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Nov, '04 #19

Greetings from Brazil

Things are heating up here as we wind up the year. Rainy season is coming and the temperature is rising. We had a cold spell awhile back. Though the temperature itself was not that cold, with the wind and the lower humidity it felt cool - cool enough in fact for me to wish I had one of those electric shower heads they use here. But I found a cheaper solution. Now the weather and the city water is hot and I have once again begun taking showers. Inside the house it holds a steady 90° F day and night but the humidity is down around 50% so it’s not too bad unless you are in the sun or the wind stops. The wind is less at this time of year, but there are still days of frequent 20 and occasional 25 mph gusts. Some times it kicks up large, swirling dust-devils that go charging across the scrubland - or into a house. Last week it rained for the 3rd time since March. The real rains aren’t due for a month or two. The lake level has dropped about 8 feet*, but shouldn’t reach the record lows of last year for some time. Our island camp is still an island.

I’ve mentioned in the past the trouble we were having selling the house in Fortaleza. I think it’s finally over. It took several trips and more run-arounds than a baseball diamond. One of the trips worked out for us to be the speakers at the MK school’s "Spiritual Emphasis Week". I had Jr / Sr High and Michele had Elementary . On another trip I got a call from Michele asking me to buy lots of diapers. . . Maybe I’d better explain that. Andrea, who cleans the church here in Sobradinho has a sister in Fortaleza whose baby was born with serious problems. They had insurance but ran out of money for "incidentals" - like diapers which are required and can get expensive. Since I was there I was going to get them and try to take them by the hospital, but time was short and I didn’t have a car. I thought of a lady who has been a friend of the family for years. She is a godly lady who really empathizes well and has a good knowledge of the Brazilian medical system. She not only went to the hospital as asked but waited a couple of hours for the family to return so she could talk to them. Though the baby died that night, she had found out where they lived and later took a member of a near-by church to visit them and invite them to church. They went to church and the mother decided to start living for the Lord and the father made a salvation decision. Please pray that Andrea (here) will make a decision, too.

Two women in the church continue to have a children’s club in a home and attendance is growing. We also plan to start a club near our house. The location problem has just been solved as a church member agreed to host it. Michele was asked to help 3 women with English and she is gathering special Bible-based material for that. Children’s day is big here and we had a special "party"* at church with well over 100 in attendance. In fact I had to run out and buy more bread for the snack. We gained a few kids but no new adults. I still want to do a calendar distribution program but am having problems finding an acceptable model. The map I am making of the town is almost complete.

We had a special retreat* at camp for Sept. 7 (Brazil’s fourth of July) with an emphasis on leadership and evangelism. Schedule conflicts limited turn-out but it was a good retreat in all. A local church is scheduled for this week end (12-15)* and we are also preparing for the year-end retreat. Church cancellations continue to be a problem, in part because transportation is expensive for them. A month’s pay buys 25 gallons of gas. I don’t know how to resolve, or even diminish this problem. My efforts so far have been fruitless.

I’ve added a section to the web-site for the camp*. It’s in English and Portuguese and as use justifies I will amplify it. I intend to make available pictures so campers can see themselves on-line as well as improvements (like the horse,* sail boat,* and kyaks*), scheduled events and a little PR for anyone interested in getting to know us.

A special thanks for those who prayed for Michele’s brother, Wesley Beckner who was hospitalized after being beaten at work. He and Angie are on deputation to work in Jewish ministries in Rio and have just had a baby - Aaron Zechariah*. Mom and Dad almost got to share a room in the hospital, but all are doing better now. If you did not receive an e-mail notice and would like to be added to the list let us know.

One last note in closing. We just made a giant step towards civilization here as Royal Crown cola was introduced in our area. Now if we can just get a Moon Pie to go with that RC we’d be pretty close to first world.

The Athas in Brazil
bwaii@yahoo.com
*www.theathas.org


	Greetings from Brazil Things are heating up here as we wind up the year. Rainy season is coming and the temperature is rising. We had a cold spell awhile back. Though the temperature itself was not that cold, with the wind and the lower humidity it felt cool - cool enough in fact for me to wish I had one of those electric shower heads they use here. But I found a cheaper solution. Now the weather and the city water is hot and I have once again begun taking showers. Inside the house it holds a steady 90° F day and night but the humidity is down around 50% so it’s not too bad unless you are in the sun or the wind stops. The wind is less at this time of year, but there are still days of frequent 20 and occasional 25 mph gusts. Some times it kicks up large, swirling dust-devils that go charging across the scrubland - or into a house. Last week it rained for the 3rd time since March. The real rains aren’t due for a month or two. The lake level has dropped about 8 feet, but shouldn’t reach the record lows of last year for some time. Our island camp is still an island. I’ve mentioned in the past the trouble we were having selling the house in Fortaleza. I think it’s finally over. It took several trips and more run-arounds than a baseball diamond. One of the trips worked out for us to be the speakers at the MK school’s "Spiritual Emphasis Week". I had Jr / Sr High and Michele had Elementary . On another trip I got a call from Michele asking me to buy lots of diapers. . . Maybe I’d better explain that. Andrea, who cleans the church here in Sobradinho has a sister in Fortaleza whose baby was born with serious problems. They had insurance but ran out of money for "incidentals" - like diapers which are required and can get expensive. Since I was there I was going to get them and try to take them by the hospital, but time was short and I didn’t have a car. I thought of a lady who has been a friend of the family for years. She is a godly lady who really empathizes well and has a good knowledge of the Brazilian medical system. She not only went to the hospital as asked but waited a couple of hours for the family to return so she could talk to them. Though the baby died that night, she had found out where they lived and later took a member of a near-by church to visit them and invite them to church. They went to church and the mother decided to start living for the Lord and the father made a salvation decision. Please pray that Andrea (here) will make a decision, too. Two women in the church continue to have a children’s club in a home and attendance is growing. We also plan to start a club near our house. The location problem has just been solved as a church member agreed to host it. Michele was asked to help 3 women with English and she is gathering special Bible-based material for that. Children’s day is big here and we had a special "party" at church with well over 100 in attendance. In fact I had to run out and buy more bread for the snack. We gained a few kids but no new adults. I still want to do a calendar distribution program but am having problems finding an acceptable model. The map I am making of the town is almost complete. We had a special retreat* at camp for Sept. 7 (Brazil’s fourth of July) with an emphasis on leadership and evangelism. Schedule conflicts limited turn-out but it was a good retreat in all. A local church is scheduled for this week end (12-15)* and we are also preparing for the year-end retreat. Church cancellations continue to be a problem, in part because transportation is expensive for them. A month’s pay buys 25 gallons of gas. I don’t know how to resolve, or even diminish this problem. My efforts so far have been fruitless. I’ve added a section to the web-site for the camp. It’s in English and Portuguese and as use justifies I will amplify it. I intend to make available pictures so campers can see themselves on-line as well as improvements (like the horse, sail boat,* and kyaks), scheduled events and a little PR for anyone interested in getting to know us. A special thanks for those who prayed for Michele’s brother, Wesley Beckner who was hospitalized after being beaten at work. He and Angie are on deputation to work in Jewish ministries in Rio and have just had a baby - Aaron Zechariah. Mom and Dad almost got to share a room in the hospital, but all are doing better now. If you did not receive an e-mail notice and would like to be added to the list let us know. One last note in closing. We just made a giant step towards civilization here as Royal Crown cola was introduced in our area. Now if we can just get a Moon Pie to go with that RC we’d be pretty close to first world. The Athas in Brazil bwaii@yahoo.com *www.theathas.org