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Stephanie is a middle-aged, single woman living in a three-story
brownstone. Our job was to complete a remodeling project in a
bedroom, which was to be occupied by Stephanie's son and grandson,
but just before our arrival the son was sentenced to a six-month
prison term, and the grandson had returned to live with his mother.
Working and conversing together, we learned from one another.
For example, the neighborhood where Stephanie lives has complicated
family problems just like the slum, or favela, in Aracaju where
Raimundo and Valdivia lived before moving to Natal to study at
the Missionary Training Center (CTM-Northeast). And, we became
aware that in the U.S., as in Brazil, many family members are
often supported by the fixed-retirement income of one member of
the family, as was true in Stephanie's case.
The trip to Montreat and Pittsburgh was made possible by the
financial resources given by the International Involvement Experience
Office of the Worldwide Ministries Division of the PC(USA), the
Outreach Foundation, Montreat Conference Center, Memorial Park
Presbyterian Church, and the Pittsburgh Project.
Trip Highlights - November 2002
On our visit to the Great Rivers Presbytery PC(USA), the eight-member
team arrived on a Saturday in Chicago, where we visited Fourth
Presbyterian Church to learn about their ministry with children.
On Sunday, we worshiped at Westminster Presbyterian Church in
Peoria. Then, we dispersed to the four corners of the presbytery
in four groups of two, and each group had an interpreter. After
four days, we rejoined as a group in Peoria in time to attend
a presbytery meeting and the first annual conference planned by
the Evangelism and Church Development Committee of the presbytery.
One of the travelers in November was DaGuia da Costa. DaGuia
was born near Santa Cruz on a small farm in the interior of Rio
Grande do Norte, Brazil. She remembers walking an hour to the
school she attended as a child, and she remembers that they sat
on the floor because there were no chairs. When the family decided
to move to Natal in search of a better life, all sixteen members
of the extended family lived in one small house. She says the
house looked like an infirmary at night¾sleeping pallets
covered all of the floor space and others were suspended in hammocks.
In 2001 DaGuia completed the four-year training program at the
CTM-Northeast. Currently, she is working at the IPIB Church of
Felipe Camarão in Natal, she is the librarian at the CTM-Northeast,
and she is studying English. The opportunity to visit Presbyterian
churches in Great Rivers Presbytery, make many new friends, and
speak English exceeded her wildest dreams; she marvels at the
opportunities God has given her. Financial resources given by
the Great Rivers Presbytery made the November trip possible.
Recently, we were reflecting on the wonderful, exciting, and
fruitful ministry of the Independent Presbyterian Church of Brazil
in northeast Brazil. We believe there is a God-ordained synergy
of vision, creativity, and partnership between the IPIB and the
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and we are blessed to be a part
of it. Thank you for your part in it, helping to make a difference
in the lives of many people like Raimundo, Valdivia, and DaGuia.
It would not happen without your prayers, encouragement, and financial
support.
May you and your families have a blessed Christmas and a joyous
New Year.
Em Cristo Jesus,
Paul and Linda
The 2003 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, page
268
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