July-August
2006
Railson & Heidi Gil
Church Planting in Brazil
The Xingu Mission • Vineyard Brazil
Want to Know More?
Web Log (NEW):
http://gilfamilybrazil.
spaces.msn.com
Prayer Corner...
1. One-on-one discipleship, especially for Elivelton, the young man who is leading worship.
2. Marriage Ministries International course for family heads: Sunday morning series underway with Railson.
3. Discipleship based on The Purpose Driven Life for women: Saturday afternoon series with Heidi.
4. Children’s Ministry (teen girls are taking on the new challenge of teaching the little ones).
5. Home fellowships, for encouragement of lay leaders and growth
A Little Goes a Long Way
God has been gracious to us during what has been a
stressful time. Railson continues with the hectic trips to and from Monte
Dourado almost every weekend, but somehow always manages to keep things in
order at church here in Almeirim. He just began teaching a Marriage
Ministries International series on Sunday mornings. Heidi continues to await
the release of her foreigner’s card so she can go back to work. (Being a
full-time mom is extremely rewarding, but, frankly, doesn’t get the bills
paid here!)
We just received the shocking news that one of Heidi’s disciples from last year was brutally murdered in Porto de Moz. The Lord’s mercy saw to it that the young mother had responded to the Gospel and was delivered of many bondages before her death. She leaves behind two little girls, 5 and 2 years old. Please pray for her yet-unsaved family.
Eight years in missions has taught us how to put often meager resources to our best advantage. Name it, and we can make it stretch! Bibles, meals, booklets, printer ink, sleeping quarters, time, and even stamina have been known to last longer than normal around here. Challenges always help us learn to be creative, and in missions, that means learning how to make a little go a long way.
We are happy to report that the donations we receive monthly, although not large in sum, go a long way toward helping out. Recently, however, we have suffered serious setbacks (including the loss of several supporters, the declining value of the dollar, and delays in the immigration department) that we need to recover from.
We feel that it is important to communicate to you that
since 2004, our income has dropped to about 25% of budget.
If you believe in us and what we are doing in the Kingdom, please consider helping out this month. We are asking you to help us get back up to 100% of budget so that we can spend more time with ministry and less with worrying about how to make ends meet. By means of clarification, we reiterate that we do not receive a salary or other allowance through the Xingu Mission or Vineyard Brazil. All our financial support is raised by us, through our tentmaking work, and through our supporters like you.
As we pray about it, we are resolved to believe for pledges that total at least $600 per month. Here’s an idea: would your Bible study or prayer circle be willing to "adopt" us for a few months or a year? Or, if each reader who is not yet a financial supporter were to give $10 per month we would be able to once again meet our budget. Prayerfully consider ministering with us!
It is helpful for us to know your giving intentions, for example, the amount and number of months you think you will continue to give. You can write us at the e-mail address at the end of this letter. Monetary donations of any value may be sent by check to the customary address:
The Xingu Mission, PO Box 340785
Columbus, OH 43234 USA
Designate your donation to "the Gils" if you intend to support our family and the work in Almeirim. Undesignated funds go to the mission’s general fund.
Thank you in advance for helping us get through this challenging time.
Blessings, Railson & Heidi
Your care packages mean the world to us!
Send to: The Gils, CP 10, Almeirim, PA, Brazil 68.230-000
PLEASE NOTE: to avoid customs hassles, do not declare more than $50 on the customs form for any one box or package. It is better to divide shipments. Rest assured that whatever you send, we can put to good use! Here are some ideas...
 | Common OTC medications for home medicine kit |
| First aid tape, bandaids, roll gauze |
| Children’s chewable vitamins |
| Adult multivitamins |
| Sheets for twin and double beds |
| Curtains (may be used if in good shape) any size |
| Summer clothing, especially for kids (used is fine) |
| Shoes and sandals for kids |
| Towels and wash cloths |
| "Back to school" supplies (anything!) |
| Children’s story books (English) |
| Preschool and 1st grade activity books (English) |
| Posters |
| Stickers for children |
| Family VHSs and DVDs |
| Teaching tapes and MP3s |
| Frontline flea & tick medication for large dogs (this makes a huge difference!!) |
| Any "left-overs" from your Sunday School department (but not the kids themselves, nor their snacks!) |
| Electric pencil sharpener |
| Coloring books |
| Vegetable peeler, rubber spatula, can opener, etc. |
| Perfume/cologne "testers" and samples |
| Efferdent Plus denture cleanser tabs |
| Decorated note cards, stationery items |
| Men’s leather work boots |
We realize that it is expensive to ship items to Brazil. To reduce costs, consider sending your parcel down with a team that is scheduled to visit the Mission (ask us for details), or send via surface mail. Packages generally take no more than three months to reach us.
We urgently need a desktop printer and two laptop
computers. Used is fine.
Ask us for details and for shipping information.