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

Rio News

December 2007

Dear Friends and Family,

We just came back from São Paulo where we spent Christmas with our family. This year our stay in Sao Paulo really touched my heart in a special way because of the response that Elaine’s parents and her uncle’s family had in regards to our faith.  Let me explain: since my family came back from the US some changes happened during the Christmas gathering, such as taking time before the evening meal to talk about our last year experiences, share with one another our plans for the future, and then pray for God’s blessings upon our dreams.  This year I saw everyone engaged and willing to participate and enjoy this time together. With no exception we all opened our hearts and talked about blessings! Thank you God for the small changes you make in peoples heart to acknowledge your son Jesus as our Savior!

While we were in São Paulo, Elaine and I talked about our feelings and how much being close to our family in the city that we know our way around can make us feel home so quick.

Christmas Cantata

The Christmas Cantata has become a great tradition in our congregation and a wonderful opportunity to invite our friends and neighbors from the community to get to know a little better who we are. This year we had around 120 people in the evening of December 15th. Talking to some of the visitors I had a nice response of how much they enjoyed their time with us. Little by little the love for our God in permeating in our community and we thank God for your mighty work in Rio!

Wishing a Happy New Year

My family and I wish all of you a great holiday season and a Happy New Year, where His love and His light guides your dreams and your lives in 2008.

Please keep in touch,

Carlos, Elaine, Beatriz and Andressa

RIO NEWS

The last month has been a busy one, with several weddings, a few baptisms, a visit from Kirsty’s sister, and other exciting happenings.

Weddings

November has been a record setting month in the history of the Victory Church of Christ as far as number of weddings. We had 3 in the first 2 weeks of the month. The first was Michele and Peter’s wedding on the 3^rd, Thaiza and Tiago’s on the 10^th, and Luize and Guilherme’s on the 14^th. Keep these young couples in your prayers as they start their new lives together. 

Pray for Thaiza and Tiago as they just moved to the south of Brazil, where Tiago serves in the Air Force.

Sérgio and Àurea were so excited to see their daughter take the hand of Tiago.  Tiago saluted Sérgio as a sign of the great respect that he has for him.  It was a very emotional moment for the whole family.

Dabbs Family

Our team mates Gordon and Ila Dabbs announced last Sunday that they will be returning to the States indefinitely at the end of next year (2008). They made this difficult decision after dedicating the last 9 years to planting, growing, and serving the Victory congregation. Pray for this family the coming year as they slowly transition out of full time mission work and make plans for a new phase in their lives. We will miss them dearly, but know that God has many plans for their future.

Baptisms

Carlos (78) gave his life to Christ last Sunday. He came to know the church through our secretary, Aurea, and studied the Bible with Mike Folkerts (Rochester Church of Christ elder who along with wife, Diana, have done several successful English campaigns to Rio). Dan picked up where Mike left off and did a series of evangelistic studies in Portuguese earlier in the year. Carlos continued to stay active in the church and faithful to Sunday Bible class and worship and finally made the decision to dedicate his life 100% to Christ.

Pray for Marilena, Marta, Jaciara, and Gloria who also gave their lives to Christ over the last couple of weeks.

Jefferson and Bruno

Some of you may remember Jefferson, a young man that we sent to Bible college just over 2 years ago. Well, we are happy to announce that Jefferson graduated and is now back here in Rio working with our staff as a full time evangelist. Jefferson will be working directly with the evangelism ministry and will be sharing the pulpit with Gordon and Bruno over the next year. Bruno continues to serve as worship minister and youth worker as well as working towards completing his Bible degree. God has great plans for these two talented men and we ask for your prayers as they grow and mature into their roles.

The British Invasion

We recently enjoyed a 2 week visit from Sarah and Craig, Kirsty’s sister and her husband from England. This was their first time to Brazil. We showed them the sites and took them to our favorite spots and had a great time catching up and spending fun time together.

Rio Prayer Update

November 2007

Gordon, Ila, Claudia and David Dabbs

 CHECK OUT GORDON'S BLOG AT:  www.soulvenue.blogspot.com

Jessica Mueller had a long awaited brain surgery a couple of weeks ago.

Thanksgiving . . .

