BRAZIL AND FOREIGN UPDATE

Please note: our foreign update is getting so large we have continued it on our sister site to report areas other than Brazil.   Just click here: Christ International Church of Evangelism and go directly to that site.

Welcome to our 2009 report of what the Lord did in Brazil. We'll add a new chapter each month until the story is complete.  

BRAZIL EVANGELISM - HARVEST 2009 

Brazil and Beyond Ministries, P.O. Box 475, Bryson, TX      76427 

In the year of our Lord, Sept. 1, 2009 

The bushes have been trimmed to spell out the name of the town:  Novo Brasil.  These folks took a lot of pride in their town and kept it very clean. 

 
      

              ADVANCING INTO NEW TERRITORY, NEW FRIENDS, NEW EXCITEMENT

                                                                                                 
We have finally returned from this year’s mission trip to Brazil - with misgivings, wanting to stay longer and do more work, but glad to be home and back to a more moderate schedule.  This was a very profitable mission trip for the Kingdom of God despite some bureaucratic interference. 

There was one extremely exciting event that took place which we will be reporting about and showing pictures later.   This was one of those experiences that lasts a lifetime, so be sure to be watching for it.   We will also be reporting these adventures on our website (address above) the first week of each month.  

Upon arriving in Goiania, the capital of the state of Goias we headed for São Luiz dos Montes Belos, which is centrally located in the area which we planned to minister.  It was a two and a half hour bus ride, and we were pleasantly surprised the roads were in good repair this year. 

We had been told that Novo Brasil, despite being way in the interior and a very clean town had some hotels, so we were confident we would find a place to stay.  As we entered the town we found a kitchenette on the edge of the city, but the price was a little too high and it didn’t smell too well.  You have to remember in the interior areas there is not much work or money, so you don’t want to count on first class conditions. We continued on into town and found another kitchenette near the plaza.  It was a bit cheaper and smelled better so we decided to stay.  However, we had to go to the store and buy some pine sol and sponges and do a little cleaning.  The only other problem was mosquitoes could easily enter in some areas near the roof.  However, we had a plan for that. 

The most pleasant thing about the town was the friendly people, and the low crime rate.  The lady who owned the kitchenette had a very large screen TV right by the front door.  She had no fear to leave the door open and go do some errands because there was almost no crime


THE LORD SPEAKS TO THE PRISONERS IN NOVO BRASIL

Look at the beautiful work these inmates did making model sail boats in the jail at Novo Brasil.  The workmanship is exquisite. 

We had called our friend sergeant Marques who works in that area and discovered he would be in working in Novo Brasil.  It was certainly good to see him again and he let us in the jail right away. 

There were 7 prisoners there and they told us no one had been there for four years to share the gospel with them.  One fellow had been there that long and remembered our visit to that jail back then.

Eliâne began to preach and they were all listening intently, and even had a few questions.  Toward the end of the preaching she began to minister one on one.  As she was ministering she called one fellow (not shown in the picture) and told him the Lord was telling her he was didn’t want to hear the gospel, accept it, and would inside of himself criticize every word that was said.  

It is extremely difficult to see right in town a Tucano bird.  Can you see his large yellow beck?  He was feeding on the papayas.

He admitted that was true and when she offered to pray with him to break that power over his life, he absolutely refused.  She told him the Lord could still reveal himself to the fellow.  “I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me…”(Is.65:1 NIV).  Hopefully, the word of knowledge she spoke to him should have shaken him up a bit that the Lord is real. 

Another fellow told us his Christian dad had warned him many times he couldn’t keep one foot in and one foot out.  This fellow was very upset that despite his efforts to try and live right for the Lord he couldn’t keep up with it.  Eliâne told him by a word of knowledge that he had been saying very negative things about himself and Satan was loving it.  The battlefield was in his mind.  She told him his problem was not getting enough Word in him, and to read John chapter 10 telling how we are God’s sheep and not Satan’s, but we must keep our ears attuned to receive. He thought some about it, and then said he wanted to renew his life to the Lord, and for us to pray and break the power of deception in his mind.   

Here's s shot holding the camera inside the bars so you can see better the craftsmanship of these men.

Eliâne turned her attention to the fellow closest to us (with the beard in the picture) who had been in there four years.  She told him some things had happened to him during his life that could put him in a mental hospital.  He confirmed that was true and said it was depression.  

She then told him the Lord could see his tossing and turning in his bed at night.  He confirmed that also was true, and Eliâne told him the Lord wanted to heal him of those problems and show the fellow who God really is.  At that moment the awesomeness of this truth hit him and the tears flowed.  

Distributing clothes at the prayer meeting at the Assembly of God Church in Novo Brazil.

