Tylers in Brazil | Reaching the World Through Brazil

Cujubim – Rondônia – Brazil

Posted on September 9, 2012 by admin Leave a comment

I just returned from a weekend holiday trip to the city of Cujubim where I participated in a type of youth congress teaching young people about music. The Lord blessed in a great way during the trip!

CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE PICTURES

There were representatives from about five or six different churches present at the meeting. The fellowship was wonderful and the Lord was working in the hearts of the young people as well as the adults.

Bro. Adelmo is working in the church there. The Lord put him in Cujubim about eight months ago to help the church. He will soon be ordained and become the pastor of the church. Please pray for him as he works for the Lord in Cujubim.

During my three day stay, he took all the teenagers out several times to hand out tracts and do some soul-winning. Though no one trusted the Lord as their Savior during these times of outreach, I was glad to see some young people out talking to people about the Lord and inviting them to the meetings.

From my point of view, the leaders benefited more from the lessons than did the young people. They were quick to admit their need to change the music in their churches. Some, I believe will take steps of improvement, while others will continue doing what they have always done because it is the “easy way”. Many times we have the opportunity to hear good preaching and teaching on certain subjects, but how often do we actually act on those things and change something in our lives because of it?

The challenge many times is not only to present truth, but to encourage people to act on it. A quote, I believe to be by Mark Twain, gives us the truth… “It’s not the parts of the Bible that I don’t understand that Give me fits, it’s the parts that I do understand that trouble me the most.” We have the Bible and truth at our fingertips, but yet we are many times unchanged and unaffected by it.

Please pray for our churches here in Brazil. Many stories could be told of the churches that have strayed into Pentecostalism because of music. Though I am certain that music was not the only factor, it is one of the signs that will most certainly pop up before the church heads that way.

The churches in this particular area of Brazil are very needy. This is not only in the area of music, but in every area. There is very little teaching on doctrine and few qualified teachers or pastors. Out of the eight closest churches to us, four of them are without a pastor and being monitored by the same missionary. Each of these churches has a male leader, but many of these have little if any training and some do not even understand the basic fundamental doctrines that we teach, yet they are in leadership in that church for lack of others who will take on the role.

People are begging us for a Bible institute, music training, pastoral leadership, and much more. Where do we begin? Should we just neglect what God has put in our hearts to help these people with their needs? By no means! Yet at the same time we must pray to our all-knowing God who said that He would send laborers at our request. Let us not be guilty of “doing everything we can” without doing what God has already asked us to do.

Posted in Ministry, Old Blog, Preaching

A Great Start to September

Posted on September 2, 2012 by admin Leave a comment

This past Saturday, September 1st, was a good beginning to the month. Pastor Marcelo from Machadinho, mentioned just a few posts ago, invited me to go with him to conduct a service at his uncle’s house. His uncle lives in a small town called Alvorada do Oeste, about 60 miles from our city of Ouro Preto. It is definitely a smaller city and is not even labled on Google Maps.

Our entire family was planning on going, but because of all the circumstances of the past few days and upcoming days, we decided it would be best for them to stay at home. I drove down to Alvorada, then out of town a few miles into the country to get to my destination.

The service was conducted at a house on the farm. The purpose for the service was for Bro. Apolinário to give testimony of what God had done in his life. He wanted all his neighbors and relatives to know that he was now a Christian. Through the past three years he had undergone many cancer treatments and had come near death several times. In fact, he said his heart quit beating for about 25 minutes. Yet, one of the nurses did not give up on him and was able to help him come back to.

We had an absolutely wonderful time down there. There were several relatives there that did not know the Lord as Savior and we were able to present the Gospel to them in a very clear way. Pastor Marcelo did a great job preaching to his own family and pointing them to Jesus. Altogether, there were about 28 people in the service.

The Lord blessed and also gave us safety traveling back and forth. I did see a bunch of goats, a very large cow, an opossum, and a huge pig on the highway, but thankfully the Lord protected me from hitting them. Though this is considered a main highway connecting several cities, there were probably 30 speed bumps I had to cross going and coming back. There was a total of about five miles of highway that was still dirt. They have been working on paving the road for several years, but it is not finished yet.

