A TEAM MINISTRYTO SAO LUIS. MARANHAO.

BRAZIL

Christ for Sao Luis:

NEWSLETTER

January/Febnjary1993

Volume no. 6, Issue no. 1

GREETINGS FROM

GARY, ROSIE & IAN FINLEY

FOR CONTRIBUTIONS AND STATESIDE CORRESPONDENCE;

Christ for Sso Luis

Calumet Street Christian Church 2240 East Calumet Street

Centralia, IL 62801

Church Office: (618) 533-4421 Forwarding Agents Floyd & Lela Johnson: (618) 532-4476
FOR CORRESPONDENCEONLY:

(PLEASE DO NOT SEND ANY CONTRIBUTIONSTO THIS ADDRESS) Gary & Rosie Finley
Caixa Postal 1088

65000 Sao Luis. Maranhao Brazil, South America

To Call Us From the U.S. Dial: 011-55-98-226-1391

ur First Furlcu^h
On July 24, 1992 we stepped onto a plane at the Sao Luis airport, headed home for our first furlough. Forty eight hours later we arrived at our destination, our
home town of Centralia, IL

camp and one week of Vacation Bible School, attended the World Evangelism Con ference (formerly called the National Missionary Convention), gave a special presen tation of our work or life in Brazil to eight different groups (civic dubs, women's fel lowship circles, etc.). visited family and friends in four states, and traveled about
11,000 miles in the process.

presentation of the progress of our work in Sao Luis at eighteen different churches participated in two area wide missions rallies, sen/ed as missionaries for one week of

It seems like we spent most of the next four months in our car. We gave a

Jacksonville, IL; Quincy. IL; Fairview Heights, IL and Arnold. MO which we weren't

With all of that said, we just didn't have enough time to visit everyone that we wanted to spend time with. On our next furlough (probably July through December of 1995) we have at the top of our list our supporting churches in Flora, IL; Newton, IL*

required that we keep our furlough as short as possible. However, four months just We know already that our next furlough needs to be atleast six months long.
did not allow us enough time to visit with everyone we would have liked to have seen.

friends in Mooresville. IN; Fairfield. IL; Festus, MO; South Roxana, IL; Mt. Vernon IL Steeleville, IL and several other places as well. The state of our work in Sao Luis

able to visit with this time. In addition, we owe a special apology to some very dear

would like to say thank you once again to those who did have to put up with us for a

Now that we have made our apologies to those we weren't able to see we

day or two. It was a pleasure to renew friendships, and to get caught up on what has happened in your families and in your churches over the last two and a half years.
We treasure each of the friendships with which the Lord has blessed us. We

look foHA/ard to keeping you Informed of what is happening with our family and with
our workthroughoutthis coming year.

"Shout joyfully to the Lord.allthe earth. Serve the Lord with gladness: Come before Him with joyful singing.
Know that the Lord Himselfis Cod:

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves:

We are His peopleand the sheep of His pasture."

(Pwtn 100 Verses 1.2,3)

First Fruits of Our Work,^^^

On Wednesday, January 20 the church in Sao Luis gained its first member! Shortly after we left for our furlough last July, Raimundo Nunez Moreno and his wife Isabel began

Ruth Navis. They were interested in studying God's Word, and demonstrated that interest by their continued participation in the study each week. On November 14 John began to study with Seu Raimundo individually. He guided Seu Raimundo through the six Bible studies we are using to present the gospel message. He was immediately convinced that the message was true, but needed some time to count the cost of following Jesus. On January 20 he made his decision to live for Christ. He submitted his life to Jesus' Lordship as he obeyed the Lord's command; having believed that Jesus is the son of God, and having repented of his sins, he
was baptized into Christ.

attending the Saturday night Bible study which meets in the home of our co-workersJohn and

But, Sunday, January 31 was a particularly joyous day for us in Sao Luis. On the beach at Sao Jose do Ribamar, Isabel Moreno (Seu Raimundo's wife), Emandes Moura dos Santos and AlcinaAlencar dosSantos were baptized intoChrist.

