Finley Gary Rosemarie 1997 Brazil

7/27/2019 Finley Gary Rosemarie 1997 Brazil

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FfNUZljVolume 10 Issue 1

Christ Fop Sao Luis Prayer LetterGary & Rosie Finley - MissionariesCalumet Street Christianj:imrch^^Z24ai^tXaliimet StreetPhone: (618) 533-4421 &Rosie's E-mail address is: [email protected]^.

he following is an update on the progress of our building project;January 18 our engineer and construction foremen met at thebuilding site to verify our property boundaries and lay out the location ofr support pillars and walls.

Monday, January 20 we began excavating the site manuaily. Theclassroom wing requires the pouring of 21 reinforced concrete pillars,measuring approximately 8" square. Each pillar rests on a reinforceconcrete base that measures about 42" square and sits about 4 1/2 feetbelow ground level. The first task was to dig the holes for these basesand for the footings upon which the masonry walls will rest. By weeksend the pile of dirt that came out of these holes made it look like we werebuilding a mountain rather than a church building.Wednesday, January 22 the workmen began laying in sections of thefooting.Saturday, January 25 the first four reinforced concrete bases were poured.Thursday, February 6after three months of waiting we finally are connected to the main water line! Up to thispoint the workers had been hauling in water by hand and catching the run-off from athe street adjacent to our property in an improvised shallow well. Of our project engineer did not have somewell placed friends within the water department, we would still be waiting).Wednesday. February 26 we are "above ground"! All of the bases and footings are finished. We are nowraising the walls and filling in the concrete pillars between each 12 foot section of masonry.

By the end of February we have spent approximately $5,500.00 for materials and $3,100.00 for laborWe have another $2,000.00 on hand that should allow us to continue raising the walls dunng the tirst twoweeks of March. At that point will have to stop the work until more contributions are received.We ask that your congregation consider how you might be able to participate in this project. Some ofour supporters have asked us to break down the costs of construction into individual materials so that theirmembers might contribute toward the purchase of a specific item. If that idea appeals to you here are some

suggestions:Bricks 150 each

50 pound sack of cement $3.5025 pounds of iron (rebar) $10.00

:ubic yard of limestone gravel $40.(Load of sand $70.00

The Finlegs Bri^ton, Gan;, Ian . Roe

We are very grateful for any help that you can give. Please pray that God will be glorified and His


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UPDAte dN&fANQemM..Since our last newsletterwas sent out three more people have decided to make Jesus Lord and Saviorof their lives. In our November newsletter we told you about Katia, a young lady Rosiewasevangelizing. Aswehad hoped, Katia decided to obeythe Lord's command. She was baptized the secondweekof

December .With Katia's dedsion, the total number ofbaptisms in SoLuis during 1996 grew to eight. Wealwayswould like to see the church grow faster than it does. But considering thatwe retumed from ourfuriough at theend ofJanuary and theNavises wereon furiough for nearly 5months during the middle ofthe yearwehaveto

be grateful for the growth that did occur.The first "new birth" of1997tookplaceon January 26. Almira (25, a laboratory technician), wasbaptized bySylvestre. OnFebruary 7 Isabel (30, a daughterofDonaLuzia) was baptized by John. Together

with the angels in heaven, we rejoice with these three ladieswho nowenjoythe blessingsof life inChristJesus !

Mission Financial, Situation i . ' - , .During the month ofOctober 1996 our supportingchurches were informed ofa deficit inour missiongeneral fund. The primary causes were inadequate incoming supportduring the first 9 months of1996andhealth care expenses forthe Finleys incurred during their 1995furiough.Thanks tothe generosity ofGod's people a significant portion ofthat deficit has beenerased. By theendofDecember 1996 all but $3,000.00 had been repaid toourspecial accounts. If you participated in thespecial offerings received toward this needwewould like to extend ourheartfelt gratitude for your contribution.The remaining $3,000.00 that was borrowed from theFinleys furiough fund needsto be replaced assoon as possible. Please pray thatGod will help us eliminate the remainder ofthis deficit shortly.