Please keep praying as we make more contacts in this part of the country and seek to follow the Lord’s will here.

Below is a picture of our service at the farm. There is also a link to the pictures page where you will find a few more pictures of this trip.

— Jeremy

Alvorada Pictures

Posted in Ministry, Old Blog, Preaching

Blessing of the Jungle?

Posted on August 31, 2012 by admin Leave a comment

What kind of blessings do we get from being near the jungle? Well, below is a picture of one of the BIG blessings we have here in this part of the world. Giant Cicadas!!!! This particular one is about six inches in length. It was right outside our kitchen on the back wall. They also make a large amount of noise. Anyone want to come visit?

Posted in Culture, Old Blog

Machadinho do Oeste

Posted on August 31, 2012 by admin Leave a comment

Last weekend, our family was invited to visit a church in Machadinho do Oeste. It is about three hours from where we live right now. The church was started by fellow missionary Tom Brewer.

Pastor Marcelo invited our family to come spend the weekend with them. I preached on Saturday evening and on Sunday morning and evening. Amanda also spoke at a ladies meeting on Friday evening.

It was a great blessing to see the Lord working in so many lives up there. We had a great time of fellowship with Pastor Marcelo and his family. Pastor Marcelo has a great heart to serve the Lord and has taken a stand which has set him apart from so many pastors. We wish to encourage him in the work the Lord has placed him in there in the city of Machadinho do Oeste.

Many Brazilians have been so influenced by the pentecostal movement and the gospel of prosperity that they are always looking for a “blessing”. This has so dominated the country that people have sold their houses and lands and separated large amounts of money to give to their churches expecting to receive double in return from God. Because of this I preached on “Destroyed by a Miracle”. I related many examples how victory, blessing, and miracles lead to spiritual or physical destruction. Gideon, Simon in Acts 8, and many other examples could be given. I showed them that many people are looking for the Miracle and missing God altogether.

Sunday evening, after a message on the Potter and the Clay, a lady trusted the Lord as her Savior!!!

Altogether, we were refreshed by the fellowship and enjoyed the time away from home. We even were able to spend just a little time out by the river with Pastor Marcelo and his family. The boys really enjoyed climbing around on the rocks.

View Pictures of Machadinho do Oeste

— Jeremy

Posted in Ministry, Old Blog, Preaching

Update on 2010 Trip to Porto Velho

Posted on August 7, 2012 by admin Leave a comment

I have been wanting to post something about this for a long time, but only now was I able to get the picture.

This is a picture of a Brazilian pastor, Antônio Marques and his wife Maria. Brother Antônio Marques and his wife hosted me during my very quick survey trip to Porto Velho in 2010. They were a very big blessing to me during the trip. She cooked meals and they prepared a place for me to sleep at the church.

Brother Antônio took me around the city and showed me just about everything I wanted to see. He drove me by most of the good churches in town. He also took me downtown and to the riverfront.

The only issue in all of this is that he is over 70 years old and I was riding on the back of his motorcycle! After two days on the back of the motorcycle, he did give me a few scares, but nothing terrible. His motorcycle had a little problem changing gears and kept kicking, so I was holding on and very alert.

The very day we moved our family up to this area, I was informed that he was in the hospital. He had fallen out of a hammock and hit his head. This lead to some exams which showed he had a large brain tumor. A few days later they operated on the tumor. Initially he was told that the entire tumor was removed, but since then he has been told otherwise.

He lost all his vision in his left eye and about 80% of the vision in his right eye. He was unable to read his Bible, prepare sermons, or pastor his church. Soon after the surgery he resigned his church.

Last week, there was a preachers meeting in Itapuã at Bro. Brewer’s church. When I arrived, I found out Bro. Antônio Marques was going to be preaching at the meeting. I was surprised that he could preach, but at the same time encouraged that his health was improving.

After the meeting I took advantage of the opportunity to get this picture taken. I also had the opportunity to finally introduce them to my family.

We talked for a little while and here is what he said, “During your visit with us, I was already having symptoms of a brain tumor, but I did not know what it was. They have just told me that the tumor was not completely removed. They also told me that it is a malignant tumor. I have regained about 60% of my vision in my right eye, but I am worried because the tumor is right behind my good eye. I am still afraid I will loose all of my sight.”

