Great opportunities demand much prayer

On Sunday, a group of seven people from a church in Tennessee will arrive. Throughout the week, they will help us pass out tracts, hold a Bible club, teach a Bible study, and meet the people we love and are ministering to here in Portugal. We are excited and just a little bit nervous.

Like any missionary, we want to show our friends and partners from America what we are doing here. We want them to experience some of our life and ministry. We want them to leave Portugal sharing an even strong burden and passion to reach people here.

At the same time, we wonder if people who visit will think, “Is this it? What else do you have going on? Where is your church? When are you starting an orphanage? When will you translate the Bible into the native language?” Okay, the last two questions are not real, but sometimes we do look at what we are doing and think, “Is this it?” Giving out tracts, talking with people, having one-on-one Bible studies, doing Bible clubs with a dozen kids, and eating meals with people is slow work, and sometimes the results are long in coming. And yet, it is worth it. We may not have evangelistic crusades with thousands of people; we may not have a Bible college training dozens of pastors each year; we may not have an orphanage filled with children eager to learn the Bible; but what we do have is the assurance that God has placed us here for a reason. Because of that, we will gladly spend our lives here doing what He has called us to do.

Having said that, we believe that this upcoming week can be a real catalyst for the work here. Having this group from one of our supporting church is a great blessing and opportunity. Join us in praying for the week ahead:

1. Pray for the tracts we will be distributing. We hope to pass out 6,000 tracts in the week to come.

2. Pray for the kids activities we will be doing. I have been volunteering at a community center over the past year. Now, I believe the time is right to begin a Bible club with the kids of that neighborhood.

3. Pray that the team will be able to encourage the people who come to our Bible study.

4. Pray that God would work in a powerful way and that He would be glorified.

Thanks for caring!

 

 

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The rest of the story

By: Sarah

What do a ladies’ meeting, a health center, a camp, and a soccer tournament have in common? They’re all things we’ve mentioned over the past few months. If you want to know the rest of these stories, read on:

Remember our ladies’ meeting in May that never happened because nobody came? Well,

we tried again in June. Four ladies came, all of whom are saved. Our speaker gave a great message on Psalm 1, challenging us as believers, and reminding us of the plight of unbelievers. Thanks to our family and churches who sent materials, we made cards to encourage others, and had a special time of prayer for our unsaved friends and the people of our town.

My friend from the health center ended up being in the hospital for a week. Through visiting her, I got to meet her unsaved boyfriend and talk with him about religion. They have both promised to visit our Bible study.

The security guard I met at the health center turned out to be a Baptist! He lives in a town nearby and attends a church in another town. It was encouraging to meet another Christian, and we will help him with his English as he prepares for an upcoming exam.

Bible camp went very well last week. Over 20 kids attended, almost all of whom are unchurched. For many, it was the first time they had heard ANY Bible stories or teaching. Although none of the kids got saved this year, several returned who had been saved last year, and some of them asked for prayers for courage as they go back home to unsaved family and friends.

On a sad note, Portugal lost to rival Spain in the semifinals of the Euro Cup. We played our hearts out, and the game went all the way to penalty kicks. Spain went on to easily win the final over Italy. Once again, Portugal lives in the shadow of its more famous and larger neighbor.

The campers stayed in tents

This big tent was the dining hall, game room, kitchen, and chapel!

Giving an invitation after preaching a message

Sarah helping in the kitchen

Kids designing and painting their team flag