Dear Praying Friends and Supporting Churches,

I am thankful for your continued interest in the Lord’s work here in Belém do Pará, Brasil.  We passed from 2025 to 2026 quietly at home.  Last year we saw slow steady progress in the work, and I anticipate seeing God’s hand in the coming year.  I did not accomplish some of the things I set out to do last year.  Some have been discarded, some have been pushed back, while others I am working and praying towards.  I am thankful for the grace of God that allows anything of lasting value to be accomplished and trust there will be lasting fruit from the work that has been done.

We have seen several developments in the work over the past month that I believe call for special attention in prayer.  The young man that we started the English Bible study around asked a serious question about the need for him to be “rebaptized” in order to join our church.  This opened the door to have a very direct conversation and careful examination of the scriptures relating to the necessity of proper authority for baptism to be administered biblically.  He is praying about how to respond to the teaching.

The man that comes to our home for Bible study is showing some signs of growth.  He is now actively reading the Bible on his own and excited to discover he can understand what he is reading (He has started in Genesis).  This is an answer to prayer.  He has also started reading The Trail of Blood and has asked good questions.  I gave him the book several months ago in connection with a conversation we were having.  I encouraged him to read it and review the Portuguese so I would know if the translation was clear.  I followed up a couple of times, but he had not started reading it.  I was pleasantly surprised when during our last Bible study, he mentioned that he had started reading it. 

The young lady that Brenda is studying the Bible with expressed interest in participating in our literature distribution.  She has come with us two of the last three weeks.  She remains faithful to meet with Brenda, but it seems that her family is becoming more connected to a group that is doctrinally unsound.  She has been challenged by the truth of the Eternal Security of the Believer.

Thank you for remembering these people in your prayers for the work here.  Please remember to pray for our regular Bible studies and literature outreaches.  May the Lord richly bless you in His work.

For the Glory of God,

Chris Bell

 

Brenda’s Bailiwick

One of the consequences of the Bell Academy’s “extra” October break is that we aren’t yet done with our first semester, and one of the consequences of that is that Sarah and Caleb, along with their video Bible classes, are still singing “Christmas” hymns in mid-January. It has been a good reminder to me that the Incarnation–just like the Resurrection—is worth celebrating all year long. There’s no “bleak midwinter” in Belém (Hallelujah), but there is a dear Savior—Hallelujah for real!

Thank you for your generous Christmas gifts! We had a serene Christmas together, although missing Elijah. The holiday “season” always makes me especially grateful for the gift of virtually (heh) instant international communication, which allowed us to video chat with many loved ones.

Sarah is looking seriously at colleges and praying about the future.  In her sparse spare time, she continues to crochet with rapidity and verve. I think her most recent project was a “caticorn.” (Quotation marks are definitely the motif of this month’s bailiwick.)  Caleb is writing regularly, and they have both been enjoying a Christmas infusion of new books. Elijah begins his junior year (“!”) next week. As always, thank you for praying for them!

About 4 years and 2 houses ago, we interacted for several months with a woman I’ll call Claudia.  She was living on the street and had multiple challenges, some self-inflicted, but all real. Not least, she doesn’t know how to read. We tried to help both physically and spiritually but ended up losing touch with her.  Last week, while stopped at a traffic light, I looked up and there she was, so I pulled over to visit with her.  She seemed to be doing marginally better and said she’s living in a different city now and just visiting.  I gave her our contact number, but realistically, it’s unlikely she’ll be able to use it. I was thankful that she is alive; would you please pray for her? (Some of you may be STILL praying from previous mention.) I will probably never be able to give you the end of the story, but some day we will know.

Finally, my eldest brother-in-law was hospitalized last Friday and is seriously ill; simultaneously, my eldest sister (his wife) is facing substantial health problems of her own. I thank God for my middle sister and brother-in-law, who are doing all they can to help. I would really appreciate your prayers for all of them.

Gratefully,

Brenda