Tom and Linda Gilmer : May-June 2025 Prayer Letter

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

Dear Friends of Zion:
Thank you for enabling us to celebrate our 63rd wedding anniversary on Sunday, June 1, here in Brazil, continuing our work with our multi ministries. Our missionary son and co-worker, Harold Ralph, snapped the new picture in our letterhead on our anniversary after the morning service at our sixth church, Vila Guacuri, where Linda accompanies the singing on the keyboard piano and I, Tom, am involved in diverse areas.

A thumbnail sketch of recent results in a long process of praying and working with different people, modifying areas of ministry:

The deaf ministry at our first church, Templo Batista de Indianópolis (TBI), is now functioning under the leadership of Pr. Lucas, a young Brazilian pastor whose wife’s father pastored the deaf ministry for many years. They give Sunday mornings to a church for the deaf that was started by former missionary John Spitt in Arujá, a satellite city of São Paulo, with a family from the deaf ministry at TBI. Sunday afternoons and evenings are dedicated to the deaf ministry at TBI. Another man from the deaf ministry at TBI is beginning a deaf work at the church in Vila Guacuri, which Harold Ralph started with others, and which will be the base of his church planting ministries.

Thank the Lord our fifth church, Jardim Ingá, which was begun with the hands-on work of Harold Ralph and Missionary Sean Lunday, and new missionaries learning Portuguese and adapting to Brazil, will now lead the revitalization of Parque Bristol, a church that is about 60 years old, founded by a missionary friend, Clifford New, who is now with the Lord, It had a good, fruitful history but ended up with a handful of elderly people needing comfort and a fresh start, The Brazilian pastor, José Amâncio, has fallen ill and is unable to carry the work forward. Missionary Pastor Seth, the son of Missionary Sean Lunday and pastor of the Jardim Ingá church, has assumed rebuilding the Parque Bristol church.

Medical update on Linda: Diagnosed with erysipelas, a bacterial skin infection in her lower right leg, which resulted in many doctors’ appointments and exams (about 15 total), Linda was finally introduced to a specialist outside our hospital plan. Thank GOD she can work at her desk with her leg elevated, attend church services, and do basic household chores–even permitting me to help! She will have preventive medication for possibly six months. The need for foot and knee surgery will be delayed until the infection is totally healed.

Medical update on Tom: A follow-up routine exam alerted the dermatologist to request biopsies of a lesion on Tom’s left leg and a small place on his right earlobe. The results revealed no problem with the leg but Bowen’s disease (squamous cell carcinoma in situ), a pre-cancerous condition, which must be removed from his right earlobe. Thank the Lord our Brazilian insurance covers all our routine doctors’ visits and will cover the small surgery on the right ear. May the Lord continue to bless.

Yours for the Messiah,
Tom and Linda Gilmer

PRAISE:

1. Professions of faith: 13.
2. Deaf Ministries: transition completed.
3. Fifth church, Jardim Ingá, will revitalize the Parque Bristol church (about 60 years old).
4. Thank the Lord for multiple opportunities for witness and soul winning at medical facilities while seeing doctors and doing exams.

PRAYER:

1. Salvation decisions of Jews and Gentiles.
2. Bible projects for Jews and Gentiles.
3. Progress in evaluating and giving orientation for four new books by Brazilian authors. Tom is an editorial consultant.
4. Health issues of Tom and Linda and grandson Samuel Hammond.
5. PRAY FOR THE PEACE OF JERUSALEM! (Ps. 126:6)