Olá.

It's been an eventful, exciting and God inspired few weeks since I last wrote. I've been well and truly stuck in to college life which has inherently involved organising a number of different things and generally keeping busy. It has been really important for me to give back to college as I feel I have been so blessed by just being there. I was manning the Redcliffe stand at the GO 2012 Mission Conference a few weeks ago and someone asked me what had been the highlight of my three years at Redcliffe. Normally I can come up with an answer but not on this occasion because it's been so good, to summarise it is almost impossible.

On top of going to the conference I have also been to two Redcliffe weddings, finished all my assignments and most excitingly my dissertation! Freedom! It is nice to have finished all my work but just after handing in my dissertation it dawned on me how the next stage for me is going to Brazil. Before finishing my work I always had something else in the way that needed more of my attention-like my assignments.

My dissertation was focussed on Soul Survivor and analysing it in terms of how it does evangelism and discipleship. What was interesting about this was how God used it to prepare me for going to Brazil.

I had no idea when I chose dissertation topic what I would be doing and where I would be going once I'd left Redcliffe. I'm sure you are wondering how is Soul Survivor and my work in Brazil related? Part of my dissertation looked at the theory of evangelism and discipleship and the different stages of faith we all go through which is really related to the work which I will be doing with the young people there. As I was sat there writing in the library God made it really how everything at Redcliffe, even the seemingly unrelated things like my dissertation are all preparation for the tasks that lies ahead.

I still have a few weeks left at Redcliffe which with all my work done will be a time of eating, watching films, playing sport, drinking tea, going to BBQ's, having fun, saying my goodbyes and graduating.

On top of all of this I also have the Redcliffe annual Mission Weekend to organise which has been has been months of hard work. The Mission Weekend this year takes place on Saturday 16th June and involves Redcliffe working with different churches in Gloucester and Cheltenham and us essentially doing mission together. The main event which Redcliffe will be hosting is a Family Fun Day in neighbouring Cheltenham.

Whilst trying to sort all this out I have begun learning Portuguese and as I have already mentioned in some of my previous newsletters I have been really blessed by Redcliffe and the international community it has. Also just as I go about my everyday business I keep coming across and have been able to speak to many people who are either Brazilian, have worked in Brazil or just know a lot about it which has been really helpful as I work a number of things through and establish what this means for me.

I still don't know why God would want to send me to Brazil of all places-it's certainly quite different from South-East Asia! What I do know though is that I am excited about going and excited about what God has planned for the months and years ahead.

There was once a song written by Redcliffe students titled "It's been such a perfect year" but truth be told it hasn't. It's been such a perfect three years!

Praise be to God!

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Thank God for:

• Finishing and handing in all my Redcliffe assignments-especially my dissertation.
• Some good initial responses from my Church visits.
• The good preparations I have made so far.
• The positive experience Redcliffe College has been for me.

Pray for:

• Good motivation and use of my time at home and at college.
• Greater vision as I seek to explore how God intends to use in my time away.
• My involvement with the Redcliffe Mission Weekend (16/06!)
• That I would continue to trust God with all the things I still have to do.
• Prayer support as I pursue this exciting new stage of my life.
• Funding needed to work with Latin Link and go to Brazil.