Not even my mother will find this post on my personal blog interesting. I’m just working through my sadness, but glad of the sign of progress that it represents.
Filed under: Internet ministry | Tagged: Brazil, email lists | Leave a Comment »
BrazilKids children’s home baptizes 5
Posted on Thursday, 16 February 2012 by J. Randal Matheny
Download the latest GoSpeak missions ministry newsletter, highlighting the good news of the children’s home we work with. Also read about these items:
- Brazil magazine is back in print
- Get our English devotional
- Internet ministry continues apace
- Taubaté Bible school studies “What Is Christianity?”
- Guest speaking on “How to Be Happy”
- Family notes and prayer requests
We highlight also the new English-language website for the children’s home, for American supporters of the home, and for those interested in learning more.
Download and share in your congregation: gospeak28-01
Filed under: Reports | Tagged: baptisms, children's home, Internet ministry, missions reports | Leave a Comment »
27-12: Jorge and Paula’s son Daniel is baptized
Posted on Friday, 9 December 2011 by J. Randal Matheny
Except maybe for an bird’s-eye view of the year in the remaining hours of 2011, here’s the last GoSpeak report, with updates on Vicki’s health and Leila’s stops and starts.
Download it here: gospeak 27-12
Share it everywhere, post it on your congregation’s bulletin board, print it for your bulletin, stamp it on the forehead of your missions committee chairman. Even show it to an elder or two.
Filed under: Reports | Tagged: Brazil church of christ, missions reporting | Leave a Comment »
27 years ago today
Posted on Monday, 28 November 2011 by J. Randal Matheny
Stamped on my Brazilian ID card for foreigners is the date of our entry into the country: 28 November 1984. Whenever I pull it out of my billfold, I glance at the date and offer a silent prayer of thanksgiving. Along with other personal data on the card — birthdate, parents, sex, nationality, it makes up a part of who I am.
So in this month of Thanksgiving, I’m thankful for the Lord having brought us to Brazil 27 years ago today. Read more »
Filed under: notes | Tagged: anniversaries, partnership | Leave a Comment »
Supporter spotlight: Baker Heights church, Abilene TX
Posted on Saturday, 19 November 2011 by J. Randal Matheny
A baptism at Baker Heights
When Vicki and I moved to Abilene, Tex., in January, 1982, for me to pursue a master’s degree in Missiology, our team members had all gone ahead of us. We were the last ones to make the Texas move. All of them were attending the Baker Heights congregation. It had been established 1961 on the southwest side of town, near the air base, to reach out to the military.
Vicki and I attended on a Wednesday night after our arrival. The following Sunday two of us from our mission team went to the Blackwell church to preach. I was supposed to preach Sunday night, but the meeting was cancelled due to bitterly cold weather. So they asked me to return the next Sunday, which Vicki and I did. Then they asked me to keep coming, and I preached at Blackwell for the two years, 1982-83, we were in Texas. Read more »
Filed under: Features | Tagged: supporters, supporting churches | Leave a Comment »
Scam: Email seeks funds in my name
Posted on Thursday, 17 November 2011 by J. Randal Matheny
Mike Hughes, elder at our overseeing congregation, Somers Ave. in N. Little Rock, Ark., shared yesterday what he thought was an email from me. It requested contributions for Trevor Williams in Bristol UK. But the email is a scam, written in my name, with an email set up especially at Yahoo in my name, and using the name of my wife and children.
Trevor Williams is a retired Christian worker who did work with the Bristol church, but his wife does not have the medical condition described in the email, nor do they need funds sent through Western Union. I do not know Trevor personally, but a missionary brother there provided me with information.
I have made appeals in behalf of others before, so Mike did not find it strange. Especially since this email was sent to the eldership and others at Somers Ave.
I have notified everyone I can, in every way possible, to avoid that anyone send money to the deceiver behind the email.
May our generosity not dry up because of fear. Let us use caution, but let us continue to give freely as we have been given.
Filed under: notes | Tagged: scams | Leave a Comment »
Supporter spotlight: Acton church, Michie TN
Posted on Wednesday, 26 October 2011 by J. Randal Matheny
I used to work with the Shiloh TN church, outside the Shiloh National Battleground, just north of Michie. Some of those good folk are now a part of the Acton congregation. I suppose it was from that connection, best I recall, that Acton entered into partnership with us, not a few years back. So far back, that Jeremy Barrier was in college and working as a youth intern one summer when we were giving a report there. Read more »
Filed under: Support | Tagged: supporters | Leave a Comment »
Sr. Odilio baptized in Taubaté
Posted on Monday, 24 October 2011 by J. Randal Matheny
A few years ago Vicki, Leila, and I studied with Sr. Odílio and his wife Claudete, in their Taubaté home. Sr. Odílio is Jorge’s uncle. Claudete is sister to Paula, Jorge’s wife. At the end of the studies, Claudete decided to follow the Lord (PDF). But Sr. Odílio held out.
