The final classes for 2015 at the School of the Bible have just come to an end. We had a total of 544 students throughout the year to learn more about the Word of God. Most of these students are visitors from the community. Some are church members who are bringing a friend they want to evangelize or are wanting to deepen their knowledge of God’s Word. Most of these students attended the graduation ceremonies, which are held on Sunday mornings right before our worship services. This gives the church the opportunity for further contact with our visiting students.

One of the main highlights of working with the school is getting to know some of the stories of our students and seeing God work in their lives. Here are two stories in particular that I would like to share.

Rafael:
Rafael is a young man that has been attending a Bible course. He comes from a religious background but was yet to make a serious decision about his faith. While his family had attended a church in the past, they were critical of people who took their faith too “seriously”. But that is exactly what Rafael decided to do. He shared his decision to become more than just a Bible student but a disciple of Jesus. He was baptized into Christ and is one of our most involved young adult church members. He shared his testimony at our last graduation ceremony.

Romero:
Rodrigo, Romero’s son, is a church member who is very involved in the young adult ministry and has been working towards bringing His family to Christ. Rodrigo invited his father to take a Bible course at the School of the Bible and offered to take the course with him. They were avid students, soaking in all they could from what the Word had to teach them. Unfortunately, tragedy struck Romero during his time as a student. While it doesn’t get very cold here in Recife, Brazil, our winters can have some strong rains with flooding. Romero’s house was one of the homes tragically hit by flooding. Water came in chest deep and Romero lost everything. But the church was quick to respond. Donations started pouring in with money, food, clothing and appliances. Romero is now rebuilding on the top floor of his house in order to be protected from the floods. He shared his testimony at our graduation ceremony and talked about his thankfulness in not only receiving the gift of God’s Word, but the love and blessings from the church family.

We are thankful to be a part in these stories and we ask that you may keep the school, the teachers and the students in your prayers; that God would continue to guide us to receptive hearts.

Students receiving their certificates.