“Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.” II Corinthians 5:9
We’ve probably needed your prayers as much as ever these last two months. Thanks for praying as we helped to lead a group from our church in August to help plant a church in Caçapava, Brazil. What a joy it was to renew friendship with the Team Brazil missionaries who serve together in Taubaté and that have been used of God to lay the necessary groundwork. Praise God for Pastor Johnson’s leadership, for Bro. Whitmore’s zeal for souls and work providing Bibles, for Diego who was saved, trained, and called to serve as pastor, for Bro. Simon whose heart and prayers for his city became the spiritual impulse, and for the soul-winning churches and believers in the region that labored together with joy to find a location to rent, to convert the building to serve as a church, to distribute 10,000 copies of John and Romans with invitations, and to pray down God’s blessings. Best of all, we were blessed with the opportunity to labor with them for the final five days, inviting, cleaning, building, and serving in all-out preparation for the first three services. We returned home utterly exhausted, but it was worth everything invested.
On a humorous note, while there, we discussed the vision of the team regarding where God is leading them to focus prayers and labor for the next church plant. One city of 700,000 was mentioned, and a team member, fully engaged in work here with FBMI, said “I’ll go!” The team threatened to hold him to his promise! Once again, I felt that if I had another life to give serving the Lord, it would be in Brazil. For so many years, missionaries have sowed the Gospel seed, and the harvest truly is ripe with precious souls who need to hear the truth of God’s love and redemptive work to purchase the gift of salvation for them.
Returning home, our physical “defenses” were down, and Lana and I both got sick. It’s taken weeks to recover as we’ve dealt with the work here to be done. Again, we’ve been sustained by our faithful Lord. This past Saturday, God worked, and I was able to lead a Venezuelan man to the Lord in Spanish! Lana’s work with the Sunbeams has been challenging, but we’ve seen precious souls saved there. This past Sunday, I was invited to preach for the Chinese service. My translator did a wonderful job, and the Lord led through the entire service. Imagine singing “How Great Thou Art” together with them! I challenged them with the need to serve God as He prepares and enables. What a joyful time we had.
Please pray for our recovery and health and for journey mercies on our October trip out West for eagerly anticipated Missions Conferences. We love these supporting churches; they are truly friends of a lifetime.
With our love and deepest gratitude for your support,
Dan and Lana Siemer
