June Amazon Update!

One of the highlights this month was a short term mission team that came down from the Vineyard Church of Delaware County to partner along side of us to minister to our Brazilian friends.  The team came down for 2 weeks and got to experience the wide variety of ministries that the church is participating.  We started off the trip be visiting some river communities along the Xingu River.  The team brought toys and candy to share with the people to help create a bridge of friendship so that Jesus could cross over.  When evening came, the team got the opportunity to share God’s love for them.  Most of the evenings it was rainy and damp but we still had many people come and listen.  We got to pray for people that were suffering from illnesses and after the prayers they said that they were healed.  Amen!  The team members also got to share their personal testimony of God’s mercy and love in their lives, and how God helped them through very difficult times in their lives. 

One of the highlights of the trip was being able to witness some new believer being baptized by Missionary Richie Bouthillier in the Xingu River.  The Brazilian team sang worship songs along the river’s edge while they were being baptized.  It seemed liked most of the community came out to witness their public declaration of faith.  The lady in the middle picture is one of the community leaders and she has a lot of influence.  Please pray for her and her family that God would use them to continue the good work Jesus has been doing in their lives to touch others in the community. 

 

After the boat trip, the team went by vehicles around 200 kilometers along the dirt roads of the Transamazon Highway to visit our church in Uruará.   The church is being pastored by a couple named Poli and Nega.  They are doing a great job gathering people to the church, which does not surprise me because they are so welcoming and loving.  Their home / church are non-stop with people coming and going and they receive everyone with much love and care.  They are in the process of building a church and the team came to offer their support and sweat.  The church just got a roof but they needed to get a cement floor.  The team came and gave a helping hand and by the end of the day they had a new cement floor.  Everyone worked so hard and God blessed their efforts.   

In the end, being a part of a short term mission team is a wonderful experience for the Brazilians, missionaries, and the team.  I love the fact that when short term missionaries come to serve and “give it all away”, they are blessed back in so many ways such as physical and emotional healing, recognition of gifts, and seeing the Holy Spirit use them to touch others.  I truly believe that most short term missionaries are more deeply impacted after their trip and walk away from the experience more enlightened and blessed. 

Have you ever consider coming on a short term mission team?  Or forming a short-term mission team to come and serve?  If so, email me and let’s talk. 

We also celebrated Mother’s Day here and the girls did a dance at the church.  They made Mom and Dad very proud. 

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

On the way back from dropping the team off to go back home, we saw this anaconda on the road.  It got ran over by a truck probably no more than ½ hour before we got there.  The anaconda was about 16 feet long.  WOW.  Also, during our trip we got to see the beginning or ending of this double rainbow.  I looked for the pot of gold but none was to be found.

May Amazon Update!

By the grace of God we continue to see more people coming into a relationship with the Lord at the Mirante Church and throughout the movement.  Below is a picture of several weeks at the church where people came and accepted Jesus as their personal savior.  I love the first picture of Junior receiving Christ.  Junior has been coming to the church for over a year faithfully and consistently.  His wife is very involved in the church and works with the youth, the dance group, and the adolescents.  Both of them have been wonderful additions to the church.  Throughout the time that Junior has been coming to the church he never made a commitment to receive Christ as his personal savior.  Personally, I am not sure what he thought about Jesus all the times that he came to church.  Maybe he thought, Jesus is a good guy who did many good things and it would be good to replicate what he did in his life.  I am not sure, but what I am sure of is that when Junior decided on Sunday to receive Christ he was very emotional and deeply touched as well as many people in the church who knew Junior.  I really admire Junior for waiting until he was ready to accept Christ.  He did not give into peer pressure but instead waited until it was the right time for him.  It was a powerful moment in his life and it was an answer to many prayers. 

This month we hosted a pastor’s retreat for our regional pastors.  Every year Elba and I, along with other leaders, get the exquisite honor to go and be ministered to by Godly men and woman in the Vineyard USA.  We always walk away from the experience feeling refreshed and recharged.  In addition, we always walked away saying “how can we reproduce this experience for our regional pastors?”  Well this year, we were able to make this a reality.  We had the honor of bringing in a wonderful counselor by the name of Dan Thiessen who taught on a wide range of psychological patterns in people and warning signs.  This really helped equip the pastors.  Later, we then taught on the Lectio Divina which is the practice of scriptural reading, meditation and prayer intended to promote communion with God.  It was a great time and very refreshing for our pastors.    