• Thank God for the baptism of Marta!  She made the decision yesterday after studying and praying with Ila over the past six months.
• Thanksgiving for the conversions of Luize (she studied with Kirsty 5 years ago and just made her decision!), for the conversion of Gloria, and for the baptism of Maria Amelia.  Also, please pray for these disciples as they begin the adventure of following Jesus.
• We are thankful for the continued success of the Pastoral Group.  Currently Brazilian members Julio Cesar and Jorge and serving alongside Gordon, Kevin and Carlos Castilho.
• We praise God for the World Mission Workshop that was just held at Oklahoma Christian University.  Thanks for all those who worked hard to put it on and for the amazing way that God's Spirit was present and working in the hearts of nearly a thousand university students.  Gordon was one of the keynote speakers.
• We are overwhelmingly grateful for the successful surgery (on an aneurism) of Jessica Mueller.  She is a teenaged member who has been waiting for two years to have this life-threatening problem treated.  After much, much, much prayer and the help of may of the church members, the surgery was scheduled and sucessfully performed at a hospital in Ipaveruna.

1) After six months of study (with Ila) and prayer, Marta is our sister in Christ. 2) Victory in Jesus!  Marta was baptized yesterday (Thursday).

Requests. . .

• Pray for our safe travels and work while we are on furlough.  We leave in the latter part of November.
• Ask God to bless Claudia and David's studies at the Brazilian school they attend.
• Pray for protection and blessings for Ashley Oehm, our intern who works with two orphanages. Also, we are so thankful for the Rocketdyne Road congregation in Neosho, MO for its continuing generosity to help the orphans.  Thanks!
• Pray for Marcos and Bianca who are studying the Bible with Gordon on Saturday mornings.  May God touch their hearts with his amazing grace.
• Pray for the upcoming weddings at the Victory Church in November:  Michele and Peter, Tiago and Thaisa, and Guilerme and Luize.
• Ask God to bless all of the evangelistic studies that are being held at our congregation.
• Pray for the "Derrotando Gigantes" (Defeating Your Giants) campaign that is starting in November at the Victory Church.
• Ask for the Lord's blessings upon these couples:  Hermeto and Katia, Amandio and Bete, and Geronimo and Penha.
• May God help the parents of the congregation to raise their children and may he bless Carlos Castilho's parenting class.
• Ask for the Lord's blessings upon Workshop 1 (for new members) on Sunday and for the children's party that we will be hosting at our home on Sunday as well.

Precious!  We had loads of fun at our annual Children's Day bash last month.

RIO PRAYER UPDATE

October 2007

Gordon, Ila, Claudia and David Dabbs

Rio Team commemorates 9 years since original arrival on the field.

Thanksgiving. . .

• Join with the angels in rejoicing over the baptism of Maria Amelia.
• Thank God for the new marriage of Luiz and Melissa.
• 9 years on the field!  The Rio Team celebrated with a meal at a wonderful restaurant the 9th anniversary of our arrival in Brazil (although the actual date is in November).
• Thank God for the unity enjoyed among the congregations in Rio de Janeiro.  We never take unity for granted.
• We thank God for a wonderful evangelistic Thursday night service last week.  We had over 160 in attendance to hear Tim Archer and Steve Ridgell of the  Herald of Truth ministry preach the gospel. 

1) Maria Amelia is a new Christ-follower. 2) Monday morning, we hosted Church of Christ evangelists from around Rio to be part of the bi-monthly prayer breakfast at our building.  This unifying and edifying breakfast has been occuring for the past two years.

Requests. . .

• Pray for the World Missions Workshop at the end of October.  Gordon will be making a lightning fast trip to the USA to speak to the gathering.  May many university-aged young men and women be called to the mission field through this powerful event.  Pray especially for Bob Carpenter, Harold Shank, the Niccums and the rest of those who are planning this event.
• Continue to pray for our transition to a Brazilian eldership over the next 14 months.
• Pray for God's comfort upon the David Meadows family.  David, a veteran Brazilian missionary and elder of the Guarulhos congregation in Sao Paulo, passed away on Monday.
• Gordon has received a highly unusual invitation to be a professor at the Baptist Seminary in Rio (the largest Baptist seminary in Latin America).  He would likely be asked to teach classes one morning a week.  Pray for wisdom for Gordon in deciding what to do.
• Pray for the slew of weddings coming up at the Victory Church (4 in November).
• Pray for the family of Valerio.  Valerio was an evangelist at the Ramos congregation in Rio.  He passed away a couple of weeks ago from a massive heart attack.  He leaves behind a wife, Waldesia, and two children, one of whom is a 14 year old autistic boy.  May the Lord help us to care for this precious family.
• Pray for God's continued blessings on our national TV program.  May the Lord especially bless F.H. Gates and Antenor Goncalves who have taken leadership in this endeavor.  To watch the programs on-line  (and see Gordon in action), check out the website  www.igrejadecristo.com .
• As always, pray for our marriage and our family.  We know that you are praying because we see God's blessings!  Keep it up!!!