The Lord's day is always a time for celebration and gladness among God's people.

Dona Alcina was the first person in Sao Luis to study the lessons we are using to

our group Bible study and our worship times. Seu Emandes finally agreed to study with John

make that decision along with her. During the next year their family participated regularly in

present the Gospel. She began to study with Ruth Navis in Decemberof 1991. She was soon convinced of her need to follow Christ. However, she wanted her husband Seu Emandes to

Navis in November of 1992. He took about a month to consider the cost of discipleship before making the decision to surrender his life to Jesus' Lordship. We rejoice together with them
because of the new life they now have in Christ. Dona Isabel began to study with Ruth Navis in November of 1992 at the same time her

husband Seu Raimundo began to study with John. When he was baptized on January 20 she
pray for her decision. The Lord has answered those prayers, and we now have a lovely new
sister in the Lord's family.
was not yet ready to make Jesus Lord of her life. For the next week and a half we continued to.

Phasepray with us for the followingneeds:

*> Seu Raimundo works for Brazil's largest petroleum company. He is stationed on an offshore oil platform for 30 days, then is home with his family for 30 days. Please pray that the Lord will strengthen and encourage our new brother as he is away, and that while he is here
we can be good stewards of the time we have with him.

Ernandes and Dona Alcina. She is a chemistry major at the Federal University here in Sao

Please pray also for the children of these two couples. Patricia is the daughter of Seu

it means to make Jesus Lord and Savior. He is currently in Rio de Janiero auditioning for the Junior division of one of Brazil's most popular soccer teams, "Flamenco". He is going to

week. Their son Nando is 16 years old. He too has studied the gospel lessons and knows what

Luis. She has studied the gospel lessons with Rosie and says she wants to be baptized later this

cncoumer many iniiuenccs uiai wm compete tor control m his lite,

i'lease pray mat ne will

about two weeks each year, we have not yet had anopportunityto study with him.

listen to God's Word, and will make the decision which he knows is the right one. The dos Santos oldest son is a student at the federal university in Rio de Janeiro and is only home for
Agusto is the oldest son of Seu Raimundo and Dona Isabel. He is awaiting news of

whether or not he will be admitted to the Federal University this Spring (depending on the area of study, there are 10 to 30 applicants for each opening in the department). He and his brother
Edrisses (who is still in high school) are currently studying the lessons with John. The More nos alsohave a youngerson,Venicios,who is injunior high school.

Please pray for each of those who have made decisions for Christ (Raimundo, Isabel, Emandes and Alcina) that they will continue to grow in their faith, and that the Lord will protectthem from the attacks of the enemy. They are both lovely families, and we wish you could meet them. We pray that the Lord of all nations and peoples will give you that opportunity in the eternal kingdom which He has prepared for His faithful.

AAoro C3oocd News

The last few weeks of our furlough were quite hectic. Our longest trips took place during this time, we were racing against the clock to finish the tasks which had to be done before we left the U.S., and we were trying to get prepared for the respon
sibilities we would have as soon as we arrived in Sao Luis.

In the midst of all our activity we took time for Rosie to visit her doctor. On Novem ber 17 we found out that Ian-is not going to be an only child for much longer! On January 8 Rosie had her first ultra-sound exam. Her doctor said everything looks
well, and we can look forward to the birth of our second child around June 27!

^
m

Seek the Lord and His strength:

Remember His wonders which He has done. ^

(PSALM 105:4.51

Seek His face continually.

^
V

A Special Thank You

During ourfurlough we were trying to raise the funds necessary for two special
projects:

1) We needed to replace our 1983 VWBeetle witha newercar 2) We wanted to purchase a copierforour workin Sao Luis

The need to purchase a different car became more urgent toward the end of October. While we were on furlough our VW Beetle was stolen. We had left it with a

friend who was parking it in a secure place a night time. However, while he was
downtown one afternoon It was stolen from in front of the school where he teaches.

