Northpointe Community Church

So much has happened since I wrote you last. It is hard to catch up in a short email, so I will update quickly with an overview of what has been happening.  Please forgive my mistakes on the keyboard. It is difficult to write with the keys that have different accents & the shift key is also very hard to use.  I think I last left you with the story of our ministry work at the village.  That was on Friday of last week.

On Saturday, we started our work at the church we have been serving with all week. It is call New Life church or in Portuguese…Igreja nova Vida. It is a wonderful church and the pastor here (Carlos) really has a heart & passion for his community. Well, on Saturday, Alfred and I were split from our original team of 7 and taken to a mission church in a different neighborhood. We were given a translator and dropped off in a neighborhood where we were asked to gather children and then teach them.  (I was so wishing I had Donna Finley with me) so, Alfred and I played partner tag & red light, green light with the kids and then shared about ourselves (on a microphone so the neighborhood could hear us and come see the americanos) and then told some of the story of Joseph. We were asked to invite them to church the next night and the whole experience was kind of a blur of nervousness & excitement.

Sunday, Alfred taught the message to teenagers. We brought LHGH to Brazil!! Of course, he taught with his terrific sense of humor and the rest of our team that taught the women & men commented that they could hear the teen laughing. I am so proud of my husband. He is stepping so far out of his comfort zone on this trip (some of it by “force”) but he is doing a tremendous job and is really being open and used by our Lord. Praise God!  In the afternoon, Alfred and I were again taken to the mission church where we did a home visit before the church service. We met Maria and her husband. Maria is a believer and her husband was not. We shared our story and how it connects to God’s story and their story and invited them to church. Well, they came and they accepted Christ that night! I cannot tell you what a feeling of joy it was to see them walk in and then accept Christ!! Wow, wow, wow! I still can’t even express my feelings in words that will properly describe the experience.

Monday was a free day for us and we did a little shopping, called home & then slept…a lot!

Yesterday, we spent the morning talking to the pastor and then did another home visit. This was with a woman whose husband was on his way to work one day 2 years ago and had a stroke and fell on the train tracks. No one knew what happened to him and 2 hours later they found him passed out and thought that he was drunk. They took him to the hospital and he had surgery. Since that time he has been in a lot of pain and unable to work. The pastor had visited this family 2 times before and had not been able to get the attention of this man to talk to him or pray for him. This time we were able to see him, talk to him and pray over him.  In the evening, we were taken to the schools to talk to the students about 4 things. Stay in school. Learn English, Stay away from drugs, and the thing help you accomplish all of that…have a relationship with Christ.  It was an amazing experience. Cassie was the first to share. She spoke with boldness and shared from her heart & experiences. It was an emotional experience to watch her. I am so glad I invited both Cassie & Sammy to come on this trip. They encourage me with their faith, patience, faithfulness & joy. I also was very excited to watch Alfred teach as I have always wanted to be a “fly on the wall” at the schools he teaches at during the school year. He said he was a little rusty, but I am his number one fan!! He’s wonderful!!

Okay, that was a lot to share…I’ll leave you with that for now. Thank you so much for continuing to pray, for the messages & comments on face book. Today Alfred and I are feeling the emotions a little more as we are really missing Nathaniel.  We love you all very much and will see you soon!

-Ang