December 2001

Dear Friends,

What an amazing year it has been. Between January and April 2001, we visited 39 churches in 38 cities in 13 states during our interpretation assignment (furlough) in the United States. It was an exhausting schedule, but we were very encouraged by the excitement for involvement in global missions that we found everywhere we visited.

We have had a busy and productive eight months since returning. We arrived back in Brazil on May 1 and immediately began a five-week, intensive, Portuguese language refresher course. It was very helpful for our reentry into ministry with the Independent Presbyterian Church of Brazil (IPIB), the Missionary Training Center (CTM) in Natal, and the hosting of PC(USA) presbyteries, churches and organizations coming to Northeast Brazil on work/study/evangelism teams.

In August, Paul began teaching again at the CTM in Natal. He teaches the first-year students, and there are 14 in this class this year. Classes for the school year were completed at the end of November. The students worked hard and are now ready to begin their field training.

The second-, third- and fourth-year students are already doing their supervised field training, and they return each semester for two weeks of intensive studies at the CTM in Natal. It is a joy to work with these dedicated and faithful Brazilian men and women. Even as students they are already producing much fruit, and where they are working, people are hearing the gospel, and God’s kingdom is growing. On December 8, the CTM will have its second graduation ceremony in which five CTM students will graduate and be recognized as missionaries of the church. A surge in the growth of the IPIB in Northeast Brazil in the last three years can be directly associated with the work of CTM students and graduates.

Linda, a work/study group coordinator for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), has received four groups from the U.S.: in July, 16 people from various PC(USA) churches came with a group sponsored by the Outreach Foundation of the PC(USA); a group of five from the Worldwide Ministries Division came in August; in October, a group of seven members from Zionsville PC, Zionsville, IN.; and, our last group of the year arrived in November from Great Rivers Presbytery, Illinois. It was a group of eight representing various churches of the presbytery.

Each of our visiting groups does some traveling within our region to get an idea of the social, economic, and spiritual realities of Northeast Brazil. We travel with Brazilian pastors and students from the CTM, and, thus, develop relationships with brothers and sisters in Christ from another culture who speak another language. Everyone discovers that friendships can be made and meaningful interaction can happen in spite of cultural and language differences. We worship together in Brazilian Presbyterian churches, we participate in various evangelism events, and we always try to incorporate a work project, such as the construction or remodeling of a church, manse, or classrooms. The experiences are always full and rewarding for all who participate.

We thank our partner PC(USA) presbyteries, churches, and individuals who have supported our ministry and the ministry of the IPIB with your prayers, encouragement, and financial gifts this year. The fruit of our working together is abundant and measurable. Your gifts have encouraged CTM students who are receiving scholarships for tuition, books, and living expenses. Your gifts are providing partial scholarships for four students studying at Fortaleza Seminary. All of these students represent our future pastors, missionaries, and leaders in Northeast Brazil. The CTM library has added many new volumes on theology, evangelism, and missions. First-year CTM students participated in two conferences and completed a week long literacy training course. In the interior cities of Patos, Malta, and Alto do Rodrigues, there are new church buildings nearing completion. Macau now has a newly purchased and remodeled church. The church in Mossoró will complete the construction of classrooms early next year. Each of these new buildings will be used to reach out and meet the spiritual, social, and physical needs of the communities where they are located. Basic food baskets are being distributed to needy families in the drought-stricken interior. Twenty-five children are receiving scholarships to attend the IPIB pre-school in Vera Cruz; these children are members of families who earn on average only $3.00 per day. We thank you, also, because 100 percent of our personal support has been supplied. It is your partnership in this ministry that makes all of this possible.

We thank you personally because you make our ministry dynamic and fruitful. And, we thank you on behalf of the Independent Presbyterian Church of Brazil because you have helped bring the vision and goals of the church in Northeast Brazil to reality. We hope you sense our joy and excitement in this ministry in which you play such a vital role, and we pray you might experience the same joy and excitement.

May God richly bless you, your families, your work and your ministry. We pray you will have a worship-filled Christmas and a New Year filled with the grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

A graça e a paz do Senhor seja com vocês,

(The grace and the peace of the Lord be with you all,)

Rev. Paul and Linda Fahnestock

The 2001 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 258