Amazon Update June 2020

This month we have had several congregants get the virus.  We also had our youth pastors (Lucas and Dayane) and their family, our church planters (Cleiton and Cristiane) and their family, and our associate pastor (Timoteo and Nilma) get the virus.  Our associate pastor, Timoteo, lungs were 50% compromised and he was sent to the hospital and put on oxygen.  This also happen to Pastor Felipe in Macapá.  Praise the Lord they are all feeling much better.  Not yet 100%, or some even 70%, but they are moving into healing.  Timoteo and Felipe have both been released from the hospital.  Below are their pictures if you would like to pray for them. 

 

This month the “lockdown” in our city ramped up and the authorities were getting stricter on people’s movement to only be for essential business.  If caught outside without doing essential business you were fined monetarily. 

Since the virus, we have only filmed our online church service at the church with a few people.  However, we were ordered that we could no longer do that during this extreme lockdown.  So, we had to do the church service from our homes.  Our worship leader did the worship portion from her home, and then Elba preached from our living room.  We are also doing our church prayers via Zoom. 

We respected the mandate from the authorities even though we believe that the risk was extremely low.  We want to believe in our hearts that everyone here, and throughout the world, are trying to do the best they can with the information at hand.  I have seen throughout the world that sometimes we get it right, and at other time, really wrong.  I TRY not to judge because I know that if any of us were in these positions.  We would have similar results.  I keep praying for our leaders for wisdom. 

On a funnier note, we were just about to go to bed when the girls got us to come and play a game with them.  We got to the kitchen, and there were 2 pillows with flour on them.  We were given a series of questions, and whichever daughter best represented the question, we got to put their head in the flour.  It was really fun for me and Elba.  I think Elba enjoyed it just a little too much.  LOL.  We posted it on Facebook if you are interested in watching. 

Thank you for your prayers for my trip to take the young man to get psychological help.  Praise the Lord he was able to get there safely, but, it was an adventure and stressful.  The doctor that saw him said that he is the 2^nd worse case she has ever seen in Brazil.  Please pray for Leandro. 

 

Continued prayers request: 

·         Thanks for your prayers.  We heard back from buyers and it appears all is still moving forward.  However, no date.  Please pray for our buyers financial situation and that we could move forward soon with the sale. 

·         Please pray for our church, leadership, and congregation that we help people draw close to God as we navigate this time. 

Please pray for spiritual, physical, emotional and financial health for us.  

Thanks and much love, Steve, Elba, Camilly, and Alyssa

Amazon Update! May 2020

We continue to be in “lockdown”.  Still no church or large groups are allowed, and the use of masks in public is mandatory; very similar to other countries.  Here in Altamira, and throughout Brazil, the cases have continued to increase.  The pharmacies do not have the drugs necessary that doctors are prescribing to “combat” the virus.  They are prescribing hydroxycloquine, Ivermectin and Azithromycin as first line of defense.  One of the biggest problems is that we do not have much testing for the COVID.  The test they do have here requires you to have the virus for 8 days to be confirmed.  In light of waiting those 8 days to confirm, the doctors are essentially guessing based off of symptoms and prescribing the above medicine.  The problem is that it could be just a cold, normal flu, malaria, dengue, or something else.  I certainly do not give fault.  Everyone is trying to do the best they can with the limited resources at hand.  It is our reality at the moment. 

 

For Mother’s day we had a few of our leaders come to the house.  We had an online service to share communion and “be with one another”.  Before sharing communion we had a time of worship with some of our leaders at the church, and virtual congregation.  We look forward to getting past this time and being able to interact with one another in person.  Everyone is so excited to see one another even though it is on a screen.  The problem is that everyone wants to talk at the same time, and it becomes a mess.   Not a bad problem. 

We continue to do on-line weekly services and are using social media to maintain contact with our church members and friends for the last couple of weeks.  We have been making some home visits.  We do this with caution and do our best to respect others space and distance.  At the church, we are doing our best to make the worship and sermons pleasing to the Lord, and the best possible experience for the congregation.  It seems like it going well, however, it is a lot of work.  I have been working so much producing video’s for the church.  If you have never had the chance to work on editing a film, let me tell you, it is a long strenuous process.  Elba has been doing a series called “A Faith that wins”.  She has preached “A faith that leads during difficulties”, “A faith that wins over my weakness”, and “A faith that anchors me”

The girls spend their days doing homeschool via Zoom.  It is working well for the time being but I think they would like to be with their classmates in person

Continued prayers request: 

·        Update: The sale of the property seems to be on hold.  We have not heard from the buyers.  We understand that with the crisis they have been put in financial stress.  I am disappointed, but at the end of the day, God is still on the Throne.  Please pray for our buyers financial situation and that we could move forward soon with the sale. 

