Ambassadors for Christ’s Sake

Editor’s note:  This is the first in a 2-part series on the news from Paul and Becky Abel.  Stay tuned tomorrow for part 2!

The God of our salvation who has blessed us abundantly is the One who renews our strength day by day to do His will.  Only He knows the real story of our life and ministry here in Brazil.  If you would spend a few days with us you might get a glimpse of the many facets and responsibilities involved in our missionary outreach in this place. We are ever-grateful for the trust our supporters have invested in us during these 28 years on the mission field.  By faith you have believed that God is using our lives to bless others and lead them in the ways of eternal life.

Sometimes the immensity of the task and the demands of knowing so many people and being involved in so many ministries tire us out.  We have had one big event after another to plan and execute besides all the daily responsibilities of the local church ministries.  I could easily write volumes about the happenings of each week, so it seems next to impossible to relate what's happened in these past months. I just have not been able to get down to writing and communicating with you. We're so glad that your prayers and support have not been as "spotty" as my letter-writing!  You can have a little idea of some of our activities by taking a look at a few photos I will include here.  Our prayer is that we may be sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leading in each situation as we testify of the love of Jesus and reach out to help people be reconciled to God.  We are ambassadors for Christ's sake as God makes his appeal through us -   2 Corinthians 5:20.

Perhaps our biggest joy is having our son Matthew home again as a short-term missionary. He has been a great asset to us here.  Hopefully, you have read his updates (he's been better at writing than I have been).  We are also so thankful that son Andrew was able to make a quick trip to Brazil to help us with the Passion Play again this year (we actually wonder if we could do without him).     We now have another short term helper with us for four months, Britton Unverzagt.  These three young men have made our work more fun and more effective.  We have realized again how much we have missed our children in doing ministry since they left home.  It's been a special blessing to have our sons back for a time.

Paul and I enjoyed travelling to some Free Lutheran churches in other cities to encourage the members and do courses for couples and youth.  We were in Campo Grande in September, Iguaçu Falls in December and Vitoria in February. We also went to Campo Mourão for graduation and a meeting with the other missionaries. We are pictured below with Jonni Sliver, and Jonathan and Tamba Abel.

This year we have a student at the seminary in Campo Mourão who is doing very well after successfully completing drug rehabilitation last year in Curitiba. Alex is pictured (2nd from the right) with some of the Bible School students and Pastor Iran (far left).