May 31, 2006

Quick Update

Just a quick update to let you all know that we are alive and well. The missions team from Fellowship Baptist arrived on Saturday in Fortaleza, and I was there to pick them up. We have had a great time so far, and are looking forward to much fruit from this time with them.

One quick request...please pray for my voice. I began losing it on the way to Fortaleza, and as of last night it was almost completely gone. This is rather inconvenient timing, because I am supposed to translate for the team members during various events this week.

Posted by Andrew at 5:06 AM
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May 26, 2006

Another Lawsuit Update

I was hoping to be able to give a final update about the labor suit against the seminary, but it would appear that the trial has been postponed yet again. This time the plaintiff's lawyer aleged that the seminary turned in a huge amount of documentation in it's defense (duh!), and that they needed more time to look it over. The trial has been re-scheduled for the middle of June.

So now, we have more time to pray. Please pray especially that God would soften the heart of the man who is bringing this lawsuit.

As for me, I am off to Fortaleza in half an hour, to meet our mission team arriving from Florida. I probably will not be able to post anything further until tomorrow evening.

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

Lawsuit Update

Here is a copy of the letter Jim Leonard sent out with regards to the labor dispute set up against the seminary:

We are humbled by the huge army of prayer warriors that have rallied behind us in the present situation. We have been repeatedly reminded that we are engaged in a spiritual battle, that the true enemy is not flesh and blood, and that the victory is ours in the Lord.

As Julie mentioned earlier, we were given five days to prepare our entire defense. By God's grace we were able in this very short time put together our defense made up of faithful witnesses, legal documents, and jurisprudence that would discredit all of the wicked and false accusations made against our Bible College.

We went to the court house fully prepared. When the judge opened the proceedings he asked if there was a possibility of a private settlement. We firmly responded that over the past year we had repeatedly tried to settle with this man, and that our past proposals were still good. With this the prosecuting lawyer acted like he really didn't know what to do, and finally he admitted that he would have to look over the case again and reconsider the figures. It became obvious that the plaintiff and his lawyer were not in the least bit prepared. The judge gave them two days, and we should return on Friday at 8:30 to the court.

Our lawyer was very satisfied with this, and feels like this move was all in our favor. This does demand that our prayer team continues to battle alongside us, and adds a burden on our witnesses who will have to once again leave other responsibilities in the classroom and work to be at the court house. But we are confident that the Lord is in control.

Please continue to pray.

I am leaving for Foraleza on Friday at noon, but I will try to get an update of how things went before I go. In the meantime, as Jim said, keep on praying!!!

Posted by Andrew at 1:40 PM // Comments: 1 //
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Congratulations, Dr. Piatt

My pastor in the US, Rick Piatt, just graduated with his doctorate from Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando. Join me in congratulating him!

Posted by Andrew at 7:03 AM // Comments: 1 //
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Prayer Reminder

I found it difficult to sleep this morning, so I ended up getting up at 5am and spending some time in prayer for the Seminary's lawsuit hearing, which is today. I just want to take this opportunity to remind you to pray as well. The trial will be around 8 a.m. EST.

Posted by Andrew at 4:21 AM
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May 22, 2006

Monday Happenings

Just got back from putting the truck in the "hospital". This is just a diagnostic visit, to find out what the disturbing sound coming from the wheel carriage is. The name of the garage is "The Lord of Hosts Auto Garage" (the owner is a believer).

Earlier today I went to the monthly pastor's meeting, hosted at our church. The meeting was dominated by discussion of the lawsuit against the seminary by a former employee. Please continue to pray about the outcome of these events.

Posted by Andrew at 1:41 PM
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May 21, 2006

Violence in Brazil--The Aftermath

All seems to be relatively quiet on the southern front. Police have control now, whether they got it back by themselves or had it relinquished to them by the gangs is another question.

Now horrified Brazilians begin to reflect on what has happened over the last two weeks, and why. One Brazilian I talked with summarized the problem to me very well:

Os direitos humanos estão prejudicando os humanos direitos.

Rough translation: an emphasis on human rights is making it tough on the humans who do right. The Brazilian penal code is built on the (quite unbiblical) assumption that man is basically good. The goal is to rehabilitate the criminal, not punish him. Hence, there is no fear of the law on the part of the criminal. There is no law inside prisons. Lawyers are not seached upon entering maximum security(!) prisons, and often sneak weapons and cell phones to their clients. The TV journals here are all carrying the story of how the attacks of the past weeks were coordinated from prison using cell phones.