·        Please pray for our church, leadership, and congregation that we help people draw close to God as we navigate this time. 

·        I may have to travel to take someone to a specialized hospital about 2k kilometers away.  Please pray for healing for this man, and for safe travels. 

Please pray for spiritual, physical, emotional and financial health for us.  

Thanks and much love, Steve, Elba, Camilly, and Alyssa

Amazon Update - April 2020

Happy Belated Easter.  Praise the Lord that He is Risen.  Thank you Jesus!!!  As I mentioned last month,  let's keep praying to Jesus for His healing upon the world.  He is our only hope, especially with so much uncertainty, we need to be the light in this time of darkness.  Pray the Lord's peace and comfort over you during this difficult time.  If you need any prayer, please let me know.

During the past month our church family has been trying to adapt to "virtual community" as we make adjustments, along with the entire world, to adapt to this season of social distancing in the wake of COVID19.  Given the circumstances, I think we are doing the best job we can with the tools and gifting that the Lord has instilled in us.  However, we are still pursuing to do it better and stay connected. 

On Easter we felt that it was important to celebrate communion with the church but it was completely different than years past where we had a service at the church, and shared a breakfast.  This time we had some of our leaders and their families come to our house, and then we had a Zoom gathering with members of the church.  It was not perfect, but we were able to feel a bit more connected to the congregation to celebrate the PERFECT sacrifice of Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins, and the resurrection of the Lord from the grave.  AMEN!

After the on-line celebration, we enjoyed a breakfast together, and then we had a candy search in the backyard.  This was nice, as this brought some normalcy to our situation. 

We have been doing on-line weekly services and are increasingly trying to use social media to maintain contact with our church members and friends for the last couple of weeks.  We are doing our best to make the worship and sermons pleasing to the Lord, and the best possible experience for the congregation.  It seems like it going well.  Below are some pictures of the production.  We have been working twice as hard as before trying to learn the technologies.  Elba goes over and over her messages throughout the week in preparation for Sunday.  It is whole different dynamic preaching to a camera, than to a congregation. 

We just started back up our men´s prayer group on Thursday morning at 6am.  It is a small group of men and it was really nice to be together and pray to Jesus to intercede for the church, the things going on in our lives, as well as the lives of others.  As you will notice we are trying to get together and pray in a reasonably safe way.

One of the other big highlights this month was the celebration of Camilly´s 15^th birthday.  The 15^th birthday for a girl in Brazil is HUGE.  I read that “In Brazil it is widely celebrated among Brazilians, the quinceañera marks an important milestone in a girl's life. Part birthday party, part rite of passage, it symbolizes a girl's entrance into womanhood when turning 15 showcasing her purity and readiness for marriage.”  Yes, to the purity, but the readiness for marriage…at the age of 15….let’s put that on the back burner until she finishes college.  Well, whatever they say, we know that we are very proud of the beautiful woman that Camilly is becoming.  She is a treasure and a true gift from God.  Personally, seeing her all dressed up, and looking way older than 15, I was taken aback.  It is going way too fast.  We did our best to respect the gathering rules in place.  Camilly only got to invite a handful of her friends.  Even though it was limited, we really pray that she enjoyed every moment.  We are very proud of her.

 

Continued prayers request: 

·         Update: Thanks everyone for your prayers on the sale of the property.  We are in the process of working through the language for the contract.  This is positive and we are thankful to God.  Since there is a financial crisis in Brazil due to the virus, the buyers are asking that we be patient.  So, I come to you again, and ask that you continue to pray for this to be finalized in its entirety, and that all parties will feel good about the whole process up to the completion of purchase and thereafter.

·         Please pray for our church, leadership, and congregation that we help people draw close to God as we navigate this time. 

 Please pray for spiritual, physical, emotional and financial health for us.  

Thanks and much love, Steve, Elba, Camilly, and Alyssa 

June Amazon Update!

We pray that you are blessed with the below updates and we appreciate your prayers greatly.

I got the wonderful opportunity to go to Macapá to help Bob Lesher move and start working with the church, alongside Christopher and Denise Meyer.  Bob has been serving at the Altamira base for over 2 years and it was a joy to be a part of helping to mentor him.  I know that he will be a great asset to the team in Macapá.  Thankfully, the church in Macapá is in the process of planting another church in the city to which Christopher and Denise Meyer will help lead.  Christopher and Denise are back in the States for furlough and once they return they will be sent from the church to start the new church.  If you see them in the States, please encourage them and pray for them.  Below are some pictures of the church service in Macapá and a group picture at a local restaurant.   

