June has been a busy month- a good type of busy.
While we are still at a standstill regarding the mandates in Brazil, we have made the best of the situation. We have been fortunate to have a very stable situation here at Southside Baptist in Tampa, FL. Our kids have been able to be plugged in and be a part of the ebbs and flows of church life, such as Sunday school, events, VBS, camps, etc. When you have children, you learn quickly the necessity of structure and consistency and how much of a role this plays in their growth. We have seen the Lord work in the timing of so many different things at different times that you would have to be convinced He knows the timing of all these things and works them out 🙂.
We have had many opportunities to share the gospel and follow up with people during visitations, during VBS, during a tennis camp, etc. I want to take a moment to mention this tennis camp. There is such a neat principle in this camp idea to distill. So here it is: One of the members here is an elementary school teacher. He has been working with this age group for several years. He also enjoys tennis and has played at a tournament level. Wanting to be a better witness to the kids he sees regularly and has built relationships with, he decided to create a time outside of the school to be able to do so. He used something he enjoyed, tennis, and started a non-profit where he teaches tennis for free and, at each event, gives the gospel. He does a couple of meetings each week, then two times a year, and he does a one-week camp. This last camp was Monday- Friday, 5 pm-8 pm. Our whole family went. I was with 20-30 teenagers each night, building relationships, sharing we are missionaries, and having gospel conversations as they developed throughout the week. It is a brilliant way a person working in a secular environment can take advantage of their situation. I would encourage you to look at the natural connections God has given you, tie that into something you love or can do well that others enjoy, and use it as a gospel-centered platform. There is one more coming in 13 days we will be, Lord willing, attending again.
We would ask you to pray for Caleb, as he is currently at summer camp, that God would work in his heart, and then next week, the others will be attending junior camp.
Starting next month, I will send our prayer letter in a two-month rotation (every other month). So, for example, it will be July/August, September, October, etc. We continue to ask for prayer for the country to open up and for the Lord's direction while we are waiting.
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Caleb preaching for his first time!
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Tennis camp photo- These are mainly contacts from the public school!
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- Stability for the family
- Many kids saved at the VBS here!
- As of now, one teen saved as a result of the tennis camp!
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- Passed Written CDL tests.
- Brazil’s mandate to change so we can go back.
- Summer camps for the kids
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- Aquire CDL Learners Permit
- Multi-lingual Website Finished
- Another tennis camp/outreaches
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Thank you for your continued support! Thank you again for your prayers! They are making a difference!
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