February 2011 News

GOIANIA TEAM SELECTION
Five couples and one single set their sites on the city of Goiania




We are again working with Continent of Great Cities to form a Brazilian mission team to reach out to the city of Goiania in the state of Goias. This is the same state where the Federal District (Brasília) is located.
During two weeks in February we hosted the couples who are candidates for the Goiania team in our home for a day or two each in order for us to conduct clinical interviews with each of them. We had already administered a battery of psychological tests to them and Gail had scored and written reports on the results. The next step will be a seminar in April that we call Quest. During the Quest all the candidates will be together for the first time. They will each be evaluated further by a group of 13 observers (including ourselves) who will interview them about their readiness based on 14 characteristics of successful church planters. This will be the final step in the screening process and the members of the team will be selected after this seminar.
We ask for your prayers that God will select those He knows will best accomplish His goals in the city of Goiania.



Pictured:
Bryan and Becky Gibbs
João and Ina DeMarco
Gail
Marcus and Aretha Estanislau
Adão and Liliane da Silva
Luciano and Juliana dos Santos

24 HOUR MARRIAGE RETREAT

Our mentoring group is beginning this year with several “sabbatical” retreats on marriage. We began with one retreat including 5 of the 16 couples in the mentoring program. Next month these couples will conduct the same retreat in 3 groups with the rest of the mentoring couples. After all of the retreats, each of these 16 couples will be able to conduct this simple but profound retreat in their own congregations.
The retreat is a 24 hour exercise in expanding the vision for our marriages. We spend time in group discussion, couple time, and prayer considering 3 areas: looking back at what God has done, looking up to search for His guidance and looking forward to the future.
This same formula can then be used often by the couple as a way to focus and renew the marriage.


Sharing meals together during the weekend.











Family News
We were able to take a break during Carnaval for renewal and planning for the future of our ministry while taking care of a friend´s home in Florianopolis.
Angela will be finishing her masters in December and needs prayers for making it through this semester and time to study for her final exams next semester.
Kris is still in Uganda teaching and having adventures. He has rappelled off a 100 meter waterfall, rafted the head waters of the Nile and is now on a trip during spring break to the beach in Kenya. He will be in the US this summer and then return for another year in Uganda.