Dear friends,
Greetings from a sunny Porto!
Today is the first full sunny day we have had in weeks! Old Porto inhabitants say they don't remember raining that much around here. I pray you are well and am writing to share some praises and prayer requests.
Mila went back to Covenant College this past Friday (01/06). We are thankful for our time together this past Christmas/New Year. And we are also grateful for the safe and smooth travels she had going back.
This past Tuesday (01/03), we had to say goodbye to our dog, Cloe, after almost 14 years. We are thankful for the joy she brought to our home and for Mila to be here to say goodbye to her.
Please rejoice with us as the Comunidade Pedras Vivas (CPV) will become a particular (official) church next month. It will be the first Presbyterian church in the north of Portugal and the largest in our denomination, the ICPP.
Please pray for the new church planting we will launch out of our home shortly after the CPV particularization. Pray for encouragement and growth.
Please pray for the fundraising campaign we'll launch soon. It will primarily be focused on our ongoing monthly support, as we are down about 30% of our current needs. Please pray for wisdom, good strategies, and doors to be opened through referrals from current supporters and friends.
Please pray that we'll be blessed with a gift (gifts) to cover the expenses of our basement after it's been flooded. Saturday, a severe thunderstorm hit Porto (Flooding in Porto Video). Our basement flooded, and I had to vacuum about 600 gallons of water. That's the area we use for Colloquium, and we'll also use it for church planting. We need a dehumidifier and an air purifier to cover about 900 square feet. Our house is over 100 years old, and the basement has humidity and mold problems. Also, the water affected two large rugs we use to warm up the basement floor. The total to cover the needed appliances and rugs is $1,450.00.
Thank you so much for your love and care and for presenting to the Lord our praises and prayer requests.
In His love,
Luciano.
