Tradition Trumps Truth

So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God. Mt.15

Every Saturday - the local Catholic church offers the typical catechism classes for youth. Interestingly, several of those we have worked with closely chose to send their kids to these classes, as well as attend our sunday studies. The notion is that if the children are exposed to several religions, they will be well-rounded and balanced. I call it the fruit salad mentality - the lie that says there's a bit of good, or shall we say - a bit of truth in each one - so combined, they become the ultimate truth. Sure - their thinking might not be this calculated, but this is always how it plays out. What is missing at one church will be taught at another...

Often I question the parents about the meaning of catechism. The answer comes back empty, with something like:"well, I did it when I was a kid and I think it's important for them". Catechism (teachings of particular doctrine) is certainly important, but why is teaching more important than WHAT we are teaching? Parents don't know and the kids are clueless!!!

Jesus made it clear that tradition rooted in man made rules nulifies the Word of God. False tradition does not marry with true Christianity - it opposes the true gospel! The gospel is God-centered while false tradtions are man-centered, "but it's end is the way to death" Pv. 14:12.

Father - disillusion brazilians of their hopes in the false gospel.

Prayer Requests

Take a minute to pray over these requests as you read them.

1. Zalmo - an alcoholic with no hope. He showed up here as drunk as could be, with a flat motorcycle tire - asking if he could leave the motorcycle here. One thing led to another and I am meeting with him regularly - but it is a sad situation!

2. Adelar and Ivani - Ivani took offense to some things I said in a Bible study with her and her husband Adelar. The comments were along the lines that man's biggest problem is what comes from within (a sinful heart), and not our circumstances around us. She is so bitter about it that she had Adelar call here to cut off all ties with them. Another sad situation!

3. Saulo and Gisa - next door neighbors. Their 16 year old son, Jonathan, has been nothing but trouble. God has brought his life to a halt by means of a serious motorcycle accident. He will be in the hospital for at least a month. Pray God will give us an entrance into his life.

Pray for us - that we will believe Psalm 50:20 -"You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." Ask God to give us wisdom in our actions and reactions. Thanks.

July Happenings

Wow! July came and went so quickly and there's so much to write about! To sum it up, we were able to host two separate missions groups who came to help us with two kids clubs. It was hard work, but fun and God blessed our efforts in spite of the weather (it was cold and rainy during our open-air club) and our own shortcomings, and here are some of the highlights (in no particular order of importance) ...

A chance to present the gospel twice at a school nearby

Contacts made from doing a door-to-door survey -- we are starting Bible studies this week with new families as a result

Great food at our neighbor's house who cooked a great meal for us each day the second group was here. We are halfway through a six-week Bible study with this family.

Good burgers from a local restaurant -- meat pattie, ham, cheese, corn, peas, tomato, lettuce, potato chips and homemade mayo -- not of any importance, but just an interesting cultural note

Fun times with Rachel, David's sister, who spent a good part of her summer vacation here with us. She brought ingredients for smores -- how thoughtful!

Group #1 from São Paulo -- it was cold and rainy while they were here, but we were still able to enjoy an outing to a local fort during their time here

We had daily devotions with both groups. Here we're having devotions at the beach. It was a really special time. Thank you, James and David, for challenging us to have godly ambitions.

You can hardly see her, but the woman in this picture is a mom who brought her son (in the red) to our VBS last year. She has made a profession of faith in Christ and this year she helped us in our second club and brought her son and nephews every day to participate.

The boy on the left made a profession of faith during the second club. He has come many times to our Sunday School and has always shown a lot of interest in the gospel. Pray for this young boy, that he will remain firm as he reaches the hard preteen/teenage years, that he will not be lured away by everything the world has to offer.

Group #2 from Curitiba included both mine and David's parents and Rachel. It was great to work with family and to have both Grannas here to help take care of the little ones.

Dad concluded three of the days with great paintings illustrating an attribute of God and concluding with the cross of Christ

Song time -- by the third day, the kids were singing the songs really well

Good outcome in both clubs. We have around 50 new families to visit. The mother of the second boy on the left has already agreed to start a Bible study this week.

Good story time with James and David. The theme of both clubs was "The Real Treasure" focusing on God and His attributes.

Game time is always a big hit with the kids. We are thankful that the neighborhood school allowed us to use their gym for the second club.

