FINALLY UNDERWAY!

June 10, 2008

I'll start by saying that tomorrow is Connie's birthday.  So maybe some of you will want to send her a greeting.  I love her more and more with each passing day!  The Lord has blessed me in many ways and Connie is certainly one of my greatest blessings!

After years of sweat, tears, trials and prayers the work on our new church building is actually underway.  The drilling machine we had made is up and running, and the first of about 80 holes has been completed.  The original house is being torn down this week.  Now we really are short on space for Bible classes Sunday mornings!  All of the moving and reorganization is troublesome, yet exciting as we look to the future.

And now that construction has begun I need to tell you that we will need more money right away.  The weak dollar makes everything more expensive than it used to be.  We had a nice sum on hand, but it will be gone within a few months.  We need your help in order to continue the process and proceed with the second phase of construction.  The first phase will give us three nice classrooms near the main avenue where we can continue our Outreach Center.  The next step will be to put in the floor of the auditorium which will also serve as the roof over what will be the parking / all purpose area.  We expect the total building process to take two or three years.  Please pray for us and think about how you can help.  Gifts can be sent to the Pleasant Valley Church in Little Rock.

It has been encouraging to have several baptisms recently.  About ten days ago Alexandre gave his life to the Lord.  That Sunday he brought about 15 family members to witness his new birth.  His 15 year old daughter, Madeline, has been coming to church with him and has begun studying the Bible.  Alexandre's wife has so far resisted change.  I'm sure that he would appreciate your prayers for him and for his family.

Two days ago Humbertina was baptized into Christ.  Her son-in-law, Sergio, told the church about how when she moved last year, he helped her pack up all of her statues of various "saints".  Wilma, Humbertina's daughter, kept talking with her mother about following Jesus and the Bible.  A few months back Humbertina visited the congregation one Sunday and has been coming ever since.  Her enthusiasm is contagious.

Cicera become a part of the congregation about a month ago.  She had been a part of a denominational church.  She grew tired of having people tell her what God wanted her to do.

Cicera is overjoyed now to be studying the Bible and simply following what is written in God's word rather than listening to human ideas or traditions.

Both Cicera and Alexandre have been studying the Bible each week with Marcos Aurelio.  Marcos and his wife, Márcia, moved to Jacarepaguá in January when our congregation invited him to come serve as a full-time evangelist.  They have been a welcome addition as both are hard workers with positive attitudes.

A group of four ladies from our supporting church in Little Rock are here for five weeks as part of the Let's Start Talking Project.  All of them came ready to jump right in.  They have been impressed by the warmth of the Brazilian people.  And everyone here has been impressed by the way they express their joy and love even without knowing the language.

God has blessed us with the privilege of serving Him in Rio de Janeiro and witnessing His power and goodness.  And once again we want to thank all of you for your partnership in the gospel.

Our love in Christ,

Larry, Connie and Jonathan

P.S.  One of the photos shows the house being torn down.  The other is of Sérgio, Humbertina and Wilma.