By bev
January/February, 2012
Dear Prayer Team,
SPECIAL MEETINGS
We are writing this from Wilson, KS where we just had wonderful meetings here at First Baptist Church. Our next trek out west has just begun and ask that you pray as we head over the Rockies this coming week. Our request is for safety and good weather. Pray also for our speaking engagements that God would go before us and prepare people’s hearts. Our total time on the road this time is 41 days and we will be in 11 States. Upon our arrival at home in Iowa on March 1st, we will have 7 days to pack up before we get on the plane and head to Brazil on March 8th! Continue to pray with us regarding these busy days that most of all God would use us to reach souls and edify believers for His glory.
SPECIAL MINISTRY
During the month of December, it was our pleasure to be able to be involved in the Rise Up (special needs) ministry at Saylorville Baptist Church. We praise the Lord for allowing us to be used in this way, and what a joy it was to see new faces at the special Christmas event. It was great to be involved in this awesome ministry that reaches out not only to those who have special needs, but also to their caregivers. Pray with us that God would continue to bless the Rise Up ministry.
SPECIAL CELEBRATION
The Lord has allowed us to stay in touch with the congregation at Sao Pedro where we plan to continue ministering. The anniversary celebration is planned for March 10th, one day after our arrival in Brazil, and John has been asked to speak. He is so excited to be able to jump right back into the work! Pray for strength as he preaches that many Brazilian lives would be touched.
SPECIAL BOY
John also heard from one of his favorite little boys from the work in Sao Pedro. His name is “Paulinho,” an ornery little kid (pictured below), who hardly ever misses church. His story is quite sad, as the last we heard, both of his parents were in jail, and one of the ladies of the church took him in so that he wouldn’t be on the street. Even though he always seems to find some type of mischief to get into, he loves to come to church. We are praying that some day God would use him in a mighty way. Paulinho still has not made his decision for salvation, so please pray that soon he would take this important step of faith.
Thank you again for your prayers! We appreciate each one of you!
Sincerely in Christ,
John and Bev Leonard
By bev
Christmas, 2011
“And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger;
because there was no room for them in the inn.”
Luke 2:7
Our hearts rejoice that even though our Savior, Jesus Christ was turned down by the innkeeper before He arrived on this earth, He is doing just the opposite today. He is inviting each person to come to Him, and we know that there is always room for more in His kingdom (John 14:2).
Furlough Since January, we have been here in the States spending most of our time traveling around to our supporting churches and individuals up-dating them on the work in Brazil. Once again, we have been encouraged to see salvation of souls and we would like to tell you about one of our most recent experiences. In October, we had the privilege of speaking at a hay-ride in Williamsburg, IA. (They even used a skid-loader to lift John up wheelchair and all onto the hay trailer!!). What a joy it was to witness the salvation of at least three individuals as a result of this ministry. How grateful we are that there is much room in God’s kingdom for those who desire to accept Him as their personal Savior.
Family It has been a busy year for our family! Joshua stayed behind when we came to the States and he continues to be involved in the Lord’s work in Brazil. He enjoys teaching English at Medford Business School and is a good witness to anyone with whom he comes in contact. Jerrod graduated in May from Faith Baptist Bible College and one week later married Alyssa, a pastor’s daughter from Normal, IL. Jerrod is currently serving the Lord as Children’s Ministries Director at Calvary Baptist Church in Greenville, MI. Jonna has completed the first phase of her nursing degree and is studying at FBBC. She is dating Tim O’Toole, who is also at Faith, and is interested in serving the Lord as a missionary someday. Jeanne graduated from high school in May and has begun her elementary education degree at Des Moines Area Community College. She is also enjoying working at TJMaxx, and has done well at adapting to the American culture. Please remember our family in prayer so that we would continue to faithfully share Christ with others and see more people enter into God’s kingdom.
