September/October 2015

September/October 2015

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They praised God and were liked by all the people. Every day the Lord added those who were being saved to the group of believers. Acts 2:47 (NCV)

Dear Friends and Prayer Warriors,

Greetings from your coworkers to the Portuguese-speaking world!

We are in awe seeing the growth God is giving to His churches in Brazil.

Recife Church

The new church plant in Recife has baptized 15 this year. They had a unique baptism at the Boa Viagem beach, July 29. Bruno and his team are doing a great job in planting this new church.

Please, pray for Lukas, a week after he was baptized he was diagnosed with cancer and he is undergoing treatment.

Pray as the Recife Church looks for a bigger place to meet. They have outgrown the building they are renting.

In Sep Bruno Baptized Claudia and Junior.

Jundiai Church

Jundiai Church baptized 7, August 23! 

 

From left to Right: Juliano, Monica, Juliana, Giovana, Luan, Claudia e Evandro. 

Bom Retiro Church

On August 29, the Bom Retiro Youth Group spent the day at a camp and we were blessed to baptize Rafael, Thais and Igor. 

Valparaiso Church

Brother Edgar, Minister at Valparaiso Church, reported 8 baptisms. Valparaiso is one of the most violent cities in Brazil, Brother Edgar and his team do a great job working with the youth. 

Hands On Bible College

Our plan is to offer the Hands On Bible College at each local church. In August classes started in Pirituba, in September in Sao Mateus and in Portugal. The Hands On Bible College is being offered at Jundiai led by Ruben, at Campo Limpo Paulista led by Michel, at Pirituba and Sao Mateus led by Jeff, at Santos Dumont led by Luis, at Portugal led by Robert (Jeff’s brother) and at Mozambique led by Kleber. Pray as we plan and work toward offering Hands On Bible Colleges at all the local churches in Brazil and throughout the Portuguese-Speaking World.

Women’s Gathering

Monica spoke at Jundiai Church Women’s Gathering in August.

Brazil Ministry Transportation Need

We have a great need for a van for the ministry in Brazil and we are trying to raise $10,000 to purchase one. As of October 7^th we have received $1,075 toward this need. Thus we only need $8,925 to reach this goal. If you can help, please send your check to Brazil River of Life Ministries with "Brazil Van" written in the memo.

Change of Plans

Monica and I were planning to be in the USA in the end of the year for Roger’s graduation, however Roger is not graduating in December anymore. Thus we are not coming to the USA this year. When we have a new date for coming to the USA we will let you know.

Pray Request

Since we moved back to Brazil fulltime in May, we have faced lots of needs among the churches—especially among the church leaders. Please pray with us for wisdom in dealing with all the needs we are facing.

God is doing great things through BROLM among the Portuguese-speaking world, and your prayers and support are vital! Please continue to pray so the Lord will use BROLM more and more for His honor and glory!

May the Lord richly bless you in Christ Jesus!

God is good, all the time; and He is acting among us!

In HIS Love and Service,

Thanks for praying for us!

Jeff & Monica Fife

August 2015

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But I will remain in Ephesus until Pentecost; for a wide door for effective service has opened to me, and there are many adversaries. 1 Corinthians 16.8-9 (NASB)

Dear Friends and Prayer Warriors,

Greetings from your coworkers to the Portuguese-speaking world!

The apostle Paul wanted to visit the church in Corinth. However, a wide door for effective service was open before him. Even though there were many adversaries he stayed longer in Ephesus (1 Co 16:8-9). The reason I (Jeff) am mentioning this to you is because I was supposed to go to Mozambique and Angola in July/August this year; however there are so many wide doors open for effective service right now in Brazil. Because of this, I have postponed the mission trip to Mozambique and Angola. Now the doors are not the only thing we have in common with Paul right now--there are many adversaries too! Please pray for the leaders of the churches in Brazil--some are discouraged and some are having marriage and family troubles. Brazil is under the biggest financial crises in the last 20 years. Lots of people are losing their jobs, prices are going up almost daily, and the political scenery is chaotic. Monica’s health has not been the best--she is having lots of headache crises. She usually has a crisis once every 45 days, and lately it has been weekly.

