Manaus, July 15th 2002

Dear Friends and Loved ones.

We are finally home again after one year and three weeks. Rebecca and I have decided that this will be the last time we are going to be away from the country for that long. We are glad to be back, although still trying to re-adjust to the heat.

We arrived to find the church well spiritually, and under strong national leadership. I am going to miss the men who I have worked with so long, and grown to love and respect. They have been a blessing to me, and surely will be the ones who God will use to make the work there even stronger. We have had a wonderful time of fellowship and have not gotten home before midnight for the last two weeks. We will bid our final farewell in a couple more months, after we have assured them of our love for them, and shown them of the need of us moving to another needy place.

We plan a river trip in the month of September with Pastor Henry Lewis from Pensacola, Florida. We will only be gone a couple of weeks, but we plan on distributing Bibles along the river banks from Manaus to São Gabriel, which is close to the Venezuelan border. A round trip of close to fifteen hundred miles. Pray that it will be a fruitful trip, and that through the Bibles many will have the chance to "search the scriptures" and that God would use this to draw men to Him.

We look toward starting another work soon. We must first seek out a location and then we will need to purchase a piece of land, and begin holding Bible clubs and services there as soon as we can. There are a lot of things involved in this, and we will need wisdom and strength to do it right. We are asking the Lord for a national couple to help us start this next church. We would appreciate your prayers in this regard.

Our country here continues in great distress. As time goes by, there is increasing pain and suffering because of their sin. God can only reward them with judgment and punishment. Everywhere we look we can see the deep wounds and broken hearts of the children of men. I am reminded of Psalms 147 :3 "He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds:" We work toward that end, in the hope that God will be merciful toward them also. Thank you for your help.

His for Brazil