Missionaries and Football

It's been a good weekend for me. I've been able to spend time with Randy who is a missionary we support in Brazil. We have been able to pray and talk about the future. I was able to be with him in Lewisville last night as he spoke to the church there and saw the encouragement they give him.

Randy is a humble man when it comes to his needs yet a bold man when it comes to sharing the Good News. He is a servant and often overlooks his own well-being for the sake of others. As we discussed his budget needs for the coming years, he was ever hesitant to talk about his own salary, what he might need and want. I am hoping through our church and his other supporters, we can raise his salary 50% next year. To many of us, that seems like a big jump but that isn't the case with Randy' situation. After currency conversions, he actually receives less money in Brazil than he did when he started there 4 years ago. I hope to get him in a situation where a 50% raise equates to about a 10% increase in Brazilian funds over his 2002 salary.

If you know of a church that might add Randy to their missions support, please let me know. Also, I ask for your prayers that the Decatur church and his other supporters can rise up and meet the needs of an expanding Brazilian work that is gaining souls to the Kingdom. 77 baptisms in 3 years, 500+ people coming through the School of The Bible - the field is ripe for us to play our part in reaching the lost around the world.

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I'm headed to the Cowboy game tonight. I'll be the one with my shirt off and these words painted on my chest, "TO, Rick's pulling for you!"

There's a group of us from church who play fantasy football each year. Typically, I have always finished high enough that I won back the money I paid to play. Things aren't looking so good for me this year and I will be 3-4 after the weekend. Adding insult to injury, I lost this weekend to a previously winless team. Hopefully, tonight the Cowboys will win and our parking spot will be close and I can forget about the slackers on my fantasy team who let me down.