Greetings from Brazil! It’s been another busy month around here and I’m so excited to share what the Lord has been doing in our lives.
First of all, I’d like to ask prayer for the church as we move here in just a few days. The new location has over double the capacity of what we currently have. There is much yet to be done there but we are praying and trusting that everything will be ready for our March 16th move date. At the end of March, we will begin our 4-week program. Each Sunday will be a different emphasis. Please pray as we continue to make contacts, follow-up, and work for these exciting series of Sundays.
Two weeks ago Jamie and I were able to take another survey trip to 2 different cities here in the Valley. Pindamonhagaba (Pinda) is a city of about 170k and is only 20 minutes away. Guaratinguetá (Guará) is about an hour away and a sister city to Aparecida, home to the largest basilica outside of Rome. Both are extremely needing cities. As we continue praying and seeking the Lord’s Face, I’m often reminded that there’s no such thing as a “reached” city. The Valley of the Paraíba is home to over 3.5M people, an area roughly the size of Hawaii. As we have seen time and time again, there are many churches in this area. Unfortunately, very few are reaching people with the Gospel as a result of unbiblical theology and philosophy. Please continue to pray with us that the Lord will clearly open the doors so that His Word and His Church can continue to go forward here.
As we’ve continued discipling Alessandra, it’s been our joy to see her home become more open and spiritually minded. Her son Augusto was saved several months ago but had shown little interest or attention in Sunday school or church. Just a few weeks ago I was talking with one of the men of the church and Augusto came up to us and told us how he had started reading his Bible at the beginning of the service and hadn’t stopped until the final prayer. He started in Genesis 1 and was in chapter 44. We obviously need to work with him on listening to the preaching, but I was just thrilled that he showed some initiative in reading God’s Word! Please continue to pray for him and Alessandra’s boyfriend, Valdecir. I’ve had the opportunity to visit with them a few times in their home. It’s amazing to see how God has already changed them so much and awesome yet to remember that God’s not done!
Thankfully, we’ve now submitted everything to our lawyer for the renewal of our visa. Brazilian immigration law has changed substantially in the last 4 years and now the process to obtain permanent residency is a bit more complex. We have confidence that everything will be reviewed and renewed quickly, but please continue in prayer with us.
Several weeks ago we had the opportunity to host several of the young people in our home for a planning meeting on the youth conference in June. What a thrill it was to see teens and young adults have a desire to see their family, friends, neighbors, and schoolmates reached with the Gospel. Just this past weekend we had over 25 teens in our home for the weekly activity. Knowing where so many of them are coming from and all that they have to face when they get back home is both heart-wrenching and convicting. A few come from homes where the parents are involved in church, but most have no backing from parents. Please pray for our young people, that God would work in their hearts and they would submit to His Will for their lives.
We appreciate you all. On a final personal note, if you’d remember Jamie’s family in prayer as they travel to see us here in a few weeks. We’re looking forward to spending time with them and anticipating a safe and COVID-free journey for them. Thank you for your faithful prayer and support as we seek to please our Saviour here in Brazil!
Love,
Keith, Jamie, Lainey, and Clayton Putnam
Click here for a printable version of this update…
View all our past updates and prayer letters…