Blessed to Be a Blessing

Dear Family & Friends,

Last Sunday Sept. 6th we had a most interesting Sunday at the Central Church during the morning service. I must say that since my earliest memories of Brazilians they were and continue to be the most flexible and positive minded & hearted folks. The electricity was turned off in the barrio where the SEDE is located. I never heard even one complaint...amazing. Everyone just said "we'll find a way"..."God is here and so are we"...so there was a precious service that Sunday morning. It was communion Sunday and the Traditional Choir was to sing. They had happened to ask Patti to play for them and since there was no power they needed to use the "real" piano. It was really a unique time of "worship & celebration of the Lord's Supper" together with no need for all the normal accrutraments. I remembered a teaching I heard Pastor Jack give several years back entitled "What will the church do when they pull the plug?" or something like that. Well, now we know. It just goes on and God blesses and makes different options available.

On Monday Dale was hit by some sort of bug and bless his heart he was really under it. We had scheduled two appointments and we went forward with them; I dare say he probably doesn't remember much about them. We had lunch with the former head of the Missionary Information Bureau here in Sao Paulo. We enjoyed catching up with Diane Bectel after which we met with a very dear lady who ministered to our family in may practical ways while we lived in Brazil. Her name is Terezinha. She and her daughter met us for refreshments at a nearby mall and we recounted our family histories during these years of separation.

On Monday night Dale had a fever until we prayed and rebuked it in Jesus Name and immediately he began to get better and the fever went. Praise our Lord Jesus Christ! Tuesday he awoke with renewed strength and has felt only "better" each day since. Tuesday night I (Patti ) shared with a class of people who meet here at the Central Church to study "Child Evangelism". I was personally amazed at the insights the Holy Spirit highlighted for me from His interactions with children and from His very own childhood. I was meditating on what Jesus was doing when His parents found him in the Temple. He was "sitting" "listening" and "asking questions". I suddenly saw that there is a window of time in the lives of young people around 12 years of age and if we do not allow them to "sit" with us "listen" to our conversations about life with Christ, and "ask questions" someone else will and we will run a great risk of loosing their souls and lives to the kingdom of darkness. It is all too easy to shove kids onto the TV, Video games, etc., and forget to include them in our lives at this highly "vulnerable" and "open" age. I wish it were possible to regain all of the "selfish self-centered" moments I let slip by with my own children. I'm thankful that God is a God of second-chances and has redeemed many of these opportunities for us.

It seems that each time we seek the Lord for what we should share He is giving us wonderful fresh insights in His "living" Word. Dale has been able to spend some rich quality time with many pastors and staff members from various churches in the area, ministering and listening to their hearts. On Wednesday we headed out to visit the Sao Paulo State District Office of Foursquare Churches. This is the largest state office and sets the pace for nearly all the rest. We met with the dynamic president of this district, Rev. Rocco Digilio Filho and his super competent staff. This district office is set in a beautiful 4 floor office building and makes great use of all of it. There was an entire department of publicity, with a staff of graphic designers and a radio studio, with plans for a Television studio in the near future. It was really amazing and impressive. Their theme for this year is the "Family". They have felt a tremendous need to help the pastors and leadership shore up the family structure throughout this trend-setting district which will then in-turn touch the entire Foursquare Church here in Brazil.

The State Secretary of Communications and Editor and Chief of the district's colorful ministry update "emFOCO", Rev. Waldir Kullian, kindly took time to introduce us to many of the departments and arranged for us to do a quick radio spot and shot for the "emFOCO" communication publication. It was a great blessing to see these brothers and sisters ministering with such excellence in their areas of expertise.

Tonight we will be meeting with a very dear pastor friend and his family to hear his history during these past 18 years. After our meeting and dinner we will head out to "The Valley of Blessing" a community outside of Sao Paulo where another Pastor friend and his family live to spend the night. Tomorrow morning we will be sharing with the pastors of his region in a pastors get together. Sunday will mark Patti's last Sunday here and we will be in church one last time with the Calvary International Church, long-time home of many of our children's now adult friends. Sunday evening we'll be ministering in the church of Walter de Lima located enroute to the city of Campinas. We look forward to renewing our relationship with him and knowing his congregation.

Well, folks, that is it for now. Hey, just one last thing. We had to take a taxi today to the church and when we arrived the taxi driver asked if he could come to this church; "Of course", we replied and he handed us his card. I asked him if he knew Jesus as his Savior and he said, "Yes, and I really need to be in church". Please pray for Pacheco who is going to be returning to an active Christian walk. People are just EVERYWHERE if we can get our vision re-focused on the needy world around us and on Christ's presence within us to meet the need.
God bless all of you dear ones!

We are blessed to be a blessing!!
Dale & Patti :) :)