November 29, 2005
Dear Friends,
Greetings in the name of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
Once again we are looking forward to participating in an interpretation
assignment during January and February 2006. Please pray for us
as we prepare to leave for the United States on December 19, 2005.
Our first stop is Nashville, Tennessee, and after Christmas we’ll
go to Wooster, Ohio. At this point, our schedule has us visiting
churches in South Carolina, Virginia, Iowa, Ohio, Michigan, and
Tennessee. We hope that there won’t be a lot of ice and
snow during our itineration!
The year 2005 has been a very busy and a hectic year for us.
We made a trip to the United States in April for Irene’
s medical reevaluation. Everything went well, and Irene returned
to Brasilia in August. About a week later, she experienced sharp
pain on her right side and went to the emergency room in a local
hospital. The doctors had to do an emergency operation because
her appendix had ruptured. On top of that, they also found a gallstone
about a side of a quarter. It was inflamed, so the doctors also
removed it. Irene spent 19 days in the hospital and came home
in September. We celebrated our thirty-third wedding anniversary
in the hospital!
In October, we received a telephone call to inform us that Irene’s
mother was not well. Finally, on October 18, she passed away peacefully,
having celebrated her ninetieth birthday on September 7. We are
thankful that we were able to celebrate Mother’s Day with
her in May, while we were in the United States. Irene saw her
mother again in July before she came back to Brazil. Due to Irene’s
recent surgery, we decided not to go to the funeral service.
In October we also received a visit from a Presbyterian Women’s
group. We visited with them a new church development project of
the Central Independent Presbyterian Church of Brasilia (IPI)
in Aguas Lindas, Goias. The PW group also participated at the
worship service at the Central IPI, and we also visited several
important places in Brasilia, the capital city of Brazil.
The work of the seminary extension where I teach is moving along
well. I taught several courses and worked with our fourth-year
students toward their graduation, which will be on December 16.
It will be our first graduating class, and there will be a big
celebration by the Independent Presbyterian Church of Brazil in
the central western region of Brazil. The moderator of the IPI’s
General Assembly, the Reverend Assir Pereira, will be our preacher
for this occasion. The class chose the name “Berechit,”
which means “beginning.” And they chose me as their
“patron.” Please pray that these new pastors, that
they will be able to go out to preach, evangelize, plant new churches
and social programs in areas where evangelical witness is rare.
We pray that they will help make a difference in a society so
full of corruption and immorality and thus help establish the
kingdom of God, a world of peace and justice for the glory of
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Please play that the Holy Spirit
touch the hearts of the leaders of the Synod of Central Brazil
and the three presbyteries in that synod, that they increase their
capacity to give spiritual and financial support to these new
pastors.
Brazil, the largest country in South America, is in the news
around the world these days. Many government officials are facing
trial of corruption. The opposition is trying hard to discredit
the work of President Luiz Ignacio da Silva, known universally
by his nickname, “Lula.” His popularity is not so
strong these days, and the opposition wants to break the power
of the labor party in the election in 2006. It is sad to see that
Brazil has one of the most unequal income distributions in the
world. In no other Latin American country is the gap between rich
and poor as wide as in Brazil. Brazil is the fifth most populous
country in the world and has the ninth largest economy, yet 40
million Brazilians live on less than two dollars a day.
The government still does not provide adequate educational and
health care systems to its citizens. Many children sell candy
on the street or wash car windshields at the stoplights instead
of being in a classroom. Crime and violence are increasing alarmingly,
especially in Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia. Many church leaders
are genuinely concerned with these social problems, but others
just want to rake in the tithes and the offerings of the faithful!
Again, we want to thank you for your prayer and financial support
throughout these years. We appreciated your newsletters and personal
letters or emails etc.
Christ is born! Merry Christmas and prosperous New Year in 2006!
In Christ’s service,
Michael and Irene Sivalee
The 2006 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p.
45 |
