School Outreach In Sao Vicente

Yesterday we spoke at the state school EE Jose Nigro, which is located in a very poor area in the city of Sao Vicente. The school is for students from 5th grade to high school, and also has some classes for adults studying at night. Many of the students come from broken homes. The students were very friendly and warm and well behaved, and we had a great visit at the school. Many of them, as well as the teachers and school leaders very much appreciated us coming to help them in their lives.

The Holy Spirit touched many hearts as we shared the Gospel, and more than 130 students, 7 teachers, and the school coordinator accepted Christ and committed their lives to Him. Afterwards we passed out the Livro Da Vida books to all, which have some devotions in them as well as many Biblical values and truths for living. The school leaders were very pleased with the results, and they recommended us to 3 more schools in Sao Vicente. They also were interested in seeing if we knew of a church in the area that could teach English classes to some of the students at the church, and we will be talking to some churches in the area about it. That would be a good way to do follow up with some of the students and get them to come to the church to start discipling them.

Trans Evangelism Week in Santos

This past week we worked with Igreja Batista Areia Branca and various other churches in a government housing project for poor people and in the surrounding neighborhood in Santos. Approx. 35 people from the various churches participated on the team during the week, as well as several people in the church who made lunch for everyone each day. The entire Mega Trans project during the month of July was held in 500 cities in every state of Brazil.

On Monday and Tuesday we visited apartments in the complex to share Jesus, and also to offer home Bible studies for the families. From Wednesday through Friday we moved to the streets in the surrounding neighborhood and we had many opportunities to share Jesus and help and encourage people in their walk with God. We met a wide variety of people from various religious backgrounds. We met various people who practice the Spiritist religion here, and many of them believe that Jesus already lives in their hearts when they are born and that they do not need to repent from their sins and invite & receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior. 

Many people were open to hear the Gospel, and others were not. We praise God that more than 30 adults accepted Christ during the week, and also numerous children accepted Christ during some of the programs for children that the church held. There were also 20+ home Bible studies scheduled, and many many seeds of the Gospel were planted as well.

Mega Trans Project

All of this coming week we will be participating in a project called Mega Trans, which is designed to reach people for Jesus and start discipling them. The Trans part of the project name is short for Jesus Transforms. We will be working with Igreja Batista Areia Branca and other churches in Santos, helping them to visit homes in a government housing project for poor people to share Jesus, and also to share with people in the streets. There are other parts of the project that will focus on reaching children, as well as Bible studies and other activities. There will be a Mega Trans project going on in 90 cities in the state of Sao Paulo this week.

Nationwide in July there has already been or will be a Mega Trans in every state of Brazil, in approximately 500 cities. The national goal is to share Jesus with 2.5 million people, which is an incredible endeavor. May God bless and use this project to reach many people for Jesus, and may many lives be wonderfully transformed by Jesus. Here are some photos of the Trans project in another state earlier this month:

One Thing

"We tend to say that because a person has natural ability, he will make a good Christian. It is not a matter of our equipment, but a matter of our poverty; not of what we bring with us, but of what God puts into us; not a matter of natural virtues, of strength of character, of knowledge, or of experience— all of that is of no avail in this concern... The most important aspect of Christianity is not the work we do, but the relationship we maintain and the surrounding influence and qualities produced by that relationship. That is all God asks us to give our attention to, and it is the one thing that is continually under attack." - Oswald Chambers



What would you say is the single most important requirement to being a fruitful and victorious follower of Christ ? The "one thing" that will make the difference in your service for the Lord and produce greater fruit ? Education ? Training ? Experience ? Zeal ? Trying your very best for the Lord ? More prayer support ? All of these things can be very helpful and are important, but the "one thing" that is absolutely vital to being fruitful is your fellowship with the Lord. Many people place their ministry for the Lord as the top priority and emphasis in their lives, and they end up leaving no time for fellowship with the Lord Jesus, who is our Source of power and victory and fruitfulness. No matter how hard we try, and no matter how zealous and passionate we are in ministry, we can do absolutely nothing without Jesus. We first need to have a passion for Jesus, and not just for doing things for Him.