Because of the car's age and model we weren't able to keep it insured against theft (the Beetle is the most commonly stolen car in Brazil, and the insurance companies
don't want to assume the risk of coverage). So far, it has not been recovered.

years supply of toner for $1,054.97. It has already been hard at work for nearly two months in our team office. Copiers are available in Sao Luis, but the cheapest one
currently on the market costs about $6,000.00. The same model Xerox machine that

of His people. We were able to purchase a Xerox copier model 5009 F^E with a

The good news is that Lord has blessed us through the continued generosity

we brought back from the States is available here for about $8,000.00. I think you can understand whywe wanted to buy one in the U.S. and bring it back with us.
We have also received $5,121.36 toward the purchase of a different car. Our supervising elders have approved additional funds for this purpose so that we have

up to $8,500.00 in our car fund. In the U.S. you could get a new car or a really nice used car for this price. In Brazil we are hoping to find a three of four year old small to

medium sized car in good condition (such as a Ford Escort or similar model). We have been looking for nearly two months, and so far we have only seen two cars in our price range that were in reasonably good condition (they were both sold before we could arrange a way to exchange our American checks). If we don't find some thing in the next week I plan to travel to Beiem to look for a car (there the used car market is much bigger, and the prices are a little bit better). The disadvantages are that we will have to transfer the documents to our state (a real headache), and I will have to drive the'12 hour trip from Belem back to Sao Luis hoping and praying that
our new car is mechanicallysound.
We want to thank the churches and individuals who have contributed to our

car fund. We hope that we can soon let you know what kind of car we have been
able to buy.

(yVolewotlA^
^ We have begun a new Bible study on Wednesday evenings for young people. Last night was our third week. To date seven high school and college age young people have participated in the study. We gave the participants the chance to select the topics or Bible texts that they most wanted
to study. Their first choice? The book of Revelation. Oh well, we asked.

Our family attended the annual Brazilian missionary conference of the Churches of Christ (non-

instrumental) during the third week of January in Mendez. Rio de Janeiro. It was a time of encourage
ment and great fellowship. This is the second year we have had the opportunity to attend; and, as before we came away with several promising ideas for increasing the effectiveness of our work here in
Sao Luis.

^ During 1992 the nation of Russia recorded the world's highest annual rate of inftatbn. at over 2,000%. That news probably comes as no surprise to you. But. can you guess which nation finished the year in second place? It was Brazil, with an annual inflation rate above 1,100%.

A Summary of What's Inside:

^ ^ ^
^

The church in Sao Luis is bom as four are baptized during the month of January. Ian is anxiously awaiting a new brother or sister around June 27.

The Rnleys were in the US on their first furiough July 26 through December 5.
The Rnley's car (in Brazil) was stolen during their furiough. A copier has been purchased for use in the team office in Sao Luis.

"J^ar this reason I endure alt things far the saf^ of those who are chosen^ that they also may oStain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternalglory'.'
((PauCs SecondLetter to ^Mnotfty, Cfiapter Z l^crse 10)

Christ for Sao Luis: A TEAM MINISTRY TO SAO LUlS, MARANHAO, BRAZIL
NEWSLETTER
Apri1993
Volume fK>. 6, Issue no. 2

(q bo ^

GREETINGS FROM

GARY. ROSIE &IAN FINLEY

FOR CONfRIBUTIONS AND STATESIDE CORRESPOIWENCE:

Christ for SSo Luis Calumet Street Christian Church 2240 East Calumet Street

Centralia, IL 62801

Church Office: (618) 533-4421 Forwarding Agents Floyd & Lela Johnson: (618) 532-4476
TOirCORRESPONDENCE ONLY:

(Please do not send any contributions to this address)

Gary & Rosie Finley

Caixa Postal 1088

65001-970 Sao Luis, Maranhao Brazil, South America

To Call Us From the U.S. Dial: 011-55-98-226-1391

HI The Center tor Biblical Studies m In March we began a new outreach effort which we are calling The Center for Biblical Studies.
You may have heard of the same approach being used elsewhere under the name "School of the Bible".

