May started with a huge blessing – Silas James Putnam was born healthy and well just after noon on May 1! We praise the Lord that he and Jamie are home and well. God is so good to us – far better than we deserve!
Perhaps the single biggest blessing was the fact that we were able to close on a church building and begin to work on it already. The building is about 4300 ft2. We are so excited about the possibilities and what the Lord will do in this place. Located in the heart of a residential area near the center of the city, we are prayerfully preparing the building to receive the dear people of Pinda. It’s been awesome as we’ve made contacts just in the building prep. Pray for Gu – he owns the local paint store. I’ve been in his shop several times picking up supplies and each time we’ve had great conversations. He’s unsaved and doesn’t attend any church. He’s pretty much a self-made man, but a man that needs the Lord. His employees as well are lost. Pray that we can continue to establish a good relationship with them and see them won for Christ.
In preparing the building for the church, New Life Baptist Church has been a huge blessing in helping us. We’ve already seen many men volunteer time, labor, and equipment to make Victory Baptist Church a reality. Bro. Henrique has been a particular blessing. He’s been unemployed for quite some time, but he has worked as a painter and does excellent work. We’ve been working on the building for the last 2 weeks and during this time these men have caught a vision for reaching their Jerusalem and Judea with the Gospel. There’s plenty more work to be done. If over this summer you’re looking for an opportunity to take a mission’s trip and would like to be involved on the ground floor of a new church plant, don’t hesitate to let us know!
I had a great opportunity to travel to Franca – about 6 hours away – and preach at a military camp over Easter. There were just over 60 teens in attendance and the theme was “Frenemies” and developing Biblical friendships. I had a wonderful time with the Brazilian pastors that were there and learned much from them. It’s awesome to see their heart and vision for reaching Brazil and the world with the Gospel. While Jamie and the kids weren’t able to travel with me, they had a wonderful special Easter service back in Taubaté.
Please continue to pray about our housing situation. Our landlord has kindly allowed us to stay here in this house in Taubaté until the beginning of July. We are thankful for this but desire greatly to get moved to Pinda ASAP. This will allow us to save time in commuting 30 minutes one way – on many occasions – multiple trips a day. Obviously, it will save on money as well. We are looking to purchase a home in the city but the documentation needed to complete the purchase is bureaucratic and is going slower than we anticipated. The Lord knows. Just pray for His time and patience in this case.
We love you and appreciate your faithfulness to the Lord. Keep on keeping on. He is worthy!
For souls in Brazil,
The Putnam family
Philippians 2:16
Click here for a printable version of this update…
View all our past updates and prayer letters…