Tom Gilmer: January/February 2013 Prayer Letter

January-February 2013

Dear Friends of Zion:

Thank you so much for your continued support in prayers and offerings.

Due to our trip to the USA to attend the 47^th Annual Conference of Mount Abarim Baptist Mission, we were unable to send a letter in January.  We are combining January and February into one, including our Field Report for the year 2012.

Linda and I were pleasantly surprised that a letter was sent out by Dr. Mike Patterson, encouraging our contributors to help send us to Israel in October of this year in honor of our 50^th wedding anniversary and almost 50 years of missionary service.  Thank you, Dr. and Mrs. Patterson, for the beautiful tribute at the mission conference and the gift of two sets of up to date, light weight, rugged luggage for the trip.

A luncheon meeting with brethren who are interested in training Bible translators in the USA and Brazil, as well as an opportunity to meet a student who is training for Bible translation with whom I have communicated by email, made the trip to the USA more than worthwhile.  We rejoiced to see our children, grandchildren, and other family members, as well!

FIELD REPORT FOR 2012

DECISIONS FOR SALVATION:  2 Jews, 111 Gentiles.

CHURCH PLANTING:  Most of 2012 was given to helping our existing churches work through transitions.  Some required financial help.  Most needed only orientation and motivation.  Temple Baptist Church in Cajuru, which we started in 1984, is cooperating with ten other churches from nearby towns to start a church in Serra Azul.  They have rented a store front.    A Bible institute student is ready to move there to lead the work but will need to continue working a full time job.  I have been motivating them and need to give $5,000 to help them start a fund to purchase property and put up a building.  Their goal is to repeat this process in other small towns.

PUBLICATION, ACADEMY, AND RADIO: Three books by Professor David Correa, based on his lectures at the Academy for the Study of the Prophets at Templo Batista de Indianópolis, were published by local publishers.  His course on the book of Malachi is now offered on Bible Broadcasting Network Bible Institute Online, which has over 24,000Portuguese-speaking students.  We continue working to help prepare other courses for this outreach.  Also, “Echoes of Zion,” developed and being perfected by Marcos Infante, whose father worked with us as a missionary to the Jews and is pastor of Brazil’s largest Fundamental Baptist Church, can be heard on a local station in Vitória da Conquista, Bahia.

BRAZILIANS IN ISRAEL: 1)  Pastor José Nogueira, who leads the Friends of Zion group in Fortaleza, led a tour of forty people to Israel.  2) Two young ladies from our São Paulo Friends of Zion donated almost six months to volunteer work in Israel.  3) Pastor Ricardo, who trained with us for Jewish ministry, and Pastor Alexandre, president of our Brazilian Jewish Ministry, spent a month in Israel.  Pastor Ricardo feels called to reach Arabs as well as Jews.  We are helping him organize a Brazilian mission to Arabs.  May God continue to bless.

Yours for the Messiah,
Tom and Linda Gilmer

PRAISE: