Railson & Heidi Gil
developing Brazilian community, building the body of Christ
Christian missionaries in Pará, northern Brazil.
Railson, native to Pará, is called to developing projects which exemplify the Kingdom in practical ways, specifically through communications development and digital integration (that is, making computer technology available to disadvantaged classes). Heidi is a pediatric nutritionist and English teacher from Oregon, USA. She enjoys putting the Gospel into practice as she counsels nutritionally needy families. Our gifts bring us into contact with people of all levels, which often leads to house visits and impromptu gatherings around the Bible. We love it when God surprises our unsuspecting visitors with the tangible sense of His presence! Here you will find our current and past newsletters as well as photos of our family and region. Have fun exploring our site!
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Jan 11
2012 is here!
Let’s all walk closer with Jesus than ever before, think more like Jesus than ever before, and allow His dreams to unfold in our lives throughout the year. We hope this will be our predominant roadsign:
Please continue to hold Brazil in your prayers in 2012.
As we write, the nation is experiencing the hardships of challenging climatic conditions: drought in the south and northeast, and torrential flooding in the southeast and mid regions.
116 cities have declared a state of emergency due to flooding, while another 106 have declared a state of emergency due to lack of water. Govenment aid is slow to trickle in.
Around 15,000 families have been forced to leave their homes.
Dozens of residents of the states of Rio and Minas Gerais have been killed or are missing as a result of landslides. Our hearts go out to their families.
In the dry regions, many farmers have lost 100% of their crops (corn, soy, watermelons, etc.) due to drought and flash hailstorms. Every night, we hear the tearful accounts on the news. Times are desperate.
We constantly wish there were more we could do to help. So that’s where we try to keep our dreams in action. We are going ahead with the vision God gave us for business which directly profits the misfortuned. We still have a lot to work out logistically and financially, but things are definitely coming together. Special thanks to those of you who have partnered with us in Priminet.
In difficult times, true consolation comes from being rooted and grounded in Christ.
The church has grown significantly this year in the areas of worship and evangelism. There were several retreats and conferences in 2011, together with the leadership from the city of Macapá, which helped create a sense of unity and corporate vision. Church membership grew by about 300% in 2011, so we praise God for that.
Blessings for the New Year,
Railson, Heidi, Tim (11) & Sarah (8) -
Apr 21
Hello from Amazônia, where living is an adventure every day. Thank you, as always, for your prayers and support.
We would like to request special prayer for our family and church throughout the month. Our primary need is financial. We are in a major transition with our fundraising projects, which has left our budget dangling for the last three months. While I am temporarily out of paid nutrition work, Railson has been busting through barriers to get a communications company up and running with practically no initial funds to invest. It has been an amazing journey. Now what is really needed at the moment is about $18,000 to seal a second deal on satellite links for Porto de Moz. That would get the local business community (about 70 confirmed businesses) connected to the rest of the world, which would necessarily generate a generous return for missions. It’s the logical next step. We have no idea where that amount of money can come from, but what’s impossible for us is possible for God! See our Donation Page for more info on giving.
A second need is for our home computers. We are in desperate need of at least two laptops. The refurbished ones we bought in the States a few years ago have burned out, and our office computer is a slow dinosaur, without so much as Word. Without good computing, our nutrition work and church work take a heavy toll. (We wanted to include photos with this message, but we can’t open or edit photos on our computer anymore. We would really like to get this situation rectified!) Any donations toward this need would be greatly appreciated.
We are still awaiting the opportunity to do a nutrition/evangelistic outreach to the interior of Vitória do Jarí, via river. The date has been tentatively set for May 1st. Please pray for financial provision for the church and all involved, as well as for open hearts and an Kingdom explosion among the people.
Blessings to you.
Have a joyous Resurrection Day!!
the Gils -
Mar 3
Where would we be without the Lord? And where would we be without you all? It’s good to be part of this fantastic Body with a very smart Head.
We mentioned in our first update of the year that we are expecting NEW things for 2010. Well, several new things are already happening. Let’s praise the Lord together.
Have you ever heard of “suddenlies”? Like when the Lord intervenes in a surprising way? Graham Cooke describes it this way,
“In a ‘suddenly,’ God invades our lives in such a way that it excites us on one level and frightens us on another. We become a walking paradox: everything has changed, yet everything is the same.”
Well, it’s barely March and we have already experienced four “suddenlies.”
- Coming out of 2009 we were distraught at our financial situation. It was very obvious that we had to continue to look for work here since our donor support was extremely low. I was frustrated with having to give English classes at night, when all I really want to do (and am prepared academically to do) is work in nutrition. So, I outright asked the Lord to get me out of English classes. Then, suddenly, the secretary of health of Porto de Moz (a day’s travel away) offered me my old position. The blessing is that they will pay me almost twice what they did before, and I’ll only have to work 1 week per month! And get this: one thing that impressed the health department is the voluntary involvement of an American doctor (who is with the Xingu Mission in Porto). The secretary told me that he prays over his patients in the exam room (she stuck out her hand emphatically to imply the laying on of hands) in such a way that people feel loved on and cared for. Obviously, the health system in Porto is desperate for qualified professionals and open to an invasion from heaven, so I’m on it! Plus, I’ll be able to help out at our old church while I’m there (YAY!), so it’ll be like going on a missions trip once a month. Both Railson and I really sense the Lord’s anointing over this opportunity. I’ll begin (again) on the 21st-27th of this month, so pray for me.
