Juiz de Fora, Brazil 2 May 2012
Dear Friends and Family,
We were delighted to have our son, Richard, and his girlfriend, Emma, with us for a week in April. We were able to visit Carangola and give Richard an opportunity to remember his teenage years. We were impressed how well he remembered Portuguese.
University Lunchtime Evangelistic Studies
It has been really hard work for the students to bring along non Christians friends, in fact even harder than last year. The most promising group has been on Mondays in the Languages Department. Judy leads this with a student, Cleverlaine. Because the Bible study is in English this attracts students who want to improve their English. Because of the struggle with the other studies in other departments on Wednesday, Thursdays and Fridays, Simon with a student, Arthur, have set up lunchtime prayer times on Mondays and Tuesdays to seek the Lord. The other students are slowly picking up the vision of prayer. (The third photo is of students in our flat who came for training for these studies.)
Bible Interpretation Course
We finished with the first group of 6 students at the end of March (see photo) and started the 14 week course again with 9 students. This is a little larger than we wanted, but nobody wanted to wait for the next course and so we squash them around our dining room table (with overflow on the sofa) each Saturday afternoon. We are now in the fifth week and they seem enthusiastic. It is a great privilege for us to be with them and make the Bible more meaningful. Their names for prayer are Jobert, Erica, Luana, Laura, Uziel, (President of CU) Wesley, Anderson, Val and Leo.
On Saturdays evenings Simon continues to go to a local Church in a suburb called Ipiranga. He is now in week 7. He finds it harder to teach the course in a formal setting because he designed it to be interactive, but the Church seems keen to continue with it. We think that it’s stimulating them to re think how they read the Bible.
English Lessons
Judy continues to give free lessons to 4 students on Tuesdays and Thursdays. They cannot afford to pay for lessons. One of these, Alan, is not a Christian. He’s doing a doctorate in Religious Studies and went to a Catholic Seminary. Through these lessons we are hoping to get to know him better and pray that their might be a chance to share the Gospel with him more. He already attends the Bible study in the language department.
Evangelistic Studies
Simon continues to visit Marcio and Eliangela with their 7 children, soon to be 9. We have completed 7 of 12 studies. They show interest but as yet no obvious sign of being challenged. This Monday Livia (pharmacy student, see photo) professed faith in the Lord after the 5th study about the parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector. She broke down and sobbed saying “ I’m lost”. It was a very moving moment and a great privilege to be present. We will continue on with the remaining studies to clarify further the Gospel. Thursday evenings we are with Carol (nutrition student). We have only 3 studies left and she still appears to be confused. She comes from a strong Catholic family and seems to think that trusting the Lord personally for salvation is more a matter of swapping religion than gaining new life. We’ve not talked with her about her Church ‘allegiance’ but hope the study in John 3 about being born again will help clarify things for her.
Finally further matters for prayer
On 19 May the students are holding an evangelistic event “Pie Festival” where they provide food and a Gospel presentation and message. Last year this attracted about 180, and probably the majority of whom are non Christians. The students are hoping to have 80 pies on the day – this will involve a Brazilian last minute ‘panic’ but everything seems to be alright on the night.
On Friday Simon is beginning 3 sessions for the Christian Union, teaching them how to use the 12 week evangelistic Bible study course. We hope this will give the students a structured way of presenting the Gospel personally to their friends.
On 6 -10 June Simon will teach the Bible Interpretation Course in a Church in Franca, Sao Paulo, where Warren and Linda Brown live.
On 29 June- 1 July Simon will be in Brasila (the capital) to give some teaching. As yet he does not know what he should teach.
Thank you so much for your interest and prayer.
Every blessing on our Lord Jesus
Simon and Judy
