August 2015
Dear Churches, pastors and friends. A lot has happened since our last prayer letter and we are excited about what God is doing here on the coast! We have a lot of challenges and hurdles to get by which present us with many possibilities. Please keep us in your prayers as without God we can do nothing! God can!
Ministry News: We found a good place to meet in downtown Tijucas and will be meeting there three times a week. Keep us in your prayers!
* We just started a new ministry called Candle Light English where we will teach basic English for free once a week with a Bible theme. A great way to get people to hear the gospel who otherwise would not listen.
* Ivanio and Carine missionaries we are working with and whom we led to the lord years ago are starting to combine their ministries from Bombinhas and Itapema. We will be helping them and meeting together on Sundays once a week at a restaurant.
* Outdoor evangelism and advertising. Something that I have used in the past but are using quite extensively now. I have a loud speaker that I mounted on my motorcycle where I preach the gospel, advertise for our church services, etc.
Blessings: Our daughter Sarah is at 100% of her support level and will be coming to Brazil to join and help us in September!
*Our other daughter Lori and her husband Corey are at close to 55% of their support level. They will be visiting us in December for a short vacation and to get some paper work done.
*Amber is still with us for the summer and will be going back next month
for her second year of Bible College. We have had fun seeing some of the beautiful sites that we
have here in Brazil.
Prayer Requests: Diane ́s mom has cancer and Diane will be going back to the states with Amber to help her mom for five weeks. Please keep them in your prayers and me as I hold the fort down without my help meet during that time.
* The work in here Tijucas that we can get a church started! It is not easy starting a church from
scratch
* The work in Itapema, Porto Belo and Bombinhas with Ivanio and Carine
* Evangelism, pray for our door to door efforts and preaching with the loud speaker. Pray that God
would break their self righteous, rebellious, stubborn hearts!
* For Amber as she is getting her wisdom teeth pulled in a few days.
*Please pray for our health, I have down almost a week with a terrible cold and Diane has had some pain from stones in her kidneys.
1Co 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work
of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
We are co-laborers and our reward will be in heaven, an eternal reward. I am looking forward to it, Jesus
is coming soon my friends! Thank you for your help in the ministry here!
Bro. David and Diane Cato Missionaries to Southern Brazil. Phil. 1:6
February 2015
Jonilton gave us the same answer that most Brazilians give when asked about their eternal destination. “No one can know if they are going to heaven or hell, we will find out when the balances are weighed.” After about 20 minutes of explaining the gospel to him, a big smile came on his face as he realized that Jesus paid it all on Calvary! We witnessed in depth to about eight people that day before a person accepted Christ as Savior. Religion is the worst kind of prison as it gives a false security.
We have settled into our new home in Tijucas and we can find our way around now without a map. We found a place to meet and are having church services twice a week. So far we just have five people besides ourselves so please pray that God will bring in the souls. We have been going door to door two to three times a week and people will listen but they are so full of false religions that it is difficult for them to understand the gospel. Pray God will open some doors and some hearts!
We are teaching the Bible once a week at APAI which is a learning center for disabled people, so that is an opportunity for us to give the gospel to the students and teachers there. Diane has started ladies tea and Bible study once a month. Some who will not come to church services will come to this. Also, we are trying to get into the local schools here to preach the gospel to the children. Pray God opens a door for this.
In December, the whole Cato clan will be together again as Sarah comes to join us permanently if she gets all her support and Corey, Lori and Amber will come down for a visit. Yippee! Corey and Lori are going full speed ahead on deputation and hope to be here full-time soon. *Special Prayer request* Please pray for the funds to purchase
some land to live on and build a Christian camp for teens. We have found land as cheap as $30,000 for anywhere from 10 to 50 acres. We could all (Corey & Lori, Sarah and ourselves) share in the cost and that would only be $10,000 for each of us. With just two years worth of rent money we each could build a decent house to live in. Of course, a place that already has buildings is even better! :-)
It is a wise investment of God ́s money. Please pray about giving to this cause and mark it as land fund for the Cato Family! We want a place that is within 35 minutes of five large cities where we could plant churches somewhere between Tijucas and Brusque, a region that has over 200,000 people.
Prayer & Praise: *The work in Bombinhas and the Bible study groups in Itapema
* Tijucas and surrounding cities.
* Tatiana accepted Christ as Savior but her boyfriend has not yet so please keep Cristiano in your
prayers!
* Pray for more families to come to Christ and start Bible studies.
* Pray for the church in Maringa, that they will continue to grow and win souls for Christ. * The funds to buy some land!!!
* For Sarah as she raises support to come to Brazil. She is at about 60%
* For Corey and Lori as they raise support. They are at about 20%
* Amber, our youngest daughter who is attending Bible college. She is in her first year.
Thank you so much for your prayers and support!
Bro. David and Diane Cato Missionaries to Southern Brazil. Phil. 1:6
November 2014
Isa_55:9 says “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
As far as we knew we would spend the rest of our missionary career here in this region but just like God moved Paul to different areas, God had plans to move us also. We were not even thinking of moving but through some very unique events God plainly showed us that it was time to go and that the church we had started three years ago was ready to stand on it ́s own feet. They are now 100% indigenous with just a few things that we left for them such as a pulpit, some chairs and some Sunday school stories and of course years of Bible teaching. They have called a Brazilian pastor,Diogo Souza, a Sergeant Major in the Air Force who will retire soon. Please pray for the deacon Giovani, their family and the new pastor. We had a very tearful going away service there as we handed the church over to the nationals. I preached on Rom. 8:28 and how that God has a plan for each of us.
On a planned visit to Ivanio and Carine in Itapema SC, missionaries that we had won to the Lord and trained 5 years ago; God showed us very clearly that we were to help them and begin starting another church in that region. (Ivanio told me that they had been praying for years that God would send us to help them, he had never mentioned this to us) We are now in the process of moving to a city near them called Tijucas, SC. Ivanio has started three works already in the region, we will be helping him in one of those in a town called Bombinhas. We will also begin a work in Tijucas as soon as God opens the doors. We are so excited! With God ́s help we hope to have a new church up and running within a year! Mar_9:23 “Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” Our daughter, Sarah, will be coming
down to help and also Lori and Corey, our other daughter and her husband, after their deputation. We will have a total of four missionary families working together! The Dream Team! :-) We are so blessed and privileged to be a part of God ́s great work in starting New Testament churches. We could not do it without your help! Thanks!
Prayer & Praise: *Pray for us as we get settled into our new surroundings.
June 2014
We are almost done with furlough! Departure date: June the 24th. We
are so excited about getting back to Santa Maria and the work there. We have been in 92 churches with just three to go and traveled over 30,000 miles and have gained some new support. Praise The Lord! Thank you so much for supporting us financially and with your prayers because it allows us to do the work that God has called us to do. We love being missionaries; best job ever!
We were going to have to drive our small car full of luggage and put Diane and Amber on the bus to get back to Santa Maria from the airport in Porto Alegre. A Brazilian friend offered to meet us and loan us his dual cab truck. Ain’t God good! We hope to buy a larger and newer car when we get back. We were able to raise over $13,000.00 for our car fund. Many churches and individuals gave money for this. Thank you so much! We will send pictures when we get one. Also, we will be able to buy a sound system to mount on our car to announce meetings and preach in open air events with money donated from a church in Ohio. I have to say it again. Ain't God good! :-).
The church in Maringá has almost doubled since we left with new believers. We also have two members who moved to Santa Maria and found our church. Both are mature Christians and have been helping with the preaching and teaching of the Word; so we now have more help. We are looking forward to meeting the new members and believers. I would like to start another church when we get back now that we have more help and with God’s help, of course. Yes! Ain't God good!
Ivanio and Carine, missionaries saved and sent out of our church are doing great. With just a little over one year in Santa Catarina, they have started a church and home Bible studies. At one time they had eight families for the Bible studies. Please keep them in your prayers and also pray about their financial support. Carine is pregnant with their second baby so they need to raise some more support. We can get the money to them if you would like to help them out. Please consider helping them! I can translate and send you their prayer letter. They are dear servants of God and worthy of support.
On a personal note, Amber graduated from 12th grade in home schooling and will be attending Heartland Baptist Bible college in August. We are so proud of her and she believes God wants her in full time ministry also. Sarah is currently at 32% of her needed support and hopes to be able to come back to Brazil and help us by next summer. Please keep her in your prayers as it is not easy for a single girl to raise support. Also, my daughter and son-in-law (Lori and Corey) plan to come down and help in the work and will be starting deputation in August. They went to HBBC also. Please consider having them come to your church! Lori already knows the language and Corey is a hard worker. We want to get them down to Brazil as soon as possible. There is so much work to be done and souls to be reached with the gospel. Who knows, we may be able to start two more churches at the same time with enough help!
Blessings: *New support raised *Money raised to buy a car. Thanks for those who gave! *Sarah, our oldest daughter, is at about 32% of her needed support to come to Brazil and help in the ministry! *Corey and Lori will be starting deputation and coming down to help in the work! *New converts in Maringa and church growing. *The works in Bombinhas and Itapema are growing with Ivanio and Carine
Prayer requests: *The churches in Brazil *Adriana and Rodrigo, members of our church that have moved to another suburb. (We hope to start a work there also one day.) *Our preparation and safe trip back to Brazil *Sarah, protection and to get her support raised quickly. *Lori and Corey as they prepare for the ministry *Amber as she goes to Bible college. *Financial support for Ivanio and Carine, our missionaries to Santa Catarina.
We love you folks and have been so blessed and refreshed visiting family, friends and churches while on furlough. I will have to say it one more time. Ain't God good!
Thank’s for partnering with us for souls in Brazil! Brother David Cato and Family Phil. 1:6
March 2014
So far we have been in 72 churches and traveled over 24,500 miles. We are about 3/4 done with furlough and we plan to return to Brazil June the 24th. Our next furlough will be much shorter; we hate to be away from the work in Brazil for so long! It has been great to see old friends and make some new ones. We have picked up a few new churches for support, hopefully others will take us on as well. Most of our supporters have been very faithful over the years and some churches have also raised our support level for which we are very thankful. We have seen some folks saved and some dedicate their lives for God’s service; yet sadly we have not seen many willing to go to the foreign mission field. Thank God for those churches that are still evangelistic and missions minded!
The church in Brazil is doing great and far better than I even imagined! Giovani’s mother and sister have accepted Christ as Savior. Some new children and teens are coming to church now. Pastor Carlos has done a great job in watching over the church and now a veteran missionary who is semi-retired is watching our work until we return. Giovani and Vinicius are having home Bible studies in their house on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. The church also has meetings on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Everyone in the church is less than three years old in the faith and are fired up to serve the Lord!
Recent News: * My great aunt Coleen Zorn aged 89 died a few weeks ago and we attended her funeral. She was born again.
* We were able to reconnect and visit with the Watson family and Cato families while in Alabama. So good to see uncles, aunts and cousins! We were also able to spend some quality time with our parents.
* Our guard dog and friend Mojo (famous cat killer) died in Brazil, age eight.
November 2013
Furlough is going fast! We are having fun visiting family, old friends and meeting new friends. We have travelled over 16,000 miles in our grey Chevy Impala and have been in over 35 churches since June 1st. We have had some great times with family, churches and traveling in this great country of ours. We have about seven months to go. I am ready to return to Brazil already but God has a work for us to do here reporting to, encouraging and challenging local churches for the great work of worldwide evangelism. So far we have met very few people who feel called to be foreign missionaries or have a burden to reach the world for Christ! Please pray that God will raise up men, women, boys and girls that have a vision for the lost! The field is the world.
The church in Maringa is doing great and has actually grown since we left. Pastor Carlos is doing a great job and a team from Pastor Antonio’s church is helping with the teen ministry. Several have accepted Christ recently. Pastor Carlos has a nerve disease which is incurable and even broke his leg recently; yet that has not stopped him from faithfully serving. Please keep him and the church there in your prayers!
Ivanio and Carine Kohler, missionaries sent out from our church, just recently rented a building for one of their ministries and are doing great. They have two works started in the region of the coast area in Santa Catarina, Brazil. Please pray for them as they labor and they still need to raise another 30% of their financial support. If you would like to help them, get in touch with me and I will show you how to help them. They are a very dedicated couple who love God and want to win souls to Christ and start New Testament churches.
Sarah, our oldest daughter, started deputation in August to come back to Brazil and help us in the ministry. She is at about 15% of her support level. Keep her in your prayers as well. She is a tremendous help working with the children and teens. She also teaches music.
Corey and Lori, our son-in-law and daughter, are planning on coming to Brazil also to help in the ministry. Corey is a hard worker and has a heart for lost souls and Lori already knows the culture and language being an MK. Pray for them as they make plans to start deputation. With their help we will be able to start churches quicker and get more done in less time. God ultimately does the work but he uses men and women made of flesh and blood. I have noticed that the more we work, the more God blesses! May
God send forth laborers into His harvest! We need more help! How about you?
Blessings:
*Some new churches have taken us on for financial support *Sarah is at 15% of her financial support
*The church in Brazil is growing spiritually and in numbers!
*Corey and Lori will be joining us in Brazil Our mission team is growing!
Prayer requests:
*Car fund – We need to raise at least $15,000 for a decent used car. Our 1997 Volkswagen
Golf is in bad shape and is too small and low to the ground.
