In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul.While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off. (Acts 13:1-3).

What a privilege it was to be part of the commissioning service for a new missionary earlier this month!We have known Isabel since we arrived in Brazil in June of 2004. She has been a patient friend, encouraging us in our language learning and orientation so that we can be more effective as we help train new Brazilian Baptist missionaries.We mentioned in one of our newsletters in November that Isabel identified the tiny, new country of East Timor in Asia as the place where God was equipping her to serve.

On April 3 Isabel's home church commissioned her for ministry in East Timor with a grand send-off, and on April 10 she left Brazil for what she expects to be an initial 4-year term (see attached photo).Isabel's commissioning was our second opportunity to visit her church, Igreja Batista Shallom (Shallom Baptist Church) in the town of Ipatinga about a four-hour drive from Belo Horizonte where we live.This 10-year-old church is packed every Sunday, and has put into practice Jesus' command to "be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Isabel, Shallom Baptist Church in Ipatinga, and JAMI each demonstrate the excitement and vitality of what some call the "new sending country movement" in global mission.Isabel has been convinced of her call to cross-cultural mission for 5 years, she was trained here at JAMI, and has already served as a missionary (in Paraguay, to ethnic Chinese!).Shallom Baptist Church is growing in ministry and numerically because of its passionate commitment to holistic mission in its city and to the whole world.And JAMI celebrates its 10th birthday this year with 68 missionaries in 21 countries.JAMI's work through a multi-ministry community center called Lorosa'e is recognized as the major mission outreach in East Timor's capital city Dili.JAMI is also celebrating this year a new dimension of its partnership with American Baptist churches.Our presence here transforms JAMI into a multi-national, multi-cultural training center for cross-cultural ministry.

JAMI got a call from Isabel when she arrived in East Timor (after almost 48 hours of travel!), and just the other day an email came with more news from another JAMI missionary there.Isabel has jumped into the deep water of language learning, cultural adaptation, and familiarization with the ministries of the Lorosa'e Center.We understand that she is scheduled to meet the president of the country and his wife this week, an important indication of the government's interest in and respect for the work of the center.When JAMI missionaries Levi and Simone leave East Timor in June for a period of home assignment, Isabel will be ready to serve as the new director of the center.Praise God for Isabel's faithfulness in responding to God's call on her life!

Join us in lifting up in prayer:

• Isabel – for perseverance as she learns an unfamiliar language and customs; for comfort as she deals with living far away from her family and all that is familiar; and for strength and wisdom as she prepares to take over leadership of the Lorosa'e Center in Dili.
• Our daughter, Elena – for strength as she writes those last term papers and takes her last exams before leaving for a 3-week intensive anthropology course in Oaxaca, Mexico.After this trip she will join us in Brazil, start learning Portuguese, and take courses the next school year at the big federal university here in Belo Horizonte.
• A Brazilian missionary family in Senegal – for healing and peace after the sudden death of the young mother, leaving 3 children and a husband to carry on.
• Our trip this coming week (26-30 April) to Brasília – for safety during the 10-hour drive, for God's leading as we meet the leadership of the National Baptist Convention of Brazil, and for God's message as we share with them about the partnership in mission we represent with your support.Asa will not go with us since he has classes, so we'd appreciate your prayers for him as he stays with our friends the Carvalhos.

As we close, we hope you don't get tired of hearing this:thank you again for your prayers, your cards and emails, and your financial support for our ministry.Truly, we would not be able to continue to serve in this part of God's world without your support.

Bençãos,

Ann, Bruce, and Asa