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!

Important and Exciting Changes!

The address for our support funds has changed! Here is the new information:


Twin Cities Church
memo: Portugal (Darling Family)
2375 W. University Ave, Suite 100
St. Paul, MN 55114

Any questions please contact finance@tccmn.org.


NOTE: You can also go to http://tccmn.org/give/ to give online or have automatic withdrawal set up!


Seven years ago a man named George Stagg felt the Lord leading him from Oakwood Road Church, the church where BILD International was founded, to plant churches in the Minneapolis and St. Paul area. They now have a thriving church that meets in both cities (You can read a little about their story here - http://tccmn.org/about/).


This church (Twin Cities Church) has recently become a partner of our church here in Portugal, Antioch Baptist Church. They have felt led by the Lord to join forces with us in reaching the lost here in the city of Porto. George and his wife visited us just a few months ago, where we strategized together on the best way to organize our churches so that the Gospel will spread in the most effective way possible.


We are very excited about this and everyone involved felt it important to make this change, as Twins Cities Church is at the moment better set up to handle all finances involved with our support. As you read above, there are now many different ways you can give, which we hope will make things easier for you going forward.


Please contact me if you have any questions. Thank you, as always, for your partnership!


Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!


In Christ,


The Darling Family

P.S. Stay tuned for an update on what's going on in the ministry here in Porto!

Blessings Abound!

Baptism
The Lord continues to bless the ministry of our church here in Porto.  Last week we had the joy of witnessing the baptism of a recent convert who came to Christ through the faithful example of a member of our church. Please pray for this young man from Colombia named Jhoan.  Pray that he would grow in spiritual maturity as he seeks to serve the Lord.

Bible Studies
An awesome part of our ministry here is the opportunity to have weekly Bible studies with several of the young people in our church.  I meet with three of our young men on separate days of the week, Caryne meets with several of the young women at least twice a month, and together we meet with a young dating couple each week.  It is such a privilege to study and grow in maturity together, and to see these young people with the desire to serve the Lord with their lives!  Please be in prayer that the Lord would guard their hearts, and that they would be effective witnesses to those around them!

A Special Visit
We were so blessed to have my parents here in Porto for two weeks!  They had a great time getting to know the ministry here, and visiting places in and around our city that are special to our family.  The girls loved the time with their grandparents!

What a joy it is to serve the Lord in Portugal!  Thank you for your partnership!