THE
LANTZ FAMILY
MISSIONARIES SERVING IN SAO PAULO, BRAZIL
An Extension of the World Wide
Mission Ministry of The
CROSSROADS BAPTIST CHURCH
11441 East Central Avenue
Wichita, Kansas 67206
Bill Riffee - Pastor
__________________________________________________________________________
Dear Prayer Partners
April 2008
What a blessing these past two months have been. The
church in Vargem Grande (Congregacao Batista do Calvario) saw 4 saved
while the church in Jd. Varginha saw 8 saved. For this we give God the
glory for His increase. Through the generosity of one of our supporting
pastors, we received a supply of Bibles, New Testaments and combination
John/Romans pamphlets. Several of our people have already taken the
initiative to take these pamphlets with them to pass out at their work
places. As a result we have already seen one saved and have received
invitations to come to the homes of others to further evangelize these
individuals. We are also distributing them in the community surrounding
the church and already many have expressed their gratitude for a portion
of the Word of God and their intentions to come visit our services.
Please pray that many more decisions will come as a result of these
pamphlets.
The end of May Atalias plans to begin a new program
in the ministry here in Vargem Grande. It's called "Mensageiras do
Rei" or "King's Messengers". It is a ministry that was
designed and developed for girls ages 9 to 15. Atalias participated in
this same program when she was a girl and in her own words says she
benefited greatly by it. Our desire is that it will do the same for the
girls and young ladies of our church. At the present, I have no
knowledge of a similar program designed for boys so with the aid of Pr.
Vicente, we hope to develop one so we can produce young men and boys
strong in the Lord and even possibly some future "Preacher
boys".
Just this week I began the process of renewing my
brazilian Identification card which all foreigners are required to have
and carry. Of course, all brazilians have their own version which they
carry too. The renewal will take 6 to 10 months before I receive a new
ID card in hand. During that time I will have a protocol card or
temporary ID card which will have to be renewed every six months. Since
we are planning tentatively to return home in July or August of 2009 for
our next furlough, please pray that I will receive the ID card quickly
as to not have to push back our return date.
An urgent prayer request that concerns our church property. Vargem
Grande is situated in an area known here as a "manacial". This is
an area of natural springs and artesian wells. As such it is considered
a major water supply or source of water for the 18 to 20 million
inhabitants of the city of Sao Paulo. As a result, and with the aim of
preserving this water supply, all construction in Vargem Grande has been put on a
permanent hold. You can't even finish what you have already started. If
you do continue building, your home will be demolished and you will be
sent the bill for the cost of demolition. Any house or building located
within 16 meters (52.49 feet) of a stream or brook, or 50 meters (164
feet) of an artesian well is subject to demolition. If the current plans,
designed by the city government, are implemented more than 35% of the
40,000 inhabitants of Vargem Grande will be displaced and left homeless.
Many of our own members, along with the church property, are in this
affected group. Those affected would be reimbursed, but only for their
property and not for any they spent in building their homes. Naturally,
this has upset untold thousands of residents and not just the ones
affected. Please pray that the engineers on this project can and
will develop an alternative plan that can both meet the need of the
water supply goals but without displacing so many people or us losing
our church
property and building.
Once again, thank you for your prayers on our behalf.
Please continue to pray with us that we will see an even greater Harvest
of souls for the honor and glory of our Lord Jesus Christ in 2008.
All Because of JESUS,
Jerry & Atalias Lantz
E-MAIL ADDRESS:
jlaglantz@uol.com.br
