Friend,
This October we celebrated nine years in Brazil. Nine years! That's a long time, a long time to live in a country far away from home, to live in a city of 12 million, to speak a language daily that is not your native language. It's been intense, it's been wild, and it has been great. Most of the time anyways!
Pastoring two churches, and leading two organizations is intense. Our Brazilian church is growing, our family of churches in Acts 29 is growing, and Restore Brazil, now operating in five cities, is growing rapidly as well. Besides over 30 events per year, three church planting cohorts, Compassion Int'l partnership, we are receiving requests from all over Brazil to start initiatives, train pastors, speak at conferences, and to resource churches. The needs are great and the time is short. While our staff has grown from 2 to 4, we still are under-resourced, and at times, I feel not fully equipped for the task that lies in front of us. All of this in a context where the daily pressures of our churches is ever-present. Yet God is faithful. We are doing what we can with what and whom we have.
As Luciane and I reflect on these past nine years, we are so grateful for the amazing work God has done. But we feel like it is time to take a break for a few months, to rest. To enjoy time as a family, to enjoy our new adopted baby boy. To spend time in a less stressful environment than the chaotic city we live in (not an exaggeration).
We'll be taking a sabbatical for about 10-11 weeks, beginning December 17, through March 8. Our hope is to disconnect in all forms, and to enjoy family time, some down time. With the free time, I'll be doing some writing as Mundo Cristão, a Brazilian publisher, has given me a proposal to write a book. But besides writing, I'm planning on being quite offline as we spend time in Central Florida, in our free time, connecting with family and friends. More time for prayer, devotion, and family.
2019 will serve as 10 years for us in Brazil. Pray that the Lord would continue to guide us, to maximize our influence for His glory in the coming years.
We truly appreciate your prayers, your support, and your encouragement.
Love in Christ,
Jay & Luciane Bauman
(PS - Joshua is not pictured as we are avoiding photos until our adoption process is complete.)
This October we celebrated nine years in Brazil. Nine years! That's a long time, a long time to live in a country far away from home, to live in a city of 12 million, to speak a language daily that is not your native language. It's been intense, it's been wild, and it has been great. Most of the time anyways!
Pastoring two churches, and leading two organizations is intense. Our Brazilian church is growing, our family of churches in Acts 29 is growing, and Restore Brazil, now operating in five cities, is growing rapidly as well. Besides over 30 events per year, three church planting cohorts, Compassion Int'l partnership, we are receiving requests from all over Brazil to start initiatives, train pastors, speak at conferences, and to resource churches. The needs are great and the time is short. While our staff has grown from 2 to 4, we still are under-resourced, and at times, I feel not fully equipped for the task that lies in front of us. All of this in a context where the daily pressures of our churches is ever-present. Yet God is faithful. We are doing what we can with what and whom we have.
As Luciane and I reflect on these past nine years, we are so grateful for the amazing work God has done. But we feel like it is time to take a break for a few months, to rest. To enjoy time as a family, to enjoy our new adopted baby boy. To spend time in a less stressful environment than the chaotic city we live in (not an exaggeration).
We'll be taking a sabbatical for about 10-11 weeks, beginning December 17, through March 8. Our hope is to disconnect in all forms, and to enjoy family time, some down time. With the free time, I'll be doing some writing as Mundo Cristão, a Brazilian publisher, has given me a proposal to write a book. But besides writing, I'm planning on being quite offline as we spend time in Central Florida, in our free time, connecting with family and friends. More time for prayer, devotion, and family.
2019 will serve as 10 years for us in Brazil. Pray that the Lord would continue to guide us, to maximize our influence for His glory in the coming years.
We truly appreciate your prayers, your support, and your encouragement.
Love in Christ,
Jay & Luciane Bauman
(PS - Joshua is not pictured as we are avoiding photos until our adoption process is complete.)
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