Equipping Pastors in South America
Onéias Pereira is a student in the Theology Bachelor course with emphasis in Pastoral Ministry at the Biblical Seminary Palavra da Vida (Word of Life) in Atibaia, São Paulo, Brazil. He comes from a simple family. His father is a baptist pastor who works as a missionary at the Junta Batista (Baptist Council) in the church-planting in the south region of Brazil. The family has always struggled with financial difficulties.
Onéas wishes to go back to Rio Grande do Sul after graduation and work with his father in the church-planting of new churches. Certainly the study books will be very helpful tools for him. Onéias never had money to invest in his personal library. When he heard of the JSM-Langham Student Basic Library(SBL) program during his junior year, he prayed and asked God for the amount to buy some of the books offered; Commentaries and Dictionaries. One of the brethren of the church, where he worked in the weekend ministry, made a commitment to give him an offering, but not until the day set for the deadline to send in the requests to JSM-Langham Literature. This brethren ended up not giving him the check.
We had already completed all the requests and had prepared to send it to the United States when Onéias rushed to the office of the Seminary with the check in hands and asked if there was still time???? And then he told us that God had given him the amount to be able to cope with the purchase of those books. We received the check, revised the Project and remitted it to JSM-Langham Literature. Later, when the books arrived at the Seminary, Onéias was radiant with “his treasure”.
Onéias will graduate this year end, December 2005. He will carry along, besides his learning, the various books that he could buy as an intern student due to his precious help from JSM-Langham Literature.
Editors Note: The Student Basic Library is one of many opportunities for students, pastors and libraries to receive grants to purchase books. This program gives a 70% discount on books for these students.