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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 latest report of what the Lord did in Brazil. We'll add a new chapter each month until the story is complete.
BRAZIL EVANGELISM - HARVEST 2011
Brazil and Beyond Ministries, P.O. Box 475, Bryson, TX 76427
In the Year of Our Lord - Sept 1, 2011
For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the Lord. - Prov.8:35
Every year there seems to be a general theme running through our evangelistic mission trips. This year the theme was God's FAVOR! It was absolutely amazing how the Lord orchestrated every move of the trip. It was probably the most blessed trip since we started doing Brazil missions in 1996.
After landing safely in Goiania our plan was to first go and preach in brother Silva's church. It was a long bus ride and upon arriving we went to look for a place to stay. We needed some bottled water to drink, but the hotel didn't have any. Eliane went to a near-by store to get some, but unfortunately they had already closed. Seeing a stranger passing by on his bicycle, she hollered out to him, “Hey, if I give you the money will you go down to the next store and by me some bottled water?” He stopped and said, “Come and ride with me on my bicycle and I'll take you down there.” Well, she was too smart for that, but said to him: “Here is the money for two bottles. You can bring them to me on your way back.” She realized that it was a slight chance that he would actually come back with the water and instead spend it on alcohol.
Much to her surprise it wasn't long and the fellow returned with the water. Praise the Lord! This was definitely God's FAVOR. Next morning we went to the church and discovered they had a new pastor, brother Aves. The Assemblies of God in Brazil switch pastors around every few years. That was unfortunate for pastor Silva since he loved that church and the people, but didn't care for the big city of Goiania where they sent him. The new pastor wasn't there and would return at night, but our good friends Alendo and his wife Divina assured us we were scheduled to hold the service that night. They were so good to us taking us from one place to another in their car and having dinner with them in their home.
From there we went immediately to the jail. If you will remember last year they would not let us in the jail despite going there and tried 3 times. This time there was only one guard on duty and he told us we should come back at 2:00 p.m. and he would let us in. On our return at 2:00 p.m. Below is Eliane in the kitchen with Divina.
there was also a female guard with him and they let us 
in with no trouble. God's FAVOR! Both of them had big smiles on their faces and were chewing the Big Red chewing gum we left with them earlier.
At first the jailer told us we couldn't take the camera into the jail, but almost immediately said that if the inmates agreed, it would be okay. God's FAVOR!
We went right inside the cell with the inmates. About half were back slidden Christians and the others needed salvation. As we began to preach the Lord starting giving Eliane words of knowledge. The atmosphere changed to one of reverence for they could tell the words she was saying to them came directly from the Lord as she told them things about their lives and problems she couldn't possibly know.
One fellow exclaimed that when he was 11 years old the Lord gave him a dream saying he would be a minister of the gospel. Unfortunately, he didn't follow up on the things of the Lord and ended up being a career criminal, even robbing a bank. However, seeing the power of God moving right there in the jail made a believer out of him, and 
while profusely crying he repented and finally got s These men to the left are
finding out the word of God can change their lives.
Another fellow had two big scares on his forehead from knife wounds, and in the beginning was adamant he didn't want prayer. However, when he saw the power of God moving on the other fellow, he pulled on Eliane's sleeve and said he wanted prayer. As we prayed for him, the Lord showed Eliane there were two people in his life, his mom and his dad, that had been a bad influence on him, so she asked him: “The Lord is telling me there are two people in your life who have led you down the wrong path; who are they?” He quickly replied, “My mom and my dad.” Eliane replied, “Do you think now that Jesus knows your heart and he wants your heart today?” He emotionally replied, “Yes, and I want to give my life to Jesus.” Everyone was carefully watching as we led him in the sinner's prayer.
Since it was visitation day, the jailers let the mother of another inmate inside the recreation area to visit with her son. They were in the corner conversing. Finally Eliane got a word from the Lord to go and pray for the lady. When asked if she wanted prayer, the lady defiantly said, “No, I don't want prayer!” Our hearts were heavy because she was so obstinate and we were about to leave the jail when the Lord spoke to Eliane again telling her to ask the lady if she had been sick recently. The lady quickly replied, “Yes, just last night I was so sick I almost died.” So we asked her again if she wanted prayer for healing. This time she softened just a little and agreed to be prayed for, but that was as far as it went. We are believing the Lord will heal her and bring a softening to that hardened heart and the seed we planted will grow. See them in the picture below. They are in the corner.
