I  recently sent a “State of Vision 360” report to each of the Board of Directors of Vision 360 Ministries and decided to give each of you, our faithful mission partners, our update as well.

Last year we were able to make some significant investments and progress in the “Memba Project”. We took our first trip with the team in July, we sent $16,000.00 to help 500 families have better tools and more seeds to plant and sent the funds to rebuild the dining hall which is near completion.

The dining hall is almost finished now. PTL

There are now 64 youth living at the mission so this project and the building of the boy’s dormitory are very important.  Marlos, our agricultural technician, went back to Mozambique in November to oversee the planting of the first stage of the research farm in Nampula. We plan to have him go back this spring to see first hand the results and do more teaching and training in this area.
We also plan to take a team to Nampula in June/July to help with the construction of the boys dormitory. If you would like to participate in this team, please contact us by email at colson360@yahoo.com . The cost will be around $ 3,500.00 per person that includes the plane tickets, room and meals in Nampula. For some people it might make more sense to send the money than spending it on the trip, and this might be true in many cases. However, Kleber has shared  with us how much this participation means to the brothers and sisters in Mozambique. They are greatly encouraged by our efforts to be worshiping and working with them.

seeds for next harvest

Bruce is planning to spend the month of May in the US fund raising. If you have people or churches in your area he could visit please contact him at our email address. We urgently need the funds to build the boy’s dormitory since these recent projects have pretty much depleted our reserves.

These last two monhs, Bruce has taught 3 modules on “The Kingdom of God” and “Spiritual Leadership” to around 40 seminary students and church leaders. These were tiring weeks as we met each night from 7:30 – 10:30 PM. But it was also rewarding as we studied the nature of God’s kingdom on earth and His heart to see disciples made from all the nations.

Neide started a new job as of January 21^st. She is teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) at a prestigious school here in Brasilia. She puts in 23 hours of teaching each week. Besides that, she has about 20 hours of class
preparation at home. Adding the housework hours, she has become a very busy woman. But, that is working out well, since we don’t have children at home to spend time with, take care of, or drive them around. The job came in at the right time to help Neide cope with the “empty nest” and to help pay for our (and our children’s) living expenses. God is good to us!

Jonathan is in Johnson City. He is doing his first year at ETSU, studying Exercise Science. He also works at Old Navy and is VERY involved at the church ministry. He is a busy young man, very responsible and growing a lot.

Victoria is finishing her senior year at Natrona High School in Casper, Wyoming – living with the Shades. She is doing very well. In December she had one of the lead parts in the school musical and made us very proud with her talent. Now she is playing soccer with the school team (it has been a dream come true to her). She will graduate in May and we will be going there for her graduation. After that, she is hoping for a job at Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN) for the Summer. If that works out she will live with her sister, Heidi, during the Summer months and then go back to Casper for 2 years at  Casper Community College. She wants to pursue dentistry, but Casper doesn’t have that. So, she will probably end up somewhere else after the 2 years are finished.

This has been our lives – full of excitement and changes! These changes haven’t come as easy as we thought. It has been very hard (especially for Neide) to not have our children home. But, we praise the Lord for Skype and Facebook that help us to be in daily contact with them. When we see their faces on the screen and are able to hear their voices, we are comforted. When we see that the Lord is taking good care of them and they are growing in the Lord, that brings peace to our hearts. When we see that they are pursuing their dreams and that they desire to serve the Lord with their lives, we become full of joy. Yes, we have done our part as parents and the Lord has done an even greater job as the Good Father that He is!

“Above all else, guard your heart, for  it is the wellspring of life.” Prov. 4:23

In the month of October, we (Bruce and Neide) participated at the FFI International
conference, in Sumaré, southern Brazil. After we came back from that trip,  Bruce started having some stomach problems. It started out on a Tuesday. On  Wednesday he felt a little better. On Thursday he didn’t have problems, but on  Friday it started back up. He had pain in his upper stomach.

That Friday night we went to bed at midnight and he thought the pain would get better.
After an hour of struggling we decided to go to the hospital to check it out.  The pain was intense. We got ready. I (Neide) helped him put his shoes on as he  sat on a chair. At that point he sweated a lot and passed out for a few  seconds. Then, he got up and we went to the hospital.

