I am writing this update from Recife in Brazil and it was an adventure to get here (see below). We are here visiting a church and getting to know the leadership better and possibly ordaining a Pastor. Recife is very far from Altamira and we only get to visit the church once per year. We will also be visiting with another pastor as well who is interested in joining our church movement. We are staying in a favela called “circle of fire”. Not sure why they call it circle of fire and I think I will leave it that way. Below is the view from our window. Please pray for wisdom and favor for us.
Thank you so much for your prayers for Elba. On our last update the doctor drained the infection and we were waiting to see if the infection would go away. Unfortunately, it did not and instead, began to grow again. The doctors recommended that Elba go back to Maraba and have the infection surgically removed. We left the following day by car for another 530 kilometer drive along the rough terrain of the Amazon highway. We arrived safely but beat up from the roads. The following day Elba had her surgery and it was a success. He removed the infection, which was a little smaller than a golf ball, and we got it biopsied. In good taste, I will omit the photo. Moving forward to today, the infection seems to be completely gone and the test results show no sign of cancer. AMEN!!! Thanks again for all your prayers.
Before leaving to visit the church in Recife we had 5 couples get married in our church. All of the couples have been living together for many years if not decades. However, since starting to participate in the church, the Holy Spirit has been convicting them to start living a more righteous lifestyle. The couples were so excited and you could sense a renewal of love between the couples. It was really special and a great celebration. One of the other cool things was that there was a father and daughter who got married to their significant other. It was special for him to be able to walk his daughter down the aisle, and then turn around and wait for his soon to be bride to come down the aisle (photo 1). We are so proud of these couple to buck the trend of the culture and get married. We know that the Lord is pleased as well.
On a much lighter note, here are some pictures of the girls at a local water park, and dressed up for a school project called “Festival of the Nations”.
Please continue to pray for spiritual, physical, and emotional health for us. Please pray!
Love and blessings, Steve, Elba, Camilly and Alyssa
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We almost did not make it to Recife because the big machinery workers at the Belo Monte Hydroelectric plant went on strike and blocked the highway. The workers burned the offices, dormitories, kitchens, and anything else that was flammable. They displaced 12,000 workers and did significant damage. When we were driving and getting close to the strike we saw hundreds of men leaving the area. We were unaware of the strike until we came to the crossing line. No one was trying to cross the line because the situation was violent and unstable. They blocked the road with a bus, and real big earth mover. We were in a predicament because we needed to get across so Elba could see the doctor in Maraba, as well as catch a flight to Recife. We stopped a guy and he told us that he knew the person who was in charge. Elba asked if he would go with her to go and talk with him. He agreed and they went. I stayed with the girls and was praying for great favor and mercy. They found the man and by the grace of God told us that we could pass. We jumped into the car and maneuvered passed the big obstacles in the road. Two other cars followed behind us and then they decided not let anymore vehicles cross. Later, they blew up the big earth mover and bus as you will see in the below video. Praise the Lord for He is so good and His love endures forever. He is control of all things.
The Belo Monte Hydroelectric plant will be the third largest hydroelectric plant in the world.
