Rain brings blessings

People sometimes ask: what are your challenges? At the moment, it’s the climate.
We are here in a rainforest surrounded by beautiful mountains with diverse vegetation. It’s like looking at mountains covered in broccoli. Green everywhere. But what we have learned over the years is that where it is very green, there is also a lot of rain and a lot of mosquitoes. In this area near Paraty, there is five times more rainfall per year than in the Netherlands. And on top of that we are currently in the hot rainy season.
This means 98% humidity and that absolutely everything feels damp, your bedding, your clothes, and your money. And the laundry doesn’t dry. Unfortunately, there is no air conditioning in Uiliam and Aryane’s house yet.

Another challenge is drinking water. It comes from the mountains here, but somehow the supply sometimes stops during heavy rainfall. Then you’re without water for a day. Quite challenging when it comes to toilet visits and stepping extra sticky into bed.

The only main road to the city runs 18 kilometers through a green tunnel of overhanging trees. These giants sometimes tend to lose their large branches during heavy rainfall or simply fall over. Then we have the combination of power lines that also hang along the road, and you have a nice sum. So the road is regularly blocked for hours and there are long power cuts almost every day. Sometimes this is the reason we can’t go to church in the city.
Last week, for example, we wanted to book our next flight ticket online for after this visit to Brazil, but every time we were almost done, we were interrupted by a power or internet failure. Very frustrating. But God works all things together for good for those who love Him. When we finally went to book the same ticket the next day, the price was suddenly 200 euros lower. Hallelujah!

The part-time training school has now started with 16 students. The lessons we teach include how to walk in the footsteps of Jesus.
Of course, we first teach the basics: the importance of being born again, being born spiritually as a child of God. Because many people call themselves Christians, they may go to church, but they are not yet born spiritually. But Jesus never used the word Christian, He calls everyone to be His follower.
The students learn how to lead someone into this new birth and how to walk more like Jesus, our great example. How, like the first disciples, they can share the good news and, among other things, heal the sick in His Name.

Last week, one of the students, Valeria, shared a testimony. Last year, after Amanda shared about her healing of a tumor, Valeria came forward for prayer. She was in a lot of pain and had a tumor in her back that needed surgery. After prayer, the pain was gone, and now she told us that surgery had not been necessary after all. Thank You, Lord!
Praise God that He has given His name to all His followers to use and to free people from sickness and oppression.
God is so good!