Hello!
It’s hard to believe, but summer is already in full swing. We want to share some of our experiences and what’s still to come in the next few days.
It started in June with our meeting with the Genesis Collective team. It’s always inspiring to be with these leaders who share our passions, joys, and challenges. We are reminded that God uses the ordinary to accomplish the extraordinary. We are reminded that the Kingdom belongs to God, and we are invited to participate in establishing His Kingdom here on earth. After being challenged about the role of evangelism in our message, it was essential for the start of our summer to be reminded that our relationship with Christ is the secret to mission.
Ten days later, we embarked on the greatest journey of our family’s life thus far. We wanted to know and experience the reality of South Asia. Traveling as a family has its pros and cons, but traveling to Indonesia as a family brings a new meaning to the experience. We have met many people who have traveled to Indonesia, and they always tell us that South Asia seems like paradise. As you will see in the photos and videos, the place is indeed beautiful. There are high waves and great surfing, and the people are very friendly. However, we did not go on a tourist trip. We are a family on a mission that does not stop, even in “paradise.” A closer look reveals the reality of a country shrouded in darkness. Still, it’s wonderful to see how the gospel has spread amid persecution. We saw many churches, met missionaries, and learned about projects that bring Christ to Indonesia. We would be happy to tell you more about our experience on this mission trip, which taught us a lot and had a profound impact on our lives. Contact us to find out more.
We arrived in Portugal, where the joy of summer has infected everyone. The house is full of friends and family who have come to visit us. We are all happy, especially the children, because both sets of grandparents are here. We are also thankful to God because my parents were with us throughout this summer journey. Without them, it would certainly have been much more difficult.
Please pray for us as we hold our annual surf camp. We are very happy because we will reach the milestone of 100 people at the surf camp, divided into two weeks, one in August and one in September.
Prayer requests:
- We thank God for our lives and the care He has for us;
- We thank God because this summer is being incredible despite the challenges;
- We praise God for the missionary work that is happening around the world;
- We pray for each of the missionaries serving in the field, especially those in Southeast Asia;
- We pray for our children who will be starting school soon;
- We pray for the people who are visiting Surf Church Porto this summer, that they will be impacted by the power of the Holy Spirit.
You can also watch a surf video that I recently posted here:
https://youtu.be/ZckDbUF73rA?si=L9uXnvVomMbTBXmw
Update from Sam and Claudia
Portugal