We impressed upon them all they must diligently study and apply the word of God to their lives to be able to walk in the right paths when they get out of jail. They understood and we gave Bibles to all of them 
who didn't have one. The fellow in the red shirt to the left is the one who had the knife wounds on his forehead.
From the jail we immediately found a homeless shelter on the outskirts of town. We were fortunate to be able to visit every room in the shelter. God's FAVOR! The first room we visited was a most interesting case. The gentleman there had some knowledge of the word, however, he had a problem that he was unable to deal with. He told us his brother who was into macumba (witchcraft) didn't like him, but would come to visit him anyway. The brother would leave witchcraft fetishes in the room. When he discovered them he would gather them and burn them. The Lord told Eliane to tell him to anoint his room with oil and pray over it and break every witchcraft curse. We did that with him and he was extremely grateful. Watch for the next letter when we tell you about:
THE BEDRIDDEN LADY WHO ...
In the Year of Our Lord – October 1, 2011
We continued on with our visitation at the shelter and were able to pray for all those who needed prayer or salvation. However, the experience that blessed us the most was when we entered the room of a very old man and lady who were husband and wife. The man was 89 years old and his wife couldn't get out of the bed without help. He was doing the cooking and taking care of her, but could no longer lift her into the wheel chair. So occasionally the shelter workers would come and help him get her out of the bed and lift her into the wheel chair.
When we came into the room, the wife was lying in bed and seemed incoherent. The husband told us it was either because of the medication or just because she was so ill. Eventually she recognized we were visitors in the room and we asked if she wanted prayer. Finally she was able to say, “Yes, for my body and for my head.” We all came into agreement and prayed for her just as she requested. After that we went on our way to visit the other rooms witnessing about Christ and encouraging the others.
This is a 34 wheeler truck which is common in Brazil. How would you like to try and pass him?
As we were leaving we headed to the office and noticed a group of people who were gathered together. To our joy we saw the bed ridden lady we had prayed for was sitting in her wheel chair out in the fresh air and sharing with the others what the Lord had done for her. She was totally coherent and in her right mind. The lady that was helping her told us it was only a short time after receiving prayer, she became alert and on her own accord pushed herself up out of the bed and got into the wheel chair all by herself! Praise the Lord. Many were saved because of that miracle.
Finally it was getting late in the afternoon and our thoughts turned toward the church service that night. We returned to the home of Alendo and Divina, who catered to us all the while we were there. We had supper and took a short nap in their house and soon it was time for the church service to start.
HOLY GHOST FIRE
This is the elderly lady who got up on her own power after receiving prayer.
The people in this church are hungry for God and in one accord. Acts 2:1. Praises went up from the whole congregation, individuals, small groups, and to our delight small kids gathered together to sing and praise the Lord. That's the right setting for the Holy Ghost to take over a service.
Finally it came time for Eliane to preach. She was telling about how important it is for Christians to focus on cultivating and maintaining the presence of God in our daily lives. The more she preached the thicker the presence of the Lord became. Finally the Lord told her it was time to pray for the people, and as they ran to the front we knew a Holy Ghost explosion was about to take place.
As the people rushed to the front for prayer, I saw no empty seats as two long prayer lines formed. Words of knowledge were coming forth as Eliane ministered to them and told them what the Lord was saying about their lives, and what his counsel was as she prayed for each person wanting prayer. Lots of kids between 8 and 12 years old were being saved after that and then baptized in the Holy Spirit as their parents looked on with tears of joy in their eyes.