We decided to use the name Center for Biblical Studes because It sounds less formal in Portuguese
(School of the Bible In Portuguese conveys the idea of a seminary or Bible college).

The Center for Biblical Studies Is an idea tliat has worked well in other cities throughout Brazil
to bring the local church into contact with people who are interested in spiritual matters. Sometimes

the people you reach are non-Christians who are receptive to the gospel message, other times you are merely reaching members of other church groups who want to leam more about the Bble than they
are being taught In their church.

We eventually want to develop a prograni that several times a year will offer seminars on a
variety of Biblical topics, and will utilize guest lecturers from other cities in Brazil. However, at the

present time we do not have a meeting place that allows us the space to do so.

What we are able to do currently is to offer a correspondence course. Our initial offering is a
series entitled The Word of God'. It consists of the following three lessons- 1) "What does the Bible

say about Itself?". 2) "Some basic principles of Bible study" and 3) "A method for daily personal Bible
study".

aired 3 times a day on the local public radio station. Our language teacher Humberto has for the past
quality add In their studio and get It onto their pul)lic service announcement schedule. The add ran for three wed<s. and didn't cost us anything.

We began promoting the course on March 10 by means of a radio advertisement that was

two years been the host of a weekly program on the station. He was able to produce a professional

A week after the radio adds began a "news story" about the Center for Biblical Studies ap
peared in the state's two largest newspapers (once again thanks to our friend Humberto). That same

week Irecorded an Interview at the radio statbn that was aired during the mid-day newscast.

the city's central post office (around 600 letters). The people who have boxes are generally from the
segment of the population which we have selected as our target group for this first church.

Last week we sent a letter which promotes the course to each of the post office boxes at

ing an opportunity to enroll at the university and Piappened to be looking for a temporary job at just
the time we were considering our need to hire a temporary worker.

In connection with the Center for Biblical Studies we have hired an office helper to assist us part-time with answering the phone, and keeping up with the correspondence that is Involved. Kis name is Agusto. He is the son of one of the two couples who were baptized In January. He is await

To_date. about 35 people have enrolled in the correspondence course. We expect that
number to grow to around 70 over the next month. Please pray that as a result of this effort we will have several opportunities to present the gospel message, and that Christ's church will continue to
grow.

The most exciting word in new church wori< is "growth". We have experienced some numeri cal growth, but that is not the only kind to get excited about. Spiritual growth is often harder to see

and more gradual in coming, so much so that it often goes unnoticed. But. without spiritual growth,
numerical growth loses its meaning. It is exciting to see the evidence of spiritual growth in the lives of those with whom we woH<. The Word of Cod is truly powerful!
Have you ever had the experience of teaching a class or leading a devotion and when you are finished some of the people have dozed off or have that 'Tve heard it all before" kind of look in their eyes? 1thought so. I thank Cod that I have seldom seen that look since we have been here in Sao Luis. In Febnjary I was leading the first ladies meeting in the life of our newly founded congrega tion and was giving a devotion from the book of James. I could see that everyone was listening intent ly and occasionally someone would even interject a comment. When I had finished, the ladies sincerely thanked me for teaching them something new that would really help their lives and especially their

witness to their friends ai^ neighbors. Now, Ican see a difference in their lives too.
Please pray for these ladies. With the help of the Holy Spirit they have come a long way in a short amount of time. For the worfc in Sao Luis to remain strong, each convert must truly be a disciple
of our Lord Jesus Christ!

