Dear Friends and Family,
“When your land was thirsty, you sent showers to refresh it.” (Psalms 68:9 CEV)
Last week, an outstanding testimony was shared with us. It is the result of someone catching a vision at a recent training clinic for local church Children’s leaders. The implementation of our training by some of these leaders following the clinic meant that elementary-aged children began to be trained to share the Good News with their friends. A grandmother in Rio de Janeiro shared the following via an audio message in Portuguese:
She shared that she was keeping her granddaughter while her daughter was traveling. The granddaughter is being equipped in EE-Brazil’s Hope for Kids training at their church. The elementary student asked her grandmother if she could take her Bible to school. The grandmother, unsure of how she should respond, told her that was probably not a good idea. Nevertheless, the granddaughter secretly put her Bible in her book bag, along with the Kids’ EE Gospel tract, Heaven. After school that day, she went to her grandmother’s car to go home and excitedly told her about reading her Bible to her classmates during their reading time and using the small tract to explain the Good News and ask her friends if they wanted to live in heaven with Jesus. She said, “Granny, three of my classmates wanted to go to heaven to live with Jesus. They asked me how they could go to heaven, and together we read the tract, which talks about a changed life by believing in Jesus.” Her three friends heard the Gospel and then prayed to receive the gift of eternal life that day at their school, because a young girl was being equipped at her church to share her faith. Amen!
Last week, Pr. Jailton shared with me that he just learned of three additional implementations of the Kids” EE training by local churches. Join us in praising the Lord for these new local ministries!! Often when we are “thirsty” for encouragement, the Lord sends “showers of refreshing.”
When we were growing up, the Morton Salt container had printed on the label, “When it rains, it pours.” It’s no longer on the label. But, I can still hear Mom repeating the phrase. While a positive statement about Morton’s salt, most often when people used the phrase it was associated with multiple challenges having just happened. June, July and August have been months in which we could use the phrase to express our frustration with several challenges that presented themselves. A dash panel alert on the car resulted in the need for a very expensive brake system part. The warranty for non-powertrain parts expired in February. While dealing with this, we were preparing to have a new HVAC system installed in the house, a project we’ve known was coming for a few years. Before that could be started, we noticed water coming up between the boards of the hallway flooring. It turned out to be a couple of pinhole leaks in copper pipes in the wall between two back-to-back bathrooms. The leaks took out the two baths, the hallway flooring and carpet in one bedroom. A claim was filed and slowly the renovation has progressed but is not yet complete. The HVAC did get installed.
But the fun wasn’t over: One afternoon with five workers inside the house, the doorbell rang, and there stood neighbors from across the street. They apologetically told us that she had just backed into my pick-up, damaging the front right fender, which had been newly painted only eight months ago. Then, a few days later another pinhole leak appeared in the wall of the laundry room and was noticeable from the damp, discolored wood flooring. That older flooring is continuous throughout the kitchen, pantry, sunroom and laundry room. A second insurance claim had to be filed, and a second deductible will have to be paid. “When it rains, it pours!”
Yet, we rejoice in the Lord’s provision and recognize the truth of 1 Peter 4:12-19. “…don’t be surprised or shocked that you are going through testing…If you suffer for obeying God, you must have complete faith in your faithful Creator and keep on doing right.” (vv.12, 19 CEV) Even the testing is evidence of God’s loving care and provides a bridge to a deeper relationship with him, as He accomplishes his purpose in us, i.e., showers of refreshing!
We want to thank you for your faithful financial support and intercession on our behalf and that of the EE ministry in Brazil. You truly are our partners, an integral part of this ministry! We sincerely pray for God’s provision for you and your family, too!! To support our family and ministry, you may click the “Online Giving” image below or simply follow the instructions to the right of the image about where to mail a designated check. Thank you in advance for holding the ropes for us and being conduit for the Lord’s showers of refreshing.
Praying gratefully for you,
Robert & Mary Jo Foster,
Missionaries with Be One Together, Serving Evangelism Explosion-Brazil
* Atualidades a Portuguese word that means news or up to date information. We want you to have the latest information in order to support us in prayer, as well as financially when the Lord leads/enables. Thank you!