The Willis’ in Brazil – Jan 2011

Many nations will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths." The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. (Micah 4:2)

Dear family, friends and partners in the Gospel,

A very HAPPY 2011 !!! 

We pray God's richest blessings over you this year.

Praise be to God, our family's health and life is in order. Ana is doing a lot better now getting her hypothyroidism in check and our whole family's health has been so good. Hadassah have had a bit of flu and fever this week but it's because of new teeth popping through, yes Hadassah's 2 front and bottom teeth have pushed through – goes quite well with that song,”all I want for Christmas is my 2 front teeth...” well she got it ;)

Ben has been on Summer break from school and will start again the beginning of February. Ben's school fees went up an extra R$150, but PRAISE GOD... they gave us a discount and it has only gone up R$50 for us. He is such a big boy now! He is almost fully potty trained and speaking everything in English, just a very few words in Portuguese so far. And Hadassah at just 9 months old, surprised us saying things like thank you, bom dia (good morning in Portuguese), daddy, etc.

We have finally got used to Brazil. I received my Brazilian permanent residency’s card and will be able to apply for citizenship in May. It will be much easier to travel with a Brazilian passport than with a South African passport.

MINISTRY IN BRAZIL

REGISTRO, SP. November we went for a week to minister and teach the conference on Israel in Registro, a town 3 hours away from Santos. It was a blessed time and for the 3rd time now I've been asked to minister and teach on worship. We had many people giving their lives to the Lord. We also did a lot of spiritual warfare and a prophetic act over the town, dominated by Japanese’s ritual traditions and Satanism.

PROPHETIC CONFERENCE IN SÃO PAULO

In December we took off to São Paulo, just Ana and I, for a whole week to attend a prophetic conference – it was so good!!! We much needed a time like this with the Lord on our own to be ministered and to receive new direction from the Lord for our ministry in 2011. It was also a great time to connect with pastors from all over the country and to schedule new Israel conferences for us to teach in this new year. We ended 2010 in Niterói with Ana's family for a time of family ministry.

ONE ALIYAH ON THE WAY
“For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land...Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I shall be your God.” Ez.36:24,28

We began 2011 teaching the Israel Conference in Niteroi (Rio), Ana’s home town. We had so many testimonies! One young guy, Ariel, whose grandparents were Jewish, immediately after the conference went to the Jewish Agency and started his Aliyah process! He said he has never understood how important this was until we ministered about it. Ariel's aliyah was already approved and he will be in Israel by next July. Please keep him in prayers.

A VOODOO PRIESTESS TURN TO JESUS

A pastor from São Gonçalo was at the conference and he was so impacted by the teachings that he booked us to come and do the Israel conference at his church the last weekend of this month. We also went there to minister on the Sunday night service. It was a powerful time of worship and Ana's ministering was really anointed – we heard a lot of testimonies after her speaking, but one that stands out is this: A beautiful young girl, Jessica (19), came to the church for the first time and gave her life to the Lord! Afterwards we found out that she was getting ready to be ordained as a voodoo priestess but in turn gave her life to Jesus. Halleluiah! After service, the prayer team went straight to her house to break and destroy all the voodoo stuff and to pray with her over the house. Once again Hell was shook! To God be the glory now and forever! So on the 10th of February we will be back there to teach the Israel Conference.

FROM CATHOLIC PRIEST TO PASTOR

We are teaching this next week in Aparecida do Norte. This town hosts the second largest Catholic pilgrimage every year in Brasil, as the “Holy Mary of Aparecida” is the patron of Brazil. We were thrilled to hear the pastor's testimony! This man was a catholic priest and the leader of the biggest Catholic Youth movement in the country, called Canção Nova (New Song) with over 5000 young followers just at the Aparecida's cathedral. The Lord started to speak to him about the work He had for him and he didn't understand until one day a 10 years old boy came and prophesied to Him- loud and clear - what the Lord wanted him to do! So he left the Catholic Church and became a pastor!! Praise the Lord! His story goes way beyond that, he became a priest because the Lord healed him from HIV and when he left the Catholic Church he had to sleep on the streets because he was rejected by his own family. Now he has a small but growing church built in the land given to him by the town's major! God is good!

As you see, God is doing amazing things here in Brazil, and we are excited to be part of it!

As we've been seeking God's direction for us in 2011, we had just received an offer by an organization in Israel to go work for them full time. We are very excited for this possible door opening by the Lord for us to go back to our Israel home. We can only go back after May. Our concern now is the fact that the Israeli Ministry of Interior is not giving volunteers visas for families. So please would you keep this in your prayers with us, that the Lord's Will be done and that if it is Him opening the doors for us, then He would swing them open WIDE for us and provide our every need to be back there!

OUR GOALS AND FOCUS FOR THIS 1ST SEMESTER OF 2011:

• 12 churches to minister to until May (5 are already booked).
• Ana is still teaching English to a group of young people from our church called into missions. One of her students was already sent out. Pray that more will be sent out until June.
• Our pastors just asked us to lead the English Bible Study in our church starting in March.
• 120 people giving their lives to Christ! Over 20 gave their lives to the Lord so far in the first meetings this year.

PRAYER REQUESTS:

1. Clear direction regarding Israel and the position that has been offered to us.
2. Mission trips we must go with World Mission Outreach this year, the first one is Hawaii from the 18th to 30th of April to teach The Messiah in the Passover and to do outreaches in Maui.
3. For more churches to book the Israel Conference.
4. Above all, for more souls to be saved!

We love you and keep you all in our prayers! 

Much love and blessings from Brazil, 

Ryan, Ana, Ben & Hadassah

The Willis family at our church beach tent in Santos.