Dear Praying Friends, January 19, 2022
Happy New Year to all of you! Sheri and I certainly hope things are going well in each of your homes and churches as you begin a new year serving the Lord. I’m sure you can join me in praising the Lord for all that He has done in our lives and how well He has taken care of us through 2021. We may have had some tough times, but I saw God work through it all! He never changes, so we can expect the same wonderful attention from Him in 2022. Our family traveled extensively over the month of December as we made a short trip to the US for meetings in a lot of our supporting churches and were blessed by so many of you. Our two Marines were also able to take leave and be with us over the holidays, so we were thankful for how the Lord worked out everything in perfection. It was wonderful! As I look at plans for the next few years here in Lages and our outreaches in the Amazon, I am excited about all that lies ahead. Our core group here at International Bible Baptist Church continues to thrive and we are advancing in our training of one of our men to lead Bible studies in homes. The search for a building/property continues and I ask that you keep that as a priority prayer request. We need a space so that we can invite new people and visitors to come hear the Word of God preached. This leads me to tell you a story which is another urgent prayer request. Yesterday I felt the need to go visit a neighbor that I have been building a relationship with for the past several years. He is an older gentleman and very religious, albeit a non-practicing Catholic. As I drove up to his farm and descended the hill to his house, I noticed him lying in his hammock while praying the Rosary. He clutched his beads and stood to greet me before taking me on a ride through his property to show me all the advancements he has made. We looked at the new ponds he had dug and the new bee boxes he had built before winding up under a shade tree to cool off in the summer heat. We talked at length about chickens and construction before the conversation turned to religion. You see, he has been watching our online services and while he is adamant about not changing religions, he has enjoyed hearing my messages. He is on the outs with his priest because he said the priest shows no interest in getting to know the people or help them. This man has lost an adult son, so he has had heartache that I can’t imagine. He and I have built a friendship and I’ve gained his respect as a neighboring farmer which has led to him trusting me as far as what I have to say about the Lord. He finally asked me where we meet and what time our services are so that he and his wife can come visit. I want to say I was shocked, but I believe God has been working in his heart and this is the result. This is another reason we need a building so that folks like this can come to a church setting rather than to someone’s home for a service. Would you pray for this man and his salvation? I believe God laid it on my heart to go down there yesterday because He saw this man’s heart searching while running his fingers over those rosary beads. He loves Alceu and Fatima and wants to save them, so would you all join me in prayer for their souls and let’s expect God to work in their lives and convict them with the Truth from His Word! Concerning the works in the Amazon with Pastor Josivaldo, I want to thank you all for giving towards the construction costs. Very soon I hope to have some pictures to share with you of the completed addition. He has been very busy, not only with construction, but also holding meetings in neighboring villages and towns where he has preached the Gospel. I’m so proud of this young man and his dedication to the Lord for his own nation and people! Praise the Lord for his faithfulness to the cause of Christ! I know God will bless him for his efforts and many are going to be saved. On the home front, Sheri continues to heal and is now walking without a boot. She was so glad to finally go out to her chicken coop and take care of her animals. I won’t say how upset she was that the folks who kept our house while we were gone had eaten two of her roosters and a hen! Amelia just completed another round of classes for her Bible degree and is beginning a new set of courses. Pray for her as she works towards finishing school while simultaneously working in the ministry here with us. She unfortunately caught the virus and has been struggling the past week with high fevers and headaches. Her lungs appear to be okay, but she is not doing well and we want to see her get better soon. We have lots of goals to accomplish in the coming months and lots of people to reach, so pray for us to stay steady in our endeavors for the Lord here in Lages. We want to keep adding names to the Book of Life before the Lord returns and it is too late. We are thankful for each of you and your support of our ministry here in Brazil. We absolutely could not do it without your prayers and support from home. Thank you for all that you do and for every prayer that you offer! Mark and Sheri Edwards
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Ministry UpdatesFrom the Edwards Family in Lages-SC, Brazil Archives
March 2024
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