January 2008 - HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Happy New Year from Rio de Janeiro! Looking back over the last year, I am so thankful for everything that God accomplished in our family and in our church in 2007, and commemorating this holiday season was a perfect way to celebrate.

Christmas and New Year's in Rio

This year Rodrigo and I spent the holiday season with his family here in Rio de Janeiro. It was wonderful to be able to have time to talk, visit many of our relatives, and celebrate our life here in this great city. We spent New Year's Eve together with the rest of the mission team here in Rio along with approximately 2,000,000 (yes, you read that right - two MILLION) other people on Copacabana beach! Check out Dan's video of the fireworks display at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtxm-DKz-sQ.

A special holiday season in the Rio church...

This year, we presented our third annual Christmas Musical! It was a huge success, with over 250 people attending the day of the show and many visitors. I rehearsed with our chorus for three months while soloists, actors, scenery workers, and lighting volunteers worked to pull the show together. This year, we had more volunteers and church members involved than ever before! I thank God for this powerful ministry and the fun that I have working with these people.

We also had inspiring worship services on the Sundays before Christmas and New Year's Eve. We used these special days to encourage people to prioritize in 2008 and put God first in their lives. The year ended strongly as our church members joined hands to sing and grouped together to pray for one another.

Recent baptisms...

We rejoice with four special people who were added to God's kingdom in the past couple of months! Jaçiara (below, left) has been studying with me for several weeks, and recently decided to give her life to Christ. Please keep her in your prayers as she faces some tough changes in her life as the only Christian in her immediate family. Also baptized recently were Carlos (76 years old! Praise God!), Andrea, and Marilene, who will begin a study with me this Sunday. She's "hungry" to learn more about the Bible, and also needs prayers as she learns more and more.

Website updates...

I have added lots of new pictures to the website, including preparations for our Christmas musical, more baptism photos, our recent Ladies' Bazaar, and much more: www.adriennenunnally.com. You can also read updates from other Rio mission team members at our team blog: www.spaces.msn.com/reachingrio/. Rodrigo and I thank you all for your continued prayer and support. We would love to hear from you, so drop us a line when you have time!

With much love,

Rodrigo and Adrienne (Nunnally) Almeida

Hello all!

What a way to cap 2006 and start off 2007 - we've had 4 baptisms in the past month! First were a new couple in our church, Carlos Alberto and Kátia, followed last week by one of my neighbors, also named Kátia.

Yesterday, Léia also gave her life to Christ. What a great way to start a new year! I don't have a picture of Léia's baptism, but I want to share the story of Lúcia and Léia. Lúcia, Léia's mother, was baptized last year after studying with one of our members that she met in a water aerobics class near the favela (slum) where she lives. After Lúcia's baptism, Léia also began attending services with her small daughter, and also began studying the Bible along with several of Lúcia's other children and their spouses. Yesterday, Léia was baptized into Christ, with her husband, other family members, and even a neighbor or two present. Who knows what God has in store now? I have had the honor to visit Lúcia and Léia and some their relatives in their homes, and I can see how God is working powerfully in this family in very unlikely circumstances. Please pray that God will continue to use Lúcia, Léia, and Júlio and Cissa (our members who reached out to them) to reach the rest of this family!

Now for other December news: We did it! We pulled off our first Christmas Musical. Around 40 singers, actors, and technical workers rehearsed for three months to make it happen.

 The show was great, but even greater were the relationships formed between the participants - just in my chorus, I had an elderly men spending time with a 14-year-old boy. I had new visitor with marital problems working alongside a veteran member and wife. I saw people who are looking for a place to belong do something they never thought they could do. We had around 200 show up for the show, including 30 first-time visitors. Only God can make these kinds of things happen! There is more information on my website about the show, along with tons of pictures: www.adriennenunnally.com/photogallery.htm

Please continue to pray for our church - in November, we had our largest average attendance (235 every Sunday). We continue to grow, both in number and in Spirit -

With much love,

Adrienne

Hello to all!