Future Even though we are planning to head back to the mission field of Brazil for four more years to serve the Lord alone, we are excited to see what God will do in and through us. Our children have been a vital part of our ministry for all these years, and they will most certainly be missed. But we are reminded time and time again how God uses our “weaknesses” to show His strength in our lives. Our last furlough meeting is on February 26, 2012. One more long trip is planned out west (western Kansas, Colorado, Nevada, California, and Arizona) to minister and report to supporters, so please be in prayer for this journey. God has been so gracious to us this year as we have not had to miss any commitments because of health, car trouble or any other reason! How grateful we are to our Savior for His goodness and we thank you for your prayers, which have sustained us. We continue hearing good reports from the work in Sao Pedro, Brazil, where we plan to spend our next term. There is still room for more to accept Jesus as Savior in that needy city, and that is why we are so excited to get back!
Festivities This year for the festivities our plans are to attend church and to be with our family. We are “making room” for time to spend with our Lord and with our family—the dearest things we have here on the earth. Are you doing the same, dear friend? May this be the year that you enter into God’s plan by receiving Christ as Savior, or that you will help others know that there is much room in His kingdom for everyone!
Sincerely in Christ,
John and Bev Leonard
By bev
Being confident of this very thing, that he who hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.
Phil 1:6
Dear Prayer Team, June, 2011
What a joy it has been to see God work in recent days…let us share with you only a few of His blessings and “good works” that are spoken of in Philippians 1:6.
May was a month filled with meetings in the churches and also special family events. May 6th was the date of our son Jerrod’s and his fiance, Alyssa’s graduation from Faith Baptist Bible College. Also on that day, we had the surprising honor of receiving the FBBC Foreign Missionary Alumni of the year award. The next weekend (May 14th) was Jerrod and Alyssa Barth’s wedding in Normal, IL, in which John helped officiate along with Alyssa’s dad, Mel Barth (also a pastor).The following weekend,(May 21st) we held a high school graduation reception for our youngest daughter, Jeanne, here in our home in Ankeny, IA.
In June, our travels on the weekend and speaking opportunities during the week have continued along with hearing of several who have received Christ as Savior. Our neighbor, Mike, was saved at the beginning of June. Our son, Jerrod,and his wife Alyssa, who are spending the summer at a camp in Michigan, also witnessed the salvation of 5 adolescents at one of the recent Junior weeks. Jonna left last week to help out for 8 weeks counselling at a camp in Wisconsin, and is looking forward to making a lasting spiritual impact in the lives of those kids. One of her goals is to be able to lead at least one soul to Christ. She also has plans to attend Faith Baptist Bible College in the fall continuing her missionary-nursing degree. Jeanne recently invited an unsaved neighbor to attend a newly formed Bible study group. Even though she (Lindsay) accepted the invitation, she was not able to make it, but has promised to try to be there next week. Our oldest son, Josh, continues to be used of God in Brazil. Just last night, his friend, Enrique, whom he met on the bus and invited to church, accepted Christ as Savior (along with three others) after the evening service! Our hearts truly rejoice with the way God has used our family to reach out to others who need Him.
We continually hear “good news” from ”Good News Baptist Congregation” our current work in Sao Pedro, Brazil, Seven were recently baptized and the construction of the church building has continued in our absence!! What a thrill to hear how God has been working.
In July we will be making a long trip out east, and would greatly appreciate your prayers. Pray that we would continue to be used mightily of the Lord in all of our meetings, and that God would grant to us safety and health as we travel. Nothing to be alarmed about, but John has had a couple of minor health issues as of late, and we ask that you pray for strength to be able to fulfill all of his upcoming responsibilities.
August is also a full month for us with lots of speaking including a week of family camp in which John is in charge of both the missionary and youth hours. We cannot emphasize enough the importance of this area of our “support” that you as our prayer team give to us. Prayer is our “life breath” and is THE REASON why we are able to be used of God. Yes, through your prayers, God is “performing” that which He began years ago. Thank you so much for your faithfulness! As Uncle Sam says, “WE WANT (NEED) YOU!” With His grace and your prayers, we will continue enjoying His “good works” in our lives.
By bev
Dear Prayer Team, January 5, 2009
We praise the Lord that He has given us strength to help the work here in Jundiaí in many ways. As we mentioned in previous letters, it is now capable of being carried on totally by the national believers. We have experienced this moment before, but the excitement of it never grows dull. You (our prayer team) are a vital part of this moment through your prayers and sacrificial giving. To God be the glory.