A great man and an effective missionary.  Dave Meadows, long time Sao Paulo missionary, passed away this week.  His loss will be felt by churches all over Brazil.

Reaching Rio

Pan-American games

What an amazing city!  Many of you might know that Rio hosted the Pan-American games during the month of July.  It was amazing to see the city prepare itself to host over an estimated one million visitors. Several new stadiums and apartment buildings were built to host the games. Kirsty and I were privileged enough to see the final of the team ping-pong championship!  Okay, you may be laughing at us right now, but Brazilians have a way of making even the smallest sports seem fun.  I have to say that I have never seen several hundred Brazilians doing the ‘wave’ at a ping-pong tournament.  It was a very intense sports viewing experience.  By the way, Brazil won gold.

Teen Retreat

The teens went on their annual retreat at the end of July.  70 teens and young adults participated in the 3 day event.  Several drove over 5 hours from the city of Belo Horizonte to participate.  The theme was “Developing Intimacy with Christ”.  This was the first year that Bruno and the youth group organized the retreat themselves with little missionary help and they did an excellent job.  The weekend ended on a high note as Bruno baptized Ricardo into Christ after the Sunday evening worship service. 

Let’s Start Talking ministry

The Let’s Start Talking ministry just completed their 6 week evangelistic project with the Victory Church of Christ.  Some of their students are now studying the Bible with missionaries and many are attending worship services.  Be in prayer for the congregation as we cultivate the contacts that were made through the conversational English classes and the beginner English classes.

Rochester Campaign group

Kirsty and I were truly blessed this year with a visit from our stateside sponsoring church, the Rochester Church of Christ.  A campaign group of 16 spent 10 days in Rio and touched many lives through their hard work. The group planned and organized an English fun-day with the intention of bringing new people from the community into our building.  The day was full of cool activities using the English language and brought over 80 new contacts for us to follow up with.  The group also painted a children’s home, built a puppet stage, cleaned and painted classrooms and most importantly, made relationships with the Brazilian church members.  It is amazing to see how the love of Christ crosses cultural and lingual barriers.  Thank you Rochester for all of your love and support!!

Meet Gus and Nina

Kirsty and I finally gave in and adopted two new Golden Retrievers.  Gus is 2 months old and we have had him for nearly a month. He has gained 5 pounds in the last week so I think that we are in for trouble.  2 weeks after getting him the breeder called and informed us that a family was returning their 1 year old retriever and inquired whether we would be interested in taking her too.  We couldn’t say no to her sweet little face, so now we have 2 retrievers in our apartment.  We are enjoying their company and they keep us busy!!

Weddings

Our fellow team mate, Adrienne Nunnally, was recently married to church member, Rodrigo Almeida.  They just returned to Rio after marrying in the States and then celebrated their union with the Brazilian congregation in a ceremony here last Saturday. 

Walace and Adriana were married on the 23^rd of June. Walace has been a member of the church for 4 years and was converted through the Let’s Start Talking Program. He works as a counselor at a juvenile prison. Adriana was raised as a Catholic and has been frequenting our church with Walace. Please pray for these special young couples as they start their new lives together

Dear Friends,

It seems that July and August happened too fast for me to keep track of the time.

This year we had a youth retreat, received campaigns and one LST group, had the Pan American Games in Rio, and received friends from USA. It was very busy but full of blessings.

Elaine and I were one of the couples responsible for the youth retreat. We had not done this before and had a lot of fun with the kids.

Looking at the pictures below I hope that you will have a glimpse of how wonderful it was. The theme was “Having Intimacy with our Savior”. It challenged the kids about the importance of a close relationship with our Savior. The retreat created opportunities for all to learn more, to play, to have fun, and to have personal time with God. After the retreat was over we all headed to church, and Ricardo decided to be baptized. It was great! Ricardo has been coming to our youth group for about three months, and at the retreat he told Bruno: “It seams that all the speakers were talking to me and I really need to have that intimacy with God.” Praise our Lord for this!

