JUNE 2015
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