God in a wonderful way has opened up a preaching point in the city of Cajamar. Our services have been attended by an average of 15 people. Although no one has accepted Christ as Savior yet, we see interest through the questions asked and expect in the near future to see souls saved. There are no other churches nearby, and we see this as an opportunity to reach the unreached. Yesterday, our son Jerrod brought the message from Genesis 22, the story of Abraham and Isaac and how God supplied the sacrifice. The second part of the message was explaining that for man’s salvation, God supplied the sacrifice by sending His Son, Jesus. Pray for the salvation of souls in Cajamar.
On Sunday, December 28, our family had the opportunity to minister to a congregation in the city of Niteroi. We were able to encourage the believers and after the evening service, lead a lady and a young girl to Christ. Please pray for this new work and Cristiane and Vanda, the two newest babes in Christ!
John’s has enjoyed good health. Whenever we see a problem we have been careful to address it quickly. We know that this has been the direct answer to all your prayers. Thank you for praying for John’s health. John’s two-year check-up is scheduled April, 2009 at Craig Hospital in Denver, Colorado. We will be making a quick two-month trip back to the States to make sure everything is fine. Pray for our trip, and pray for John’s check-up.
FAMILY
It has been a joy to have our family together during this Christmas and New Years’ season. Our 25th wedding anniversary on December 31 was very special, as we celebrated not only with our kids, but also with congregation in Niteroi. Jonna and Jerrod’s trip back to the States is planned for the 7th of January, just two days away. Jonna will enter nursing school in Iowa, and will be missed greatly by us, not only here at home, but also in the work. Jerrod will continue his sophomore year at Faith Baptist Bible College. Josh plans to continue his teaching job here in Brazil and helping out with the new ministry. Jeanne will be working in the children’s department in Cajamar, and also finishing up her sophmore year in high school. Thank you for praying, our family (John, Bev, Joshua, Jerrod, Jonna, and Jeanne).
Because He lives,
John and Bev Leonard and family
By bev
VISITATION
This is always one of the highlights of our week—to go out and visit the unsaved of our neighborhood. Pictured here is Senhor Antonio who has cancer and is also in a wheelchair. Once again, thank you for your prayers as Bev and I go out spreading the Good News.
VOTING
We thank God for allowing us to be a citizen of a free country where you can vote. Over half of the world’s population are in countries that do not allow this. Bev and I received our overseas ballots and here we are voting!! May we never forget to pray for our country and also do our part as a citizen.
VERY GOOD ATTENDANCE
In recent months, many have asked questions about end times. John has been preaching a series on this very subject. Attendance has gone up…Sunday before last 76…last Sunday 83. Keep praying, God is answering.
VROOOOOM!
The next three weekends we will be preaching in three different churches. The farthest one away is a five hour drive. Our emphasis will be evangelizing the lost, but while we are there, we will also be teaching a workshop to the men of the churches on how to speak in public. Traveling is not easy, but it is always worth it!! Once again, thanks for praying!!
Love, John and Bev Leonard
By john
NEW LIFE
We praise the Lord that two men (Marcio and Guilherme) who have been coming to church faithfully with their families, have accepted Christ as their Savior. Rejoice with us!! Please pray as on-going discipleship is done and that these men will soon not only be saved, but serving.
NEW NEST
Right outside our bedroom window a bird called “Sabiá” decided to build a nest. Bev and I thank the Lord for the “Sabiá family” We not only have something to watch when we can, but listen to, especially dusk and dawn. He is always the first bird to sing and has a strong, beautiful song. Thank the Lord with us as He reminds us about the small things that can brighten our lives…even a bird nest, and a song.
NEW CLUB
Our church celebrated its first official VBS at the end of July and in August started our new Kid´s Club. It´s name is “CLUBIQUE.” At first most parents were polite, but would not allow their children to come. Now, only a month later, we are running between 15 and 20 kids. Pray for the salvation of these children and that through them we will be able to reach their families.
NEW APARTMENTS
About 300 yards from the front of our church, the government has put up a complex of 600 apartments. This means 600 new families basically right next to our church. We have been praying that God would give us an open door to this new neighborhood, for it is a closed “no solicitors allowed” community. Two Sundays ago, a lady brought her two children to Kid´s Club and after being visited this Sunday returned with her two children and her husband. What a joy!! Pray that we can sit down with them and figure out a program that can be done during the week to reach others in the complex and still be within their regulations.