One fellow came forth and said he wanted to be baptized in the Holy Spirit, but the Lord told Eliane “He can't be baptized in the Holy Spirit because he doesn't have me.” What a shock that was! So Eliane told him 
Eliane and pastor Alves pry for his wife.
what the Lord said, and he admitted he was back slidden but was anxious to repent and get right with the Lord. So he repented and we led him in the sinner's prayer to be born again, and then prayed for him to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Another fellow was delivered from alcoholism and tears of joy began following as he felt the burden being removed. It was the kind of service to cherish and remember for a long time as the Lord poured out his love on a hungry group of his people who were passionately longing for his presence.
Several years ago we had worked an area north of Goiania as far north as Jaragua. That was our first encounter with a spiritist (new age, macumba, etc.) church. We were shocked! However, we soon learned that almost every city has at least one of these evil churches. So you can see there is a lot of work that still needs to been done in Brazil, but thankfully the door is wide open and all we need to do is go. We thank those of you who have made this mission possible.
That's John on the left with a new found friend at the shelter and Eliane is on the right right in the middle of the HOLE. How did she get there and how will she get out?
In the Year of Our Lord – November 1, 2011
OUR ASCENT AND DESCENT FROM MT. EVEREST
The next town was a place called Rianopolis and there was only one hotel. I stayed in the car with the driver while Eliane went and checked it out. After awhile she returned with a rather chagrined look upon her face as she delivered the news. She said the hotel was clean, but its distinguishing feature was that it had a personality all its own. The rooms were all on the second floor and each room had its own staircase. I didn't see any problem with that, but as she continued to describe the staircase I thought she was joking so I went to take a look for myself.
Eliane's going down the steps as she hold on to the 2nd floor and negotiates the 45° angle at half way between the 1st and 2nd floor.
No, I wasn't disappointed – only flabbergasted! To negotiate the steps one had to have the talent and dexterity of a George Mallory who desperately searched for a way up Mt. Everest. The staircase had no walls next to it, nor did it have handrails to hold on to. It was like a staircase in the middle of the sky! To make matters even more challenging the angle of ascent and descent was about 60 or more degrees, and that's not all. Even Mallory would have had trouble with the next obstacle. There was a sharp turn back of 45 degrees with no let up in the angle of ascent and descent. My mind began racing with all kinds of thoughts and I began laughing thinking that I would have to turn into a monkey to make the climb. Eliane asked the lady how would a person with a handicap get up the steps. The lady simply replied that someone would have to lift them up.
However, when there is only one port in the storm, what do you do? That's right, we told the lady we would be delighted to stay in the room and she was kind enough to offer us a small discount due to the fact we were doing the Lord's work. Needless to say, we were extra cautious every time we negotiated those steps, but with the Lord's help we prevailed.
Here I am trying to negotiate a hammock. It's not as easy as you think!
Later we began to explore the town and found an Assembly of God church. The pastor's house was right next door and his name was Jose de Jesus and his wife's name was Simone. We found them to be delightful people and we soon became good friends. Later some more family members came in and we had our own mini church service in their house. They invited us to come to the church the next night and even asked us to preach. God's FAVOR! We all gathered together in prayer and asked the Lord to move mightily in the church the next night and we all left expecting the Lord to save, heal, and deliver.
The next morning we got up early to go to the jail knowing we would have to walk quite a distance. When we finally arrived with sweat dripping off our faces we met a friendly guard who was glad to see us, but told us there were only two female prisoners there. The men were all sent to Ceres or Rialma, two larger towns about 35 kilometers away. He told us we would have to wait for the Commander to arrive before we could get permission to minister to the girls. Since we didn't know for sure if we could get in or not, and also since we didn't know for sure the Commander would even show up, we decided to forget the jail and go to a shelter.
That's the director of the shelter with Eliane. The pictures in the back are those of all the guests living in the shelter.
It wasn't hard to find the shelter since it was a small town, and actually, we were surprised such a small place even had a shelter. We learned from the lady who was in charge that it was started by the mayor of the town 70 years ago and was still financed by the local government. There were rooms for 16 people and we were allowed freedom to minister to all the people and pray for them.
Most of them were elderly and there wasn't as much sickness and disability as in the previous shelter where we ministered. We were glad to pray for them, share Christ with them, and upon leaving the director asked for us to pray for her and for the Lord to encourage her in what was a difficult and stressful job.
