Peter and Josi's Newsletter

Tuesday, 7 December 2021

Peter and Josi’s Newsletter - December 2021

Ecola Crista Água Viva Christmas Party

Peter and Josi’s Newsletter - December 2021

Dears Friends,

Christmas greetings! Our latest video update can be found at the link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2st7j6CxdyI

An update on our last communication - 20/11/2021 - Financial challenges/ adventures! They say a burden shared is a burden halved and so happily that's what we found too! Thankyou to all who contacted, shared advice and help ….Shortly afterwards some friends replied who also have projects in Brazil and experienced the same problems... withdrawals in Brazil not showing up in the bank in the UK, even stretching from September!. After having some conversation....we figure that the same bank - Bradesco, they are in the South of Brazil, we use the same bank, Bradesco in the North for withdrawals. We have no idea what was going on, if the bank made some colossal error or If the bank got hacked and hackers were blackmailing. Unfortunately these kind of hacking attacks have been taking place with energy companies in the USA. So its one of those things which makes one wonder.... It doesn't make sense as withdrawals are supposed to show up 24 hrs or a few days after drawing cash in Brazil. We have managed to stabilise financially now, but November you could say was a tumultuous month! - Josi had booked a flight to the south of Brazil. Josi was responsible for organising an education Workshop at a YWAM base Monte das Águias in Curitiba - Called “Teachers for the Nations” 26 -27 November.only to have to cancel the flight because ...a leader who was key in the link bringing the main speaker from Columbia for a school, got covid. and the whole sequence of organising speaker and the conference Josi organised collapsed. So we had to reorganise the conference via zoom, thankfully it went very well, about 40 joined us as participants over the two days of teaching even though we had never hosted one before. But we did have a power cut for about half an hour before the meeting started on the last day - just to keep us on our toes! For the past few weeks nearly every day has had power cuts here - only short ones thankfully.....

I was responsible for organising the Zoom meetings! 62 years of age and I still remember the days of black and white TV. The technology now is so new to learn and understand.... then I had to understand how to save all the recordings and post them to youtube for the participants.... The world is changing so fast with technology..... and now everybody is getting accustomed to online meetings....I can see we must learn quickly!

Anyway, now we will have an opportunity to reflect upon all this before the Lord and review all that has happened!.

“One day you'll just be a memory for some people. Do your best to be a good one!” Anonymous

A few thoughts to reflect on for Christmas. The above anonymous quote caught my attention recently which I thought is quite a good reminder of the brevity of life and what really counts. It's a phrase which is a compass bearing in the midst of life which asks us to take a bearing - where are we going? what memory and legacy will we leave behind? Shall they be good ones or bad ones? It's rather a similar situation with the story of A Christmas Carol - The ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present and the Ghost of Christmas yet to come, all show up to challenge Ebenezer Scrooge about what really matters in life…..and yes, it's just a story, but somehow one which echoes truth….. That God wants all of us to live in the light of what really matters for eternity and what Christmas means and what we can mean to others at Christmas - Will we bring “God with us, Immanuel? Will we be His hands and feet? Will He be our bright morning star to guide us? Will we keep our bearings true to His Word? Shall we leave good memory of our lives for others? It is in fact God’s will for our lives, His will that we should bear much fruit showing us to be His disciples, ensuring good memories wont be left behind in vain.. “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.” Revelation 22:16

In the picture we will notice a Christian standing on an open Bible in full armour, armed to the teeth - with the sword of the Spirit - The Word of God, resisting a lion. We will also note the bones of those scattered about who did not make the Lord their strong tower or put their trust in His Word ....not even their staff and mitres could save them! In the distance, sublime cathedrals and a humble country church - a A tranquil scene in contrast to the life and death struggle witnessed in the foreground. What does the scripture tell us about being a Christian and the life of faith? "Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in your faith and in the knowledge that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering. 1 Peter 5:8. And "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore take up the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you will be able to stand your ground, and having done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness arrayed, and with your feet fitted with the readiness of the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:10-17

Online Gallery Art shop

If anyone is stuck for buying gifts this Christmas, you are quite welcome to visit my online Gallery Shop. Lots of unusual gift ideas with a range of designs for Jigsaw puzzles, clothing, Wall art, cards, cushions, and much more. ….. The photo on the left shows the shopping cart option to send as a gift to family and friends and add a Gift message.