NEW BOOK
John has helped translate books from English to Portuguese many years ago, but as a couple, this is one ministry we have not undertaken. Joni and Friends (which is an international organization that helps the handicapped through the national local churches) wants to get organized in Brazil. Hope Baptist Church started by one of our BMM missionaries, Marvin Frey, is spear-heading this evangelistic effort. We were asked to do the translating of two of their training books. We praise the Lord that this has been done and Bev and I are still friends!!! Hope Baptist Church already has a work amongst the handicapped. As you well know from past letters and pictures, we have had a part in this ministry. Please pray that these books will open many doors of an unreached group to the Gospel of Christ and that many souls will be saved.
NEW PASTOR
This past Saturday evening, we were invited to participate in the installation service of Pastor Ronaldo, his wife, Renata, and their son, Lucas at Central Baptist Church in Olympia, SP. This church was started by fellow missionaries Mark and Anita Swedberg.Even though it was a 5 hour drive away, we made the trip. Renata was saved as a child in the VBS of Barro Duro Baptist Church, a work we participated in as very young missionaries in the early 90´s. Pastor Ronaldo was reached through the visitation program at Graciliano Ramos Baptist Church, the work that we participated in after Barro Duro. They both attended Cariri Baptist Seminary where John´s brother, Jim, has been the director. One of the good aspects of being a “senior missionary“ is seeing folks from past works going into the ministry. Please pray for Ronaldo, Renata, and Lucas, as they begin this new chapter in their lives.
NEW NEWS
Jerrod is now back at FBBC for his sophomore year. He fully enjoyed his summer camp ministry. Joshua is teaching English, helping with church visitation, and forever making new friends. Jonna is working hard at getting done with her senior year of high school and looking forward to college. She also helps in the children´s and music music ministry of the church. Jeanne has begun her sophomore year and also helps in the various aspects of a missionary church. We covet your prayers for our children that they will always serve and honor God.
NEW PRAYER
Over the years, we are certain of the fact that on a daily basis, your prayers on our behalf are taken “new” before the throne of God. That is the main part of all that has happened in the many places we have ministered. Once again, T H A N K Y O U, and may the Lord richly bless you.
Sincerely in Christ,
Missionaries John and Bev Leonard
(Written by John!!)
By bev
Merry Christmas!! Just kidding! South of the equator, poinsettias bloom in June/July, as you can see!! It makes sense, since it is “winter” down here right now, and in the States, (or north of the equator,) they bloom around Christmas time. It is interesting, though, that down here, they are called “Flor de Natal” which means “Christmas Flower!” Some of you were wondering what our front yard and also “Panga” our family dog looks like, so this will help out! Panga normally sits real still when John pets him, but not for this picture!!
MINISTRY
Our traditional “Noite de Milho”–literally translated “Corn Night” evangelistic outreach was held this past Saturday night, and proved to be a huge blessing. Besides there being an attendance of over 200 people, LOTS of “corn delicacies” served (corn bread, corn cake, corn patties, corn pudding, corn on the cob, popcorn, and even corn juice to drink!?!), and “warm” fellowship enjoyed around a large bonfire late into the night, MANY unsaved heard the Word of God preached and the Gospel presented. John had the privilege of bringing the devotional from Psalm 95, and the last point of his message came from verse 8, “DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEART.” Four people came to him to talk for long periods of time, the last being a man named Paulo for whom we have requested prayer before. Paulo was in the room when Gilmar made a decision for salvation in the hospital with John, and he told us straight up that day that he was a spiritist, and that he was very happy with his “religion.” At the time, he seemed really closed to hear about what Christ had done for him. How shocked we were to know first of all that he came to a church event, and especially that he said he wanted to talk to John afterward! John once again gave him the plan of salvation, and was able to give him a “Crucial Questions” booklet which he promised to read. Please continue to pray for the salvation of Paulo, Karla, Leticia, and Jane.
This week we are gearing up for VBS which will be held next week July 22-28. We are right at this time in the process of making up the fliers and the youth will be distributing them on Saturday night. If all goes as planned, the actual VBS will be held during the week and then next Saturday will be the practice for our program held on Sunday night. The plan is to invite the parents to attend the Sunday evening service/VBS presentation. We are excited, since this will be used as a “kick-off” into our new childrens’ club ministry beginning the following week!! Please pray!