This pastor has been faithfully serving the Lord for nearly 40 years here in the state of Rondônia. He has started several churches and has sacrificed all of this world’s good for serving the Lord.

Please pray for him and for his wife. They are precious people and have very little of this world’s good. They are subject to the social health care system and make less than enough to pay for his medications. However, the Lord is using him to encourage other pastors to remain faithful in the work of the Lord.

— Jeremy

Posted in Ministry, Old Blog

2012 London Olympics – True Victory

Posted on July 23, 2012 by admin Leave a comment

One of my projects over the past 6 months or so was the design of a new website for the 2012 Olympics in London. The Olympics will soon be beginning, and thousands of people will be traveling to London from all over the world.

Many of you are excited about the sporting events and the excitement as you cheer on your country. However, others are awaiting this event with the prospect of reaching the world through London. They see the souls for whom Christ died and see opportunities to reach people with the Gospel.

We have been working along side Bro. Allen Johnson and Wings Bearing Precious Seed to develop a website similar to our Conhecendo Deus Gospel website. This website, appropriately named truevictory.net is also a Gospel website. It not only gives the Gospel, but also attempts to give the personal story of athletes who have made professed Jesus Christ as their Savior.

Please visit the website and pass it along to your friends. I know there are several different outreach programs going on in London during this time. Please remember to pray for all these people reaching out to the lost with the Gospel. May the Lord work on the hearts of these athletes and spectators to give them

Posted in Ministry, Old Blog, Websites

Friends in Itapuã

Posted on July 19, 2012 by admin Leave a comment

There are many blessings to being a missionary, but there are also some negatives. We are very blessed to have friends not only in most of the 50 states of America and in many of the 26 states in Brazil, but we also have friends in many countries around the world. The bad part about it all is that many times we must say goodbye to our friends. There have been countless numbers of times when we have had to say goodbye to people we love.Most recently, we have had to say goodbye to the people of Itapuã do Oeste in the state of Rondônia in Brazil. Fellow missionary Tom Brewer and his wife Cindy were a special blessing to us during the four months we spent with them. Their church, Igreja Batista Bíblica do Vale, became very special to us. The people took us in and befriended us and encouraged us. We are very thankful for the time spent there.

Here are a few more pictures of our friends in Itapuã. The entire album can be seen HERE.

Posted in Family, Ministry, Old Blog

Online At Last!

Posted on July 19, 2012 by admin Leave a comment

After more than three weeks, we are finally able to access the internet again. Things have been busy for us over the last few weeks. We have tried to be patient, but after having been wandering around for the past twelve months, we are very anxious to get settled. I guess I could say we experienced 1/40 of what the children of Israel did in the wilderness. I am sure what we have been through does not even compare to that. We have been spoiled in many ways most everywhere we have been. God is good!

I am looking forward to updating everyone on our latest adventures and getting you up to speed on our ministry progress. I am very excited about what God is doing. Most of the news will have to be posted a little at a time. However, I will give you just a taste of what God is doing.

Several weeks ago, the Lord brought two Haitian men across my path for a brief instant. We were in and out of the same town for about two weeks. Then they moved and I moved. Now we are about 200 miles apart. However, God is still working in their hearts. Every week I receive a phone call from Adrim. The Lord is doing something special in his life and bringing him closer to the Lord.

Shortly after trusting Christ as his Savior, he lost his job and had some very disappointing things happen at the next job he took. This forced him to move to a new location where he could be closer to some friends. Though there are some negatives, he is encouraged in the Lord. He will soon receive his very first Bible in his native language! That will no doubt be a big help and boost in his Christian life.

Manoel, the second man also trusted the Lord and is well. He also is looking forward to receiving a Bible and some studies that he can go through to grow in his Christian life. Please keep praying for these men.

Since our move to Ouro Preto do Oeste, the Lord has brought several people across our path who are in need of spiritual help. One young saleslady in a department store after answering our questions asked if we were Christians. She then began to ask for spiritual advice. She has been looking for a good church and is disgusted with all the options available to her at this time. Please pray for her. Her name is Edinalva. She has many questions and is looking for the truth.

