Restore Brazil Year-End Summary

YEAR-END UPDATE

Consider a Year-End Contribution
to Restore Brazil

As most of you know, contributions for 2009 given prior to December 31 will be reflected in your tax-deductible giving for 2009. Therefore, now is a great time to consider a special year-end gift to Restore Brazil. For some of you, this is a great time to catch up with your pledges for this year.

We are so grateful for all of our Restore Brazil partners for your faithfulness and investment in this Gospel ministry. Your gifts are helping us make a huge difference.

Summary of 2009

We've been on the ground for three months. Here's a very high-level overview of what has taken place...

- Jay & Lu took the bold step of faith to move to Brazil, raise resources to become missionaries, and start Restore Brazil
- We started our Restore Brazil monthly network and training meetings, where we are equipping 15 pastors and church planters, seeing a great Hunger for the Gospel and for theological development.
- We are identifying many potential church planters. Jay has been ministering and preaching at several church plants and core groups throughout the fall.
- We will be adding to our team. We are in plans to receive 3 short-term mission teams in the year 2010, as well as one couple for a medium-term mission of six months.
- We have been working with Rio de Paz in the prisons and in the favelas (slums). Our work in the prisons has resulted in media coverage (with Al Jazeera) and political impact (release of 600 men from one prison), as we confront human rights abuses.
- Our sister organization Rio de Paz was recently granted association status with the United Nations. Rio de Paz is a contra-violence organization. I have been asked to serve as an English-speaking representative to the UN in the future, as needed.
- We are continuing our plans to plant churches in the poorest areas of Brazil. We have already identified a pastor, resources, and a site for our first church plant in City of God.
- We are developing relationships with Brazilian church planting networks to help advance the Gospel.
- We have seen partner ministries emerging in both Brazil and the United States (Desiring God Int'l Outreach, Tempo Colheto, Acts 29, Editoria Fiel).

Plans for 2010

We have many exciting plans for 2010, but will save them for our next newsletter. Thanks for reading and for your partnership in the Gospel. Happy New Year!

Serving in Christ,
Jay & Lu