The lawyers who brought them should be held accountable for the innocent lives that were lost.

Meanwhile, the blame game has begun on the part of the leadership. São Paulo governor Claudio Lembo came up with one of the most amazing examples of reality deprivation I have ever heard, courtesy of the BBC:

In an interview for a Sao Paulo newspaper, the state governor, Mr Lembo described the violence as a "wake-up call", opening the eyes of middle-class Brazilians to the cancer of crime. "We have a white minority that is very perverse," he said. "The bourgeoisie will have to open their pockets to lift the misery so there are more jobs, more education."

So, it turns out that the real villains were the ones crouching in their living rooms with their families as bullets whizzed overhead. The mother I saw wailing in the hospital because her little boy had been killed is more to blame than the thugs who killed him? What kind of twisted logic is this?

Governor Lembo's implication is that the "perverse middle class" is not paying enough to solve this problem. He forgets (or willingly ignores) that Brazilians are among the most taxed people of the world. The average middle-class Brazilian spends four months of the year just working for the government. The question lies in how the money is administrated--and THAT would be Governor Lembo's department.

The president has not been silent on this issue either. (source: AP)

"This problem of violence is cultural and needs a lot more than police," the leftist president said at the inauguration of a new union hall. "Why are the bandits free to do what they want and we don't have control? Why do lawyers not want to be searched when they visit prisoners? We need to meditate more deeply over a solution."

Yeah. Meditation. That is what is going to solve this issue. Sr. Presidente, Brazil needs decisive action on the part of it's leaders. That would be you.

I'm sorry if I seem a little passionate about this subject. I love my adopted country. I was grieved as I watched the events unfold. The image of the mother in the hospital is one I will never forget. The pastor of our Brazilian church had some great insights in this evening's message, which was on I Peter 2. This is the time for Christians here in Brazil to reaffirm their support for honest law-enforcement, to fight corruption on all levels (including compromise in our own personal lives), and to pray for those in authority (and seek to put good ones in office).

Posted by Andrew at 9:19 PM
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May 20, 2006

Slide Show

Just found a way to include flickr slideshows on the blog. This one is of our trip to Alcântara Island last January.

For those interested, go here for instructions on how to put slideshows on your blog.

Posted by Andrew at 12:37 PM // Comments: 1 //
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Lawsuit

The following is from Jim Leonard, director of the Cariri Baptist Seminary:

We want to share with you an urgent request that needs to be deligently taken before the Lord. Jim received a legal summons yesterday (May 18) confirming that one of the former Seminary employees is suing the seminary in labor court. In reviewing the claim with our lawyer last night, Jim discovered many false accusations against the Seminary and a demand for compensation to the tune of nearly $150,000 (US dollars). The case will not be treated as most court cases, with multiple meetings and appeals; it will be treated in a single hearing next Wednesday, May 24, at 9:15 a.m. (7:15 Central Standard Time), with the judge's decision being final. All of the seminary's defense (witnesses, documentation, etc) need to be in the hands of our lawyer by Monday so that he can develop our defense strategy.

7 Prayer requests
* Pray for the Seminary staff as they will be very busy in the next few days putting these materials together;
* Pray that the right documents and legal proof will be easily found and clearly representative of the truth;
* Pray for the witnesses and our lawyer, that they will be faithful in presenting the truth in these matters. We know that God will honor this above all else;
* Pray that hardened hearts will be softened before Wednesday, and if its the Lord's will that the case would not even make it before the judge;
* Pray for the seminary, for all that it stands for, and for the wide ministry and testimony that it has in the community (and entire country!);
* Pray for the seminary's spiritual and physical assets, the result of 60 years of God's blessings, that He will honor and protect them;
* Pray that above all else God will show Himself mighty, and that His name will be exalted, glorified, and praised through this difficult testing.

Needless to say, our hearts are extremely heavy, as this man claims to be a Christian and worked side-by-side with us for ten years. We suspected the threat of such a case since he retired last year, but we were unable to make this concern public until now because there was no tangible proof that he would carry through with his threats. The summons yesterday took care of that detail. We have also desired to be blameless in the areas of gossip, something which the other party has not sought to do, but has actually used heavily to try and turn people agains us. The President of the Seminary board of directors, a Brazilian pastor, and Jim have attempted to settle this in a Biblical way, seeking to work through this man's church, but all attempts have been refused. The Seminary faculty, board, and staff are shocked and saddened at the ammount of bitterness being shown and are unsure of the motives behind such dishonesty.