*Corey and Lori, that they will be able to raise the money quickly that they need to come to Brazil
*Sarah, for safety on the road and that churches will give her meetings and take her on for support
*Amber as she finishes home school and prepares for Bible College in August 2014. *That Amber will be able to find orthodontists to adjust her braces
*That Ivanio and Carine will get the financial support they need and their evangelistic efforts
*The church in Maringa, that the members will continue growing spiritually and that !others will come to know Christ as Savior!
Romans 10:1 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel (Brazil) is, that they might be saved. Bro. David Cato and Family
September 2012
It was with happiness and yet with tears in my eyes that I had to take our second oldest daughter to the airport to catch a plane to Oklahoma City. Lori will be graduating next year from Heartland Baptist Bible College and then getting married in June of 2013. Corey Meier, a young man who is attending college with her, came down to Brazil and asked Lori to marry him. I never thought that I would like anyone who came after my daughters but Corey is a good man who loves the Lord and loves Lori. They plan on becoming missionaries to Brazil. Amen! :-) Sarah graduated this year and is now helping us here in the ministry while she does her internship. She is a big help and a blessing to us, she can cook, sing, play the piano and is a great communicator. She just translated some songs from English to Portuguese which is already being used by some churches here. Lord willing, she will be going back with us in May 2013 and begin deputation as a single missionary and then come back and help in the work here. We are so proud of her. Amber will come back with us and finish 12th grade while we are on furlough and then start Bible college just before we come back to Brazil. The nest will be empty but so far the birds are flying well. Amen!!! Ain’t God good!
Blessings: * About 20 saved in the last three months. *Church is growing * Teens are starting to bring visitors and evangelize * Seeing some fruit from the public school ministry * New converts class well attended * Lori got a job working at a Christian book store in the states
Prayer Requests: * Please pray for Vinicio and Vitoria two teens who were faithful but have slipped away from fellowship with the church. * Pray for the new converts * Pray for the families of Marcos, Vanessa, Franciele, Andressa and Giovani. * Pray for Maringa the suburb where our church is located. * Pray for Camobi, the suburb where we live. * The local school in Maringa where Diane, Sarah and Amber are teaching Bible classes
* Pray for Gaucho Day which will be September 23rd. * For Cristian, a man who is helping us in the ministry here and hopefully will watch the work here when we go to the states.
God bless you all and thanks so much for your part in the work here!
Brother David Cato and Family
Romans 10:1 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel (Brazil) is, that they might be saved.
July 2012
It was the first service in our new building on a Sunday night and all of a sudden we hear this huge boom as a rock hits our front door. Adriano, the 10 year old next door, was angry because he was told that maybe his mom and dad would start coming to church since one had moved next door to them and his dad did not care for such things, so he threw a rock at our church. That was about five months ago… Now Adriano has accepted Christ as Savior (his family is still lost) and we have a good group of faithful teenagers who are anxious to learn the Bible and serve the Lord. Pray about baptism as we have a large group that needs baptized and it is winter time here and very cold besides the fact that most of them are kids and teenagers and we have to talk their parents into letting them get baptized as most are Catholic and Pentecostal. We will have to wait for spring or find an indoor heated pool. Sometimes we become weary but it will be worth it all one day. The teens welcomed us back with a surprise party when we returned. Times like these help us remember why we are here and what is important in this old life.
We have so many things to share, I def. need to write more prayer letters and keep you updated more often. I will try to send out more in the future.
Happenings for the first part of 2012: *26 saved. *24 Sunday night services 24 Sunday school services *6 outdoor meetings *20 Thursday night Prayer meetings *20 Bible studies *Five Local pastor’s meetings *One big day of 200 in an open field *VBS in Feb. in which we averaged 50 per day (20 professions of faith from children). *Six ladies meetings. *Moved to new building. *Received $1,000.00 towards buying a building or piece of land. *Sarah graduated from Bible College and is now helping us (She graduated with a 4.0 and received an award for her missionary fervor, we are so proud of her). Lori is down for the summer and her boyfriend; Corey will come down again for two weeks (another missionary, praise the Lord!) Diane and Amber have been asked to teach seven hours a week in the public school here, what a great opportunity for evangelism *Our dogs have killed their 12th cat; I am beginning to lose count *Diane had to have emergency surgery five days before we left for the states to take a kidney stone out *We were caught in a hail storm in Oklahoma during a picnic; we hid under the picnic tables as hail some the size of baseballs fell. It was exciting I videoed it and you can see it on our Facebook page
Please pray for: *Venicio, Franciele, Vanessa, Victoria, Natalie, Sandy, Brian, Adriano, little Victoria, Gilvani and wife. Also special prayer for Robson and Lucas, two young men who recently accepted Christ as Savior and also Allison, brother of Franciele, who is a much troubled teen that runs the streets getting into trouble. *Please pray for someone to come and help us; we need someone who can preach and pastor, to help and watch the work here when we go to the states for furlough. *We are in need of some land and or a building. Our rent is about $160.00 per month but the owner is planning on doubling that when our contract is up. Pray for his salvation and wisdom as we seek a more permanent solution. *Souls to be saved, church growth and spiritual growth for the new believers. *Diane’s hip bursitis *Sound system (About $300.00) *Lighted sign for front of church
Please pray about giving to our building fund as we would like to buy a piece of land or a building for the church to have a more permanent residence here. Pray that we would be able to buy the building we are meeting in or find a good deal soon. A church in Jacksonville, FL has already given $1,000.00 towards this and it is in a savings account. Please pray about giving something towards this worthy cause. We will begin furlough in May 2013, so if any one would like to schedule us to come by, please, let us know. First, we would like to visit those churches that we did not get to visit on our last short furlough and also raise more money as the demands of the ministry here have increased. Thank God the dollar has gotten stronger and has helped some.
God bless you all and thanks so much for your part in the work here!
Brother David Cato and Family Phil. 1:6
December 2011
Merry Christmas and a Happy Near Year!
I hope this letter finds everyone in good health physically and spiritually during this wonderful time of the year. We are excited as to what God has done and will do during this coming year!
We have been able to hold teen’s meetings with over 100 children in attendance. 15 made professions of faith recently. Diane and Amber have been teaching twice a week in a public school near here. God has really opened the doors for us to preach the gospel in a Villa called Maringa, which is in Camobi, a suburb of Santa Maria. We have been meeting in the open air every Sunday morning at a park in the center of the villa and giving free breakfast and afterwards the Word of God. We have been averaging about 25 – 30 in these meetings. We will be having a teen’s camp including two other churches January 6 – 8 and will be sponsoring 10 poor kids from Maringa. Please pray for them as most if not all are unsaved. Also pray for guidance and patience as these are street kids and do not know how to act; but Jesus died for them and loves them. The theme of the camp will be “Jesus Saves & What are you doing with Jesus?” Please pray that God will work in a great way. We will also be doing a Vacation Bible school January 18-20th. The director of the school where Diane is teaching is going to let us use the public school facilities for VBS! Amen. Ain’t God good! On the 14th of January we are going to help paint the school. We will gather about 20 helpers and paint as much as possible in a day.
