"He alone is my rock and my salvation"

All Glory to Him
We recently had a very blessed and emotional day that included celebrating the wedding of a young couple in our church, followed by a baptism service.  One of the men baptized was a recent convert that accepted the Lord through our prison ministry!  He was granted time to leave the prison, and in this short time he came and was baptized at our church!

On the Move
We are moving!  Because of some complicated issues regarding our current place of residence, we have come to the difficult conclusion that it is necessary for us to move.  We will still be living in Greater Porto, about 10 minutes from where we are now.  We covet your prayers, as the move will mean a new school for the girls, and a new community to immerse ourselves in.  Please be in prayer as we get to know the town we are moving to, that the Lord would open up opportunities to share the Gospel, and that we would be ready and willing to take those opportunities!  We are excited for what the Lord has in store!

News!
As some of you have probably already heard, we recently found out that we are having a boy! The due date is April 6, 2016.  Please be in prayer for mom and baby.

Thank You!
It is truly awesome to have all of you as partners in the ministry here in Portugal!  If you have any questions, or if we could be in prayer for you in a specific matter, please don't hesitate to email us at jdarlingportugal@gmail.com.

"Born again to a living hope"

Back to School!
Anadia and Cora headed back to school on September 21st.  Please be in prayer for them, as each day they are walking into a true mission field.  We as a family have a tremendous burden to reach the lost here in our community in our town called Milheirós.  Our local school is of course a part of our community, and it is a daily challenge for Anadia and Cora to be salt and light to those around them so that Christ shines through their lives.  We thank the Lord for His guidance and protection!

New Convert!
Praise the Lord another young lady dear to our church family has come to know Christ!  Her name is Bea. Please be in prayer for her as her journey in Christ has just begun!

Ministry
Please be in prayer that we would always be ready and willing to be used of the Holy Spirit in all opportunities the Lord gives us in both sharing the Gospel, and in discipleship.  First and foremost, our constant prayer is that the Lord would use us to reach the community in which we live.  We are also blessed to be able to disciple young men and women, I have had great opportunities through teaching English, and we are blessed to be a part of our local church ministry.  What a privilege it is to serve the Lord!

Thank You!
We have been praying for additional monthly support, and that prayer has been answered!  Thank you all for your faithful partnership!  

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever."

Thank You!
We are back in Portugal, excited for what the Lord has in store for His church here in Porto.  We wanted to thank you all once again for receiving us so warmly during our time in the States, and for blessing us so richly, beyond what we could truly ever express.  It is an awesome privilege to be a part of the body of Christ!

Another Little Blessing on the Way!
For those of you who don't already know, Caryne is pregnant with our fifth child!  We covet your prayers for both Caryne and the baby, as well as for us as a family as we prepare for the new addition!

Things to be in Prayer For
 - Please be in prayer for our pastor, as he will be travelling to Mozambique in a week to continue the work that our church is involved in there.

 - We appreciate your continual prayer for our church, IBA Porto, as we seek to be a body used of God to reach the lost of our city.

 - We are praying for additional monthly support.  We are currently at 72% of our monthly goal of $2500.

To Him be the Glory!

Blessings Each Day

Thank the Lord for the blessings He gives each day!  We have had such a precious time so far here in the States visiting family and ministry partners!  We have been in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, and New York, and it has been a joy to share about Portugal everywhere we go.  Thank you for your continued prayer as we will be heading to Connecticut, then Alaska, back to Connecticut, and then back to Portugal August 27. 

Thank you so much for your faithful partnership!

We are on our way!

Trip to the USA

We leave for the U.S. tomorrow!  We are truly looking forward to seeing many of you, and are excited about the opportunity to spend some time with our families!  If you are interested in knowing our itinerary for the 10 weeks we will be there, please message us through our Facebook page!

Cause for Celebration

This month we've had the joy of celebrating our 12th wedding anniversary on the 7th and then our sweet Soraia's second birthday on the 8th.  We praise the Lord for what He has done, and will continue to do, in our lives!

Thank you all for your partnership!

"Praise Him for His mighty deeds!"

Happy Birthday Isabel!

Praises!

Praise the Lord two prisoners in our church's prison ministry have accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior!

Praise the Lord He has provided all of the funds needed for our trip to the States this summer!

Praise the Lord for the inauguration of our church's new multiuse building!

Praise the Lord for the successful surgery and recovery for our sweet Isabel (please go to Caryne's Facebook page to read about what happened)!

Praise the Lord because He is in control!

 

Working on the garden next to the new building

Men of our church working together on the new addition

 Thank you for your partnership!

Seek His Kingdom

The Lord through His word has reminded me recently that I need not be anxious about what lies ahead.  Luke 12:22-25; 31 - "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on.  Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them.  Of how much more value are you than the birds!  And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his spam of life?  Instead, seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you."  Let's place our lives in His hands, and give Him all the glory for what He has done, and for what He will do!

Michel

For the past 18 months I have been visiting a prisoner a couple times a month as part of our church's local prison ministry.  His name is Michel, he is Dutch, and he speaks almost perfect English.  It has been a truly heartwarming experience for me as I have watched firsthand the Lord working in His life!  He is a believer in Christ, and when I first started meeting with him he was very discouraged and downtrodden.  But as we have been studying the Scriptures together and sharing personal experiences, the Lord has put a desire in him to truly "seek His kingdom"!  It has been such a blessing in my own life to see him go from an unhappy and angry man, to a man that is resting in the peace that only our Lord can give.  My prayer now is that he will begin to see that he has a mission field all around him in that prison, and that his life will shine the light of the Gospel where he is!

