September-October Prayer Letter

[Click here for PDF of this Prayer Letter]

Dear Prayer Partners,

Prayer Letter for September-October 2014

Thank you for praying for our adjustment to the new city we are ministering in. Over the years we have noticed that the best way to reach and grow people in Portugal is through the development of relationships. Sometimes this takes a long time. Just meeting new people when you have just arrived in a town can prove very challenging. Where to start? Well, we believe that your prayers have been making a huge difference. Let me give you some examples:

1. We had the first concert with the community choir that we have joined. After the concert there was a dinner. I was not expecting anything (I know, my faith is small). I was seated at a table with another 7 people. As soon as I sat down someone wanted to know what a Baptist church was. That led to a conversation about how I knew I was going to heaven, because of my faith in Christ’s finished work.
2. Just walking around town I met a guy that went to school with me in the Azores (1000 miles away, across the Atlantic). It just happens that he has lived here for the last 10 years and works for the local university. I just happened to cross paths with him immediately after I moved to this city with 60 000 other people. We are supposed to go have coffee some time soon. Please pray for this meeting.
3. We have become friends with three or four other young couples (all unsaved) and we plan to start having them over for meals, etc. I met one of these one day as the lady was talking to some other guy. She called me and told the man, referring to me, “Mark is the best person you can talk to about your problems, he is very experienced in helping people.” Then, turning to me she said, “Mark, do you have one of your cards?” The man is a volunteer fire-fighter and is having a hard time dealing with some of the crises he has witnessed recently. Please pray for him.

There are so many other things going on. We will try to keep you posted. Your prayers are precious. Thank you for your support and for sending us to Portugal.

Please pray (some funds still needed for this, contact for more info):

1. Newsletter going out to the community
2. New church nursery

In His Service,

Mark and Aura Pereira