Elba is traveling now and is in Ethiopia.  I know…did you think that she ever imagined these types of travel opportunities while growing up in a small primitive community along the Amazon River?  Praise the Lord, this is the kind of God we serve when we open up our lives and just say “yes”.  She is with Clenildo, Athila, Rick and Deanna.  They went to Ethiopia to learn first-hand about Discovery Bible Study (DBS) and Discipleship Making Movement (DMM).  In Ethiopia the DMM model has spread like wildfire and thousands upon thousands of DMM have been created.   Rick Bergen has been researching and working with DMM for the past 2 years.  The objective of this visit is to see how this is working in Ethiopia and if is it possible to replicate it in Brazil.  As I write, they are visiting leaders, peoples, and communities to get a better understanding of the program and see how it can be applied here in Brazil.  Please pray for safety, and clarity of direction for DBS / DMM in Brazil. 

Last week the national news network stated that Altamira was the most violent of all the cities in Brazil that have a population of 100,000 or more.  Of the 30 most violent cities in Brazil, four are in our state of Pará: Marabá, Marituba, and Ananindeua.  Rick and Deanna Bergen live in Marabá and are working in the midst of where a lot of these murders occur.  Personally, these reports are discouraging to hear because as a church you want to see the complete opposite of what is happening.  We want to see the Lord’s Kingdom come and transform individual lives that in turn transforms a community.  Thankfully, we are seeing individual lives being transformed because of the work that Jesus is doing in their lives.  But when will we see that be infectious and spread to the whole world?  I know the answer to these questions…it can just be discouraging.  Thankfully Jesus always reminds me “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”  John 16:33

http://exame.abril.com.br/brasil/as-30-cidades-mais-violentas-do-brasil-segundo-o-ipea/

The girls are doing well and we are trying our best to be without Mom.  Alyssa won another gold medal at school for good grades.  Camilly’s class only had 1 person receive this medal, she is determined to receive one next time.  The girls were invited to a birthday party and they got to do the hover board.  It was a lot of fun.  Elba, before traveling to Ethiopia, completed her degree in Pastoral Counseling.  She is so relieved to have this behind her and we are very proud of her.  I found these chips in the supermarket.  I still cannot figure out the mystery, it’s a very strange taste.  Lost in translation  J 

Please continue to pray for spiritual, physical, and emotional health for us.   Update on Alyssa and the allergic reaction.  The doctor discovered that she is allergic to the cold.  I guess there goes our visits back to the States in the winter….maybe this is a hidden blessing.J  Please pray for a complete healing. 

Much love, 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:

https://xingu.org/opportunities/giving/dolan-ministries/

October Amazon update!

Thank you so much for your consideration to donate to us and our ministries.  It is a blessing.  We pray you enjoy the below email.   To donate online please click http://www.xingu.org/14d_dolan_donation.html

This month we had a free dental clinic at CDR.  As you are aware, CDR is our community outreach center.  We had 2 dentists and 3 helpers from our sister church in Brasilia come to Altamira to help people in the community get free dental treatment.  It was such a blessing to the community.  Many people just could not believe how professional and nice they were treated.  We converted Elba’s office into the dental clinic and they served over 170 people.  We also did a clinic to teach the children how to care for their teeth, and gave them fluoride treatments. 

Elba led a weeklong conference at our training camp for some pastors that live outside of the city.  The conference focused on our values, and essentially who we are as a church.  It was a very fruitful time for the pastors because they had the opportunity to reconnect with their fellow laborers, and get a refreshment course on our core values. 

Also, this month we celebrated Children Day’s in Brazil.  Children’s day is a National holiday.  We had a big showing at the church with lots of children participating in the fun.  We had clowns, a play about the love of Christ, and various games, such as tug of war, face painting, bowling, fishing, and potato sack races.  The members of the church came out in force to make this a special day for the children.

On a personal note, we are planning to come back to the States on December 6^th.  We should arrive in Ohio on December 23^rd and will be leaving the early part of February.  We are excited to see our family and friend.  We are also excited to see my Dad.  He has been recovering well.  He started his 7 weeks of chemo and radiation treatments on Monday October 21^st.  This will be a tough go for him, so please continue to keep praying for him.  Thanks!!! 

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:

http://www.xingu.org/14d_dolan_donation.html

I found this pray mantis on our shelf and I got a good picture. 

September Amazon Update!

We were invited to go to the Belo Monte Dam project so that we could start weekly church services.  The Belo Monte is a hydroelectric dam complex that will be third largest in the world and is currently under construction on the Xingu River (more pictures below).  The first night of church service had a nice turnout.  Many people from many denominations came to celebrate and praise God.  Everyone was so happy because they had not frequented church on the complex for some time because they just finished building the church.  We were the first ones to have church in their new building.  Pastor Athila spoke and when asked if anyone would like prayer, almost everyone came up.  The Spirit of God was present and we are praying for continued success.  Please join us in that prayer. 

