Travelling Helpers

About a month ago our church was blessed to have a missionary couple visiting our church. Warren and Sheri are from Calvary Chapel in Corvallis, Oregon. They feel called to Brazil but have not been able to get permanent visa due to difficult Brazilian immigration laws. But they have been able to come visit Brazil for months at a time on a tourist visa to encourage the pastors and missionaries and strengthen the members of the churches they visit.

They spent a few months here living at the church last year when Pastor John was away in the states. On top of overseeing everything, they provided a strong relational aspect to our church, connecting with people on a more personal level. People really appreciated being able to connect with these missionaries and receive loving advice or counsel. Unfortunately, their visas expired and they had to return home to the states.

When we arrived here in February, people were telling us all about this couple that had done so much work at the church. And people were so excited because they were coming back. Then in March, they returned for another stay. For me, being the new pastor of the church and not having a great knowledge of the people in our congregation, their coming really helping me to transition into my new position. As I was trying to get a feel for how the church ran everything and what people were responsible for what areas, they were here adding real continuity to the church since their relationships with the congregation went back much farther than mine did.

While here, they also started men's and women's Bible Studies on Saturdays, which was a real blessing for those who came to be a part of the groups. With valuable insight and life experience they shared about relevant issues to both men and women and provided a great forum for people to be able to share ideas or express themselves more openly if they were struggling with any issues in their lives. This was something that our church needed.

It was a blessing to have them here helping out at the church. They made the building feel more like a home and were always available to talk about anything. Unfortunately, again, they had to go. The good news is that they were able to head up to the church in Rio de Janeiro to help out for a few weeks before they head back to the states. But we wish they could have stayed a little longer with us here in Curitiba. But we know they'll be back when they get the chance and we are praying for them to get their permanent visas to be able to stay for good.