More recently, Humberto and Aline have held open home studies with them. After some serious health problems, Sr. Odílio made his decision after talking today (Sunday, Oct. 23) with Jorge.
Humberto explains the next step to Sr. Odílio
When we arrived at 4 p.m. for the meeting at Taubaté, Jorge and Humberto, who had consulted earlier, suggested we cancel Bible study, in order to finish sooner and get Sr. Odilio to the baptism before it got too cold. Read more »
Filed under: Features | Tagged: baptisms, evangelism, Taubate | 4 Comments »
Prayers for Vicki’s mother
Posted on Saturday, 15 October 2011 by J. Randal Matheny
Vicki’s parents were foster parents for many years. One of their foster sons had been with them since he was 2 1/2, intermittently, and even lived with Vicki’s mother Jean and stepfather as a young adult.
Yesterday, Dennis W., age 34, apparently committed suicide. He was single. He had called Jean and talked to her Wednesday. He had been on medication for depression.
The people he worked for called her yesterday, and said he talked often about how much he loved her.
This comes as an especially hard blow to Jean after Cameron’s death Oct. 2, whom she regarded as a grandson.
Please pray for her and for Dennis’s family members in this time of grief.
Filed under: Prayer | Tagged: family concerns, prayer requests | Leave a Comment »
27-10: A visit from Alabama supporters
Posted on Thursday, 13 October 2011 by J. Randal Matheny
Read the GoSpeak September newsletter which highlights the visit of two brothers from Madison AL. GoSpeak Sept 2011, 27-10
We missed a couple of reports from previous months, but hope to get those up before long.
Filed under: Reports | Tagged: missions report, supporters visits | Leave a Comment »
New snail mail address for correspondence
Posted on Wednesday, 17 August 2011 by J. Randal Matheny
No, we’re not moving. Just making a change in procedures.
Please note our new snail mail address here in Brazil. We have given up the post office box, Caixa Postal 11.
Our new mailing address is below:
Rua Álvares de Azevedo, 20B
12245-494 São José dos Campos, SP
Brazil
For packages and boxes, please send to our home address, which we will provide upon request. (We prefer not to publish it online.)
All other information, as far as we know, continues the same. We gave up the POBox mainly because it is downtown and we have little reason to go there any more, besides the difficulty of getting in and out on the street. Also, with the Internet, our volume of correspondence has dwindled.
Filed under: notes | Tagged: address change | Leave a Comment »
Devotionals evangelize in Amazonas
Posted on Saturday, 16 July 2011 by J. Randal Matheny
For the last several months, I’ve stepped up the devotionals to a daily schedule, and have heavily advertised them through several means, including social media. Today I received this Facebook message from Ivan in the city of Manaus, located on the Amazon River.
Brother Randal, many people here in my Facebook [friends list] really like to read when I share your articles. This morning I received a message from a non-Christian girl thanking me for the article. I’ve already contacted a sister in the congregation near my house to evangelize her. A big hug!
We’re thankful the devotionals are being used to reach people. We never know how the Lord is using our efforts for his kingdom.
Just today an unfaithful Christian, converted years ago in a Christian family in São Paulo, living now in Taubaté, mentioned that he read the bulletins we post on the church website and then sends them to his mother in the capital, who likes them greatly. We never knew!
Filed under: evangelism, Internet ministry | Tagged: devotionals, evangelism, Internet ministry | Leave a Comment »
Read the devotionals Brazilians read
Posted on Saturday, 18 June 2011 by J. Randal Matheny
In recent weeks, we’ve kept up the translations into English from Portuguese of our daily devotional called “Deus Conosco” (God with Us).
Since they don’t deal directly with reporting on the GoSpeak ministry, we post them to the personal weblog.
Today’s devotional is called, “So you want a good reputation?” Read more »
Filed under: Features | Tagged: Bible meditations, Bible study, daily devotional, Internet ministry | Leave a Comment »
27-5: Tea for Twenty-three
Posted on Wednesday, 1 June 2011 by J. Randal Matheny
The GoSpeak mission report covering the month of May is hot out of the oven and served up in PDF format, ready for the clicking: gospeak27-05
In this issue, you’ll read about:
- The big tea party at out house;
- FPress book helps convert visitor;
- New records set in areas of work;
- Audio podcast recording and online writings;
- New feature on BrotherhoodNews.com;
- Prayer requests.
Filed under: Reports | Tagged: Brazil missions, literature evangelism, online evangelism | Leave a Comment »
