The Christmas Service at Igreja da Paz Central

Last night we here at PAZ headquarters in Santarém ushered in the New Year at the church on our knees, seeking the Lord’s blessing on 2010. During the service we looked back at all the successes of 2009. While we are still waiting for numbers to come in from across our bases, through just our church in Santarém, 3,989 people gave their lives to the Lord at the alter in the church!!! Hallelujah!! And this does not include people who gave their lives to the Lord at this years’ Congresso da Paz.

Each and every number represents a person whose life and eternal destiny was changed forever. Each and every number matters because it speaks a story of forgiveness and redemption that only Jesus can bring. And for each of these people, this is just the start of the journey, not the end! Now they will be strengthened in their cell groups and in a new Bible School EMP that just started this last year. They will be encouraged to grow and become leaders through one-on-one discipleship, of which the church finished out the year with 23,346 disciples (people involved in one-on-one discipleship)!

Health and Water Filter Ministry

This year was also a very busy year for the health and water filter ministries here at PAZ. Quoting from the blog of missionary Ken Orr, who along with his wife Isaura coordinate these ministries:

Our health ministry team (left to right): Ken, Isaura, Rebecca, Luana, Juliana, Silvia, Vanessa, Carla, Adriano

We visited 43 communities, where doctors gave medical attention to 2,210 people, nurses treated 1,460 people of things like worms, cuts, bruises, etc. and dentists improved the smile of 1,612 people. All of this is good, but what made the exercises worth our time and effort was the honor of being used by God to usher some 284 souls into His Kingdom.

Since we joined the Water Filter Project in June, we visted 27 comunities, that together have close to 1,000 filters. Of these, 315 filters needed some work to be done because of the terrible flood season we had this year. We trained 29 local church workers on how to maintain the filters working in top condition.

In July we temporally closed the filter factory so we could concentrate our efforts on the filters compromised by the flood. Consequently we were only able to make 625 new instalations in 2009. This brings the total number of filters installed during the 10 years of the project to 10,065.

I encourage you to visit his blog to see video they produced and look at pictures from their ministry this year.

God is blessing His work as we seek to be in the center of His Will to make disciples and plant churches. It is met by many, many challenges but it is also met by a God who is with us to do His work through us. Your partnership with us is bearing great fruit for God’s Kingdom and we look forward to seeing what God will do this next year!

Leave a comment

Zenilson

Meet Zenilson. He, his wife and family live near Aritapeira on the Amazon River. His home was destroyed by the record flooding and his family was forced to live in the shed behind their house. His wife began to look to God for help. She started attending the local PAZ church and invited Zenilson, who was not a Christian and had no desire to go to church.

Pastor Reinaldo, the overseeing pastor of the churches in that area, visited their house and after seeing the immense damage, he asked PAZ to help. PAZ first visited in late June when the waters had already subsided a full meter (and yet the ground was still covered with water). You could see how high the water rose on the walls. You could see that even though the house was standing, it’s structure had been completely ripped apart by the strong current and left barely standing. Plans were made to come back when it was dry enough to begin rebuilding.

In the meantime, Zenilson’s wife continued to invite him to church, and he finally went. Pastor Reinaldo began to visit them at home, and one day asked Zenilson if he had made his decision to follow Christ yet. After seeing the love of Christ in action, he made his decision to follow Christ!

Months have passed since the worst recorded flood devastated the Amazon Basin and PAZ began a special flood relief initiative to help the victims of the flood. With the help that you gave, we have sent out a number of teams to minister to the worst hit areas around Santarém, and lives like that of Zenilson’s family have been transformed. Houses have been rebuilt. Construction supplies donated. Churches rebuilt. Medical teams sent. Water filter have been installed and maintained. The Gospel has not only preached, but has been lived out in a very powerful and practical way. Hundreds of people have made decisions to follow the Lord as a direct result of the flood relief! These people have been integrated into cell groups, given the opportunity for one-to-one discipleship and have what they need to grow deeply in Christ.

We recently went back to Aritapeira to maintain water filters, hold a medical clinic and fix the church. We also went to deliver new supplies and begin construction on Zenilson’s new house. We helped them square off their new house and get it started. The rest of the work is now up to them. The whole family was filled with joy and thankfulness, praising God and thanking you. Watch this short clip and be blessed: it’s a simple thank you from the heart of the Amazon to you.

Finally, have a look at some of the photo highlights of the last couple of months of river trips to hard hit areas. It really is amazing to see that all things work together for the good of those that love the Lord! Look at the harvest that is being reaped in the midst of difficult situations. Praise be to God! Click any one of these photos to see them larger. Then use your arrow keys to navigate the slideshow.

Leave a comment