September-October
2006

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Prayer Corner...

Almeirim, Birdseye View

Above is a scene that you will see if you are flying into Almeirim from the east (as Railson was on the occasion he took this photo). The landmass on the upper left side is one of many islands in the Amazon River. The branch of the river which leads to the right at the top of the photo is the mouth of the Parú River. The Parú, from its origin in the extreme north at the boarder of Suriname, to its outlet here, marks the incredible length of the municipal district of Almeirim, the population center of which is featured in this photo. The location of our house and church are marked by the tiny yellow star. Although it seems hard to believe, there are actually about 20,000 inhabitants within the area shown above; houses and buildings are easily camouflaged by the dense brush. Combining the populations of the villages along the Parú and the district of Monte Dourado, the total population of Almeirim is about 37,000. In the future we see Vineyard Brazil and XM as a strategic force in reaching the many villages along the Parú. Access to these areas via waterways practically invites evangelism.

Igreja da Vinha de Almeirim (a.k.a. our church) has been paying rent on its facilities for the past three years. Now, we are praying for the opportunity to purchase a lot which is currently available, and are taking strides in the direction of planning a future move. Since we have builders among our members and building materials are easy to find, we are eager to obtain the financial leverage necessary to build our own building. The church has about US$800 saved as the first seed to be sown in a US$3300 project, the end of which would see us with our own property and a structure suitable for holding meetings. Over time the church would improve the structure, adding an area for children, kitchen, bathrooms, etc. Donations to this end should be marked for "Gils - Property Project." If we reach US$2000 by December, we could be meeting in our own facilities as early as January 2007.