We had a great Let’s Start Talking group coming to Rio this year.  They did a terrific job, as always, and brought many contacts to us. Now we will be busy for months setting Bible studies with these new people!

I am having Bible studies with Katia and Ana Carolina. They both came to our church because of LST. Ana Carolina is looking for a church family and I pray she comes to worship with us. Katia needs many prayers because she does not believe the Bible is the Word of God. Still, she is willing to study with me and I pray God can use me to change her heart.

I am also studying the Bible with a man named Carlos. He works with maintenance for the apartment building we live in. He goes to a Pentecostal church and he has many questions about God’s Word.

We shared with you that Andressa was baptized on August 12. She is pure joy!! She loves sharing with other people about her decision. Please, continue to remember her in your prayers.

Adrienne Nunnally, one of our teammates, got married over this summer. She married Rodrigo, one of our church members. They got married in Searcy, AR in July and Scott Reynolds, our former teammate performed it. When they came back to Brazil it was my pleasure to marry them. This was the first wedding I have ever done… maybe a practice for my girls’ weddings??

Elaine and the girls have a different schedule now. Elaine started teaching Math at ICS -   International Christian School, and the girls are attending the same school. They are all loving their new schedules and friends. This is an American school and follows the same calendar as the schools in the US. If you want to check it out here is the site: www.ics-rio.com .

We miss all of you and wish to hear from you. It is always encouraging when we receive a word from you.

Blessings,

Carlos, Elaine, Bea & Andy  

Rio News

 “... I also pray for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.” John 17:20 

With this prayer we start our newsletter; with the prayer that Jesus will keep working in the hearts of the more than 350 people who attended worship services at the Victory church during its 7^th anniversary celebration on June 17^th.

It was a great day! The weather was perfect and the neighborhood was very responsive to our invitation.

We had a special presentation by the church chorus and a great lunch with a typical Brazilian dish: Feijoada (a stew of black beans with lean pork meat). This meal was cooked by some church volunteers and everybody that attended worship had the enough to eat!

Church Birthday!

The Victory Church celebrated its 7^th Birthday last Sunday with a powerful worship service. Over 350 participated in the day’s events which included a performance by the church choir and a typical Brazilian meal, feijoada (a bean and meat stew with rice), for lunch. Continue to pray for the spiritual growth of the Victory congregation and for the lost which live in the community around the church.  

Team Retreat

The Rio team of missionaries held their annual retreat at the end of May in Búzios, a pretty beach town just north of Rio. We spent 4 days discussing the future of the Brazilian church and Rio Mission team as well as enjoying each other’s company and spending fun time together.  With the departure from the field of the Reynolds family last December and the new organizational structure of the church implemented in March, this was a much needed time to discuss the effects of those big changes. We were fortunate enough to have Dale and Vickie Hawley, long time friends and counselors of the Rio team, to help us facilitate and process some of our discussion time. This was a very positive experience as always. Continue to pray for our team as we work on training Brazilian leaders to serve and minister in the Victory Church.

Marriage Seminar and Parenting Classes

Dale and Vickie Hawley arrived in Rio in late May to spend one month ministering to the Rio team and Victory Church. As well as acting as facilitators at the team retreat and counselors to our individual missionary families, they offered a marriage seminar and separate parenting classes to the congregation that were well participated.  They were a true blessing to our church in so many ways.

Rochester Campaign

Please remember the Rochester Church of Christ campaign team in prayer as they prepare for their trip to Rio on June 30^th. They will spend 10 days with the Victory Church and are scheduled to host a special evangelistic family day for the local community as well as Tae Kwon Do classes during the week for community kids. Other projects they will undertake include reforming an old building into a church library, building a playground area for children, doing a special project at a local orphanage, among other things.

Special Prayer Requests

For Josias (husband of member, Cristina) who will receive his first retirement check after his case being held up in the justice system for 9 years. Pray for his physical and mental health which has been gravely affected by severe depression for years. Offer thanksgivings that he has expressed a desire to be baptized and follow Jesus.