This Summer

It is hard to believe that our trip to the States is only about three months away!  Our agenda while we are there is taking shape, and we are excited about what the Lord has in store as we visit family and partners in ministry!  We appreciate your prayers as we still need to raise a little bit more to be fully funded for the trip. As soon as I can I will post what we are still needing so that we can pray about that more specifically.

Young People

Twice a month Caryne has been meeting with the young women of our church in our home.  There they study the Scriptures together and discuss important life issues.  Caryne is even leading this time with the young ladies in Portuguese!  She has been doing great learning the language and it is so awesome to watch her being used of the Lord in this way!  Pray for Caryne and these young women!

Our Girls

Anadia, Cora, Isabel, and Soraia are all doing great, praise the Lord!  Please be in prayer specifically for Anadia and Cora, as they are in a true mission field every day that they step foot into their school. It is a real example of being light in the midst of darkness, as they are confronted with complicated issues almost on a daily basis.  Praise the Lord they both have a wonderful heart for Jesus, and we pray for the Lord's protection and guidance in their lives!

More Than Conquerors

What an amazing truth we can hold on to that "we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." Our hearts are at peace as we place our lives in His hands for Him to mold and shape us in such a way that we may glorify Him with all that we do!  What a privilege it is that we can be used of Him to accomplish His purposes!

Bible Study/New Teaching Opportunities

Towards the end of 2014 the Lord blessed us with a much needed teaching English opportunity.  I am now giving English classes twice a week in a company situated about 30 minutes south of Porto in a town called São Jõao da Madeira.  What was an added blessing was the fact that a family that attends our church happens to live near São Jõao.  I had been praying for the chance to spend more time with this family, specifically their two children, who are ages 14 and 22.  The Lord answered that prayer and I now have a Bible study with them once a week in their home.  It has been a joy as we grow together in the knowledge of our Lord!

The Next Generation

It is so important that we equip the youth of our church here in such a way that they will carry on the Gospel effectively for generations to come.  Please pray that the Lord will guard the hearts of each one of them, and that as a church we will be used of the Lord to raise them up in maturity in Him!  

Praise the Lord just a few weeks ago a young women came to know Christ through the ministry of our church!  We had been fervently praying for her conversion, and we praise the Lord for the answer to prayer! It is just the beginning, however, so please pray for her that she will have the passion to grow closer to Him!

Prison Ministry/Event

Every Saturday our Pastor meets with about 15-20 men in a local prison.  There they sing, pray, and study the Scriptures.  The Gospel is preached, and lives are being changed.  Many of our church members also meet one-on-one with some of these men during the week, where we can follow up with them at a more personal level.  All of this came about because one of our church members ended up in this particular prison for a mistake he made many years ago in Romania.  It was all part of God's plan, of course, as the testimony of this man began to draw many to the Lord!  He has sinced been released, but wants to continue being a part of this ministry!

We recently were able to have a Christmas service in the prison, and we were able to bring with us our praise team, along with a local professional athlete who is a member of our church.  He shared his testimony in front of over 30 men, which included several guards.  We truly sensed the presence of the Lord in the service, and many lives were touched by the Gospel!

Pastor's Trip to Mozambique

Please be in pray for Pastor Figueira, as later this month he will be travelling to Mozambique to continue the ministry there.  He has not been able to go back for quite some time because of political unrest in the country, so this trip is very important for the ministry moving forward.  Hundreds of leaders are being trained there, and we pray that the Gospel will continue to spread!

Support

We cherish the fact that so many of you partner with us with prayer and financial support!  In this new year we are in need of some additional monthly support (more specific details to come).  Would you prayerfully consider financially partnering with us as we serve here in Portugal?

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Our Family to Yours!

Celebration of the Birth of our Lord Jesus
What a joy it is to celebrate together the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ!  We trust you had a wonderful time with family and friends during the holiday season!  As a family we retreated into the mountains for a few days for Christmas, and we had a great time!  Let's celebrate our Lord Jesus each and every day!

Prison Ministry
The awesome ministry that our church has in a local prison continues to be blessed by the Lord.  We have seen several decisions for Christ, and new faces come to our meetings almost every month.  I continue to meet with a prisoner named Michel from Holland several times a month.  We have seen encouraging spiritual growth in him, and our prayer is that the light of Jesus will truly shine through him to those around him in the prison.

Casas Farol
As I have mentioned before, Casas Farol (Lighthouses) are an integral part in the vision of our church here to reach the lost for Christ.  In these meetings we get together in homes throughout the city to sing praises, study the Scriptures, pray, and share.  We hope to soon, in these meetings, begin to also gather around a meal to celebrate the Lord's Supper.  Please be in prayer as this year we are going to start what will be our fourth Casa Farol in the southern part of Porto.  It is our prayer as a church to see Casas Farol in every corner of this city!

Music School Ministry
Our church's music school ministry is doing very well.  The purpose of this ministry is to train people within our church to be able to use music to serve the Lord.  There are classes in piano, guitar, bass guitar, and music theory.  We also hope to have voice classes soon.  We have already seen fruit, as one of our students now plays bass guitar in our services.  I am encouraged as I am progressing with the guitar, and have already been able to use what I have learned with our girls, as well as in some meetings with church members.

Thank You
It seems as though the transition with our support has gone quite smoothly, and we want to thank you all for that, and for your faithful partnership!  We are so blessed to have each and every one of you alongside us on this journey!