MISSIONARY PROFILE
Jerry
& Atalias
Lantz
Missionary Update 07/08/2021
An Extension of the World Wide Mission Ministry of The CROSSROADS BAPTIST CHURCH 11441 East Central Avenue Wichita, Kansas 67206 Bill Riffee - Pastor THE LANTZ FAMILY MISSIONARIES SERVING IN SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL JERRY & ATALIAS Dear Prayer Partners, June 30, 2021 Greetings from Brazil. As I mentioned in our last letter the governor of the state of São Paulo had locked down the entire area for over six weeks but finally we were able to return to Sunday morning and evening services on April 25th. The first Sunday of May, the 2nd, Mateus returned and after the evening service received Jesus as his personal Savior. Because he had been regularly attending an Assembly of God church prior to visiting us, his friends convinced him that he needed to return to the fold and forget any “Baptist Doctrine” that he had heard. As such, we have not seen nor heard from him since. But at least we know that we will see him again in heaven. Because of the covid pandemic here being still prevalent in some areas, but not all areas of Brazil, we are still having difficulty getting our attendance up to where it once was but still we are encouraged. As such, we have made a temporary modification to our Wednesday evening services. These services had always been low attendance because of our members being unable to get home from work in time to attend while at the same time our young people are attending classes at school. For this reason, we initiated live prayer services via WhatsApp. On Wednesday evenings Atalias meets with two different groups of ladies at 8:00 and 9:00 while on Thursday evenings I meet with the men in two groups at 8:00 and 9:30 for prayer and a lesson. As a result, more of our members have been able to participate in a mid-week service. Two to three times more than before due to either their work or school schedules. We are also reactivating many of the activities that had to be suspended and we are seeing spiritual growth in some of our new converts. We have a few almost ready to be baptized but with the pandemic the way it is we are holding off for a while as a precautionary reason. While Brazil may be behind some countries by way of covid-19 vaccinations, progress is being made. The Department of Health early this year, started with vaccinating seniors and essential workers first and then opened vaccinations up to younger age groups. I have already been fully vaccinated while Atalias has received her first shot. This week vaccinations were opened for 40 and 41 year olds. Many of our church members have also been vaccinated, and with this they feel more comfortable about getting out and coming back and attending services in person. As such we are seeing visitors return who have not been to church since the middle of December due to the pandemic and having been exposed to it. One great concern for us however is the current inability to send mail through the postal system. Since the first part of May the current US administration’s policy on Covid-19 has placed a prohibition on all correspondence coming from Brazil and other countries in South America. When I tried to send a letter to my sending church, I was informed that the US is blocking all mail from Brazil for an undetermined time and until further notice. The Brazilian Post Office employee informed me that there is a way that a letter could be sent but that it would be at a cost of $40.00 US per letter. As such we have been unable to send in our tithes and mission offerings. Please pray that this can be quickly resolved. Once again, as always, thank you for your faithfulness in supporting us financially and/or prayerfully through the years. The churches in Jardim Varginha and Vargem Grande are here today because you prayed and invested in God’s work. Please continue to pray with us that we will continue to see a Harvest of souls for the honor and glory of our Lord Jesus Christ in 2021. Thankfully Received All Because of JESUS, Jerry & Atalias Lantz E-MAIL ADDRESS: jlaglantz@uol.com.br or jlaglantz@gmail.com Magic Jack: 1-817-962-6441 Brazil Cell Phones for Contact: 011-55-11-96224-9995 WhatsApp: +55 11 96224 9995