As she began praying for them, she took one of them by the hands and said we are not here to read palms, and the only way she knows what is taking place in their lives is revelation by the Holy Spirit.    

Finally we went to a single cell where a fellow had tasted the things of the Lord by being saved and baptized in the Holy Spirit, but was now backslidden.  He knew what he needed to do - repent, get more Word in him, and start applying the Word in his life. 

CATCH THE VISION!  EVERY CHRISTIAN A SOUL WINNER


From there we found a small Assembly of God church where we were well received by pastor Luiz.  The longer we visited with him, the more he opened up to us telling how he believed our coming to him was to shake him and his congregation up to get out of the four walls of the church and start winning the lost to Christ.  

Jesus asked his disciples if they were able to drink the cup he would drink.  We certainly never drank from the cup in this picture.  It was never replaced o cleaned, yet many people used it to drink.  We opted for bottled water instead.  Eliane's expression shows a vivid imagination.

He also told us a new member came to his church who asked the pastor for permission to do jail ministry, and our coming was confirmation not only for jail ministry but to begin filling the Great Commission.  Thank you joint harvesters for being a part of the unfolding of God’s plans. 

Next morning we went to the church for a prayer meeting, and I handed out some clothes we took with us poor kids who needed them.  They were all smiles and were delighted to get them.

In keeping with pastor Luiz’s enthusiasm for our visit and his growing enthusiasm for getting out of the four walls of the church and winning the lost, I mentioned to him that statistics show in the U.S.A. only 2% of Christians are soul winners, and we are out to change that with our vision of:  “Every Christian a Soul Winner.”  You might want to learn more about it by going to our sister sight:  www.orgsites.com/tx/christ-international-church.  It is a new door the Lord has opened through our affiliation with churches in the third world to win the lost.  Just in the month of May, during our Every Christian a Soul Winner contest, these humble people from only 5 affiliated churches won many people to the Lord.  If they can do it, Eliâne and I along with our joint harvester can do it too!

Pastor Luiz is catching that same vision and proved it to us immediately by helping us with transportation to schools and to a jail in another town.  He also promised that either he or the new member we mentioned, would continue with the jail ministry in Novo Brasil.  You can catch that vision too by winning at least one person to the Lord.  If each Christian would do that, this gospel would spread across the globe like wildfires here in Texas. 


                 PETI AND THE HELPING HAND OF LULA

From the prayer meeting we went to a school with the acronym PETI which is a federal government program all over Brazil to help special kids who needed a little extra help in school.  It not only provides education but is a safe place where they can be looked after while their parents are at work.

Lula once said that despite having only a fourth grade education, he was smart enoughto get peoplewho knew  more about something than he did  and place them in responsible positions.  That's Brazilian gold medalist Cesar Cielo Filho on the left with president Lula. 

President Lula is highly regarded in Brazil by implementing programs that use funds to help people move up the ladder.  He also recently passed a drunk driving law which reduced traffics deaths by 80%.  For a person with only a fourth grade education, he is doing a good job. 

At the PETI school we met the director who was a lady named Divina, and she was more than happy to let us come in and preach the gospel.  The only sour note on our trip was that this time we were unable to pass out the toy trucks and dolls we usually take each year for kids in schools.  These presents provide a great incentive for the kids to do well and are used by the teachers as prizes.  

This picture shows the dolls and trucks or motorcycles we ordinarily take with us. 

                          PUNCHED BUT NOT KNOCKED OUT

Normally we pass through Brazilian customs easily with these toys because we have pictures to show what we do and there is so much confusion in the São Paulo airport the officials are anxious to keep things moving.  

However on this trip our baggage from the Miami airport didn’t get transferred to the plane to Brazil and was delayed.  When the dolls and trucks finally arrived at customs they were held back, probably  because of the quanity, and thinking we had planned to sell them.  We received notice while in Goiana from the São Paulo authorities that they wanted us to pay a very high customs duty. 

I didn’t want to lose time so I intended to just leave the toys there and start ministering and go with plan B.  However, I was out-voted and the airline officials tried to help suggesting we get a letter from the church telling what the toys were for.  Thanks to our friends at Faith Family Church in Kaufman, TX that information was sent to us immediately and we passed it on to the authorities in São Paulo.  However, the customs officials in São Paulo were not impressed and our petition was denied.   After losing two days it was time for Plan B.    

BRAZIL  EVANGELISM - HARVEST 2009    Brazil and Beyond Ministries,  P.O. Box 475,       Bryson, TX  76427.   www.brazilandbeyondministries.synthasite.com
                         www.orgsites.com/tx/christ-international-church
                              In the Year of Our Lord - Oct. 1, 2009

IMPLEMENTING PLAN B

Here is every evangelist’s dream.  In one of the classes we visited there were 100% salvations.  

