Dear Partners in Mission,
I couldn’t hold back my tears. We were at the beach in June, celebrating the baptism of five people from our community. Among them was Giovanna, a 22-year-old student from Peru who found a true family in Porto—and at Surf Church.When Giovanna shared her testimony, she revealed something that filled my heart with overwhelming joy: the person who first invited her to surf with us was our little Lailah. Giovanna shared that, as she watched our family and the church love and serve others, she became deeply curious about why we were like that. That curiosity led her to find her salvation and hope in Jesus. (You can see a glimpse of this beautiful baptism in this post https://www.instagram.com/p/DZ488lMIFkY/ ).
Seeing my 7-year-old daughter naturally living out the vision of “disciples making disciples” is the greatest reward I could ever ask for as a father and a pastor.This story perfectly reflects the intensity and grace we’ve experienced over these past three months. It has been a season of harvest and deep celebrations:Deeper Roots and Longer Branches
In April, we celebrated the 11th anniversary of Surf Church Porto (see our anniversary photos https://www.instagram.com/p/DXrJR6uClP_/?img_index=1). It is wonderful to look back and see God’s faithfulness. To sustain this growth, in May we held our first kids’ ministry training. The number of children has grown significantly, and God has been raising up new volunteers who are passionate about the next generation.
While we deepen our local roots, our branches are also extending. I traveled to Sweden, to Surf Church Vallervik, to lead the first gathering of the Surf Church Collective EMEA. What a precious time of encouragement! We celebrated the joy of seeing new churches join our collective, united by the same desire to reach the lost through surf culture.
Family Celebrations
In the midst of all this, our home has been celebrating too. We celebrated Lailah’s birthday in April, mine in May, and a huge milestone in June: Levi turned 10! A decade of grace. Now in July, we have the immense joy of having my parents here with us in Portugal, recharging our batteries before our highly anticipated Surf Camp in August.Serving the Lord as a family, even amidst the challenges and sufferings of this life, is our greatest privilege. And you are a part of every baptism, every new church planted, and every child discipled.
Please pray with us:
1. That the Lord would continue to faithfully supply all our needs.
2. That God would bless each of you, our partners, multiplying His grace over your lives.
3. For divine wisdom in our leadership, both at Surf Church Porto and in the expansion of the Surf Church Collective EMEA.
4. That the Holy Spirit would help us disciple and guide every new person joining our community (like Giovanna!).
5. In gratitude for another year of life granted to me, Levi, Lailah, and for the 11 years of our church.
6. In gratitude for the joy and privilege of serving the Lord in ministry as a family.
Do what you love for the One you love!With love and gratitude,
Samuel, Claudia, Levi, and Lailah Cianelli