Great Blessing

For years we have tried to get Monica to become a USA citizen. During the first week of July we received a letter from Immigration Notarization Services scheduling  Monica to be in Memphis, TN, on Friday, July 17, 2015, for a naturalization ceremony. Thus, Monica left Brazil on the 13^th and became an America citizen on the 17^th. She stayed a few days with Roger and  arrived back in Brazil on the 30^th. We would like to thank everyone who prayed for this process and we would like to thank the Lutzes for taking Monica to Memphis and for hosting her. She said she was treated like a princess! Thanks!

 Isaac First Communion Meditation

On the third Sunday of each month the Pirituba Church Youth Ministry leads the worship service. In July Isaac was responsible for the communion meditation. It was his first communion meditation. He did a great job and loved doing it! Now in August he is responsible for the offering meditation. Isaac started to play drums for the worship team when he was 7 years old, and he studied music and drums for many years. Over the last couple months he decided he wanted to learn to play the guitar, and he is already playing the guitar for the worship team too. 

Isaac is helping greatly with the youth and worship teams at Bom Retiro’s and Pirituba’s churches. It is a blessing to have him working with us in the ministry!

Harvest Outreach

As you know, south of the equator it is winter. (Brazil is having the warmest and driest winter in the last 30 years!) Corn harvest in Brazil is during June and July, and every year for over 20 years, the Pirituba Church has a Corn Harvest Outreach. Everything that is served at the outreach is made from corn--the only things that it are not made from corn  are Monica’s brownies. A lot of hard work goes into the preparation for this outreach. The ladies, with the help of some men, work for hours until late at night getting everything ready. During the outreach there are games for the children to play and lots of food. This year we had a tremendous turnout with many visitors from the neighborhood. We are praying that those who came and heard the gospel will continue to come and will soon be baptized.

 

 

Bom Retiro Youth Group

The Bom Retiro Church is doing a great job in reaching the youth. In July brother Pedro Park, chairman of the elders, opened his house for an afternoon of Bible studies. Afterward, they served a great Brazilian Churrasco (barbecue). 

Brazil Ministry Transportation Need

We have a great need of a van for the ministry in Brazil and we are trying to raise $10,000 to purchase a 2010 van. As of August 10^th we have received $900 toward this need. Thus we only need $9,100 to reach this goal. If you can help, please send your check to Brazil River of Life Ministries with "Brazil Van" written in the memo. 

Since 1931, a 120-foot tall statue of Jesus has stood with his head angled downward toward the city of Rio de Janeiro. Down below in the city, however, Jesus' presence is less visible. Watch this video (http://www.themissionsnetwork.com/index.php/component/preachit/message/pray-for-brazil?Itemid=435) and, please, Pray for Brazil! 

God is doing great things through BROLM among the Portuguese-speaking world, and your prayers and support are vital! Please continue to pray so the Lord will use BROLM more and more for His honor and glory!

May the Lord richly bless you in Christ Jesus!

God is good, all the time; and He is acting among us!

In HIS Love and Service,

Thanks for praying for us!

Jeff & Monica Fife

JULY 2015

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Then he told them: Go and preach the good news to everyone in the world. Anyone who believes me and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe me will be condemned. Mark 28.15-16 (CEV)

 Dear Friends and Prayer Warriors,

 Greetings from your coworkers to the Portuguese-speaking world!

It is our privilege as Christians to preach the gospel to everyone independent of their citizenship, financial status, and educational background at all locations around the globe. Our prayers are that God will use us so many will believe in Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and be baptized, so they will be saved and not condemned!

 Ministry Highlights

 Roger’s Visit

We were very blessed to have Roger come to Brazil and stay with us for a couple weeks. He was able to visit all the churches in Sao Paulo and had a good time visiting Monica’s family too.