I’m so happy to writing to all of you from back in Rio de Janeiro, where the weather is rainy and cold (how strange!), but the atmosphere is still wonderful.  I’ve just returned from a month-long visit with in Searcy, Arkansas, where I was able to see several of you.  Also, my boyfriend Rodrigo was able to make the trip with me for the first time to get to know my family and culture. What a blessing!  We had a great time visiting family and friends, taking day trips around Arkansas, and even fishing!  There are some pictures on my web site…

Now that we’re back in Rio, I’m excited to get back to work.  During my visit, I was able to share with some of you about the inauguration of our new building, which occurred the weekend before our trip. There are no words to describe that weekend, really – we planned for a large turnout, but nothing could have prepared us for the almost 700 people who turned out for our inauguration worship services and receptions afterwards!  We average around 200 most Sundays, so it was both emotional and overwhelming to see how God is working in the neighborhood here.  I was also so proud of our congregation here – it was so encouraging to see our members working so hard to welcome these visitors, make space for them, and make sure everything ran smoothly all day. Two of our youth group members were also baptized – Jessica and Wellem. Please take a few minutes to look at the pictures from this incredible day and pray for these very special members and visitors – I believe God has great things in store over the next few months!

On a more personal note, I wanted to ask for you prayers right now as I’m looking for a new apartment or house to rent and trying to get set up.  I am staying with friends until a convenient and safe place is found (thanks Kevin and Debra!), so pray that I will be able to get settled quickly.  I’m excited about the transition, but it’s a lot of work!  In the meantime, I can still be reached through the same email address and cell number.  Also on a personal note, I am THRILLED to announce that Rodrigo and I were officially engaged on July 22, right before our return to Rio!  We are planning to be married sometime next July (both in Searcy and then afterwards in Rio).  More information to follow…

Thank you so much to all of you who support the work here, either financially, through prayer, or otherwise – you are such an important part of what God is doing in Rio de Janeiro.

With much love,

Adrienne

Hello all -

Greetings and blessings to all of you during this busy time of the year!  So many things are going on in Rio, and I feel so blessed to be spending my 27th year of life here in this wonderful city.

First, our new building is coming along GREAT!  We now have a complete structure and roof!  Work is still being done on floors and walls and other more "cosmetic" parts, but our temporary "tent" has been deconstructed, and yesterday, we were able to start having our worship services in the unfinished structure. It was a WONDERFUL day of worship and thanksgiving for our congregation - check out the photos here!  Please remember to keep our fundraising process in your prayers, as we are still lacking a lot of money for the completion of the building. Please contact me if you or your church is interested in making a contribution to this project - we need your help! 

In January, Rodrigo and I participated in a special dinner for seriously dating and engaged couples.  My teammates Dan and Kirsty Baird hosted this group in their home, and used the opportunity to promote their new pre-engagement and pre-marital counseling program.  It was a great evening!  I have been working on a new project as well, preparing a class for young women on dating and purity.  I will using some of the "True Love Waits" materials as well as some materials that I found here in Brazil.  Please pray that both of these programs will be successes and have great participation.

Last week also marked our third annual Carnaval Retreat - we had great participation, with a lot of visitors.  Aside from inspirational messages, we spent time praising God in worship and small group studies, and also lots of quality time "playing" and eating with members of God's church in Rio.  Please pray for these visitors, that they will be touched by our church and come to know the love of Christ through this experience.

I put some new pictures on the web site – there are photos of the couples' dinner and our first worship service in our unfinished building, as well as a fun day at the Botanical Gardens of Rio: www.adriennenunnally.com.  I will have pictures of the Carnaval Retreat soon. I also added some new personal and professional prayer requests.  Be sure to also check out our new church web site at www.igrejadavitoria.com.br!  I wish all of you health and happiness and a wonderful week –

Love,

Adrienne