One more time from Brasil;

They started delivering ISBL's new roof on Monday morning. This will be a nice addition. They are using the deep ceramic tiles, just like the ones we one the Oregon City team put on the Acampamento Shalom chapel in 1998. It will be an improvement. One of the problems with the existing tiles is that they are too shallow, so that anything that gets inside them that blocks the water causes the water to overflow the edges of the tile and come into the building. After several decades of use, they certainly have had a chance to build up some stuff, and leak in many places. However, that is what they put on just about every building around here at the time. They say the new roof should be on within a week or so.

The final tests this week have gone quite well. There are a number of students that have worked hard, and show it. Of course there are others that haven't, and show it also. For the most part, though, the ones that didn't want to work hard simply stopped coming to class some time ago when they decided they decided they didn't want to work that hard. Unfortunately, Noèlia is one of the ones that has decided to stop English studies for now. In her case she simply had too many other things to do, and she is already having to take Hebrew for her seminary studies. Two languages at once *is* a bit much to tackle, even not including the other seminary courses.

They had a graduation ceremony this past Saturday evening in the sanctuary of the Igreja Missionária Comunidade Shalom, the big church next door to ISBL. There were 26 people that graduated this year. Six were in the Bacharel em Teologia program ( the 4 year program, designed to train pastors ), one in the Licenciatura em Teologia ( 3 year program ), 10 in the Bàsico em Teologia ( 2 years ), one in the Mùsica Sacra ( 2 years ) and the rest received degrees in Educação Cristã Infantil ( 1 year ). One comment that Melvin Noah, the OMS field director here, made was that he can remember when there were only about 20 people enrolled in the entire seminary.

Some interesting news regarding the organizational changes that the Webb institute will have next year: Webb will be taking over some of the English language programs at the Evangèlica school that they are currently handling internally. Jan thinks that Webb will be able to do a better job - with the right people. It is going to take a bit of organizational work to get things rearranged.

Webb is also starting to prepare for the arrival of several missionaries that will be studying Portuguese here. There are two families and one single woman with the African Inland Mission that are headed for Mozambique. There is another single woman that will be working with Youth With a Mission next year as well. Perhaps the worst problem at this point is that the AIM family with the most children isn't exactly sure what they are going to do about education, etc. of their children while they are here. They are talking about home-schooling, which for them may be the best option because the accumulated tuition of Evangélica would be an awful lot for them. Also, where they are going in Mozambique, they will have to do home-schooling, as it is a tribal area. However, it would be best for them to have some sort of exposure to Portuguese as well. Because they have the most children, what they decide to do determines a lot what the Portuguese education / children's education program looks like next year.

Fran Noah's mother has had her operation. They discovered that what she had was not cancer, but in fact an infection of sorts.

On this past Friday night, we had a great Christmas party at the end of the semester in the Webb program.

They have decided to start installing air conditioning in the big Central Church of Maringà. It is usually very warm in there anyway, but with the crowds as they have been, this is a very good idea. People in this church have to sit very close together to be able to fit everyone in there, and so it can get very uncomfortable during the summer.

Last week Sunday they had the best group they have had yet at Jardim Veneza in terms of people coming from the neighborhood. This was a needed encouragement for all those who work out there, but in particular David Roof.

Jennifer Noah, the daughter of the field director, arrived on Friday. For those who know Jennifer's personality ( very much a people person), will find it appropriate that she arrived in the middle of a party.

This will certainly be the last message that I send out, considering that I leave Londrina in about 12 hours. Thanks to all those who have written me here. It was a needed encouragement.

I'm still not sure exactly how I am going to pack all the gifts I have been given, but I will find some way to do that.

From the Instituto Seminàrio Bìblico de Londrina,
Glenn Laubaugh

We are two of the Brasilian Glenn's friends, we can say that it was really nice to be with him during the time that he spent here in Brasil, comming to our church, sharing his testmony with us , and helping us in many ways, mainly with the teenagers. We are glad that we can share our lives with him and for all the missionaries that we got to know here, because it just make our desire for missions grow. We thank God for everything that he has made in our lives. God bless you!!!

From Missionary Central Church ( Londrina )

Gezer and Gustavo.