 Baptism Bom Retiro Church

On June 13th, the youth group from Bom Retiro’s Church met with the youth group at Pirituba’s Church so they could have a service together and use the baptistery. It was a great service, but the highlights were the baptisms of Lucas Kahi, Bianca Kim, and Hery Park. The Bom Retiro Church is a multicultural church downtown Sao Paulo. BROLM helped plant it in 2011 in partnership with First Christian Church in Seoul, Korea that is led by Dr. Lee. Brother Sergio Seo is the youth leader at the Bom Retiro Church. I (Jeff) have been very blessed to pastor the Portuguese-speaking group and Brother Daniel Choi pastors the Korean-speaking group at the Bom Retiro Church.

To see the 1:14 minute video of the baptisms, click on the video

 Soccer Outreach

On June 20th, the youth groups from the Pirituba Church and the Bom Retiro Church met. After the service they had a couple hours of soccer games. The fellowship was great. However, it was wonderful to see the visitors who came to the service so they could play soccer afterward. 

 Mozambique Water

Update on the project: During the drought season you cannot find any water in Nampula’s subsoil, even if you dig very deep. This creates a need for water reservoirs. With the financial gift you all sent for this project, a concrete water tank was built. Now, not only will water be available during the rainy season, but during drought time too. The water goes from the big concrete water tank to small plastic tanks where it gets treated with chlorine before going to the faucets. What a blessing! Thanks for your prayers and for investing in God’s Kingdom!

 A Great Need

As we mentioned in our last report we have a need--transportation for the ministry in Sao Paulo! Every time we have an evangelistic event at one of the BROLM churches, and we average 2 or 3 events per month, we have to rent a van. The cost to rent a van for one day is US$300. Since we cannot afford this kind of expense, most of the time we are unable to rent a vehicle and cannot take the whole team to the events. However, we have been given an opportunity to purchase a 2010 Volkswagen, 12-passenger van for US$10,000. As of July 10^th we have received US$500 toward this need, thus we only need US$9,500 to reach this goal. If you can help us reach this goal, please send your check with "Brazil Van" written in the memo.

2016 Korea

 International Restoration Movement Convention

As promised in our last report here is more information about the International Convention in Korea. The Convention will be held at Hanyang University Erica Campus in Ansan. The dates are August 14 – 17, 2016. We are uploading the brochure with registration information about the convention below and if you would like to print the brochure we will be happy to send you a copy through e-mail. Please request a copy at fife@brolm.org. Hope you plan to come to Korea in 2016!

Available to Speak in the USA

Monica and I will be in the USA for Roger’s graduation in December, thus we will be available to speak from November 18th to December 29th. Please make arrangements for us to visit you and your church during the time we will be in the USA. We will return to Brazil before the New Year!

Schedule Update:

Nov 18 Arrive in Elizabethton, TN

Dec 06 Howard Christian Church – Howard, PA

Dec 12 Roger’s Graduation at Milligan College

God is doing great things through BROLM among the Portuguese-speaking world, and your prayers and support are vital! Please continue to pray so the Lord will use BROLM more and more for His honor and glory!

May the Lord richly bless you in Christ Jesus!

God is good, all the time; and He is acting among us!

In HIS Love and Service,

Thanks for praying for us!

Jeff & Monica Fife

JUNE 2015

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Jesus came to them and said: I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth! Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world. Mathew 28.18-20 (CEV)

Dear Friends and Prayer Warriors,

Greetings from your coworkers to the Portuguese-speaking world! 

 In May we were blessed to be at Isaac’s high school graduation. It was also a blessing to attend the award ceremony at Elizabethton High School where Isaac received the award for Outstanding Soccer Player 2014 – 2015.

 Isaac is in Brazil with us where he is going to stay during the next year so he can help us in the ministry and also play for a Sub 20 Brazilian soccer team. His plans are to go to the USA to attend college in the fall of 2016.

