Finley Gary Rosemarie 1991 Brazil

7/27/2019 Finley Gary Rosemarie 1991 Brazil

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Chr i s t fo r Sao Luis :NEWSLETTER

A TEAM MINISTRY TO SAO LUIS, MARANHAO, BRAZILMARCH 1991 Volume no . IV, Issue no . i

GARY & ROSIE FINLEYWe would like to begin this newsletter by thanking all of you who have either written^ifts over the past couple of months. We have written a reply or sent a thank you letter iinstance. But, we unde rs tand that some of these have not arrived at their in tended destinApparently th e mall service from the U.S. to Brazil is functioning well, but several letters whhave sent to th e U.S. have been lost In recent weeks. We regret this, and have no way of kwhich letters made it and which did not. Ifyou have been expecting a reply and have not recplease accept our apologies, possibly the lost mail will eventually be found.Please continue to write, our past experience indicates that interruptions in th e mailare temporary. We fully expect that this newsletter and any other items we mail at the presewillmake it safely to their des tina tions. We are always glad to hear from our friends and suppand when the postman cooperates, we enjoy letting you know what is happening with us too!FOR CONTRIBUTIONS AND STATESIDE CORRESPONDENCE:

Chr i s t fo r Sao LuisCalumet Street Christian ChurchR.R. 2, Box 750

Centralia, IL 62801(618) 533-4421

FOR CORRESPONDENCE ONLY:(PLEASE DO NOT SEND ANY CONTRIBUTIONS TO THIS ADDRESS)Gary & Rosie FinleyCaixa Post al 1088

65000 Sao Luis, Maranhao, Brazil


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O ' LITTLE TOWN OF BELEM...?The biblical city of Bethlehem translates into Portuguese as Belemwhere as the Christmas carol we know so well portrays the biblical city as

town, the city of Belem in Northern Brazil is not all that small (Approximately 2live in the metropolitan area). Those of you who have followed our work throupreparation stages to the present time know that we have been assistedpreparations for this work by current and former missionaries working in theBelem.

We continue to maintain a close working relationship with these dear band sisters in the Lord, seeking their advice on a regular basis. On January 1this year our team spent a week in Belem for the annual Missions Conferenceyears conference was attended by 11 families (22 adults and 12 children) wworking in the Northern part of Brazil.Our guest speaker for the week was Roy Weece, campus ministerUniversity of Missouri (Columbia, MO). Those of you who have heard Roycan imagine what an uplifting time this years conference was for all of us. I

tion to the scheduled sessions, the week afforded us the opportunity to bbetter acquainted with our co-workers in this region of the country. We werebuild upon existing friendships as well as meet two missionary families whhad no t met before .

This year's conference allowed us time for enjoyable fellowship, funchange of scenery: but most importantly, we were further challenged and eaged for the work which lies ahead in 1991 and beyond.

AMOVING EXPERIENCEOur last move (June of 1990 from Irvington, IL to Sao Luis, Brazil) wlongest of our lifetimes. At the end of January we made what is probably the

est move we have ever undertaken. We have relocated in another apartmensame building where we have lived s ince our arrival in Sao Luis. Our new apaprovides us with considerably more living area, faces the ocean (the breeze ibetter), and costs less money! The cost is less because we are able to rentfrom the owner and avoid a middle man (a rarity for newcomers in this city).grateful that the Lord continues to provide for our needs, sometimes in waysare not expecting.


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NEWSLETTER SUPPLEMENTProgress ReportThis section is being included for those who would like to know more about the sour first year's work in Sao Luis. If you have any specific questions which are not answe

please write to us at our on-field address (youwill find it on the front ofthe newsletter).Those who have ha d th e opportunity to read our strategy for church establishmthat our goals for the first year of our work here in Sao Luis revolve around three primary1)Settling in (apartment hunting, legal documentation, locating various goods and serviceLanguage an d culture learning; 3) Establishment of a team office/outreach center.

Settling In

Most of th e g oa ls u nd er this headi ng were accomplished during ou r first two monfield. Two goals still remain at this time: 1) Extending our first year temporary visas, an ding our income tax status under th e very confusing (and frequently changing) Brazilian taxWe are currently p ur su in g b ot h m at te rs . Since ou r son Ian, and Caleb Navis werein Brazil it appears that we an d John Navis can apply now for our permanent visas. Thewill have to renew their temporary visas for one more year before they can apply for p

visas .

L a ng u ag e S tu dy

Those of you who have e ve r s tud ied a foreign language will know the joy that coon e masters th e subjunctive mode. Well, we have not mastered it yet, but you probablyas well th e frustration you experience while you are trying to master it! That is where wnow. We know the forms of the subjunctive an d can easily identify it or even use it in speeach language attaches its own subtle shades of meaning to a verb or phrase when the sis used. Those subtle changes differjust enough from Portuguese to English to keepuncertain as to whether we have just said what we intended or not.For those who have never studied a foreign language and are wondering "What In

are they talking about", wewill give an example. In English I can easily say "If it does not rleave at 9:00". In Portuguese this requires the us e of the verb for rain (chouver) in th e suThis sentence is pretty simple in both English an d Portuguese.But, ifyo u change th e sentence just a little bit "If it would not have rained, we coulat 9:00", it becomes more complicated. Of course itwas not hard for me to write that in Enit was not hard for you to understand it. But for someone who is learning all th e subtletielanguage it can be quite confusing at times.


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Overall, we are making good progress in learning our new language. We look forgreat anticipation toward the months of July and August when our Portuguese skillswill benew ways as the work of church establishment begins!

