Before I go...

Actually, we're already gone. The last three weeks have been filled with all the varieties of duties...church services, consular duties, and translation jobs, all the more urgent in view of our travel plans. In the end, not all that was planned got done, but one has to be at the airport when the plane takes off.

For us, the plane took off yesterday from Funchal. Had to be at the airport at 6 AM. The rest of the day yesterday and all day today were filled with meetings at the embassy, including meeting the new ambassador. He's been in Lisbon for a couple of weeks, but I heard when I got to embassy yesterday morning that the ambassador was presenting his credentials to the Portuguese government. After lunch, as I was trying to locate certain persons for meetings, everyone was abandoning the building. Bomb threat? Fire drill? Neither. The tradition is that when the ambassador enters the chancery for the first time after officially presenting his credentials, everyone stands on the front steps and claps as he comes up the steps from the car. That is something that happens only once every 4 years or so, and I happened to be there for it. Today I had about 25 minutes with him in his office, which was a very interesting time.

But tomorrow early is the start of a new chapter: our first trip to Israel. We're part of a group of 20 or so from various Baptist churches in Portugal, and we'll be returning to Lisbon on May 11. As I have opportunity to blog, I'll keep you posted on our progress. With time, I'll try to present a sort of travelog of our 11 days of travel.

Disaster Fund

Since last report, I know of another €1700 that have come for the fund, bringing the total to approx. €3954. I contacted officials to get a list of possible candidates for this help (approx. another €3000 on the way from the US), but have not yet got a reply. We do appreciate your prayers. The newspapers are continually reporting on areas of the island that have scarcely begun to recover from the storm two months ago.

Fund for flood victims

As of today, the following deposits have been received: (amounts shown in euros)

664.50 Church, mainland Portugal
673.29 Church, mainland Portugal

150.00 Tourist visiting services
10.00 Tourist visiting services

540.22 Transfer from trust in UK
216.49 transfer from UK

2254.50 Total to date

Another £1000 (approx. €1100) has been pledged from a brother and sister in the UK.

Our treasurer cannot always tell from the bank statement the source of a transfer, so if you need a receipt from the church or specific acknowledgement, please inform us by e-mail of any gift.

The bank numbers for those who are led to contribute

Name of Account Holder: Igreja Baptista do Funchal

BES account number for transfers between BES accounts:
0007.0167.3266

Inter-bank transfers within Portugal,
NIB: 0007 0000 00701673266 23

International Bank Transfers:
IBAN: PT50 0007 0000 0070 1673 2662 3
SWIFT/BIC: BESCPTPL



We have been in contact with municipal authorities for a list of specific families and their specific needs. It takes €2000-€3000 to re-equip a household of 3-4 people with basic appliances and furnishings.

One of the church families that had a car damaged in the flood (Leandro and Daniela) had gotten their car fixed and running and initially said they would not need the help of the church. It turned out that there was more work that had to be done (they had to replace mufflers that had gotten stopped up with water) and the church will help them with the extra expense (approx. €120) out of the general account.

I will take the opportunity to post these pictures taken when they presented their daughter, Yasmin, to the Lord the last Sunday of February, one week after the storm. Daniela is on maternity leave, so they are doing very well to keep up on his salary. Leandro is a member of a church in Brazil, and Daniela is doing a discipleship course with Pastor Moiséis in preparation for baptism. As the second picture shows, we borrow babies to stay in practice at being grandparents.

The Contradiction of the Cross

On the eve of Easter, the day when the resurrection of Jesus is celebrated in particular (I say, in particular, because every first day of the week is a remembrance of His resurrection--the Russian word for Sunday is appropriately "Resurrection"), and in a Catholic culture such as Madeira's where Friday and Saturday are days of mourning because "the Savior is dead" (there's a funeral procession every year on Good Friday to bury the dead Jesus), the words in an e-mail today from a dear sister reminded me of the contradiction of the cross.

The cross is the symbol of the love of a merciful God and the justice of a righteous God. A contradiction. Our sister wrote, "Our situation in the church is very sad... For years I haven't heard anything [from the pastor] about sins or the cross, only that GOD loves us, no matter what we do (this is only the half truth). And this has a reason." In her request for prayer for her pastor, I read between the lines... "there is a reason not to talk about sin".

Yes, the cross is the supreme demonstration of God's love for us... (John 3:16; 1 John 4:9-10)... It is also the supreme demonstration of His justice and holiness; He is so opposed to sin and unrighteousness that He poured out His wrath on His own beloved Son, Who cried out in agony, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

Therein is the contradiction of the cross: it is the proof that our every sin has been paid for and we are forgiven--God is Love; it is the awful reminder of why we are not to take sin lightly--God is Holy.