Strong Castel

"In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness. Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue: be my strong castle, fortress of defense to save me. Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name, you lead and guide me. " Psalm 31: 1-3

Last week I visited the Moorish Castle, one of the historic points of Sintra. Located in one of the highest points of the region, the ruins of the castle, a fortress of refuge, give us the feeling of being back in time.

To Imagine the people who lived there, and the situations that they spent, brings to the heart a nostalgic feeling and at the same time, security and privilege.

There, in the highest tower of the castle, there was a card that had a very interesting fact about the glorious days of that fortress. The history tells that once a year, on the top of that tower, was lit a big fire for the people of the Village of Cascais, which stood for nearly 20 kilometers away, with the intent to show them that any time, under any attack, they would have in that place : shelter, refuge and protection.

As I prayed, looking at the ruins, I praised the Lord because He is my refuge and I can feel sheltered and safe on Him, protected by His mercy and grace. I praised the Lord Jesus because I can find peace and security in a “Castle” that will never be taken or put down, never will become a ruin, but rather, is Eternal, and worthy of all honor and glory.

We have many reasons to be grateful to the Lord. One is the simple fact that we can share our faith with those around us. I know that He has provided these situations where in a natural, clear and powerful way, we have shown this wonderful Jesus, Savior and Lord of our lives, that has sustained and driven us at all times.

To have the opportunity to speak to people from Portugual, Brazil, Angola, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Bolivia and many others who we do not even know what country they came from, has been a great gift.

Sometimes we let ourselves be discouraged by the “alleged” defeats suffered in the world that we live in and not realize that the Lord is doing wonderful things very close to us and, often, through us.

So, it is easy to see that He is the Lord and we, instruments in His hands, need to depend more and more of His will and purpose, and for mercy, rest in His protection.

Goodbye.

One morning at a time ...

"It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning. Great is Thy Faithfulness."
Lamentations 3:22-23

This sure has been a great blessing in our lives here in Portugal.

We have learned a lot from each dawn .... indeed, from every moment that we have lived here. Look at the sun to rise on the horizon, among the buildings and houses, bring us the confidence that only "the mercies of the Lord" kepp us standing to glorify Him with our lives in every situation that we will have throughout the day. This is very good!

Last week was very full and we thank the Lord for it.

On Thursday, we completed the 1st month of classes at the "Be an approved worker" course. I have been the instructor of this course, serving the PBI (Portuguese Bible Institute) in one of the modules for distance education. It is a class with 25 students from different churches and nationalities.

Earlier, on Tuesday, was the 1st class of the subject of Hermeneutics, that I will be leading at the School of the Bible. The School works in the Baptist Church of Cascais. There are 12 students who are completing the module I in December and 5 or 6 attending to isolated subjects. Module II is now scheduled to begin in next January.

To teach, to share with these brothers what the Lord has taught me, has been a great gift for my life. It is a great privilege to participate in the growth of these "servants" who want to be prepared to show Jesus through their lives and ministries. Thank you Lord!

Erick, our oldest son, was ranked to the Superior School of Mechanical Engineering, located in Setubal. So, on Friday, we went there to ask for the details of registration and also know the place that is something like 80 km  far from here. He is very excited for this new step in his life. University is not easy ... pray for him.

On Saturday we went to the Poets Park in Oeiras, where we had a very nice time with the families of Pastor Alex and Pastor Luis. A beautiful place that allowed us a good conversation and time together.

Today we begin a new week. . . as family we keep going in the certainty that the Lord has sustained and blessed us. . . as servants who seek to please their Lord, we are still in the dependence of the Holy Spirit to do so.

This way we hope, one morning at a time, glorify the Lord in every moment of our lives.

See you later.

We start here ...

Hello everybody.

May the Grace, Peace and infinite Mercy of the Lord Jesus be with you, wherever you are.

We hope, through this blog, to share with you a little of what we have lived these days and, this way, shorten the distance that separates us geographically.

Portugal has been our home. A beautiful country with great history and a people who teach us, in many ways, the cultural differences that we are learning. We are out of our Brazil since May 2008. 1 year and 4 months. It doesn't seems so long, at the same time it seems an eternity. After spending 1 year and 2 months in Braga in the north, we are now in the region of Lisbon, near Sintra and Cascais.

We have been blessed by the Lord through the churches that have welcomed and loved us. This happened in the Evangelical Baptist Church of Central Braga, where we let beloved brethren that profoundly marked us with their tenderness and care, and is no different here at the Evangelical Baptist Church of Lisbon, where we were received with great respect and love.

The simple truth is: As servants of the Lord Jesus, called to show His love for all the Nations, despite all the differences, difficulties and struggles, He has taken care of us.

As a sailing boat, we have been expecting, day by day, for the "wind" that leads us in His purpose and will.

As I said ... is only the beginning.

See you soon.

PS . Sorry about the grammar mistakes ... help me with the corrections. Thanks.