Team Office

During the course of our survey trips to Sao Luis (Finleys and Jacksons in 1988,1989) we had tentatively identified the area of the city where we wished to locate our teand eventually, the first congregation. After our arrival on the field in June of 1990 we conappropriateness of this location (an area called Sao Francisco). Since October of last yeabeen searching for a suitable location in this area of the city. We discovered that no offwas available on the street level. Street level access is not overly important as long as tserves only as the team office, but as an outreach center and first meeting place for the can Important consideration.In November we located an office building under construction which would havespaces for rent on street level. The realtor a ssu red us that one would be ready for oaround the first of December . When that deadline came and went , he assured us itcompleted by the first of January, then February, now March. Apparently th e contractor hof money to complete the project, and it is delayed indefinitely.This leaves us with the necessity of reconsidering our goal for the team office in lcurrent possibilities. We have at least three options; 1) We could postpone our searchoffice until th e ideal location becomes available; 2) We could abandon this area of thlocate in another a rea whe re more office space is available: 3) We could locate temporoffice above street level in our target neighborhood with the Intention of relocating whenexpires.We feel that the third option allows the grea tes t flexibility in continuing with ostrategy for church establishment. It will put us immediately in our target neighborhoodus to begin making acquaintances and sharing our purpose for being here. Ifwe can eshort term lease (6 - 8 months), then we will be free to relocate at the time when greater viaccessibility become most important to our task.We hope to make a decision and be located in our new office/outreach centernext couple of weeks. Please pray that the Lord will use this ministry tool to achieve His

over th e nex t s e v er a l mon t hs .


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Hodshire's DepartThe following information is being shared with the consent of the HodsShortly after our arrival in Sao Luis in June 1990, Chris began to suffdepression. When the situation worsened in late October, Rick called Dr

Austin and was given some coping strategies to help. After one month, wimprovement was seen and the situation became more serious, Dr. Austinmended they return to the U.S. to seek immediate help. Upon return to theChris was given complete physical and psychological examinations andcounseling and medication for depression.Shortly after the new year the Hodshires informed us that because thlem has been diagnosed as an on-going physical problem, and the needed mtion is not available in Brazil, they had decided to remain in the U.S. Rick wasLuis from January 14th through February dtn selling household Items andout all the necessary accounts.Since beginning treatment, Chris condition is much improved. Wecouraged by Chris' progress and we continue praying for their strength anddirection of their lives and ministry. We will miss the fellowship with their famthe strengths they brought to the TEAM.

RECRUITMENT EFFORTSIn light of the Hodshire's departure we are once again faced with an important dShould we seek to recruit additional workers to replace those we have lost, or should wewith a smaller work force than was originally intended?Christ For Sao Luis was formed on th e basis of 3-5 couples covenanting to work toestablish a strong congregation among the middle-class of Sao Luis, and proceeding fbeginning point to impact the entire city. With ourselves, the Mavises, and the Jacksonmeet that goal but we all see the necessity of adding a couple or couples to the TEAM infunction at an optimal level.We have already sent out letters to several faculty members and leaders on 2college campuses and have contacted 2 couples who have expressed interest in servingAs we wait for responses to these letters we are praying for a committed Christian couple t

er preparing for service as members of the TEAM.There is no question God can work through the three couples who are now meC.F.S.L, but there is also no doubt a godly couple {or couples) joining the TEAM couldenhance our service here, but also expand our impact and witness in this city.


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IAN UPDATEMany of you have had our new son, Ian Patrick, in your prayers slike to give you an update. Ian is now five months old and is more fun thanimagined a baby could be. He has been fairly healthy, with the exceptionthat was probably German Measles {a light case). He is long and thin

brown hair and dark blue eyes. Our pediatrician thinks that he doesnenough, but nearly all Brazilian babies are big built and/or chubby; lan'scan play with his toys now, as well as chew on them. In fact he chews on evyes, you guessed right, "Eie esta nascendo dentes!". The literal translationtnglish is "He's giving birth to teeth!".Ian has visited the beach (he thinks that saltwater makes his feet tabetter), can sit up with help,and would rather stand (while holding on to sothan learn how to crawl. He always attracts attention when we take him ou

ians love children, but that is another article in itself. All in all, the Lord h aus with a sweet, well behaved (most of the time), little boy!

PLEASE JOIN WITH US IN PRAYER FOR THESE NEE-Rosie's mother, Sandra VanCieve, will undergo surgery sometime in Marcpray specifically for her recovery, and for Rosie as our distance from hcomes very apparent.-The Hodshire's as they begin their involvement with a new ministry, and foLuis team as we seek the Lord's direction regarding the addition of new wthis effort.-Missionaries around the world at a time when anti-American sentimentss t irred.-Opportunities for building friendships and being effective witnesses asguage skills improve and evangelism becomes possible.

Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace,thatwe may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need.(HEBREWS 4:16)


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Chr i s t fo r Sao Luis:A TEAM MINISTRY TO SAO LUIS, MARANHAO, BRAZIL

TEAM NEWSLETTERMAY 1991 Volume no . 4, Issue no . 2

0GARY & ROSIE FINLEY

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FOR CONTRIBUTIONS AND STATESIDE CORRESPONDENCE:Chr i s t fo r Sao LuisGary &Rosie Finley

Calumet Street Christian ChurchR.R. 2, Box 750Centralia, IL62801(618) 533-4421

FOR CORRESPONDENCE ONLY:(PLEASE DONOTSENDANY CONTRIBUTIONS TOTHISADDRESS)Gary &Rosie FinleyCaixa Pos ta l 1088

65000 Sao Luis, Maranhao, BrazilTo Call Us From the U.S. Dial: 011-55-98-226-1391


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"The REASON For Recruitment(THE JACKSONS)/. . ^ Z""'"''"' upside down (for Christ) have comehere(Acts 17:6). In the city ofThessalonica In lust three short weeks, Paul and Silas made suimpact presenting theGospel theywerehauledbefore the city authorities! Luke also tells us17that someofthe Jews"ivere persuaded and joinedPauland Silas along with a greattude oftheGod-feanng Greeks anda number ofthe leading women' (verse 4).I * influence the minds and hearts ofunsaved mankind with the loplan of their Creator hasalways been His goal for theChurch. Jesus left His Great Commissihandful ofmen whom hed trained. Because ofJesus' authority andthe promise ofHis copresence to aid believers In their task, Hecan command us to go to ALL the nations proclaimove and forgiveness.