Again, thank you for bearing this enormous burden with us. We'll do our best to keep you informed if there are any new developments. Please pray!

There are other details which Jim does not share--and therefore neither will I--which magnify the reprehensible nature of this lawsuit. The believers I have talked to in this region are aghast that this individual would even think about doing such a thing.

I would echo Jim's request for urgent prayer in this matter.

Posted by Andrew at 5:36 AM
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May 19, 2006

Truck Troubles

I just got back from the shop with our truck. I took it in yesterday to change the timing belt and make some other small repairs. Those have all been taken care of, for much less than I was originally quoted--Praise God!

However, there is another problem that I will need to take care of, relating to a sound coming from the rear axle. The mechanic told me that it is either a simple ball-bearing problem that might run me R$100 (about $50), or else it is something else that could run me over R$1,000 (about $500).

"Simple ball bearing problems for $50 please, Alex!"

Posted by Andrew at 10:39 AM
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Another Geek Moment

If I keep having these, I am going to have to buy myself a pocket protector and some thick-rimmed glasses.

I am posting this article using a Kurumin Linux live cd. This means that the operating system is running off of a cd--and if I remove the cd, my laptop will return to the Windows XP operating system.

Kurumin Linux is a Brazilian version of the Linux OS that is becoming very popular here. It is very user-friendly, compared to other Linux "distros" I have used. Also, running Linux off of a CD makes it much faster than the virtual (online) version I tested a couple days ago.

Ok, that was fun. Now back to work.

Posted by Andrew at 8:22 AM
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May 18, 2006

Pray for Nathan

Please pray for a young man named Nathan. He is part of the team that is coming down to help us next week. A few days ago he was in a motorcycle accident. The injuries did not look to serious at the time, but some infection set in and now he is in the hospital, and facing the prospect of not being able to come down.

We would very much like to see him come down, but we also very much want to see the will of God done in this matter. Please pray with us.

Posted by Andrew at 10:19 PM
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A Geek Moment

I am writing this on a my laptop, using a Linux operating system that I did not have to install. It is an online distro called Net Cubicle. I am using it on a free trial basis, and it will probably be a while before I can purchase a permanent version. However, this is very cool.

Features:
* Open Office suite
* Konqueror and Firefox web browsers
* Numerous games
* Easy-to-use chat software
* "The Gimp" photo editing software

The one drawback is that, because I have Windows XP running in the background, it is kind of slow and clunky. This could probably be solved by setting up a lower screen resolution on the linux desktop.

Posted by Andrew at 9:40 AM // Comments: 2 //
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May 16, 2006

Message from the US Consulate in Brazil

I just recieved this e-mail:

Subject: Consular Warden Message

Sao Paulo
May 15, 2006

The U.S. Consulate General would like to alert American Citizens traveling to and living in São Paulo to an increase of organized crime violence over the weekend in the State of Sao Paulo. In response to the transfer of prisoners from Sao Paulo city prisons to interior jails, gang violence has increased, mainly directed at the state security forces, resulting in over 70 deaths throughout the state, including 36 police officers. Of the 150 attacks against state police personnel and facilities, only ten have occurred in the greater Sao Paulo urban area. At this point the attacks have not targeted non-security force Brazilian citizens, Americans or other foreigners. It appears that the two non-security Brazilians who were killed became victims due to their close proximity to police personnel. Many city buses have been burned, but the riders were allowed to exit before the vehicles were destroyed. Several ATM machines have also been targeted.

American citizens are advised to review their personal security and take precautions when necessary. Motorist should be cognizant of police roadblocks and checkpoints and use alternative routes when available. We recommend that any American planning to visit a local prison postpone that visit; if a visit must be made, the prison administration should be contacted first.

For the latest security information, Americans traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department's Internet web site at http://travel.state.gov/ where the current Worldwide Caution Public Announcement, Travel Warnings and Public Announcements can be found. Specific information on Brazil may be found in the Consular Information Sheet at <http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis pa/tw/cis/cis 1072.html>. Up to date information on security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the United States, or, for callers outside the United States and Canada, a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays). American citizens traveling or residing overseas are encouraged to register with the appropriate U.S. Embassy or Consulate on the State Department\'s travel registration website at https://travelregistration.state.gov/

American Citizen Services Unit
U.S. Consulate Recife
Tel. (81) 3416-3050
Fax. (81) 3421-5829
recconsular@state.gov

Posted by Andrew at 8:21 AM
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May 15, 2006

São Paulo in Chaos

I just witnessed one of the saddest things I have ever seen on TV. The criminals who are in effect ruling São Paulo targeted the family of a police officer, and his young son was killed. The TV cameras trained in on the mother as she heard the news. Such grief is unspeakable.