A Transportation News

We reported in our last newsletter that Gary was about to travel to another city to buy a car, which would have been a hassle because of the inherent problems of buying a car in anoth er state. Thankfully, on the last day that he was going to look in Sao Luis he found a car that was suitable for our needs! It's a 1990 Santana, a midsize family car made by Volkswagen

that is not available in the U.S. For us, one of the big selling points for the Santana is that it
has enough room for two child safety seats in the back! With the cost of licensing and taxes the final price of the car was around $8,500.00, which was exactly the amount that we had been given pennission to spend. As you know, in the U.S. we could have purchased a new car for this price, but here in Brazil, and especially in the Sao Luis market, we were told by many that we got a really good deal. The Lord was looking out for us, as usual.

We want to express our thankfulness to each person who contributed to our car fund. We are very happy and grateful to have transportation, especially now that the baby is closer to arriving. Mass transit is a wonderful idea and many people rely on it daily. But, the crowded conditions here make it an uncomfortable ride for pregnant women! 1 think I could still make it through the turnstile on the bus, (this becomes more hazardous the bigger your body gets), but it is a blessing not to have to try. Thank you One and all.

Ill I# III III ^]\[ains ^urCou;jh

Navis, will be leaving for their scheduled furlough on May 29, 1993. They will be
returning to Sao Luis on October 1,1993.

Our friends and colleagues in the work here in Sao Luis. John, Ruth and Caleb

Please remember them in your prayers as they travel. They will have an exhausting schedule, traveling to 23 of their supporting churches that are scattered
to present the work here with enthusiasm from the first church to the last. Also, please remember us as we strive to carry on and be effective without their presence.

throughout nine states. That means they will literally be living on the road without a home base. Pray for their safety, that they will stay healthy and that they will be able

While John and Ruth are in the U.S. they will be raising the funds needed for three equipment purchases that relate toiour work here. If you would like to help with one of these special projects please contact our fonwarding agents Floyd and Lela
Johnson at the address on the front of this newsletter.

an established church also, but in a new work you have fewer distractions that compete for your time and energy. V^e want to be the best evangelists that we can be. We want to always avail our selves to Cod for His purposes. Please seriously consider the following prayer requests, and remember them regularly throughout the next nx)nth. If you would, we ask that you pray for these needs at
least twice a week

The most urgent task in any new church work Is evangelism I believe that the same is true of

That we will be confident and bold in speakhg to others about Jesus

^
^
^

That Cod will lead us to those who He kmws are ready to hear the good news
That we will be faithful with each opportunity which Codgives us
That ourhome Bble study will continue to be an effective means of outreach That our correspondence course will reach those who Cod wantsit to reach

That we will be effective h presenting the lessons which present the gospel
^ That-we will be effective h teaching and equpping those who decide to followJesus

A TEAM MINISTRY TO SAO LUlS, MARANHAO, BRAZIL

Christ for Sao Luis:

NEWSLETTER

0(^'
Summer 1993

Volume no. 6, Issue no. 3

FOR CONTRIBUTIONS AND STATESIDE CORRESPONDENCE: Chn'st for Sao Lufs Calumet Street Christian Church 2240 East Calumet Street

, CentraliaJL 62801

Church Office: (618) 533^421 Forwarding Agents Floyd & Leia Johnson: (618) 532-4476
FOR CORRESPONDENCE ONLY:

{Pleasedo nor send any contributions to this address) Gary & Rosie Finley
Caixa Postal 1088

65001-970 Sao Luis, Maranhao Brazil, South America

To Call Us From the U.S. Dial: 011-55-98-226-1391

New Births

A birth is an exciting time, especially for the parents and immediate family of a new baby. There is a good chance they have been anxiously marking off the days on the calendar leading up to the expected due date. Most members of the family watch with mounting anticipation as the child's physical gro\\lh continues to wreak havoc with his mother's clothing size and increasingly complicate her ability to find a comfortable position in which to lie down.
July was an expectant month for us. We knew that Britton was due to arrive

near the beginning of July. All the indicators that Rosie's obstetrician charted each month, as well as our own observations, pointed in that direction. When the day finally arrived we were certainly expecting it, but still we were overjoyed.
As July approached we were also anticipating a birth or two of another sort. this case, we were not awaiting a physical birth, but a spiritual one. In

Early this year John (our co-worker) began studying our "Good News" lessons with a man and his wife. As the time for John and Ruth's furlough drew near the husband

was pretty sure that he wanted to become a follower of Jesus but his wife was still
undecided. They asked that I continue to study with them after John and Ruth left.