THE LORD SHOWS UP IN RIANOPLOIS
Soon it was time for the evening church service and the church was full. We recognized several traditional hymns being sung in Portuguese – How Great Thou Art and What a Friend We Have in Jesus. The pastor had trained many of the young people to help out during the service. Many people were asking for the baptism in the Holy Spirit, but only a few actually received. The pastor said that this is probably because they hadn't been taught much about it, but we believe some important seeds were planted and they will eventually receive.
Later while in Rianoplois we were invited to stay in the home of Cristina and Roberto along with their two cute little kids.
Eliane was ministering individually to just about everyone in the church as words of knowledge came forth regarding each situation. Eliane told one lady the Lord was saying the lady had a family history where a lot of macumba was going on, and it was causing problems in the lady's life. The lady confirmed that was true and agreed to place the word daily in her life to counter-act that problem. We then prayed to break all the family curses in the lady's life that were a result of this ancestral involvement in macumba.
There were lots of prayer requests for families who had unsaved loved ones. One lady came forth and confessed she was not yet born again, and she wanted to be a Christian, but she was not living right. We tried to explain to her she should come as she is; she couldn't clean herself up all by herself and all she needed was to truly repent and believe from the heart to come to Christ. She had tears in her eyes but still wouldn't make the commitment. However, she did let us pray for her and we prayed to break the evil strongholds keeping her from salvation. Once the strongholds fall down we are confident she will come to the Lord.
At the church we met a dentist, Roberto and his wife Cristina, who invited us to stay at their home for our last night in Rianopolis. What a pleasure it was to stay with them and visit about the things of the Lord. We were all blessed. Also, it was good for us because a situation arose where we could have been mistakenly:
THROWN INTO JAIL OURSELVES !!
In the Year of Our Lord – December 1, 2011
ON TO OPEN DOORS IN THE SCHOOL
The next morning we decided to go to the municipal school call Rita Monica Ledo. This was a school where most of the parents were in jail or poor neighborhoods. The school not only offered the regular curriculum, but taught life skills as well. We were able to preach to about 125 kids with many alvations. One teacher was so impressed with what we were doing that she asked if we had any financial sponsors here in Brazil. We said, “No we don't. She was very disappointed but we need to remember we go into the poorer areas of the country where they don't have a lot of money.
These kids from the school in Rianapolis just loved Eliane.
We can't thank those of you enough who support us not only through prayer, but financially as well. We couldn't go even once a year without your help, and we are still asking the Lord and believing he will raise up more joint harvesters to join with us as there is so much more we could do in Brazil.
John and Eliane ON THE CHAIN (Slang for doing jail time).
After ministering in the school Eliane decided to make a phone call. We located a public telephone near the hotel where we had already checked out, since we were invited to stay at Roberto's house. After we got done making the call the lady from the hotel was standing right there with a very disconcerted look upon her face. (She was mad)! She then accused us of not paying for the last day at the hotel, and said the girl at the desk said we didn't pay. Here is what actually happened. We did pay but the lady at the desk, pretended she couldn't read or write, but we've steadfastly been cautious always demanding receipts.
Here is a Jehovah Witness church in Rianopolis. There is one in almost every town we've been in. Christians, let's get busy. We have lots of work to do.
The hotel did have a book for their own records and we insisted an entry must be made it that book as well with the amount and a “pg” initialed showing payment was made. So Eliane wrote in the amount and we insisted the lady write the pg next to the amount. She did that much. We explained this to the owner of the hotel, but she didn't believe us and told us to get the receipt and show it to her. We got our baggage, found the receipt, and then went back to the lady's house.
Upon our arrival she now had a smile on her face and said that she had looked at the hotel receipt book and it was exactly as we indicated. She also said she recognized the “pg” was in the handwriting of the lady who attended the desk. She further noted that we actually did have the written receipt. She then apologized for the mistake and said she was going to confront the employee with the evidence.
This was a close call for us, but we consider it God's FAVOR that we didn't leave earlier. If we had left earlier without the confrontation, the lady would never have known the truth and would have thought we were crooks. She might have even gone to the police and we would have been arrested in the next town and behind the bars instead of in front of them.