Click link for Gallery Shop

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Prayer and Thanks!

Praise the Lord for continued health, strength and provision!

Pray for the school and project, the need for safety and maintenance etc. Please see video.

Please pray for the Bible Museum and for partners. If anyone has suggestions or thoughts please contact us.

Please continue to pray for more volunteer staff and for evangelism.

Please pray for a new laptop which will be used for graphics and video editing - R$7,000 - about a thousand UK pounds.

Please pray for a return visit to the UK, hopefully we can stay longer next time. Dorothy enjoyed it very much and we feel it particularly important for her when we visited in 2018/19. We don't want to leave it another 11 years to pass by! We know it's a challenge to raise the finance...but ask for prayer and trust in the Lord to make away.

Hope you are all keeping well, safe and warm in spite of the weather and news about a new covid virus.

God bless you all and thank you for all your support and prayers

With our love - Peter, Josi and Dorothy

*Email: jocumpraia@gmail.com *Please note the email address is the current one I use

For those who would like to help financially

Giving through Stewardship

For those who kindly wish to support us in missions with YWAM Brazil. We are registered with give net - Stewardship Services in the UK. Monthly and one-off donations can be easily processed with Debit and Credit cards - please visit the link below to see our giving page. Give net has made some recent updates which should make this easier - for those who wish to remain anonymous, give net makes this provision. For people outside the UK who wish to give - the payment process allows International donors to opt out of UK Gift Aid system. Stewardship Services are a Christian organisation serving charities and missionaries from the UK.

For those who wish to pay through STEWARDSHIP We have an account at https://www.give.net/20089559 Before confirming any gift on give.net you will be asked whether you wish to remain anonymous. If you choose this option your personal details will be will not be made known. If you have any questions please ask for details Donations may also be sent via Western Union which we are able to receive here.

Peter and Josi Millward, Rua Pintor J. Figueiredo No. 805. Praia Iparana. Caucaia, Ceara. CEP. 61.627-250. Brazil. https://www.facebook.com/escolacristaaguaviva *Email: jocumpraia@gmail.com *Please note the email address is the current one I use

Thursday, 4 November 2021

Peter and Josi's Newsletter - November 2021

Peter and Josi’s Newsletter - November 2021

Dears Friends,

Greetings once again! We appreciate all who pray and help us here, and who send encouraging greetings and messages.

Since our last newsletter a semblance of normality has returned but Covid continues to take it's toll sadly. Our school continues to be open after what has been a very challenging time.

Life is tough for many.

Hard times - This was on the news recently in October - People looking for food inside rubbish drums and a trash truck, in front of a supermarket in a rich neighborhood of Fortaleza, Ceará. The truck driver, who recorded the scene, said he'd never seen anything like this since driving the truck, a decade ago.

We try our best in Iparana, and it is very daunting task at times….The needs seem endless and the poverty, but we do what we can and are grateful for those of you who partner with us to help. In some way we can help make a difference to the lives of needy souls where we live..

A short video below of our art activities with project Crianças do Rei. A stroll down memory lane if you are old enough to remember the tune https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcbpKHxi8RY It was Children’s day in Brazil last month, but we also had a time for the children to make pictures, each little artist was able to take home their artwork ready for Christmas as well as enjoying snacks and enjoying the new grassed play .area

We are developing a mobile art ministry and are investing in portable easels. We need to store up on paint and canvases too, for adult and children’s classes. . The hope is to disciple children and adults through art activities, taking themes from scripture and inspiring Christian testimonies..