That night it was pouring rain and our car air-conditioning was not working, therefore the
windows were getting very foggy. Needless to say I was not only trying to see  the road, but also praying for Bruce, praying for mercy, etc. We finally got to  the hospital. I put Bruce in a wheel chair. They ran some tests: both an EKG  for the heart and blood work. The exams showed that he had a intestinal infection. The doctor prescribed antibiotics for 10 days and also told him to  go see a cardiologist anyway.

After taking the antibiotics for 10 days and feeling better, Bruce didn’t see the need to go
to the cardiologist (not for that problem). But, a good friend of ours (and  pastor at our church here), used of God, decided to suggest a new cardiologist  for Bruce (who actually needed to renew his blood pressure prescription). Bruce agreed. Our friend, then, scheduled an appointment and told Bruce about it.

On  Friday, November 4^th, Bruce went to the cardiologist. I didn’t go with him, because I thought it would only be a routine appointment. He would get his prescription and come back home. Well, when he got back home, he was very disappointed with what he had heard from the doctor. The doctor told him he really believed that the problem wasn’t just the
infection, but that there might be something going on with his heart. The doctor wanted to then, schedule a deeper exam (angiogram) to see exactly what is going on. But, because Medicare will not pay anything here in Brazil, and because we were leaving for the States on November 30^th, the doctor agreed to give him medications to get everything under control until he gets to the States.

Bruce’s feelings: he was very upset with the whole situation. He has always taken good
care of himself by eating right, taking vitamins and walking. He thought that he would never get sick before he gets to be 100 (hahahaha, funny guy!).

The doctor still asked for another complete blood work. On Friday, November 18^th, we went back to the doctor with the results of the blood work. The doctor saw it and gave his balanced and mature opinion. Bruce underwent 2 other exams right then. Bruce is doing well, under a lot of medication (which he does not like), but the doctor wanted to make sure that he can travel by airplane (a long trip) and be alright. He has scheduled appointments at Mayo Clinic for December 2^nd (the Brazilian doctor said that it is a privilege to be treated at Mayo Clinic – isn’t he right?). We praise the Lord who takes such a good care of us. Without us even knowing, he provides a friend who insists that we go see a doctor just so we can take care of the “old ticker” before we get in that airplane for so many hours.

We share all this with you so that you can join us in prayer. We are very excited for the opportunity to go to the States to see our children and take care of Bruce’s health. We give much thanks to the giver of life for He is worthy to be praised.

Bruce and Neide Colson.

Greetings from Brasília,

We wanted to bring you up-to-date on the Memba Project and our ministry. In our last blog we shared with you about our trip to Mozambique. The things that were initiated on that trip continue to be discussed and acted upon. The leaders of the churches in northern Mozambique (Nampula Province) met to further discuss the agricultural project. They requested help of tools and seeds for 500 families. We were not able to afford all of the seeds they requested, but in October, Vision 360 Ministries sent $ 16,000.00 which provided a hoe and two types of seeds for each family and an axe and machete for each church to be shared among the families. Each family received 22 lbs of seeds, mainly corn and peanuts or dried beans. In November our agricultural technician, Marlos, will spend 2 weeks in Nampula guiding the development of the agricultural research farm and doing more training with the students and leaders. Please pray for Marlos and his time in Mozambique. Please pray for the seeds that are being planted, that God will increase the next harvest for the Makua people.

Neide and I had the opportunity to participate in an International Conference on marriage and inner healing led by Craig Hill. We met a couple from South Africa who told us about an approach to agriculture developed there called “Farming God’s Way”. We have visited their website and believe their research and teaching will help us in the agricultural project in Mozambique. We praise God for the way He works. He put Neide and I at the same table with this couple from South Africa, in Brazil, to talk about helping the Makua people and church in Mozambique.

As most of you know, our daughter Victoria, felt led by the Lord to move to Casper, WY to do her senior year of High School and work with the youth there. Last week they had a kick-off meeting to start a Youth For Christ bible study at her school. She met a couple of other Christian young people at school through being chosen to have one of the lead parts in the school musical. At the kick-off meeting she and 2 others gave their testimonies, after which one of her new friends that she had invited asked to talk to her. They went outside where the girl cried and shared her desire to draw close to God. Then she said: “Victoria, I believe God sent you here to help me get closer to God.” Wow! What a confirmation of why God had her move to the U.S!