THE ENIGMA OF THE RIVER OF SOULS
Note how far below the River of Souls is from the old bridge on which I'm standing to take this picture. You can see the new bridge just above that. In the past the river has risen above the old bridge, so it must have a tremendous amount of violently flowing water to do that.
Just north of Rianopolis are the two towns of Ceres and Rialma we mentioned earlier. They are separated by the River of Souls. No one knows for sure how the river got its name, but it is probably due to the violent nature of the river in that it has claimed many souls.
Both of these towns are fairly large and have jails. As we have already mentioned the smaller surrounding towns send their male prisoners there. We settled to visit with a pastor in the town of Ceres. Our first stop was the police station to inquire about preaching in the jail. They told us we would have to go across the river to the town of Rialma and ask the Commander there because he was in charge of both jails.
Arriving in Rialma we finally got to talk to the commander who was a no nonsense person but very accommodating. He told us to come back at 9:00 the next morning and we could preach to the inmates, but that he did not have charge of the jail at Ceres and we would have to talk again with the police there. So the rest of the day we got together planning what churches and schools we would visit the next day.
On the right is Fatima the pastor's wife, and her grandson on the left, and two member of the chrch. They are holding some of the clothes we took with us that were donated by brother Sonny's church in Weatherford, TX. Thanks brother Sonny and church. Your gift is still blessing others.
The first church was called Igreja Evangelica Avivamente. The word avivamente means “very alive.” That' was exactly the right place for us. Arriving at the church late in the evening we visited with church's pastor, Vilmo and his wife Fatima. Pastor Vilmo asked lots of questions and appeared very thoughtful explaining he had some bad experiences in the past with visiting preachers. But suddenly (God's FAVOR) pastor Vilmo said, “I have a speaker for Sunday but I will allow you to introduce yourselves and then pray for the people. Then you can come back Tuesday night and I'll let you have the whole service.” WOW! Praise the Lord!
What happened next in Ceres at pastor Vilmo's Igreja Evangelica Avivamente certainly was lively and was all:
ORCHESTRATED BY THE LORD
In the year of our Lord 1/1/12
A LIVELY (AVIVAMENTE) SUNDAY NIGHT AT PASTOR VILMO'S CHURCH
We had no trouble with Pastor Vilmo's arrangement for us to say only a few words Sunday night and then pray for the people, and then wait until Tuesday to do the full service. There were lots of things we could do in the meantime. There were two large jails in the area, at least three schools, and perhaps a shelter where we could minister during the day.
Here's the cute little girl who modeled all the clothes for us. Thank you brother Sonny and Rock of Helps Church.
On Sunday evening we arrived at pastor Vilmo's church early and gave him some of the clothes brother Sonny and his church in Weatherford, TX gave us last year to take on our mission trip. They were delighted to receive these clothes and one little girl gave us a fashion show. Every time the ladies in the church found something her size she would put it on and come and show us.
Soon the large doors of the church were opened and you could see the inside of the whole church from the street. This easy and open access helps draw the unsaved into the church. Everyone kneels and prays before the service; visiting is done outside on the street. This helps create the right atmosphere for a move of God to take place. As the service started there was some very lively singing coming forth as several different people took turns leading the songs. Finally it came time for the guest evangelist to speak. He brought a friend with him and they sang some of the most beautiful Brazilian country gospel songs you could imagine and in perfect harmony. The last song they sang summed it all up. – “Jesus is all. Jesus is all.” In the Portuguese language and the singing done it harmony, it comes across as absolutely beautiful.
This lady at pastor Vilmo's church is being touched mightily by the Lord.
The evangelist's message fit right into what happened next when it was Eliane's turn to speak and then to pray for the people. He spoke about how we can do nothing without the presence of the Holy Spirit. When he was finished Eliane came forth to say a few encouraging words that followed up on what the evangelist was saying about the presence of the Holy Spirit. She called the people to come forward if they wanted prayer. The whole church came to the front! That's right – every last one of them. Avivamente!
