Amazon February Update

One of the coolest stories that we heard recently was about a Vineyard church plant in Tocantins led by Fernando and Marcia.  Fernando and Marcia were trained leaders in the Mirante church when they moved about 2 years ago for personal reasons.  After arrival, we encouraged them to start a small group in their house. The church has been growing and because of the faithfulness of Fernando and Marcia people have been coming to know Christ as their personal Savior.  We want to help and care for this new church, but its distance at 2000 km away has made the Mirante church involvement limited, so we asked another Igreja da Vinha located in Brasilia if they could partner with us to help take care of this new church.  Brasilia is the capital of Brazil and about 80% of the people living there have jobs connected to the federal government.  The majority of the people are well educated and make a good salary.  This new church plant, as with many of the churches in the north of Brazil, consists of members that are simple and earn low wages.  The Brasilia church took on the challenge to help disciple Fernando and Marcia and partner with their church to grow the Kingdom of God.  They started making trips to Tocantins and the partnership between the two churches has flourished.  During one of their visits, the leader from the Brasilia church pulled Fernando and Marcia aside and said, “Upon visiting you we thought we were going to come and teach you about church planting.  However, during our time together, we have come to realize that we need to learn from you.”   Pretty cool!  This word of encouragement from them was very affirming because Fernando and Marcia never thought they were equipped to lead the church.  Now, they are more confident than ever.  Please remember them in your prayers. 

The first picture is Fernando and Marcia leading worship.  The second is Marcia with the leaders from the Brasilia church.  

Fernando and Marcia were at home when a large truck filled with construction material showed up at their door.  Some people from the Brasilia church were driving behind the truck and surprised them with a huge gift.  The Brasilia church raised money to build an addition onto their one room house.  They were shocked and started crying with joy.  They could not believe it, because as a family of 4 they needed the additional space, but with the minimal amount of money that they earned, they could never afford it.  We are so happy that the church gave them this beautiful gift, not only because we want to see them blessed, but because it falls in line with the spirit of churches planting churches.  The more we can have the churches looking to each other for support and guidance, the more the church planting will continue to excel and grow.  We love it!   (Our church wrote the following on these pictures.  The first picture reads “small house, BIG HEART) (The third picture reads “Whoever is faithful with little, God will give a lot more”)

We had the wonderful pleasure of having our pastors, Rich Nathan, and Craig and Linda Heselton, come from the Vineyard Columbus to do a leadership conference, visit some churches, and spend quality time together strengthening our relationship.  It was a great two weeks and we are so grateful for their visit.  Our time together was so encouraging and refreshing.  During our boat trip we got to see a toucan.  It was the first one that I have ever seen in the wild.  

The girls are doing well.  They just started back to school so there have been some sad faces walking around the house.  On the way to school, I asked Camilly what she wants to do when she grows up.  She said “I want to be a doctor.”  I said that was great, but in order to become a doctor you need to study for many years.  This logic was not helping her get into the mood to go back to school.  She would prefer to just skip school and become a doctor.  If I had to guess, I think her future patients are pushing for more education…..so are we.   The picture below is them just getting out of school…all smiles now!

Prayer request update:  We requested that you pray for Elba because she was in a lot of pain due to a cyst on her uterus.  Guess what?  She went to the doctors and it is completely gone.  Praise the Lord for His healing.  We are so excited and want to thank you for your prayers.   

Please continue to pray for spiritual, physical, and emotional health.

Love and blessings, Steve, Elba, Camilly and Alyssa

Amazon January Update

Happy New Year.  We hope that this year is starting out very well for you and that this coming year will be filled with joy and happiness.

We had a nice Christmas service and there were over 300 people in attendance.  We had a wonderful time of worship, a presentation from some of the kids in the church, in which Camilly and Alyssa were participants (click here to see video), and a great Christmas message.  Then some of the members of the church performed a Christmas play about the birth of Jesus.  The actors did a great job and the play really held the attention of all the people at the church.  Once again this year the men of the church purchased a cow and with the help of the members of the church we had the opportunity to serve dinner to everyone that was at the church service.  There was so much food and no one went home hungry.  

