Help Thiago go to college in the USA

The fall semester at Lancaster Bible College begins the end of August, and Thiago Naque needs $2,000 ASAP to get a Visa and move to Pennsylvania from Brazil. He has a $20,000 soccer scholarship and a part-time job waiting for him, but he will not be able to accept it without your help. The first soccer game is September 1^st.

Thiago remembers always moving around to different communities, his father being a church planter with WRB, and serving in Africa in 2005 and 2006. Thiago says the most important part about growing up in a missionary family was learning to do what God had called them to do. He was able to see firsthand how God was always there in hard times. 

Thiago spent a year at Word of Life Hungry after high school, and was then set up to play professional soccer in Germany. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to get a Visa to stay. He returned to Brazil a bit disheartened, but for the past two years he has faithfully served the Lord with his family and individually, taking a strong lead in sports ministries, outreaches, and teaching English.

He loves ministering with sports because he finds it so easy to share the gospel in that setting. He works hard at playing soccer because he wants to use his work (soccer) as his mission. 

With his parents returning to Africa next year, there is no extra money. Thiago needs a total of $6,000 to be able to accomplish his dream of finishing his undergrad at Lancaster Bible college—and $2,000 of that is needed by this August. Please join us in assisting Thiago, as he furthers his education and his mission for the Lord.  

We have setup a gofundme at: gofund.me/4c8zzbbx4m
or donate straight through WRI

*To Donate please click Here. The donation will go to his father's account so that he can pay for the college.

Timbauba Impacto

World Renewal Brazil talks with Pastor Assuerio Naque and Carlos Augusto about the Timbauba Impacto. Don't know what an Impacto is? Watch the video below.

Day One Church: US Missions Team

We continue our series titled Day One Church, following the church plant in Desterro from the first day it started.

Living Stones & Church Planting:

For the past year, Living Stones has had an outreach in Belem, the name of one of the three communities that are along the two mile stretch of road called Desterro. It was logical that the Living Stones outreach would partner with the new church plant so close by. A short-term missions team from the Shelbyville Community Church provided a great opportunity to start the partnership.  The team provided the resources for a party with the Desterro church last week.

The Living Stones and the church plant had an interesting start together when they brought all the kids from Living Stones to the church only to discover that it was locked! The new Pastor Marco was running late from work and arrived 45 minutes late.

So, what should you do in this case? Throw a party in the street! So, what happens when you throw a party in the street? Well, it turns out a party in the street is a great way to attract attention! God seemed to ordain the lateness this time! By the time they moved into the church they had a very nice crowd that followed!

Near the end of the party Pastor Flavio (the Director of Living Stones) was testing kids to see if they could read, if they could then they were given an Action Bible and encouraged to read to a friend who couldn't read every day!

New Evangelical Friend's church near Paudalho

This is the road called Desterro. It is a small community outside of Paudalho.

This area has no evangelical church near it. The church building that World Renewal Brazil just purchased had been boarded up for 9 years. Now is the time to revitalize the area and show God's love once more to this gospel needy community.

The church building is under some general maintenance and upkeep right now. Pastors from WRB are helping in all sorts of ways, to get the church ready to start receiving people. It has been amazing to see everyone come together to help out this latest church plant. 

The building was purchased for R$65,000(USD$29,000) with the down payment of R$22,000(USD$10,000)  paid for from the Evangelical Friend's churches in the US.

Pastor Marco (Word of Life background) will be the pastor of this Evangelical Friend's church on Desterro road. The full name of the church is undecided.
Marco wanted to have a prayer and vision meeting inside the church this last weekend but while they were cleaning the roof tiles they found and killed 35 bats. It was not safe to hold the prayer meeting since bats carry lots of decease and even their poop causes allergies.

A few of the bats killed: 35 in all with one big ring leader bat.

Pastor Marco and his Family

Please be praying for this new church plant on Desterro's road. They will be having their first meeting very soon. World Renewal Brazil also needs to raise the rest of the money to finish paying for the building. This month we will need R$14,000 (USD$6,500) total more needed to pay off the church building is: R$43,000 (USD$19,000).

Town of Lagoa de Itaenga in need of Peace

There have been at least 6 murders in the small town of Lagoa de Itaenga in the last 2 weeks. All of the murders have been drug related or gang related. This is more violence than the big city of 4 million (Recife). Lagoa de Itaenga has around 40 thousand.

Yesterday (4/10/13) while the community church was having a youth outreach we got reports that a father had just shot and killed his son. This was also drug related.(Praise God this turned out NOT to be true) This city is crying out for help and the 6 or so police that patrol the city can not keep up.

Please pray with us for Peace in Lagoa de Itaenga.

Pastor Ricardo Silva along with the other churches in the town are organizing a "Walk for Peace" day. We are hoping to include every single church including the catholic church to participate. 

The community church is growing again with new construction starting this week to put the roof on the gymnasium. Once this is complete we will have neighborhood kids at the church every day involved in a youth outreach program similar to Living Stones and Athletes in Action. The church is trying to reach the youth in the community and keep them away from drugs and gangs.

Church Plant Outreach in Full Swing

The farthest interior church plant is underway, with a group of evangelists and sports personal working together to reach the town of Santa Cruz do Capibaribe.
View Larger Map

The impact is the 5th of January through the 13th. Everyday they will have sports outreaches morning and afternoon teaching basketball and soccer. For most of the kids this will be their first exposure to basketball. Rogerio Soares from Athlete's in Action is leader the sports ministry. Mike Westlake from the Community Church of Greenwood is also assisting with the basketball outreach.

The team settled in their new home at the local public school and then started walking around the area inviting people to that evenings program on Saturday the 5th. That evening saw a very dynamic speaker/singer who talked about the dangers of drugs and the saving grace of God. It was a very high energy night and a great way to start the weeks impact.
Full set of picture at: http://tinyurl.com/bk9r394

Please continue to pray for the town of Santa Cruz do Capibaribe as the team will be reaching that area for Jesus.

Medical Trip Begins

Well, we made it! Months of frustrations trying to prepare for this medical mission as responsibly as possible are finally behind us. Trouble with visas. Absolutely no cooperation with Brazilian officials in guaranteeing safe passage of our medicines. (even a request to split the medicines half and half with one gov't official in return for assuring safe passage!). We had bought $2000 worth of medicine and vitamins, and $24,000 worth of medicine had been given to us by MAP International (a division of Christian Medical and Dental Association). Last year a crate of tylenol and vitamins had been confiscated at customs as we entered Brazil. What would happen this time? We finally gave up worrying about and prayed, "God we've done every reasonable thing we know how to do. This is your problem, not ours."
Then we began to see the hand of God at work. First, all seven of us (Steve Turner, Josie Potter Forrest Craig, Paul & Chuck Taylor, and Steve & Cathy Flink) were able to get exit row seats in a PACKED out jet to Rio de Janeiro. This is a 9-hour flight, so the extra space was a God-send! In Rio, we prayed as we approached Customs, "please blind the eyes of the agents." Josie Potter went first with her crate full of toys and school materials for children, and a few large bottles of vitamins and Tylenol mixed in. The agent's eye was caught by something on the Xray and he pulled her over and searched her first crate. When he saw all the toys and school supplies, he waved the entire group through! Thank you Jesus! And thanks to all for praying for us! Picture: a small part of the excellent supply of medicines we have for clinics this trip. This is the best selection I've ever had on a medical mission!

More to follow, Chuck Taylor