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." - John 15:5


"but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." - Luke 10:42

A Difficult School

This week we spoke in the state school EE Marlene Leite, located in the Jardim Quietude part of Praia Grande, which is a  poor area of the city. The school is for students in 5th grade through high school. The principal told us that they have many problems with the students, including drugs, fights, vandalism... We had a few more problems than normal during the week with some students acting out while we were speaking in the classes, but all in all we had a great week. Also, during the break time one day some students threw some fireworks in the school that sounded like a small bomb.

We worked with Igreja Batista Cidade Ocian, and their participation in the project was very good. It was a challenging week, but God did a mighty work in the hearts of many of the students & teachers. Many responded to the Gospel message, and 554 students and 13 teachers accepted Christ and committed their lives to Him. We also had several opportunities to talk to students about the church, and many are interested in a ministry at the church that teaches English as a free ministry. We praise God for what He did this week, and for the privilege of being able to participate in His mission to seek and save lost people. 

Passion For The Lord

"Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold"
Matthew 24:12





"This waning of love refers to the dying out of the fire of a holy passion for the Lord Himself and for those for whom He gave His life, the loss of holy enthusiasm in His service and devotion. It refers not to that fleshly enthusiasm in His service and devotion that shouts and rejoices when the crowd is coming, or works zealously when the brass band is playing and the grandstand is filled with admirers. No! No! It is that enthusiasm that works with a quiet, untiring, unassuming earnestness and steadiness when it must plod on alone unheard and unnoticed except by the Lord- that enthusiasm that is born not of outward encouragement, nor the applause of men, nor by what men call success, nor by the unholy desire for praise, but that which is born of an inward urge implanted by the Holy Ghost, the overflow of the passion of Christ. The waning of this love, said Jesus, will be one of the earmarks of the end-times". 
- E. S. Gerig

Serving the Lord and seeing Him at work can be very exciting and very rewarding, knowing that He has given you the privilege of joining Him in touching and transforming other lives. But being a servant of the Lord can also be very difficult at times, and it can be exhausting. The spiritual warfare you experience can be overwhelming. And there are times in your walk with the Lord and in your service for Him where you are in the wilderness, and you do not experience any fruitfulness or victories. This wilderness time could last for a long period of time, even years.

There is only one thing that can keep you going through it all , through good times or bad, through successes or failures - having a passion for the Lord Jesus. Not a passion for ministry or for doing things for the Lord, but a real heart-felt passion for Jesus himself. This type of fiery passion for the Lord is not in us naturally ; our natural love or devotion or passion will fail and will deny the Lord, like when Peter denied Jesus 3 times. It is very obvious that there is a real lack of passion for the Lord in the church today, especially in the church in the US. Other things have taken first place in the lives of many believers, and many people are going through the motions - "playing church".

God needs to touch our hearts and fill us with the love and passion that was in Jesus, through the Holy Spirit. Then we will be truly faithful to the Lord and we will have a great passion for Him. This is the type of person God is looking for, the type of person that He can use in great ways.

"The men and women our Lord sends out on His endeavors are ordinary human people, but people who are controlled by their devotion to Him, which has been brought about through the work of the Holy Spirit".   - Oswald Chambers


" The grace of the Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus." - Paul (I Timothy 1:14)


"I will give them a heart to know me." - Jeremiah 24:7


"Give me an undivided heart." - Psalm 86:11

Sharing Jesus In Praia Grande

This week we spoke in the state school EE Abrahao Jacob, which is for students in 5th grade through high school. We worked with Igreja Batista Central, which is located near the school. It was the first time we worked with them in a school outreach project. The participation of the church was very good, and we had interpreters from the church and from several others to help us. 

Once again God worked in a powerful way, and many were prepared by the Holy Spirit to hear the Gospel message. We praise God that 621 students, 8 teachers, and the school coordinator accepted Christ and committed their lives to Him. We also had various opportunities to speak outside of the classes to students & teachers about the church, which is what we always hope and pray for. We are not permitted to speak about a specific church or denomination in the classes, but we can give a clear and direct presentation of the Gospel. One other interesting thing that happened at the school was that we met a Christian teacher who was healed from leprosy. She was very happy that we were sharing Jesus in her class.