As Eliane walked toward the first person the Holy Spirit fell and Eliane could hardly stand on her feet the anointing was so strong. The people near her were staggering under the power of God, and the first person she prayed for jumped for joy and began praising God. The next person she prayed for fell under the power of God as the Holy Spirit was in total control.
And so it continued as the service went on. People asked for prayer for healing, some had emotional problems, and the Holy Spirit administered comfort to them as Eliane gave big hugs to several teenagers who shed many tears. The evangelist was overjoyed to see that what he had spoken and prayed about was actually happening right before his eyes. When the service was over pastor Vilmo was all smiles and said the service was “otimo” which means really good. He immediately invited us back for the Tuesday night service where Eliane could preach as well as pray for the people. He also promised to call several other people in the area to come. We were looking for an even greater move of the Lord to take place as he would minister to his people.
HARD HEARTS AND HARD HEADS AT THE RIALMA JAIL
This razor wire will go on top of the new wall of the Rialma jail. Be careful Eliane!
We got up early the next morning to get to the jail in Rialma which was just on the other side of the River of Souls. When we got there the commander had not yet arrived, but we told one of the soldiers our story and he readily let us in. God's FAVOR! There were about 30 men in this prison and they were a rough bunch. The Lord didn't give any word of knowledge for any of them. We passed out Bibles to those who didn't have one, and there were about six salvations and/or re dedications. Nevertheless, they heard the word preached and seeds were sown. Someone else will come along and water it, and later another to harvest. 1Cor. 3:6.
When we finished preaching in the jail we sat and waited for the commander to arrive and see if we could also preach to the trustees. It was a long wait but he finally arrived and he told us the trustees were very busy and couldn't stop working on building the new wall around the jail. We understood, thanked him for letting us preach to the ones inside, and we went on our way back across the river to Ceres and the other jail.
MORE HARD HEARTS AND HARD HEADS IN THE CERES JAIL
These are vehicles parked outside the jail and are saved for evidence or they were stolen.
Surprisingly enough there was only one guard in charge at the Ceres jail. We explained to him what happened and that the commander at Rialma told us they must make the decision in Ceres if we could get into the jail or not. It's interesting to note this guard knew what we were saying was correct. He told us we couldn't enter the jail without the permission of the sheriff, and he wouldn't return to his office until 2:00p.m. Fortunately, we didn't have to go to the sheriff's office or hunt for him. The guard told us that at 2:00 p.m. He would call the sheriff and tell what we wanted. God's FAVOR! So we began what was about an hour and a half wait, but at the appointed time the guard did call the sheriff and the sheriff gave the okay. God's FAVOR!
There were about 30 prisoners in this jail also and the same response from the Lord – no word for any of them. There were only two re dedications. But it is important to remember that someone needs to tell others about Jesus whether there is a favorable response or not. Many of us didn't get saved the first time we heard the gospel. Tomorrow would be a better day for we would be going to the schools to tell about Christ. We always have a favorable response there and many salvations. Thank you Lord for the open door and for those who send us making it possible to go through that door! Be watching to see how the Lord made it possible to get:
THREE DAYS WORK ACCOMPLISHED IN ONE DAY - God's FAVOR
In the year of our Lord 2/1/12
The next morning we were up early and ready to begin witnessing to kids in the schools. We were immediately blessed when we went to the first school. The lady in charge welcomed us warmly and we discovered she was in charge of all the state schools in the area. Not only was she receptive to letting us in to preach to the kids, but she provided us with a delightful lady named Islamar to take us by car to each of the schools, all in one day. God's FAVOR! Normally this would take 3 days to cover all these schools.
These kids are listening intently to the plan of salvation.
The schools we went to had students who were pulled out from other schools because of failing, were from very poor neighborhoods, or were under privileged. Even in this relatively small town environment these kids had already been exposed to drugs and alcohol. When we asked them how many of them had already seen drug activity, more than half of them raised their hands. Although this was an unfortunate situation, we were able to use it as a springboard to lead them to Christ. At these three schools we were able to minister to about 350 kids with about 80% salvations.
At one school the staff got the kids together in sort of an outdoor auditorium. At the others we went from class to class. Although it took most of the day to get the job done, we were able to accomplish a lot with the help of Islamar our friend, guide, and driver.
