SOUTH AMERICAN FOREIGN MISSIONS
Rev Raul and Janice Alvear
PO Box 797, Jonesville, LA 71343
CP 204, Maceio, Alagoas, Brazil, South America 57020-970
bisporaul@uol.com.br janalvear@aol.com
“We thank God for our every remembrance of you …”
We send sweetest greetings to you noble friends in the precious name of Jesus. We hope this finds you all well and enjoying the rich blessings of our Lord. I thought of the song, below, as we traveled thousands of miles, since returning to Brazil, and over the 7000 kilometers we recently traveled by car… not including the air travel.
“He leads us on by paths we do not know- Upward He leads us, though our steps be slow,
Though oft we faint and falter on the way- Though storms and darkness oft obscure the day,
Yet when the clouds are gone- We know He leads us on.
He leads us on through all the unquiet years- Past all hopes, doubts, and fears,
He guides our steps, through all the tangled maze- Of losses, sorrows and o’er clouded days:
We know His will is done- And still He leads us on.”
- N.L. Zinzendorf
We wanted to write a special note to thank you for your prayers and all the support you have sent our way. We are extremely grateful for friends like you; who have clothed us in prayer, as we work on the mission field.
Remarkable, there are still many people around this world that have not yet heard the beautiful name of Jesus. Nor heard the freedom He offers through a life surrendered to Him. The Bible tells us in
Luke 19:10, “For the Son of man [came] to seek and to save that which was lost.”
In Brazil the Bible translators just informed me last month that we now have 342 Indian tribes in Brazil alone. Only 4 of the 342 tribes have both New and Old Testament Bibles in their language and 32 have the New Testament. We spent an afternoon with a missionary that has worked, thus far, 20 years among the Indians. Our son Arlei works in this same Indian region, called Barra do Corda. To the right, is a picture of the first Bible in the Guajajara Indian dialect. It took 38 years to translate- a lifetime! Oh, how blessed we are to have a Bible that we may know Him…
Our ministry of late has taken on a new phase. We have decided to divide our time into three specific areas of Brazil. However to live in hotels, even the cheapest, results in a vast amount of monies spent. Rev. Raul Alvear Jr. recently moved into a bigger home and has given us a tiny apartment, where they previously lived. We are thankful, nonetheless we are in need of furniture. Having this apartment makes it possible for us to stay and work among the churches in São Paulo and Minas Gerais. It would be our headquarters while laboring in the surrounding areas. We obviously will need to keep our home in Maceió, as it is our base to work among the churches in the North East of Brazil. Many of you may not be able to help to us during this project, but if anyone would feel on your heart to support our efforts in Brazil we would be deeply appreciative. We currently have a borrowed stove, refrigerator, and a few other borrowed necessities. I would be beyond thankful to own a washer and dryer if God would touch a heart to bless our home in this venture.
The Brazilian ‘s in our work are, more than ever, very glad that we will be “mobile missionaries.” Conversely when we were younger we slept many nights in our car at gas stations or wherever we could find a place to lay our heads. On the other hand as we have aged our health seems to need a base during our travels away from our home in Maceió. We know we are in the “golden years” but it’s still our greatest desire to give and go until He calls us up higher. Missions is who we are- what we love from the deepest places in our hearts.
The challenges on the mission field may be great, but greater are the rewards of bringing a soul closer to God and showing them the way to Heaven.
Thank you once again for your prayers, love, and supporting our burden. May God Bless You!
“He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.”
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2 Corinthians 5: 15
Your Missionary Friends in Brazil,
Bro. and Sis. Raul Alvear Sr. and Family
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