Greetings in Christ,

Where has the time gone?  That is the question we are asking ourselves.

Two months have passed by, and we have not been able to slow down.  And besides that, where do we start with sharing?  There is too much to tell, too little space to write it, and quite frankly, people don’t want long drawn out updates.

So, how do we crunch the numbers into a smaller, easier to read format?  I don’t know.  Sorry, that is not my specialty, but we have done the best we could to write concisely.  If you want to know more about any of the things written below, be sure to follow the links to our website and read the longer versions or call us on our internet phone 1-785-440-1770.

Here we go.

We finished writing the last updates in June.  We actually had a few weeks to rest, but that did not happen.  We prepared and shared at our local church about the work that is happening in Jardim Tropical.  I Brad, was busy most of the weekdays building the church building in Jardim Tropical with the resources many of you gave.  Melissa was busy going through and sorting the mountain of drugs and supplies that were donated to us.  And last but not least, Becca arrived from the states for a 3-month mission trip and is staying with us.  Lots of work, but what a great blessing for all!

Well, the church building in Jardim Tropical is almost done.  Make sure you check out the photos here: http://millerstobrazil.com/ministries/jardim-tropical/     We also have the photos of our leadership/discipleship classes there.

The work in Jardim Tropical is continuing to be a huge blessing! We have opened a new support page for them through GoFundMe.com.   To donate specifically to this ministry, click here:   https://www.gofundme.com/jardim-tropical-support  Your support is greatly needed and is making a difference.

Since we started the leadership meetings and church construction, the congregation has grown almost 4 fold to 70+.  The new building was to house up to 60.  At the time, the congregation was just 20, and that seemed big enough, but now, the church is completely packed several nights a week.

We have also noticed something else.  The church steps have become a meeting place for the kids to hang out and play.  What a joy and blessing it is to be a part of the Lord’s work.  Consider helping these people, money goes farther here than in the U.S.

When July entered, we started preparing for the Wordless Ministries team to arrive.  A team of 22 arrived on the 13th and we ministered along the Amazon river for 7 days.  Brad was able to bring along Leandro, one of the men from Jardim Tropical who received Christ as his Savior last.  This was the perfect opportunity for him to work side by side with Pr.  Joel, a very gifted evangelist.

While Brad was on this trip, Melissa was in Jardim Tropical daily ministering to the people.

Click here https://millerstobrazil.com/ministries/wordlessministries/ to see the pictures from this group.

The day after that group left, we packed up and headed to the Indian Village.

We arrived at the mouth of the Indian Reservation at 1am.  Imagine arriving in the middle of the largest rain forest in the world.  You leave the safety of the “big” boat and load all of your supplies into your ministry boat, just big enough to haul your cargo and food for the next week.  As the “big” boat continues it’s steady ‘buhbuhbuhbuh” up the river, and your boat is being towed alongside, the workers call out, “NOW!” and they release the line from your boat and you skimmer across the dark water, under the darker, star ridden sky, and watch the “big” boat disappear into the night.  With your flash light in hand, you start searching the far shoreline for the mouth of the lake, which is just a small doorway in the otherwise thick covering of rain forest growth, and you head that direction.  You are now on your own, no cell phone service, no street lights, and you have another hour of travel, navigating across the flooded rainforest, looking for familiar areas to guide your way into the remote Indian Village.

This is how it is on every trip we make into the forest.

We arrived at the jungle house at 2:30am.  We clean, sweep, throw up mosquito nets and hammocks, first for the kids, and then for ourselves.  And although we should be tired, we are full of anticipation and the coffee we chugged down at 12:30 in order to not be sleepy navigating the forest, we calm down, relax and sleep by 4:30, knowing that by 7:30, the villagers will start arriving at your door to greet you.

Knock, knock, knock, “Pastor?” It’s 7:00 o’clock.  “Do you want to have leadership class this morning at eight?”

There is no greater joy than to see the vigor in the people under your care, hungry for the word of God!

We held 15 church services and bible studies in the 7 days we were in the village.

Click here https://millerstobrazil.com/ministries/apurina-tribe/  to read more details and see pictures.

We baptized 4 people on this trip, Guerlermi and Elsamara, Leonete, and Raimunda. Please pray for them, and for Aldeia Nova, the new village which has asked us to start church services.

God bless you all,

Thank you for your prayers,

Brad and Melissa, Josiah, Veronica and Benjamin.