Leadership Conference

 Every year in June, leaders from the Christian Churches and Churches of Christ in Brazil gather at the camp in Brasilia for the Corpus Christi holiday. We spend four days together--learning, worshiping, and enjoying lots of fellowship. This year the theme was The Restoration (Stone-Campbell) Movement and the guest speaker was Dr. Paul Blowers, history professor at Emmanuel Christian Seminary. I (Jeff) was honored to be invited to translate for Dr. Blowers. His lectures were very insightful and many commented on how much they learned about the Movement.

 International Convention Korea 2016

In 2008 I (Jeff) received a phone call from Dr. Kang Pyung from Korea asking for BROLM to help him plant a Portuguese/Korean Church in Bom Retiro (Korea Town), Sao Paulo, Brazil. The church was planted in 2010. A minister was sent from Korea to work with the Koreans and BROLM is responsible for the Portuguese-speaking members. It has been a great partnership and the church is doing well.

 Dr. Lee came to Brazil to speak at the Friday night meeting at the leadership conference in Brasilia. I was honored to translate for him too. One of Dr. Lee’s goals in coming to Brazil was to invite the Brazilians to participate in the International Restoration Movement (Stone-Campbell) Convention in Seoul, Korea, August 14-17, 2016. Dr. Lee invited me to speak to the Korean youth during the International Convention. Soon we will post more information about the International Conference and we hope you will plan to come with us to Korea in 2016.

Couples Retreat

On June 6, BROLM promoted a Couples Retreat for all the churches in Sao Paulo and we had 38 couples participate! Our special guest speakers were Thomas (Tchico) and Erica Fife. Tchico and Erica are studying at Johnson University and majoring in Marriage and Family Therapy. Tchico has one more year to finish his Masters degree and Erica one more year for her Bachelors. It was a great retreat with lots of learning experiences.

 Tchico also brought a message of hope for the families at the BROLM churches. He spoke on Thursday at Pirituba, on Friday at Campo Limpo Paulista, on Sunday morning at Jundiai, in the afternoon at Bom Retiro, and in the evening at Sao Mateus. We really put them to work! Tchico and Erica did a great job. We are proud of them!

 Mission Trip to Brazil

Colonial Heights Christian Church, Kingsport, TN, is planning a Mission Trip to Brazil Oct 9-17, 2015. We are looking forward for their visit, as we look forward to all of our supporters visiting us in Brazil. If you would like to come with the CHCC team, they are open to having you join them. If interested, contact Phil Roberts at phil@chcckpt.org.

 A Great Need

We have a need--transportation for the ministry in Sao Paulo! Every time we have an evangelistic event at one of the BROLM churches, and we average 2 or 3 events per month, we have to rent a van. The cost to rent a van for one day is US$300. Since we cannot afford this kind of expense, most of the time we are unable to rent a vehicle and cannot take the whole team to the events. Automobiles are very expensive in Brazil, because of the extremely high taxes. Depending on the automobile you are purchasing, you will pay from 35% to 62% in taxes. However, we have been given an opportunity to purchase a 2010 Volkswagen, 12-passenger van for US$10,000. If you can help us reach this goal, please send your check with "Brazil Van" written in the memo.

Available to Speak in the USA

Monica and I will be in the USA for Roger’s graduation in December, thus we will be available to speak from November 18th to December 29th. Please make arrangements for us to visit you and your church during the time we will be in the USA. We will return to Brazil before the new year!

Please, pray for us! The work is very demanding and there is so much to be done in the Portuguese-speaking world! Everyday is a challenge. There are over 160 million unreached in Brazil that need to know Jesus as their Savior. As you know, Brazil is known as as Christian country but only 25% of its population are truly believers--the rest do not have a clue about the Gospel. Also, there are over 40 million unreached among the other Portuguese-speaking countries. The task is big! We desire to reach over 200 million for Christ! We need your prayers!

God is doing great things through BROLM among the Portuguese-speaking world, and your prayers and support are vital! Please continue to pray so the Lord will use BROLM more and more for His honor and glory!

May the Lord richly bless you in Christ Jesus!

God is good, all the time; and He is acting among us!

In HIS Love and Service,

Thanks for praying for us!

Jeff & Monica Fife