Brazil – Thursday, January 25

Today Sao Paulo celebrates its 464th year anniversary! Fireworks could be heard outside as the team ate breakfast. Inside, we too, were celebrating as we recounted several of the prayers, healings and testimonies from yesterday’s outreaches. The Lord has been faithful and strategic in placing people in our path who are willing to acknowledge their needs and allow Jesus to be their permanent solution. Armed with the Gospel, our teams permeated the streets of Heliopolis in another wave of love this afternoon. We reconnected with people we have met in previous outreaches while continuing to establish many new relationships. Several people obtained new levels of freedom from loneliness, alcohol addiction, fear, familial tension and other deep workings from our heart surgeon God! This evening we entered City of God fueled with new vigor. One of our translators who has worked in the community for several years admitted, “Many of the children here don’t have dreams for the future.” Only a sliver of sky can be seen as we walk down the side alleys which are a few feet wide and shadowed by tall buildings on both sides. Despite these conditions, dozens of children are heard laughing even while riding bicycles with missing parts, kicking an old deflated soccer ball and playing on the concrete with a doll missing half its hair. Such raw and unfiltered sights create an even more urgent sense to spread the Good News. Fortunately, many of these children have accepted Jesus and have been able to find refuge at Frontline Centro de Adoracao and Casa de Jesus. Our family continues to grow – 4 people prayed to receive salvation while 1 person rededicated her life to Jesus during our outreach! One of the people saved was a young man who works at a local gourmet bread factory. He was so thankful that he gifted our team a loaf of Brazilian chocolate chip bread, which we used to celebrate Pastor Bill’s and Carly’s birthdays! Fireworks could no longer be heard outside but the celebration continues here at Casa de Jesus! Vamos celebrar!