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patti & georgia
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CBO's Portuguese website
Comunidade Batista Oceanica |
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Greetings in Christ!
It is hard to believe another year is coming to an
end. 2009 was an incredible year as we saw God’s power at work in so many
areas of our lives and ministry. We have witnessed the lost saved, the weak
strengthened, the sick healed and the broken restored. We have seen the
Almighty God do the impossible! We are grateful to God for the privilege of
serving Him and sharing the Good News in a nation that so desperately needs
Christ. We are grateful for the opportunity to invest in lives through
discipling and training, and grateful for the Bibles we were able to
distribute throughout the year. Thanks to each one of you who make this
ministry possible through sustaining us with your prayers and offerings. We
truly are thankful! We wish you and your family a very blessed Christmas and
New Year.
Joyfully serving the Lord, Patti & Georgia
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P.S. We have some interesting
new pictures to share with you. Click on "NEW PICS"
button at left to view. As
always, use the
buttons at the left to navigate to prayer requests,
contact info, etc! Scroll down for our news. |
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Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good…Psalm 107:1 |
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For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To
Him be the glory forever! Amen.
Romans 11:36
Testimonies
" My
heart feels like it is bursting with joy now that I have Jesus!" -
A new believer’s comment
upon witnessing his friend’s baptism.
"Jesus saved me, brought my
husband back home, and has given me hope! All in a month!"
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A recent convert giving
her testimony in a small group
"I feel like God might
be calling me to be a pastor one day."
- A 10 year old boy who recently accepted Jesus.
"I have walked
pass this church a million times wanting to enter but was embarrassed.
Tonight, something pulled me in as I passed. I believe it was God!" -
A woman that walked into the church in tears for the first time and was
saved that very night!
"I am
learning to live each day free of drugs and alcohol with God's strength."
- A man who participates in our Celebrate Recovery program.
"Tonight I
learned there is no other way but Jesus and now I got to get a Bible in my
hands!"
- A man’s comment as
he was leaving his first discipleship class. (His wife has been praying for
him for years!!)
May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us, that
your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations.
Psalm 67:1 |
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Ministry
Highlights
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Youth Retreat
We recently
returned from our youth retreat which was one of the best ones we
have taken. There were many teenagers who accepted the Lord and
others who were far from the Lord that returned! On the last night
at the bonfire they were invited to share their experiences.
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The most rebellious teenager of
the group received Christ during the retreat and admitted before his
friends he had been playing games with God and was ashamed that he
had never before thanked Jesus for dying on the cross for his sins.
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It was also really neat to see
the Christian teenagers rejoicing as their friends made commitments.
Many had been praying and fasting for their friends during the days
leading up to the retreat. |
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Brazil Update
Much of Brazil was plunged into darkness when
power from a major hydroelectric dam was lost. Up to 18 of Brazil's 26
states were left without power leaving major cities in darkened chaos.
Hundreds of people were trapped in elevators, subways, trains and buses
stopped running their routes. We were thankful we were not out on the
streets that night; instead we were having a college Bible study at our
apartment.
New life in Christ
On December 27th, 10 new believers will be
baptized! Please be in prayer for their friends and family members they
are inviting to hear the message and their testimonies.
Celebrate Recovery
An elderly woman recently shared that
she has finally learned to forgive others through participating in
Celebrate Recovery. A couple participating also testified how God is
restoring their marriage as they have learned to identify their personal
weaknesses and experience victory in Christ. A father who lost his son
is also learning to deal with this trauma through God’s strength. We
will begin a new session of Celebrate Recovery in January. Pray for many
to attend who need Christ and His healing and restoration.
Encouraging Women
Recently I had the privilege to speak
to a group from an interdenominational ladies ministry in our city. It
was a special night of fellowship and a good opportunity to encourage
the women in their faith.
Evangelism
Last month another group of believers
completed their training in personal evangelism. This week one of the
newest Christians, a director of a pharmaceutical company stood up at
his company’s Christmas party and announced that he had already received
the best Christmas present this year--Jesus Christ! He went on to share
his personal testimony with the entire group and by the end; many had
tears in their eyes. Pray for the growth of the seeds that were planted
that evening.
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A Big
Hallelujah! We
praise God for the 2 newly constructed classrooms in our church.
(They are already being used for Bible studies and children’s
ministry.) We also thank God for the new handicap accessible
bathrooms, hallway windows, stairwell and an enlarged reception
area! |
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The most needed
construction still unfinished is the completion of 3 classrooms
upstairs. On January 10th we will have a variety of new discipleship
classes and need a room for each one! Members and visitors have
already signed up for the classes, and by faith we believe they will
be ready! If you would like to contribute funds for construction
materials the list is at the bottom of this newsletter. |
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Georgia has been an incredible help in managing the construction,
working with the architect and getting the best buys on the
materials! We are thankful we are in the LAST phase of the
construction! |
Bibles
Thank
you so much for the money that many of you donated for Bibles. The
preteens, many of whom are living in poor slums have each received a
Bible and are diligently studying them during their Bible studies on
Thursday and Sunday nights! This group is great evangelists as many are
bringing their unsaved parents and relatives to church with them. Two
sets of parents came up to me this month and said they were visiting our
church because their children love the church so much and because of the
change in behavior they are seeing.
Celebrations
Our Christmas parties and dinners have been successful in reaching out
to lost friends, family members and business associates. We were so
happy to see the large number of people raise their hands at the
Christmas celebration expressing a desire to get to know Jesus in a more
personal way in 2010. We have also had many opportunities in these last
months to share Jesus at birthday parties, funerals, store openings and
anniversaries. Many of our friend’s primary purpose in having their
birthday parties (which are big celebrations in Brazil!) is to invite
their friends to hear a message about Christ! Georgia and I generally
speak at two parties each week. Georgia sings and plays the guitar as
well!
Learning English
Our English course has finished its
first year! More than half of those attending are not Christians, so
this is a great opportunity for them to find Jesus! The Brazilian
teacher, a member in our church, prays with them before class and shares
her faith boldly. She had a Fulbright scholarship in the U.S.A., and
just received her Ph.D. She is an excellent teacher and the classes are
free, so you can imagine how thankful the students are, as English
classes of this quality are very expensive here.
World Missions Focus
This year our churches had one of the
largest emphasis in world missions with testimonies, videos, prayer
vigils, skits, etc...The "flip-flop and tennis Shoe" party that raised
money for world missions was a great success! Our churches are becoming
quite missions-minded and have contributed generously and joyfully to
world and national missions. We also helped a struggling church in our
city last month. |
Ministry Needs!
- 4 new tires on our car
- Flooring for the second level of the church: $ 4,900
- Roof for the second floor: $ 5,800
- 2 doors: $ 330.00
- 4 windows: $ 1,470
- Paint: $500
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Prayer Requests
- For the many new believer’s continued growth
- Our upcoming evangelistic New Year’s Eve Party
- Small group Bible study starts in 2010
- Our upcoming Celebrate Recovery’s classes in January and for implantation in other churches
- Christian leadership training workshop in February
- Continue praying for our pastors and for the members at our church in Cabo Frio.
- Patti and Georgia’s safety and protection, as violence and crime is on the rise.
Once again we thank you so much for partnering
with us in our ministry in Brazil. May the joy and grace of Jesus fill
your hearts in 2010 as we work together to serve him faithfully. |
Background photo courtesy www.bigfoto.com |
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