Looking Forward To Springtime Activities

O Lord, you are my God: I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago.

Things have been slow these past two months and as winter comes to an end, it will speed up again. Spring is on its way and I am looking forward to it as I want to make a herb garden. Our winter was pretty mild with the exception of a couple of really cold spells and even had lots of snow in the southern states. We had one hard frost which has left things brown but we have since had rain which has helped grass and trees get green again. Skip feels the cold more than I do and he sits under an electric blanket and still wants the heather turned up. Talk about sweating in the winter time ha!

Lately, he ask to sit outside for a while since it is getting warmer. We have him walk in the sunshine and he enjoys seeing everything, especially the birds. Had a beautiful Tucano bird in our back yard the other day. They are beautiful.

He is getting very confident in his walking and getting around and thinks he can do everything for himself. One day he was going down the ramp on our back porch and he lost his balance and fell. The screen door helped to minimize the fall but he bumped the arm rest on the swing and cut his ear about a fourth of an inch. I had to call for help to pick him up. We took him to the hospital and the Dr. made a false stitch and he healed up very well. Now he gets to the back door and waits for me to come.

Dr. Humberto came by the other day and says that Skip is in good shape. However, his right arm remains limp but I help him with his daily exercises and he does some on his own. Our therapist comes once a week to do the other heavier exercises.

His speech continues to improve. He had an eye appointment in August and he was able to communicate with the Dr. and it was so much better than the last appointment. He has not complained about these glasses but he did complain about the old ones. So now he can read his Bible every day.

August 14 was Father’s Day in Brazil. We had a real good program. At the end of the service the pastor had the men come up and asked me to pray for them since I was the oldest one there. He said I was old and his five year old son pipes up in the middle of the service and says “Dad, she is not old, she is elderly.” I thought that was so sweet of him.

Also a few weeks back a JW came to my gate and was inviting me to one of their conferences in another town. As she was handing me the invitation I said “wait a minute, I have one for you too. She quickly said, “O that’s ok” and took off like a scared rabbit. I was going to give her a track.

On August 27th all our churches in this area celebrated 115 years of our existence. We had a good day of spiritual food, physical food, and fellowship. Most of our people were able to go. Skip stayed with Naomi and helped her celebrate her birthday which was the 28th. They had a good day also. He remembered her birthday at the beginning of the week and tried to tell me. I guessed everything but that and finally I had to call Naomi and ask her what me and her and Skip needed to do that week ha! He is getting good at remembering people’s birthdays especially kids and his siblings.

September is Missions month in our churches. Since we could not have VBS in July, because of a lack of helpers, I suggested that we have an evangelistic outreach to the kids in our neighborhood and surrounding area. So, on the 17th of Sept. we have planned a special day for the kids and adolescents.

Our ladies have a retreat with other ladies from other churches at Word of Life Seminary in Atibaia the weekend of Sept 3-5th.

I am able to do some translations of some Sunday school material and it is relaxing. I would love to finish the book of John for Through the Bible Series one of these days. Skip got to the 14th chapter or so. I am so thankful that I can help out in the church in the music and teaching Sunday school and be on the Missions Committee as well as lead the ladies program.

We have two candidates for baptism who are being discipled and will have a baptism soon. Ananda is in that class. She is 13 and wanted to play in the school band but they practice and perform mostly on Sundays so after much prayer, she decided she’d rather serve the Lord, so she quit band.

Our building project is going slowly at the moment for lack of funds to go further but, as the funds come in, the men are doing the work.

We do appreciate the cards and emails of encouragement. Also for your faithfulness in praying and help financially for us.

Praise Him for:
Skip’s good report health-wise and his continued progress in his speech.
Protection he gives each day
Our faithful prayer warriors
His loving care on our children and their families

Please Pray for:
The meeting on Sept. 17th that the Gospel Message will reach in to hearts and lives.
Our construction project that the needed funds will come in to finish the project
For Samuel, the son of a church family who is in a rehab clinic for drugs. Pray that he might stay through the whole process of treatment and will come out clean this time. This is the second time he enters a rehab clinic. Pray for his parents for wisdom and strength through this trial in their lives.
That we might live so others can see Jesus in us.

May God Bless all of you.
Keep looking up for Jesus is Coming Soon.

Yours for Brazil
Skip and Betty Harkins