Wes and Trudy Seng

SENG BRAZIL UPDATE - JUNE 2019

Several years have gone by since our last general update. Though we still have our original bones, teeth and eyes, they are all showing signs of wear and tear! But what brings a smile is that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. He never grows old and He is still our beautiful Savior.

We continue in Iranduba, still teaching at the indigenous institute Semiraitá (Nyengatú for “My people”) and still experiencing God’s goodness. An especially long rainy season has produced a lush jungle green, and the monkeys have competed greedily for their part in an abundant harvest of natural fruit and nuts. We now have twelve students on campus, including two married couples with children. They enjoy the lake immensely. It takes our breath away to see the tiny tots scramble up trees and dive into the water. But the parents are very relaxed while we do the worrying for them. How grateful we are for the beautiful property God granted to Semiraitá! It is a lovely refuge in which to come apart and study God’s Word. As I (Trudy) was teaching the other day in an open space below a thatched roof, a big water rat snuck up a tree trunk close by and grabbed a bird that was snoozing on the job. A terrible screeching ensued and I had to stop teaching while the rat finished the gruesome business of getting his dinner.

It wasn’t pleasant to hear the pitiful cries of the bird … but it reminded me of the pitiful human cries we hear constantly in Iranduba as Satan clutches people in his grasp to snuff out their lives by all kinds of destructive vices. This past week there was a shoot-out on our street and the police announced they had come to kill. The hoods escaped into the woods below our house, but one young man was shot. Drugs, prostitution, vandalism, and theft are as common as fleas in our community. Absolutely the only hope for any change is in the same Word we teach at Semiraitá. We feel an urgency to share what Jesus has to offer with men and women in our neighborhood and the church. It is truly exciting to see the transformation and growth in lives as God’s message is understood.

Our main focus continues to be teaching at Semiraitá. Our indigenous director has grown in many ways. He is now fully engaged in the ministry and doing a

commendable job. It is such a relief not to be in the leadership position and a privilege to be able to mentor, encourage and pray alongside him instead.

Because he is doing so well, we are able to accept short teaching assignments at IBCB, the institute in Aquidauana where we worked for twenty years. We now teach alongside fine indigenous colleagues, many of them former students. And we share their excitement as they reach out to other distant communities. Wes will be travelling in July to one of these places to participate in the inauguration celebration of a new indigenous ministry.

We are facing a bit of a crossroads at this time, yet we are in awe of God’s faithfulness. We have been advised that because of low support, we should consider retiring. Many of our faithful supporters have beaten us to heaven. Yet we cannot imagine “retiring” in the normal sense. The needs here are so great and it is wonderful to be able to use the little strength we still have to teach God’s Word. It transformed us. We want to see it transform others. So unless we develop Alzheimer’s, we will continue to plod on for some time yet.

Your prayers for us are deeply appreciated. God is aware of all that you in North America have done in His mission to the world. We are deeply grateful that your love included us. Someday there will be a great celebration for all of us.

We remain yours because of Jesus,

Wes and Trudy Seng

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