Railson & Heidi Gil
New Fishing Ground
In mid-September we loaded our household possessions and ourselves in a large boat and set off for our new "fishing ground," Almeirim, about 5 hours downstream. The view from our new city is amazing: rainforest to the north, and to the south, a great expanse of murky water they call the Amazon River, although from here it more closely resembles a sea! Amusingly, what most Americans think of as small aquarium fish, fishermen pull out of this river the size of dinner plates (and, naturally, eat). So, as long as we’re where the fishing’s good, we’re setting up for a great catch—fishing for men, that is. Almeirim is now the site of the most northerly Vineyard in Brazil and the first one on the Amazon River.
We have moved our meeting place from a rented house to the abandoned building of a local soccer club. There’s plenty of room for the congregation to grow and the rent is much less than it was in the house. Another advantage is that it is a well-known spot in town, so no one has an excuse for not finding their way to the new church! We are looking at the possibility of developing the back yard of the building into a community garden to help raise funds for church expenses.
How It All Works
Here is a simple model of how we’re set up in the ministry.
Prayer Closet…
Please intercede for us during this time of transition. We are planting a church, building a house and raising toddlers all at the same time. (You get the picture—it’s a bit stressful!) The enemy has launched several attacks of discouragement, but we are standing strong. Pray for resources for the construction, a vehicle for our family and protection over our health. Also, pray for the development of a worship team and resources for the construction of a Sunday school patio for the [many!] kids. We are pulling out all the stops to plant the Kingdom of God!
If you know of someone who would be interested in receiving our newsletter, becoming a member of our support team, or making a visit please get in contact with us at the address below.
Merry Christmas and blessed 2005!!
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Letters & Packages: Railson & Heidi Gil, R. Ver. José Santana
da Fonseca 1620, Palhal, Almeirim, PA 68.230-000 Brazil
Financial Support: The Xingu Mission, PO Box 340785, Columbus, OH 43234-0785
(checks made payable to the Xingu Mission with a note for Gil-Brazil)
Phone: 55-93-3737-1888
Email: railson.gil@canal13.com.br