March 31, 2006

Brazilian Dies in Suicide Attack in Israel

Details are a bit sketchy at the moment, but it would seem from reports I am getting that a Brazilian lady was killed in a suicide boming in Israel yesterday. Apparently she stopped on her way home from a party to give a ride to three people--one of whom was a terrorist disguised as an orthodox Jew. He set off a bomb killing all in the car.

I am waiting to see if there is as much of an outcry over this as there was over the accidental killing of a Brazilian by the London police.

Posted by Andrew at 12:27 PM // Comments: 2 //
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March 30, 2006

Col. Marcos Pontes

Yesterday at around 11:30 pm (9:30 pm EST) the first Brazilian was launched into space from a base in Russia.

It was a big event for Brazil. There is much anticipation that this will jump-start the Brazilian space program. I stayed up and watched the launch. It was a truly amazing event. It was also inspiring to hear Col. Pontes as he spoke, encouraging his countrymen to strive for excellence.

For more information, check out this story from the BBC.

Posted by Andrew at 11:54 AM
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March 29, 2006

Student Prayer Requests

I just got done with one of my favorite activities--reading the reports students have given me of their practical ministries over the weekend. Here are the prayer requests they shared with me:

Marli asks that we pray for the salvation of the children and teens in the town of Exú, where she and her husband, Edson, are working.
Likewise, Samuel asks for prayer for the kids in his AWANA program.
Vitória needs wisdom in managing her time (ahem...a certain missionary can identify with that...).
Valdir and Carina (another husband/wife team) are continuing their plans for a conference at their church for the deaf in Petrolina. They also ask for protection on their four-hour trips to and from that city each weekend.
Iranir would like a bigger space for his Sunday School classes. He also requests prayer for a neighbor who turns his sound system WAY up during the service.

It was also exciting to read of at least two people who made a profession of faith this week as a result of the ministry of our students.

Posted by Andrew at 3:31 PM
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Mega Urgent Prayer Request

I just got off the phone with my realtor, and she let me know that our house has been shown once today, and will be shown at least one more time before the day is over. Please, please pray that there will be an acceptable offer, and that we will be able to be free of this burden.

Posted by Andrew at 1:21 PM
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Stellar Goal?

Most will admit that Brazil's national soccer team is out of this world. Now, one of their jerseys is going out of this world--literally.

Brazilians are quite excited about the prospect of one of their own being in space soon. He is set to take off tomorrow at 11 pm (Brazilian time--9pm for you EST gringos out there).

Should Brazilians win the World Cup this year (it would be their sixth victory), it will be a truly "stellar" year for the country.

Here's hoping!

Correction: The liftoff is tonight at 9:30 EST. Check out details of the launch here.

Posted by Andrew at 6:50 AM
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March 27, 2006

Use Me, Lord

The following is a translation of a chorus the young people sang last night at our church. I had never heard it before, and I found the imagery to be profound. I hope you find it edifying as I did.

Use me, Lord. Like a lighthouse that shines in the night, Like an oasis in the desert, Like an arrow that hits it's mark, I want to be used in the way that You see fit. Any time, any place. Here is my life. Use me, Lord.

Posted by Andrew at 2:32 PM // Comments: 1 //
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March 25, 2006

Ladies' Bazaar

When I woke up yesterday, my house was being steadily invaded by ladies from our church. I beat a hasty retreat to the seminary, while they set up a bazaar to raise money for the upcoming ladies' retreat.

By all accounts, the bazaar was a success. You can see pictures of it here.

Posted by Andrew at 9:35 AM
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March 24, 2006

Some Prayer Requests

One of the most exciting parts of my job is reading the reports students hand in every week about their practical ministries. Many times, they add prayer requests, which I always write down and pray for. I thought the readers of this blog might want to be in prayer for them as well. Below are their names, and the prayer requests they gave:

Nilton asks for prayer regarding his adaptation to the ministry.

Pray for Hamilton as he learns to accompany hymns with his guitar, and for the grouth of the congregation where he works. Also, they had some pentecostal visitors last week--pray that this will not cause confusion.

Péricles will be having an evangelistic service this weekend in the little town of Aiuaba.

Edson and Marli ask your prayers for a young man called António

Elizabeth would like to see more children attending her children's services, as well as more participation by people from the church.

Josiel is asking for prayer for a young man named Marcos--that he would see his need to be in church.

Iranir asks for prayer for his Sunday School class.

Heron is entering into a new stage in his work with young people, and also requests prayer for himself as he ministers in the area prison.

Marcos Paulo is praying for the salvation of a young man named Helvécio Filho--son of one of the members of the church where he works.

Valdir and Carina would like your prayers as they begin to organize a conference at the deaf church in Petrolina.

Thank you for remembering these students in your prayers. This is just a small sampling of the ministries that are carried on every week by our students.

Posted by Andrew at 2:00 PM
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March 23, 2006

I'm Glad to See This

Brazil and the US working together against terrorism. This is a refreshing change from the routine denials from the Brazilian government that there was any Latin-American connection.

Continue reading "I'm Glad to See This"

Posted by Andrew at 7:06 AM
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March 20, 2006

Latest Audio Post

I am sorry for the delay in getting an audio post up. Here is the latest effort...complete with background noise from Mikey.


MP3 File

Posted by Andrew at 10:46 AM // Comments: 2 //
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Because We All Know How Effective The UN Is...

This item that just came accross my desk would be funny if it were not so scary.

Continue reading "Because We All Know How Effective The UN Is..."

