Family Retreat Center 2020 Update

 It started with a dream, morphed into a vision, and now a functioning reality.

 For over 30 years, our Camp Treasure Island was a place where hundreds of young people and families met on a lone island getaway from routine life. A place where campers met others, and together, learned to live-out the teachings taught in Scriptures.  During those years of camping, hundreds of friendships were formed, and many developed into marriages.  Countless committed themselves to Christ during these camping experiences and now are key leaders and pastors in our area churches.

When Treasure Island was sold, primarily due to complicated logistics and costs, a “vacuum” formed in the communal connections between our fellowshipping churches. Treasure Island, for so many years, had connected folks at so many valuable levels.

I began to share a dream of once again, developing a getaway with easier access than we had to the Island. A place where believers and friends could meet for days in an isolated place tucked back in nature. Instillations where we could meet, share, teach, and learn to live Christ’s teachings.

 Step number one was to persuade our church leaders and Christian business folks the importance of this project. Their feedback was valuable. That stared the process that developed into a vision.

 After 14,000 blocks laid, 30.8 tons of cement poured, thousands of man hours, wood, tile, plumbing doors windows, AC units, and over 25,000 miles driving to and from the Retreat construction, we are close to finishing phase one. This is has been a challenging construction because of distance, poor roads, and electrical power sources which are from our two generators, solar panels and a 500 watt wind turbine.
 Presently we are off grid. Hopefully conventional power should arrive in this area of the bush in 2021.

Though construction continues toward phase two, the Family Retreat Center is already in use. We have sponsored several men’s events, an area church leaders symposium, a small family retreat with nine young families, a Father’s Day together (Just dads and their children, no Moms) and many family getaways. 

Though construction continues toward phase two, the Family Retreat Center is already in use. We have sponsored several men’s events, an area church leaders symposium, a small family retreat with nine young families, a Father’s Day together (Just dads and their children, no Moms) and many family getaways. 

To see this dream, communicate this vision, and now touch this reality is so exciting!

 2020 has also been a difficult year for many of our brethren and friends. Transferring our meetings to online formats has been a new experience for both the production teams as well as participation via our communication devises. Illness and the loss of precious lives have hit each of our area churches. Though prayer does not take away the pain, God does guide us through the darkness. Pray for the churches that meet in Remanso, Vila Eduardo, São Gonçalo, Juazeiro,  Sobradinho, Novo Horizonte, Casa Nova and our newest work in Gurarapes.

 We thank you for your continued support.  Tim and Vicki Reiner

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Is Fear A Lack Of Faith?

Of our six or seven emotions that we can experience, for many, fear is the most controlling and debilitating of all. Fear can cause one to do the unimaginable or inhibit us from doing what must be done. Fear can manipulate whole nations in a direction otherwise thought impossible. Prolonged fear and anxiety has the potential to damage us beyond repair.

In response to many of you folks who have asked about the effects of the pandemic in our part of Brazil, I will share a few of our challenges. Brazil presently is not doing well with harnessing public fears and other effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Like some of you in the States: quarantine, masks, alcohol, and a commerce that is allowed to open one week then ordered to close the following week has been a part of our lives for five months. We are bombarded daily with a mix of realistic and unrealistic solutions aired every day by media outlets as well as solutions given by our confused neighbors.

Of the many ridiculous examples I could share, here are two.

The mayor of the town where we planted our first church, in a recent recorded public meeting, said that his administration was doing everything to keep the covid pandemic under control. He then proceeded to lay out what he has done to help keep everyone healthy. In his list he stated that he had authorized to have the local cemetery increased by adding another four hundred plots!

Our Family Retreat Center continues under construction. Four and sometimes five days a week I drive the 120 mile round trip hauling construction material and spend the day working and overseeing the project. This trek takes me through two towns that are battling epidemic fear. At the two entrances into town, vehicle check points with health workers have been set up. They check your temperature, see if you are wearing a mask, note your name and phone number on a clip board, then your car is sprayed with a smelly disinfectant. The tires always get an extra dose. Imagine a virus hanging on to a hot Michelin tire at 100 km/h.

Some of what we are dealing with though is not ridiculous. In our seven area fellowship of churches, all have folks who have tested positive for covid-19 and several are presently in local hospitals. 

Sabastiana was a member in the second church we help start. She was not feeling well and taken to a nearby hospital where she tested positive for corona virus. Help was too late, she and her baby died together that night. She left behind, her 2 year old son Brian and husband Vando. (names and picture used with permission)

Our local churches continue to meet almost exclusively online. Attendance and financial giving has been stable. Several of the families, now in financial need, are being helped by those who continue to have financial income. Our area pastors and church leaders are working through the dynamics of how and when we will return to our places of meetings.

 We are realizing that our previous service formats will no longer be the same. This may be a great time for innovation. I ask you to pray for wisdom as we must make changes.

The Scriptures talk a lot about fear and anxiety, more than 500 times. This last month, I have been teaching about, healthy fears vs. unhealthy fears, and some of the ways to detect the difference.

By the way, whether your fears are healthy or unhealthy, rational or irrational… if they move you toward Christ’s teaching, then that is really good news. Your fears can develop into trust. (Mark 4:40)

Social Distancing Has Brought Us Closer

Though our church’s buildings are not to be used temporarily for gatherings under State and local laws, we have come together online for all of our scheduled services.

Our area churches are connected Sundays and Wednesdays via our electronic devices to: praise, pray, and preach all in real time. This has been so meaningful to us. Whether we are at home, on the farm, in our cars, or laying in a hammock, we are staying well connected. What has been a wonderful surprise is the fellowship time after our online services. We continue linked long after our “structured meetings” to share informally the impact of this epidemic in our personal lives.

As you folks there in America, here in Brazil we are not for lack of opinions regarding how to deal with the present crises, nor what the procedures should be taken by the federal and local governments.

Secondly, our churches have come together by helping many of our friends and families financially. A food bank has been setup and many are using their reserves to help those that are now in physical need. I am humbled by some who have so little giving to those that now have even less.

So… our area churches are in this boat together on our “Sea of Galilee”. We are hoping to get to the other side before we sink to the bottom, never to come up again. The news outlets say that we are going down fast; all the visible numbers show that is true. Our economy in Brazil was still fragile and struggling from massive government corruption from the recent past. Our business friends and most of the brethren were seeing stability in there financial lives. So, some folks do question, where is Jesus?

If we could do as the disciples did that night (Mark 4:35-41) and wake Jesus up, He just might look out at our storm then look at us straight in the eyes, smile and ask “why are you afraid”?

That question is haunting and personal. A part of me does not like that question, because I know the answer.

Yet,... that is the question to ask, isn’t it?

                                                                                                               by tim reiner

http://inafarplace.blogspot.com.br/ 

Baptist Mid-Missions on the web