Those of uswho have pledged ourselves to the task of contributing tothe establishma strong, spiritual congregation here in Sao Luis want to make an IMPACT onthe city. We wbe sterling examples to as many Inhabitants ofSao Luis as we can. Each week God Is Dronew opportunities to share the message of Christ with people here. God can and will ur/iree farmhes living here to accomplishHis purpose, but the overall affectof the TEAM ocity couldbe greatly enhancedbythe addition ofa family(ies) towork with us here.Since we first learned of theHodshlres leaving thework here In Sao Luis, we havepursuing the recruitment ofa committed Christian family orfamilies to join theTEAM. Thehas lên in contact with two couples who have shown Interest In the pastfor mission worspecifically for Brazil). We have written letters to several members of the faculty at St. LouistianCollege in Florissant, Missouri whohavegraciously agreed toserve as liaisons forTEAcrmtment. We appreciated their love and encouragement while studying on campus and wgrateful for their on-going ministry as they help us reach Sao Luis with theGospel ofChrist.God will certainly continue to help us develop the friendships here which will lead toopportunities for evangelism, but we also desire the broader IMPACT another family or fa benefit ofthe greaterwitness a family(ies) would haeldSinôrPêT^M^^^^^ talents and abilities of others which God could blend with those aPlease join us in praying for the recruiting process. God has blessed our Initial efforts^sist^ce ofour friends at SLCC and we look forward to watching Him work outHis puthrough the peopleand eventswhich arise In adding workers totheTEAM.

The goal of our great God Is the redemption of asmany members of mankind as poS to claim His bride, theChurch. As theChurch, It isour primarto IMPACT theworld with the love and plan of the Lord as we goto all the nations, making dis(preaching toward the goalofconversion), baptizing (theculmination ofthe conversion pro(toward maturity In Christ and training believers tomake other disciples). Pray fTbAM s receptivity to God's direction as we move closer to in-home Bible studies an

beglnr^ng ofour evangelistic efforts here in SaoLuis. Pray for yourself tobea living wto the Truth ofChrist byyourtestimony to others and byyour actions.gracious tousandbless us,andcauseHis face toshine upon us. That thywaymay be knownearth, ttys^bon arnong all nations. Let me peoples praise Thee, OGod; Let all the peoples praise Thee. Let the

Sfef nra&L peoês wgfj uprightness, and guide the nations on the earth. Let thles praise Thee, OGod, Let allê peoples praise Thee. The earth has yielded its produce; God, our God, blesses ublesses us, that alltheendsofthe earth may fearHim'. -PSALM 67-


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Evangelistic Motives and Methods(THEFINLEYS)Evangelism in Brazil takes place in much the same way it does in thStates or any other culture where major decisions are made by individuathan by the larger group (tribe, village, or clan). Missionariesand Brazilialeaders have tried most of the same approaches that have been attemptU.S. to reach the people oftheir community for the Lord.We havespokenwith believers here who have used neighborhooding efforts, evangelistic rallies, direct mailings, media adds, and Bible corrence courses all in the interest of creating opportunities for evangelism. Joccurs in the States, these methods meet with varying degrees ofsuccess.results they bring are usually not equal to the amount of time, energyand rwhich are put into them.In Brazil, just as in the U.S. there is no evangelistic method more effecauthentic than one person telling another person (usually a friend or acquaabout the joywhich they find in theirpersonal fellowship with Jesus Christ.This is the type ofevangelism that was responsible for the birth (Jewas of course a strategic exception) and growth of most churches inTestament. It isthe kind ofevangelism that produces consistent growth inexisting churches in the areawhere you live. And, it isthe style ofevangelwe believe will be most effective in establishing the Lord's church in the cit

Luis.Although ourstudy of the Portuguese language remains ourtop prthe next four months, we have already begun to build the base for outoward evangelism. We have each had half a year now to become acquainour neighbors, andwith the people who work in the various businesses upo

we rely. We pray diligently that the Lord will place us in strategic friendshipwe can meet needs and impact the lives of individuals and families with tnews of Je sus .

Now the Lord has laid a new opportunity before us. As the Navisestheir article, we are in ourteam office. Each daywe are surrounded bynumber of people v/tiQ;alsowork in or near our building. Each one js pretheir Creator, even though many of them have never known what itmeans tliving, abiding, and growing fellowship with the One who not only created,loves and sustains them.

We want them, and many others besides, to know their heavenly Fatwant to introduce them to the Lord Jesus who gave His life that they mighlife, and that abundantly. We want themto receive the gift ofGod's Spiritguide them and instruct themwith regard to all righteousness.Pleasepray along with us that the Lord can use ourpresence herethat about. Prayforourstrength, our vision for the task, and our willingfollowwhere the Lord is leading each day.


10/28

A DREAM COME TRUE(THE NAVISES)We finally have a team office! It has been a long time since we first thgetting a team office. Price and size have been deterrents but we have foffice that will accommodate all of us as we begin to prepare lessons atrack of our contacts and build an identifiable presence in Sao Luis. Wdesks, filing cabinets, book shelves and other items to help us accomplish

that we c ame to do .Some may wonder why we need an office. The answer to such tho"We need an office to make the impact on Sao Luis that we have planneLord." The office will facilitate accountability for each to do the work thatsupposed to do. It will also help us coordinate our efforts and use our abtheir greatest potential because we will see each other more than just oncea week. It also allows us to have ready access to one another's tools (bookotherwise we would need to spend hours just traveling to get the tools that

if we even knew that one of our fellow te am memb er s h ad th e book that weOur office is not in an obscure corner of Sao Luis! It is on a corner, thof Castelo Branco. It is the main artery that takes you to the downtown amakes us easily accessible. We are also in a building that will help us rtarget group. We are surrounded by Dentists, Eye Doctors, Contractors aestate people. Not only do we have the opportunity to reach these peopleclients. As they look for the room number for their doctor or other person,also see our plaque as well as everyone-else's.Finally, the office will help us reach Sao Luis because there will be a

all the people who have questions about the Bible or other subjects of "recance. There are some people already asking us questions of spiritual matoffice allows them a place to find us instead of just happening to see us t r ee t .

