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REFORMED TEACHERS’ SYMPOSIUM CREDO CHRISTIAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL HELPS BUY-A-BUS With CHANGE FOR A CHANGE
ESCOLA BIBLICA CRISTA PURCHASES NEW BUS. CREDO CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOL PRESENTS BIG CHEQUE
Credo Christian High School Helps Buy-A-Bus Campaign Credo Christian High School in Langley, B.C. like many schools in western Canada, dedicated their Missions Week to the Buy-A-Bus campaign which is helping the Escola Biblica Crista replace their aging bus with a new one. This bus has become too old to meet government requirements for a school bus. EBC is determined to raise half the cost of a new bus themselves, but asked for assistance from Mission Aid Brazil to meet their financial goal. Our committee decided to approach the schools from our supporting churches in western Canada, and see if the Canadian students could help transport the Brazilian students. We are very thankful to be able to report that this project has met with much enthusiasm from the various schools. Just look at the work John Calvin’s grade three class put into the campaign, getting to know Brazil and the fellow believers there! Fund raising efforts at different schools to date have met with much success, and Credo High is no exception. The staff and students raised much more than their initial goal. The display in their front foyer as shown in the accompanying photos surely helped set the tone, and the fun fundraising activities generated generous givers. At last report, Credo raised some $7,800.00 towards this needy cause! Well done, Credo Christian High School students and staff! What a remarkable show of Christian generosity! On behalf of the staff and students of Ecola Biblica Crista, as well as the Mission Aid Brazil Committee, our heartfelt thanks go out to you for your kindhearted and openhanded collaboration in the Buy-A-Bus campaign. The Escola Biblica Crista (EBC) sent this report about their success in a recent Mathematics Competition. Here follows their account of the event, and to what they attribute their mathematical prowess. Note also how enthused they are about the trophy they earned for their champion status!
Mathematic Olympics – November 2008 Speaking about Olympics you already get the idea that this competition must be very difficult. It is a competition organized by the GRE, a government organization which is responsible for the education along the southern coast of Pernambuco. The organizer of this project, teacher Givaldo, together with his team of helpers has developed a very important and positive effort in this area. We have noticed a substantial growth in the area of mathematics in all the participating schools over the past few years.
STUDY BURSARIES Mission Aid Brazil allocates some of the funds donated to our committee towards study bursaries. The applicants must be members of one of the churches in Brazil, must show financial need, and must explain how their further education will, the Lord willing, be of benefit to the family of faith in Brazil. Our committee is sometimes involved in the selection process, though the local deacons usually make the selection or make recommendations for us. What follows is a “Thank-You” letter from one recipient who expresses his gratitude for the financial help he could have in reaching his educational goal. He expresses how his education, and new career path has allowed him to be more of a living and active member of the church in Barre Grande. Greetings!
BUY-A-BUS-CAMPAIGN The churches of Sao Jose, Maragogi and the surrounding area have been richly blessed with the Christian School in their area that is supported by Mission Aid and the generous donations of supporters of this important work in Brazil. The Escola Biblical Christa (ECB) is a thriving and respected institution in the area. 
The school bus that they have been using for many years is almost twenty years old, and while it has been of great benefit both to the school and the church community, it is reaching the end of its life. Sometimes it even needs a push start to get it going! We consider it a blessing that the local police ignore the well worn condition of the bus, as well as its overcrowding, because of the respect they have for the school and the bus driver. However, the Brazilian government has recently passed a law that states that buses more than twenty years old may not be used by schools anymore for transporting students. ECB has approached the Mission Aid to see if we could assist them in buying a bus. Your help would be greatly appreciated by Mission Aid as well as the churches and school members in Brazil in reaching this Buy-A-Bus goal. Should you be able to give financial support, please make your cheque out to Canadian Reformed Church of Cloverdale, with a note on the memo line designating your funds to the Buy-A-Bus Campaign. May God bless the work done in all our schools, in Canada and Brazil, to the furtherance of His kingdom.
September 2008 Presentations - Fraser Valley On Saturday, September 13th and Sunday, September 14th 2008, residents and church members in the Fraser Valley heard presentations about the ongoing mission work in Brazil. Summary of Rev. Wieske’s presentations:
Summary of Br. Moises Lins:
Summary of Elisabete Lins:
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From the beginning of Mission work in Brazil, back in 1970, Mission and Mission Aid have worked together. This has been a blessing and a huge help to the missionaries over the years, bringing together word and deed. Combining our efforts has allowed the missionaries to concentrate more of their energies on bringing the word of God, while Mission Aid has been able to carry out works of mercy and support to the family of believers in Brazil.