On the day of our first lesson the man's mother showed up to see exactly what it was that we were teaching to her son. She saw that everything we studied came directly from the Bible and decided that she too wanted to participate in our studies. We continued to study together each Sunday afternoon, throughout June and into July.

On Monday, July 12 I had the pleasure of baptizing Raimundo Nonato Lopes Sousa and his wife Maria Edileusa into Christ. On that day, Seu Nonato's mother was still not ready to make that final coimnitment, but she did want to continue studying and

praying for the Lord's guidance.

On Monday, August 23 she too was baptized into

Christ. Our new sister's name is Luzia Gregoria Lopes.

As we were home on our furlough last year we expressed to each of our supporting churches the anxiousness which we felt as we awaited the first visible results of our work in Sao Luis. We asked that you pray for some specific things to happen.
The Lord has certainly honored those requests and answered those prayers. So far in

1993 the Lord has brought about seven baptisms! We continue to praise him for his ability to convert the lost and transform the lives of the saved.

when my mom arrived in Sao Luis on July 3rd and saw me waving from the observation deck at the airport, she knew that the baby had arrived. We were sure that he would be born on the 4th of July because that is my brother's and my cousin's birthday, as well as America's. But the hours ticked away without his appearance. Finally, at 4:00 a.m. on july 6th. Britton Charles Finley was bom! He weighed 7 lbs. and was 19 3/4" long. The Lord blessed me with a an uneventful and rapid delivery. My mother stayed with us for three weeks to help out and visit with her grandsons. It was great to have her. especially with our colleagues. John and Ruth on furiough. Then on August 21st. Gary's mom arrived to meet her new grandson and reacquaint herself with the "old" one. Ian. We really enjoyed her visit too. She also was able to stay for three weeks with her visit ending on September 12th. While their grandmas were here Ian received lots of extra attention, and Britton became a real "lap baby".
Britton really does grow each day. He is a great eater, unlike his big brother, and seems to be very healthy. He does have a condition called "esophageal reflux", which makes him vomit and spit-up a lot; but his doctor says that the condition will get better as the muscle Involved matures. At age two months he weighs 11 lbs. and is a couple of inches longer. Ian gets along well with Britton most of the time. He is very protective of him when others are around, but he seems to be a little bit more jealous each day. Thank you for your prayers on behalf of my pregnancy and delivery, as well as for little Brittoa Our Cod has truly watched over us and blessed us!

Navis furlcuqh

On May 26 of this year our co-workers John, Ruth and Caleb Navis left on their first furlough since our arrival on the field in June of 1990. During their four month furlough John and Ruth are bringing a report of our work to nearly 30 of their supporting churches scattered across eight states.

We have been quite busy trying to keep up with the added responsibilities which we took charge of while they are away. We will be very glad to have them back for more reasons than one. They should arrive back in Sao Luis on Saturday, October 2. Please pray that the remainder of their
furlough goes well and that they enjoy a safe trip home.

^fwse Wfio 'Touch Our Lives

In September of 1988 Rosie and I made a survey trip to Sao Luis, Brazil in order to see first hand the

city in which we had determined to serve our lord. In order to get to Sao Luis by air we first had to pass through Beleni, Brazil. Actually, spending some time in Bei^i was part of our plan for that trip.
The four missionary families working in Belem had been instnjmental in persuading us to take up the challenge of establishing a new work in the city of Sao Lui's. Just after midnight, as our plane landed in Belem we knew that two families whom we had previously met in the U.S. wouW be greeting us at the airport.

We also knew that we would make the acquaintance of two other families who were faithfully serving
the Lord in that same city. It was with one of these families {strangers to us at the time) that we were scheduled to spend the next five hours until our plane (eft for Sao Luis at 6:00 the next morning.