Ivanio and Carine are in São Paulo now on deputation and doing good. They have about 20% of their needed support. Most of the churches that they have visited have taken them on for support and they are very excited about what God has for them in Santa Catarina where they will be starting a church. Please pray for them as they are an extension of our church and yours as they were saved and trained under our ministry. If you would like to support them, I can give you their bank information and how to do it.
Special need: We found a building and land for sale that would be perfect for a church location. It is on about an acre of land and has a half finished building which is large enough for 200 - 300 people. Please pray about helping us with this project!If everyone would help some, we could buy this property and begin to use it for the glory of God. I will speak to the owner this Saturday and give a more exact price but we are thinking that it will be in the $25,000 - $30,000 range. It would cost four times that in a wealthier neighborhood. Pictures and link to video included. Our furlough will not be for another 18 months and we would like to buy some property or a bldg.. before we return. We want to stay in Brazil and preach the gospel as long as we can. Anyone who invests in this project is welcome to come down and see the work and bldg. in person. In fact, we invite all our supporters and friends to come down. We can use the help and you can use the vacation! How about it? J
I took some videos and pictures of a Catholic procession during one of their holidays and also of a Candomblé festival. It is so sad to see how religious the Brazilians are and yet so lost without Jesus Christ as their Savior. Jesus died for everyone, He loves us and all we have to do is receive that love and believe in Him. So simple, and yet so few people truly believe.
Romans 10:14: “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?”
We will be coming to the states in May 2012 for Sarah’s (our oldest daughter) graduation from Bible college. We should be In the Oklahoma and Ohio area for four-five weeks. If anyone in these areas would like for us to come by for a report during this time please let us know! We just want to serve the Lord and further His cause on this earth.
God Bless you all and thanks so very much for your part in the work here!
Brother David Cato and Family Phil. 1:6 Please pray about helping with this bldg..!
Any questions please email me and we can call you or hook up via Skype!
Links:
Video of possible church location http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhDXu5WdBvI&feature=youtu.be
More pictures of possible church building http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150447682277781.361169.599407780
Sunday School in Maringa (Open air meeting) http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150444380002781.360572.599407780
Public School Ministry http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150289259157781.335907.599407780
Candles for demons http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150444510637781
Candomblé Festival (dancing with demons) http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150444496602781
Catholic Procession (idolatry) http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150374330677781
Pictures of Candomblé http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150447712652781.361178.599407780
Pictures of Catholic Holiday (multitudes worshipping Mary) http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150374119022781.352389.599407780
Dear Friends, Family and Fellow-laborers,
July 2011
Since we arrived in Santa Maria things have been a whirl wind. Since February we have started a mission church here in Camobi, Childrens club, an outreach with college students and continue to help with the Baptist church in Parque Pinhero and attend their services. I thank God for allowing us to keep busy for Him!
Our girls came down in May with three students from their Bible College to see the work here and to help. It was a blessing to have the three young men with us, Chris Baber, Bryce Dowell and Corey Meir (Lori's boyfriend). They helped us pass out over 7,000 gospel tracts, gave their testimonies and did special music for us. We also did some site seeing and got to see some caves, the never ending fire, museums, local Italian cultural and some beautiful views of the surrounding country side. They plan on coming down again next year and maybe bring some others with them. Pray for this ministry of mission trips; we would like to get a Volkswagon van to transport everyone when they come down (About $7,000.00 for a good used one) This last time we used our small car, plus my old motorcycle and sometimes Pastor Antonio helped us with his truck.
We had two families coming regularly and were doing home Bible studies with them. They have a Pentecostal back ground and had been out of church for a while. After learning how to be saved Biblicaly which is 100% through Jesus Christ, they decided that they prefer Pentecostal doctrine and have returned to their Dad's church which is called “Jesus of the Nations”. We had two Mormon missionaries visit us last Saturday night. They heard the gospel and got shook up when I asked them what was in the book of Mormons that was not in the Bible that I needed in order to be saved. My heart went out to these young men as they are sincere in their desire to work their way to heaven. Keep them in your prayer as I will speak with them about their souls when given opportunity.
The Assembly of God church started a Bible club after we did nearer to where our kids come from and are also feeding them as most are poor. We usually just give them a snack such as cookies, etc. They are averaging about 30 kids and we are averaging less than 10. It is amazing how many religions are here and actively trying to convert the people. Catholics, JWs, Mormons, Spiritists and Pentecostals are very strong here as in most of Brazil. There is a Baptist church not too far from here that runs about 1,000 on Sundays but they are also Pentecostal in doctrine and are Baptist only in name and not doctrine. There is such a need here for true gospel preaching churches! Please keep us in your prayers!
We have began doing religious surveys at the University next to our house and have been able to witness to several students. We have about eight that say they would be interested in doing a Bible study. Praise the Lord! Also, for those that speak English and want to practice, we plan on meeting once a month to speak English with them, eat donuts, drink coffee and give them the gospel. We need to use whatever means necessary (legally and ethically) to reach them with the gospel. It is not easy to break through or cross over the religious and cultural barriers that exist here.
Ivanio and Carine the couple we trained have started their deputation here in Brazil to raise money to work in Santa Catarina. They came by here topresent their work and even though our church is a mission we have decided to take them on for monthly financial support.
We are still attending and helping out at the local Baptist church in Santa Maria which Pastor Antonio started about 16 years ago. Diane teaches piano there, Sarah plays the piano and I preach for them sometimes. They help us with the ministries here in Camobi also and are a real encouragement and a blessing. I will be preaching at a youth conference for Cojubusul (Baptist Teen meetings of the south or something like that) on the 23rd and 24th of July. Please pray for me as I prepare for and preach three messages on Christian growth and salvation in Christ.
Thank you for your prayers and support! Because of Calvary, David, Diane & Amber Cato Sarah & Lori (Bible College)
Dear Friends, Family and Fellow-laborers,
February 2011
During the months of December and January we were in the process of finding a house and moving. We found a nice house at the end of a quiet street near the University to live. God must want us to work with the University students!
We were able to rent a store front to start a church. With the help of Pastor Antonio and his church, we will also be holding a Vacation Bible School in our area from the 24th to the 26th of this month to get the new church started. Please pray for this event as we hope to have over 100 children show up. The devil is also busy as the community center where we will be meeting also scheduled a film to be watched on the same day. The University is showing a film in another room of the building on the first day of our VBS. (Probably teaching socialism, homosexuality or something like that, unfortunately) We need to make the VBS more exciting than their film. Please pray about this situation.