Our son, Jonathan, is still in Johnson City Tennesee. He shares an apartment with a friend from church who goes to the same university (ETSU). He is doing “Exercise Science” and is enjoying it. After several months looking for a job, he finally got one at “Old Navy”. We praise the Lord for taking great care of Jonathan (and Victoria) for us. He is an amazing God and is very faithful. He’s been working miracles (like this job) and we, as parents, are here just coaching from a distance, praying and watching God work.

Meanwhile, back in Brazil, we continue to lead a small group, disciple a young man starting a new church in his home, preach often at one of the Mustard Seed Church services or other Christian churches, maintain contact with other pastors and missionaries via skype. We are also planning to spend the holidays in the US with our family. Hopefully we’ll see many of you on this trip.

Construction of dining hall

At the ”Good Hope Mission” campus, they are now working on the construction of the dining hall. The old one was falling apart. We (Vision 360 Ministries), through your gifts, have contributed towards this building. This will be a great blessing for those people.

Please pray that God will continue to use us and Vision 360 Ministries to meet the needs of our brothers and sisters in Mozambique and to encourage pastors and missionaries as well as help them raise up leaders for the harvest.

We left Brasília on Tuesday, July 5th towards Mozambique and arrived there, without any troubles, the next day. Our team was made up of Bruce, Neide, Victoria, Marlos and Daniela.

We took 10 suitcases total. Five of those were filled with things to leave in Africa: used clothing, a computer, puppets and books for children’s ministry, printed material to teach from, t-shirts and bags to launch the ‘health’ and ‘agricultural’ projects, lots of toothpastes, toothbrushes and bars of soap to give away. We also took a great money offering from the Mustard Seed Church in Brasilia.

On the first day of ministry we went to the Mission’s grounds (Missão Esperança, which can be translated as Hope Mission) and were greeted by a group of about 30 people (teens and young adults) who live there. They sang and danced for us as a welcome.

Then we got to visit the school (1^st through 7^th grades) that was started by Kléber and Juracema and is located on the Mission’s grounds. The school has about 600 kids divided in two shifts (morning and afternoon).

On that first day most of the kids were still sitting on the floor, but the next day, the desks arrived and we got to witness the joy they felt by being able to sit in desks to study. The money for the desks had been donated recently in Brazil when Kléber and Juracema were there.

During the first weekend (Thursday afternoon through Monday afternoon) we were able to minister to the group of church leaders who came with their wives, from the different coastal and interior villages to Nampula to receive training. Bruce taught on the true meaning of the word “Shalom” (Peace) as it is not only the absence of war, but also God’s blessing on every aspect of people’s lives, including the physical needs.

Marlos (the agricultural technician) taught about planting techniques for raising Manioc root and Corn, how to prepare compost for fertilizer, how to make natural sprays for insects.

Daniela (the nurse) taught about personal hygiene and how that is directly linked to good health. All these teachings were very well received.

At the end of that weekend, leaders were raised from each congregation, who will be in charge of passing on those concepts learned on agriculture and health to the members of their congregations and who will receive more training in the future.

The people group that Kléber and Juracema work with is the “Makua people”. Some of them speak Portuguese because that’s what is taught in the schools. But, still some of them (mostly the women) only speak their own language. Therefore, all the teaching and preaching was translated into Makua.

On Saturday morning (before the teaching time for the church leaders) there was a special meeting with the parents of the children who attend the school. First, a group of students sang and danced for us visitors, and then Kléber introduced us to them. Bruce greeted them and Daniela also got to share a few words about “health”. This is a Christian school that is placed right in the middle of a Muslim area of town. So, this school has been able to reach these families little by little.

Victoria and Neide were able to sing on several occasions: on Sunday (during church service) and when we travelled to visit some of the daughter churches. Victoria got to teach a few songs to the kids during Children’s worship.

During Sunday School Neide got to share the Word with the women and then had a powerful prayer time in which Neide, Juracema, Daniela and Victoria prayed over each of the women present.

During the week, Victoria also had an opportunity to minister to the teens who live at the Mission on “Obedience to Parents”. They got to ask questions that were answered by Victoria, Bruce and Neide also. 

