Matthew 28: 1-7 "After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” Praise the Lord that He has risen!!! We pray that you had a wonderful Easter and that you are blessed with below email.
We planned our yearly Easter celebration, adding to our annual breakfast we thought we would have a baptism along the Xingu River. Unfortunately, those plans were immediately cancelled when we heard that Mateus had passed away the night before Easter. Mateus was 11 years old and was severely handicapped as a young child because the doctors at the hospital misdiagnosed him and gave him a drug that caused his disability. He was in the care of his grandfather, Nego. We held a funeral service for Mateus on Easter morning because in Altamira when someone passes away you have less than 48 hours to bury the body. If this was not sad enough, just 20 days before, Nego’s wife died (picture of Deusdite below being baptized) due to surgical complications. A lot of people surrounded Nego to comfort him to the best of their abilities. The church has really stepped up as his family during this very difficult month. Amazingly, Nego is holding up well and doing his best to trust God, please remember Nego in your prayers.
At CDR, we started tutoring children in the neighborhood that need reinforcement in school. We have a dedicated teacher that helps children with a wide variety of subjects throughout the day. In Altamira, students only go to class for 4 hours a day. In those 4 hours, the teachers are trying to cram into the students minds as much as they can. Essentially the teachers teach at the school but our tutor is helping facilitate learning. Our tutor is helping bridge the gaps that are overlooked by the school. We are very pleased to be able to offer this to students so as to empower them for the real world.
Camilly, Alyssa and Apollo had an Easter egg hunt. They had a lot of fun trying to find all the chocolates that we hid around the house. Alyssa was famously dressed in only her underwear…she says that it is way too hot for anymore clothes. At the church, they also participated in a presentation about Jesus and His resurrection. It was totally unorganized which made it more cute and fun to watch. We are very proud of our little girls.
Please continue to pray for spiritual, physical, and emotional health for us.
Love and blessings, Steve, Elba, Camilly and Alyssa
Tax deductible donations can be written and sent to:
The Xingu Mission
P.O Box 340785
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Or On-line donations at:
Here is a frog that we found inside our house. His underbody was black and his back was brown. Most Brazilians here are so scared of frogs…probably because many of them are poisonous….I kicked this one to the curb.