Education

Josi is busy organising a Workshop later this month at a YWAM base Monte das Águias in Curitiba - Called “Teachers for the Nations” 26 -27 November the speaker will be Oscar René Q Ramirez director of the School in Bogotá, Teachers for the Nations in Colombia, author of the book: What God Expects from Us Parents.

In this workshop we will look at the fundamentals of Providential Education as a discipleship strategy for individuals, nations and generations. This workshop will be very important for teachers, school managers, parents, those who do (homeschooling) home education, pastors and leaders who are committed to building a generation of men and women who love God. The workshop is part of the Teachers for Nations School, which is a second level school of YWAM, Youth With a Mission, University of the Nations.

Surprising what one finds in old books!

Recently I was reading an old book...it had much fascinating reading and information and then I came across something which stopped me in my tracks and made me reflect on times past and how "God fearing" the population of the British Isles used to

be and what a difference it made upon the world... In the book - the author had written ...."When an African Prince asked Queen Victoria the secret of England's greatness, she handed him a Bible and said the secret was to be found therein." My apologies to the rest of the British Isles.....the prince probably would have meant the British Isles, but I am quoting from the book........Afterwards I went searching - and found old black and white engravings which also recount the same story and others suitable to put together to make one picture and colorized. The text underneath the Bible in the centre of the picture ...."the throne is established by righteousness." Proverbs 16:12.

I also discovered elsewhere - Reading accounts of Queen Victoria's Coronation - We note how much reverence and importance was placed upon the Bible and the role it has played, as had been the custom in previous Coronations since Edward the VI. ( It is a remarkable story, one I shall return to - why the Bible has such a pre-eminent place at coronations of the Kings and Queens of Great Britain) Below is something which was written from another book in 1838 and gives us some idea of the gravity and influence of the Bible has had upon Queen Victoria's life and reign:

"This custom, my dear Friends, has been continued to the present day. The Presentation of the Bible to the Sovereign forms a very touching part of the service, and it will be particularly interesting to you to know that on the present occasion, our beloved Diocesan has been employed in carrying the Bible immediately before the Queen in the Procession. The Archbishop presents it to her, saying,

Gracious Queen, we present you with this Book ; the most valuable thing that this world affords. Here is wisdom ; this is the royal law ; these are the lively oracles of God.

Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this book, that keep and do the things contained in it . For these are the words of eternal life, able to make you wise and happy in this world, nay wise unto salvation , and so happy for evermore, through faith in Christ Jesus ; to whom be glory for ever ." From the book "God save the Queen. A sermon preached in Godalming Church on the occasion of the coronation of our most gracious Queen Victoria the 1st." by the Rev. W. R. Fremantle, A. M. 1838.

Online Gallery Art shop

Click link for Gallery Shop

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For anyone who hasn't seen the Video news update from last august

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOd2Ze7kxyk

Click on the link above to see answers to prayer and building maintenance - 11 minutes 28 secs long.

Prayer and Thanks!

Praise the Lord for continued health, strength and provision!

Pray for the school and project, the need for safety and maintenance etc. Please see video.

Please pray for the Bible Museum and for partners. If anyone has suggestions or thoughts please contact us.

Please continue to pray for more volunteer staff and for evangelism.

Please pray for a new laptop which will be used for graphics and video editing - R$7,000 - about a thousand UK pounds.

