Dear friends and family,
We have been back at Victoria Ministries for a month now. No chapped lips on the flights back, thanks to all the Chapsticks that were given to me ! Looking back at our nearly four months in the USA visiting all those that have supported us and the ministry here we have much to be thankful for.
Since our arrival we have been busy setting up our daily routine of sending the boys to the Brazilian school, helping them with their homeschool, house choirs and camp ministry. A friend in the USA reminded us that we must look at life as a marathon to be run and not a 100-metre dash. As the Bible says,
“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,” Hebrews 12:1 NASB
So we are trying to set ourselves well for this marathon and to not get overrun by all the challenges ahead of us. One day at a time, each thing at the right time and everything remembering that God is in control. God has blessed us though and life is very much back to normal with cheesebread on a regular basis, choirs for the boys and Sunday School for the staff kids!
Camp Victoria has been blessed this first semester with many weekend church retreats, something that we really wanted to happen yet in previous years had not occurred. Usually our second semester is busy and the first semester is slower. This is great since it gives us a chance to serve more churches and offer our training programs, summer/winter week camps and also advertise Pioneers Mission Brazil. We are also getting request from some churches to give the Bible studies in these retreats, this is also something new that is a privilege.
Last weekend we had a board meeting and the service where I became the Executive Director for Victoria Ministries. It was great to see many volunteer staff that have made Victoria Ministries possible over all these years. It was good to be able to share a little about our past service with Victoria Ministries (1997-2008) and the road that lead us back here as we learned that God is not interested in all the impressive stuff we can do for Him but in our obedience to what He has for us.
The construction of Campsite #2 is to begin in July as we start it off with our ten day discipleship program for young people. We have received funds to set up the first building which will be named Pioneer building and will serve as bathrooms/showers, office, tool-room and veranda dining hall. Our idea with this building is to make it possible for us to have groups using that facility as they come to serve in volunteer camps (construction) sleeping in tents or even in more rustic church retreats.
You are invited to come down and help us here at Victoria Ministries!!!
Please pray for
⦁ further planning of campsite #2,
⦁ for the church retreats we will be hosting,
⦁ for our staff (health, strength and wisdom),
⦁ for the financial needs of campsite #2.
God bless you!
Your Friends, Marcos, Telma and the boys!