We also had a Christmas party with the leaders of the church at our house.  We had a really nice time of fellowship.  This is a really good group of people who love the Lord and love to have fun with one another.  It is nice to get together to share a meal, laugh, and fellowship.  We are thankful that the Lord has placed so many people into our lives.  We also had a Christmas celebration with our home group.  Everyone brought some food and pop and we ate together.  If you are ever in the neighborhood, please stop by, our home group meets every Thursday nights and we think that you will like all the people that attend.   


The other day, Elba started the home group and I had not arrived.  When I arrived, Elba was doing and ice breaker game and everyone was talking about fruit and why they liked the fruit.  The question came to me and I said that I like mangoes because they are sweet and really good.  Everyone started laughing and I just scratched my head trying to figure out why they were laughing.  I later found out that the question was “what fruit best describes you as a person and why?” Unfortunately, my answer went like “I like mango because I am very sweet and really hot”.  Portuguese!  Unfortunately, this is probably not going in God’s file that says “A fool for Christ”, I think it will just remain under “fool”.  

Camilly and Alyssa enjoyed their Christmas immensely.  They received some clothes which is always a big hit for them, however, the surprise came when they opened one of their presents and found roller skates.  They were overjoyed and so excited.  Camilly said that she was dreaming about getting a pair of roller skates.  We were so happy that they liked them and that we could help be a part of fulfilling just one of the many dreams that they have.  

Prayer request:  Elba has been in a lot of pain and we discovered that she has a cyst on her uterus.  Unfortunately, the doctor believes that surgery is needed so that it can be removed.  We are unsure if we are going to have the surgery done in Altamira, which will be more invasive, or go to Belém, where they have better medical services and the surgery would be less invasive.  Please join us to pray that Elba will be healed and no surgery would have to be performed.  We are praying that God will heal her completely, but we have not seen a healing occur yet. 

Please continue to keep us in your prayers for spiritual, physical, and emotional health.  Love and blessings, Steve, Elba, Camilly and Alyssa

Love and blessings, Steve, Elba, Camilly and Alyssa

Amazon December Update

At the church the other week the Holy Spirit showed up in power and a lot of people got healed. Personally, I did not sense the Holy Spirit at work but just because I did not sense it does not mean He was not at work. We had several testimonies of people that experienced healing from pain that they had been experiencing. One of those was Neuracy who is pictured below crying with joy. She was experiencing great pain in her neck and shoulders and God presence showed up and completely healed. She was filled with so much joy and happiness. There were also people that accepted the Lord as their personal Savior and that is the greatest healing as they come into a relationship with Jesus and accept Him into their lives.

 

The men at our church have been getting together once a month to help poor families in need. Last month, they started to help build a better house to live in for one family. Presently, the family lives in a rotting wood house. They started laying the foundation for a brick house. It will be a much stronger and reliable house for them to live. I really appreciate these guys donating their time to help spread the Kingdom of God through acts of service.

 

Camilly had the opportunity to be a part of a wedding. She was so happy and looked really beautiful. She got to play the part of a bride by tossing the bouquet of flowers. She had a lot of fun.

On any given day if you come and visit our house this may be what you see, Elba looking through Camilly’s hair killing lice. Lice are a big problem here and we have tried so many things to kill the lice and it usually kills them all. Then Camilly goes back to school and gets it again. It is one of the daily battles and Camilly hates it….so do we!

  

We wish you and yours a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

If you are thinking of giving financially to a tax deductible charitable organization, please consider us as we are still in need of your financial support. Please help us by sending a check to the below address or giving on-line. It is a great investment in the Kingdom of God.