Last month we told you how the police in Sao Paulo held back all our dolls and trucks we had planned to give to the children despite a letter from our friends at Faith Family Church in Kaufman, TX that the toys were not for sale.  It was time for plan B because we had already lost two precious days.  We decided to divide the clothes we had into several groups and bought pencils and erasers adding them to the clothes.  Thank you Joint Harvesters for your gifts to make this possible.

That’s Eliâne, Maria the wife of pastor Luiz ,and of course that’s pastor Luiz on the right.   These are great people who love the Lord more than anything else. 

This plan worked just fine and the teachers were glad to receive them, although they didn’t have the same glow in their eyes as compared to when they saw the dolls and trucks. 

The people at the PETI school were very nice and we had a good visit with them and the children.   Eliâne  was able to preach the gospel without limits and most all of the kids came to know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.   There were a few teachers who openly showed themselves to be Christians and were delighted we explained the salvation message to the children. 

THE TRIP IS LONG AND THE BODY TIRED

On our way back from the school we met with pastor Luiz and his wife Maria.  They visited with us and asked us to come to a prayer meeting at the church early the next morning.  Still suffering with jet lag it was a hard decision to make, but not wanting to offend our new found friends we decided to attend.  Next morning seemed to arrive earlier than usual, but we made it to the prayer meeting after they had already sung three songs and shared testimonies.   

Then the pastor asked Eliâne to begin reading the Word of God, and it would be passed to the next person and so on.  Poor Eliâne had a hard time keeping her eyes open let alone reading out loud.  However, we managed to get through it all as the Lord gave the strength. 



SPLIT STARTS TO MEND

“…there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.”  Luke 15:10.

That evening we returned to pastor Luiz’s church.  He told us about three months ago the church had suffered a big split because of a scandal involving the former pastor.  He was just now beginning to see some improvement in the congregation, but we could see from the countenance of the people there were still a lot of hurts.  Oh, if we could all only remember to: “Keep our eyes on Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.”  Heb. 12:2. 

After some preliminary introductions and singing the pastor turned the service over to us.  Eliâne began preaching about Mat. 18:19 and the prayer of agreement.  She told how we used that scripture to bring in a harvest of souls.  So it was not only preaching but a testimony as well.  This prepared the congregation to come in agreement with us for the salvation of their lost loved ones.  First she called for anyone who wanted to be saved to come forward.  One man jumped up immediately and rushed to the front, dropped to his knees, and raised his hands in the air.  Eliâne got down on her knees as well and led him to the Lord.  The pastor later told us this fellow was the first person to come to the Lord since the church split three months ago. 

NO REASON FOR ALARM - GOD IS IN CONTROL!

Eliâne took a real liking to this gentle horse which was resting by this shade tree.  In the cart behind the horse they haul small freight loads such as sand and gravel for construction. 

Then Eliâne called for those who needed to join us in the prayer of agreement for the salvation of their lost loved ones to come forward, as well as those who had bad habits and wanted to break that evil power.  Almost everyone came forward and for the first few people things were pretty normal.  But as they began to lighten up and come into agreement, the anointing grew stronger.  We noticed that many of them, despite being pentecostal, were not used to seeing the move of the Holy Spirit. 

However, one lady came forward who obviously was not intimidated and was ready to receive.  She lifted her hands to the air and told the Lord she was ready to receive from him. When we prayed for her she immediately fell backward to the floor.  One of her friends became very concerned  thinking the lady had fainted or was ill.  She pleaded with Eliâne not to leave her friend lying there, but Eliâne  assured her nothing was wrong, that the Lord was ministering to her the whole time. 

We later learned the reason the friend was so concerned was that lady on the floor had frequent epileptic seizures, but that’s not the end of the story.  Next morning she called the pastor saying she believed the Lord had completely healed her of epilepsy.  Then several days later we saw her in Jussara at the bus depot and she was praising God telling us she had no more seizures at all and could still feel the awesome presence of God with her.  
        
As the service continued more people began to lose their fear, realizing the Lord was ministering to them, and they entered in with us enjoying the presence of the Lord.  Another lady came forward and began receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit, then the rest of them really lightened up for that was something they understood.   The anointing increased as well and Eliâne had several words of knowledge for the people.  One of the words of knowledge came for a young fellow who was asking the Lord for guidance.  Eliâne told him the Lord would begin waking him up in the morning giving him direction. 

It was a real good service and we were blessed that the Holy Spirit moved in the people’s lives, and that they began to lose the fear and doubts the earlier split had created. 

