It’s hard to believe that today we are wrapping up the year 2011! As I look back on this past year, all I can say is God is SO good! He truly has done great things.
Here are some of the highlights:
January – completed a course by Youth With a Mission on inner healing and deliverance, which is such great training to have when working with people in the clinics and in discipleship
Pastor ordination
February – traveled to our base in the neighboring state of Amazonas and ministered with a Brazilian team in various communities. One very special part was ordaining the leader of one village as the pastor of the church.
March – started discipleship with my first Brazilian disciples
April – coordinated a health trip for the first time
Construction trip with ORU team
May – went on a church construction trip with an American team and helped with language translation
June – visited Peoria for my brother David’s wedding and had a wonderful time with my family
Village people receiving illustrated Bibles
July – went on a 10 day river trip with an American team and helped translate, evangelized, shared my testimony, made house visits, and prayed for the sick and saw many healed!
Peoria team construction trip
August – team of great friends from Peoria came and helped build a church in a river community. It was a combined construction and health trip and we made many key contacts in the community through this trip.
September – by the grace of God, supervised our health team for 1 1/2 months while our leader did mission work in Japan
Re-installing a water filter
October – went on a river trip with 2 Brazilian pastors and did water filter supervision and maintenance, including installing a filter for the first time. We spent time with a couple who had recently given their lives to the Lord, encouraging them, teaching them the Word and praying for them.
- attended our MDA conference, where hundreds of Brazilian pastors came from all over Brazil to learn and grow in the discipleship and small group model of Igreja da Paz (church of peace).
Packing for a health trip in our existing room
November – started Project Farmácia (pharmacy), the renovation of our health room! The Lord abundantly provided the funds to do a complete make-over! Instead of the small 4 x 3.5 meter room that we have been using, we will have 2 rooms, one to store supplies and meds and the other as an office.
Health team sorting and organizing supplies
We will have new cabinets that close to protect our medications better. We will also have two large sinks with plenty of counter space to clean and disinfect our instruments. An office with two desks and computers will allow us to work on reports and projects without bumping into each other! And we will have an area with a conference table to have meetings. It will be such a blessing! I will continue to send updates as the project progresses.
Baptism in the Arapiuns River
December – went with our missions pastor and an American team on a 10 day river trip on the Arapiuns River. Had the privilege to baptize two believers for the first time. It was an incredible experience!
I went on a total of 19 trips this year to river villages and also villages in the interior of the jungle. I give God all the honor, glory and praise! He has done amazing things! Being in the center of God’s will is definitely the BEST place to be! I just can’t imagine any other life.
“Therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work among this people, a marvelous work and a wonder…” Isaiah 29:14
Awesome – love the month by month highlight. We’re so proud of you, Katie!