Depending on God in Trying Times
Odali and Kathy Barros served the Lord in Sao Paulo, Brazil together from 1987-2013. In late 2013, they transitioned to Manaus in Northern Brazil to start sharing the Gospel and planting churches in villages along the river.
February 16, 2021
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Hope all are doing well. We are doing well and being cared for by our Lord and Savior. So many times God protects us without us realizing how much. Our son Jonas and his wife were sick with some symptoms of Covid. So we decided to have them tested and we also decided to be tested to see if we had had it. Well, to our surprise, our son and his wife tested negative, and me and Kathy tested that we had been infected and were in the 2nd stage. We had felt no symptoms at all in the last 5 weeks. We praise God for His care and protection.
We had been without services since the last week of December. There had been lots of problems in the community around the church. We started back this last Sunday. We told the members that those who felt comfortable in coming to come. We had about 20-25 to come. Things in Manaus are really bad and many people are dying. Several people that we know have died. God, help us to be wise in doing our part and helping others. The real truth is that we depend on the Lord.
Kathy has not been going to the community of Ubim. Since she works with the children, she decided to wait until the situation in the village gets better. The virus had increased there and some people died. The Lord willing, she will start back next week. Kathy had planned on starting a project with the mothers of the kids that come to the kids’ ministry. That’s when the Covid virus broke out there. Pray that things will get better so that they can start this program with the mothers.
One of our new projects that we are doing with a pastor friend is drilling wells in communities where the people have no water. Where we live, there are many communities with that problem. The first one we did was at the church in Ubim. Now we are starting one in a village called Christ King. There are 40 families that live in this village. A pastor friend has a work there and his wife has a kids program she does there also.
We want to thank you so much for your prayers. Please continue to pray for God’s protection and for Him to give us the wisdom we need to do the ministry in the midst of all these difficult times. Thanks for your support. Things would be difficult if we didn’t have your help. We are helping a Venezuelan family that has 5 kids and 2 of them have physical problems.
Thank God for each of you!
Love in our Lord and Savior,
Odali and Kathy Barros
Drill for the well 
Kids in Christ King Community 
Church in Christ King Community
Contact Info:
Odali & Kathy Barros
Iranduba, Amazonas
Brasil, SA
odali_kathy@hotmail.com
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280 | Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
Read more
A Visit from Family
Odali and Kathy Barros served the Lord in Sao Paulo, Brazil together from 1987-2013. In late 2013, they transitioned to Manaus in Northern Brazil to start sharing the Gospel and planting churches in villages along the river.
January 15, 2021
Dear Brothers and Sister,
It’s hard to believe that a new year has begun. With so many changes we have had to make in our way of living and ministering, we are thankful to God for His protection in our family and those around us in the churches. Things had gotten better but after Christmas and New Year’s, things have gotten bad again. The cities have closed down most of the stores and malls. They only allowed what are major necessities to be open. So once again we are taking precautions with the services.
God has given us the opportunity to have our son Joshua Odali here with his family. Since we live in the middle of the jungle the grandkids can have fun even though everything is closed in town. We have had a wonderful time together.
One of the things that we have started helping with small communities that are in the middle of the jungle is making wells. Now a friend of our son has joined in this ministry. He donated money to drill a well. The cost of a well is $3,000, which includes the labor, the materials, and the pump. He will be coming to help. There are many communities that have no running water. So, this is a great opportunity to reach out to them with drinking water and Living Water. If anyone would like to help, make the donation to “well drilling”.
We want to thank each one of you for your constant prayers and your faithful support.
Please continue to pray for us as we deal with the difficult moments, that God will give us wisdom to work through this time.
Odali and Kathy Barros
Contact Info:
Odali & Kathy Barros
Iranduba, Amazonas
Brasil, SA
odali_kathy@hotmail.com
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280 | Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
Read more
Well in Ubim Almost Finished
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
We praise God for His care for us and each one of you that He has placed in our life and ministry. We pray that He will continue to give each of us the strength we need to carry on His work.
Things here are still about the same. We have had several people in our church that have had the Covid virus. Thank God they are all doing well!
The special project at Pedras Vivas church is doing well. Part of the project is music classes for those who want to learn to play an instrument or sing. That is something that is much needed in this area since it’s far from town, and most people can’t afford paying for lessons plus the transportation. Also, we have started the children’s Sunday School back. The kids are really enjoying the classes.
The well that we are doing in the village of Ubim is on the finishing touches. This will be a great blessing to use in keeping the church clean and also a way to help the community. We are going to put some faucets where they can get water for them.
There is another community close to the city of Iranduba that Pastor Amauri and his wife Miriam are working that is very needy. We will be helping them with putting up a covered area for services and also drilling a well. That will be of great help for the community.
We have several couples from the church that were already together and had families but not legally married. So, we are working with them on getting the marriage license. Here, it takes a month or more to get the license. Thank God things are coming along. And with the virus, many places were not doing much or slower than usual.
Thanks for your prayers and your faithful support. May God bless each of you!
