It is a great feeling to be able to write to you from Brazil. Through the prayers and giving of so many of you, the goal of getting here and getting setup has been accomplished. We thank you more than anything for your prayers over the last two months. Transitions can be trying times; but, thankfully, ours has been a smooth one. God is very good to us.
We have been in Sao Paulo for almost two months now; time is flying by! We have been progressing through language studies—I think Cynthia is “winning”—and getting involved in several church ministries. Each Tuesday evening we go to a nearby orphanage for a couple of hours to just love on the children and share a lesson from the Bible with them. These are some wonderful kids (and teens) whom we have come to care for in a very short time. I also work/drive in the Bus Ministry every week, and we have now begun street Bible Clubs each Saturday afternoon in one of the favelas (ghettos). It would break your heart to take a quick walk through one of these. After our first time in there, Cynthia and I both came out of there feeling very ashamed for how ungrateful we can be at times. Mia tried to come out of there with a kitten and puppy—it didn’t happen. Each of these areas of ministry gives us opportunities to share the Gospel with people. Please pray that we could be more effective in evangelizing. I feel like my weakness with the language is partly to blame. Just pray with us that God will aid us and that the Spirit will do what we are incapable of doing.
In closing, below is a list of some requests you can pray with us about as we seek to grow and move forward in our ministering down here:
1. Evangelism during the World Cup
2. Finish language studies
3. Orphanage and Favela Ministry
4. New converts (saved and baptized)
5. God’s leading as we begin to knock doors in other areas, searching for where He would have us start our church
6. Our vehicle search
7. Spiritual hunger in Brazil
God bless you. We love you all.
Declaring His glory,
Wesley Palla
Psalm 96:3