Jean and Darrel
July 9, 2010
Dear Praying Friends,
May and June were busy as we prepared to be gone for three months. People prayed and gave gifts and offered air miles which didn’t work, while the travel prices got higher and higher. Finally we decided that it was too expensive and postponed our trip to next March.
Our “God’s Story” project to teach religion in the Public schools is going very well. We have 700 children in three schools watching the video, singing the songs and memorizing the verses. Pray that God will prepare their hearts to accept Christ.
Here in Juazeiro, we have just finished the Junina Festivals with lots of loud music, fireworks and bonfires filling the streets. The people say that the fires represent the bonfire that Elizabeth lit to tell Mary that John was born. However the historical version has the traditional Church attempting to turn a pagan festival, celebrating the summer solstice, into a Christian celebration. So the Church chose June, the old summer solstice, to celebrate John’s birthday and six months later, December 25th, the old winter solstice, to celebrate Jesus’ birthday.
Monday evening Jean zigzagged her way between bonfires as she drove, picking up several ladies for their meeting at one of the homes near União Baptist Church. The tiny living room was full. Both door and window were open. The meeting was punctuated with firecracker explosions. Since they were in the middle of the festivities, the smoke got thick. One lady began to have breathing problems so they turned the fan on her blowing the smoke back out into the street! The women all said they had a great time.
What about the bonfires? They go back to Nimrod and Moloch. Back then children were thrown in the fire as a sacrifice. Israel’s children were forbidden to pass through the fire. Today it’s not common, but sometimes a child is thrown across the fire…all in jest with no idea of its horrible past significance.
July 1st we started a signing class to train deaf workers. They will receive a certificate for 120 hours of classes and practical work. With this they can start a deaf program in their church and even become an interpreter in the public schools.
Thank you for praying!
Darrel and Jean
