Rafael has been an evangelist since the first day of his Christian life, and has already been a church planter in a poor neighbourhood in Brazil. Now he, his wife Lidiane, and their two children Rafaella and Bernardo, live in the pretty town of Portimâo, In the Western Algarve area of Portugal. Rafael is the pastor of a church plant, from a mother church in Faro, Portugal, pastored by Joel Lopes, an EMF missionary. Last year, as part of EMF's Expanded Vision 'Lighting up the Darkness', Rafael and his wife Lidiane became EMF workers. The Lord is blessing the work there, as we reported recently, and as Rafael goes on to tell us here ...
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Rafael writes (June 2023)
'Finally our work here has begun to bear fruit beyond the local church! Since the day we came here, I have had in my mind and in my heart that we can do a great job at a national level, for future generations, make a considerable impact with the Gospel in this country that is so needy, so that there is in Europe a place that is God's Model of Health and Life.
I always keep in mind that Portugal is three times smaller than Rio Grande do Sul, so my dream is to plant some good model churches, as well as help in the revitalization and planting of other communities, by other pastors, and in that sense I have great news! This week we will have a 9-year-old Community Revitalization Conference in Bareiro, Lisbon. The pastor came to me for help; he's been doing a great job, the last 6 months in a big paradigm shift. He started to teach the Bible in an expository way, and work with the men of the church. I sat down with him to show him how to better outline sermons, and how to focus on the mission.
I gave him some books, recommended others; he set up a private library, and now he has almost a hundred books ... in short, a very glorious process of revitalization! This church is in a very poor area, and the pastor is the son of a gypsy. He is a brave man of God; he has lived in crime for years and has a huge influence both in the gypsy community and outside. It may seem like little to some, but remember that our Church started with one family, and in the last service we had almost 70 people in the church!
I believe we can start a movement around Pastors and Churches, to which I can contribute with my bread and fish for Jesus to multiply!
Pray for me please: I am totally voiceless, and I have to preach five times this week. We will preach the entire book of Ruth; we will talk about Theology of the Cross, Masculinity and Femininity, Family, Gospel, Mission, and the Sovereignty of God; there will be plenty of time for questions. It will indeed be something very important for this Community to be revitalized.
Well, brothers and sisters, that's it; see how much the Lord has done in answer to your prayers and thanks to your contributions.
I never gave up because I always saw your lives as a Sign of God, a Sign of Encouragement, that the Lord is the one most interested in this Mission! Also contemplate what God can do in the future with a long-term work. If we do not faint, soon we will reap!! Thank you for everything! God bless you!'
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