Naomi’s health: This was obviously the priority for us upon returning; however, the healthcare system does not necessarily prioritize things in the way we do. Switching insurance companies means finding new doctors and setting new appointments which have all taken more time than we would have hoped. However, we were very encouraged by the meeting with her new cardiologist who believes that he has some non-drug strategies to try to get her tachycardia under control. Please pray for the many appointments that we have upcoming.
Brazil: The church in Brazil continues moving forward. The fall campaign (yes, remember it is fall in Brazil) is underway and has resulted in good attendance as well as several people saved in the services and on visitation. A new round of discipleship has started, with four new people participating. It has been interesting to see how God has helped many members grow in order to fill the holes that had been created by our departure, including several that were delaying membership
to join the church!
West Indies: As I have been working to get up to speed on my new responsibilities with Macedonia, I had been feeling overwhelmed by the amount of work needed to truly understand this new area that God has called us to represent. During my Bible study one day, I felt the Lord assuring me that he had already equipped me with everything that I would need to accomplish this task He has placed before me. With that in mind, I reached out to a friend of mine who is a national pastor on one of the islands in the West Indies. He “happened” to be in the US at the time and “happened” to be nearby. We met for coffee and God amazed us both with what He is clearly doing. One of the most exciting things was that my friend is the vice-chairman of the West Indies Baptist Fellowship, which comprises about 30 national pastors and missionaries, and is meeting in July. Registration had been closed for some time; however, he was able to secure me a spot at the conference! Please pray for this tremendous opportunity to connect with national pastors and missionaries from many of the islands, all in one place!
Financial: When you combine our new ministry responsibilities with the financial support that we still provide for the church in Brazil, and remove the churches that have been unable to continue with us through the transition, it has made for a closer walk with God! However, God has continued to prove Himself faithful. One of our churches, which had not been supporting us due to an accounting error, not only started supporting us again, but also went back and made up all the support that they had missed! Two brand new churches have taken us on for support without us even visiting them and we have set several meetings with new churches for the fall. God continues to prove that “Where He guides, He provides!” Continue to pray for us!