Our office is not a temple and it won't attract people because of its gRather, it is an embassy with three of His Ambassadors. Thanks for all thatdone to make this possible!


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0 f Christ for Sao Luis:A TEAM MINISTRYTO SAO LUIS, MARANHAO, BRAZILNEWSLETTER

JUNE/JULY 1991 Volume no . 4, Issue no . 3

\

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GARY, ROSIE & IAN FINLEY

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FOR CONTRIBUTIONS AND STATESIDE CORRESPONDENCE:Chris t fo r S ao LuisGary &Rosie Finley

Calumet Street Christian ChurchR.R. 2, Box 750Centralia, IL 62801(618) 533-4421

FOR CORRESPONDENCE ONLY:(PLEASE DO NOT SEND ANY CONTRIBUTIONS TOTHIS ADDRESS)Gary & Rosie FinleyCaixa Posta l 1088

65000 Sao Luis, Maranhao, BrazilTo Call Us From the U.S. Dial: 011-55-98-226-1391


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FOR MORE INFO. CALLDuring the middle of the month of July, Rosie and Ian willtraveling to the Sta tes for a three week visit. A member of hfamily has been through a major illness this Spring and bcause of this her family has offered to pay for her expensesshe would come home for a visit. This will be the first chance

(except for his grandmas) that familyand friends will have to meet Ian. His greagrandparents are particularly excited about the possibility!Because Rosie's stay will be brief and is being paid for by a family membshe will not be scheduling any presentations. But, she will be available by tephone ifyou are interested in hearing about the progress of our work here in SLuis or anything else you would like to talk to her about. You can reach her at (61249-6915 between July 18th and August 4th.

Hot Off the PressThose of you who were able to see our presentation before we left for Braknow that the plans we have for our work during the first seven years are detaileda document we refer to as the "Team Strategy". As we approach the end of our fyear on the field we have reviewed the strategy to determine if there are any arewhich need to be readjusted in light of the actual circumstances we have encoutered in Sao Luis. With only a few minor changes we believe that our origin

strategy for the establishment of the first church is still appropriate for this city.Because we believe that it is important for our supporters to know the specics of what we plan to accomplish in Sao Luis (so that you can pray along withfor the success of this work, and so that you can accurately evaluate our progreswe will be sending out the updated version of our strategy next month to al! of osupporting churches.Each of our supporting churches should receive their copy before the endJuly. Any of our individual supporters or other interested persons who would likereceive an updated copy of the strategy should contact our forwarding agents at t

U.S. address on the front of this newsletter, we will be happy to provide you withcopy .Pray that God will grant us success In the next 12 months as we translate osecond yea r goa ls into daily activities directed toward the establishment of tLord's church in this city.


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NeighborsOne of the goals which we se t long before our arrival in Sao Luis was to get to knoweighbors as well as possible duringour first year on the field. The reasons for this goal ares:we needed someone with whom wecould practice our lanQuage skills, we needed to learnare built in this culture, and most importantly,making someone's acquaintance istep toward sharing Christ with them.Each family on the team is currently living in an apartment building (not the samertment living has its unique advantages and disadvantages. One of the advantages is thaenerally have a large number of neighbors. A disadvantage is that many apartment dwellersn and out of the complex or building in a relatively short time. For this reason (among others)o not feel the need to become acquainted with their neighbors.After living in our building for nearly a year, we real ized last month just how few oneighbors we had truly befriended. Several of the neighbors with whom we became acquaoon after our arrival have since moved away. Others seemed a little suspicious of 'o s estrange

(the foreigners).After recognizing that we were not achieving our full potential inthis important area olife and work, we began to pray that God would put us in situations where more acquaintaould be made, and deeper friendships could be formed.Several occurrences since have given us the chance to either meet people for the firstor to deepen friendships which have already begun. One example occurred the next weekendecided to wash and wax our car. Instead of working on It in the parking space where we usualso (it is almost hidden), we decided to park it by the main sidewalk between the buildings whecould be in the sun. We also happened to be right in the path of any of our neighbors who wetheirway to or from the beach (nearly everyone goes there on the weekends).The result was that we spent over 2 & 1/2 hours getting our car in shape while wehappily interrupted on a number of occasions by several neighbors that we already knew, anwhom we had not met before. Because of such opportunities, our circle of contacts continugrow larger.Our immediate neighbors are only one of the groups In the citywhich we need to coBut,they are one of the groups which will hold the most potential for the future of our work. Ppray that God will continue to create opportunities to build friendships, that we can live our lisuch a way that we gain a respected hearing for the gospel, and that He will give us wisdospeak the appropriate message at the appropriate time.InSeptember we plan to begin our first Biblestudies with individuals and families. P

pray along with us that in the meantimewe will continue to develop our abilities to communicatruth Intheir language, and that several of those we have met and are meeting will be ready to hLuke 10:25-37 records the occasion when Jesus spoke The Parable of theGood Samaritan. At th e conclusion of the parable Jesus asks the Inquiring lawyer:'Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fellinto the robbers' hands?' The lawyer responds: 'The one who showed mercytoward him.' To which Jesus replies: "Go and do the same.' How will you "Goand do the same' this week among your neighbors?


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Coming AttractionsAs Rosie arrives in Saint Louis, MO next month she will be cing something that all of our supporters and friends will swant to see! Oh. I suppose that some of you might like toour son Ian Patrick, but he isn't what Iwas referring to. Shealso have with her a video presentation which details what has happened thisyear, and what is going to happen in the coming year with our life and work in

Luis .The video is twenty minutes in length. It introduces the viewer to the cSao Luis, to our mission team, and to the work which we plan to carry out ovenext several years. Special emphasis is given to the activities which weplanned for the next 12 months (our second year on the field).If you would like to borrow a copy of the video for your church, micommittee, or personal viewing please fill out the enclosed form and send it t

forwarding agents Floyd and Leia Johnson at the accompanying address.Oh yes, for those of you who won't be able to meet Ian in person, hemake an appearance in the video along with his friends Caleb and Kaitlyn!

Cau s e s fo r Pra i se

*Caleb Navis turns 1 year old on June 20th! (A child's first birthday or "PriAniversario" is a major event in Brazil)*After 11 months of waiting, John and Ruth's telephone has finally been installed

Prayerful Concerns*We ask you to remember John Navis and his family following the death of Jmaternal grandfather last week*Please remember Rosie and Ian as they travel to the U.S. in mid-July*Pray that God will continue to lead us as we seek to build bridges of friendsthose around us, that we may be able to impart the good n ews of Jesus tnewfound friends and acquaintances


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Christ for Sao Luis;ATEAM MINISTRYTO SAO LUIS. MARANHAO,BRAZIL

NEWSLETTERAUGUST 1991 Volume no. 4, Issue no. 4

rnjfR-

The S ao Luis TeamFOR CONTRIBUTIONS AND STATESIDE CORRESPONDENCE:Christ for Sao LuisGary &Rosie Finley


FOR CORRESPONDENCE ONLY:(PLEASE DO NOT SEND ANY CONTRIBUTIONS TO THIS ADDRESS)Gary & Rosie FinleyCaixa Post al 108865000 Sao Luis, Maranhao, BrazilTo Call Us From the U.S. Dial: 011-55-98-226-1391


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"Bat tb e Gtzeatest o f These is...Editiag"l(The JacKsons)Several elements a re necessary to make a movie. Youcamera, script, actors and actresses, a director, locatiogood weather, and most important of all, EDITING SUntil we began working on our TEAM Video, I never bthe movie mogul's reports that say 90% of the accumfootage for a movie ends up in the trash can of the edifice. From now on, each time I see a movie, I will give aing ovation when the editor's names come rolling throcredits! The bulk of the work for our video has not comshooting or in the scripting but in the process of editing all the gathered fooorder to choose the best scenes to show you our city and the people who liv

The purpose of the video is to let you see what Sao Luis looks like wgive our one-year TEAM report and share with you our goals for the seconWe chose a videotape format because we wanted you to be able to see thwe have been including in our TEAM and family newsletters over the courspast year. After you have seen what we have put together, you will be bformed prayer partners and will be able to call to mind some of the imagesask God to help us in the task of establishing a strong church.The v id eo includes:a - a look at the city and it's people,b - a presentation of our first-year goals and what we did to accplish them,

c - an explanation of what sector of society we will begin with asevangelize,d - a description of the strategy we will employ in order to estabstrong church,e - a "Family Highlights" section,f - an overview of our 2nd year goalsThe video is approximately 20 minutes in length and could be usnumber of different settings. We pray that congregations, Sunday Schoolyouth groups, ladies groups, families and individualswill request the video

us in praying for Christ to impact the city of Sao Luis. Each TEAM family's sing congregation or forwarding agent has information about how to schviewing date.With our video, "any copying or reproduction (either in whole oror the distribution of this video for pubiic or private viewing is not oniy Ohighly recommend if'!! Request your viewing date of this exciting and info(all right, its also the onlvone!) Christ ForSao Luis Video today!


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EvesentandoAalavra De DeusM^he Finleys) nThe firstThursday in September is our target date for the completion of our firible study lessons. These are being prepared so that we may do as the title abovggests and begin "Presenting the Word of God". We have put a lot of thought anfort into the writing of this first series for several reasons. 1) This is our first attem

developing a curriculum in the Portuguese language. 2) These are our Evangelisessons, and as such they will be the ones we teach most often. 3) Since this is thrst series of lessons we present to any person, their willingness to study with us fuer will depend upon their response to this first series.To give you a glimpse of the full curriculum we are working to develop, here

in outline form.SERIES 1 - This is our evangelism tool, it consists of three lessons which can bught in 3-5 sessions. This series focuses upon the person of Jesus. The three lesso

are Who Is Jesus^, What Does He Want to Do in My Lifei, and How Can I Rond to HimhSERIES 2 - This series focuses on the follow-up needs of a new believer, or giveditional encouragement to those who have not yet made a decision for Christ.consist of at least 10 lessons which cover such topics as Developing the DevLife, Overcoming Temptation, LivingUnder Christ's Lordship, and Sharing Yo

with Others.SERIES 3 - The third series is less s tructured than the first two. It is intendedthe new disciple into a life of discipIeship wherein he/she is capable of not onthe Christian life victoriously, but of equipping others to do the same. We wcus on the principle of life transference. We recognize that not every new believill demonstrate the discipline necessary to study with us week after week toward thoal. But, for those who are willing, we will continue to study with them individualn a weekly basis as we observe their spiritual growth throughout the following year.The th re e series of lessons descr ibed a bove a re intended to be shared wi(or in the case the first two with individuals or families). We are alsorking to develop a study guide for the Gospel of John that will be used in grou

studies.As we complete the preparation of these lessons and study guides, and as wegin to use them, we ask that you pray for the following needs:

Our boldness to invite individualsto study with us Please read Colosaans 4:2-4and consider) The preparation of the hearers the request which the apostle Paul made forThe clarity of the message presented himselfand his co-work^ as he wrote to theOur continued vision for the task ahead believers in Colossae.


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S T AG E TWO(The Mavises)We have closed "Stage One" of our work here in Sao Luis. Now it is timeStage Two". Wewould like to outline the goals for next year for you. A major goal is the Bible Studies. There is an entire article on it, in this new

letter, so Iwill not say any more about it except that it is a major goal.Another goal is that of continuing our language study one day a week. Inwe will be concentrating on the specific religious and biblical terminology that weneed to do the work of evangelism and leadership training. We have made g oprogress in learning the basics of the language. However, we still need to concrate on the specific terms and expressions we will be using In our work (at timesfeel likewe ar e trying to "beat ourselves out of a wet theological bag").We also plan to have a video of the work ready for your viewing in th e n

f ew w e e ks . T h e r e is a l s o an a r t i c l e on tha t in t h is n e w s le t te r .In our second year, we will b e recmltlng more families for the work here.h o p e to have definite commitments a n d a time-table se t for their arrival. We hareceived a favorable reply already bu t nothing definite.We will b e looking fo r a suitable meeting place for th e c hu rc h. W e h av e s oideas and wishes but we will n e e d this next year to find the place for the physisite. T hi s m e et in g place will b e w h e r e we c an g ath er all of o u r Bible st u d i e sworship.

MATTEDS r O D PDAYEDPlease pray along with us for Ruth Navis and her family. Ruth's father OtacSilva departed from this life on July 12th. His health ha d been declining for th e pseveral years. Otacilio is survived by eight children and 12 grandchildren. He willdearly missed.


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Chris t fo r Sao Luis:ATEAMMINISTRYTO SAO LUIS, MARANHAO, BRAZILNEWSLETTER

OCTOBER 1 9 91 Volume no. 4, Issue no. 5

GARY, ROSIE & IAN FINLEY

G

FOR CONTRIBUTIONS AND STATESIDE CORRESPONDENCE :Chri s t fo r Sao LuisGary &Rosie Finley


FOR CORRESPONDENCE ONLY:(PLEASE DO NOT SEND ANY CONTRIBUTIONS TO THIS ADDRESS)Gary & Rosie FinleyCaixa Posta l 1088

65000 Sao Luis, Maranhao, BrazilTo Call Us From the U.S. Dial; Oil-55-98-226-1391


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READJUSTING OUR EXPECTATIONSBy the time this newsletter arrives, most of our readers will probably havabout the Jackson's return to the U.S. Tony, Tammy and Kaitlyn left SaoOctober 2nd, and arrived in Saint Louis, MO on the 4th.In the explanatory letter which the Jacksons sent to their supporters theyfollowing reasons for their return: 1) The influence of culture shock as theyadapt to life in Sao Luis, 2) The death of Tammy's father shortly after their arSao Luis last year, and difficulties created by their separation from family mduring the grieving process, 3) A breakdown in their ability to communicate wone another (this complicated their ability to resolve the first two problems).would like to see a copy of the letter which the Jacksons sent to their supportmay request one from our forwarding agents Floyd and Leia Johnson (see taddress on page 1).In the wake of the Jacksons' decision to leave Sao Luis we have been aseveral concerned friends and supporters "How will this affect your plans?".tedly, it has been a discouragement for us to watch our work force shrink frfamilies to just two. The reduced amount of manpower will be felt in the monyears ahead. Most significantly, we are left with a reduced blend of gifts andfor service which the contributions of each lost worker would have provided.However, our determination to see the Lord's church established in S

remains unchanged. We have been realistic in sett ing our goals for the next ythe three years which follow (see the article about our team retreat). We arethe progress which we hope to make, taking into account the present nuworkers .iUo ^rniWe enlist your prayers for the following needs:

'jacksons as they settle temporarHy in the St. Louis area, and seeksolve the problen)S which have resulted in their return to the U.S.* Encouragement for the Navises and ourselves as we readjust our expefor the work ahead.* Our efforts to find two or more families who would commit themseworking alongside of us in this endeavor.* The eventual success of this work in spite of any and all setbacks whichencountered along the way.


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TEAM RETREATOur strategy calls for the team to have a week long retreat every yeayear we went to the city of Fortaleza, a beautiful coastal city that is also in theeast. We were able to stay in an apartment that the Conservative Baptists htheir missionaries. This was a real blessing because they only charge a smallThe retreat was to be a time of rest and relaxation, as well as a time tothe past year's accomplishments, plan our next year's strategies and spendprayer. Time was allotted each day for working on our goals for this cominand the next 2 - 5 years, relationship building exercises for the group and foples, and personal grov^h activities. This time together was made even more

ficial by the presence of Ruth's cousin, Maria Felix. She spent tireless hoursing, changing and feeding our toddlers. It's doubtful that anything would havaccomplished without her help, what a blessing she was!Overall, the week was a success and we were able to return refreshready to do the work that our Lord has called us to do here in Sao Luis.

OK, SO WHERE'S THE VIDEO?I believe that we have learned our lesson about announcing the comdate for a major project before it is actually complete. For those of you winterested in the details of what happened, here they are. We had planned tthe video completed before Roste, Tammy and the kids left for the U.S. iWhen we sent the first newsletter announcing the video, it was 90% complet

as we tried to combine our several different tapes into the finished produdiscovered that our equipment wasn't working properly.While the girls were in the U.S. we made arrangements to use the equat a local video studio to finish the project the week after they would arrive bSao Luis. However, soon after Tammy's arrival we learned that the Jacksonsbe leaving our work in Sao Luis.^ This rendered much of the video useless"btheir images and voices appear throughout. We didn't fee! it would be apprto circulate the video in its present form since they are no longer a part of the wThat leaves us with the task of reworking the sections which included

Tammy or Kaitlyn, combining our tapes into the finished product, makingand sending them to the U.S. We have several major projects under way cuthat cannot be postponed (beginning to present our evangelism lessonsTherefore, completing the video is on hold until sometime in November. Thwe will not announce its availability until it has arrived in the U.S. We thankyour understanding in all of this, and we r eg re t any inconvenience it macaused for you.


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ROS I E ' S RE F L EC T I ON Sl AN ' S B I R T HDAY

It seems like only yesterday we were sending out birth announcemennow we have already celebrated lan's first birthday! A child's first birthday is qoccasion in Brazil. Thus, I had been thinking, planning and praying aboumonths. We wanted it to be bi-cultural; including both American and Braziliations because we wanted to invite both groups of people. We especially wause this lime to get to know our neighbors better.We chose "Snoopy" as the theme for the decorations, the table cent(Brazilian tradition) and the hand delivered invitations (Braz.)- Snoopy is very

here also. There was lots of food (Braz.) from both cultures. Our friends hadseen a watermelon "boat" before! We played pin-the-nose on Snoopy (Americation altered slightly), sang "Happy Birthday" in both languages, ate a decorate(both- and ice cream (Amer.) and opened the presents at the party (Amer.), Brusually wait until later to open them.Parents and kids stayed about three hours to talk and play. At one time5 babies under 15 months here! A good time was had by everyone and I belieGod was able to use this time to build some relationships, strengthen others anthe door for the Gospel.

1992 BUDGET IS APPROVEDOur budget for the coming year has been reviewed and approved by ouvising elders. The new budget designates each month $1,225.00 for five categworking expenses, $950.00 for salary (family with one child), $500.00 for hexpenses, and $475.00 for employee benefits (health insurance, 1/2 of Social Setc.). The budget for 1992 represents an increase of just under 6.8% over our

fo r 1991.An itemized copy of the 1992 budget along with a line by line explanaitems increased over last year's levels has been sent to each of our regular supchurches. If you are an individual supporter of this work or if your church is a

sional supporter of this work and would like to receive a copy of the budget,contact our forwarding agents Floyd and Leia Johnson at the address on thethis newsletter. Theywill be happy to send you a copy.We wish to thank you for the continued support which you extend to uswork. Please pray that God will enable us to be good stewards of all His resnot only finances, but time and opportunity as well!


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Chris t for Sao Luis:ATEAMMINISTRY TOSAO LUIS, MARANHAO, BRAZILNEWSLETTER

DECEMBER 1991 Volume no. 4, Issue no . 6

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FDOMGARY, ROSIE & IAN FINLEYFOR CONTRIBUTIONS AND STATESIDE CORRESPONDENCE:

Chris t for Sao LuisGary &Rosie FinleyCalumet Street Christian ChurchR.R. 2, Box 750

Centralia, IL62801(618) 533 -4421FOR CORRESPONDENCE ONLY:(PLEASE DONOTSENDANY CONTRIBUTIONS TOTHISADDRESS)Gary &Rosie Finley

Caixa Postal 108865000 Sao Luis, Maranhao, Brazil

To Call Us From the U.S. Dial: 011-55-98-226-1391


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DOESTHfSSOtrMOUKEYOO?"I am the chairman Of my church's mission committee. We get sorequests from missionaries needing support that I don't even have time to opthe mail tha t comes."Yet, most Americans admit that they have time enough in theirschedule to read the local newspaper, and even to give the CLASSIFIE

cursory glance.Therefore, because we know that you are busy, and because we havurgent need at this time, we provide the following request for your consition (seriously, we really do need to gainadditional supportat this time).

C.F.S .L . CLASSIF IEDSll/ANTED:

Supporting church/es for missionary family serving inBrazil . Family is fluent in local language, understands lcul ture . Due to recent loss of one supporting church at ional supporters are urgently needed. Contact (618) 533-for mo r e info.

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS...We cu r r e n t l y have an open ing fo r two o r th re e a dd it iosupporting Churches. Interested parties could begin 'raway! No experience necessary! Position could las t 5 ye10 years, the sky is the limit! I f interested, send inqto Christ for Sao Luis/ R.R. 2, Box 750/ Centralia , IL 6280

PERSONALS :Missionary family with 1&1/2 ye ars ex perience onfield would like to hear from potential supporting churcInterests include: Going into a l l the world. Making disciof a l l nations. Baptizing, Teaching, Serving with the Lopromised presence. Current photo and mission strategy avable upon reques t . C hr is t For Sao Luis*Gary & Ro?inley*R.R. 2, Box 750*Centralia, XL 62801*(618) 533-4421.


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PROGRESS REPORTThose ofyou who have read our mission strategy know that our chief ofor the first year in Sao Luis was to spend 12 months studying the Portugueseon a daily basis with a qualified instructor. Only after the end of that 12 mlanguage studywere we allowed to beginour work of church establishment.We arrived in Sao Luis in the middle of June 1990. It took us about a m

get settled into our new homes before our language study could begin. Dcouple of other breaks in our language study schedule (holidays, the annualary conference, etc.) we did not finish our required 12 months of study umiddle of August 1991.Until that time we had practiced leading the various parts of our worsices in Portuguese on a rotating schedule. On Sunday, August 18 we beganing the entireservice completely in Portuguese. That was the first step in iour goals for the second year of our work.As you read in our October newsletter, the event that really finalizedyear's goals (language acquisition, acculturation, developing contacts for evaetc.) and launched us into the work of church establishment (our goal for theyear and beyond) was our team planningretreat which was held in September.In the month of November we began our "Bate Papos Biblicos" (groustudies). These studies will serve as our primary evangelistic outreach for at

next year.This approach has been successfully used by several of our Non-Instrbrethren working in the South of Brazil. For the last two years it has been emby some of our missionaries in Belem, Brazil to begin the newest of the chuthat city.They began two years ago with two families (one missionary familyBrazilian couple). Their progress was slow at first, but now (two years lachurch has an average attendance of about 30 in their worship hour and theirBible studies. They have built their ministry around the necessity of every Cbeingequipped to reproduce him/herself spiritually. Every member of the chuwell trained evangelist, their future looks very promising.We spent 10 days with them during the first part of November. We wlearn first-hand how they were using the Bible study approach before beginnBible studies here in Sao Luis. The study itself is rather simple. It lasts only aNo one prays or sings or does anything else that might make a non-Christian

attend.(CONTINUED ON BACK)