Bill and Janet Moreland were wami and receptive hosts. We sort of expected that they would point our way to the bathroom and the kitchen and then disappear for the next three or four hours to try and salvage at least some of the sleep they were missing on account of us. But, that wasn't what happened.
After showing us the bathroonis and the kitchen (as we had expected) they set up several chairs on the patio in back of their home and spent the resl of the night answering the myriad of questions that we had
about life and work on the mission field in northern Brazil.

On our way back from Sao Luis a week later we stayed in Belem for five days before returning to the U.S. During that time we had several other opportunities to spend quality fnie with Bill and Janet. Although we arrived knowing only their names, we left with a great affectbn for these new found friends and soon to be
co-workers.

Since our permanent arrival on the field in June of 1990 we have had other opportunities to grow in our
appreciation for Bill and Janet Moreland.

Earlier this year Bill was diagnosed as having cancer. He underwent surgery in Belem to remove the

tumor which was discovered, but he failed to recover as the doctors thought he should following the procedure. After additional tests failed to give a clear explanatbn of why he was not regaining his strength he traveled to the U.S. in May for further evaluatioa He and his family soon learned that his cancer had spread and there was
no hope for an effective treatment. Bill went to be with our Lord just a few days later.

Those who today are serving the Lord in the churches which Bill and Janet helped to establish or
strengthen can attest to the value of the life which he lived. Our decision to serve here in Sao Lui's was

influenced by his example and his encouragement.

Janet has now returned to Bel^i to continue her work in the Jardm Marguari congregation which she
and Bill had served for the past several years. Their youngest son, Jonathan, is there with her.

Please pray for the Moreland family and for the Jardim Marguari congregatton as they mourn the bss of
or^e they bved so dearly.

A TEAM MINISTRY TO SAO LUiS, MARANHAO, BRAZIL

Christ for Sao Luis:

NEWSLETTER

December1993

Volume no. 6, Issue no. 4

GREETINGS FROM

GARY, ROSIE, IAN & BRITTON FINLEY

FOR CONTRIBUTIONS AND STATESIDE CORRESPONDENCE:

Christ for Sao Luis

Calumet Street Christian Church 2240 East Calumet Street

Centralia, IL 62801

Church Office: (618) 533-4421 Forwarding Agents Floyd & Lela Johnson: (618) 532-4476
ON-FIELD ADDRESS:

Gary& Rosie Finley

Caixa Postal 1088

65001-970 Sao Luis, Maranhao Brazil, South America

To Call Us From the U.S. Dial: 011-55-98-226-1391

j>
0 m

j >

Rosie's Random Notes

Ji J
and Savior so far this year.

Ji J

' During the month of August we celebrated another new birth. Elias Morais de Oliveira was baptizedinto Christ. He was the eighth personto make the commitmentto serve our Lord

- For overa month now we have had new individuals and families attending our Saturday night Bible study every week. Thirteen new people, not including children (as well as the recent return of some that we had not seen in a while) has been a great encouragement. We especially praise our Lord that many of the newcomers were invited by those who regularly
attend!

- We had a Christmas program on the evening of the 25th. There were 30 people that attended. Most of those who participated were people who have yet to make decisions for Christ. Many have studied the Gospel with us and we are just waiting for them to make the big decision. We hope and pray that this holiday season will be a good time of outreach for the
congregation.