Love and blessings, Steve, Elba, Camilly and Alyssa

Amazon October update

We pray that you are blessed with this month's update.

God continues to draw His chosen people; in September we baptized 16 new believers. The church gathered together beside the Xingu River to eat, swim, and celebrate these new believers’ declarations of faith. What a happy day! One of our new brothers in Christ is Luiz, who is 60+ years old and was baptized that day. His wife had been praying for years that he would accept the Lord and start a relationship with God. At church, he is always seeking prayers and wanting more of God. His baptism reminds me of the passage from John 3:4-5 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” Jesus answered,“Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again. The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

I love the fact that God receives us anywhere, anytime, and at any age!

Camilly has made friends with one of the girls at the church. Mayara is 10 years old and is very sweet. Her family has been going through some hardship because her brother Mateus was suspected to have leukemia. Since this is something more serious, her mother and brother had to go to Belém (800 km away) to get a diagnosis. To date, they have been in Belém for more than two months trying to get medical help and answers. This may sound absurd to us North Americans, but it is commonplace here in Altamira. Mayara wrote Camilly a very sweet letter the other day. She essentially said that she considers Camilly to be her best friend and that she loves her very much. She went on to say that their friendship has helped her overcome the feelings of sadness for her mother and brother. She misses them very much. Please keep Mateus and his family in your prayers.

On a personal note, thank you so much for your prayers for our time in Curitiba. The meetings went really well and it was great to see everyone and get reunited as friends. After the meetings, we had a family vacation and it was great! Upon arrival we had no idea what to expect from the hotel, transportation around the city and the weather. The Lord literally made the whole vacation perfect. It was amazing time together as a family and great time to just hang out and relax. Thanks again for your prayers and thank you Lord for such a great vacation. Below is a picture of us at the zoo, the girls playing in a hot tub, and a peacock at the zoo.

Please continue to keep us in your prayers for spiritual, physical, and emotional health. Love and blessings, Steve, Elba, Camilly and Alyssa

Amazon September update

Several months ago we wrote about one of our church plants in Palmas. Palmas is over 1100 kilometers north of Altamira. This new church is being pastored by Fernando and Marcia, who have been doing a great job drawing people to the Lord. When Fernando is not pastoring the church, he works fulltime as a janitorial supervisor at the regional hospital. One day, there was a patient who came into the hospital screaming and in complete agony with stomach pain. The doctors and nurses tried everything they could to calm him down and take away the pain but nothing was working. One of the cleaning people who worked with Fernando asked him to go and pray for the guy. Fernando was apprehensive and nervous but he sensed God telling him to go and pray. He entered the room where the man was screaming in pain. He placed his hand on his stomach and asked the Holy Spirit to come and heal this man. Immediately, the pain went away, and this man was free of pain! Everyone in the hospital was shocked and confused about how he got healed. Fernando, being a humble man, just left. When the man was being checked out of the hospital he wanted to meet the man that healed him and thank him. Fernando said “It was not me that healed you but Jesus. Give Him the praise and the glory!” Later, his coworkers asked him to lead a bible study and prayer time at the hospital, and he accepted. God is GOOD!!!! Please keep Fernando and Marcia in your prayers.

CDR was blessed with another generous donation from NCP leasing. NCP leasing has helped out our computer school tremendously by donating another 10 computers, 2 laptops and 10 monitors to upgrade the ones that they donated 5 years ago. Their previous donation was instrumental in starting our computer program. We are so blessed to have prayer and giving partners working with us to empower the Brazilians through education. Here is a picture of students learning basic computer skills on the computers.

I celebrated my 44^th birthday on the 22^nd of August. It was a memorable birthday in the fact that I was able to celebrate it with my family, my twin sister Lynn, her husband Scott, my Mom, plus Elba’s family and a lot of friends. We had a regional dish called “chicken in Tucupi sauce” It’s my favorite local dish, with a unique taste that makes your mouth tingle. Then came the unexpected bombshell! Lynn and I had just blown out the candle when “Wham and poof” we got smashed with eggs and flour! It was a mess. Smashing eggs and throwing flour on the birthday recipient is an optional custom here in Brazil. With Elba’s encouragement, my friends chose to exercise that option. This is the first time that they have ever done this to me.

