May 24, 2006

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
Philippians 4:4

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

It’s exciting to look at the church where we worked in the city of Salvador and see growth, new leadership, plus a variety of activities.

When we return to Brazil on July 6, we will be starting new work in Recife, a city of a million and a half people in northeast Brazil. The Independent Presbyterian Church (IPI) wants us to begin a church in the neighborhood where our children’s school is located. When we arrive we will rent an apartment, buy a car, meet our neighbors, and find musically inclined Presbyterians to help lead worship. We want to participate in community activities that expose us to folks who yearn to know Christ. Later, we’ll rent a store-front building to hold regular meetings.

Our son, John, will stay in the United States. He’ll be a sophomore at Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina. Elizabeth, a twelfth-grader, and Daniel, a seventh-grader, will go with us and study at the American School in Recife.

Please pray for us as we pack, say good-bye, and prepare to begin a new ministry. We need your prayers for physical strength, wisdom for the many important decisions to be made, patience in all the challenges that will occur, and the ability to step back and laugh at life.

God Bless You,

Gordon and Dorothy Gartrell

The 2006 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 45