CONSTRUCTION
BEFORE
AFTER
Since we last wrote, the church auditorium ceiling has been completed and it looks soooo nice!! As we mentioned before, the best part about this project is that we as missionaries gave VERY LITTLE financially towards this. In order to save money, John headed up a “campaign” for the collection of empty milk boxes to help out with the insulation. The church family then held several “work days” to wash, cut, flatten, staple together, and attach the boxes to large sheets of styrofoam, which were fit together tightly above the PVC ceiling. We were amazed at how the church body worked on this ministry and we are SO THANKFUL that it is 100% paid for!! Please praise the Lord together with us for the victory of our auditorium ceiling being completed!!
Our next construction phase includes covering the iron supports that still show on the sides near the ceiling (see picture), followed by the re-doing of our flooring of which several options are being considered. John has been preaching on Sunday evenings (our best attended services) on different Bible characters, and this coming Sunday he is planning to speak on Nehemiah and the rebuilding of the walls. What a blessing to see our people getting excited about making our place of worship more pleasant and attractive. The Lord has continued to bless us with many visitors in our services and also the salvation of souls.
FAMILY
The biggest family news that we have is that our Josh is now here with us in Brazil! He is taking a break from his Bible college studies and is currently teaching English. After accepting his teaching position, two other schools contacted him as well, so he was thankful that he had several offers!! He seems to be enjoying it so far, and is doing well. Since his visual impairment will not allow him to drive, he rides the bus, which picks him up at the bus stop right at the end of our driveway. Josh also got some good news yesterday after a doctor’s exam showed that he would not need to continue to take the strong seizure medicine he has been taking for over three years. He has been a good help with the girls’ home-schooling as well as working in the church, was asked by John to give the Bible study at prayer meeting tomorrow night, and also plans to work in VBS next week as his work schedule allows.
Jerrod is on summer break from FBBC and is spending the summer as a counselor/lifeguard at Lincoln Lake Baptist Camp in Michigan. We don’t hear a lot from him since he is only allowed computer access on the weekends, but is pretty faithful at keeping in touch, even if his e-mails are full of abbreviations (which our kids have to interpret for us “old folks” to understand) and short, “sweet,” and to-the-point messages. We are thankful that he is being used of the Lord in this way and pray that he is not only making an impact in the lives of the kids, but also growing in his own walk with the Lord. Jonna is busy in her senior year of studies. She made up her own daily schedule and has kept with it so far. It looks like her goal of being finished in December may become a reality! That way she will be able to go back to the States with Jerrod, who plans to come down at Christmas. We are really excited for the entire family to be together then! Jeanne has begun her sophmore year on a lower key–reading and doing her five book reports. She is on her third one now and really isn’t minding it too much since she enjoys reading. She got some very exciting news today. Her friend Laura, who lives in the States that she invited to church back in 2006 just accepted Christ as Savior!! Jeanne has asked prayer for her nearly every Wednesday evening, and tomorrow night she will have a “praise” to share! Please thank the Lord together with us for Laura’s salvation, and also remember to pray for Josh, Jerrod, Jonna, and Jeanne!
How thankful we are for each one of your prayers on our behalf!! God has been good, as you can see!!
His for Brazil,
By admin
Dear Praying Friends,
II Corinthians 4:16 says “For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.” What a comfort this verse has been to us!! In the midst of trials, we know that the Lord will renew our spirits every day!!