Please continue to pray for us for protection and for wisdom in doing the ministry God has given us to do—that we can reach out more and more to those who are lost!
Love in our Savior,
Odali and Kathy Barros
Contact Info:
Odali & Kathy Barros
Iranduba, Amazonas
Brasil, SA
odali_kathy@hotmail.com
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280 | Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
Read more
Fishing for Fish—and Fishing for Men
October 19, 2020
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Greetings from the Barros family! We pray and hope that all is well with each church and each family. Things are well with us and the work here. Things are getting back to normal, but at the same time, taking care of our health and those around us. There have been several cases in the last few weeks of people with COVID around our community. Some from our church. Thank God none have been very serious.
This time of year is a specialty time for fishing. I have been able to take several men to fish and to have some fellowship and to also witness to men that are not saved. This is a way to reach many men around here. God has provided us with a boat and a motor. Also, we have been able to give fish to those who need it and also to pastors and some of their people in need. Last week we took fish to a group that works with Indians, Venezuelans, and an orphanage. This has been a great blessing. Last night I preached at one of these churches we have helped with fish. We were able to take some fish to them yesterday. Thank God for these opportunities! Continue to pray as we serve in this way.
Thank God the work at Iranduba is doing great. A pastor and his family have taken over the work and they are being blessed. The kids program is growing and adults are being reached. They live in the city there which is great for having more contact with the people.
Iranduba 
Iranduba
The work in the community of Ubim is back to normal. The number of kids is back to normal with an average of 55-60. Last year we had some tee-shirts made for the kids to use. We would like to make some new ones. If you would like to help, Kathy would be thankful! The cost is 5 dollars per shirt.
That mother church “Pedras Vivas” is doing well. Pretty much back to normal. The special work we are doing on Sunday morning is going great. The studies are great and the music classes are really wonderful. The Lord willing, soon there will be several people ready to play and help in the worship. Since everything here is so far away it is hard for people to have music classes. That is why we try to provide this through the church ministry!
This last week was Children’s Day here in Brasil so today we are going to have a pizza day at Ubim and give the kids some gifts. They are looking forward to today.
Ubim Children’s Day Pizza Party
Pray for these communities! They don’t have much going on for them to do but the drug dealers are everywhere. Our prayers are that we show them Christ and His love and sacrifice for us! That is the chance they will have for a different life!
God bless each of you! Thanks for your prayers and support!
Love in Christ,
Odali and Kathy
Contact Info:
Odali & Kathy Barros
Iranduba, Amazonas
Brasil, SA
odali_kathy@hotmail.com
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280 | Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
Read more
Special Program at Pedras Vivas
Odali and Kathy Barros served the Lord in Sao Paulo, Brazil together from 1987-2013. In late 2013, they transitioned to Manaus in Northern Brazil to start sharing the Gospel and planting churches in villages along the river.
September 20, 2020
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
We are all well and hope that each of you are doing great. This month was a little different here at home. Kathy went to the US to help with her dad. Paul had messed up his arm pushing his dad in the rain coming from church. So, they asked her to come to help with him. She is back now and had a good trip and visit with her dad and Paul and Wanda.
We are doing a special program at the mother church, Pedras Vivas. We invited a team of 20 young adults to help with Sunday School and teach music to those interested. We want to make an emphasis on fellowship with other churches and get more people involved in the ministries in the church and show the importance of each one serving in the church.
The church in the village of Cacau is really doing great. We are excited that soon we will be back in the church building with more space. We have put the ceiling in and an air conditioner. The members that had scattered are returning. Praise the Lord!
We are still limited with all the different activities and being careful with everyone’s health. We have had the virus in 2 families from our church. They stayed out of church for over 2 weeks. Thank God they are all well.
Today the last things that we had left in Garça arrived here in Manaus at our home. Thank God that the trip with the things went well. The driver was raised at the Alpha and Omega Home. What a blessing.
Pray that God well lead us in the new project of getting people involved and reaching out to more places. Thanks for your prayers and support. God bless each of you!
In Christ,
Odali and Kathy
Contact Info:
Odali & Kathy Barros
Iranduba, Amazonas
Brasil, SA
odali_kathy@hotmail.com
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280 | Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
Read more
Getting Back to Normal; Drilling a Well in Ubim
August 19, 2020
Greetings from the jungle! We are all doing well and hope all our friends and supporters are doing well also! We thank God for each of you! Your prayers and support are important to us and our ministry.
Things here in the different churches are gradually getting back to normal. The virus in our area seems to be under control! But we are still taking the precautions necessary.
Since things have gotten better, we are working on things that we had planned but could not do. One of these things is drilling a well in the village of Ubim. There is no running water in this village. So, a well to use at the church is needed and we also plan on helping with water for the villagers. Having a well helps with several diseases especially malária. A young man who learned and lived at the Alpha and Omega Home since he was little is going to be drilling the well. He is married and lives in a village close to us. He and two other brothers stayed at the A&O Home for many years. I asked him if he would like to help me with the well and he said, “Sure’. The Lord willing, we should start this coming Thursday. When you read this letter, the Lord willing, the well should be done. The final cost, pump and all, is $2000. Thanks to donations made, we are able to have the well.
