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Looking Back, Pressing Forward

January of 2025 found us leaving a light snow in North Carolina, and arriving in Brazil to start a fresh new year of ministry.  Our hopes were high with two missionary couples all set to begin assisting in the interior work of church planting and evangelism. The new rented space for our church meetings in Lage dos Negros was full on many Sundays and people seemed excited for the possibility of seeing a Baptist church established with a list of members and leaders. Byron and I did something we had never done in Brazil - we bought a motorcycle.  Our oldest son and his wife were all set to travel overland from the USA to Brazil by motorcycle.  We wanted to meet them along their route sometime in the summer.  We started getting ready. In May our regular summer visitor, Phillip Layne came with a fellow named Alex.  Their time with us was actually rather brief.  On this trip Phillip spent half of his time with one of our national missionaries and quite a bit of t...
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Merry Christmas - Video Letter

  Wishing all our loved ones and friends a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year.  We hope that 2026 brings much peace and joy to you and yours.   We plan to keep on keeping on and taking the Word of God to people living down the dirt roads of the Salitre Valley of Bahia. Remember that these video letters are made for my grandchildren, but you can enjoy them as well.  Take care!
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Peniel Student Report - December 2025

The last of our long run of Bible institute students from the church in Sobradinho has graduated - Adrielly Santos.  She is on the far right in a yellow dress.  Pray as she considers what God would have of her for the new phase of her life. If you would like to have a PDF copy of this letter for your church missions bulletin board, just send me a message or comment on this post.
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Canudos

This past week on Thanksgiving Day, I hit the big 6-0 mark.  I wasn't quite sure how Byron and I could best celebrate the holiday and my birthday far from all our family.  Living overseas can be the pits for traditional American celebrations.  A friend who came through recently from the USA had brought me a cranberry sauce.  Other items for a festive meal would be hard to find and the whole planning process for just the two of us seemed rather dreary.   So, I asked my guy if he was game for an overnight adventure.  When I mentioned "motorcycle" and a place he'd always wanted to visit, he said, "Yes!" I did the planning and found a cute place to stay and made sure the route was mostly paved. The place is called Canudos , and was the site of a famous battle between a group of poor religious zealots and the first government formed after the removal of the royal family of Brazil in the late 1800's. We arrived just before noon on the Wednesday before Thanks...
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November 2025 Video Letter

     It's time for another video letter from Gramma Michele in Brazil.  Hope the grandkids and others like this one.  Not as long as some in the past, but just as full of news and smiles.
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The Little Green House

A couple of years ago we bought a little house in a little rural community where we had hopes of placing a young missionary couple and starting a new work.  Alas the best laid plans of mice and men often don't go the way they hope. The couple came, but went somewhere else and now they aren't there either.  It's complicated, and the little house has sat empty collecting dust ever since.  We would stop and visit it from time to time, but we had not time to begin to use in ministry. But recently the little green house was opened up and cleaned up and put to use.  In July a large group came to Lage dos Negros with doctors and nurses and free medicine.  At the end of the week there was quite a bit of supplies left over.  But we didn't know.  Just a few weeks back, someone asked what we planned to do with all the leftover stuff. Some of the medicines were close to their expiration dates.  We needed to move quickly if we were going to be able to use them...
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Scary Days

  Years ago in one of the houses where  we lived, we had a "party line" telephone.  When the phone rang, you had to answer and listen to see for whom the call was.  There were several other phones associated with ours. If it was for you, you stayed on the line.  If it wasn't, you were supposed to hang up. I should mention that the phone was attached to the wall and to hear you had to pick up the receiver part and place it near your ear.  If you called a number that was part of your party line, you could talk to them all at the same time if you really wanted.  We knew most of the people on our line.  They were neighbors.  My mother could ring the phone and talk to several other ladies at once. It was kind of cool for a while.  Eventually we got our own line.  I don't remember when.  But for a long time, that was how it was.  Today phone's are just plain scary.  With one touch on the screen you can book flights, order g...
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