We took a couple of trips to visit some of the daughter churches. We were always greeted by great African singing. We spoke to them about “Shalom”, agriculture and health. We encouraged them and prayed with them. We were impacted by their lifestyle as these people are so needy of everything.

We were also blessed by some gifts that these very needy people gave us (chicken, manioc and peanuts).

Sometimes these people went out of their way to offer us a meal. They gave their best. Sometimes we had utensils and at other times we ate with our hands just like they do.

On Monday morning (the day that we left Nampula) we went back to the Mission and the live-in people had written a “Thank You” letter which was read by one of the girls to us. They thanked us for all the investment of time and resources into their lives. We received the letter and we know that we only represent a great number of people both in the States and in Brazil, who have participated on this ministry.

We are always impressed with the work that Kléber and Juracema have done for these past 15 years in Mozambique. They give so much of themselves to the people and now we see much fruit as a result of their hard work.

We came back praising the Lord for a blessed mission trip to Mozambique. We thank you for partnering with us both through prayer and through financial contributions. May God be glorified as we witness what He is doing for the people in Mozambique.

Life has been very busy in Brazil lately. Along with a number of visitors, ministry opportunities have multiplied recently causing our schedules, at times, to become somewhat hectic, but then that’s not really news for most of you.

The end of May we held another module here in Brasilia. The theme was “Christian Unity” and there were around 90 participants from various “Mustard Seed” churches from different parts of Brazil. We looked at Christian unity from the various perspectives, i.e. biblical, historical, and contemporary. We also looked at the “Plea for Unity” that was so much at the center of the early Restoration Movement. Many commented on the blessing this module was for their lives and ministry.

I (Bruce) have also been involved with helping a church in a nearby city (about 45 min. from our home) as it works through a difficult time. The leadership asked the youth minister to resign and this caused some confusion. Now I am discipling the youth minister while giving counsel to the lead pastor and church leaders. Please join us in prayer for unity of this church and that the integrity of the two pastors will be maintained.

We then have our cell group that we lead on Friday nights. We have a mixture of new, frustrated and discouraged Christians in our group. But we believe God gave us these people to encourage and  walk together with on their journey with Christ.

Along with these ministry opportunities we both teach english as a means of supplementing our salary. With the constant devaluation of the dollar this has become necessary for our family budget. Neide has one group she teaches twice a week and Bruce has 2 groups. Neide also studies twice a week to receive a certificate qualifying her as an english teacher to teach at an english school.

In the meantime, we have been getting ready for our trip to Mozambique July 5^th – 19^th . Our team is in place which consists of Marlos (our agricultural technician), Daniela (our nurse and health worker), Victoria (who will minister to the resident teens at the Mission), Neide and myself. Each person has been getting material together in their specific area. We have our tickets purchased, our visas, our vaccinations up to date, the funds we need for research, but there still is something else we need: PRAYER! We need you to help us hold this trip up before the Lord every day. Would you please mark these dates on your calendar and PRAY for this trip? We have been praying and preparing for this first step in the Memba project for over five years and now the time has come.

We are designating this trip as a fact finding research trip. However, we are also taking pamphlets to distribute on basic health, raising manioc and corn, and a study of God’s plan to bring peace to His people for the leaders.

 On previous trips we always took malaria pills as a protection. We found out that this medicine is not commercially available in Brazil. We consulted a doctor who specializes in world travel and he gave us assurance that if we took the necessary precautions, the possibilities of getting malaria are pretty slim. So we need your prayers for our health too.

Our son, Jonathan, who graduated from High School this past May (from Science Hill High School, in Johnson City, TN) is home on vacation. It has been a great joy to have him home for a little while. We also tried raising funds for him to go to Africa with us, but it didn’t work out this time. We will continue to work on that for the future trips. He will go back to Johnson City on June 29^th, go back to working at a store at the Mall, get his life organized for College life this fall. He will be going to ETSU to pursue a major on Physical Education and hopefully play on their soccer team.

After much prayer and fasting, we decided that Victoria will move to Casper, WY, to do her senior year of High School. Victoria has felt called to go help minister to the youth at the church where our son-in-law, Jim Shade and daughter, Kim, are working . We really hate to see her go, but at the same time, we see in her a person who desires to serve the Lord at a young age, and we can’t stop her from doing so.

