September Month of Prayer for the Gaúcho People

IMB Missionaries Jeff and Cam Dunson Write:  The Metropolitan Porto Alegre area in South Brazil is home to more than 5 million Urban Gaúchos, less than 1% of whom have a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. September is a key month in the history of the Gaúcho people, as it serves as the anniversary of their failed civil war against Brazil many years ago. This war has marked the psyche of the Gaúchos, and millions will turn out to celebrate their culture and heritage in civil war reenactments and celebrations this month. The Month of Prayer for the Gaúcho People recognizes the spiritual significance of this month and draws together believers across geographical and denominational lines to take a stand and declare that September is a turning point when through prayer, the people who have lived in darkness WILL see a great light, and that the gospel will take firm root and spread throughout this needy land. Pray that God would raise up prayer warriors this month to stand with us and the Gaúchos before the throne of God and declare that Porto Alegre will become a place where God is greatly glorified.

September 30 Prayer Request for the Gáucho People

Please pray for the Whitenton family who have just begun a year of Portuguese language study in the city of Riberão Preto and are scheduled to arrive in Porto Alegre in July of 2011. Pray that God will give them the wisdom and patience to learn the language so that they can be able to communicate and minister to the Brazilian people. Please pray that they will be able to continue to learn about the Brazilian culture and people so that they can better understand how to relate to them. Pray that the recent friendships that have been formed with Brazilian nationals can materialize into opportunities for ministry. Pray that the Whitenton family will continue to grow strong in their relationship and walk with the Lord.

September 29 Prayer Request for the Gáucho People

Please pray for newly appointed IMB missionaries Dee and Laura, who are preparing for service in Porto Alegre. They are currently in training in Virginia and will be going to mega-city training in Canada the first of October. Pray for smooth transitions with their 3 young children and for their family to grow together even when facing adversity. Their visas are still in process, so pray for God to place government officials where needed to expedite their visas and approve them without hesitation. Pray for easy language acquisition as they will be immersed in full time language learning once they reach Brazil. Finally and foremost, pray for them to have boldness to share their faith and that Christ will be glorified in all they say and do.

September 28 Prayer Request for the Gáucho People

Please pray for IMB missionaries Mike and Donna and their two children as they serve in the city of Caxias in the mountains on the outskirts of Metropolitan Porto Alegre. Ask that God would bless their relationships with their Brazilian colleagues and give them great fruit in their work. Also ask for God’s blessing on the schooling of their children, protection over their family and blessing on their marriage.

September 27 Prayer Request for the Gáucho People

God is at work in the greater Caxias area on the outskirts of Metropolitan Porto Alegre, gathering 10 missionary couples from 4 different Baptist agencies in the last two years! We expect 2 more couples to arrive before the end of the year. Since most of these couples and agencies do not know each other, we recognize that this is not a coordinated human effort, but God at work. You have prayed for laborers in the harvest fields of Rio Grande do Sul. God is answering that prayer! Pray that the missionaries, the established churches and the new churches would sense God at work among them, that they would work together in unity, and that God would bring great fruit from their labors.

September 26 Prayer Request for the Gáucho People

Please pray for D., a new believer planting a church in an area on the outskirts of Porto Alegre. While still unsaved, D. had a dream in which he built a church to which people fled from danger. He quit his job and began to build a building, and then shortly after, met a missionary who led him to Christ. D. is now growing in the Lord and leading a small group of believers. Please pray that D. would grow quickly in his faith in Christ and that this church plant would grow strong and reproduce other churches.

September 25 Prayer Request for the Gáucho People

Please pray for IMB missionaries Bill and Cheryl, who work with upper-class professional Gaúchos in the Metropolitan Porto Alegre area. Pray for protection over them, and ask that God would give them clear direction in where they should focus their efforts and with whom they should work. Pray that God would enable them to group their evangelistic contacts together for evangelistic Bible studies, and that these would bear fruit in professionals receiving Christ and growing in their faith in churches spreading throughout the area.