End of year, new year and more trips...

Hello dear friends.

Our time in Ceará was excellent. We spent Christmas and New Year with Isabel’s family (but missed Anderson, Raquel, Pedro, and Julia, who couldn’t travel). We also met again with family and friends, a time actually prepared by God.

We are now in Anápolis, Goiás, we left Fortaleza, Ceará, on Friday (01/06) and arrived yesterday (01/09). The delay was due to small unexpected happenings: the fan of the car got burned and had to be replaced, many holes in the road, and a little rain when we come in Goiás.

Our time at Anápolis, Goiás, will be to have a specific time with the Good News Evangelical Church, of which Bel is a member. We’ll also attend the conference of our mission in Vianópolis, Goiás, where we will be more challenged by the Word, will participate in general meetings, will see friends and fellow missionaries that no longer meet.

Bel’s health has improved, she has treated the bacteria “H. Pylori”, and is now dealing with a condition called “irritable bowel syndrome”. We’ll also try a few more doctors to have a better conclusion about her health, so please pray that God will prepare good professionals.

Our hope to return to Mozambique in February increases everyday, we can’t see us away from the mission field. The flame for missions burns strongly in our hearts.

We wish a happy new year to you all, and that God’s grace be present in all your days.

Here are some family photos.

In Christ,

Rafael and Isabel Mapa

Rafa and Bel with Christmas gifts

André (Bel's nephew) surprised with his cake 

Gabriel (Bel's brother)

Melgarejo family (Izaquiel, Marília, André and Natanael)

The sisters Marília and Bel, and the new born nephew Natanael

Maria do Carmo (Bel's mother)

Luiz Carlos Nicola (Bel's father in law)

Travel to Natal - RN

Hello dear friends.

On the last weekend (17th and 18th) we were in Natal - RN. We visited our friends of the "Light in Action" Mission, which led us to two churches to disclose our ministry: "International Gospel Church" and "Cidade Jardim Baptist Church". It was a blessing!

Pray for the project of "Light in Action" mission, they are filming the Chronological Bible Study in documentary form, with beautiful scenes. One of the scenes I liked best was that of Abraham preparing Isaac to be sacrificed. Access the site: www.luzemacao.com.br , you'll like.

Below are the pictures from the trip.

Regards,

Rafa

Traveling to Ceará

Hello dear friends.

We arrived well in Caucaia, Ceará, after more than a week of travel. When we left Campinas, São Paulo, we passed for Boa Esperança, Mina Gerais, where we spent some days with Clemilda’s parents, our co-worker in Mozambique. From there, Clemilda came along with us to Vitória da Conquista, Bahia, where we had a great time with sister Nilza, NTM’s ex-missionary. From Vitória da Conquista, Bahia, we went to Feira de Santana, still in Bahia, where we spent the weekend with the 1^st and 2^nd Baptist Fundamentalist Churches, was a great time seeing again our brothers in Christ. After all of that, we finally got the way to Fortaleza, Ceará. We had some little problems with the car but it was easy. A wire in the engine was hot and caused a short circuit, and after that I didn’t see a hole in the street and it gave me a flat tire. Praise the Lord that in the pass I had the opportunity to learn electric of cars and a little experience with tires. So we slept in Isabel’s aunt, who lives right in the city that we were, and she hosted us with much care.   

Always in our travels some things surprises us and make us see the magnitude of God. This time, before the travel, I asked God to spare us of bad men during the travel, and to spare us of corrupt policemen too, those who like to ask for money.

I consider the police’s work extremely necessary to the traveler’s security, and I agree when they stop the cars to check if it’s everything all right.  But we know that inside these corporations are some corrupt men, that’s why I prayed about this.

In the state of Ceará we were stopped by the police. The policeman asked me for the documents, asked me to turn off the engine, to see our baggage (maybe because of my beard), and then he asked me to follow him because he wanted to check my documents in the system. While he was verifying my documents another policeman was asking me some questions, so I told him that I am a member of the Baptist Church, that we are missionaries in Africa and that we were going to visit my wife’s parents who are missionaries too.

The first policeman asked me in what country of Africa I work, and I answered him that we work in Mozambique. After, he asked me what is the mission that we work with, and I answered that we work with New Tribes Mission. He started to agree with nods as he knew about what I was saying, and soon a smile appeared. He came back with my documents, shook my hand, and said: “God bless you, my brother! I’m a Christian too, from a Baptist Church.” Then he cited a phrase of William Carey that says “better is to serve God than to serve the British Empire”.  

I was really amazed. That was the first time that a policeman in work blessed me!!! God listened my pray and spared us of CORRUPT policemen. In Brazil, sometimes we think that all the police is corrupt, but we need to remember that we have brothers in Christ in those corporations, and we need to pray for them, to God help them to be a bless and a witness of Christ in their corporations. May God bless our brothers in the police, that risk their lives for our security, and have to see many bad and scare situations, but remains fearing the Lord of the Armies.

Greetings,

Rafael Mapa

November update

Dear brothers, friends and churches,

Our time in Campinas (São Paulo) is ending and we have seeing God's grace in this time that we staid here. Bel is still taking the medicines for the "H. Pilory" bacteria, she feels some better, but she still feels the pains that she was feeling. We are praying and we hope this is the only problem she has, and we pray for the medicines, to make the expected results.

On the next Monday (21th) we are leaving Campinas and we are going to Caucaia-Ceará (3.000 kilometers from here). The trip will be long, we'll pass for Boa Esperança - Minas Gerais to pick up the missionarie Clemilda, she is on her furlough on her mother's house. Then we'll pass for Vitória da Conquista - Bahia to see some friends, and we are going to pass the weekend in Feira de Santana - Bahia, visiting our dear friends there. Finally, we will keep our journey until Ceará. Pray for our travel, for security on the roads, that we will be able to travel in peace. 

On December we'll stay in Caucaia - Ceará with Bel's family, her parents are missionaries there in the Tapeba people. On January we are going to Goiás to have a good time with Bel's church, to see our colleagues of the Headquarters, and participate in the mission's conference.

Our fly returning to Mozambique is booked to February 16th, but we will only go if Bel's health is better, to not have the risk of come back earlier again. But, it is really expensive to postpone our tickets, so we ask you to pray for Bel's health. 

Greetings for everybody, and may God keep blessing you.

Rafael & Isabel Mapa