The work in the village of Mutirão is doing great. Their services are back and they are also being very careful.
Pray for the work at the village of Cacau. It is growing and we need to make a decision to sell the old building or remodel. The main problem is that when the water comes up in high season it gets into the church. We want to make the right decision.
Things are a little different for me now because Kathy went to the US to help Paul and Wanda with Bro. John. Paul hurt his arm pushing his dad in a wheelchair on a rainy day. So, Kathy is there to help, and we hope Paul gets to feeling better.
Thanks so much for you love, prayers and support. God bless you!
Odali and Kathy
Ubim 
Ubim 
Ubim 
Ubim 
Paul, Wanda, & Kathy 
Mutirão 
Mutirão 
Kathy & her dad, John A. Hatcher 
Getting ready to drill the well 
Drilling the well 
Cacau 
Cacau 
Teens
Contact Info:
Odali & Kathy Barros
Iranduba, Amazonas
Brasil, SA
odali_kathy@hotmail.com
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280 | Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
Read more
Services Back to Normal; Opportunities in Cacau
July 21, 2020
Dear brothers and sisters,
We hope and pray that each one of you are doing well. So many times we think that we are in control of our lives and we discover that a little invisible bacteria can change how the world moves! Thank God, who is invisible and the most powerful and loving, who gives us strength and wisdom to move forward and not give up! We are doing well and getting back into the swing of things. God has been wonderful to us and kept us safe. We do our part in keeping safe and encouraging others to stay safe and protect each other.
Our services are all back to normal. People come as they feel safe. Through all this we have had a number of visitors to come to church. Pray that God will lead us as we minister to these newcomers.
The work we have in the community of Cacau is gradually growing. Many of the people from that church had left when the pastor who was there stopped and quit having services. Since we took over the ministry, the ones who had quit are gradually coming back. The church building is not in a real good location. We had been thinking about buying somewhere else and building a new church. But this week a man came and offered a building, and a businessman is interested in the old church building. Pray that God will lead and give us wisdom in this decision.
The work in Ubim is coming back almost to normal. The kids from the Indian tribe have not been coming because they have to cross a lake. But this week some of the older ones came! I had fun playing with the kids before the classes started. Since there is nothing for the kids to do in the village, we always take things for them to play with.
We are having some get togethers, but in small groups. It’s been hard for some people who can’t get around to have fellowship. In this area, so many people live far away from each other. This next Saturday we are going to have pizza night just to have fellowship. The way we are going to do it is this: Kathy and I have a small pizza oven which we are taking and making the pizza dough ready to use. Each family has to take what they want on their pizza. It is going to be interesting to see what their tastes are! We already decided that our pizza is going to taste like fish!
Pray for us as we get back into safe situations, that we can go back to visiting people in the communities around the churches.
Love in our Lord and Savior,
Odali and Kathy
Odali teaching in Ubim 
Cacau 
Cacau 
Cacau 
Cacau 
Cacau
Contact Info:
Iranduba, Amazonas
Brasil, SA
odali_kathy@hotmail.com
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280 | Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
Read more
Getting Back to Normal
June 22, 2020
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Hope that all is well with each one of you dear friends and supporters. Praise God we are all well here. Things have been so different with what you can do and what you can’t do. But slowly, things are going back to normal. Almost all the services are back to normal. This week, two of the missions will start back. While we could not have services, we maintained contact with as many as we could through internet, and for those who don’t have internet, we made quick visits. We tried to help as many as we could by giving food and taking fish to various families. Also, some food was donated by a family in the church to help other families in need. We are doing some remodeling at the church at Iranduba to solve some problems. There is a big problem with water there, so we need to build a tank to reserve water. The water only comes once a day and is very weak. At the church at the community of Cacau, we are still working fixing the church building. It was in poor condition when we took over the church.
Ubim 
Cleaning Ubim 
Pedras Vivas 
Sunday School & Snack Area
Kathy went to Ubim today and washed the church building and cut the grass. Everything is ready for next week. Kathy visited around the community and talked to the people from the Indian tribe. She loved seeing all of them and they had fun seeing Kathy. Kathy talked to the leaders there and everything is ok to start next Monday.
For us that have so much freedom, it was kind of hard not to go to church and other places. Hopefully through this we can remember those in others places of the world that can’t do what they want when they want to—especially when it comes to the gospel. Our prayer is that all of us come out of this situation stronger in the Lord!
Since there was not much we could do outside our home, we took advantage and are working on our house doing some remodeling. Things are looking good!
We thank you for your prayers and your support. May God richly bless each one of you. Pray that as the ministries get back into the swing that we can reach more people and that they may see their need for the Lord in their lives.
In Christ,
Odali & Kathy
Contact Info:
Iranduba, Amazonas
Brasil, SA
odali_kathy@hotmail.com
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280 | Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
Read more
