The Lord's Timing

It is so hard to wait for the Lord's timing, but it is so worth it! We have been praying about this move to Rondônia and waiting for the Lord to lead and provide. We had researched moving trucks, and everyone was quoting R$12,000 - R$15,000. This was definitely more than we wanted to pay, but were beginning to wonder if there were any other options.

We are moving about 3000 kilometers across the country, so to pay for someone to take our things there and come back is a big expense. We knew that it would be better if we could find someone who was already making a trip and we could use the truck on the way back, so we began praying for the Lord to lead us to the right people.

A few weeks ago we received a phone call from the missionary who lives in the region where we are moving. He said that a man who had been in his church about 20 years ago happened to show up at his house, and in their conversation the subject of our move came up. This man knew someone who makes regular trips from there to São Paulo, and is always looking for someone to use the truck on the trip back to help pay for diesel. He contacted this company, and they are willing to take our things for about half of the price that we were quoted by other companies.

I love when I can see God working out the details. It helps so much to confirm in our hearts that God is leading, and we are doing the right thing at the right time.

We have been in waiting mode again, since the truck had not confirmed what day they would be coming into the city. We have moved all of our things to one location so they will be ready. We were also waiting to purchase our plane tickets because we didn't know when we could leave. We have now received word that on Wednesday the 29th the truck is supposed to load up our things and begin the journey across the country. On this information, we purchased plane tickets last night to leave on Friday morning. As it turned out, this was the best schedule for us because it was one of the few flights that leave from the airport closer to us, and is also during the day rather than leaving late and arriving in the middle of the night. It also happened to be the cheapest option! Praise the Lord!

Please continue to pray. We would like to sell our car before we leave if possible in order to be able to purchase one there. We have a temporary place to stay, but will also be looking for a house soon after we arrive also.  Pray that our things all arrive safely in Rondônia, and that our flight will go well also.

I'm looking forward to updating from our new location soon!

Igreja Batista Bíblica

Jeremy had the opportunity to preach for a Brazilian pastor who has a church in an area of the city called Paraisópolis (translated Paradise City). 

 

It is actually the second largest favela (slum, shanty town) in São Paulo, and far from what I would call paradise. Jeremy preached here once before in 2004 when the church was just beginning. It was exciting to see how they have grown and expanded since that time.

Click on the picture above to explore the area using Google Maps Street View

 Judson enjoyed his class and was proud of the picture he colored.

The neighborhood of Paraisópolis has about 100,000 people living in it. According to the stats that I have found, there are 1000 persons per hectare. For those of you who (like me) who have no idea what a hectare is, it is 10,000 sq. meters, or 100m x 100m. Only 25% of this population live in houses supplied with sewage system, half of the streets are not paved and 60% use irregular means to obtain power. These "irregular means" are usually hooking into wires themselves and not paying for electricity.

 

São Paulo is a city of extremely rich and extremely poor, and many times these two are located right beside each other. This is the case with this neighborhood as well. These apartments that you see in the background sell for over $1 million.

Please pray for Pastor Washington and this work in such a needy area.