Below are pictures of the girls.  We took these photos and gave them to Elba for Mother’s day.  She was so happy and surprised.  The pink foliage on the ground is from one of our fruit trees called Jumbu.  It matched perfectly with their dresses and the pictures turned out really nice.  We hope you enjoy as well. 

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

April Amazon Update!

This month the church went to the river and held a baptism.  There were 17 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. 

At the church we had our annual Easter breakfast. We started the morning by worshipping the Lord, and then Elba shared a short message about the resurrection of Christ.  Then we celebrated the good news that Jesus is alive by eating breakfast together.  Members of the church prepared food at their house and then brought it to the church for all to enjoy.  We also cooked tapioca pancakes with butter on the stove.  This was a big hit.  Afterwards, we placed candy around the church and the children went looking for it.  This may have been the first time that these kids have ever hunted for candy on Easter.  It was a big success. 

The pastors always get the dirty work. 

The girls had a great Easter as well.  They got to participate in a chocolate candy hunt in our backyard and at the church, plus they also helped color eggs for the Easter breakfast at the church.  Below is a picture of them with the eggs that they colored.  Also, there is a picture of them after the baptism swimming in the river with their friend Eduarda.  The last picture is Camilly playing teacher with Manoela, Alyssa and her stuffed doll that my Mom made as her students.  I have never seen a teacher with a ruffled scarf. 

Please continue to pray for spiritual, physical, and emotional health for us.  Also, pray for Elba for safe travels and wisdom as she is teaching about church planting in Brasilia and Palmas.  Lastly, please pray for Allison as they start an English alpha circle this Friday at CDR.

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

March Amazon Update!

The church has been doing well and we are seeing people coming into a relationship with the Lord weekly.  Below is a picture of a church service where we had many people come and accept Jesus as their personal savior.  However, with the amount of new people coming and accepting Christ the church has not seen much growth.  It seems like as wide as our doors are open in the front, they seem to be just as wide and open in the back.  This is not to say that we have not seen any growth, it is just slower than we imagined.  We try diligently to get people plugged into the community of the church to which some do and others do not.  I share this with you to ask if you could pray for us, the church and the leadership.  Pray for the protection of these new converts and for the Lord to reveal other ways to help people feel more a part of the community. 

We have been hosting a home group for quite some time at our house and it has been a blessing.  We meet once a week and have fellowship, usually play an ice breaker game, worship and teach the Word.  Also once a month we get together and share a meal with one another.  This is a good time because it allows people to relax a bit more and get to know each other more intimately.  This is really nice because it is not uncommon for people to come to our home group with their religious mask on which makes it hard to get to know them and understand some of the things they may be struggling with in a relationship, the church, or work. 

The girls are doing well and they just started back to school.  Camilly got to go to a girl’s 15^th birthday party.  The 15^th birthday for girls is a BIG deal here in Brazil and some parents go to all stops to have the best.  Camilly came back and said that it was really amazing.  I wish I had pictures.  Camilly got to wear her new boots that she saved for many months to buy.  She is pictured below with her cousin Apollo.  We really like this picture of Alyssa and her drawing.  Her artistic expression to paint her face was purposely done to blend into the work of her painting.  LOL. 

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

February Amazon Update!

Thank you for your prayers for us and for Elba while she traveled back to the States.  Your prayers were answered and Elba had a nice visit back to the states.  Thank you so much! We hope you enjoy the below email.  

We had a couple’s meeting at our house and we had many couples come and participate.  It is so easy with our busy lifestyles to not stop and appreciate our significant other.  This time with couples helps us to stop and refocus on the more important things in our life.  It is really good to see couples engaging with one another and to be able share different tools to try to have a successful marriage. 

Missions are a part of the Mirante Churches DNA.  We have teams going out to visit remote villages monthly to share the good news of Jesus Christ.  We have thrown into the mix at some of the villages some multimedia assistance.  What we have discovered is that showing something on the television really draws people’s attention.  It works because these villages do not have steady streams of electricity and need to use generators in order to have electricity.  To run a generator is expensive because of fuel cost.  Each week at the Mirante church we video our sermons and then distribute them to some of these communities.  It has been beneficial because when we are unable to visit the community, the lay leader can play a video of one of the sermons and everyone is taught the Word of God. 