With our best wishes and prayers

With our love - Peter, Josi and Dorothy

*Email: jocumpraia@gmail.com *Please note the email address is the current one I use

For those who would like to help financially my bank details are as follows. Please pay directly into my bank account at any Barclays branch or online:

MR PETER NORMAN MILLWARD 20-77-85 Number 10411744

• SWIFTBIC BUKBGB22

• IBAN GB70 BUKB 2077 8510 4117 44

Barclays Bank High Street, Whitchurch, Shropshire, SY13 1AP

Giving through Stewardship

Thursday, 26 August 2021

Peter and Josi's - Newsletter August 2021

We are celebrating Dorothy’s 13th Birthday

Peter and Josi’s Newsletter - August 2021

Dears Friends,

Greetings again! Thank you to all for your prayer and support. The schools in Brazil returned after holidays in early August. We continue and have a lot to be thankful for in spite of all the news. There are many challenges not just with covid but with many people having lost jobs, and the economy suffering and high prices.We live in challenging times! Below a photo of a recent visit to the mangroves and distributing food parcels. A charity kindly donated 80 food parcels for us to distribute in the mangroves. We thank the Lord for His provision and the joy on the faces of all who received!. A video of our visit to the mangroves with friends and volunteers helping - Video

Education

In July Josi was teaching with Zoom to a group of teachers with YWAM in Africa. The work of education is a great responsibility - the future of any nation is judged by how well children have been taught and invested in. And as we reflect on the challenges here and for Christian teachers also have to face around the world let us remember the scripture. “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” Ephesians 6:12. A curious phrase “Follow the money” rings true when we see the trail of money and vast amounts of finance poured into literature, media and education to capture the minds and hearts of children. If anyone doubts there is a devil or spiritual battle going on, just need to look at what is happening around the world and see how children are targeted by the enemy. Lord Jesus, come quickly!

The Church's Response?

Since the pandemic the world has changed a great deal with new phrases and words, ideologies of division appearing with anti Christian agenda….even making inroads in some churches and denominations. . There is so much need for Christian’s to stand firm during these days and make sure the true version of Christian history isn't cancelled.

If churches in the western world wish to maintain a bright and faithful testimony - Those still faithful and follow Jesus Christ must mobilise, or the future will look very grim. If we look at the example of the seven churches mentioned in the book of Revelation, all were located in what is today modern day Turkey….what happened to them ? There is a great need for the true church today to be mobilising, and take seriously the warnings Jesus spoke to the seven churches.

Drifting along is not an option.

Museums with a Biblical Worldview

One way to maintain a fixed public witness is establishing museums with a Christian worldview, which reminds the world of the greatness of God and how He has blessed nations who obey Him and reverence His Name. Already many secular museums are making drastic changes in the way history is presented because of the rise of cancel culture. What can Christians and churches do? If you or your church would like to plant or start a local museum where you live with a Christian worldview, know of a disused church or even donate one. Maybe they can be turned into a museum.. It could be a Bible or art museum, or even a museum specialising in local history from a Christian worldview. Please ask, I would like to help - a display of historical Christian art can easily be made available for exhibition.

The Broad and Narrow Way

Since our last newsletter and sharing about videos made about the Broad and Narrow Way picture. There are two - The shorter one is Gawin Kirkham with the History of the picture and Charlotte Reihlen with the Explanation which is about 40 minutes.. I received very encouraging feedback. The Field Operations Manager (General Secretary) of the Open-Air Mission, Mr JP Earnest. Was very appreciative and thanked me for the work on the videos and was glad the picture was still being expounded. Gawin Kirkham was Secretary of the Open-Air Mission 129 years ago and the mission is still very much active and preaching the Gospel in the open air today. To find out more about the Open Air-Mission and their valuable work please visit - www.oamission.com

Lilias Trotter

Algeria 1928, an elderly missionary lay dying and was surrounded by friends and fellow workers at a Mission she had founded 40 years previously, her mind was still clear and spirit still strong even after weeks of suffering. As the end drew near, she looked out of the window, and exclaimed - ”A chariot and six horses!” Someone close by asked ‘You are seeing beautiful things,” and this dear missionary looked up with joy and said - “Yes, many, many beautiful things!” Those remarkable, amazing last words were spoken by Lilias Trotter.

The Bible says "Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his faithful servants." Psalm 116:15.

