News, March 13, 2008

Dear ones,

Here’s an update about what God is doing here in Brazil which I sent to many of you by e-mail. If you didn’t receive it by e-mail and would like to receive further updates that way, let me know!

In the teenager’s small group I am co-leading on Thursday nights, our biggest problem has been having too many participants! My job has been to come up with ice-breakers and write questions for the Bible studies. We have stressed commitment and joint responsibility, and several of them are taking on important responsabilities within the group. We are studying what it means to be the body of Christ, based on 1 Cor. 12, and it has been a blessing to see them grow.

Starting this month, I will be having three different roles in my church’s Saturday program for slum kids: leading the 4-6 year olds in a Bible lesson and related activity; giving the teenagers English lessons; helping individual kids talk about traumas and find God’s healing through a system of story-sharing and prayer.

I spent two days in the Sepal digital team office a couple weeks ago, and have really enjoyed it! Since then, I have been working with them about 5 hours a week, translating interesting articles from a site called allaboutgod.com (I encourage you to check it out!), helping monitor the discussion forum, and doing a few other things. It is exciting to see this ministry grow!

The MAPI (acronym in Portuguese for Support Ministry for Pastors and Churches) website that I administer is undergoing a time of transition, with the possibility of changing from a static website to an sql-based interactive portal. This requires a lot of work, thinking and attention, and I request your prayers that the process go smoothly. If it all works out, the website has the potential to reach countless new Brazilian pastors and leaders.

Unfortunately, even as these exciting ministry options have been arising, my support level has dipped significantly. I would like to request that you pray about renewing or commencing a partnership with me so that this work in the Kingdom of God can go forward. If you would like to contribute financially, you can do so on-line at www.onechallenge.org (just click “donate” in the left-hand column and follow the directions) or send checks to OC International, P.O. Box 36900, Colorado Springs, CO 80936-6900, with a note letting them know to whom the support is directed. If you would like to partner with me in prayer, which is just as important, please let me know at rachel.kornfield@gmail.com so I can keep you more directly informed about what is going on here. You can also find regular news about me here on my blog: rach-comesthedawn.blogspot.com.

My biggest prayer request at this time is my family: my mom has been in the US for the last month, helping Karis handle the pressures of continuing health struggles and getting through her last semester of college. It has been hard on me to have my mom away, but if all goes well, she flies back this Tuesday, March 18th! I request your prayers that nothing will keep her from being able to come and that the rest of Karis’ semester will go smoothly. You can find out more at www.karisblog.com. I also request your prayers as to whether I should renew my commitment to OC for one more semester or year, as my initial commitment to them expires this August.

Thank you so much! May the wonderful blessings of the Lord be upon you!

Rachel Kornfield