Everyone was challenged and blessed...There's those crazy sewing ladies again. We had a hard time making them stop!So...what can we say but "Praise the Lord!!!" Two messages with no pictures...Don says hello to Bobbi...and Seth's lips are plum wore out. Look for more pics in the next few days.
Thanks for your patience.

Pictures at last!

Whew!

That and "wow!" are the words that come to mind right now. It's very hot, but nobody is complaining because on the inside of our hearts we are on fire. God has supplied many needs, and is blessing in every way. We are not doing anything new, just singing, worshiping, teaching and making friends with the Brazilians (a few 20-30 year olds, and a whole bunch of 15-20's), but in those things God is doing a great work. Your prayers are being answered. We are moving ahead in this conference with a bare-bones schedule that is constantly changing, but what is happening among us is truly something special, and God is using every North American to minister to the South Americans. In the process we are being ministered to big time! What a treat. Thank you for praying. Your prayers are making it possible. God bless you all. Is anyone out there reading our blogs? Very little response. But that's okay. Just know we are doing more than well.

Just a quick note...

It's very late, and we have had a full day. Everything came together so well today. I could not begin to tell you how blessed we have been. Seven women came to Sue Brawner's quilting class and had a ball. This could end up being a dynamic ministry opportunity for these churches. The musicians down here are amazing. They absolutely love Seth, and the ministry of the word by Wes Davis has been just what we all needed. The purpose of the conference is being met. Thanks for praying. Kenny is exhausted. Keep praying for him. There is much more. Don't have time.

The Americans are coming!

After a half hour of trying over and over again, my picture for this morning won't load. Sorry. This a big day. It is 11:00 right now. Tele and I leave in a few moments for Recife to greet the rest of the Americans. We won't be back until at least 6:00. Please pray for our very short time to prepare their weary minds and bodies for the next four days. We have a lot to accomplish, including posting on the blog, which takes a whole lot more time than it should. Please be patient if you don't see anything for several days. That means we have our hands full of ministry - so PRAY FOR US.