The reformed church has seen much growth in the area of Recife, where Rev. Wieske labours, and where he has just been joined by Rev. J. VanSpronsen and family. He told with thankfulness about how the church in Recife has grown to over 200 members and is now led by a Brazilian, Pastor Adriano. Some 70% of these new members initially heard of the Reformed Church through the literature sold and lectures presented at the Reformed Reading Room, (which is an information and outreach center). He also recognized the progress of the Guido de Bres School in Recife, a fledgling school supported and financed by Mission Aid Brazil and the generosity of its donors. Sergio, the Mission Aid liaison worker there, has taken much work off the shoulders of the missionaries by coordinating and overseeing this school as well as seeking out and targeting other Mission Aid projects.
Other educational opportunities in Recife were also highlighted as Rev. Wieske spoke of the Aldeia Training Center, a complex in Recife that is intended for the training of office bearers, evangelists and ministers. This will benefit all the reformed churches in Brazil and also enable entire churches to join the reformed federation as their ministers and elders receive training in the biblical doctrines taught in the reformed church. Other activites are planned for people of all ages, including educational retreats, social activities, Bible study groups, and children’s Bible camps. Rev. VanSpronsen and his family are able to contribute in greater manner as they gain a greater grasp of the language, culture and the church community. What a joy to see Word and deed, active together in Brazil, because of the grace and blessing of our Heavenly Father and through the working of the Holy Spirit. God gathers to Himself a church, also in this place in the world. May He bless the laborers in Brazil and in every place where He sends out his Word.
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Br. Moises (speaking in Portuguese, with translation by Jake Kuik) started his presentation by introducing himself as a former member of the Roman Catholic Church, determined to stop the Igreja Reformada (Reformed church) from gaining a foothold in Maragogi. Through a Vacation Bible School program that his niece attended, Br. Moises met with and had discussions with Rev. P. Meijer, our former missionary there. Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, these discussions were blessed in that Moises and Bete, his wife saw the truth of God’s word, and became members of the Reformed Church with their three children. Over the years, they have been active leaders in the community of saints there. Their son Thyago has recently even become a pastor in the Maragogi church sent as missionary to a neighbouring town.
Moises showed a power point presentation which showed the Escola Biblica Crista in Maragogi. This school has operated for almost 25 years now, by the grace of God. It started out as three classrooms in the church building. Later it took over the nursery building and gradually added a top floor and a courtyard. When it seemed that the school might not be able to continue because of leadership difficulties, Br. Moises, already active in the educational field, took over as principal in 1994. At that time, the school had 34 students. At present the school has grown to 25 staff members and 268 students. When the school was established, it was fully funded by Mission Aid, but every year the parents are taking over a greater portion of the financial costs to the point that now they cover more than half of the budget. The majority of the students are not members of the Reformed church, but the school acts as an evangelism tool, guiding students and their parents to the church. Br. Moises could point out with thankfulness, that some 90% of the young people in the church are presently students in, or have been educated in the Escola Biblica Crista, reflecting the blessing that the school has been in their lives. New plans that the school hopes to implement in the near future as funds become available, include adding a covered sportsplex to the grounds and replacing their aging school bus, which may soon be too old according to national regulations. Moises expressed thankfulness on behalf of the community of believers in Sao Jose and Maragogi for the blessing of Canada’s work in Brazil and the guidance of God over all these activities.
Sister Bete, (while claiming that her husband is a much better speaker than she is, and also speaking in Portuguese), gave an informative and moving summary of the Golden Years Program which has been established in Maragogi and receives some funding from Mission Aid. Brazil is a country that does not give respect to its seniors, with families often taking advantage of their elderly parents’ pensions. Many seniors are illiterate. Bete, together with other volunteers, meets weekly with elderly people in their area, opening their gathering with a time of devotions, followed by exercises, physiotherapy, and health checks (blood pressure and sugar levels monitoring, etc.). The seniors socialize and play games together, while volunteers provide them with a healthy snack and bring the love of God and the truth of the gospel. The group started with ten seniors attending, but Bete has now had to restrict the numbers to forty-five(!) as space is limited. Mission Aid has been able to supply some funds to install a new bathroom, a new roof, and a tidy kitchen area to help facilitate this worthwhile program, and continues to financially support this program monthly to cover the cost of food, gas and other necessities. Bete, on behalf of herself and the seniors, expressed their grateful appreciation for this involvement from the brotherhood of believers in Canada.