Elba, the girls and I are going to go to Curitiba from September 25^th to October 10^th. Elba and I are going to participate in a three day meeting with Brazilian and US church leaders. After the meeting we are planning to take a short vacation with the girls. Please pray that we will have a safe trip and great time during our time of travel, meetings and vacation. Plus, continue to keep us in your prayers for spiritual, physical, and emotional health. Love and blessings, Steve, Elba, Camilly and Alyssa

It was during the night that we went into our laundry room to find these little green lights shining on the wall. When we turned on the lights, we realized that it was a bug and it’s eyes were causing the green lights. Brazil, has some very unique bugs.

Amazon Update

First, let me thank you for your prayers for Elba. Elba went to Chicago to speak at the National Woman’s Conference for Vineyard Churches. It was a tough trip for her because it was so far from us, and because this was the first time she had ever shared at the national level. Thanks to your intercession, the Holy Spirit guided her through her message and many people have said that it was powerful! They said that Elba “ROCKED”; another person said “OUCH” because they were convicted deeply by God. We were so happy to hear that everything went well, and we are also very happy that she is now home with us again.

Elba brought a present back with her: my mom, my sister and my brother-in-law. Elba’s parents are also visiting, so we have a full house. We are very excited to spend time with our family!

The girls are being spoiled by their grandparents and loving every minute of it. Camilly got a new ballerina outfit and Alyssa got a new princess outfit, plus whole lot more. We are very happy that our family got the opportunity to come and visit.

This month we had our bi-annual regional “InterVinha” in Altamira at the Mirante church, a gathering of leaders from all the Vineyard churches in the region. We had four speakers come and share about various topics such as home groups, missions and worship. The theme of the conference was how to be a relevant church to the community. Sometimes it is very easy to just focus on the church and the body of Christ, but we need to remember to continue to press out into the lives of those around us that do not know Jesus. I was able to capture this panoramic photo of the Holy Spirit ministering to His people.

Please continue to also keep us in your prayers for spiritual, physical, and emotional health. Love and blessings, Steve, Elba, Camilly and Alyssa

Amazon Update

CDR, our community center, went across town to serve the people of the Colina neighborhood. Over 1000 people were served in a local school. The students and staff of CDR provided many services to the community such as doctor consultations, fluoride treatments, diabetes and high blood pressure testing, legal counseling, haircuts, a free meal, and a church service in the evening. It was a true blessing for those who served, and the people of the Colina were very grateful. Later that evening, we had a church service with the opportunity to pray for many people. The whole day was a success and a great way to express God’s love for His people.

The churches in the city came together for a March for Jesus. We walked along the streets praising the Lord, praying for City officials and for the sick at the hospitals. There were a lot of people, and it was a great demonstration of God’s community in Altamira. Elba preached and prayed on a large truck with speakers, and Camilly, Alyssa and I passed out water to those participating in the march. In the end, we pray that the love of Jesus was breaking down barriers for people who do not know Him, and between Christian denominations so that we can become more like the body of Christ.

Alyssa celebrated her 4^th birthday on July 4^th. It was a really fun day for her as she spent the day with her friends. She got a new princess dress and she ate a lot of cake. We also played games such as Cornhole. Yes, can you believe it? Elba has been asking me for months to make a Cornhole set (Clyde Bergquist actually made it) and it has been a real hit with the Brazilians! Who would have ever thought that Cornhole would be able break down cross cultural barriers?

Please continue to also keep us in your prayers for spiritual, physical, and emotional health. Love and blessings, Steve, Elba, Camilly and Alyssa