We had the privilege of ordaining Ivanio this month. We had four pastors in attendance and asked him some hard questions. Pastor Antonio, Pastor Carlos, Pastor Daniel and myself. Please pray for him as he is an extension of our ministry and yours! Because of your help in sending us to Brazil and us leading Ivanio and his wife to Christ and training them, another missionary is being sent to start churches. That is what it is all about. Pray that we will be able to do this over and over again. They hope to start deputation in June of this year.
Diane spoke at a ladies meeting in which there were about 50 in attendance. The theme was “Being a woman of the Word” by Dorothy Johnson. Diane had it translated into Portuguese. If anyone wants a copy, let us know.
Sarah and Lori will be coming down in May for the summer. Three college students will be coming with them to experience the foreign field and help us with the work here. They will be staying three – five weeks. If anyone is interested in coming with them send an email or give us a call. We still have some room for a few more. It would cost about $1,500.00 for the tickets, food and fun.
Thank you so much for your faithfulness in your prayers and support of our ministry. We could not do it without you! Lord, willing we will send out another prayer letter soon with pictures of the VBS and of our first meeting of the new church here in Camobi.
“Here am I” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qqw8l-Big_A
Thank you for your prayers and support! Because of Calvary, David, Diane & Amber Cato Sarah & Lori (Bible College)
September 2010
Dear Friends, Family and Fellow-laborers,
We dropped our girls off at the airport last Friday to return to the states for another year of Bible college. Time flies by quickly! It was a real blessing having them here for the summer; what a big help they were in the ministry. Sarah will be in her 3rd yr. and Lori 2nd yr. They both want be missionaries and plan on returning to Brazil. Wow!!! How many instead of seeking the Lord 1st seek husband or wife 1st and that ends up determining their future? We are so proud of them as you can tell. J Lesson: If you know what God’s will is for your life, then do it! Do not let circumstances determine your future. Matthew 6:33
Our vacation Bible school went well, even though we did not have as many children as in times past. Some teens, Filipe and Lucas, came from Santa Maria by bus to help us. They and our girls did most of the work passing out flyers, singing, doing puppets, skits, etc. We have had some new children come to Bible club because of it and have had three children accept Christ as Savior. Next May some students from Sarah and Lori’s Bible college plan on visiting us for a few weeks to help in the starting of a new church in Camobi, Santa Maria, RS. Please pray for them as they need to raise about $1,500.00 each for plane fare and other expenses. Also, if anyone is interested in coming down with them or at any other time please let us know. We can use all the help we can get. Jeff & Bobbi Feller from Columbus, Ohio came down and helped us in March. It is a great way to get more of a burden for missions, see where your mission’s money is going and the best vacation in the world! Come to Southern Brazil!
Ivanio and Carine graduated from Bible Institute and are in the planning stages of raising support to become full time missionaries to Santa Catarina, Brazil. They are expecting a baby boy in November and hope to start deputation by May of 2011. They have put in an application with B.E.M.A. a mission board in the U.S.A. Please pray for them and if you are interested in supporting them please let me know and I will put you in contact with them. They are soul-winners and have a servants heart. I believe that God will use them in a great way. Their e-mail is [email protected] They speak English. Their testimony of salvation and call to missions is truly amazing. They were seeking God and we were seeking for someone to help us in the ministry and while on vacation, we just “happened” to meet in another state at the right time and right place. God’s timing is perfect.
The Lord is leading us to another area to start a church. By January-Feburary 2011 we plan on moving to Santa Maria to work with Pastor Antonio in starting a church in Camobi, a very large suburb that includes the Federal University of Santa Maria with over 30,000 students and has the 2nd largest military base in Brazil. Through an acquaintance of Pastor Antonio, we already have an invitation to preach to the soldiers on the base (I have a burden for soldiers being a former Marine)! When I preached a conference there in April they asked us to come and help them as they are the only Fundamental Baptist church in a city of over 270,000 people. We had no thought of leaving Caxias do Sul at that time but God began dealing with our hearts that Santa Maria is where He wants us to be. What an opportunity we have in reaching University students by way of teaching English and preaching directly to the soldiers. We are very excited about what God has for us as we start a new church and work with Pastor Antonio in evangelizing Rio Grande do Sul.
Video of Santa Maria - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5y2eoPAh7B4&feature=related
We are excited about the new ministry opportunities and at the same time sad about leaving the church here that we started in 2007. ..but God is in control and promises to never leave us nor forsake us! Brother John Yelle, a missionary also with our mission board and has a church at the other end of town will be taking over the work here as a mission from his church when we leave. Diane and I cried when we told the people that we would be moving to another city. Now I know how Paul must of felt when he had to leave some of the churches to start other churches. We are sad about leaving this area but at the same time know that there are others who must hear. 2Co 10:16 “To preach the gospel in the regions beyond …” How often our heart aches when we have to say goodbye but one day it will be worth it all!
Mat 19:29 “And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.” Ain’t God good! J
Thank you for your prayers and support!
Because of Calvary,
David, Diane & Amber Cato Sarah & Lori (Bible College)
Dear friends and supporters, February 2010
Thank God the work is going well; we had a new family visit us last night and we have had several saved in the last 30 days. We are working more with churches of like faith in the area for fellowship and evangelistic purposes. We plan on handing out about 5,000 + gospel tracts during some parades that will be held here for the Festa da Uva (Grape Festival). We see God working in many areas and with many people. The many years of prayer, preaching, teaching, making friends and hard work are beginning to pay off. Please keep us in your prayers!
Praises: * Diane has been getting better from her neck problems! Yea!
* We have had some new families visiting our church!
* We had five people make professions of faith in the last 30 days!
* The new converts are growing and starting to help more in the ministry!
Prayer requests: * We recently lost $400.00 from one church which was our largest financial supporter. They still support us for $100.00 They recently lost their pastor and have been going through financial problems. We understand and thank God for their faithfulness and keeping us on for support. We hope and pray that they get a good pastor to lead them. Please pray for us as we adjust to this loss of financial help, we do not want to have to come back to the states to raise more support. We would like to stay here at least another three or four years before our next furlough. We have been blessed so much, we cannot complain. We lost five supporting churches at the beginning of last furlough and picked up five before coming back to Brazil! We are not worried but could sure use the prayers and support of our brothers and sisters in the states.
* We really, really need a store front or building to rent so that we can hold a larger number of people. Our living room will only hold about 25 people, we had a high of 27 and I had to preach from the doorway. Rent is about $500.00 - $800.00 per month. We would like to find a place that is more accessible and on a main road. Our house way off the main road hidden in the suburbs.
*We need more gospel tracts! Thousands and thousands!
God is Good! All the time!
