Visiting Church in Rodrigues Alves 51 Years Later
September 26, 2023
Dear Brethren,
Grace and peace to all from the Creiglow duo. Well my calloused and stained hands are back. One of my friends once said, “If you want to find Mike Creiglow in a crowd just call for a raising of hands.” Besides being back into all the preaching, teaching, meeting and counselling, I have accelerated the construction and repair part of my work. I have felt good and am recovering my strength to some degree. Most days I get back to the house around 7:00PM. I am so grateful to our Lord for being back into my home setting and routine.
A couple of weeks ago we held a baptism and Lord’s supper service. I performed the baptism of 7 new members. We have had folks saved most weekends. There have been folks coming for membership from other Baptist churches both here and other cities. We have had more requests for baptism, including several from other denominations. Our attendance continues to nudge upward. Our Sunday school attendance is now above pre pandemic levels. The evening services are still just shy of where they were before COVID.
Bev and I went to visit our church in the city of Rodrigues Alves. This town of 15 thousand people was just a village of a couple hundred when Dad first held services there in the 60’s. They now have paved streets, two paved roads from Cruzeiro do Sul, banks, stores, schools and many churches. When Dad held services there on our trips up the Juruá River, it would take the better part of a day to get there in our houseboat. When Bev and I started going there weekly in the early 70’s, we could only get there by boat. Bev mentioned the high river back that had to be climbed hauling our baby (Adam) and gear. We slept in a tent, used an outhouse, and took our dip baths by a shallow well. On our recent visit Bev and I left the house at 6:00PM in her little Chevy SUV and an hour later stepped out on a sidewalk and right into the big church building.
It took many years to establish the church there. It has now been 51 years since that small and slow beginning. They were celebrating 30 years of official church status. The building was full. The music was exceptional. The pastors are Edson Lopes and Raimundo. We sent Edson about 20 years ago. Raimundo is much younger and trained by Edson.
Next month Bev and I will be returning to the States for more medical procedures. I will be seeing my dermatologist, my surgeon and my oncologist for routine follow up visits that they required. Also, I have a retina repair surgery and cataract surgery on both eyes (3 separate procedures). We are scheduled to leave home on October 14 and return on December 6. Please continue to pray. Thanks to all who pray and give toward my health expenses.
I have one unusual request to make. Many of the places I have projects out in the bush, I need a portable generator. The local Honda dealer has a 1000W generator for just over $1,500.00. The same thing costs only $1,000.00 in the US, but I can’t bring one from there. The freight and taxes would more than double the price. So if you can help me out, please do!
Thanks for all of your prayers and support. God bless you as much as He has us.
In Christ,
Mike Creiglow
CONTACT INFO
Mike & Beverly Creiglow
Caixa Postal 24
69980 Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre
Brasil, SA
mdcreig@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.
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Mothers Honored, Men Helping, Training Musicians
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.
May 26, 2017
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Well this past month was May, “Mother’s Day Month”. Maybe to most of you it is just a normal day. To me, it is a very special day and I like to celebrate this day with the mothers and their children in our church. I grew up never seeing my mother. She died when I was two years old. I did not have a mother to teach me everyday things, about God, or how to pray. Most of you did have your mother present in your life. So many times we take it for granted. For me it is great to have a special day for the mothers and their children, and this year was not different. How many of you have a special dish that only your mother can fix in a special way? And maybe in a special way only for you?
We planned a day with the mothers on a boat ride. We asked the mothers if they would like that and they all agreed. The mothers could take all their children. We had mothers that had the opportunity to take their children that had not even been to church before. That was great. All the fathers and children helped get the food ready. All the mothers had to do was enjoy themselves and relax. God gave us a beautiful great day.
We have been blessed with men who have started helping with the preaching. That really helps us because Kathy and I only have one day of the week free. We have so many communities that need to be reached, but we cannot do it alone. We have four men who have been helping. Please pray for them: Francisco, Raimundo, Divino, and Ivan. We are planning an evangelistic service in a community nearby. The mother church and the two other mission points are working together to make it a great evening. Pray for us as we reach out to this community of Lake Limao (lemon).
The works are going well and we have had people who have made decisions. We need to get a place in the community of Ubim as soon as possible. The land at this place is not expensive. Ten thousand dollars would get what we need. The work is really growing. We don’t even do visitation to bring more people because the space we use is small. The family that graciously lets us use their porch are not even saved.
The church that I pastor is growing and we are adding on to the building to have classrooms and an area for fellowship. We also have a group of ten learning how to play piano. We can use more musicians–that’s for sure. We are excited! The oldest one learning is 50 years old and the youngest is 5 years old.
We want to thank each of you that pray and support our ministry. May God richly bless each of you and your lives.
In Christ,
Odali and Kathy
Odali & Kathy Barros
Caixa Postal 1
Iranduba, Amazonas 69.415.000
Brasil, S.A.
odali_kathy[at]hotmail.com
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