In our next blog we will give you a report of the trip. We just want to praise God and thank you for helping bring the Memba Project to this point. Your prayers and financial support are a blessing to this project and to the ministry of Vision 360. May God continue to bless each one as we serve together for the building of God’s Kingdom on earth.

1944 On June 6th 1944 the D-DAY invasion ( Operation Overlord ) starts with allied forces crossing the English Channel to land in Normandy which signaled the end of the war in Europe. Meanwhile London had the first attacks from V2 rockets , which caused further devastation to an already badly bombed city. Glenn Miller is reported missing following a plane crash and people throughout the US and UK are encouraged to grow any vegetables they can in gardens to help ease the food shortages.

Major World Political Leaders:

Brazil President: Getúlio Vargas
Germany Chancellor: Adolf Hitler 
Russia / Soviet Union: General Secretary of the Central Committee Joseph Stalin 
United States President: Franklin D. Roosevelt
United Kingdom Prime Minister: Winston Churchill

How Much things cost in 1944 (in the USA)

• Average Cost of new house $3,450.00
  Average wages per year $2,400.00
  Cost of a gallon of Gas 15 cents
  Average Cost for house rent $50.00 per month
  Loaf of Bread 10 cents
  Old Spice Shaving Soap $1.00

• ALSO IN THE US:

• Franklin D. Roosevelt becomes the only U.S. president to be elected to a fourth term.
• A 5.9 earthquake hits Central New York
• The CIA is Formed

In Argentina:
         Earthquake in San Juan, Argentina, kills 8000-10000 people

Technology

Willem Kolff invented the Kidney Dialysis, in the Netherlands.

Benjamin Green invented the Sunscreen, in the USA ( he was trying to invent something to protect soldiers in the Second World War from Sunburn ). He then went on to create the Coppertone Company and the rest as they say is history.

. 15yr old Anne Frank was captured by the Germans and sent to a concentration camp

Born This Year

After our trip to Europe we began preparations for our module here in Brasilia. Much of the planning had been done before our trip and now we needed to “tie up” all the loose ends. Everything went smoothly as we had around 90 people participate in the module entitled “The Theology and Art of Preaching”. Edson Gouveia is a long time co-worker in the kingdom and also a personal friend. He is currently leading the downtown Church of Christ (Christian) here and is well qualified to teach this module. Many people (including Neide and I) were inspired and challenged as proclamers of the Good News of Jesus Christ.

We have also recently had a couple of opportunities of spending time with Kleber and Juracema. The first time was just a relaxed time of fellowship in our home as we shared and prayed together about the work in Mozambique and especially the “Memba Project”.  Each time we get together we feel we have a better understanding of the culture and situation in Mozambique. This was also true of the luncheon we had last Saturday with them and the team we are preparing to go to Mozambique in July. It was an important time for the team to understand the reality of life in Mozambique. We praise God that he opened the doors for Kleber and Juracema to be in Brazil at this time of preparation for our trip to Mozambique. Our goal is to make this trip as beneficial as possible so our preparation here in Brazil is extremely important and God blessed us by allowing Kleber and Juracema to be with us at this time. Please pray for Kleber’s health as he recently had another bout with headaches and fever.

During this time we are also active in the ministry of the Mustard Seed Church. Last Sunday I preached at the Sunday morning service

and then went to one of the leaders’ house for a Brazilian Barbecue (Churrasco) where both Neide and I had the opportunity to informally share what is happening in Europe and challenge some of our young people for foreign missions.

After that we went to Iran (Bernard) and Neuza’s house to encourage them. Iran was recently diagnosed with bladder cancer. It is a low grade cancer that the doctor says there is a 90% chance of total healing. But it is still cancer. So, please, hold them up in prayer during his time of treatment over the next several months.

Once again, we thank you, our faithful mission partners for your support in this ministry. Without your prayers and financial support, this ministry would not be possible. May God bless us all as we continue to serve Him, here, there or wherever He might take us.

Bruce and Neide Colson.