Yesterday our neighbors came over to bring us a little treat and we found out that their oldest daughter (15) is interested in missions and has already been reading our Gospel website. We also had a great conversation with some of our other neighbors a few days ago.

Our website influence is growing slowly, but steadily. Though not many have written us on the website, traffic has increased and people from every state in Brazil as well as other countries are accessing the Gospel website ConhecendoDeus every month.

Over the next few weeks we will be posting pictures and telling you more about what has happened in the last few weeks and keeping you updated with what is going on presently as well. Below is a picture of the view from the kitchen window in our house.

— Jeremy

Posted in Family, Ministry, Old Blog, Websites

Giant Crater

Posted on March 22, 2012 by admin Leave a comment

There are reasons to doubt that Brazil is a first world country. These doubts come to mind when you travel off the beaten path. We are now in a state that is little heard of by the rest of the country unless something big happens and hits the national news. Here is an example…

Since our arrival less than three weeks ago, a huge crater developed on the only road that takes you north and south through the state. This is not only an interstate highway, but it allows access from Brazil to Bolivia, Peru, Columbia and Venezuela. The washout has created some problems with these countries due to a large number of imports and exports.

There was one way around the mess through several neighborhoods. Because of the heavy truck traffic, these neighborly people are protesting. All their roads have been destroyed. Their electricity has been affected also. In protesting, they completely blocked access to the capital city of Porto Velho. Not even pedestrians were allowed to pass. The military police were negotiating in order to gain access for emergency vehicles to pass through.

Click HERE to see an areal view of the crater.

Here are a few links to more pictures of the mess…

You can also see a few more pictures of what this has done to the only bypass through local neighborhoods.

This is about 70 miles north of where we are and is blocking our access to the city. We were able to get in on Monday, but have decided to try and wait a few weeks until we go again.

— Jeremy

Posted in Culture, Old Blog

We Made It

Posted on March 10, 2012 by admin Leave a comment

If you recall in the last post about our move, we were very unsure about what the next few days would bring. As a testimony to the goodness of God, we are safe and sound in Itapuã do Oeste, in the State of Rondônia.

I posted on Thursday, March 1st that we were waiting on our moving truck. Late in the day I called the owner of the trucking company and he told me the truck still was not unloaded and would not be unloaded before Friday. However, he said there was another truck coming from Rio de Janeiro that could come by and load our things.

He said the truck could come by early Friday. So I agreed to that. The problem is that our non-refundable airplane tickets were for 7:40am on Friday. I considered sending Amanda and the kids ahead and purchasing another ticket for myself later in the day or Saturday. After praying about the situation, the Lord gave us peace about taking off and leaving all of our things for someone else to load.

On Friday morning, we went to the airport to catch our plane. The check-in line for our flight was just about as long as the airport. Their network was down and the employees were writing everything out by hand including boarding passes and luggage tickets. However, the Lord blessed and we arrived at our final destination only 20 minutes later than expected.

While we were flying, we prayed that the Lord would bless in the move. There were plenty of helpers and things went very well. The truck did not arrive until after 9am. They loaded the truck and they were able to load the car on the back of the truck also!!! Praise the Lord. This will expedite our ability to get around here. It will also allow us to trade it in or take our time selling it.

It took the truck four days to get up here to Rondônia. It arrived on Tuesday the 6th. We hired a few boys from the church to help unload the truck and carry our belonging to the appropriate place.

NOTHING TELLS THE STORY BETTER THAN PICTURES!

Loading the truck from São Paulo – Thanks for the help guys! Not only did all of our belongings make it, but the van load of things we brought the day before and the car made it also.

These pictures are of our trip here to Itapuã. On the way back to Bro. Brewer’s house where we are staying, his truck broke down and we were on the side of the road for several hours before we were able to get a taxi to pick us up and take us the rest of the way.

These pictures are of the unloading process. Yes, it was a meat truck, but they did not turn it on for us while we were unloading. However, they did turn in on for my Dad when he was loading. It was huge. Notice the picture of the empty truck and look for the driver all the way at the front of it. I wish I had pictures of us unloading the car here. The truck driver backed up to a pile of dirt, we found two boards to bridge the gaps and I drove across those two boards.