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| Grandpa with Thomas - Born January 23rd |
you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 18:3
Jesus calls us to take a look at our attitudes and actions and priorities and be willing to change whatever it is that takes us away from being seated in Christ. We are to become as little children who delight in being in Jesus' presence. Evidently Jesus thought change was necessary in the lives of his hearers, even in the lives of his disciples. What needs to change in your life? There is a song in Portuguese that has the following phrase - "If we don't change, everything stays the same." In other words, "Nothing changes if nothing changes." As missionaries we see ourselves as people who enable change in people's lives. As we daily rub shoulders with people we seek to help others find their resting place in Jesus. It's fun to witness the blessing of changed lives.
January is always camp time at the ARCA. This year I developed the curriculum around the theme of the 10 Commandments and the 2 great Commandments of Jesus, emphasizing the grace of Jesus to cover all our sins and all our attempts to fulfill the law. The 10 Commandments are guidelines for happy living, living God's way. We also used the Wordless book using the 5 colors to explain the way of salvation. We had a fantastic week and the children did a wonderful presentation for their parents on the last day. I was happily exhausted at the end of it all. It was great to have Mafú and 3 nieces and 3 nephews working as counselors. It's fun to have our 8-yr. old granddaughter Deborah camping, too! As I write this letter we are preparing for youth camp which will be the first week in March. Pray for transformed lives.
We had a fun night of nostalgia at our church in Curitba. Many people came back that had been a part of our church throughout the years. We sang songs from 20 and 30 years ago and had fun remembering. For us it was a bittersweet moment as we wish that all the people who have heard the Gospel in this church would be walking with Jesus today. Yet, we praise God for His faithful work in the lives of people and continue topray for Him to complete the good work He began in their lives.
A Look Forward
We look forward to many things in the coming months. Please pray for us:
* Youth Camp in Campo Mourão
* Visit from Charles and Joyce Knapp
* Annual Women's Conference in March
* Preparations for Passion Play in April
* Interactions with people every day
* Two couples we are trying to impact - John and Maria/Levir and Rose
A Big Thank You
Thank you so much for your continued support of what we do in Brazil. Your prayers and gifts sustain us month by month. May you be strengthened in your resolve to live for Jesus and participate in the great calling of being agents of change in a hurting world. If something needs changing in your own personal life, take it to the Lord in prayer and make the adjustments that are necessary to live for the glory of God. Remember - nothing changes if nothing changes! 
