May 2003

Dear Friends and Partners,

Greetings from Natal, Brazil. The Missionary Training Center – Northeast (CTM-Nordeste), where Paul teaches, will complete the first semester of training for the twelve, new first-year students in June. In addition to full-time biblical and theological studies, the students are all involved with local churches and each student volunteers time each week in a social project, e.g., a residential drug-treatment program, a home for the elderly, a home for orphans, etc. The students are looking forward to a research and evangelism trip to the city of Caicó during the July break from classes.

In addition to hosting nine Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) travel/study teams to northeast Brazil this year, Linda has helped initiate an adult literacy program in the Presbytery of the Northeast. It is really astonishing the number of adults that do not know how to read or write in Brazil. In Brazil, the overall illiteracy rate among adults 15 years or older is 13.3 percent. The statistics are much worse in the nine states of northeast Brazil where the economic and educational infrastructure is the weakest. Here the illiteracy rate is 26.6 percent. The program aims to establish an adult literacy course in every IPIB church in the presbytery.

Late in 2002, Linda began working with second-year CTM student, Aline Lessa Lima, to coordinate the training of teachers and the establishment of the course in the various churches.

A partnership between the presbytery and Alfalit—a non-govermental organization working in 20 countries in Central America, South America, and Africa—was established, and in February 2003, twenty-nine IPIB church members representing ten churches completed the one-week, adult literacy training course provided by Alfalit. The course was held at the CTM. Upon completion of the course, each participating church received ten student chairs, a teacher’s desk and chair, a whiteboard, and teaching materials; these were the result of a gift given by the Outreach Foundation of the PC(USA).

Aline visits each of the literacy classes once a month and teaches one of the classes at the Third Presbyterian Church in Natal. Instructors from Alfalit also visit each classroom on a monthly basis to observe progress, to answer questions, and to give encouragement. On June 21, the presbytery and Alfalit will host a volunteer-appreciation event to recognize the volunteers who have participated during the first semester. A current goal is to add ten new literacy classes in 2004 and to prepare a co-coordinator to assist Aline with visits to each class.

Paul has also had the privilege of being the pastor of Felipe Camarão Church (IPIB) in Natal since January 2002. This year a 2002 graduate from IPIB’s seminary in Fortaleza, Erivan Magno Júnior, has been doing his required internship at Felipe Camarão, and Paul is his mentor. Júnior is very talented and committed, and if all goes according to plan, he will be ordained in December. Another part of the plan is for Júnior to become the pastor at Felipe Camarão in 2004. We have really enjoyed working with Júnior, and we were very happy for him and his new bride, Leidiane, on the occasion of their marriage on March 27. A lot of exciting things are happening at Felipe Camarão, but nothing more exciting than the baptism of eight men and women and three children on Easter Sunday.

Our ministry is full and exciting only because we have so many faithful friends and partners. Thank you for your prayers, encouragement, and financial support. Please send us some news about what is happening in your life, as we love to hear from you. Let us know how we might pray for you.

A graça e paz do Senhor Jesus,

Paul and Linda

The 2003 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 258