March 10, 2008 Much has happened in the past few months for our team. The biggest news is that we have partnered with the Mount Juliet Church of Christ in Mount Juliet, Tennessee which took oversight of our entire team in February of this year. Many prayers were answered when this happened and we are very happy and excited about Mount Juliet's decision. Now that we all have oversight of an eldership, we have begun the incredible task of fund raising. We have to raise our start up fund, our salary, and our working fund. Our team has also increased the time we are spending together. In order to train and unify ourselves we have begun meeting every month for an entire day. We are studying books and documents for strategy and method development in addition to studying Brazilian culture. Even though Maikon is in Brazil, the internet offers us email and facebook which allows him to communicate constantly with the team as well as contributing to the training with first hand knowledge of our target area.
October 7, 2007 We have added a new member to our team. This is very exciting because he is from Rio Grande do Sul. We think that he will serve a great need on our team...somone who knows the culture first hand. Check out Maikon's information on the Team Page.
August 25, 2007 This month we hosted the Brazil Retreat for those interested in joining a mission team. We invited 26 people in hopes that 8 would attend and as a result at least 2 would join the team. We had 7 attend and 1 person formally request to be joined to the team. We will pray and talk with this person over the next couple of months asking God to answer everyone's questions. We also hope that some of the others will also join the team. Please pray hard for this to happen. Also we are still seeking overseeing elderships. If you know of anyone who would like to talk to us then please let us know.
As far as upcoming events, we will be visiting Caxias do Sul in October for research and familiarization. Our team must raise about $4,500 more dollars for this trip. We are also hoping to host a Brazil Meet-n-Greet dinner in the Mount Juliet, TN area in the next couple of months. If you live in the area and would like to attend please contact us.
August 2007 Our major task this year is finding teammates and overseeing elderships. Several people have shown interest in joining the mission. Our team and its sponsors are hosting a Brazil Retreat on August 10th and 11th for those who might consider joining the work. We hope to provide information, answer questions, spend time in prayer, and allow those who attend to see if they fit well with our team. The cost for those attending is provided by our sponsors (Thank you, sponsors). We have just sent out invitations in the last couple of weeks. If you would like to attend or know someone who might, then please contact us. Also, if you know of a mission minded congregation who is looking for a work to oversee, then please help us get in contact with them.
In October we plan to return to Caxias do Sul. Last year we stayed less than 2 days in the city. This year we plan to spend almost 8 full days. We will be researching the costs of living, familiarizing ourselves with the city, and building relationships with realators, language schools, and other needed contacts for the future. We also hope to follow up on contacts with two people we met last year. One is the head of the foreign language department at the university and the other works in a restaraunt and wanted to know more about our mission. Our team needs funds for this trip as well as startup funds for 2009. Please pray for this trip and our financial needs.
In May we hosted two events for family, friends, and supportors of the Brazil Team. The first was held in Killen at the Atlas church of Christ and the second in Winchester at the Owl Hollow church of Christ. About 50 people attended all together. At each a Brazilian meal was served followed by a slide show and presentation by Nick and Jess. We allowed time for questions afterwards. Thank you to all our family and friends that helped us decorate and get the meals together.
October 12th Praise is due to our Lord who works constantly in this world, using us to advance his kingdom!! The first week of October we were in Brazil visiting cities to determine where we would plant a church. Arriving in the afternoon of Sunday, Oct 1st, we worshipped with the Cristavo Columbo congregation in Porto Alegre. After a late dinner we stayed with some of the American missionaries that night. It was after midnight when we finally got in bed. Little did we know this late night routine would continue the entire week. All of Monday morning was spent going to the Lucas congregation and getting money changed. Common tasks take hours to accomplish in Brazil. We had lunch of chicken, rice, beans, and lettuce before heading out to Caxias do Sul. While in this city we visited the University of Caxias do Sul, the major univerisity in the area. We also met with two different Protestant churches that are growing in this city. We spent several hours interviewing these men. In Caxias we also had the opportunity to talk with some American missionaries allowing us to gain a perspective similar to the one we will have in the future. We also interviewed several different people in an attempt to gain insight into the values and lives of the people. On Wednesday afternoon we headed back to Porto Alegre and woshipped with the Lucas congregation that evening. Early Thursday morning we left for Santa Maria. After arriving that evening and getting settled into our hotel we drove to a monument that overlooks the entire city. While we were there we sang praises to God and offered up prayers on behalf of the lost people in the city below us. From there we headed downtown and conducted our interviews. The next day went smoothly, meeting with another church and visiting the University Federal of Santa Maria (UFSM). Back in Porto Alegre on Friday night we ate dinner at one of the member's homes, spent time talking in our hotel, and then got a few hours sleep. We spent Saturday morning shopping and then caught our flight home. Space won't allow us to share everything about our trip on this page, but if you are interested, just ask us about "Eat the Rabbit," getting traffic tickets, breakaway mirrors, asking for directions, or our translator, Delmar. For information about the city we selected visit the "Target City" page.
August 8th Wow! Has this been a busy summer! Jess and Nick are both associate ministers with emphasis on the youth. For those of you who are familiar with the summer youth schedule you know it is packed full of activities. Nevertheless, both families have been actively working toward securing an overseeing congregation, and our recruiting efforts to build the team are still going strong. We met once in June to discuss matters of the newsletter and upcoming survey trip. On Monday August 7th, we met in Huntsville and made more concrete plans for the survey trip. We are leaving Saturday, September 30th and will return on Sunday October 8th. The purpose of this trip is to visit 3 major cities in Rio Grande do Sul. They are Canoas, Caxias do Sul, and Santa Maria. In these cities we will attempt to meet with univeristy officials, city officials, and church leaders. We will also be examining costs of living. We will need your prayers. Ask God to make clear to us the city in which he wants us to establish His church. We also need funds for this trip. If you would like to help, please email us (addresses available on the TEAM page).
On April 7 & 8, the Fowlers and the Easteps spent the weekend planning and praying. This was a good time to get to know each other better and plan for the work in Brazil.
On March 27th, seven of us met at O'Charleys in Florence, AL, to talk about the work and get to know each other a little better. We had a great meeting, and everyone left feeling excited about the work in Brazil.