Linda Summer - Brazil

FBA Faith Promise Missionary Linda Summer ~                       shares her memorable notes from Brazil

The Agape Puppets ministry travels to five continents sharing the Gospel using puppets, chalk drawings, and storytelling. The Agape team consists of Linda and a group of about ten young people. As the director, Linda schedules performances, conducts training, designs costumes, and develops all original puppet dramas and written material. This ministry has a multiplying impact in that the team evangelizes with puppet shows, trains local nationals, and supplies nationals with equipment to begin puppet ministries locally. Linda shares her Brazil notes below:

Dearest Friends, 

But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.”  Luke 18:16

So Much Joy! 

While in Brazil, we had the 9th annual Agape Puppet Conference. It was an incredible conference attended by people who were passionate about sharing Jesus with people! We have 18 teams in Brazil, but not all of our teams were able to attend. I had the great privilege of sitting in on all of the classes that the other teachers were teaching, and I learned so much! I came home with new ideas for how I can do a better job with my puppet team in America and the other puppet teams around the world! Pictured below you will see a crowd of people sitting on a stage. Those are the team members who were able to come. 

I had the most wonderful translators, Helena and her husband Rick. This gave me complete freedom when I was teaching to share whatever was on my heart. I found that everyone was genuinely eager to learn everything they could and more. They wanted to hear more about what God was doing around the world!

Pictured with me is my translator Helena. Her husband Rick is the very happy man holding the very happy boy, who was the son of someone who came to the conference!

There was a man at the conference teaching puppets who was actually older than me (I know you are all shocked at this). In the photo, the Presbyterian pastor shares dialogue with one of Maurao's puppets. He is very funny and a delight to all the children, and even the adults!

Some children attended the conference with their parents. One little girl listened to me telling the story of Jesus calming the storm and hours later, drew the story on her tablet!

         

One family attended wearing matching t-shirts that talked about Jesus and following His Light. There is a final photo where I am sitting on the steps surrounded by some children who attended the conference.

People came from all over Brazil to attend this conference because they genuinely wanted to make children a priority in their ministry. We had many Presbyterian pastors there who understood the importance of children hearing about God's beautiful rescue plan for them. They wanted to make sure that the children in their church, and in their community, were hearing about Jesus in the best possible way! These men understood that children will either side with the cross, or they will side with the enemy. So they make them a priority. 

I have been working with Fabiana and Gerson for 20 years in 2024. They are remarkably good at gathering people who have the same heart and same focus! This conference was a testimony to their ability to bring people together who share the same passion. Please pray for everyone who attended and ask the Lord to help them to hold on to all that they have learned. Please begin to pray for next year, as we will celebrate our 20th year working together in ministry, at a very special conference. I still see the smiles and tears on the faces of people who came, and I hear their laughter and praises for the King! Thank you for sending me. 

In Jesus, 

Linda for all of the teams in Brazil    

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If you would like to encourage an FBA missionary through communication and prayer, please participate in our MAP Missionary Adoption Program. Contact dhall@fba.org or call 770.234-8235.

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 PRAYER & PRAISE ~ April 5-11, 2023

4/5 LINDA SUMMER (this week's blog guest)

The Agape Puppets, USA/Worldwide

Pray for Linda and her team. They ministered in Nepal to women and children last month. Many women walked an hour and a half to get to the women’s Bible conference. The team gave away many Bibles which they had printed in Nepal. 

4/6 LoANN NGUYEN-HWANG

InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, USA

LoAnn is recovering well from the birth of her second son, John, on December 19. Three weeks afterwards, her father who came from Vietnam to help her recover, needed medical attention due to his heart. He had no insurance in the U.S., but LoAnn found care for him to receive the right medicine. Pray her dad sees God’s hand in this experience and surrenders his life to the Lord.

 

4/7 Al & Mary Madeline Whittinghill 

Ambassadors for Christ International-USA, USA

In early February Mary Madeline had a trip to the ER with AFIB. About a month ago she was in the hospital for almost five days with what seemed to be a serious issue. She had good treatment and is improving. The doctors will monitor her, while the family is believing God and trusting Him that she is recovering fully.

 

4/8 GREG & PAM SMITH

InStep International, Inc., USA/Worldwide

Pray that God will supply the finishing resources needed for the Gospel Boat and Scholarships for the Church Planting Students at WOH Bible School. This year, Greg celebrates his 50^th year call to ministry from First Baptist Church, Midland, TX. He was saved, baptized, licensed to ministry, ordained to ministry and has been supported as a mission partner over these years. 

 

4/9 EASTER Blessings ~ Christ is risen! Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12

Gérard & Anne Chalvet

Christian Missions in Many Lands, Inc., France

Pray for these events: April 9 - Special worship service with Gospel message through skits/songs for outreach, April 16 - Street evangelism in parks in Grenoble, and April 23 - Feeding the homeless in Grenoble served up with Good News!

 

4/10 Veral Blake

Ambassadors for Christ International, West Indies 

Pray for Gospel Missions, Convention of Churches, Roseau, Dominica April 9-14. Pray for their Christ Radio Broadcasts heard weekly on eight stations. It was launched 40 years ago, which speaks of its effectiveness and expansion from one station at the beginning, to eight stations now.

 

4/11 Charlie & MaryBeth Berry

Cru/Unto, USA/Worldwide

MaryBeth, as part of the Unto Women’s Health team, recently held two back-to-back workshops of three half-day sessions in Honduras. The curriculum focused on women’s health and hygiene, particularly related to pregnancy and the care of newborns. They also discussed their value in the eyes of God and the love of Jesus for them.  A total of 45 women attended the two workshops.

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” I Corinthians 15:58 (NASB) 

Our monthly Prayer & Praise Calendar is also available on fba.org/globalmissions