- ^RECENT HAPPENINGS^^

^ On December7,1996 the Christian churches/churches ofChristinBelem hosted the annual retreat forChristian women from throughoutBrazil's Amazon region. Thisyear four ladiesfrom Sao Luis were able toattend. Rosie, Ruth, Dona Luzia and Dona Terezina enjoyed the all-day gathering which this yearfocused onthe theme "Above all else". The speakers, workshops and other activities emphasized the importance ofloving God above any other person, thing or cause.Belem is12 hours from So Luis by bus. The busleavesone city around 8:00 in the evening andarrives in the other around 8:00 inthe morning. Onthe returntrip the bus that carried Rosie and the otherladies from So Luiswas hijackedabout 4:00 AM bysix armed robbers. Rosie lost her watch and about$40.00 in cash. Ruth lost about $20.00. Dona Terezina lost a carry-on bag (the robbers used it tocarry off theproperty they stole from theother passengers). The robbers were on the bus, holding thepassengers at gunpoint for neariy a half hour. It was a terrifying experience for all. Thankfully, no onewas injured.The following SundayIasked all the ladies how they felt aboutthe trip. Although theywere^ill a^Iittleshaken by the assault, they all cherished good memories ofthe retreat andwere glad they had the chance toparticipate.


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Volume 10 Issue 2Chr i s t For Sao Luis P raye r Le t t e r

Gary & Ros i e F in l ey - Mis s i ona r i e sCalumet Street Christian Church / 2240 East Calumet Street / Centralia, IL 62801-6512Phone: (618)533-4421 Gary & Rosie's E-mail address is: CFSL@ELO,COM.BR

c onstructing a church building is an'exciting adventure for anycongregation. Even more so when it will be thechurch's first. Our people are really excitedabout the possibility of having our own meetingplace in just a couple of months. We are verygrateful for the help you are giving us. We ranout of money the second week of March andfor 5 weeks were only been able to take care ofa few small i tems with ou r volunteer workers .

With the help of some brethren inSouthern Illinois w e have been ab le to r e sumeconstruction (see Recent Happenings on theother side of this page). We are currentlyputting in a concrete ceiling over ourc las s rooms . !t will also s e rve a s th e floor whenwe add a second story to the classroom wing.

As we began this building project we knew that the most important part of the whole structurewould be the part that is least visible, the foundation. If a building has a solid and firm foundation itwill last a long while. But, if the foundation is shaky, then everything built above it is in peril ofcollapse.

Spiritually the same thing is true. Ifour lives are built on the solid rock of Jesus Christ and Hisrevealed plan for His people, then we will live with Him for all eternity. But, if we try to build our liveson any other foundation, disaster lies just ahead. In Matthew chapter 7 Jesus tells the story of twobuilders, one wise, the o ther foolish. The difference between the two men was the type of foundationthey chose. Jesus tells us that both men hea rd His words. But, only the wise builder after hearingJesus words went on to put them into practice.

As supporters of this ministry we wan t to assure you that we have laid a solid foundat ion for ourchurch building. It will last a good long while. More importantly we are building the church (God'speople) spiritually on the solid foundation that was laid by God's own hand.

The children in our Sunday school classes at Pirapora love to sing th e song about the twobuilders and SHOUT the last line So build your life on the Lord! (in Portuguese of course). That issound advice, let's all follow it.

The Ftnleys


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upvAje ON evAAfgetJSMt l 00 i t 00000 t 0000^ I n our November newsletter we mentioned that Rosie was studyingwith a young lady namedAna Paula. They completed their studies early this year, but Ana Paulawas still unsure if she was

ready to commit her life to the Lord. On March 11 her conviction won out over her doubts and shewas baptized into Christ by Rosie.

G l a c i a t e is a young lady in her early twenties. She is the proud mother of 5 month oldNatalia. As Sylvestre continues with his goal of winning his entire neighborhood to the Lord herecently invited Glaciete and her husband to study the Bible with him and John. Glaciete acceptedand w as soon convinced of her need t o re ce iv e Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. She wasbaptized on March 14.

A l t h o u g h our church building is still just wails (no ceiling, roof, windows or doors yet) we havealready had our first baptisms on the premises! On Sunday,April 6, Aldir (our guard for the property)and his wife Celia were baptized into Christ. Here the city water does not flow every day. so allbuildings have to install their own water reservoir. We have a 250 gallon fiberglass water tank that willeventually be hidden under our roof line. For the time being it rests on the ground beside the areawhere we mix our cement. Besides providing us with plenty of water to get through the days when thesupply is cut off, it also makes a great baptistry!

Mission Financia l S i tua tionOverall giving for 1997 has fallen well below the needs outlined in our yearly budget

R E C E N T HAPPENINGS^^^^ On April 13-16 Calumet Street Christian Church in Centralia, IL {ourhome congregation) sponsored "AMeeting With A Mission". It was an evangelistic meeting/revival with one difference. The preachers andworship leaders refused any compensation for their services . Instead, all offerings were given toward ourbuilding project. The committee that organized the meeting se t a goal of $2,500.00 for the offerings collectedduring the four nights. By God's grace and through the generosity of His people the total given was over$3.6001

We would like to thank the preachers {Les Bofdt, Dallas Bear, Louis Williams and Bnice Hough), theworship leaders (CSCC team, Bennie Johnson, Jono &Dee Ann Schnautz, and the Evangelaires), membersof the area churches who participated and CSCC staff and volunteers for all their effort on behalf of thisministry. May God bless you even as you have blessed others!H On Monday, March 31, Rosie and Ruth began a 5 week series of teacher recruitment/trainingmeetings. On Monday evenings they met with a group of three prospective teachers in Sao Francisco. OnTuesdays they were in Vila Lobao with a group of 4 who were interested. On Wednesdays they met inPirapora with a group of 5.

As a result of the training meetings 5 adults have expressed an interest in becoming teachers in ourSunday school. Three of our teenagers have volunteered to work as assistants when they are needed. Rosieand Ruth hope to put everyone to work in the weeks ahead. In June and July they plan to offer more trainingfor those who follow through with their commitment and stick with the on the job phase of their preparation tobecome full fledged teachers.


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JOHN & Ru t h Nav i sPleasant G r o v e C .O .C .4 7 1 3 Co u n t y Ro a d 1 4 0 SES t ewa r t v i l l e , MN 55976

Ga r y & Ro s i e F i n l e yC a l u m e t Street Ch r i s t i a n Church

2240 East C a l um e t StreetCen t r a l i a , IL 62801 - 6 5 12

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Friday, May 02,1997

As you are aware, we are in the process of constructing a building for the Piraporacongregation. By God's grace and through the generosity of His people we have been able toacquire land, obtain the necessary building permits, secure the services of a professionalarchitect/engineer, and begin construction.Our project involves three phases: 1)Our classroom wing is an "L" shaped building thatwill sit along side the main auditorium. It will eventually have two levels. Phase one of ourconstructionis the groundlevel of this building. It houses5 classroomsmeasuring 12'xl5 ' each.Men's and women's bathrooms, and a small kitchen. Initially, two of the classrooms will beleft without their dividingwall so that the larger roomcan serve as a temporaryauditoriumwhilephase two continues.2) The second phase of our project is the main auditorium. It will measure 30'x45' andwill comfortably seat 120 worshipers, with the ability to accommodate up to 180 on special

occasions.3) Phase three v ll be the completionof our classroomwing. The second floor will be arepetition of the groundfloor. When completed we will have a total of 10classrooms.

At the present time the rough walls for the ground floorof our classroom building areraised to ceiling height. We are working on the electrical, water and sanitary sewerinstallations. When those are finished we will cover the existing structure with a concreteceiling that will also serve as the floor for the second level. The money that we have on hand($1,650.00) will probablyget us 3/4of the way there. Once the ceiling is in place, wewill needto finish the floorswith a smoothcoat of cement, install windowsand doors and purchase tablesand chairs. At that point we will be able to start using the building!By the time this letter reaches you we will most likely be out of money. To keep ourconstructionmoving along we ask that you consider making an additional gift at this time. Sothat you can see how far your money goes, here are the prices for some of the materials mostused in this type of construction:

Bricks 150 each50;pound sackof cemeHit$3.5025 pounds of Iron (rebar) $10.00Cubic yarxi ofJimestone gravel $40.00


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C h r i s t FoR^S^ i au f s Ga r y a Ros iE F i n l ey

Ca l um e t Street Ch r i s t i a n Ch u r c h2 2 4 0 E a s t C a l um e t StreetCe n t r a u a , IL 62801 -651 2

Dear Friends,We havebeen weighing a difficult decision since the end of last year. In short,

we have decided to return to the US on August 12,1997.It would take a few dozen pages to tell you all the factors pro and con that wehave weighed. There is not "a" reason for our decision. Rather, it has been a

combination of factors. Three of the concerns which have most affected our decisionare; 1)ourmissionfmancial situation, 2) healthrelatedmatters,and3) family concerns.Before I comment on ourfinancial situation, allow me to express our heartfeltappreciationfor those ofyou who faithfully support thisministry financially. Many ofour individual supporters and severalsupporting congregations give in a way that canonly be called sacrificial.

Mission Finances; The d il emma we face is that we have not been able to attract asufficientnumberof new supporters to this work. Thus, for muchof the past three yearswe have been unable to maintain the level of incoming support necessary to meet ourmonthly budget. We have consistently runa negative balance at the end of themonth.All of our reserves have been depleted. We currently have a negative balance of-$3,000.00 in our mission general fund.Health Issues: Beyond financial considerations, we have been battling a number ofhealth problems related to our life in SSo Luis. Sgk) Luis is a difficult place to live, evenfor Brazilians from other parts of the country. Most people from S3o Paulo (or othercities in the industrialized south of Brazil) who are transferred here on business remainonly 2 or 3 years before requesting a new assignment.After 7 years the climate, neglected infrastructure (especially the roads),corruption, and lawlessness have taken their toll on us physically, emotionally andspiritually.Family Concerns: We carmot sharewithyou all of the details,but we also feel a needto be closer (geographically) to our immediate family in the US.

(Continued on back of page)


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More About Finances / Please Continue Your Support Through December 1997We have managed to meet current expenses over the past several months by

borrowing from our Furlough fund (money set aside for airfare and related expenses).That money now needs to be replaced in order to allow us to return home. Our sendingcongregation (Calumet Street Christian Church) has graciously agreed to loan us theamount necessary to purchase our tickets. We would like to repay the loan as quickly aspossible. If you could make a special contribution toward replacing our travel funds, itwotild be much appreciated.

Based on the experience of other missionaries who have returned to the US overthe last few years, we believe that it will take from 3 -6 months to get settled in a newministry.

We v^l l need at least 3 months to visit all the churches/individuals who supportour work. How long it will take to find a church where we can continue to serve God'speople is harder to calculate.

We ask that you continue your financial support through the end of the year. (Ofcourse, ifwe begin a new ministry sooner, we will ask you to discontinue your support atthat time.)

Beyond the year's end, we would like you to consider continuing to support thisministry financially in one of two ways:

1) Our building fund - we are about 3/4 finished with the shell of the bottom floor ofour classroom wing. This is phase one of our construction plans. Phase two is theauditorium. Phase three is the second floor of the classroom wing. When finished, wewill have 10 classrooms measuring about 12 x 15 feet and an auditoriummeasuring about30 X45 feet. The shell of phase one should be done by the time we retxun home. Wewill need to proceed with phase two slowly, as incoming support allows. Hopefully wecan begin by August. The pace of incoming support will detemiine how long it will taketo complete. Phase three will be on hold until later notice.2) Our Brazilian coworker Jamerson plans to study at Saint Louis Christian College in1998. He has been awarded a scholarship that will p ^ his tuition and board. He willneed some additional income to pay for books, clothing and meals on the weekends.The work in Sao Luis will continue under the leadership of John and Ruth Navis.

Thankfully, several church members have been trained to preach, teach and evangelize.We feel that we are leaving the work in capable hands.

Please pray for those who will carry on with the work here. Please pray that Godwill give us wisdom and guidance as we seek a new place ofministry in the US. If youare a supporter, please contact us to schedule a date for a visit so that we may bring anupdate on the progress of this work since our last furlough. Initially, we will bescheduling presentations for August 24 through October 12.

Thank you for the way that you have made this ministry possible by yoursacrificial giving and your constant prayers on our behalf

With much love and gratitude,

Gary & Rosie

Finley Gary Rosemarie 1997 Brazil

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