Dearest Friends,
OUR LAST SHOW
We have seen so much poverty, and so much brokenness. Yesterday we finished our schedule of puppet shows in Brazil. Our last program was in a favella, on top of a trash pile. The other end of the pile was burning.
We were on top of a high hill. If we looked to our right, we saw in the distance the beautiful homes of a very nice area of Sao Paulo. To our left were the most pitiful homes we had seen yet. They were constructed with scraps of wood, metal, and any kind of trash that you could use to make a kind of shelter. The homes were illegal, because they were built on land they did not own. A spider web of wires wrapped around the power poles. There is no electricity in the favella, so they steal it. Please do not misunderstand me, I am not justifying their behavior, but I want you to see what we see. I want you to understand how these people live.
The puppet show was well attended, many adults and children and 2 very enthusiastic drunks. Too many of the children stared at us with vacant eyes. They had seen too much, been hurt too many times. They were slow to smile, but they did smile. They prayed so loudly, calling on Jesus to save them. Please pray for the children of Ype to be safe tonight. Please ask the Father to grow their faith.
OUR GREAT ADVENTURES
Many times in Brazil we have been asked to give missionary reports at Babtist and Presbyterian churches. One pastor even held a special missionary service for us so that we could show his people how we shared with the children. He gave us over 1 and a half hours so that we could share missionary stories.
At another church, the elders of the church were having their weekly meeting and invited us to come and give them a report. I also thanked them for their faithfulness. My husband Mike was an elder, so I remembered how hard it was for him to serve. All of us were overwhelmed by the love we felt in that room and all of us were touched by the sweetness of their prayers.
At a large presbyterian church, over 600 people listened to a puppet show. More, they gave us extra time to bring a special mission report. Many children put their trust in Jesus. Many were touched by the stories and some gave us thier emails. so that they could pray for us. Praise God!
Each church was a blessing, but a new presbyterian church that is being planted in a an affluent area near Alphaville was a special blessing. There are only 30 people in the church, and half are doctors and dentists. One half of the church was absent the morning I gave a mission report. They were not gone on vacation. Most were on mission trips to the poorer parts of Brazil. Most of these absent were doctors and dentists. They were providing medical care to those who have no access. More important, they were using their skills to open the door for the Gospel. They always share Jesus with their patients.
ENCOURAGING WORDS
Many of you have been so sweet to respond to the emails. Please know that your encouraging words were a great blessing to the team. More, when the Brazilians heard that people all over the world were praying for their children, they were so blessed. Please remember that you can always respond to these emails! God bless you for your praying!
PEDRO’S STORY
Pedro, (Peter) came to a puppet show at a school. His mother works at the school and since he liked the program so much, she let him come to both shows. I told the story of Peter and he asked Jesus to be his Lord and Savior. After the show, he told me he had prayed. Please ask the Father to make Peter a great man of God!
SAM AND SILVANA
Sam and Silvana were not with me on this trip and I really missed them. Sam is the Assistant Director of the AGAPE PUPPETS and will someday take my place. He is an amazing man of God! He also leads a team in Northern Ireland and is busy doing ministry there. Please hold Sam and Silvana in your daily prayers.
In Jesus, Linda for
Gerson Simioni
Fabianna Simioni
Sara Wilson
Hannah Sager