“Many are the plans in a men’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” Prov.19:21 NIV. We began our plans for our trip to Europe last November. We contacted the key people we were planning to visit and talked about possible training modules that could be given. We invited Iran and Neuza, the lead pastors, to go with us as they are good friends with Jim and Sandy Bunch in Birmingham, England and our three families used to work together in Cuiabá, Brazil. We found a good price on tickets with the possibility of spending a couple of days in Paris at no extra charge. Everything seemed to be falling into place and then started falling out of place.

First we were not able to confirm the modules in either England or Germany. They just would not fall into place. In Germany, Armando suggested that what he needed more was time to talk as he was frustrated with the church there and somewhat discouraged. When the module didn’t work out in Birmingham other doors of ministry did, which we now understand as just as important as the module. Then, we remembered that missionary and pastor encouragement is just as much a part of our ministry as leadership training. Also, at the last minute, Iran had bleeding from his bladder so could not go with us. All of us were very disappointed, but once again had to trust that God is in control of all things.

We spent 2 days in Paris celebrating the 20th year of our married life.

We were supposed to arrive in Birmingham on Friday morning, Jan.4^th at 10:50 AM. However, there were high winds in Amsterdam where we made our connecting flights, and ended up arriving in Birmingham at 9:45PM after spending 12 hours in the Amsterdam airport.

This delay meant we missed a pastor’s prayer meeting Friday afternoon and the international students cell meeting Friday night.

Twelve hours in an airport gives you a lot of time to reflect on determining God’s will in all these changes and what we felt were missed opportunities. That is when you need to remember Prov. 19:21 and that God is indeed reigning from his throne.

Then we began to see how God works. On Saturday we drove to Nottingham (yes, the place of Robin Hood) and visited Neuza and her family. Neuza was a former student of mine at the Bible College in Brasilia. She had been a missionary to India, then moved to England, where she met and married her husband Steve, who is English. They had moved their cell meeting to Saturday night where we spoke on God’s message to the church today from the 7 churches of Revelation. At the end of the study, Neide sang and that was followed by a powerful prayer time where God spoke to many hearts. One elderly lady spoke encouraging words to us about our ministry before she left.

On Sunday morning Bruce preached at the Ragland Street Christian Church where we also shared during their Monday night prayer meeting about the Memba project and more from the book of Revelation. This open door only happened because the module did not happen so we believe God closed one door to open another.

On Sunday afternoon we participated at the graduation of an MMI group led by Jim and Sandy Bunch. We also got to share our experience in leading groups in Brazil.

On Tuesday afternoon Neide got to help Sandy and other ladies at a “Tea Club” held by the Ragland Church. That is a ministry to the elderly in their community. Jim and Bruce got to drive the church’s van and dropped the elderly off at their homes.

On Tuesday night we went to the Globe Café which is a gathering of International students at Ashton University. We met students from various parts of the world who are doing graduate studies in England. Jim and Sandy Bunch are doing a great job reaching out to these international students. There we had time to visit with Massoud, a political refugee, from Iran, who became a Christian a couple of years ago, whom God is using to reach out to other Muslims. It is not easy for him as he has been separated from his wife and 2 children for 4 years. He knows he cannot go back to Iran as he would  immediately be put in prison. And now that he has become a Christian his Muslim wife does not want to go to England so their family can be together. His body shows the marks of the 2 years he was in prison in Iran for speaking out against the Iranian government. Please remember him in your prayers.

We also had a lot of good fellowship with Jim and Sandy. We got to watch the Superbowl with them! We had opportunities to hear their victories and challenges in ministry and pray with them about the future God has for them as they move back to the US at the end of the year.

On Wednesday, Jan.9^th, we flew back to Germany and spent the next 2 days just visiting with Armando and Anita. They are faithfully serving the Lord in Hannover, but it is not easy. They are working with a Spanish speaking congregation that ministers to some 15 different nationalities. The people they minister to are more transient and many come from different denominations, and this within a basically atheistic culture. We understand the challenges they face so it is understandable that they get frustrated, discouraged and just plain worn out.

We spent the last day in Germany with Randy and Katie Smelser and Randy shared with us some of the unique challenges they face in Germany and how that churches in the US, who are so success oriented, do not understand the unique difficulties of working in an atheistic country.

