e-mail : duncanhome@aol.com . janonwater@aol.com

address: 21 Green Lane, Farnham, GU9 8PY

tel: 01252 713790 (home) 07989 211 445 (mobile)

website : www.bridgeforthenations.org.uk

 

 

 

14^th December                                                                                                            Emmanuel, God with us!  

Hi everyone 

On our last full day in Brazil we visited the home of some American missionaries- directors of an evangelical seminary. It was quite a culture shock –but a pleasant one! – to see their lovely tree and Christmas decorations. After nearly 6 weeks of living outside the “usual” English Advent events and with the heat and bright sunshine we have felt more as though we were experiencing a long awaited summer.

 

HOWEVER, this comes to say “A Very Happy Christmas to you all.”

We are now on our way back to the UK and I am writing from the city airport in Sao Paulo. It is raining and the outside temperature of 21 degrees seemed remarkably cold as we disembarked onto a terminal bus: probably a good intermediate step to prepare us for England tomorrow.

Since November 10^th we have had the pleasure of another 37 Brazilians taking part in the Kairos course journey with us. We have started the ongoing process of training 8 new facilitators and have also given three presentations of the course. This has resulted in plans for 4 more courses in the Spring of 2009.

We are particularly excited by the open door into YWAM. Junio and Lorena have already spent some time as missionaries in South Africa and thoroughly enjoyed the course and the subsequent training as facilitators. They are a valuable addition to our team and we are looking forward to running the course with YWAM base workers in March and then for the DTS students in April. We are praying this will be a door into other YWAM bases; this would certainly give Kairos a new profile in Brazil.  Junio told us how they had received a prophetic word that God had a surprise tool to give him back in Brazil and it was time to return to collect it: he excitedly embraced Kairos as God’s surprise for him. As mission mobilizers they plan to return to RSA in late 2009 we look forward to introducing them to the Kairos team there.

 

Luciana spent some time London but found it very hard to enter the culture and find her place and had been back in Goiania for just 2 weeks. Now, after Kairos, she plans to return to the UK with a new understanding and vision for mission to work cross culturally with Muslims and other unreached peoples. Delma is now planning to start a prayer group for unreached peoples with her Sunday class of children and asked for help with relevant information. Her husband Richardo said how his world vision had been enlarged and he felt that they had put limits on the members of their cell group by only talking about evangelism and suggesting that mission was a select ministry for the few. Marcel has been supporting missionaries financially but now plans to get up 10 minutes earlier every day to pray for his an unreached people group. Joao has received a refreshing of his intercessor role and has adopted India as a prayer focus as well as the continent of Africa.  Paulo has been living with a frustrated missionary call for 21 years but his wife doesn’t want to leave Brazil. He has wondered at age 45, whether it was time to give up his dreams BUT after Kairos he is feeling energised in a new role to mobilize the Brazilian church to mission and has joined our team of facilitators. As a pastor this is a significant step. Alessandro started the course with a very serious expression on his face and finished glowing with a renewed passion for the gospel. These are just a few of the stories of changed lives through Kairos-( real names changed).  We look forward to helping people on their post Kairos paths to fulfil God’s call on their lives.

 

It was great to come back to our own home: to meet up with family and friends and begin experiencing an English Christmas - opening all our accumulated post including many Christmas cards – thank you all so much for your Greetings and news.

One letter didn’t bring such good news: Duncan has now been diagnosed with some LAD Heart disease and needs an invasive coronary angiogram at Frimley hospital on January 8^th. We are pleased that he will receive treatment as soon as possible and that we have reached this stage without too much difficulty- including fulfilling all our plans in Thailand and Brazil since the problem presented itself in September. Please pray for him.

 

Meanwhile we are looking forward to collecting Becky from Heathrow tomorrow after her 6 months with Christian Aid in Kenya. We will begin celebrating Christmas with all our children this weekend as our daughter in law, Heather will be on duty in A& E over the main holiday.

 

Trusting that all goes well for Duncan’s recovery in January we plan to return to Brazil in early March to fulfil our commitments. We hope to see and catch up with many of you over the next few weeks.

Thanks for all the prayers and support of the year. It has been quite a journey. We look forward to 2009, trusting that,