Dear Praying Friends,
We would like to begin this prayer letter by thanking each person that has knelt down on their knees and called out our names to God this year. We are so grateful for all the special Christmas gifts that have been sent to us. God has been good, so good, to us this year here in Brazil during such a bizarre time in history. We would not have made it through to the end without you all, so we thank you. Recently, some in our church here in Lages have fallen ill to Covid-19. We were not meeting in person yet, and this has caused others to be fearful of congregating together. Two of our members who have been ill are older and while the husband has been restored to health, his wife is still battling the virus. They have really been through it, and the strong medications they have been on have impaired the wife’s kidneys. Please pray for us as we try and minister to them and help them through this. Sheri and I have remained healthy thus far (praise the Lord) and continue to abide by the ordinances that the city has placed upon us. We do this because we believe it is correct, but I am also trying to renew my permanent visa and I do not need any infractions against me that could be used to thwart the process. This is another area that I covet your prayers. Due to the lockdowns, the government was not receiving anyone in the office when my visa was getting close to expiring. I went ahead of time to schedule my appointment, but they said I would have to wait. Now it has expired. I was assured that this was not going to count against me due to the extenuating circumstances of the pandemic, but I will feel better when my documents are in order. This is not too big of a worry, but I would appreciate prayers for everything to go smoothly, nonetheless. As much as possible, we are visiting, holding online services and weekly Bible studies. Our plans for the coming year are to rent/build/buy a building, hold our first missions conference, as well as return to the Amazon to hold a soul winning conference. I am certain God can help us achieve these goals - virus or no virus. We have seen Him do far greater miracles in our lives through the years and we are putting our trust in Him for the future. We pray you and your families have a wonderful Christmas. The Edwards Family is certainly grateful for all you mean to us and for all you have done for us. May God bless each of you! In the Service of the Savior, Mark and Sheri Edwards
0 Comments
It has been an AMAZING month! While 2020 has definitely held some hurdles, it has also held some great blessings. We have recently returned from a week in the Amazon where I was able to preach at a conference for a small Independent Baptist Church celebrating their 7th anniversary. Sheri and I had a wonderful time ministering to these folks. Plans are in the works for 2021 for us to return to hold an Evangelism Seminar as well as a Vacation Bible School. The national pastor is a young man that I used to take with me into the jungle to preach at small communities on the Rio Negro, so to see him now out there heralding forth the Gospel of Christ is amazing. We were able to contribute to the construction of their sidewalk and bathroom through special offerings and personal giving. This little church is on fire for the Lord and they were encouraged by God meeting their needs. I gave away Bibles, studies and clothes for the children that ladies at our home church had sewn. We had many people ask us for more Bibles and evangelism material, so I plan on shipping some before the years end and taking more with us in 2021. We are committed to doing ALL we can WHILE we can to propagate the Gospel in Brazil!
|
Ministry UpdatesFrom the Edwards Family in Lages-SC, Brazil Archives
March 2024
|