My good friend David, Hi!
I am sorry I haven't been in touch with you lately. I hope you, Mary, Mat, Nick, Sam and Gabriela are fine.
Personal Update
Marcia, Camila, Andre and I are all fine. Both André and I got a bad cold as the Brazilian winter started; now we are getting better. Marcia is happy doing what she loves to do: being a nurse. Today she became a reference for the nursing care systematization as she has been establishing it in each ward. The Brazilian Health Government has passed a law that every hospital will have to establish the care systematization. Marcia has already been consulted to pass on the training to other hospitals. Camila is growing rapidly and will very soon be taller than me and Márcia. She has surprised us with a genuine faith in Jesus and involvement in our church's activities. This year is her big birthday commemoration as she will be 15 years old. Every girl in Brazil dreams of a beautiful party for their 15th birthday. We really do not know how we will commemorate it with her in December. Please do pray for that with us.
Belo Update
As for ESCALE, there has been some changes especially in Belo. We founded what we called "Preachers Club". We meet every Wednesday evening (around 10 pastors) to study the Expository Preaching. We have studied together the Gospels and now each member of the club was assigned to present a sermons on one of the Gospels to the whole group. After the apresentation each of us discuss about the sermon preached. Apart from that, we have to in situ training in the Great Belo Horizonte. One at Vespasiano's town (one weekend every two months) and other in a leader's home where we meet every Thursday to listen to a preaching sermon and discuss about it.
In Situ Update
The other in situ training regions are going own at full speed: Bangu, Pastor Mauro's church (4 meetings a year); Ecoporanga, Marcelo invites other leaders and helps running the training (one weekend every other month); Governador Valadares, Pastor Geraldo is managing to gather the leaders for the training (this first part of the year we've met twice at my home in Belo and in other neutral towns in other to provide the training to other leaders from different surrounding towns. We are planing to start a Preachers Club also in Governador Valadares. In Ipatinga, a town close to Valadares, the training happens twice a year for an extended weekend; the in situ trainings both in Miranda and in Arapongas have brought me great joy. Although both of them are far away from Belo, there are more than 30 leaders in each more than eager to learn from the Bible - it is a real pleasure and joy to to help to train them. In Ouricuri, a town in the northeast dry lad of Brazil, there are 15 leaders who do not have other opportunity to study the Bible except if the training come to them where they live and ministry, I have been prevented from visiting them more than once a year due to the travel costs and time spent in a exhausting journey. It is a real pit because those leaders are in one of the poorest region in Brazil where the Roman Catholic, superstitionand vudu spiritist dominate.
Translation Update
Other thing that has left me extremely busy is the translation of David Jackman's DVD lectures into Portuguese; apart from that, my parents have finally bought a new house, close to my house and in a very flat area, which was the main point to move from the old house. The house was empty and left alone for more than 4 years. It was visited by thieves who took every thing they could such as taps, doors, windows, glass and lots of other things. The house is dirty and need lots of repairs. So I decided to dedicate whatever free time I have to help my parents repair the new house.
World Cup Update
I have been so busy that I haven't been able to watch other World Cup matches except the Bralian one. By the way, talking about world cup I was very happy to hear of the US Team good draw result against Slovenia. According to the Brazilian commentators the US Team deserved to win and would have won if it wasn't for the refree who made a terrible mistake against the Americans. Well, I do hope the US will go further as they did so well at the Confederation Cup.
Personal Greetings
Well, I have to stop before I take all your time. By the way, is there any chance of your coming to Brazil this year or the next? We miss you and wish you were living close to us here. I do respect you as my spiritual tutor and your words and thoughts have always been a great encouragement to me and my family. Thanks for being such an important and great friend. Looking forward to hearing from you. Please give our love to Mary and the kids, as well as to all the folks at CWCC.
In the name which is above all names, Jesus Christ,
Nelson, Márcia, Camila and André Salviano.
