Thanksgiving in Amboro National Park

While Jeanie was in the U.S. with our new grandson, Cooper, Andrew and I spent Thanksgiving weekend at a remote camp in Amboro National Park. It was two hours in by 4x4 and then two hours hiking each day to get to some spectacular spots: first a beautiful natural pool and then the next day up to a waterfall. Here's a video of what we did and where we went.

You'll see another kid in the pictures. He is our guide, Mario. I called him Surefoot because while Andrew and I were slipping and sliding on the muddy trails, he never slipped once and he wore flip flops.

Blessings,
Ron

Just call me "Lucky"

Three years ago we bought our house outside of Santa Cruz from some other missionaries who were returning to the U.S. In addition to buying the house, we agreed to keep the security system and the monthly maintenance charge. By that I mean the german shepherd, Jazz, and his considerable appetite for dog food. He had a scary reputation here in the neighborhood that has kept the house safe for many years.

Jazz was older when we got him, and reached the point this week that I thought he might be on the downhill slide. He had a baseball size tumor on his abdomen, an oozing swollen infection on the elbow of his front leg, and he's almost blind-though he gets around the yard he has lived in his whole life just fine. I took him in to the vet for an "estimate". When I called back, Dr. Ximena told me that although he is old, he isn't ready to die. So he stayed at the hospital for a couple of nights, had surgery to remove the tumor, the infection was treated and he was ready to come home. He hopped out of the car when we got home so excited to be here.

I think we have our "security system" for a while yet.

A New Grandson!

I am about 10 days late with the announcement, but we are the proud grandparents of a new grandson! Cooper Andrew Hanks was born to Sarah and Dustin in Washington, D.C. on November 20. He weighed 9 pounds.

Jeanie arrived a couple of days later to help out and she is in Grandma heaven!

Trip to Cidade de Embu

Wow, it's hard to believe our week in Brazil is over! Saturday morning our Brazilian staff took us to an artisan village called Cidade de Embu, which has as its centerpiece a Jesuit church dating from the 1600's. It had beautiful woodwork and furniture, paintings, porcelain, textiles, leatherwork and ceramics. It was amazing just walking through block after block of quaint shops.

Thanks to Ralph and Mary, Gary, Mark, Doug and Jackie, Rosemary, Clifford, Jim, Dan, Janelle, and Dale for investing a week to see a little of what God is doing in Brazil. We hope your memories will stay with you. We appreciate you. Que Deus te Abencoe Sempre!

Ron

Faith REALLY DOES come by hearing

Friday afternoon we met with our JESUS Film staff in Sao Paulo. It was exciting to hear their vision for expanding the ministry from 7 to 27 cities in the coming years. The movement is truly nationalized. I am so encouraged by their lives and by their burden to connect lost Brazilians to Jesus.


In the evening the Sao Paulo team organized an outreach event that our team attended. Jim Green the Executive Director of the JESUS Film was the speaker. As he shared the love of Christ, several people made life-changing commitments to follow Jesus. Two guys from our team, Mark and Ralph, shared what it has meant to them to be followers of Jesus.

One of the guys who attended was a taxi driver named Edson. A year ago, one of our ministry partners, Phil Kenney from Faith Comes by Hearing rode in Edson's cab and gave him a set of CD's with the complete audio New Testament. Edson told us how he had listened through the set four times! The most astounding thing to me is that he didn't commit his life to Christ until after he had listened through three times to the entire New Testament. He is now in a discipleship group.

Below is a photo of Edson sharing his story with Jim Green of the JESUS Film.

Brazilian youth at the Crossroads

Friday morning we left Sao Paulo to go out to the small town of Sumare to see our JESUS Film Crossroads strategy in action. Crossroads reaches into public schools with a message of hope about HIV/Aids and Christian values that will last a lifetime. We visited a ninth grade classroom.

The lesson was taught by Edson, one of our CCC staff guys, and his wife. It included a great story that involved volunteer student actors acting out a skit that taught about unseen/unknown dangers that may lie in our path. It was very moving to see how engaged the kids were and how effective our staff was. My friend Janelle Searles, a photographer with the JESUS film got these shots.

Blessings,
Ron

Sertão

We went out on Wednesday to the town of Esperanca in the Sertão region of Brazil to meet Pastor Bruno. He has planted 36 churches in the region using the JESUS Film! As a part of their follow up, they use the Proclaimer listening device. It has the dramatized New Testament on a memory chip and has a sound system that can fill a small room.
We met a lady who has planted a new small group Bible study using the Proclaimer. Here is a photo in front of the house they meet in. Later that evening we went back to see the group in action. There were about 10 people, men and women who gathered to grow in their faith as they listened to God's word.




While we were there I met a young man, 23, named Luziano. He works in the local rock breaking trade (for roads), a labor intensive, back breaking job. He injured is leg in a motorcycle accident and will be off the job for at least 8 more months. No job, no income. We prayed for him and he was part of the listening group later in the evening.

Farther up the road we stopped in a small town and visited with some of the locals. I talked to this group of men in my broken Portuguese. They laughed when I asked if they were local older gentlemen's club. There was a 91 year old man inside the house that came out to "meet an American". A small group gathered around us and when we told them what we were doing they asked us to stay and show the JESUS Film right there. Because we were showing the film in another location that day, we promised that the local team would come back soon to show the film.

When we did show the film later that evening, I got this shot of a boy who was transfixed by the Story of JESUS for children.

Visit to Castanhal

Yesterday we went to the town of Castanhal where we got to hear the story of Pastors Aldenor, Luis Fernando, and Fernando. About six years ago they showed the JESUS Film in a neighborhood. Of the 100 people present, 68 indicated that they wanted to become followers of JESUS. God has built a church around these precious folks. Here is a photo of some of them in front of the new church that is under construction, but already in use:

Later we went to a new neighborhood to work with another local church that was showing the JESUS Film in a neighborhood for the first time. There were 142 people who came out for the film. At the end 86 children and 16 adults prayed and received Christ.

I got to talk with one 36 year old man who raised his hand when they asked who had prayed to received Christ. We had shared popcorn during the movie. I don't think I have ever seen a more serious, thoughtful decision to follow Jesus. I gave him an illustrated version (like a comic book) of the New Testament. (that's him in front)

Up the Amazon

I am in Brazil this week with a great group of leaders and friends of the JESUS Film movement from the U.S. Yesterday with went with one of our partnering missionaries to visit river villages on the Amazon.

We left Belem on a small bus met up with the Brazilian missionary and set out in his boat. We had to walk along a series of logs to get down to the water, then step through a small river boat and up into the bigger boat. How to describe the boat... Have you been on the Jungle Cruise at Disney? Let's say Walt got it about right.

We landed at a small island that can only be reached by boat and met two families that have become followers of Jesus. They are learning more about Him as they listen through the New Testament on the Proclaimer.

In the afternoon and evening we went to another island and a town of about 2000 people who desperately need the Lord. The adult population (say 16 years and up) was about 80% drinking and/or already drunk. Very sad. We showed the JESUS Film to 44 precious children. 34 prayed to receive JESUS. He is really their only hope.

Today we'll meet with a group of pastors in Belem who are planting churches throughout the region.

Blessings,
Ron