Ouro Preto do Oeste

After much prayer and research, we have chosen a city in which to begin working! Those of you who follow us through our prayer letters and ministry website have probably already heard that we are making plans to move to the city of Ouro Preto do Oeste ("Black Gold of the West") in the state of Rondônia.

 Ouro Preto do Oeste has a population of about 40,000 people, but no fundamental Baptist churches. We are excited to get started working in this needy area.

There is one main highway that connects the dots from Porto Velho going southeast through the state. Several of these cities are in need of a good fundamental church.

We have begun the process of relocating to this city. This is the first time we have ever moved to a city where we know NO ONE, so that presents some new challenges. We are currently about 135 miles down the rough highway, so we hope to make as few as trips back and forth as possible.  We made a trip there last week to scout out the city for a house to rent. We would love to buy or build a house, but will need to rent for at least a while to get to know the areas of the city, as well as save some money. Several people told us that rental houses are a little hard to find, so please help us pray that the Lord will open up the right house for us at the right time, and at the right price!  We drove nearly every road in the city last week and found a few possibilities, but are praying for the Lord to lead us to the right one.

This part of the state is full of farms, many of which are dairy farms. The green grass is a welcome change for us.

 Welcome to Ouro Preto do Oeste

Praca da Liberdade

"Liberty Park" in the center of the city