The leaders of São Paulo (both the city and the state) are tripping over themselves to tell people that the situation is under control. The evidence to the contrary is overwhelming. Gang members are in virtual control of the city.

Nobody, not even the president, is showing the leadership necessary to quash this uprising.

As I mentioned before, we have many missionaries in and around São Paulo. Pray for their safety, and that of their congregations during this time. Pray that in the midst of the violence, Christ's name would be lifted up.

Also, pray that the leaders of the region would stand up and show true leadership. The situation is black. Tonight for the first time I heard my wife express the opinion that perhaps Brazil should have the death penalty.

Also, for those who may be worried about our safety--we are a two-day's trip by car from all the goings on. That is not to say that we do not need prayer, but there are many of our co-workers who are much closer to it all than we are.

Posted by Andrew at 10:00 PM
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May 14, 2006

Happy Mother's Day, Itá

This is the most beautiful woman in the world, at the "Coisas do Sertão" restaurant in Juazeiro do Norte.

Posted by Andrew at 5:03 PM // Comments: 1 //
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São Paulo in Flames

Some of our US readers may be hearing news reports about the violence going on in São Paulo. According to the latest report coming accross my desk things are continuing to escalate.

According to Financial Times (one of many outlets reporting on this)Ç

Heavily-armed gangsters attacked police posts in Brazil’s São Paulo state for a second night in the worst wave of crime-related violence in the country’s industrial and business heartland in memory.

The response of São Paulo Mayor Gilberto Kassab was unbelievably bland:

“We are all indignant and in a state of mourning,” São Paulo city mayor Gilberto Kassab said on Saturday night. “It’s not a war. It’s a battle, which we will win.”

I'm sure the criminals, most likely a powerful gang called "First Command of the Capital" (PCC in Portuguese), are quaking in their boots. Especially since they are armed better than most police officers:

A total of 100 attacks have been counted since the gangsters armed with grenades and machine guns first struck on Friday night, hitting police posts and other targets in rich and poor areas of the city and other locations in the state.

Please be in prayer for the many missionaries working in and around São Paulo.

Posted by Andrew at 4:21 PM
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May 12, 2006

Brazil vs. Bolivia

Under normal circumstances, the title of this post would simply mean that the two countries were facing each other in a soccer match. By no means, however, are these circumstances normal.

The story actually starts on December 18 of last year, when Evo Morales was elected president Bolivia. Much could be said about him. Suffice it to say that he is a radical socialist/nationalist in the Hugo Chavez tradition.

Bolivia is important to Brazil because of it's natural gas. More than half the gas used in Brazil comes from Bolivia. When Evo Morales took power, he pledged to nationalize the multinational corporations which were "plundering" Bolivia, and drive out the imperialists. This sounded like a good idea to most Brazilians at the time, because "multinational corporations" and "imperialists" are synonyms for the US.

On May 1, Evo Morales sent troops to take over all the foreign-owned gas opperations. Suddenly, the airwaves here in Brazil were carrying images of Brazilian assets being comandeered by Bolivian troops, like the one below.

The disbelief on the part of the Brazilian government--and President Lula in particular--was amazing to see. After all, Lula had been a strong supporter of Morales during the Bolivian presidential races. He had not expected to be repaid in this fashion. The report here was that after the hostile takeover, Lula phoned Morales and expressed his displeasure in no uncertain terms.

Strong words, however, are as close as the Brazilian government got to defending the the tremendous investment they have made in Bolivia over the years. There was an emergency summit last Thusday to discuss the events. After the event--which was attended by Lula, Evo Morales, Argentine President Nestor Kirschner, and (surprise, surprise!) Hugo Chavez--Lula made the following address to his people here in Brazil:

"We are not going to retaliate against a country that is much poorer than Brazil, with more hungry people than Brazil. I know that there are some who think we should take a hard line position. But we are peaceful, we want to reach an agreement. That is the best thing Brazil can do,"

In other words, if you are poorer than us, you can rob us blind and pretty much get away with it.

