February 2006

Friends,

So much has transpired since we last wrote. Here’s a sampling of the joys and challenges we’ve faced over the previous months.

Hightlights

Tim gave keynote addresses at two important mission conferences, each one with some 2,000 participants. The first was a regional conference of Pentecostals in northeast Brazil, and the second was a nationwide mission congress held every few years. Enthusiasm continues, and the good news is that Brazilians continue to grow in their commitment in world mission. Over the last 30 years, Brazilian Protestants have tripled in number to a total of 25 million. Even more remarkable is the growth over the last twenty years of Brazilian missionaries in other cultures, which has increased tenfold to the current number of 3,200! We are simply elated to be a part of this movement.

Beyond that, Tim’s new book in Portuguese on the missionary vision of the Bible just came out a few months ago. He also helped successfully mentor his successor at the Mission Training Center to complete her doctorate from Asian Graduate School of Theology. She’s a Brazilian woman who was a missionary in Angola for 10 years. And Tim wrote a theological paper, widely applauded at the General Assembly of the Independent Presbyterian Church of Brazil, that will form the missional base for this denomination’s reform of their three seminaries and mission training centers. Those are Tim's highlights.

Besides Marta's regular activities—teaching and assisting in the administration of the mission training center—Marta traveled translated for a group from PC(USA) congregations who visited mission fields along the Amazon and in northeast Brazil, both locations over 2,000 miles away.

Stories

Rodolfo was a middle-aged alcoholic our students persuaded to come off the streets of Florianópolis and welcomed into our local church. Although he had been chemically dependent for years, through much love and care and God’s grace, Rodolfo managed to stay sober most of the last four years. Sometimes Rodolfo would “disappear,” and he would be found once again in the gutters of our city.

Alinária

Alinária’s mother was the leading Spiritist mother in the whole state. Politicians, artists, and business executives were among her many clients who came to consult the spirits. She was aging, and Alinária was to eventually take her mother’s place. Except that Alinária began to frequent Bible studies at our church, and she courageously gave her life to Christ over a year ago.

But Alinária had asked us to speak at her mother’s funeral, and we were graciously received by all, mostly relatives and most intimate friends! The gospel was preached with clarity and grace, and now Alinária’s husband is often seen in worship with Alinária.

Recently Tim was invited to teach a series on the Sermon on the Mount to a group of professional women, mostly unchurched, who met weekly in one of our church-member’s homes. Over the weeks, they were challenged to live their lives by the radical principles Jesus laid down so long ago. The reception was enthusiastic, and one woman, a psychologist, decided that these principles could be invaluable to her profession as well as her personal life.

Some of these “stories” are yet to be completed, but it is gratifying in retrospect to see God’s loving hand at work in so many ways and through the lives of our students.

Tim Carriker

The 2006 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 45