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Dear Brethren,
Easter has passed on the calendar, but I trust not in your hearts. The impact of contact with a risen Savior changed
forever the hearts of those who saw Him and the world to this day. It is the corner stone of Christianity and the
singular most distinctive aspect that separates it from religions and without it we are the most miserable of all
according to Paul.
The boys continue to grow and often surprise and delight us. Awhile back when I took the two oldest with me to
work on the parsonage improvements we found a leathery egg in the gravel. We saved it in a cup to wait for it to
hatch and see what it was. I instructed them to leave it alone, but a little while later the middle boy, Dalton,
came sadly to me and said, "It got squashed-ed". He insisted that it wiggled and jumped from his hand.
(When I later asked him if a second egg we found had gotten "squashed-ed" he said, "No, I don’t
have a hammer.") We wanted to see what was in the egg so we carefully opened it and pulled out a limp little
lizard and laid it on a counter. I left them studying it and went back to work on the wiring. Minutes later, William,
the oldest, burst through the door screaming at the top his lungs "He’s alive, he’s alive, he’s alive"
with all the gusto that only a pre-schooler can muster. I almost immediately thought of the followers of Jesus,
bursting through the door into the darkened room where the others were hiding. Though we can only imagine the excitement
of that moment, we should try to live it daily for it is our hope and the down payment of all that is to come.
Almost exciting is the news that our work has a new, Brazilian pastor. He is a recent graduate and has excellent
recommendations. We had given up hope on getting someone this year, but the Lord had saved the best for last. Things
have been very busy trying to get the house finished for him. I thought I was behind in the paper work, but didn’t
know how far ahead I was – at least compared to now. Several things complicated the work including a flood that
ran 30,000 people out of their houses.
This brings up two important prayer requests. One: pray for the new pastor and the church in this transition period.
Both will probably go through some adjustments. His name is Romulo (the ‘r’ has an ‘h’ sound) and his wife is Franciane.
Two, we also need your prayers as we consider how to best use the last year of our term. One year isn’t much time
to start something new, but we don’t want to throw our furlough schedule off either. We have considered a number
of options, but until now nothing seems viable. William will also start 1st grade, so schooling is a consideration,
though we have been quite happy with the Brazilian school he’s studying in. We also have several decisions we would
like to see made before we leave, so pray for the neighbors and contacts in the neighborhood.
In His service,
Byron, Michele Atha and William, Dalton, and Greyson
In Brazil
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