For Elza (member) and husband, Jailton who have been transferred from Rio to Brasilia with the military police force. Pray that Elza will find a loving Christian family and friends as she moves to this new city where she knows no one.  Pray for Jailton to draw closer to God and to have victory over his alcohol addiction and pray for their 21 year old son, Júnior, who will remain in Rio to finish college.

For this year’s Let’s Start Talking team who arrived last week to give free conversational English classes using the Bible. Pray for protection while they are here and for many seeds to be planted. Our church will also be offering free English classes for beginners. Pray for Sílvia, Rafael, Dan, and Kirsty as we teach these classes over the next 6 weeks. Each class has an average of 25 students (mixture of church members and non members) signed up already!!!!

Rio News

Furlough… what a sweet word! It was great to go back and see friends and faces that helped us so much to grow as a Christian family and also in our ministry. Thanks for your love, for your care, for all the meals, time, and laughs together. We are so blessed because God crossed MacArthur Park, Southwest, Memorial Road, and Del City families into our lives. “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. All men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.” John 13:34, 35

Coming back to Rio brings different challenges. As I shared with some of you the Rio team is going through some changes in our activities. We are changing our structure and roles with the purpose to facilitate the communication, administration, organization and also empowering the members to grow in their ministries. The team structure is fazing out, to bring two different structures:

¨   Shepherding Group: With three major goals:

o       Vision for the future of the congregation;

o       Dealing with the spiritual issues of the congregation;

o       Caring for sick and needed.

¨   Ministerial Group: It is a group that tries to help schedule and organize events in a way that ministry leaders feel supported and encouraged.   A group that tries to sort through and prioritize the dreams and ideas of our ministry leaders.  If the MG is organizing an event it involves the equipping of ministry leaders.

I’ve been working with the Shepherding Group, Men’s Ministry, and the involvement of parents with the youth program. Elaine and I are also developing the Family Ministry. It is starting practically from scratch and a lot of work and volunteers are needed. I’m very excited about the Shepherding Group. We invited two Brazilians that have been showing spiritual growth and maturity; they are Manoel and Rufino. We are so glad that God is blessing these men with the heart and vision for the leadership of our congregation. Please pray that they bless the group and the church with loving and caring hearts.

The men’s ministry is doing well and I’ve challenged the group to be more, and do more in regards to leading a Godly family, and taking the leadership position in our congregation where it  is needed. I’m excited to see the results.

The Family Ministry is just in the beginning and I need a lot of prayers to honor God in all my actions, and in the leading of a Christian family in my home that will show Christ-like attitudes in our lives.

The Victory church has a blog that you can check out. www.spaces.msn.com/reachingrio/

You will find exciting news not only from our family but also from the other members of the team, and church events.

Today I leave to ENOC. This is the National Meeting of Christian Men that happens in Sao Paulo during Easter Holiday. I’ll be back home Saturday evening. Please pray that the trip goes well, that we can encourage and be encouraged during the meeting, and that my family stays safely at home.

Family News

We are all doing well. This time of the year is very busy with birthdays in our home. Mine was March 30^th; Andressa’s is on Sunday (Easter Day). She is turning 10 and has already received her present: a cute puppy. He is a 2-month-old Yorkshire Terrier that we named Lance (short for Lancelot!). Elaine’s birthday will be on the 10^th. I am very excited that my mother and my in-laws will be able to come to Rio to celebrate the girls’ birthdays!

A Note From Beatriz,

Dear loved ones,

March was a great month! School, it is okay, lots tests, lots of studying.

I helped plan a party for the youth at church. It was loads of fun, and we had a good number of people who showed up.

I went to the beach and got a little tan. It is weird, after coming back from furlough, with tons of snow! It is funny to think that here it is sooo hot and that the beach is only 15 minutes away. Talking about furlough I would just like to thank everyone who let my family and I stay at there house also, the ones who we ate and spent time with, all of ya’ll have a very special place in our hearts. We had a great time with each and every one of ya’ll. Thanks again!!

I send you all my love, all of you have played a part in the growth of our church. I ask for prayers for I have not yet made a decision to what college I want to attend or what to major in.

Love you all,

Beatriz

RIO PRAYER UPDATE

May 2007

Gordon, Ila, Claudia and David Dabbs

 Please keep our ministry and our family in your prayers!

Thanksgiving. . .

