We drove around the river downstream, over the Tocatins dam, and back again the same day. It took 15 hours, including some side excursions. This reservoir covers 2800 square kms, and is one of the largest dams in the world. It includes a “lift” which allows barges full of iron ore to pass over. It is still not open to public line boats or ocean going sea vessels. There is a 43 km rocky stretch between the dam and Marabá that needs to be cleaned up first. The last president guaranteed the money for the project, but the new President, Dilma, says no. Speculation on the internet says that they would like the big mining company in this region to do it.

Monica had a surprise birthday party!

1. First everyone quietly crept up to the house.
2. Then everyone burst through the doors singing Happy Birthday.
3. Then they called Monica outside so they could break raw eggs on her head.
4. Then we ate the chocolate birthday cake.

We are looking for help!

We are on our way to planting 1,000 churches and helping to start a national church-planting movement. We now have over 50 churches and church start-ups, and a maturing team of national leaders. We would like to spread out into more cities and more regions. The right Brazilians and the right missionaries, both groups have “learner” attitudes and a commitment to go the distance make powerful start-up teams. We are experiencing this here in Brazil.

PRAY

Connect with a missionary and pray for them and their family. Ask them how you can pray more.

GIVE

We are looking for faithful monthly support team donors, and for large gift donors. We money to live from day to day, we also need money to purchase large ticket items necessary to plant city churches and training centers from where we can reach surrounding villages and communities. In the business world a new company invests significant capital before getting a return on investment in a new region. In addition to monthly support we are praying for multiple financial gifts ranging from $5,000 – $100,000.00 so we can effectively establish works in the interior and in new regions. Please let me know if you would like to see our budget or if you can think of any way you can help.

COME

“The harvest fields are ripe. The workers are few.” Jesus.

It’s still true.

If you would like to apply email me at rick.bergen@xingu.org .

END.

I always felt my role at our first big church plant in Altamira was to help Clenildo be as effective a leader and preacher as possible. The church started with a few small groups led by Clenildo, Elba, and Clenildo’s brother-in-law. Then it moved to our car garage where we managed to squish in up to 80 people on a Sunday morning. Then we rented a bar/club for almost a year before finally buying our Central Church property. I do not think I ever preached in Central Church on a Sunday night (the main weekly service.) In our next major church planting project I felt the Lord ask me to take a more visible role. I preached at the Mirante Church a fair amount of Sundays during the first couple of years. Last Sunday Clenildo had to leave town for a week, and he asked me to preach in his place. What a blessing! What a zealous congregation of young leaders! I was so overwhelmed by how far God has brought this group.

Clenildo is the founding pastor of the Altamira Central Church. This church started in Clenildo’s home as a cell groups. Elba was in Grade 12 high school at the time and she joined the Altamira team, moving there with our family. Elba was part of these first house groups. Clenildo and Elba are both pastors of large churches in Altamira now, and also Regional Coordinators for Northern Brasil at a national level.

Years ago we were relatively new missionaries and local pastors. The way I remember it, us missionaries felt swamped with caring for many young churches we were responsible for. I don’t think we had planted a new church out of the Altamira congregation for about two years. Then Clenildo got an idea from the Lord, “We are going to plant 10 new churches this year.” So that is what he started to do. He talked about it for awhile. Then he got on his motorbike and headed out in the Assuriní region. Slowly people joined him, including us missionaries. If I remember right he had 10 little church plants started by the end of the year, and he jump started our church planting efforts. The Altamira team now has well over 40 churches and church plants now.

Fast forward to last week. Clenildo told me he feels God is asking him to plant 7 city churches in 7 northern states here in Brazil. These city churches will become training and sending centers for their regions. He doesn’t have a clue how to do this, but the Lord told him to just start talking about it so that is what he is doing. Could this be a little of what Jesus meant when He said (loosely paraphrased), “Well done good and faithful servant. You have been faithful with a little, now I will give you cities.”? Clenildo, Angelita and two small children had no much more than a wooden canoe, a black bicycle and faith in a big God when they moved to Altamira. I look forward to watching God’s blessings continue to unfold in their lives, and to being a part of this dream of reaching Northern Brazil. Please pray with us…and if you can think of a way you would like to help, please let me know.

END.

Angelita turned 40 last week! What a party! Many friends of many years came to celebrate.

These photos were taken by other people on our boat trip.