Lilias Trotter lived a remarkable life, pouring it out in service to her Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and Lilias, modeled what it is to be a true follower, an example of someone who lived in the light of Eternity. Her amazing story only really came to the attention of the wider public in the last 6 years or so. Lilias was also a gifted painter, and may well have become an acclaimed artist if the famous art critic, John Ruskin had succeeded in persuading her. But Lilias had another vision for her life - A very wonderful documentary and film was made and released in 2015, and very worthwhile to watch, It shares the story of this remarkable lady, and her journey, mission and art. A link to the film https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9g0VXJ7fiq4

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Video News update and the To do list!

Click on the link above to see the latest news video - 11 minutes 28 secs long.

Prayer and Thanks!

Praise the Lord for continued health, strength and provision!

Pray for the school and project, the need for safety and maintenance etc. Please see video.

Please pray for the Bible Museum and for partners. If anyone has suggestions or thoughts please contact us.

Please continue to pray for more volunteer staff and for evangelism.

Please pray for a new laptop which will be used for graphics and video editing - R$7,000 - about a thousand UK pounds.

Please pray for a visit the UK, hopefully we can stay longer next time. We don't want to leave it another 11 years to pass by! We know it's a challenge to raise the finance...and need to share.

And finally by all means do visit my online gallery shop. Worthwhile for anyone looking for unusual gifts and products petermill.redbubble.com

With our best wishes and prayers

With our love - Peter, Josi and Dorothy

For those who would like to help financially my bank details are as follows.

Giving through Stewardship

Peter and Josi Millward, Rua Pintor J. Figueiredo No. 805. Praia Iparana. Caucaia, Ceara. CEP. 61.627-250. Brazil. https://www.facebook.com/escolacristaaguaviva *Please note the email address is the current one I use

Tuesday, 8 June 2021

Peter and Josi’s Newsletter - June 2021

Dears Friends,

Greetings again! Thank you to all for your prayer and support. We are now in June, and Escola Crista Água Viva school has been open for a few weeks now Praise the Lord!. Our pupils returned, although not as many as at the start of the school earlier this year. Many parents have struggled with employment.and losing jobs. Covid is still high. Although not as high as it has been. All we can say is that it's been a very gruelling time, and Brazil is still in the grip of this Pandemic. Thankfully I had the 1st vaccine dose a few weeks ago and Josi had her 1st last week. And gradually the population is being vaccinated, so hopefully sooner or later the pandemic will end.

Word by Heart

In April we had Nathan Cardim, a student from Word by Heart who was on his practical and visited our base, so we were more than happy to welcome Nathan and have him present Word by Heart to our school. Word By Heart is a YWAM school that trains students to memorize whole chapters and books of the Bible and present scripture in a dynamic way. I also got to paint a picture to - I suppose you could call it - Word by Art! We all enjoyed Nathan's presentation and heartily recommend the Word by Heart ministry.

A short video

of the presentation at this link

News from Josi

I continued working with the community, school and project. Also Christian worldview training in education and the arts.

In this time of pandemic, our work has been done with the community in the following way: We have helped with counseling with the children and families, helped with food baskets, and the purchase of medicines for covid 19. Families with covid go to the health center, the doctor gives the medicine to help fight the symptoms of covid, some of the medicines there are at the health center they receive, but others do not have them, they need to buy it to start the treatment to fight the symptoms of covid 19, so we help with purchase of medications. We help with the children's activities, printing the activities that the municipality's school pass on to them.

In this month from April to until now in June there have been many people infected with covid 19 in the community, so we have been trying not to meet with the group, we attend parents separately and through the whatsapp group we have, trying to help them with their needs, as far as possible.

At school, many parents who worked or did odd jobs are unemployed, but we continued with the children. We have 50 children from 4 to 13 years old in school, many are not given any payment to the school, we have lived a miracle every day, with a little money we give to the teachers who work with our school, they are people from the community who also depend on wages to survive.

