Greetings from your co-workers to the Portuguese-Speaking world!
Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ. (1 Co 1:11NASB).
Paul urges the Corinthian Church to imitate him in everything that he does to imitate Christ. Our goal is to imitate Christ and obey Him in all things. We are far from being close to Paul’s example of imitating Christ; however, during this summer in Brazil we believe we felt a little of the same fulfillment that Paul had when he visited the churches he had planted during his first missionary journey. As Paul did through his letters and visits, we have kept a close relationship with the churches in Brazil through e-mail, Skype, phone, discipleship material, and now by visiting them in person.
Our missionary trip to Brazil was very productive and fulfilling! We left in June and returned in August. During the time we were there, we visited the BRLM churches in Central-West and Southeast; we preached 20 times, taught Sunday School, and Monica, Roger and Isaac led worship. We met with church leaders from the Northeast, Central-West and Southeast - 11 leadership meetings. We participated in a couples' outreach, 2 outreaches for children, 1 for youth, and 1 for soccer. I (Jeff) was invited to speak at the Ministerial Update in Brasilia; over 400 ministers were present.
In 2003-04 BRLM helped plant and build churches in Valpariso, GO, and Santos Dumont, Santa Maria, DF. Brother Edgard is the minister at Valpaiso Church and Luis at Santos Dumont. It was great to have opportunity to visit these churches.
It was very fulfilling to visit the BRLM churches in the Southeast and see how much they have grown.
Each month BRLM promotes a Children’s Outreach at Varzea Paulista. In July, BRLM started a Tuesday night home group there, and many have given their lives to Christ. In the future, we intend to plant a church in Varzea Paulista. Each Wednesday night the Jundiai and Campo Limpo Churches promote a Soccer Outreach. Every 3 months BRLM promotes a Youth Outreach; in July it was in Campo Limpo, and we called it the Harvest Festival.
I was blessed to have opportunity to baptize some of the fruit of these outreaches. Poliana and Raissa – Children’s Outreach; Kenetty – Soccer Outreach; and Hartenia – Youth Outreach. During the almost 23 years in the ministry, God has given me the pleasure of baptizing more than 400 into Christ. I’m looking forward to many more!
A big highlight was to restart the “Hands On” Bible College. BRLM's goal is to continue to plant new churches in the cities around Jundiai, the City of Sao Paulo and the State of Sao Paulo. In 1965 Jundiai was emancipated and the whole area was divided in 15 cities. These 15 cities, counting Jundiai, have a population of over 4 million. The greater area of Sao Paulo, in which the Jundiai region is included, has 20 million; the entire State of Sao Paulo has more than 40 million people.
If we're going to reach the Portuguese-Speaking World for Christ, we need to prepare and train more leaders. For this reason, we launched the “Hands On” Bible College. The Students meet on the third Saturday of the month for 12 hours. They go back to their local churches and during the month work on their reading assignments and paper work; most importantly, they practice what they are learning at their church. That is why we call it the “Hands On” Bible College.
The vision of planting new churches has been cast, and 21 students are being prepared. Previously we were trying to raise support for 10 students; however God has called 21 students, and because some of the costs overlap, we only need $35 US dollars per month for each student. Would you help us train new workers for the harvest with only $35 per month? We are praying that you will!
Leadership Training and Maintenance is one of BRLM's priorities. We believe that if we train the leaders and help them grow spiritually we will have strong churches. During the time we were in Brazil, I had opportunity to meet with each one of the ministers, with the elders of each BRLM church. To listen to their stories, victories, failures and needs is humbling for me. The opportunity God gives me to teach, pray and advise them is very precious. The conclusion I've reached is that they've grown a lot in the last year. Please pray for them!
This mission trip was very fulfilling, because we had the opportunity to see how much our team in Brazil has grown during the past year. So many have stepped up to leadership positions and have taken ownership in many areas of the ministry. God is doing great things through BRLM in Brazil; we are very thankful to the Lord, and proud of our team. As you can see, our mission trip to Brazil this summer was a blessing; we wish we had the opportunity to share more with you. If you like, we're available to visit you and share more.
During the time we were in Brazil Monica’s brother Fabiano allowed us to use his Pickup Truck (1999 Chevrolet S-10 crew cab). We drove a little more than 2500 miles visiting the churches; however his truck broke down, and even though he wanted to pay for the repairs, we thought that was unfair, since we were using the truck.
Accountability (Mission Trip to Brazil 2011)
Expenses:
$-3,882.76 International Airfare – 4 Tickets (USA/Brazil/USA)
$- 588.39 National Airfare – 2 Tickets (Sao Paulo/Brasilia/SP)
$- 818.82 Gasoline ($6.48 per gallon)
$- 501.76 Truck Repair
$-5,791.73 Total Expenses
Gifts:
$+2,400.00 Seymour Heights Christian Church
$+1,025.53 Braceville Christian Church (VBS)
$+3,425.53 Total Gifts
We still need $2,366.20 to cover the mission trip expenses. Would you consider a special gift to help us cover these expenses? We believe it was worth every penny!
During the time we were in Brazil we took a 3-day vacation at the beach, and in our spare time, we sanded and varnished the windows and doors of our house.
Celebrate with us this New Church Pant. In 2009 Dr. Lee (First Christian Church, Seoul, Korea) approached us through the World Convention office, to see about the possibility of us partnering to plant a bilingual (Korean/Portuguese) congregation in Sao Paulo. This dream came through on August 14 with the dedication of the new church plant at Bom Retiro (Korean Town) in the city of Sao Paulo. Brother Lee sent Brother Choi and his family to lead the Korean Church. BRLM was responsible for providing all the documentation necessary so Choi and his family could move to Brazil. Brother Park, who has lived in Brazil since 1984, offered 2 floors of his 5-story storage building from where he runs his clothing factory, free of charge. For the first semester, the church will be mainly Korean speaking, and 2012 BRLM will provide a Portuguese-speaking minister. Please pray for this new church!
Your prayers and financial support are vital for us! Please continue to pray for us - we need all the prayers we can get!
Please, schedule a date for us to come and speak, so we can share what God is doing through BRLM (Brazil River of Life Ministries) throughout the Portuguese-Speaking World!
God is good all the time and all the time God is good!
In His love and service,
Jeff, Monica, Roger and Isaac Fife
