Thank you all for taking the time to read our report.  Please let me know if you have any prayer requests that we can remember in our prayers.

Dear Praying Friends and Supporting Churches,

I thank the Lord for you, when I think of your faithful prayers and support for the Lord’s work here in Belém.  Each of you are a blessing to our family.  Another month has come and gone, and we are privileged to be here working with the Lord to reach the lost with the gospel and lay the groundwork for establishing churches in the city of Belém.

Last month I reported the beginning of a Bible study with one of my acquaintances.  I predicted that I would know how committed he was to continuing the studies by whether he continued to come at the scheduled times.  Although he has missed or rescheduled once or twice, I am glad to report that we have met to study the Bible several times over the past month.  I believe that a decently stable routine has developed.  He is seeing from the Bible how Christ alone can bring us into a right relationship with God through His gospel work.  He is very close to making a decision with this information.  Please pray for the Holy Spirit to convict him of his need of Christ’s imputed righteousness through faith.

I am always trying to be aware of open doors to further the Lord’s work here.  Recently Aaron has been introduced to a woman that may be interested in being part of beginning a church in her area of town.  She lives in Ananindeua (the closest city to Belém).  There are a few sound Baptist churches in the city, but it is our understanding that she is not near any of them.  We are planning to meet with her this Saturday (May 18^th) to get a better idea of what can be done.  Please pray for wisdom and God’s leading in this situation.

We are continuing to prepare for the outreach this summer.  I have made some changes to the website but still have quite a bit of work to do before it is ready.  Aaron designed four different cards that will correspond to four pages on our website.  They have been sent to the printer.  We ordered 10,000 of each card.  We are also working on content for the following up on new contacts from the outreaches.  I have been using the concepts found in Bro. Lester Hutson’s Basic Bible Truths in my weekly Bible study.  Thankfully the book had been translated into Portuguese in the past, but I have found some places where revisions would make the meaning clearer.  Brenda and I, with Bro. Hutson’s permission, have started the process of editing the Portuguese text with the hope of being able to use it in training others to share the gospel.

The Bell family academy is almost on summer vacation.  Please pray as we transition into a summer routine.  There is always much work to do, and summer always goes by faster than expected.  May the Lord bless you in His work.

For the Glory of God,

Chris Bell

Brenda’s Bailiwick

The afternoon rain here in Belém is providing a bit of relief from the heat, but in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, heavy rains have brought catastrophic flooding–again. With so many catastrophes to choose from, I am not sure how much international press this one has received, but I wanted to mention it, not least because if I ask you to pray for them, then I am duty bound to do so as well.

And just like that, Elijah has finished his first semester of college. Thank you for your prayers for him. It was a learning experience in more ways than one. Currently, he is on a scuba-diving adventure with his granddad. Although newly certified, I am sure he will perform well under pressure…sorry, I probably should have let that one swim by.

Sarah and Caleb have one more week of school. They are hanging in there more or less valiantly but are ready to be DONE. I, on the other hand, am wondering whatever I shall do with my free time—currently wavering between writing a book and mopping all the floors weekly. Stay tuned!

Our landlord, for whom many of you prayed, seems to be doing well. He told me that he was going to have some diagnostic tests done, but I have not heard anything more. I need to take out the trash more often, as that is when I sometimes have a chance to chat with him or his wife.

E, the lady who is a Jehovah’s Witness, has not been back in touch. I plan to invite her for coffee soon; I need to make the time. You wouldn’t think that an hour of physical therapy 5 days a week would have much impact on our schedule, but it surprisingly does. That brings up another person I would ask you to pray for—Sarah’s physical therapist, Protásio. She is the same person that we used last year. I shared a tract and our “Have you taken the test?” card (which takes you to the outreach website) with her last time but am praying for additional opportunities.

As Chris mentioned, we are so thankful that M has been coming regularly for Bible studies. Please, pray fervently for him!

Sometimes I feel a bit apologetic about filling this space with so many “Please-pray-fors,” especially as I am often unable to share the outcome of your prayers. But then I remember that it isn’t called a prayer letter for nothing, and that someday, you will not only be apprised of the results (I am fairly certain), but also rewarded for your faithfulness (I am positive).

 In the meantime, thank you so much for reading and for praying!

In Christ,

Brenda

Prayer Requests:

– Preparation of hearts in Belém to receive the Gospel – Following up with Contacts

– Language Acquisition – Outreach Efforts – Bell Academy