John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

Since the Teleferico opened in Complexo do Alemao, we've enjoyed taking some of our teams there to get a bird's eye view of the city of Rio.


CLICK HERE to read a recent article regarding the exit of the Brazilian army tomorrow which is seen as progress towards peace in the city.

Christ came to give peace, but not as the world gives.  Please pray for divine appointments here in Rio as we declare the peace that can come only through Jesus Christ.

Walking where Jesus would walk,

Jeff and Diane

The Miracle of Multiplication!

Last Saturday evening we joined our brothers- and sisters-in-Christ in Caju in a celebration of the multiplication that has taken place in their body of believers.  The church began 7 years ago with 5 or so Christ followers and has multiplied into two churches and a missionary house, with over 500 Christ followers now!


How awesome it was to see this multitude leave their life groups at the same time and march through the streets to meet at the church building.  After a time of worship we left the church building proclaiming the name of Jesus as we walked through the streets!  (CLICK HERE) to see a short video of the worship)


We ended up at the soccer field and released helium-filled balloons with a message inside that said if the recipient called the church they would receive a free bible.  By the next afternoon, 5 people from various locations in Rio had already called to claim their prize!  The church planned to go and visit them and deliver their free bibles.


We celebrate with them the miracle of multiplication that God has blessed them with and stand in awe of His great hand at work!


Walking where Jesus would walk,


Diane and Jeff

1 Corinthians 15:33 Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”

Jeff and I have been enjoying the presence of an awesome group of men from a church in the USA,as well as a brother-in-Christ from England.  Our team has been completed by a Brazilian brother, from our Small Group, who has jumped in to serve with us! 

John, serving every moment!

Already I feel blessed by their godly examples!  We have studied the Word of God together, served one another, acted in a skit together and gotten to know one another better.  While we've already had some God encounters together, I feel that He is preparing us for the upcoming days to work together for His kingdom purposes!

We began our day today studying the book of Jonah, followed by time in prayer, the preparation of a skit and practice using an Evange-Cube.  We spent the afternoon walking the streets of a local community with a local pastor, sharing Christ with the people God put in our paths.  The theme of our skit was "Making Good Choices" and we acted out some good and bad choices in life and how important it is to make godly choices.  We followed it up with 1 Corinthians 15:33, "Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” 

Diane and friend in the street

We shared the gospel message through various "tools" from our toolbox, i.e., a skit, testimonies, Evange-cube and pictures and stories of these American men's families and how God has worked in their lives.

 Grandpa John missing his grandkids!

One of the women that we shared the gospel with this afternoon is a local shop owner who I have met and talked to several times while out and about in this community.  After we shared God's plan of salvation with her and that she could have the assurance of eternal life with Christ she excitedly told us how two days ago a young man had shared with her she could have this assurance.  She was amazed that we had this strong faith to know where we would spend eternity.  Although she has not yet made this decision to follow Christ, there is a definite interest and I look forward to returning to share more with her in the future!  Please pray that Paula soon decides to become a Christ follower and have this assurance of eternal life with Him!


Tonight the men have returned to this local church to share more testimonies during a men's group.  We will return to reach out to the homeless people in this community on Saturday by washing wounds, bringing food and most importantly, bringing the gospel message.  Pray for fruit....fruit that remains!


Walking where Jesus would walk,


Diane

THE Best Brazilian Barbeque EVER!

Jeff and I were recently blessed to visit a Brazilian Evangelical Free Church pastor and his family along with a visiting pastor from the USA.  Pastor Moises, Fabiane, Sophia and Gabriel had not seen our American brother-in-Christ, Barry, in about 3 years and so we all spent an afternoon together with fellowship and wonderful Brazilian food!  We all agreed, it was (CLICK HERE TO SEE) THE best Brazilian barbeque that we have ever had!

We had a sweet time of sharing what God has been doing in all of our lives.  Barry shared his testimony of how God used a short-term trip to Brazil 6 or so years ago when he stayed at the home of Pastor Moises to change his heart for serving the Lord.  It was the beginning of a wonderful call to serve in missions.  He subsequently left the work place to become Executive and Missions Pastor at his church.

We ended our wonderful day together with awesome time in prayer, encouraging one another to stay strong on this path that we walk as Christ followers.

Blessed to be an heir to the kingdom of Christ,

Diane