Park Devotionals

The last time we wrote to you we shared about how we are teaching English classes in an effort to meet people. We started these classes in the spring and have continued throughout the summer. We even had an American Party at our house where we grilled hamburgers and practiced our English/Portuguese and had some great laughs. Our goal in this is certainly to begin a healthy, bible-centered church in a town where one is greatly needed. We are beginning to see the link between teaching English and a potential church plant in the neighboring city!

In August we started meeting at a nearby park for prayer and bible study. We initially thought we would be meeting in someone’s home, but there were some things that prevented this from happening. The park has been great for the summer! We have sufficient shade, places to sit, and it has become a wonderful time of fellowship. Elijah has had the opportunity to play the guitar each week and Alaithia has enjoyed making American cookies and helping with the kids (the cookies have been a huge hit! It always makes us laugh when we get asked how we could possibly know how to make such yummy and chewy cookies 🙂 Dave or Wesley, the Brazilian missionary, share from the Psalms followed by a time of prayer. Each week we walk away so thankful and encouraged that God has provided this location and these people.

So does this mean we have a church plant? No, we are far from having that, but we are moving in that direction. We are thankful for the small group that God has provided but we would certainly like to see more interest. Please pray for more opportunities to share the gospel and for hearts to be open.

To summarize, what do we need from you all? Lots and lots of prayer. We need prayer that we don’t stall a church plant. One of our biggest requests is our need of a building. We know that winter is rapidly approaching and we will not be able to meet in the park once the cold, rainy weather hits. Please pray that God will provide the right location and funds for this. We are still also in need of some support. To be at at 100% support we still need to raise an additional $700 per month. We also ask for prayer that more people would be interested in the gospel and in the bible study. Of the four students that we have had thus far, only one has attended, although others have expressed interest. We are incredibly thankful for this one but are praying that others would join us as well!

A Few Random Other Things

• Our kids are planning to write short little blurbs on our website. Be on the look out for those at wearsportugal.com

• You’ll notice that there’s a link to “Portugal Legacy Fund” to help establish an Evangelical Legacy, such as dedicated buildings, a comprehensive supply of Bible resources, and well-trained national pastors. If you’d like to contribute, visit wearsportugal.com/legacy