This month the church went to the river and held a baptism.  There were several people that got baptized and the presence of the Lord was touching people.  I really love watching people getting baptized along the river.  First, I like the public testimony that it gives to people in the community.  Second, I love that during the baptism the church is along the river singing and worshiping God.  Lastly, the symbolism of letting the person be completely immersed in water being baptized into Jesus’ death on the cross and no longer being slaves to self or sin.  When they are raised out of the water they are raised into a new life in Christ and are with Him forever.  Praise the Lord and may His transforming power be upon each of them and us daily. 

On a personal note and somewhat embarrassing for me, I had a birthday, and our friends at our cell group had a surprise birthday party.  Unfortunately, it cannot be a just a little get together to eat cake and talk with friends.  No, they always need to take it to the next level.  Below they dressed me up and gave me a mustache with eye liner.  Such fun….Not….I guess I should be happy that they did not break any eggs over my head. 

We went to a local creek to get some relief from the heat.  The water was so cool and refreshing and we had a nice time.  The girls found this vine that was converted into a swing, however, it did not swing very high but it was fun for them.  These are the some of the benefits of being in the Amazon basin. 

We want to thank you for all your prayers for my Dad.  He is now at home and recovering well.  The nurses at the hospital were impressed on how fast he has been recovering.  The power of so many prayers!  Once he is recovered from the surgery, he will begin radiation treatments to make sure that all of the cancer cells are destroyed.  Thanks for your continued prayers for my Dad, Mike Dolan.  Below is a picture of my brother Jay, Marty and my Dad. 

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:

http://www.xingu.org/14d_dolan_donation.html

The Belo Monte hydroelectric dam will be the third largest in the world.  I guess the Discovery Channel came here to do an episode of Megabuilders (I think that is what they call it).  The area pictured below is just one sliver of the total project.

 

August Amazon Update!

This month at our Training Leadership Camp in Altamira, we had our bi-annual regional “InterVinha”, a gathering from all the Vineyard churches in the region.  We had close to 300 people in attendance.  We were blessed to be able to have Phil Strout, the National Director of Vineyard USA, Danny Meyer, Pastor and regional overseer of part of the Midwest in the USA, and Celso Tavares, National Leader of Vineyard Brazil come and speak.  Phil was the main speaker and he talked to us about 10 pillars of leadership, Rick Bergen summarized the points on his blog http://rickbergen.blogspot.com.br/ and below is what he wrote:

1. Get people in front of Jesus, whatever the cost.  "Whatever it takes!"

2. This is the most important thing we've ever done...

3. It is amazing what can get done when you don't care who gets the credit.

4. Take care of your soul.

5. The ministry is not overwork, it is overflow.

6. Fruitful longevity.

7. Do to others what you want them to do to you. Treat others the way you want to be treated. Matthew 7:12

8. If it is worth anything, it is worth everything. Matthew 13:44-46

9. Everyday everything that happens is for the greater glory of God and the well-being of people.

10. Drink the cups of The Lord. (Galatians 4:19, John 18:7-11, Mark 10:35-40, Matthew 26:36-39)

More InterVinha pictures below

We also had the opportunity to go out on the river to visit two community churches.  It always amazes me the dedication that our pastors and missionaries have to spreading the Gospel of Jesus to these hard to reach villages.  There are so many challenges to get the Gospel to these people but praise the Lord the Word is moving forward.  Both of the church services were full and people throughout the community came in their canoes to worship God with us.  It is truly amazing.  Alyssa and Camilly rode in the speed boat to go invite people to the church service.  Alyssa is the one with oversized life jacket. 

On July 18^th, Elba and her twin sister Nira, celebrated their birthday.  The church had a surprise birthday party for them and brought a lot of food and we had a BIG party.  They loved it.  During our trip along the river to visit two community churches the girls got a chance to be with their friends and go swimming.  Camilly jumped off the top of the boat.  She is very courageous. 

I have a special prayer request.  Could you please pray for my Dad?  He was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in the back of his mouth.  During the discovery phase of how to treat the cancer, the doctors discovered that he had 2 abdominal aortic aneurisms.  They are scheduled to do surgery on the aneurisms on Monday August 19^th and then at a later date do surgery to remove the cancer from his jaw.  The Doctors seem optimistic but acknowledge that the process of recovery would be rough.  Please pray for a miracle healing, and if that should not happen, then a successful surgery and fast recovery.  Thanks!

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:

http://www.xingu.org/14d_dolan_donation.html

Rick Bergen and Alyssa took this picture of this monkey in a tree fairly close to our house.  He was a pretty big monkey. 

Additional pictures of the InterVinha