• Thanksgiving for the growth of the women's ministry.  More ladies are involved than ever before.
• The small groups ministry has grown and is involving more Brazilian leaders.
• We are thankful for the recent weddings of Erick and Regina, Angelildo and Mere, and Hermeto and Katia.
• The Lord is showering his blessings upon our marriage and our family.  Thanks for your prayers in this area!
• We praise the Lord and thank Him for allowing the Victory Church to be part of a dynamic outreach to needy children in Rio.  Along with this, we are thankful for the Rocketdyne Road congregation in Neosho for providing funds for our congregation to use in helping two Children's Homes in the Rio area.  Eleven children from the homes are attending church each week. 

Requests. . .

• Ask for the Lord of the Harvest to kindle within the hearts of our members a love for their families and friends so that they will be courageous in sharing their faith with those people.  With our focus on leadership development and organizational issues, the evangelism has not been as high a priority in 2007 as it needs to be.
• May God protect and bless the children from the AMAI Children's Homes who are being aided by the Victory congregation.
• Pray for God's blessings upon Bruno who is being mentored by Gordon to be a preacher.  They spend personal time together each week, share the pulpit on occasion and are looking to involve Bruno more and more in the preaching ministry.
• Ask God to bless Jefferson and Bruno as they continue their seminary studies in preparation to work full-time with the congregation.
• Pray for the Brazilian congregation as it strives to pay off a loan from the states that helped finish the building project.
• Ask for God to bless our national TV program.
• May the Lord help Claudia and David in their school work and their faith development.

Photo 1: Licio and Leila (directors of Children's Home "AMAI" with their daughter.

Photo 2: Gordon at the church building with kids from AMAI.

Photo 3: David and Claudia did some archery practice last week.  They are both straight shooters!

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

Rio Report

Kevin and Debra Reynolds

January 15, 2007

Another Reason To Celebrate!

When Debra and I returned from our trip to the south of Brazil last Friday, we were anxious to get back to church and see what had gone on in our absence. At church on Saturday, as I was getting some things ready for the Sunday Bible class, I was told Julio Cesar and his wife Cissa had called earlier in the week to make sure things were ready for a baptism in our Sunday service. Maybe I should travel more often if our members are going to keep studying with their friends and neighbors and baptize them as soon as I get back. We hope you will praise God with us for this new child of God and find encouragement in the same way that we do as the Brazilian brethren continue to take seriously God’s desire for them to share His love with a lost world. May God bless you this week.

In Christ,

- Kevin and Debra Reynolds 

Rio Report

Kevin and Debra Reynolds

2006 – Final Thoughts

Three Baptisms In The Last Two Weeks Of 2006!

Kátia (below left) and her husband Carlos Alberto were baptized on the Friday before Christmas. Another Kátia (below right), came forward to be baptized at the worship service on December 31^st. It was a great conclusion to a wonderful year.

    Special Prayers

·    Pray for those who were recently baptized. Kátia, the one on the right has some things she must work out with her fiancé and her children.

·    Pray for Scott, Sharla, Sydney, Sawyer and Samuel Reynolds. They will returned the States in December after eight years of dedicated service to the Lord’s work in Rio.  Pray for God’s guidance as they try to decide where they will live and work. There will also be many adjustments as they try to readjust to life in a different culture. (Also, their uncle will miss their presence here in Brazil.)

·    Jefferson is currently in Rio on his break for his theological studies in Campo Grande. Pray for him as he will leave Rio again in February and will be graduating in December of 2007. Pray for his last year of studies and his future service in the church in Rio.

·    Bruno will start studying again in February. Also, his family just moved closer to the church. Pray for his studies, his family responsibilities and his new responsibilities, leading and training the praise team, that he has taken over from Scott .

·    Debra and I will be traveling to Porto Alegre for the Missionary Conference. Pray that our time with other Brazilian missionaries will be beneficial, will help us recharge our batteries and will be fun.

·    Debra is working with a new group of women who will be the leadership group for the Women´s Ministry. Pray for Debra and these servants, Ivoneide, Renata, Fátima and Áurea.

2006 was a special year for the church in Rio. In November we had our largest monthly average ever of 235 in attendance per Sunday. We inaugurated the new building and the church continued to grow in numbers, in grace and in faith.  We know that God has great plans for 2007 and will use His church to call those who are seeking Him. Please keep our family and the Victory Church of Christ in your prayers over the following months.

In Christ,

Kevin and Debra Reynolds