Thanks again for your prayers for Elba while she was in the States.  She arrived safely and almost everything (additional overnight before coming home) went according to plan.  She had a very busy time and she would have loved to visit with more of her family and friends.  During her time she got to see snow, which completely reminded her of how much she loves tropical weather.  She sent the below picture to the girls, and not to be outdone, they created their own snow using laundry soap. 

Prayer request: Could you please pray for long time friend and missionary?  Her name is Daisy and she was engaged to be married.  Unfortunately, her fiancé was hit by someone while driving his motorbike.  He seemed to be recovering well after the accident, but unfortunately, he passed away.  We are heartbroken for Daisy and we pray that the Lord will keep her strong, give her peace, and that her faith in God will be strengthened.  Please join us in a prayer. 

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:

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

Before Elba left for the States, I carelessly said that I would not shave until she comes back.  As the words rolled off my lips, Elba, Camilly and Alyssa said OK and they sealed the deal with a pinky promise.  Here is the result of the 10 day shadow.  Interestingly, Elba was not one bit interested in seeing the beard when she arrived back home.  So I cut it off before she arrived. 

January Amazon Update!

On December 16^th 2012 I reached my 10 year mark as a missionary in Brazil.  Wow, can you believe it?  It is hard for me to believe.  Trying to reflect back of all the things that have happened since my arrival is so overwhelming.  There have been so many wonderful things such as getting married, having children, being part of church plant, developing friendships, and continually being transformed by God.  Thanks for all your prayers and support.  We hope you enjoy the below blog.  

We had a great Christmas service with a wonderful time of worship, Elba sharing the Word, and then follow-up by an amazing presentation to which Alyssa was a part.  She is the one holding the star on the stage.  I downloaded it to Youtube if you are interested in watching.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yx_26EY9tuk  Then afterwards we served dinner to everyone in attendance.  The men of the church purchased a lot of meat 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.  Everything went so well up until we were just about to serve dinner, and then the lights went out.  However, in Brazilian style, the party continued….they brought a couple of motorbikes into the church and used the headlights for light.  Thankfully, our church is big and the risk of carbon monoxide was lessened.  After everyone left, we noticed that we still had quite a bit of food leftover, so members of the church packed up our truck and headed down to the bus stop where some of the homeless live and they served them a great meal.  We were all blessed!

The day after Christmas our whole family traveled about 1 ½ days by boat to Macapa.  We went to Macapa to visit the church and ordain Felipe as pastor.  The Macapa church has gone through a lot of transitions but it continues to keep hanging in there and staying true to the faith.  We were able to sit with the leadership and equip them with more tools on how to grow a church, and encourage the leadership.  We are very proud of Felipe, his wife, and the church.  They have come a long way and we pray the Lord’s continue favor upon them.  While heading back on the boat, we were just about to fall asleep when the boat Captain’s daughter approached us.  She asked “Are you pastors?” to which we replied “Yes”.  She went on and said, “My dad asked if you could pray for everyone on the boat for safety and protection because we just got word that we have been targeted to be robbed by pirates”.  Knowing the seriousness and the reality of this situation we prayed.  It was very nerve racking because these boat are very slow and you are just a sitting duck in the water with no earthly protection.  During my prayer in front of the boat while looking out onto the river, God showed me that he was carving a protective route through the middle and the water was calm.  I took comfort that God was going to protect us on our voyage home.  Unfortunately, the comfort only lasted a moment and I needed to continue to keep praying and remembering the vision that God showed me.  Praise the Lord, we got home safely, and guess what?  I have never ridden on the Amazon River and the Xingu River where the rivers stayed so calm.  Never!! It was incredible. We serve an awesome God. 

Elba is traveling to the States on January 28^th to participate in 5 all day meetings.  She then will head down to Florida to spend a couple of days with my parents.  Please pray for safe travel for her, successful meetings, and for me and the kids that all will continue to be well. 

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:

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

We had a white elephant Christmas party with our home group and this is what I got.  The color is just not me.  LOL