Brazil's inaction is not lost on Morales. In the same way that Hitler interpreted Allied vascilation as the green-light to gobble up much of Europe, Morales now has his eyes on other Brazilian interests in Bolivia. Brazilian farming opperations in the country are worried that they might be his next target. In the "accord" reached last week, Bolivia agreed to pay for assets seized from Petrobras. Now, Morales is saying that compensation is not forthcoming. He has even gone so far as to complain about the Brazilian purchase of the state of Acre from Bolivia at the beginning of the 20th century. Is that on his list as well?

Brazilians are not liking this one bit. Only the radical leftists think this is a good situation, and even they recognize the precarious position in which Lula finds himself. The cover of this week's Veja Magazine (pictured below) shows Lula with an oily footprint on his backside, and the headline "That Hurt".

Unless some definitive action is taken against Chavez and Morales, it is going to hurt alot more in the future.

Posted by Andrew at 7:33 AM
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May 11, 2006

Please Pray

Please be in prayer for a very dear friend of ours named Joy. Her mother passed away some months ago, and today her father died. She is from our home church, and is very special to us, as were her parents. Please, please remember her in prayer.

Posted by Andrew at 10:06 PM
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May 10, 2006

Mystery Project

I am working on a neat project which you will be able to see soon at the CafePress store. And that's all I have to say about that.

Posted by Andrew at 2:06 PM // Comments: 5 //
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May 8, 2006

Itacyara Teaching

A short video (taken using the digital camera, not the video camera) of Itacyara teaching Eschatology to the ladies class at Peace Baptist Church.

Posted by Andrew at 9:54 PM // Comments: 1 //
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May 6, 2006

Emperor Hugo

Well, our friend Hugo Chavez is at it again. I have been waiting for him to take this step, and he finally has. Like all dictators, democracy is an anathema to him, and he is seeking to eliminate the term limits so he can be El Presidente for life. And he has the audacity to call Bush a tyrant. Go figure.

This whole thing reminds me of a game called Tropico I played a few years back.

Posted by Andrew at 10:13 PM
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Whew!

This year's missionary conference ended last night. It was an excellent conference with wonderful sermons and informative workshops. The workshop I attended--given by one of our graduates--was about work with at-risk kids near Fortaleza. He told of one of their boys who's mother worked as a prostitude in a bordel. While she was out "working", she would tie him (her son) to the bed like an animal until he got back. There weren't too many dry eyes in the place when she got done.

Throughout the week I have had a support role. That is a fancy way of saying that I was a "gopher". I picked up the sound system we used and brought it to the seminary. With the help of our seminary students, I transported all the chairs from our student center to the cafeteria (where the main sessions were held). Our video projector was used for two different presentations, in two different places, and I was able to video and photograph portions of most of the sessions as well. I also transported an average of ten people to and from the sessions each day.

During last-night's session we had a report from a local pastor who just spent several weeks in Cape Verde. He talked about the opportunities for Brazilian missionaries there.

After the final message, our speaker gave an invitation for those who felt called to serve God on the mission field. Five people stood up.

Last night, after dropping people at their homes in various places in Juazeiro, I collapsed into bed, exhausted. The fruits of the week--the seeds of missions planted in the hearts of our students--made it all worthwhile.

Posted by Andrew at 7:36 AM
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May 4, 2006

Another Men's Group Video

The men's group from the seminary sang this evening at the missionary conference. Here is the video.

By the way, if you would like to see all the recently posted videos, check out our youtube page.

Posted by Andrew at 10:27 PM
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May 3, 2006

Wonderful Grace

Some of the guys from the seminary choir got together after the first session of the missionary conference today and had an impromptu practice. I just happened to be there with the video camera.

Posted by Andrew at 10:49 PM // Comments: 3 //
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May 1, 2006

Hidden Talent

It is always interesting to me the surprising things we find as we travel throughout northeastern Brazil. Yesterday during the church service we were blessed by the playing of a very talented saxophonist. I managed to capture it on tape. Kenny G, has nothing on this guy!

Posted by Andrew at 5:58 PM // Comments: 2 //
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Mikey the Monkey

While in Milagres, Mikey had fun climbing the trees.

Posted by Andrew at 5:43 PM // Comments: 2 //
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Milagres

Yesterday Itacyara, Mikey and I visited the city of Milagres (literally "Miracles") with two of our seminiary students. Ageu and Irlana have been working in the congregation there since February, and are doing an outstanding job. This is a little video montage featuring footage I filmed during our visit.

Posted by Andrew at 5:42 PM // Comments: 1 //
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