November 1999

Dear Family and Friends,

We would like to share with you an account of a short-term team that we hosted here in Northeast Brazil earlier this year. It represents only one of the nine work/study/evangelism teams that have been with us this year, but we believe it is representative of the teams and of our ministry in Brazil.

We hosted a 12-member team from Memorial Park Presbyterian Church, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, between July 31 and August 7 this year. They provided the funds to build three classrooms, a kitchen and a new bathroom beside an existing Independent Presbyterian Church of Brazil (IPIB) church building in a poor neighborhood of a small community named Vera Cruz, about 50 minutes south of Natal. They also brought clothes donated by World Vision for a bazaar at the church that raised money for buying tables, chairs and other furnishings for the classrooms. The classrooms will be used for Sunday school and community projects, such as a pre-school, adult literacy training and health classes. The inaugural event, a children's vaccination day, was planned for August 14.

The MPPC team helped with the construction of the classrooms during their visit. They participated in evangelism events held at the church, at the municipal school, and in several homes in the neighborhood of the church. A highlight for all of us was to witness four people accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior through special evangelism services at the church. And, as a result of all the activity, many others from the community entered the church for the first time. Tony and Debi Youlton, members of the team, commented, "The trip was a great blessing to us, allowing us to see Christ's love and work outside of our U.S. cultural framework, but it has also renewed our own ‘sense of urgency' for evangelism here."

The team formed wonderful relationships with the community and the missionary couple, Raimundo and Valdivia, who are living and working in Vera Cruz. The couple, second-year Missionary Training Center (CTM) students, are doing their practical training in Vera Cruz. In addition to their fieldwork at the church as CTM students, Raimundo and Valdivia prepare monthly assignments based on biblical readings that they send to the CTM, and they attend intensive classes for two weeks each semester. The CTM is a four-year program. Upon completion the students are recognized as missionary/evangelists of the church, non-ordained positions. Paul teaches introduction to the Bible and Linda teaches a conversational English class at the CTM-Northeast, located in Natal.

Since the team's visit to Vera Cruz, many new people from the city and the neighborhood have been dropping by the church and inquiring about activities of the church. We believe the visit and the work of the MPPC team brought new life and new dignity to the humble neighborhood around the church, a neighborhood representing the marginalized of the marginalized of Brazil. With the addition of the classrooms, the church in Vera Cruz is becoming a center of social and spiritual activity for the community.

A unique aspect of our Memorial Park experience was the invitation to fly to Pittsburgh to be a part of their missions emphasis weekend, September 25-26. The focus of the weekend was the experience of the short–term team to Brazil. Team members gave accounts of their experience at the Saturday evening and Sunday morning church services, Paul preached, and we had several opportunities to share experiences in small group settings. It was a wonderful way to touch the whole church with a powerful missions experience.

We recently received Christmas packages from MPPC that will be given on Christmas Day to sixty children near the Vera Cruz church. Another project that MPPC is interested in helping to initiate is an irrigation and agricultural project that would provide jobs for the community of Vera Cruz and income for the church to help support evangelism and church development efforts. And, we were informed by MPPC that they will receive special offerings at Thanksgiving and Christmas that will help construct a new dormitory building for the Missionary Training Center (CTM). This has been a wonderful partnership experience, and we are very excited about the future.

What a marvelous year of ministry it has been for us here in Northeast Brazil. We thank you for your prayers and support, which have been a great encouragement to us. We pray that you will have a joyful Christmas and that the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ will be with you each day. Rejoice in the Lord always, and again we say rejoice!

Nosso grande abraço (A big Brazilian hug)

Rev. Paul and Linda Fahnestock