Four months have gone by so quickly in our time in Brazil! We are now entering the month of June and it seems like the Lord continues to open new doors and avenues for ministry here. We persevere in the work here with joy as we continually see the blessings and fruits of the work of the Lord!
One of the joys in the work of the Lord here in Brazil over this last month has been the blessing of being able to become more and more involved in the local congregation. Three out of the last four Sundays, we have been able to be here in Campo Mourao to participate in the weekend activities of the church here. This is a new blessing for our team as we have been traveling quite frequently in the previous weekends. What this has looked like for us has been spending time with the youth group on Saturday night, and then visiting two different local congregations per Sunday, one in the morning and one in the evening for their times of Bible Study and Worship. It has been a blessing to have been welcomed so warmly and so invited to come alongside the day to day ministry here.
During this last month, we also had a very successful “Tarde Com Jesus” (An Afternoon with Jesus) here in Campo Mourao on May 29. We had about 100 kids coming from both church background and non-church background alike in order to spend the afternoon learning about Jesus Christ as well as singing praises to Him. After weeks of preparation and time of setup, it was such an encouragement to see everything go according to plan and the Lord be exalted. On June 5, we did this same presentation during a weekend of evangelism in Toledo, a city 4 hours away from Campo Mourao. During that time, we had about 100 kids come into a gym auditorium to hear about Jesus, in which Bethany and Amanda were able to lead in the Portuguese presentation!
Nathan and Jon have also started up a great new weekly event in doing street evangelism with a man from one of the local congregations. It has truly been a blessing to see the reaction to the gospel from those we have had a chance to talk with. Please continue to pray for Nathan and Jon as they continue to walk the streets every Wednesday asking people about their relationship with Jesus Christ.
Looking at all that the Lord has done in our time here, we look to the upcoming months ahead and ask that you would please continue to keep us in your prayers. In the beginning of July we have the end of classes here at the Bible School, after which we will be going to the country of Paraguay for a little over a week We will be going with Bethany Mission Fellowship across the country and taking a boat down along a native river and sharing the gospel with the tribal Indians that live along the shore. This trip will be from July 11-18 and will be costing us about $500 for transportation (bus and boat expenses) and our food along the way. Please be in prayer for us as we take an adventurous trip in sharing with some seldom reached people groups
Shortly after returning from Paraguay, we will be jumping right into the AFLC youth and kids camps here in Campo Mourao that take place in the second half of the month. We will be acting as counselors for those camps and leading in group discussions and daily activities & devotions! Please pray for that time as we will be spending a lot of it in God’s Word with the campers and also in God centered fellowship as well!
We again appreciate your prayers so much as we have seen God at work in so many different ways and as we have so much to be praising Him for! Some of these include:
-The gift of God of our ability to communicate with people in Portuguese!
-The blessing of the children that we have received in the Miriam Infant Home. All those who have come to stay here with us we have been able to give a Bible too for their future growth with the Lord and we have been able to spend time with each kid reading through their Bible with them!
-The local congregations that we have been able to become more involved with (Preaching in the churches in Portuguese now, singing, house visits, working with the children/youth, & going out on weekly evangelism treks)
Ongoing Prayer Requests Include:
-Continual good health as we are in the cold season in Brazil (40 degrees outside/inside)
-A continual heart to serve and love the people around us as we minister, as well as encouragement for the pastors alongside us here that are working so sacrificially.
-Continual growth in our learning of Portuguese as we are using it everyday
-For the kids in the Miriam Infant Home that have been arriving lately as they have no spiritual background and have a time to have exposure to the gospel during their stay here
-For continual assistance as we look to take on our financial needs here.
($200 a month rent, expenses for travel to/from churches for ministry, food, etc.)
Thanks again for remembering us in prayer! God bless!
Amanda Aldrich, Bethany Marschner, Jon Nelson & Nathan Olson
If you would like to support us in our ministry here in Brazil, please send your support to: (Amanda, Bethany, Jon, Nathan)
AFLC World Missions
3110 East Medicine Lake Blvd
Plymouth, MN 55441
