The city of Afuá/PA, 250 kms away from the capital, Belém, and 90 kms from Macapá (capital of Amapá), has a population of around 20.000 inhabitants, but the EMAF ministry spreads through the municipal, with an estimate of another 20.000 residents. Afuá is known as the “Venice of Marajoara” because of the invasion of water over the land, the high tides and the whole town being built on stilts.
Here EMAF has a missionary base through which are serving the Esdras Family (Rafael, Cris, Samuel, Lucas and Elisabeth), the Silva Family (Crisman, Márcia, Murilo and Cecília – native leaders) and missionaries Daniele and Poliana, counting also on local volunteers. We have prayed for two more families coming to join us in this region. Actually, the ministry is divided into two áreas: in the city and along the rivers.
CITY/Mission Base - The Sweet Home attends 75 children and adolescents during the school shift, with meals, Bible study and devotional, and coaching, in a playful and captivating way. It has been wonderful to see the children learning to read, improving at school and, mainly, coming to know Jesus more and more. A great blessing of this Project was to see an adolescent, of 15 years of age, grow in the Project and today is a volunteer, helping to teach the other children.
Aces For Life, works with children and adolescents up to 6 years of age, and adults, in the area of sports. Besides indoor soccer, this year we have included floorball (a type of hockey without skates) in partnership with a mission that works with the deaf, helping to include deaf children in sports. Besides the physical activities, we evangelize and disciple these athletes.
The missionaries direct a Program on the Rádio Afuá/FM, that lasts for an hour, two days a week, tansmitted to the mediations of the city and part of the interior (towns around Afuá). The focus is evangelism, with reading and explanation of the books of the Bible, chapter by chapter, edifying music and thematic sermons.
The ministry of hospitality – preparation, logistics, reception, direction and work in conjunction – is developing for the reception of groups from churches, seminaries, medical and dental teams, among others, with the purpose of meeting the needs of a population in need of nearly everythibg, mainly, the Word of God.
Another important work, is maintenance. As financial and human resources are limited, and also the difficult access to some materials, the missionaries need to learn a little more about electiricity, mechanics, carpentry, and to solve problems with much creativity. We pray for brothers with talents in these areas, who can give part of their vacation to serve here.
RIVERS/Church Planting: We work along two rivers. Along the Urucum, being strengthened with discipling and training of the brothers. At Muruquara we are in the process of planting a church, evangelizing and discipling, from house to house. In the next few years we hope to expand the work along more rivers in Afuá, covering 200 Kms, planting EMAF sub-bases, with missionaries living in the communities and along the rivers. For this we pray for more families willing to serve and resources to reach further up-river.
Thank you very much for being a part of this ministtry, praying and contributing financially, making it possible for our missionary teams to concentrate their efforts on spreading the Gospel among the Riverside folk. The LORD, certainly, will bless your life, more and more, with the joy of serving Him.