MORE LIKE A LIGHT HOUSE THAN A JAIL

The next morning we had a very pleasant surprise when pastor Luiz said he wanted to help us all day long while we ministered in schools and jails.  He said he would take us in his car to the next town, Fazenda Nova, where we had planned to go.  That was an extremely generous offer because he was busy with church matters, and also his car was very very old and he seldom used it.  His usual mode of transportation was either on foot, or he rode his bicycle. 

It also was a blessing to us because we didn’t know our way around Fazenda Nova, which proved to be a much larger town than Novo Brazil and we would have had to do a lot of walking.  The people in this town were also very friendly.  We found the sheriff’s office right away and fortunately the guard on duty was a believer, so he let us in right away.  What we found was one of the biggest surprises we have ever seen while doing jail ministry in Brazil.  

Here I am right inside the jail cell with the inmates at the prison in Fazenda Nova.  These men have learned their lesson - that Jesus Christ is the only Way! 

Every single inmate was saved, on fire and growing in the things of the Lord.  We have never seen a jail like this before in Brazil.  Most of the time we arrive at a new jail, the inmates are downcast, discouraged and it takes a while to show them there is a way out of their situation.  His name is Jesus.  Anyway, these men were delighted to see us and share with us the progress they were making in growing in Christ. 

They had Bible studies every day among themselves and a local pastor came once a week to teach the Word to them.   This was a very upbeat group of men with positive attitudes.  Friends, being in the Word daily really does make a difference.  We had a good time answering questions and sharing the love of Jesus with these men.   We know the process of winning the lost to Christ is one of planting, watering, and finally harvesting.  However, after that it becomes one of encouraging, nurturing and growing.  That is what we were able to do with this visit and we feel very confident that the pastor who ministers to them will continue with his good work. 

They asked pastor Luiz for his church to hold them up in prayer and they all wrote their names on a piece of paper for him.  Pastor Luiz promised to do that, and we discovered several days later that he had returned to the jail again to follow up with the work, and told us how blessed the men felt because we visited with them and were able to answer some of their questions. 

That’s not an inmate holding that beautiful castle made with popsicle sticks; it’s pastor Luiz.  One of the inmates did the work.   Those kind of projects would never work well in the United States because the inmates use razor blades to cut the sticks. 

That’s not an inmate holding that beautiful castle made with popsicle sticks; it’s pastor Luiz.  One of the inmates did the work.   Those kind of projects would never work well in the United States because the inmates use razor blades to cut the sticks. 
As we were leaving one fellow told us he had walked with the Lord in the past, but became back slidden by falling for Satan’s wiles.  However, he now understood the deception and tactics of the enemy and was not about to fall for them again.  He would continue to use his time wisely in studying the Word while in jail so as to solidify his position in Christ.  He was very confident when he was released he would never again enter into that backslidden condition.  

Eliâne is showing the before and after pictures of drug users.  The boy against the wall was so shocked he leaned back and raised his hands up in the air as though to say, “Hey get away from me.” 

From the jail we began looking for a school and found that there was only one open in the whole town.  The other was being renovated and the kids bused to Jussara - a place with a real bad reputation.  We’ll tell you more about our adventures in Jussara later.  The school we found was Alfredo Pedro II named after a Portuguese king who was forced to move to Brazil during the move for independence in Portugal.  This school was immaculately clean and although the director was gone, the assistant was glad to see us and let us in.  There were lots of kids in this school, many of which were in their early teens, so it was a good place to not only talk about the gospel but about the danger of drugs as well. 

The kids were very attentive and had lots of questions.  One boy asked why people used drugs and if it was to fill an empty spot in them.  Eliâne was quick to grab hold of that and say, “That’s a really good point, and yes that’s why they do that, but only Christ can fill that void.”   She then became an on fire preacher and was off and running proclaiming the gospel message.  I am still awed by the fact we can freely preach in schools in Brazil - what a wonderful open door.

As we showed the before and after drug pictures there were lots of grimaces as you can see from the picture.  Eliâne  asked each class what happened to them after they said the prayer of salvation, and one boy responded, “I felt something happened to me inside my chest, and I feel a lot better.”  Eliâne  told him it was the presence of the Lord on him.  Another boy said he felt a warmth come on him.  But there is always a joker in the crowd who said, “I know what happened to him.  Fire came out of his head.”  A girl corrected him saying he shouldn’t be playing with the things of God like that.  She’s right.  The last class was made up of older teens who were very attentive with the teaching and preaching.  They didn’t ask many questions, but were very much interested in the presentation, and responded well to the prayer of salvation. 

Be sure to be watching for our next letter when we will be telling you what the Lord did in:

                                                         THE NOTORIOUS TOWN OF JUSSARA