In spite of all this, the opportunities to expand the Kingdom of God are present. A young lady visited the Sunday service in Hannover. She had just fled from Iran because she had a lot of questions about Christianity that she dared not ask in Iran. She had aunts who lived in Hannover one of which was attending the church where Armando ministers. Sunday was pizza day and after the service we ate pizza and visited with several people. This young girl had been asking Armando questions about my message and Christianity in general. We also visited with her. She spoke some English and Farsi is her native language. Sometimes Armando spoke German which  her aunt also spoke and then translated for her in Farsi. We spoke with her in English. We got her email and sent it to Jim and Sandy to have Massoud or another Christian from Iran, living in England, who spoke her language to communicate with her. The world is huge, but so is the Kingdom of God as He has his church scattered around the world.

On Saturday night we participated in and spoke at a Valentine’s dinner for 12 couples from Armando’s church. It was a great time to share the principles we had learned from teaching the “Married For Life” class in Brazil.

We left Hannover on Sunday evening and spent a day with the Smelsers in Peine. Besides the wonderful fellowship time we spent with them, we got to do some sightseeing and participated in their English classes on Monday night.

So on our way back to Brazil, on Tuesday, we began to reflect on how the trip went. It surely  went differently than what we had planned, but we believe God’s people and the leaders of his church were encouraged and challenged by our time there. We did see God moving and touching hearts and lives. At the same time we were encouraged and blessed for having gone. Tears, hugs and words of appreciation once again confirmed in our hearts that this ministry, that God has given us at this time in our lives, is important.

Bruce and Neide Colson

On January 20th we left on a road trip to southern Brazil. We drove 8 hours the first day. The roads were ok and they got better as we entered the state of Sao Paulo. Then the tolls started and boy did we pay some expensive and numerous tolls! We spent the night at an “interesting” hotel where  we had previously made reservations  in the city of  Ribeirão Preto (Black River). The hotel was not what we had expected, nor what we should’ve had for the price we paid. But, once we were in the bedroom, we didn’t want to move, so we decided to spend the night right there and to never come back again.

The following day we traveled about 4 hours and arrived in São Paulo (an hour earlier than we had planned). So, we decided to venture into the METROPOLIS of Sao Paulo by ourselves, with the help of the “GPS lady”. She helped us a little in the beginning and we were able to find this beautiful and chic shopping Mall (Iguatemi). We went in there to have  lunch, look around and move on.

We had some very expensive “baked potatoes” for lunch. Walked around just for a little while and took picture in front of the “expensive” stores.

Then we got in the car and set up the GPS to take us to the address where we would be meeting our friends. Well, to make a long story short, it took us 2 and 1/2 hours to do a 1/2 hour trip. Needless to say that Bruce was VERY upset with the situation. Each time the “lady” told us to turn, we would have 2 or 3 options in the same direction. When we took the wrong turn it took us farther to get us around and back on the right direction. But, we finally made it to a mall and our friend picked us up there and took us to his home. From then on, we always had someone with us in the car to tell us where to go. We  bought an Atlas and… retired the GPS lady. Hahaha.

On Saturday morning, the 22nd, we started ministering a Module on ”The message of the Seven churches of Revelation  to the church today”. On the picture above, we pose with Pr. Claudemir and his wife, Pr. Adriana. In the afternoon we rested and got ready for the wedding in the evening. The wedding was nice and it was good to see our friends, Colbergs, again, as well as the bride’s family (who we hadn’t seen in quite a while).

Sunday morning and afternoon we worked through the Module material. God blessed us tremendously and spoke to us in a very powerful way. We believe the Mustard Seed Church in Sao Paulo was very encouraged to begin this “year” on the right path.

Sunday evening came with another joy: the Packer’s victory!

On Monday morning, the 24th, we headed on to Southern Brazil, to a city called Joinville, in the State of Santa Catarina. We drove for 7 1/2 hours, through beautiful mountains and scenery.

Pr. Mauri and his family welcomed us into their home and treated us like king and queens (or prince and princesses).

 On Tuesday morning we walked through the beautiful, not so big town,

 did a little shopping, rested, baked cookies for the family and got prepared for the evening. In the evening we started presenting the same Module. It went very well the first night.

On Wednesday Mari and Marllon took us to the beach (about 50 minutes away from their home). How nice to see God’s creation!

We had a wonderful lunch at a beach restaurant and then went back home in the afternoon for some much needed rest. In the evening we presented the second part of the Module. People were very open and hungry for God’s word. Neide blessed us with a song that closed the evening and left us desiring more of the Lord.

