We are still amazed at how rapidly the Lord moved in our involvement with Amaster, opening doors for important changes, and surrounding us with favor in the Jarí Valley.

Let’s continue to call down heaven.

1. Protection for our family, spiritually, emotionally and physically. The enemy definitely wants to create barriers to our preparation for the next phase of ministry.
2. The Establishment of the Fundação Jubileu. The Brazilian foundation will be a vehicle through which we can establish the radio station, monitor its broadcasting, and receive future donations for social work in Brazil. We would like for it to be in operation by January 2008. Its statutes have already been drawn up and we are currently selecting and registering its members.
3. Technical Preparation for the Radio. We are working together with communications engineers in developing the project budget and working out logistics. We are also actively seeking sponsorship, opening up a second business, and looking into technical classes for Railson and another worker in São Paulo.
4. Financial Coverage. The preparatory steps for Fundação Jubileu, educational radio, the broadcasting course, and the purchase of property and equipment take more than just good planning. They take dollars. We need to open new routes of funding, and urgently.
5. The potential development of a US Non-Profit in our name to facilitate donations from US sponsors. We are looking into the wisdom of such an administrative change, and welcome your comments.

During two years of hard work the business enlarged our circle of influence reaching many more people, in more communities and higher social levels, all in an amazingly swift amount of time. As we look back, we see that the process corresponds beautifully with St. Francis of Assisi’s observation of long ago: "Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible." In our case, the necessary was improving our own access to communications, getting rooted into the community, and generating funds. The possible was investing what capital and experience, however little, we had as missionaries. The impossible, then, actually describes how we are living today: as recently established in an economically significant community, with a solid reach of influence on every social front. What better position for Christian workers?

CTL: The First Semester

The city known as Laranjal do Jarí, a short distance across the Jarí River from Monte Dourado, tragically has developed an international reputation for its social problems. Currently, it is one of the most predominant centers of sexual exploitation, including sexual tourism, and trade of minors in Latin America (the latter of which is facilitated by its proximity to French Guiana and the Caribbean). Contributing to the problem, an extremely skewed distribution of wealth plagues the city. This immediately leads to a high level of misery, lack of educational facilities, and inadequate justice system. Healthcare is precarious; the population of 40,000 is forced to cope with a single 43-bed hospital. Ten thousand residents have no declarable monthly salary; the average household income hovers around $230 per month. Illiteracy remains at a disappointing 20 percent. The situation truly begs help, spiritually and socially.

Perhaps most tragic of all, however, is that the majority of the population lives indifferent to its own plight. Many are unaware of how poorly Laranjal compares to other demographically similar Brazilian towns, while others simply have grown accustomed to their powerless position. In any case, improvements are slow to be made.

It is easy to make a case for why the Laranjal’s plight is, at least in part, a result of information deprivation. North Americans who live with daily access to information—be it through TV, radio, Internet, or other means—may find it difficult to imagine the social and economic deficit created by a lack of such education and expression. In Laranjal do Jari, however, we have experienced first-hand the tragic consequences of information deprivation within an otherwise "emerging" nation.

We would like to make a difference. We firmly believe that expanding the Kingdom involves preaching as much with social acts as with words (James 2:18), the source of positive change being first and foremost the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 1:7). Given our current position in the community and experience with communications, we believe we can reach this objective best through educational radio. That is why we have taken steps toward developing the Fundação Jubileu, a Brazilian foundation through which we will be able to establish a future federal educational radio station, with the potential of reaching 80,000 listeners. We will keep you updated as to our progress.