We have been training teachers and educators on the biblical worldview of education and the arts for community transformation. We have fruit from our work, children who were from the first group of children years ago being reached through ministry here in the community, are now adults and work discipling others and teach in the school. Here in the community, we reach many families and children through art and the Crianças do Rei Project.. Also the vaccines are being rolled out now. But the hospitals are close to collapsing with so many Covid cases. Please pray for Brazil and the government.

The Broad and Narrow Way - Peter

Since our last newsletter I discovered the possibility of creating videos presenting the History and Explanation of the Broad and Narrow way picture. For a while I knew about Text to Speech software, but wasn't all that impressed, that was until now. The software has come on in leaps and bounds, and it is surprising to hear the results. When I realised I could make realistic speech from just text it threw open all kinds of possibilities - And so I embarked on my first video project with the software which is over 19 minutes long The History of the Broad and Narrow Way by Gawin Kirkham. <<< To watch the video click on the highlighted link. The improvements to the software are due to A.I. Artificial Intelligence. For a long time I wanted to make some kind of video about Gawin Kirkham’s History of the picture, and had thought about using 3d years ago, but never developed further than a few still images. But now many things have come into place, and narration is a very important part. Also finding old pictures was challenging so I adapted old illustrations, photoshopped and created original sketches when I wasn't able to source suitable old pictures to follow the narration of the history. I also made the videos in Portuguese, French and German. Google translator is very useful, but one needs a native speaker to check narration afterwards.

I struggled a bit with the French version...but I was surprised how well the German and Portuguese versions were received and I didn't have to reddit.

Also completed the Explanation of the Broad and Narrow Way by Charlotte Reihlen with her 1st Edition lithograph - over 40 minutes long. <<< To watch the video click on the highlighted link above.. By all means please give feedback! It's a new venture and gives many ideas. I hope to develop learning activities and Bible study material to go with the videos too. Producing the videos has given me many thoughts about producing teaching material which is easily accessible. The old ways of teaching and education are undergoing something of a revolution at the moment. The pandemic has only accelerated this with teachers and schools having to adapt to technology and new teaching methods online..

Charles H Spurgeon - Surf School

Recently I was reminded of Charles Spurgeon phrase “I have learned to kiss the wave that throws me against the Rock of Ages.” I have to confess - an image of Charles Spurgeon, with a surfboard springs to mind! ....and so I decided to look at the phrase with a surfing theme in mind! They say Praia do Norte, Nazaré, Portugal is where some of the biggest and perhaps most dangerous waves in the world can be found, only the most experienced and talented attempt to be towed out with jet skis and wait for these enormous waves to come barrelling down and attempt to ride. As well as training, they are prepared in their minds and braced for these kinds of waves. But what of the trials of life? We all face from time to time - how do we face up to them? And its this wave that Charles Spurgeon is talking about - And Spurgeon certainly had a few throughout his own life. But he had learned to embrace and kiss the wave that threw him against the Rock of Ages......he knew the importance of recognising the Rock of Ages during the storms and trials ....submission to the will of God, accepting His grace and mercy - can turn whatever trial we are going through - to victory. The trials we go through are marked with destiny and Eternity in mind. One example from scripture - Joseph in Genesis 50:20 - "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives."

. Prayer and Thanks!

Praise the Lord for continued health and strength!

Praise the Lord for His provision. (We give thanks for all the provisions and blessings throughout 2020!) For anyone in the UK who would like to give regularly we have our new Stewardship support forms. Please ask for details.

Pray for the school and project, the need for safety, health and quarantine

Please pray for the Bible Museum and for partners. If anyone has any suggestions or thoughts please contact us.

Please continue to pray for more volunteer staff and for evangelism. (We give thanks for answers to prayer)

With our best wishes and prayers

With our love - Peter, Josi and Dorothy

Giving through Stewardship