Happy 9th Birthday Levi! 08-28-2007

We want to say thank you Jesus for such a special boy and special blessing in our lives! We are so proud of Levi and the fine young man that he is becoming! His favorite activities are any sport that has to do with a ball!


He is currently training with a Brazilian soccer team and loves every minute. When he is not at practice he and his brother John are playing in the yard, in the house, or in the street!

Levi invited one of his favorite friends, Junior, to come over and eat cake and celebrate his birthday with him!

We love you Levi!

Urgent Need!

Thank you for allowing us to share with you our lives as well. Friday August 10, the owners of our house informed us that they need it back. They need for us to move out so they can remodel it and give it to one of their married children. We are so thank for our home. Our landlord has been supporting our ministry through renting our home to us for the last seven years at a rate one third of its market value.

In light of God's leadership we believe we should try and buy a house. We will start our search this week. As we follow God to undertake this endeavor there are several challenging variables: 1)Mortgages here are difficult and rates in Brazil are approximately 4-5% a month. 2)We have a down payment saved up but don't have any "real" financing options here (pray with us that God would use someone to make a way possible!). 3)We need to find the right home in an appropriate neighborhood.

Please pray with us for God's continued guidance and provision. Please let us know if you have any ideas or would like to help in any way with this great adventure!

God Answers Prayers!

Thank you each one for your prayers! It was an amazing time together for the 11 members of our campus, church, and administrative leadership teams this week. I had requested prayer for unity of hearts and vision and God did precisely that!

We went away to a small farm outside town, August 7-9, to pray and seek God together! We asked God to break our strong selfish wills that we might be empty of ourselves and full of Him! God was so gracious with us that He did just that. We experience His faithful love and grace working in each of our hearts bringing repentance, faith, love, and unity! It was a wonderful time.

We also sought God's guidance together as we set out to clarify the broader vision of the ministry here in Belo Horizonte, Brazil for the next phase of growth. He was very faithful as we came to understand 9 commitments that we believe should shape, guide, and direct us as we develop our plans for the next 5-10 years.

I look forward to sharing more about those with you as our plans develop over the next few months! Thanks again for your prayers! God does answer prayer!

Please Pray With Us!

I would like to share with you about a special opportunity to pray together with us.

August 7-9 I will participate in a series of leadership meetings with our campus, church, and administrative leadership teams combined. We are seeking God's face to find even greater partnership and unity as we work together to see laborers raised up in Brazil. As the ministry has grown and includes more and more pos-university people we want to better understand how to equip and mobilize adult laborers within their spheres of influence. We will also be working on the development of our joint strategy and plans as we seek God for greater alignment and some new methods to help us achieve our objectives.

We believe God desires to do great things in Brazil! Please pray with us that God would unit our hearts and visions as one. Pray that we would come together on a common strategy that will reinforce our values and multiply our leaders' effectiveness both on campus and beyond.

Thank you guys so much! It is a privilege laboring with you!

Celebrating the Arrival of Kelsey James McClure 08-03-2007

We are so thankful to God for the arrival of my great niece Kelsey James McClure to my nephew Rusty McClure, his wife Rebbecca, and their three daughters Kiley, Kinnsey, & Kennedy. She and mom are healthy and already home praise God!

Kelsey was born at 1:50 PM on August 3rd, weighing in at 8 lbs. 12 oz, measuring 20" long with a head circumference of 14". Ouch! Poor Rebbecca!

Photos are courtesy of proud Aunt Jamie (or Mamie as the girls call her)!

No one can out maneuver God. My nephew was out on maneuvers with the US Navy and for "some reason" the ship had to return to port and the captain gave Rusty leave for a few days while they were back and Kelsey was born the day before he had to ship back out. Wow! Go God!

We are so thankful and so proud! Thank you for celebrating with us!

CO Brazil Team Update 08-02-2007

Thank you guys for your prayers and support! This has been a great season of ministry and growth.

God has continued to stretch us and grow us as we learn new things about Him and ourselves. It's interesting how we can see how selfish we are as we try to focus on and serve others. Weather it is loving and serving my wife, family, kids, or others it requires me to die to myself and that's never easy.

Fortunately God does not call upon us to love or serve out of our own energy or power. He calls us to abide in Him and allow His love and grace to flow through us to others. Wow! What a privilege and relief!

As you can see through the last several updates this has been a busy time for us. Most recently, we received two groups from the USA to assist in the growth and development of our Social Ministry. The high point of this ministry for me is the real life on life discipleship of some 50 kids from under privileged backgrounds, taking place in groups of 3-5 children led by students and staff. Pray with us that God would raise up laborers from among these children who He will use to reach and transform their community and families.

Please Click On The Image At Right to read in full size more about this and other great news from our team.