WE WANT TO LEAVE; HE WANTS US TO STAY
It's still difficult to capture the rhythm of Brazil. The city of Carmo do Rio Verde built this nice 8 acre lake on the edge of town, but still allows a near-by small factory to dump pollution into the lake.
After finishing with the school in Ceres we departed to the town of Carmo do Rio Verde which is a very small town. However, we were assured by a very flamboyant friend of ours in Ceres, that they had a hotel in Carmo do Rio Verde and we would have no trouble. We should always be trusting the Lord will go ahead of us and make the crooked places straight - Is. 45:2. This was one of those times. When we arrived at the hotel we discovered that normally they always have vacant rooms. However, there was some construction being done in town and the construction company had rented all the rooms in advance for their workers.
We thought about going to the next town but learned that the bus wouldn't leave until 8:00 p.m. We would have to wait all day for the bus and really didn't like the idea of arriving in a new area late at night. It might be another Uruana or even worse. Our next option was to find someone in town and see what he would charge to take us to the next town. We finally found him and he quoted us a price that was twice or more than the going rate. Okay, what now? We inquired around for some additional information and discovered there was another hotel but it was way on the edge of town. After a long walk we got to the hotel but it was very expensive and we turned it down.
Finally Eliane said, “Let's see if we can find the pastor's house and see if he can find someone we could pay to take us to the next town.” After our long walk back to town we finally found an Assembly of God church and fortunately the pastor was there. His name was Eramilton. We told him our story and he began asking questions. We kept talking in the direction of just getting out of there, while he kept asking questions about what we were doing and where we had been. Finally he asked if we had visited another pastor in Ceres.
We said, “ yes” and fortunately brother Vilmo had written for us a letter of recommendation.. God's FAVOR!
Since I do all the camera work, I seldom get my picture in these newsletter. But here I am on the left and brother Eramilton on the right.
So pastor Eramilton in Carmo do Rio Verde called brother Vilmo on the phone and got a good report from him. Then he said to us, “I want you to stay here and preach in my church!” Wow! What a blessing. We told him we didn't have any place to stay and the hotel on the outskirts to town was way too expensive. He said, “Let's go there and I will talk to them.” So we got in his car and drove to the hotel. He talked with the lady at the desk for awhile and returning told us, “It's all taken care of. It is my pleasure to pay the hotel bill for the two nights you will be here.” Wow! God's FAVOR! Not only that but he told us he would contact the commander at the jail and make arrangements for us to preach there, and the next morning he would come and get us and take us there. This pastor was going out of his way to help us!
Most all Brazilians are very likable people. You meet them once and you feel as though you have known them for years. However pastor Eramilton made a lasting impression on us. Seldom do we see a person so sold out for God and as accommodating as he was. He has become a life long friend and we miss him already.
PASTOR ERAMILTON BEATS US TO THE JAIL
That's Eliane with pastor Eramilton; truly a great man of God. We still miss hin.
The next morning we awoke early and made ourselves ready to go to the jail. We waited for the pastor to come by as he promised, but we got anxious and decided to walk to the jail since it didn't look like he was going to be able to make it on time. When we finally made it to the jail and walked through the door with sweat dripping down our faces, there was pastor Eramilton talking with the guard and setting up our permission to preach to the inmates. We should have waited for him to pick us up! He told us it took a little longer than he expected to get everything set up so that is why he was delayed.
There were nine prisoners in this jail, and it was a real blessing for us to share Christ with them compared to the last two jails we visited. They were anxious to hear the word and asked a lot of questions. Several were back sliders who got right with God, and there were three new born again conversions through repentance and receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior. We began to teach them that through renewing of the mind (Rom. 12:2) they could change their thinking and then their actions would change. They understood and also learned they must not only read and study the word, but begin applying it in their lives. We gave Bibles to those who had none and went on our way rejoicing.
Watch for what happens next month when pastor Eramilton drops a bombshell and makes the way for us to:
PREACH THE GOSPEL TO SEVERAL THOUSAND PEOPLE!