There are many other details I could write about, but I think this is good for now. Thank you for praying for us. There is so much work to be done here. The more we come in contact with people, the more we are seeing the importance of God placing us here to spread the gospel.

To São Paulo and Back

Last week we took a 24-hour trip to the nearest American Consulate in São Paulo to register Juliana as an American citizen born abroad and to get some other documents taken care of. Gabriel stayed with James and Christen while David and I made the quick trip with Juliana. We weren't too thrilled to have to do this, but then a missionary informed us that we would be very close to a big mall that has both Applebee's and Starbucks in it. That may not seem like a big deal, but it was so nice to have a little taste of home! Just sitting at these places brought back good memories of times in the States with family and friends. It helped to "matar saudades", which is hard to translate into English, but word-for-word means "to kill longings for someone or something you miss." Like I said, hard to translate ...


We were very grateful for the efficiency of the American Consulate -- we were in and out in an hour with Juliana's American birth certificate in hand and the rest of the documents to be mailed to our house. I think we also left São Paulo grateful that we don't have to live there. It's huge and crazy and a different world than our São José.

So why am I blogging about such a simple event? I can see God's hand in everything that happened. From the safety He provided on the flights and taxi rides (seriously, our first taxi driver almost side-swiped a car), to how everything went so smoothly at the Consulate. From providing some fun places for us to eat, to giving us a sunny, perfect-temperature day. I believe God pays attention to the smallest details in our lives. I mean, if He knows how many hairs are on my head, then certainly He knows that I really like Starbucks mocha frappuccinos with whipped cream. :)

Quick Update

It's a little after the fact, but earlier this month we hosted a ladies' tea in honor of Mother's Day. Sadly, I didn't check my camera's battery before the event, and it was dead, so I didn't get any pictures. However, my sister-in-law, Christen, took pictures and wrote a great blog about our time and you can read about it here. I invited several different women, including my next door neighbor. She asked if she could bring her adult daughter and I said sure. It was interesting that my neighbor did not come, but she told her daughter about it and she came and brought her sister-in-law too. I had not met either of them before, so I was glad to have 2 new contacts. A few days ago, I talked to the daughter again and asked her if she was interested in having a Bible study with me. She said her family is busy with building their house right now, but that when it's done, she'll come to me for a study. More than likely, that was a polite way of saying she was not interested, but I'm praying that God will work in her heart so that she actually will come for a Bible study soon.


It has been nice to have a family of 5 join us for our Sunday morning Bible studies the past couple of weeks. James and Christen have been working with them and we would love to see the whole family receive Jesus as their Savior. We are longing to see genuine fruit in our work here. Recently, we have been tempted to be discouraged as people we have come to know and care for and have had Bible studies with have lost interest or become offended by the gospel for one reason or another. Instead of taking it personally, we have to remind ourselves that they are actually rejecting Christ, not us, and that God calls us to be faithful in proclaiming the gospel and to trust Him for the results.

As for our little family, we are doing well. Juliana is growing too fast! I am a little sad that she has already outgrown some of her clothes and has moved up a diaper size. Why do mommies want their children to stay little? She is generally a very happy, easy-going baby and she seems to have easily found her place in our lives.

Gabriel is always full of energy and is a little more high-maintenance than his sister ... well, a lot more high maintenance. He surprises us almost every day with things he has learned. Not too long ago, I walked into David's study to see Gabriel sitting at the computer. I asked him what he was doing and he said, "I writing e-mails."



We are excited about some upcoming things:
1- the World Cup (soccer). I plan on doing a blog about that in a few weeks including pictures that show Brazil's passion for this sport and specifically this event. Go Brazil!

2- potentially buying a house or a piece of property on which to build a house. David has been running around a lot recently meeting with realtors and builders, trying to find a good spot for us and getting estimates. We live in a very hilly area, so we're praying for a piece of property that is flat. :)

3- going to Sao Paulo. Juliana needs to be registered at the American Embassy as an American citizen and my American passport has expired, so we (minus Gabriel) are flying to the nearest American Embassy in Sao Paulo to get those important documents taken care of. That may not sound exciting to you, but we found out there are both Applebee's and Starbucks close to the Embassy, so we're looking forward to that!

4- having a kids' club in July. We are already planning for this event. It was an effective outreach program last year and we are expecting to have many more kids come this year.