Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Decisions





Hello to all my Supporters!

I want to thank you all for all your prayers and encouraging messages you sent last month concerning the situation with the school. For those of you who are unaware, last month we had a problem with the location where we were having our classes. We had been having our classes at another school, renting a room from them. That school had some financial problems, and the owner of the building decided to close it. Therefore, we lost our space. We were hoping that we could make some arrangement directly with the building owner, but that also did not work out. I found a smaller school that allowed us to rent a room for the afternoon, so our kids class was able to continue. However, I had no other options for our evening classes, so for a week, we met in my house. I set up a make-shift classroom in my kitchen, but between the heat and the mosquitoes, it was miserable. I spent that week trying to find another place, but nothing materialized.
This situation was quickly becoming more than I could handle. I spoke with my leaders about what would be the next action to take, and regrettably, we decided that it would be best to close down all the classes for the time being. It was a difficult decision, but we do believe that it was the best under the circumstances.
We also decided that it would be best if I went back to Altamira for a time. I was there for a few weeks, and just recently came back to Portel to take care of a few things. I will be leaving again at the end of this week to spend another few weeks in Altamira. I plan to use this week here in Portel to continue looking for a place for our school with the hopes that we can reopen again next semester. Please, pray that I am successful.
On a good note, my time in Altamira has been enjoyable. Ronã and I have been spending a lot of time together, which has been great (except that he eats all my cookies!!...lol) I had the privilege of helping Steve Dolan (another missionary) paint his house! I wanted to make sure I was still busy there. I was also able to help Art and Cyndi Rae with their Living Waters group one night.
This distance from my work in Portel has made it even more clear to me how, despite much difficultly, I very much want to move forward with everything I am doing there. I love our church. I love the English school. I love my small group. All these things are purposes that God has made for me. I long to keep watching them grow and develop as God uses us to bring about his Kingdom here on the Earth.
Again, thank you all so much for your prayers, and I ask that you continue to pray for our school and God’s plans for it’s future. Pray against any way in which the enemy is trying to impede the work of the Lord.
And I also pray for you. I pray that the hand of God hovers over you. I pray that you know him in a deeper and more profound way. I pray that you experience his protection and provision in every area of your life. Don’t give up hope, and don’t become weary in doing good. We endure so much suffering here on this Earth, but we will spend an eternity surrounded by the blessings of our God.

Love Always,
Allison