- Combining perfectly with my commitment in Porto, Railson, too has been called on to provide Internet technology there for the city offices. It was no small miracle that he won the bid, considering that we have been flat broke since the beginning of the year. His business has very little financial movement on record, but the mayor believes in him and his team. Please pray, however, that we will not lose this contract due to delays in getting the official paperwork delivered. The work is important because the proceeds will feed plans for the Foundation, as well as help pay off some of our debts. The implantation should begin this month, once the paperwork has been approved by the city of Porto de Moz.
- A third “suddenly” was when the local mining company called on Railson for much the same reason as Porto de Moz. They need a wireless network implanted ASAP in two communities. Again, Railson’s business won the bid by a sheer miracle. So, if both projects go as planned (and we need your prayers for this!) there will be enough resource to feed importation, which will, in turn, feed the Foundation eventually (or at least that’s what we think!).
- The fourth “suddenly” was when the same mining business invited me to supervise the foodservice kitchen for a few hours each morning. I thought they wouldn’t accept the fact that I’ll be absent for a week each month (in Porto), but it was not a problem for them. The salary will be a full month’s salary, plus family benefits & transportation. It’s not a lot of money, but at least it’s stable, and will help even out the fluctuations we experience with donor support. I’ll probably begin next week. (Pray that my lack of official registration as a Brazilian nutritionist will not be a hinderance!)
We thought you might like to know about these happenings since you have long heard our bemoanings about finances and the need for provision. We believe this is the Lord’s way of providing, so we are happy for it. Railson’s projects are usually completed in 30-60 days, and my work is part-time because we always want to be available for our brothers and sisters in Christ. Plus, I won’t have to work nights after June (when the semester ends), so will be able to be more involved with the local Paz church plant. (Churches here generally have more activities at night when it’s cooler.)
Speaking of the church plant, we are expecting to have a team of bikers come down from Macapa (7 hours away over a dirt/mud “highway”) to help with building renovations. Yes, the church has finally found a new location!! No old stigmas remain. But for now we are meeting in one of the member’s homes, which has been a total blessing. On Sunday, the presence of the Lord was so sweet and powerful…
Wish you were here,
the Gils -
Feb 5
Hello from wet, landslidey Brazil. Would you accept a muddy hug?
A few praises to share with you…1. The Igreja da Paz hasn’t given up on it’s mission to plant a church in Monte Dourado. (Not that we tout the Igreja da Paz banner, but the individuals involved have a genuine love for the community and a desire to bring people to Christ.) The alternative base in Macapá (7 hours away by bus) has picked up the vision. A team of 6 were at our house last month for breakfast. We are encouraged that they seem to have a realistic, as well as prophetic, notion of what church planting takes in our unique community. With the Lord’s guidance they will avoid the pitfalls of the past. For now we are meeting in the home of one of the church families. I will be ministering the Word on Sunday. The base is in the process of negotiating the renovation of a rental building, but we are not in a hurry to move to the building. Things are great at the house for now!
2. Thanks to a missionary friend in Thailand, we will soon have a digital camera again. We are blessed at the Lord’s kindness in meeting simple, yet important, needs such as this one. Thank you, Deborah, for being sensitive!
3. Railson’s constant “volunteer” work in communications is beginning to have financial implications. The several ISPs he has assisted over the past two years have written him excellent certificates of recomendation, which have been instrumental in gaining credibility in the field. He is now negotiating two projects for the implantation of Internet service, one here in Monte Dourado, the other in Porto de Moz. This testifies to the fact that God doesn’t let ANY act of faith & kindness go without results. Railson has constantly worked himself into the dough (the technical community) through faith. We want to see communications implanted by the Kingdom around here! (See Matt. 13:33, Luke 19:12-13)
4. One of the legal battles we were facing has been won. A client who owed us around US$4500 was sentenced to pay by judicial order. The case was seen by the judge and quickly resoved (thank you, Jesus, for making it swift!), although guy tried every way to get out of it. The down side is that the payment will be received in 18 installments and we will have to pay the lawyer still, but at least the judge benefitted us with a hefty margin for interest.
Thank you for standing with us and giving of yourself through attention, prayers, kindness and finances to Kingdom work in Brazil. We want to reach more and more Brazilians for Christ.
Blessings,
Heidi & troop -
Jan 22
I just got the results of a municipality-wide concurso “contest” which they use for filling public positions. I scored 2nd (out of 10) for nutritionist! Unfortunately, since I’m not Brazilian, I probably can’t get a city job, but, ha! At least the others know I really AM a nutritionist–ha! That’s really the only reason why I took the test, since I won’t be able to get my Brazilian registration yet (the university wants a ridiculous amount of money to revalidate my diploma). Anyway, at least now I have a common credential. You can tell I’m not too modest about it!!