Thank you so much for your gifts, support and prayers! We love you all and may God bless you abundantly in 2010
David, Diane & Amber Sarah & Lori (Bible College)
Web site: http://catofamily.4t.com/ e-mail [email protected] Phone 011-55-54-3211-5842
THE CATO FAMILY
MISSIONARIES TO RS, BRAZIL
Dear Co-Laborers in Christ, September 2009
We have hardly had time to breathe since we landed on American soil about four months ago. So far we have visited 39 churches. I came down with a fever while traveling to meetings in Missouri and Kansas and was laid up two days in a hotel and ended up missing four meetings. It has been two weeks and my voice is just starting to come back from that sickness. I coughed so hard that I pulled my neck out and had to wear a neck brace for some time. During this time I had to drive my family from Ohio to Oklahoma Citywith a U-haul to enroll my two oldest girls in Bible college. It was a memorable experience to say the least. Jas 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; I know God has a purpose.
Diane has had some health problems that she is battling. She has much pain in her right lower back and hip area. The doctors have determined that it is arthiritis in her faucet joints and she has had three injections for pain and had a small operation where they burn the nerve endings. She is doing better but please keep her in your prayers. Amber is still on medicine for epilepsy but has not had any more occurrences and may be able to be taken off the medicine in a year or two.
I have been encouraged visiting churches and seeing God’s blessings. Like I have said many times, we have the best supporting churches of any missionary. We have seen at least 20 people make decisions for Christ during our meetings and I know of at least four for salvation. We were able to see some saved at avacation Bible school that we helped at and some saved out on visitation. We must evangelize while we can. It is also my desire to see some surrender their lives to full time service as foreign missionaries. Mat9:38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest. Please pray that God would send someone to help us down in Southern Brazil! We have a short furlough and were not able to schedule all of our supporting churches due to scheduling conflicts, distance and time so if you are one of our supporting churches and I have not spoken to you yet, please get in contact with me by e-mail or phone. I will also be sending a DVD of our ministry for those that we were not able to see.
Our church in Colina Sorriso is still holding it’s own. We do have some bad news though, brother Anderson and his family have moved back to their home town in Santa Maria. So we are six people short of what we were in attendance. The good news is that it is God’s work and he will supply the members as we are faithful praying and preaching and teaching the Bible. Ivanio, the deacon who is watching our house and the church there is doing good and holding fast. I am proud of him and Carine as they have really grown in the Lord in the past two years since their conversion. Please pray for us as we finish up with furlough! We have about 27 churches to visit still and are scheduled to leave for Brazil on December the 1st. We enjoy seeing our brothers and sisters here but already are homesick for the work in Brazil. That is where we belong and by God’s grace I would like to start another church when I get back. I don’t know how we are going to do this but the need is so great and there are many suburbs with over 15,000 people with no gospel preaching church.
2Co 10:16 To preach the gospel in the regions beyond you,.. 1Co 15:34 ..for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.
By His Grace
David, Diane, Amber Sarah & Lori (Bible College)
Web site: http://catofamily.4t.com/ e-mail [email protected] Phone 251-504-7846
MISSIONARIES TO RS, BRAZIL March 2009
Dear Co-Laborers in Christ,
In six weeks we will be heading for the states for a much needed furlough. We hate to leave the work here but it has been four years since we have seen our family and friends and we have one daughter (Sarah) in Bible college and will be dropping off another one (Lori) in August. We also are looking forward to reporting to our supporting churches on what God has done here in Southern Brazil. A lot has been done but much more needs to be done. I have tried to contact all of our supporting churches either by phone or by e-mail, if I did not get in contact with you yet and you would like for us to come by and report please e-mail me. We will only be doing a six month furlough and my calendar is pretty much filled but I still have some openings and I would love to come by and report on our work and see you again.
The church here is growing, we just baptized five people and a new family of six that just moved from another city has joined our church. Our living room is getting too small to hold everyone; we are averaging over 20 people per Sunday service. Soon we will have to rent a building. Praise the lord! In January Missionary Brother Jerry Lantz & his wife Atalia came down from São Paulo to help us with Vacation Bible school, we used a local school gym and averaged about 50 children per day; eight made professions of faith in Christ. We just held our first mission conference with Pastor Valcides missionary to the Indians of the Amazon and Veteran Missionary Joe Hawkins. (Please pray for Brother Joe as he fell and broke his collar bone while visiting his daughter.) Our church voted to take on Brother Valcides as our very first missionary at 200 reais per month which is equal to about $80.00. Amen! A missions minded church is a growing church. We are still doing house to house soul-winning and park evangelism on Saturdays. The new family is a blessing and helping with the ministry here, we plan to mount a speaker on his car and go down the streets advertising our church and preaching the gospel.
Lori will be graduating from school and we are planning a nice graduation party for her and have invited about 50 people to attend. We are so proud of her, she wants to serve the Lord and attend Bible college with her sister.
Please pray for our church while we are in the states. Brother Ivanio and Bro. Anderson deacons in our church will be running the church while we are gone. They will both be taking turns preaching and teaching the Bible. I will also ask some Pastors and missionaries to come and preach sometimes. God is blessing the work here and I am already looking forward to getting back in December. The future is as bright as the promises of God! Thank you for your faithful support and prayers!
THE CATO FAMILY
Missionaries to Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
November 2008
Dear fellow laborers, friends and loved ones,
These last three months have been a blur. I spent one month in the USA visiting family and helping Sarah get settled into college. When I arrived in Brazil we had to move to another house. That has taken about a month of our time looking for a house, moving, fixing up the house we were in and the one we were moving into. Moving is such a pain. I keep thinking of that verse: Rev. 2: 20“He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” It would not hurt my feelings at all if he came today. “This world is not my home, I'm just a passing through”
We had to move the meetings of our church to our new house. Praise the Lord, He gave us a house with another large living room to hold preaching services and Bible study. We still live in the same suburb so that makes it easy for members who do not have cars. We try not to make a habit of picking people up for church as that creates a dependence that is hard to break later on when the American Missionary turns the church over to a Brazilian pastor. We will pick up children and older folk when it is raining and take them home after dark.
Our numbers had dwindled when I went to the states but now they are climbing again. We had 10 for the teens meeting last Saturday and 12 for Kings Kids Bible club. Now that everyone knows where we are at I believe the numbers will continue to grow. Ivanio and Carine are really coming along good in the Bible Institute. They plan on becoming missionaries one day and hopefully will be able to watch the work here while we go on furlough. We watched over two other ministries for the first two and half years that we were here, so we had a late start with starting a local church here in Caxias do Sul. I am confident however that God will bless the ministry here and that many will be saved. We are meeting Wednesday nights specifically praying that God will do something special here in this city of 500,000 of which for the most part are idolaters and spiritists. There are ten of us who meet every Wednesday. We need the boldness and power of God to witness and preach to these people who have been blinded for centuries. Please pray with us brethren!