Posted by Andrew at 9:24 AM // Comments: 1 //
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Vintage Photos

As part of a project I am working on, I was given several old photos of the seminary here in Juazeiro do Norte, as well as pictures of the city itself as it looked in the early days of the BMM work here.

The picture above is of the First Baptist Church of Juazeiro do Norte. I'm guessing it is from the fifties.

Click here to see other pictures. If there are any missionaries or former missionaries out there who can identify any of these, your help would be greatly appreciated.

Posted by Andrew at 8:54 AM
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Churchill Speaks

I am currently reading Winston Churchill's book, The Gathering Storm--the first book in his history of the second world war. This book covers the events leading up to the war, and chronicles the failures of the western powers to act in preventing Hitlers aggression when it was still possible to do so.

The following is a quote which is relevant today, not only for national leaders, but also for spiritual leaders and for Christians involved in the daily struggle against "the world, the flesh, and the devil."

Still, if you will not fight for the right when you can easily win without bloodshed; if you will not fight when your victory will be sure and not too costly; you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a precarious chance of survival. There may even be a worse case. You may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than live as slaves.

May God give us the grace and intestinal fortitude to know when a battle now will prevent a war in the future.

Posted by Andrew at 7:48 AM
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March 18, 2006

The City of God vs. The Cities of Man

This morning during my devotional time, I read the following in Tabletalk magazine, in an article by Warren A. Cage:

The Scripture tells us that Cain founded his city when his son was born (Gen. 4:17). In contrast, when a son was born to Seth, men began to "call upon the name of the Lord"(4:26). While the ungoldly dedicate themselves to building the earthly city, the godly look by faith to inherit the city of God.

The whole article, entitled The City of God and the Cities of Men, is full of contrasts like this. Cage relies heavily on St. Augustine's The City of God, and has piqued my interest in that work. It has gone to the top of my reading list.

Posted by Andrew at 10:37 AM
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March 13, 2006

With AMEN in Orós

This last weekend we had the privilege of accompanying the Associação de Missões Nacionais e Estrangeiras (National and Foreign Missionary Society)--or AMEN--on a trip to the nearby city of Orós. AMEN is made up of young people from our seminary who are interested in missions. We had a wonderful time in Orós, which is a very unique city nestled in among the rugged hills of southern Ceará.

While in Orós we...

...held kid's clubs...

...taught Sunday School...

...did open-air evangelism...

...participated in a radio program...

...and challenged the local church for missions.

We also found time for...

...some sight-seeing...

...and a little goofing off.

The highlight for me was being able to work with this amazing group of students.

If you think of it, pray for a man named José who I had the chance to witness to. He seemed very close to making a decision.

You can see the complete selection of photos from the trip to Orós here.

Posted by Andrew at 10:24 AM // Comments: 1 //
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March 10, 2006

The Book on Leadership

I have just completed John MacArthur's The Book on Leadership. It was a tremendous and challenging read. To see my full review of it, as well of other books on my reading list, go here.

Posted by Andrew at 12:21 PM // Comments: 1 //
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March 8, 2006

Quick Update

It is great to be back into the swing of things here at the seminary. I spent most of today reviewing reports that students handed in about their ministry internships. Over the past two weeks, they reported at least five people coming to Christ. That is awesome!!! Nothing makes me happier than to have the privilege of working with this dynamic group of college students.

Posted by Andrew at 4:08 PM // Comments: 1 //
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March 5, 2006

Carnaval in São Luís

I am finally getting around to posting pictures of our trip to São Luí­s this last week. In this particular shot, I am shown giving a lecture during the morning session. These were informal seminars on a number of practical topics, followed by a discussion time.

On this particular day, we ran out of time for discussion (the subject was "The Believer and Popular Culture"), so afterwards this group gathered and we discussed the subject some more.

A highlight of our trip was the presence of Edson and Marli, a married couple from the seminary who came with us and helped out during the week.

Here are Edson and Marli with the group of children they worked with at the retreat. They reported one conversion during their sessions.

The week afforded us a chance to get out and see some of the sights of São Luís. In this picture, Edson and I share a "rasta" moment.

Itacyara and I intruduced UNO to the group from São Luís, and it was a big hit, as you can see.

One of the games this week included a kind of Bible trivia where you got a pie in the face if you got the question wrong. Yes, I ended up with a pie in my face. No, we do not have a picture.

Different regions of Brazil have different traditions during Carnaval time. In São Luís, the little kids (and big kids too) dress up in costumes that look like a cross between a clown and a demon. They are called "fofões", and they walk around the city like that all week. Above is a picture of Edson posing with two fofões during a trip we made to the city for supplies.

Brazil is famous for it's Carnaval celebration, but what is not often mentioned it the huge toll it takes on Brazilian society. I have commented on this before, but it is worth mentioning again. There were several Carnaval-related deaths just in São Luís last week, not to mention the anual spike in the AIDS and STD rates. We were happy to be a part of the "conter-Carnaval" retreat, and were excited that two young people made decisions for Christ.

I took many more pictures of the retreat, which can be seen here.

Posted by Andrew at 5:56 AM // Comments: 1 //
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March 3, 2006

Close Encounters of the Equestrian Kind

So last night, on my way back home from São Luís, I hit a horse. Actually, I kind-of sideswiped it. The truck in the other lane had his high-beams on, and wouldn't dim them. I slowed way down, and as soon as my eyes cleard, there was the horse.

Fortunately (for the horse), I was going slow enough so that he trotted off after the incident. Un-fortunately (for my truck), I was going fast enough to sustain some cosmetic dammage to the right-hand fender.

There will be updates and pics from the São Luís trip, which was marvelous, later on.

Posted by Andrew at 9:38 AM // Comments: 2 //
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