CHALLENGES
We are writing a brief up-date from the “Lan House” (a place where you go to get on the internet for a short period of time and pay a small fee) which is about a 15 minute drive from our home. Yes, we have been in contact with the server that we have for internet in our home, called “Speedy” five times since it stopped working last Wednesday. Each time, they told us that within 24 hours we would be receiving a call from a technician to resolve the problem. No calls until now. Actually, John got on yesterday and told them the situation, and they now have promised that a technician will come to our home within 48 hours. I guess that is progress!?! At any rate we are thinking of recommending that they change their server name to anything other than “Speedy!!” But we know that we need to have patience and be thankful in ALL things, so that is what we are trying to do. Please pray that we would be the examples we should be in this situation, and that soon the internet service would be returned to our home. Also, on Friday, John’s power wheelchair went on the blink. In the States, we would simply make our way out to West Des Moines, have them fix it, and go on with life. However, down here, things are not that easy. Without the internet, we were not able to ask our prayer team to pray, but we know that many of you prayed anyway, since John was able to use the guys that are doing the construction here at the church to make it so that he could at least use it. So we appreciate so much your prayers. But tomorrow(Wednesday, August 29, we are headed to Sao Paulo to see if we can find someone to fix it right. Please pray for safety, as one of the problems has been that when John is riding in the van, the chair will flip over on it’s side. (VERY SCARY!!! to say the least) Fortunately, we do have his manual chair, and we will most likely use that for travelling tomorrow. But, we asked our son Jerrod to send us the tie-downs from our van in the States. We were getting along fine without them before (we had “rigged” something else that was working), but it seems that it now is somewhat “out of balance” — possibly because of the “rough terrain” that John goes on down here!! One of the guys from our church recommended a person here in town that has a “forklift” company, that may be able help a little. We knew that there was one “Invacare” representative here in Brazil, but they are in Porto Alegre which is at least 10 hours by car from us. We called them and asked them for a name of someone near us that would fix it and their response was “just send the chair to us and we will fix it!” Very “simple” solution!! Continue to pray for this matter that the Lord’s will be done. We are confident He is going to work everything out for His glory and that He has a good purpose for all of this!
BLESSINGS
OK…enough of that…lets move on to the Lord’s blessings, which are always abundant!! Our Thursday night Bible study has been so exciting! Continue to pray for the six unsaved people who are attending on a regular basis. We are studying through the book of John, and at last week’s study, we sensed that the Lord was really working in their lives. Pray that soon we will see decisions.
Claudio and Isabel came to the couples’ meeting we had last Saturday evening, and we were so encouraged. They are slowly coming around. Adam and his family were all in church on Sunday evening, and they are also gradually becoming more faithful at the services. Both of Juvana’s parents were in the service on Sunday evening (Jose and Dottie). They are not only unsaved, but also our neighbors, and we are trying earnestly to reach them for the Lord.
Wow!! Something VERY EXCITING we heard from our church in Coqueiro Seco (the church were the incident with John occurred)… One of the ladies of our church who is very dear to our family, Ana, accepted Christ as Savior!! We have prayed for her since the work began, and our hearts were just overjoyed when we heard this news. She and her husband, Nene, are the ones that are still living on the property there, and they are a great couple. Nene accepted Christ as Savior the Sunday after our inauguration service back in April of 2004. He has been a blessing in the work there. Continue to pray for Pastor Andre and Deborah as they labor faithfully there. They are also reporting five recent desicions for Christ in the adolescents’ group they have on Saturday afternoons. Praise the Lord, He is still at work in Coqueiro Seco. We are also requesting prayer that a missionary would step in to help out there. When we started that work, we were planning to be there the rest of our lives. It is in a very needy village, and we knew it would probably take a long time to totally nationalize it, since the salaries that the people make there are small. Perhaps someone reading this letter would be burdened for this ministry!! We have a missionary family that has shown some interest, but the earliest they can take over would be in June of 2008. It would be great if someone could step in to help out right now!! If you feel the Lord calling you to be a part of this ministry in some way, please let us know!
The girls officially started home schooling this past Monday, the 27th of August. It is going fine, but please pray for patience as the year goes on for all of us. Also pray for Josh and Jerrod who have begun their semester at Faith Baptist Bible College in Ankeny, IA. We thank you for your prayers for Josh. He recently went back to the doctor for a check-up, and found out that there was already blood-flow through the part of the hip that was operated on. The doctor had said that it could take up to a year for this to happen, and it happened in about a month and a half!! Once again, your prayers at work!! We are also thankful that he is able to continue his studies at Faith, as we were not sure if he would be healed up in time. Pray for our guys that they would take their studies seriously and follow the Lord’s leading in their lives.
We apologize to those of you who have written personal e-mails to us in recent days. Most of you know that we try hard to answer them within one week of receiving them, but it was not possible this time. As soon as our “Speedy” internet service returns, we will reply to you!
Being renewed day by day,
John and Bev Leonard and family