Prayer Requests: * Saturday Soul-Winning Outreach * Nursing Home ministries * English Bible Class * Bible Institute * Sunday Preaching Services * Wednesday Prayer Meetings *Tract Distribution * Sarah in Bible College * Our Health * Ivanio & Carine * Salvation for our new neighbors & Rosangella, Sydnei, Odilone, Henrique, Rodrigo, Alexander, Fabiana, George
* Spiritual growth of church * The Street Ministry that we are planning on starting (We have ordered thousands of Gospel tracts and will make some scripture signs, there is a large park in the middle of town where we can go and witness) If you can help with the tract ministry please send us some Portuguese Gospel tracts or money to buy some. We need thousands and thousands!
Our address is: David Cato Caixa Postal 1206 95001-970 Caxias do Sul, RS Brazil, S.A.
I would also like to thank you for your faithful support financially and prayer wise. I believe that we have the most faithful supporting churches of any missionary. I mean that! God Bless you for your faith and help with the ministry here in Southern Brazil. Looking forward to seeing you during furlough in 2009.
July __________ Aug.___________
By His Grace, Sep.__________ Oct. ___________
David, Diane, Lori, Amber & Sarah (Bible College)
Web site: http://catofamily.4t.com/ e-mail [email protected]
THE CATO FAMILY
Dear fellow laborers, friends and loved ones, July 2008
In one month Sarah and I will be boarding a plane bound for the U.S.A. To enroll her in Bible College. When Sarah was a little baby Diane and I dedicated her to the Lord. It is with mixed feelings that I return to my native country, sad because I will miss my little red headed girl and yet joyful because she has grown up to be a beautiful Christian lady. She believes that God would have her to be a missionary. Of course Diane and I are hoping that she will be a missionary to Brazil.
God has given us much to do here in the way of ministry and many out reach opportunities have opened up. We are now preaching at two nursing homes. Diane and the girls are still teaching the children once a week with the King's Kids program. We have two preaching services per week at our church. I am teaching a Bible course in English at a local English school and also teaching a seminary course to a couple who are planning on being in the ministry full time. We also have a gospel tract ministry, Saturday door to door visitation and soul-winning. (There is something about going door to door that just takes the pride right out of you). We also use monthly teens, men and ladies meetings to reach new people. Please pray for us as our plate gets more and more full. We plan to come home in 2009 for a short furlough.
Praises:
:
Thank you so much for your faithful support and prayers!
I Corinthians 3:9
For we are labourers together with God:
Serving Christ in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
David, Diane, Sarah, Lori & Amber
Missionaries to Southern Brazil Feb 2008
Latest News
Greetings from the deep South of Brazil! A lot has happened since our last prayer letter. We are continuing with the work here in our house. We have three faithful families so far. André and his two girls, Moasir with his wife and children and a single lady by the name of Juriçi. Please pray for them as they are all baby Christians except for Juiçir. Moasir just recently received the Lord as savior. Our main need right now is for Spiritual growth as well as new believers. We would like to start another church somewhere with Saturday night services in the future.
I will be visiting the states in July to enroll Sarah in Bible college. We will miss her, she loves the Lord and is such a blessing. She will be the first one to leave the nest. I am a tough Marine but I know that I will cry when that time comes.
I would like to take a short furlough in 2008 but our church is in it’s infant stages and I can not leave it for more than a month. We hope to take a furlough in the summer of 2009. I plan on making a DVD of our work with more details of our ministry and make it available by the fall of this year.
Praise the Lord, the work in Nova Petropolis seems to be going good with the leadership of Wendell Barros. We still help them from time to time but are trying to concentrate our efforts here in Caxias do Sul.
We are currently working hard to get ready for vacation Bible school. We have rented a building nearby and plan to have any where between 40-60 children. The girls will be doing a puppet show and we will have some help from another missionary that we had helped earlier with his VBS.
The dollar continues to fall in value, it has fallen from 2.55 to 1.75 since we arrived 2 1/2 years ago. However our supporters have been very generous and faithful and we have been able to make it without too many difficulties. Thank you so much as you make it possible for us to be here!
Thank you so much for you prayers and support! We Love you all! The Girls send their greetings also.
Prayer requests
* VBS and follow ups
* Evangelism and Visitation, more souls to be saved in 2008!
* Ministry with the College Students
* Please pray for our current families!
* Our health, my stomach has been bothering me for some time now.
* Sarah as she prepares for Bible college.
* Lori and Amber as they continue homeschooling
* Amber is doing better but still has to take epilepsy medicine.
* Diane as she teaches, cooks, cleans, visits folks, and puts up with me. She is such a blessing.
* Someone to watch our house and work in 2009
* Our financial Support
Because of Calvary,
David, Diane, Sarah, Lori and Amber
Dear Friends, August 2007
In the last three months, all of us have had the flu, I spent two weeks in bed with the flu. Diane hurt her back, Amber had an ingrown toe nail cut out. We found out that Amber and our new Rottweiler puppy both have epilepsy. They both have to take Phenobarbital which is for epilepsy. Praise the Lord for the trials and that we are all doing better now. It is 71 deg. F outside right now with the sun shinning. Amen! Ain`t God good!
Our Wednesday night Bible studies are beginning to grow one person at a time. Some of the ones who have started with us are no longer with us. 1 Jo 2:19* They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: Sadly here in the land of the Catholic and Spiritist, they will embrace religion if it does something for them like heal them, promise them wealth and fame, etc. Idolatry is a curse to these people. We have a lady by the name of Diane who has shown fruit and is growing in the Lord. Please pray for Rosangela, she has made a profession of faith but does not seem to be growing and often refers to her good works. She brings her family and is faithful to the services. Another lady asked Diane today if she could come to our Bible study! Praise the Lord! We are studying through the book of John with them. I am in the process of making a special information-invitation packet to hand out door to door. Please pray that God gives me wisdom as to how to do this. We want to blanket this city with the gospel. We are looking for new ways to evangelize. Please pray for us as God has burdened us for this great city. It is hard to get religious peoples attention. They look at us as a cult just like JWs or Mormons. Only God can get their attention, that is why we need your prayers!
The work at Nova Petropolis is still going strong. We did lose one of our best workers. Claudio whom I thought would help us, felt the Lord leading him to attend a Bible Institute in another city about 100 miles from here. We hope the Lord uses him in that area. We are having a big day next month, Gaucho Day! Sort of like Cowboy day, there will be open air cook outs, Chimmarro, horse back riding, and everyone will dress like Gauchos. It will be a lot of fun and we hope to draw some new people to hear the gospel message. God is still blessing the Kings Kids club, three children accepted the Lord two weeks ago. The devil however has been mad and is fighting our efforts. The local community has launched projects on Saturday for the children such as soccer, food, dances, etc. and has managed to take some of our children away from the Bible club. Grrrr! I hate the devil and his stinkin tricks! When you try to serve the Lord, there will always be opposition! We are currently looking and praying for a Brazilian pastor to take over the church there in Nova Petropolis. We love the people there and want to help and will continue to help them in any way that we can but God has burdened our hearts to start a work here in Caxias do Sul. A city of over 400,000 people. Nova Petropolis has 18,000. It is hard to pastor a church 40-50 miles away and start a church at the same time.