On Thursday morning we went to visit Pr. Mauri’s house at the “Bay”. Beautiful, cozy, little house, about 1 hour away at a different direction.

We had lunch at another seafood place and went back home to rest. In the evening we had the last portion of the Module. The worship time was wonderful and the message touched our hearts.

 Victoria blessed us with her beautiful and anointed voice.

The church in Joinville is growing beautifully. We had a chance to pray for 2 families that have been going through some tough times: one of them lost their house due to the heavy rains. The other one (who is housing the first one), got their car stolen on that week. The following day they got a rental car, while they buy a new car (insurance) and that one got hit by a truck. The enemy sure is unhappy with what God is doing in those familie’s lives. They felt encouraged, despite the circumstances and so did we.

On Friday morning we took off after breakfast. We drove a long 10 hour day to arrive in Ribeirao Preto, but this time, at a different, nice, new hotel. We got something to eat and just stayed in the hotel for the night. On Saturday we drove 8 hours and arrived back in Brasilia. We praise the Lord for the wonderful trip and for having used us to minister to our brothers and sisters in Sao Paulo and Joinville.

Tomorrow, Monday, the 31st, Victoria starts back to school (reluctantly, but obediently). Bruce and Neide pack their suitcases again and on Tuesday they take off on a mission trip to Europe. This time Pr. Iran Bernardes and his wife, Neuza, will go along to help in the ministry. Please pray for safe travels and blessed ministry for the Christians in England and Germany.

18 years ago, at this hour, I was at St. Mary’s hospital (Green Bay, WI) accross from First Christian Church (and the parsonage where we used to live). Sweet memories! Jonathan has blossomed into a nice, handsome young man. I would like to take you through a “time tunnel” and share his story with you.

Jonathan was born on Janury 4, 1993. It was a cold winter. He was born 4 minutes past midnight. On this picture he had just been born and was being taken care of by the nurses.

His first bath:

We celebrated his first birthday in Brazil, on January 4th, 1994. We did it “Brazilian style”: lots of friends, lots of salgadinhos (finger foods), lots of cakes and candies, lots of baloons.

At one year old: he loved his pacifier, which he let go of at 4 years old.

Then his little sister was born. He loved her, but also “struggled at times”.

They were only sixteen months apart so they did a lot of things together.

Then, Levi Shade was born on the same year as Victoria, and Jonathan and Levi became good friends.

He would put his dad’s glasses on and pretend he was reading the paper, just like Dad.

One of his first passions started here, at around 2: the drums.

After a few years, Rachel Shade was born, and the four of them made up the “4 Awesome Kids”!

At five, he gave birth to his greatest passion: soccer (he is sitting on the far right corner).

He was part of the Thunder Select Team in Green Bay for about 5 years.

And he played,

And rooting for Brazil.

Then, on 2007 we moved to Brasilia, Brazil. And he continued to grow (he was still shorter than Mom and Dad, back then).

With his friend Kyle Tappa and Youth Minister, Ricky Vargas.

In Brasilia he grew spiritually with his cell group and decided to be baptized in Jesus.

He continued to grow in his soccer skills.

In drumming.

Developing friendships.

With cousins and aunt.

And with his family (he became taller than Mom and Dad).

Then he decided to move to the States to finish High School, get into college and pursue his dreams: become a professional soccer player. After much prayer and after Mom struggled a great deal we said our goodbyes at a Brunch for his 17th birthday (last January),

he played drums and we prayed for him at his last celebration service in Brasilia,

the youth also came to our house for a farewell party, and we left Jonathan in Johnson City, TN. He lives now with the Wingates, a dear family of 5 who took Jonathan in. He goes to Science Hill High School. Goes to church with the Wingates and is very involved with the youth group playing drums. Plays soccer at the Fusion soccer club and now is playing at the High School. He is busier than ever and we have to set up times when we want to talk to him on skype, otherwise, we might go several days without talking with him.

This day, we honor Jonathan. We even set up new shelves in his bedroom to put pictures and trophies from his 18 years of soccer.

Congratulations Jonathan. We are very blessed to have you as our son and brother. We love you!

Dad, Mom and Victoria.