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fhe leader or che study doesn't do a lot of ralking. He announces che *Scripture and gives the page number (identical Bibles are provided for ail to use sthe translation will be the same and texts can be easily found by locating thenumber). Once someone reads the verse aloud, the talk leader poses several quethat arise directly from the text. Some of the questions are merely factual ("WhJesus say He would do for them?"). Some questions ask for the participants op("In just a few words. What do you think it means to make Jesus Lord?"). Some lapplication ("How can we follow her example today?"). All those present are eaged to take part in the discussion (the name of the study in Portuguese actually"Bible talk").

The purpose of the Bible study is to find out who is interested in spirituaters. The believers invite people throughout the week (friends, neighbors, storebank tellers, etc.). Once someone has attended at least two studies they are athey would like to study (one-on-one with one of the Christians) some lessons thshow them how to get closer to God. These lessons are the evangelism lessons.We began our Bible studies in Sao Luis four weeks ago. The first stustarted is held in John and Ruth's apartment on Tuesday evenings. We have ha

people to attend that study to date. One of the men was so interested he askedwould hold a study in his home last week so that he could get his family to comdidn't have great expectations, but when it was time to start there were eight pthere that he had invited! He wants to make this an on-going study. We artrying to start a third Bible study in our apartment on Saturday nights.PLEASE PRAY FOR THE FOLLOWING:*We will be successful in getting people to attend the studies*The studies will lead to opportunities to present the gospel one-on-one*Once the Word is presented, the hearers will respond to the Holy Spirit's effconvic t them of their need for Jesus*Decisions for Christ will be made*We will be faithful in following-up on those decisions, strengthening and equthe new disciples ("witnessing learners")


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^^ou% (lutsncfuxLOne of the aspects of life on the mission field that is at the same timedreaded and thought of with excitement is furlough time. It is dreaded becaumeans taking time away from the work (our veteran colleagues elsewhere in NorBrazil tell us there never seems to be a good time to do so). It is an excitingbecause it provides the opportunity to visit with family, supporters and friends.With thariA mind, we are both dreading and looking forward to July 1Our first furlougmsince coming to the field will begin on July 26, and conthroughJtheJEha^sgiving holiday. We will be in the U.S. for just 4months.For the sake of the work that is going on here, it would be better if we cwait until December to begin our furlough. However, we recently lost about 20our incoming support. After considering the balance in our mission accountcalculating the shortfall in our monthly income, July appears to be the latest we

wait .

One of our objectives during the four months we will be in the U.S. willreplace the support which has been lost. If your church is not a current supporour mission, we would like to have an opportunity to present our work to you. Ifchurch is a current supporter, we ask that you share news of our work withchurches in your area, encouraging them to allow us to present our work to thewell.

We look forward to having the chance to renew friendships between JulyNovember of '92. To schedule a presentation of our work, pl^se send three podates (between August 16 and November 15) to our forwarding agents Floyd andJohnson at the address on the front of this newsletter.appy Holidays From the Navis'(Trie following message Is from our co-workers InSao Luis)

We are John, Ruth and Caleb Navis. As many of you know, we work with Gary andhere inSao Luis. We want to send our greetings to you during this holiday season.We expect this season to be a joyful one. Our work is started and we have encounsuccess thus far. OurTuesday night Bible Talks have increase in attendance. The first oneperson. The second had 3 and I hear that we can expect 5 or 6 for the next one. That brings

because we know that our Lordwants everyone to be saved.Caleb also gives us joyas we watch him grow. He is so interested in everythingChristmas tree fascinates him and he likes to touch tne ornaments and the lights. His eyes jusup when he sees them and so do ours when we see his light up. It makes me thinkofthe jothere is when people see the Light of the World. Give a lasting girt this season. Share the Gos

Love,John, Ruth a nd Cal eb


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Si io r t on T ime fo r Miss ionary Updates?If you would like to recieve a brief (3 minute) videotaped holiday greetthe Finleys, suitable for use during announcement time, contact Lela Johnso

U.S. address below:Lela Johnson

Calumet Street Christ ian ChurchR.R. 2, Box 750Centralia, IL 62801(618) 532-4476

* In the month of January we will have the opportunity to meet with t"Igreja de Cristo" (Church of Christ) missionaries who work in the North and Nof Brazil. The annual Northern Brazil Missionary Conference will be held inBrazil January 13-18. Ward Patterson v/ill be the conference speaker. Warfor a number of years as campus minister at Indiana University in BloomingThis year he joined the faculty at Cincinnati Bible College and is teachingclasses in the area of communication. V/e look forward to the fellowship thatenjoy with our co-workers from other areas of Northern Brazil, and to the enment that we will gain from themessages which our brother Ward has prepared* As the conference in Belem is ending, another conference will begin iJaneiro among missionaries serving with the Non-Instrumental Churches of Chad plarined to attend this conference last year, but a brief illness in the famventer! that. This year Rosie and I hope to attend. The team mission strategy,church planting principles which we are employing in Sao Luis (see the sectioour Bible studies mthe insert titled "Progress Report") were developed by CChrist missionaries serving in other Brazilian cities. This conference will prowith our first opportunity to personally meet the families who pioneered theplanting approach we are following in Sao Luis. We hope to come away f

Finley Gary Rosemarie 1991 Brazil

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