Tom and Linda Gilmer: November 2019 Prayer Letter

Dr. Thomas and Mrs. Linda Gilmer
Church Planter, Bible Translation in São Paulo, Brazil

November 2019
Dear Friends of Zion:

Thanks for your prayers and offerings for our ministries. Thanks especially to all who prayed for Linda’s recovery from the car accident. Our car was totaled, so taxis have been our means of transportation while waiting for a replacement. We have met many taxi drivers and had many opportunities to witness, two of special interest.

Sr. Erasmo, whose taxi stop is near our house, professes to be a born-again believer, but not Baptist. His wife, a spiritist medium, was very ill and in great pain. He called her so I could pray for her by phone. I recommended she go to the hospital immediately. I visited her, praying as I entered the room that GOD would cast out any demon spirits that could hinder her accepting CHRIST. After hearing GOD’s way of salvation, she called on the Name of the LORD. No tumult, no noisy manifestation, just calm acceptance. From that moment until her death, she affirmed she was trusting JESUS as her SAVIOR.

On another occasion, Sr. Edison was our taxi driver. Linda sat in the front seat because of her injury. As they talked, she gave a clear presentation of GOD´s plan of salvation. When I was paying the bill, Sr. Edison remarked, “I really appreciated your wife’s words,” and began to cry. He said, “I am a very sad man since my wife left me three years ago.” I prayed with him and invited him to call on the LORD for salvation. He did! I asked if he owned a Bible. “No, never in my life!” I gave him a BEAMS Bible and a New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs. On the last Saturday night in October he came to church, beaming with joy, to attend the “Feast of the Nations” meeting in the Annual Missions Conference. He and his estranged wife had spent the day together, and when he told her about his experience and showed her the New Testament, she wanted it for herself! He took a picture of her reading it. We gave him another one for himself, plus a BEAMS Bible for her. The story has just begun! Pray for Edison and Elaine.

Members of TBI (Templo Batista de Indianópolis) have given less than $500 towards the $10,000 needed by December 31 in order to receive the $10,000 matching funds for the ACCESSIBILITY PROJECT for the handicapped, required by the government. I admire Pastor Marcos for not wavering from his promise to raise a special offering for a Brazilian missionary in the Cape Verde Islands during the Missions Conference. Humanly speaking, the Brazilian church will not be able to raise a full $10,000 by December 31. But the American church that promised the matching funds said any offerings Brother Bennett (from the deaf church) and I can raise from our contributors may also be counted towards the $10,000. We are designating all Christmas offerings received this year for this purpose, but much more will be needed. We are trusting God to supply the need. May God richly bless.

Yours for the Messiah,
Tom and Linda Gilmer

PRAISE:

Professions of faith: 6.
Offer of $10,000 matching funds for
ACCESSIBILITY PROJECT for handicapped.
Slight progress on the East Timor Tetum Bible translation project.
Linda recovered from car accident.

PRAYER:

Salvation decisions, Jews and Gentiles.
Ongoing project (Bible study helps, media outlets, warehouse for Bibles, exportation of Bibles)
East Timor Tetum Bible translation project.
Two new directors for Bible printing ministry.
More churches to help in the government required ACCESSIBILITY PROJECT for the handicapped at TBI, our first church.