This week has been like no other. Janelle left last Saturday with Mariah to the United States. Janelle had gotten a thyroid biopsy done right before coming back to Brazil in January. The results came back “strongly suspicious for malignancy” so rather than start all the exams over again here, we decided it was probably cheaper for her to fly back to the states and have it removed. At the same time Mariah could get her drivers license and take some college entrance exams— and hopefully help take care of her mom during the recovery.
Tuesday I went with Frank to visit a couple communities. We always try to “kill two birds with one stone”. Meaning we like to take a local worker with us as we make contacts and have cell groups. That way we are spreading the Gospel and at the same time training a worker.
We ate lunch with a family that we have visited many times. They are a bit isolated. Both parents are believers (although the dad is not yet baptized) but three of the daughters were not– until Tuesday! After some discipleship and evangelism, the three daughters decided to follow Jesus.
After this we went to another community to have a cell group.
This was our second meeting at Ricardo’s house. Although he was not yet a believer, he had asked Frank the week before to begin discipleship. That afternoon after hearing the Gospel again, Ricardo, his wife, his son (Philip) and his wife all decided to follow Jesus! Click here to see the cell group in Namor.
We got home from this trip about 5:30. I took a shower and was at Frank’s house when they came running saying Luke got hurt. Remember, Janelle is in the US. Well, Luke was playing and broke his arm. The next day (Wednesday) when Janelle was in the hospital having surgery in the US, Luke and I were in the hospital in Porto Velho getting his arm X-rayed. Just a cast and time to heal. Unfortunately it is his right arm.
Frank left Thursday evening to do supervision downriver. That left me to “hold down the fort here”. Saturday we had two meetings marked and Sunday morning another. Praise the Lord Sunday morning in the community of Santa Rosa, a mom and her daughter decided to follow Jesus! We have lots of work to do now discipling these new believers.
