Summer here has not usually been this warm. Average summer temperatures are generally under 30 degrees C (~85 degrees F), but this summer has been a surprising average of 35 degrees or more (~95 degrees F plus)! To our friends and churches in Texas, that really isn’t THAT much, but it can be quite a lot when most of our people here don’t have Air Conditioning. Despite the heat, we had an extremely successful Teen Camp! Eighteen teens were in attendance for our Summer Camp. We got to use our house for chapel, which was such a blessing because we had these kinds of events in mind during our renovations. It was wonderful to see some of the fruits of our labor. I had the opportunity to give one of the lessons, and we had a blast together! It has been great to shift our focus even stronger to the ministry. I have started taking official Portuguese Classes. I tried the self-taught route with my lovely wife, but I came to a language plateau where I needed a little bit more help to push through to the next level of language proficiency. Please keep praying for my Portuguese fluency.
Reflecting on this last month, it has been busy. I have never understood so well why the word “vacation” includes the word “vacate.” There is so much that we want to do and needs to be done on our property that it has started to become overwhelming. I mentioned last month that we have felt very physically, emotionally, and mentally exhausted. In reality, that is still ongoing. It has come to a point where when I look out of our windows and see our wonderful property, I feel the heavy load of the labor rather than joy in the process. We will take a couple of days to refresh and reset later next month, and we look forward to returning with renewed vigor. Please pray that our rest will be truly refreshing so that we can return to our labor in full force.
This month, we have a special prayer request: We have asked for prayer regarding our discipleship with Lucas and Fernanda for the past few months. We now ask for fervent prayer for Lucas and Fernanda as they are hitting a critical point in the process. Things have become difficult for them, and we fear they may be starting to lose their focus and zeal with which they started discipleship. They need your prayers for protection against the enemy’s attacks, a renewed focus on spiritual things, and encouragement as they face many difficulties. God never promised that this process would be easy, and as they learn what the Bible expects of them, they are becoming put out. Pray that they will make the right choices. We honestly cannot tell if they are about to run away or fully commit. They urgently need your prayers and pray that Joneia and I will have wisdom in approaching the situation.
Keep praying for us. Last month’s blog was heavy; this one has a few more highlights! We are healthy and love being where God has called us! The road has been challenging, but we can always find strength in the Lord.
Keep praying for us!
God bless you.