- Ian and Britton are both doing well. This is the first year that Ian has really been excited about Christmas. The other evening we put up the tree and decorated the house. Ian helped! Before Daddy had the tree together, Ian had ah-eady opened the ornament box, spread the ornamentsall over the living room and broken one of them! Living in the tropics (not exactly evergreen country) means that only those who can afford to buy an artificial tree will have a Christmas tree (occasionally someone has a decorated palm tree). I am very glad that we broughtour's with us from the States since we could probably not afford to buy one here, they are quiteexpensive!
- Britton is ahnost six months old now. It looks like he will be crawling soon and then life around here will take on a new dimension! Ian will be startingpre-school in February. I know he willreallylikebeingaroundthe otherkids and it will be a big helpto his Portuguese. - Recently, we were invited to participate in a monthly meeting at one of the largest English language schools in Sao Luis. It is designed for those people who have studied English and would like to practice speaking. Well, obviously,we do not need to practice our English, but it is an excellentopportunity to make new friends and contacts. Whenever the language school has any function that is open to the public, we attend. Because of these meetings we have made friends with many students, teachers and people in the city. Some of these new friends have startedattendingthe Bible study and one is studyingindividuallywith Gary.
P.S. A big thank you to one of our supporting churches that always makes our Christmas a littlemore special!

Cliaiigmg Needs
Since we began our work in Sao Luis three years ago, ail of our weekly Bible studies and worship times have taken place in the homes of the missionary families. Up till now that has worked because our group has been small and our living rooms provided adequate space. The only drawback has been that we lack the visibility and ease of access that a regular meeting place gives to a local church.
Now, however, our needs are changing. Since the beginning of the year the Lord has blessed us with eight additions to our church family. As the church has grown we have begun to feel the confines of the Navis family's living room which presently serves as the meeting place for both our Saturday evening Bible study and our Sunday morning worship
hour.

For the past two years we have been investigating the rental and purchase prices for both empty lots and existing buildings which have come on the market in the section of town we have designated as our "target area" for this first church. So we have a good idea what the going price should be for any particular property.

Our preference would be to rent a suitable building for a year of two before buying or building a permanent meeting place for the church. However, the rental market in this area of town is very limited. For more than a year now we have been trying to find a suitable building to rent, but have been unable to find anything affordable. The few

properties that have become available have rented for a minimum of $500 to $600 per month. We have come to the conclusion that purchasing a property now may be better stewardship of the Lord's resources than renting.
There are three buildings currently on the market which would serve our needs well

for several years to come. These properties range in price from $40,000.00 to $75,000.00 including closing costs. At the present time we have about $18,000.00 in our building fund. By redesignating or borrowing monies from our general fund and the Navises general fund we could come up with another $10,000.00. This would leave us about $12,000.00 short of our least expensive option.
Borrowing from a local bank is not an option (loans are difficult for churches to obtain, and local interest rates approach 20% annually). We are providing this information because we know the final decision about whether to buy now or not depends on you our supporters. We are not asking that anyone send a special contribution at this time. We will
have a better idea how much additional funding will be needed by the middle of January. In the meantime, we ask that you prayerfully consider what your participation could be.

c4{lsslon' Oppovianliff (tt

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As a reader of this newsletter you are probably aware that Portuguese is the official language of Brazil. What you might not be aware of is the fact that many immigrants living in the United States also speak Portuguese as their first language. 1990 U.S. census figures reveal that Portuguese is spoken by 429,860 legal residents. As such, it is the 10th most commonly spoken foreign language in the U.S.
That figure does not include the estimated 500,000 to 1,000,000 Brazilians who are

illegally residing in the U.S. Including those numbers could make Portuguese the second most commonly spoken foreign language in the U.S. (Spanish is number one).
We challenge you to reach out to Portuguese speaking people who may be living in your community. But, don't stop with the Portuguese speakers. Every church in the U.S. should be actively seeking a ministry amongst the various iiTunigrant groups that reside in its community.
You say that you live in a small town or a rural area and there just aren't any immigrant peoples in your conununity? Then get in touch with the director of the campus ministry at the University closest to you. Even if your community is located an hour or two driving time away from the university, there are ways that your family and your church can be involved in helping to befriend and evangelize international students who are studying on the university campus.

In addition to changing the lives of a few individuals through the power of the gospel, you may in some unforeseen way be able to help advance the work that is going on in Brazil and throughout the world. When God is in control of the outcome, we never know what the end result of our seemingly small efforts may
someday be!

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