At the church we just recently had a community wedding with 6 couples getting married. It was a BIG deal and a great testimony to a culture that does not place much value in the sanctity of marriage. The even more incredible thing is that 3 of the couples live in a remote community called the Suribim. It is located about 120 kilometers from our church. They have a church there and we have been ministering to this church with visits for the last several years. The community continues to draw close to God and is evident in this wedding where the sanctity of marriage in the communities is even worse than the city. It is such a great thing when couples like these, even some who have been living together and have children, will step out of the cultural forces and make a bold statement to their family, friends and community. What a testimony to how God is moving in the midst of this community and changing people hearts.
The above is a panoramic photo of the couples on the stage with some of their family members while Elba conducted the service.
The weeks leading up the wedding some of the couples would come to our house for dinner and then go through our marriage preparation course.
Some of the dresses that the brides were wearing were donated by woman in the States. This is such a wonderful blessing as it is very expensive to rent wedding dresses in Altamira. The brides were very grateful and looked beautiful.
Elba and I just celebrated our 12th year wedding anniversary. Elba was traveling during our anniversary. She went to Ohio to participate in a meeting for the Vineyard Institute http://vineyardinstitute.org/ where she serves on the board. She then went to visit our friends in Canada, as well as our niece, Apolana. During her time in Canada Elba got the wonderful opportunity to preach at City Life Church. She was received so well and enjoyed her visit to the States and Canada immensely. I also surprised her with flowers while she was in Canada on our anniversary.
The girls missed their Mom while she was gone for 2 weeks. To help, we invited some of their friends to come to our house to play and have a sleep over. When Mom got home she gave them some play dresses and they loved them.
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 43234
Or On-line donations at:
I found this angry spider outside our door. I think he wanted to fight. J
