We returned from the villages in late March. The ministries there are continuing to grow and show forth fruit that only comes from the Lord. Returning, we enter into the city and back to the mission base. It has been under construction since January. We discovered a structural problem between the room that joins up with the kitchen which required immediate reformations to be done. What we thought would be a few weeks has now continued on into May. We hope to have this work finished in June.

As I have shared with you before, there is always something happening in the city that tends to distract us from the ministry in the interior. We come down the river, returning from a tremendously prosperous village trip, high on the knowledge of what the Lord is doing in the people’s lives and through their efforts of evangelism and discipleship, and we enter the city where there always seems to be some type of problem arising. In this time, it is the mission base being under continual construction.

Pray for our time while we normally decompress in the city and prepare for the next village trip. The rest we receive in the city is necessary for the intense ministry in the jungle, but has not happened since December. For this, Brad postponed his planned return trip to the villages few weeks back in April. He will return, Lord willing by the time this update is posted. Praise the Lord that he and the rest of the family are healthy and strong in both spirit and body.

In March, we took a new young couple with us. We hope they will soon join us as co-laborers with the Apurina people. Their names are Nei and Raquel. Please pray for them.

They helped us with all of the ministries there. Nei helped Brad preach and hold church services and Raquel helped Melissa with the women’s and children’s meetings.

Brad was able to have a full week of Discipleship classes in one of the new villages where we started having weekly church services in July 2020. We are excited for this new village and for what God has planned in the coming months and years.

Please pray with us over the village Aldeia Nova. This is where we built a church building in 2019. The people there have been under some spiritual attacks throughout the last 4 years as we have evangelized them, and trained and raised people up. We see some of the people getting cold and drawing back while at the same time asking for us to do more with them. It reminds us of asking the boss for more hours of work, and then when he gives them, asking to leave early on those days.

Here are a few praise reports and prayer requests form Melissa.

Praise Reports:

• We are under some major remodeling in our home rather suddenly out of structural necessity.  Thankfully one of our faithful supporters has donated money for the remodeling of our kitchen.  We really are looking forward to using the kitchen in the future for more ministry here at the mission base. 

• Veronica had braces put on.  Thankfully all the costs of orthodontists are much more affordable here. 

• Andrea, Ben Veronica, and Deusiane (the indigenous girl) all came down with cold symptoms yesterday.  Thankfully they are feeling better today. 

• Always in need of prayer.  Ministry all around us, at home, with Brazilians, and the indigenous.

• Our kitchen is in our garage and dust continues to fly in the air but God is pouring out His blessings and mercy. 

Prayer Requests:

• We have had our indigenous women’s leader(Raimunda) and a girl from the village staying with us for the last month.  I have been helping her see the doctor and get needed exams done.  During this process, we discovered the root to her abnormal abdominal pain that she has been struggling with for months.  It is an umbilical hernia.  Please join us in prayer for God’s perfect timing to be able to get the needed surgery to repair it. 

• Josiah had three wisdom teeth pulled last week and is still on liquid only foods. 

• Brad is planning a return trip to the village on Tuesday, the 11th of May for 3 weeks. 

• And always homeschooling the 3 youngest, Josiah, Veronica and Ben.

• Keeping my chin up and keep looking to the prize of eternal life as I choose to meditate on His faithfulness and provision.  Amen.

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