Here in the Southern Hemisphere, Winter is quickly approaching. Winter in Curitiba doesn’t get as cold as it does in some parts of the world, but the temps often drop into the 40’s (farenheit) with a lot of rain. Very few homes have central heat so it definitely gets a little chilly!
Annie and I had the awesome privilege of having her cousin, Laura, come and spend a month with us. Laura is a wonderful girl and it was great having her visit. She is a student at Lee University (my alma mater for my undergraduate degree) and has been involved with Youth with a Mission. She has a heart for the nations and wanted to experience what God is doing in Brazil.
Right about the time that Laura got here in May, C3 Church Curitiba was having their annual Every Woman Conference. Pastor 
Mayra Rodrigues came down from the US to be the main speaker. Mayra and her husband, Mario, pastor C3 Church in Las Vegas. Annie spoke at one of the conference sessions, also. The ladies had a wonderful weekend of being refreshed and hearing from God.
While Laura was here, she helped us some around the office. She was able to help us on a big translation project that we are working on. She spoke at one of the youth group meetings. She also participated in several of C3 Curitiba’s Connect Groups. Laura even proofread a manuscript that I am working on. It is not every day that I have access to an English Major!
Annie and I took Laura with us up to Santos for a weekend ministry trip. C3 Santos’ Pastor Fabio scheduled a leadership night and had me speak to his leaders on the “Keys to Creating a Healthy Team.” Annie and I also spent some time praying for each team member and laying hands on them.
I preached on Sunday at C3 Santos. They were doing a sermon series on The Apocalypse and taking a look at the end times. My message was on “The End of the End.” In reality, we have been living in the Last Days since the time of Christ. Pastor Fabio wanted me to preach on the Rapture and the moment when Jesus actually returns. For the Christians, this will be a joyous day. For everyone else, it will not be so good. The New Testament describes the moment as involving angels, fire, judgment, and God’s wrath.
After the service, a man came up to me and told me that he was not a Christian yet. He said that he is thinking about giving his life to Christ but is just not ready yet. He said that I gave him a lot to think about. He even let me pray for him. Would you take a moment and pray for Clayton? I appreciated his honesty and the fact that he is counting the cost involved in becoming a Christian. Let’s all pray that he will allow Jesus to become his Lord.
It is so good to see C3 Church Santos growing! We were there two months earlier and in that two month period there were so many new people that I did not know. Thankfully, the weather in Santos was better than what we had been experiencing in Curitiba and we were even able to take Laura to one of the beautiful Brazilian beaches for a few hours.
C3 Church Curitiba continues to grow and thrive. The sermon series this month is on “Prosperity.” Pastor Ronald wants
the people to really get a good Biblical understanding of money. I preached this past week on “Generosity: The Key to Living a Bigger Life.” At the end of my message, I showed this short video on generosity. It is well worth watching.
The World Cup is happening right now in Brazil. It is one of the most interesting things that I have ever been around. Curitiba is hosting four of the matches and the whole city is buzzing about soccer. I will talk more about it in my next Brazil Update.
We are so grateful for everyone who is a part of our support team! Thank you for those who pray for us regularly. And another big “Thank You” for everyone who stays in touch though Facebook, email, etc. We feel the love!
If you would like to be a part of our team, just click here. Obrigado!
