This was a month for the regulars….as I look back on my calendar, there were no river or jungle trips, no Encounter with God retreats, no bus hijackings, no volcanoes erupting or rivers flooding or earthquakes. But what happened is this. The Lord is still sanctifying me. He is still pouring out His Spirit on my life. He is still meeting me every day in His Word and in times of prayer and meditation. He is still teaching and preparing me for GREAT things that He has in store for my ministry here. He is still breaking me of the bondage of a past life. He is still saving souls in this city, state, and region of the world. He is still growing His church. He is Faithful.
Even though this might have been a pretty “regular” month, I’ve learned and experienced many things. I had the experience of digging bug eggs out of my toe. I experienced the joy of asking my fiancé to marry me. I experienced celebrating the Passion Week in another culture. I am learning about the importance of and dedication to prayer in growing an evangelistic cell group. I am learning about the importance of maintaining focus on language study. And I am learning about how to plan a wedding 4000 miles away from your family. 
So if you hadn’t heard, you now know that I am engaged to be married! Yeah, this is exciting stuff! This is one of the many blessings that the Lord has put on my life in the past year as He has brought me through the growing experience of moving into international missions. I’m excited to see what all He has in store for Silvia and I and our ministry together for His glory! But I can’t take any credit for any of this because without God’s grace and our saving faith in Christ Jesus, it would all be for naught. But knowing that it is for His honor that we seek this relationship, I’m expecting amazing things to come of it. In the mean time, join me in praising him for putting her in my life.
Please pray with me as I am grasping more and more of the Portuguese language. The long term goal is that I would be at a point to be able to speak well enough to disciple young Brazilian men and to be able to share my testimony of God in my life. God get’s the glory for this and He will be using my language acquisition to grow His kingdom! I know this! In the past month as well, I’ve had the opportunity to meet with several small groups in my church cell group sector and spend time dedicated to prayer and fasting for the growth and strength of our cell group! This is precious time with the Lord. Please pray with me for new leaders to be raised up and put in place by the Lord for the purposes of His kingdom!
And in case you’re wondering, our wedding will be here in Santarém on August 7th, 2010. After that we will be traveling to the US for a brief time to celebrate with my American family and friends as well. Look for more details about those plans in the future.
This coming week I will be traveling with an American health and construction team to the village of Lago Central. Please pray over this trip with us for safety, progress in the name of the Lord, and openness of heart and mind towards the Gospel!
Praises
- I filed my taxes successfully and on my own! And because of your prayers, I’m confident that I did them correctly!
- For the ongoing,glorious harvest of Souls in the Amazon Basin of Brazil!
- For the Lord bringing me my helpmate!
Prayer Requests
- For continued faith and pure trust in the Lord for our financial provision even when my short-sightedness wants to worry
- For provision and wisdom in our search for a house or apartment in which to live after marriage
- For wisdom in deciding when to become more involved in ministry and discipleship
In the name of the Lord,
JAE
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