BORN AGAIN TO A LIVING HOPE
The church of our Lord Jesus Christ began in a new city in January with the baptism of Vicente. The city of Sao Mateus do Sul is a farming community with a population of about forty thousand souls. The church doubled in size February 9 with the baptism of Edson. This single man, redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to him from his parents, has two small children living in another city. Pray for Edson and Vicente as they grow in Christ. During the week, I have them work on a Bible correspondence course to add to their knowledge of God’s Word and study a daily guide that helps them in their first steps as Christians.
Each Sunday Ree and I drive from Guarapuava to this community to have worship with another family that drives from Curitiba. We have about ten to fifteen in attendance each week for three hours of worship and Bible study. Starting in March, other members of the Curitiba congregation who serve in the mission’s ministry will begin coming every other week to be involved in this new outreach. When Ree and I go on furlough in June, the Curitiba congregation will send someone every week.
GUARAPUAVA CHURCH OF CHRIST
Each Sunday the men in the Guarapuava congregation rotate the preaching and leading in the various roles of worship. The church outgrew the home in which we were meeting. Today we use a neighborhood association house that seats about forty people. Attendance has been between twenty to thirty people. The church has sixteen members, two children and several visitors. Each Monday evening the church gathers at a member’s home to pray, singing, read the Scriptures and have a fellowship meal. The men take turns weekly reading a chapter from Romans and share thoughts as we apply this message to our lives. Each Wednesday evening I teach a marriage enrichment class to three couples from the congregation and two visiting couples. The class will run for about nine weeks. Each week, Ree and I visit in the member’s homes to strengthen our relationships and build them up in the faith. We visit six homes. We are also beginning visits to non-Christians homes to build friendships for future opportunities to sow the Seed. Pray for all these efforts to glorify the King, edify the church and save souls.
The congregation has been out in the community handing out invitations for our upcoming evangelistic outreach next month. On March 18, I will begin teaching our evangelistic lessons twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, at the neighborhood association house. Pray for me in my preparation, the work of each member in the body and for us to find receptive souls seeking God.
After our furlough this year, we will begin helping the congregation structure for growth with the Field of Christian Growth classes, small group evangelism, ministries and more. We need your constant prayers for wisdom and that God will lead every aspect of His ministry here.
NALLEY FAMILY NEWS
We always enjoy hearing from our kids. Nathanael and Elise are preparing for their move to Japan in April. Nathanael is always helping me with his artistic skills for my work. He has drawn power point cartoons, produced the cover for my book to be published Easter weekend in April and is working on a map design for our newsletter. Natalie and Jacob are preparing for their upcoming wedding June 21. Jacob graduates from Oklahoma Christian in April. He is already busy making an income. Natalie called this week with exciting news that Oklahoma State University (OSU) accepted her into their Master’s program. Naiane is working at an English school in Curitiba. She teaches several classes during the week. On the weekend’s she bakes cakes and cupcakes for birthday parties. She also continues her dating relationship with a wonderful Christian, named Kyler, who studies at OSU. Naiane, Ree and I are getting used to the empty nest. I joked with Naiane, “Since you grew up and did not leave home, mom and I are leaving home.” And we did, with our move to Guarapuava, leaving Naiane at our house in Curitiba. It just dawned on us that our three kids will live on three different continents in April. Pray for our kids to be safe, healthy, wise in their decisions, fulfilled in the work they do and that their lives can influence more people for Jesus as they walk hand in hand following King Jesus. Ree and I are still working on getting our apartment set up. When one purchases an apartment in Brazil, one owns an empty shell. We were blessed to have a bathroom sink, toilet, shower and lights in the ceiling. We have been installing bookshelves, lights, closet, kitchen cabinets and more. It is a process! After a month, we finally have a kitchen sink. Next month we hope to have a stove and oven installed. We have been sort of camping here with our microwave and a washtub on the balcony, but it is almost ready. God has blessed me so much as I have drilled over a hundred holes in the wall for mounting brackets and have not hit one water pipe or electrical wire.
Serving Our King,
Alan and Ree Nalley