Please pray that God will send us a Brazilian worker to help us with the work here in Caxias do Sul. Right now it is just our family and a few baby Christians.
Thank you for your faithful support! May God richly bless you and your ministries!
The Cato Family
Dear Brethren, May 2007
Greetings from cold Southern Brazil! The average annual temperature here is 60 deg. F. It is cold here and so is the spiritual condition. Our city of Caxias do Sul (Pop. 412,000) is about 80% Catholic and 60% Spiritists (many Brazilians practice Catholicism and spiritism) and the rest are mostly cults and false religions. Please pray for us as we try to give the gospel to these spiritually blind people! We are still having Bible studies in our house on Wednesdays and have two faithful ladies and their children attending who were recently saved. We try to make visits at least once a week. Recently we have been going door to door with a religious survey and it has given us the opportunity to witness to several people. A lady prayed to accept Christ as Saviour last Saturday!
The work in Nova Petropolis seems to have hit a brick wall and seemed to all but stop! As many of you know, I took the reins of a church that is about 20 yrs. old and with it 20 yrs. of problems! You veteran pastors know what I am talking about. Some folks have been getting saved and we baptized four people recently and are planning another baptism here soon, however I have been having problems getting people involved in the various ministries that we have been trying to start. Yesterday after teaching on Evangelism the people began to give excuses why they could not evangelize. The main reason seemed to be that they thought the church had a bad testimony and that they were not worthy! I found out that one of the young preachers (I am training two preacher boys) had just recently been falsely accused of attempted rape. The small city is ablaze with this gossip. I did research and looked into it and it is 100% false and the girl is a liar (Even the girls dad does not believe it!) but the Devil is slick and the damage has been done. There are also two families within the church that have been feuding for many years. (jealousy and envy) Last night we had a meeting and got some things aired out. Some anger was shown and some tears shed and the church is in the healing process now! God will get the victory! Please pray that God will give me wisdom as I lead this church on the right path. The church has potential and there is so much to be done for our Lord here in this spiritually dark region. We are starting a “Kings Kids Club” on Saturday afternoons and will be having a missions conference in a few weeks. I have been praying that God would touch one of the young preacher`s heart about starting a new work in a city nearby and last night he came to me and asked what I thought about him starting a church in that nearby city. (It was hard to hide my emotion, I almost started crying!) We are going to do a survey and begin plans to evangelize this new area!
Please pray for: Claudio, the young man who wants to start a new work; Dalvan, the one accused of rape (that boy has potential, I believe that is why Satan is attacking so much); King`s Kids Club; our missions program; evangelism in Caxias do Sul and Nova Petropolis; growth of the new converts; the salvation of those we have been witnessing to; Diane`s outreach to the neighborhood ladies and that the Lord`s will be done in everything that we do! Please pray for Sarah as she is graduating this year and wants to attend Bible college next year. She is teaching English to help raise money for Bible college. We are so proud of our girls!
Thank you for your faithful support! May God richly bless you and your ministries!
The Cato Family
February 2007
Praises! 1. People are still getting saved Amen!
2. We have two people doing Bible studies
3. We have been able to show an evangelistic film to several
families
4. We have five people scheduled to baptize on February 4th
5. We are starting a new Bible Institute in February with about
five students
6. We just started a nursing home ministry and may be starting
another one soon!
7. We are averaging about 45 in the morning church service
8. Our Home Bible study is averaging about 10 people including our family
Prayer: 1. Pray for lost souls and for our soul-winning outreach
2. Pray for the new converts, Norberto, Rachel, Rosangela, Eunice, Elias, Mateus, Cleji
3. Pray for the Bible Institute students Cleselio, Beno, Dalvan, Ariane, Cleni and Pedro
4. Pray for the new nursing home ministries
5. Pray for the church in Nova Petropolis and our home Bible study
6. Church camp for the teenagers Feb. 12-16
News: The girls got another parakeet to replace the one eaten by the dog. Amber just had a birthday and is 11 yrs. Old now. Our furniture debt has been paid and we were able to buy a water filter. Sarah will be graduating from High school this May and will stay one more year to help in the work here before heading for Bible college. She wants to be a missionary. My Uncle and Grandfather passed away within these last few months. Let’s witness to our family before it is too late! Diane is still teaching English and has been able to witness to several students. Three have been saved through this outreach. God bless you and thank you for your prayers and financial support allowing us to stay on the mission field!
Okay! It is time for someone to visit us! We invite anyone who supports us financially or in prayer to visit us. It will be the best vacation/mission trip you have ever taken. Our phone number and e-mail is at the bottom.
Psa 8:1 “..O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.”
October 2006
Dear Friends,
Thank you for your prayers and support, isn't God good!
News: We have turned over the work in Cidade Nova to John and Neila Yelle who have just recently returned from furlough. Keep them in your prayers! Sarah, Lori and Amber have really come a long way in learning Portuguese. Sarah is looking forward to Bible College, Lori took some art classes and Amber loves to play with the dogs. All three are taking piano lessons. They grow up so fast! They are already 17, 15 and 10 years old. Since our last letter, a church in Nova Petropolis about twenty miles from here has asked us to help them during a transition period. The church has been without a pastor for one year. They have several men who want to study the Bible. We hope to start a Bible Institute with these young men. My goal is to train the Brazilians in soul-winning and to be Christian leaders. This church will also help us some with the ministry here in Caxias do Sul. (Caxias do Sul has about 500,000 people and very little gospel preaching churches!) We are working with the Germans in Nova Petropolis and the Italians in Caxias do Sul. There are even a few Brazilians mixed in here and there. We need soldiers in our ministries!
Praise: *We were able to lead a young lady and some children
to the Lord recently in Bairro Serrano. *My foot and leg are doing better! I can now do door to door visitation and soul-winning! (I could not walk for two months after I broke my ankle!) *We had nine teens at our first teen meeting in Nova Petropolis. Two made profesions of faith. * We had over 50 in attendance last Sunday morning. Six people came forward during the invitation professing Christ as Saviour! Amen!!! It was friends day and we brought six people from Diane’s English class; three of these accepted Christ as Saviour!
Prayer Requests: *Please remember to pray for the work in Bairro Serrano! We had 21 children last time we held Bible club there; however no adults have shown any fruit of salvation yet. *The church and work in Novo Petropolis. *Pray for Darvan, a man who has been called to preach but got involved with a girl. We hope to be performing a wedding for them soon. He is currently under church discipline. *Pray for Claudio, another young man called to preach and seeking the Lords will as to where God would have him go. *Pray for Diane’s English class, she currently has about 30 students. It is our goal to win them to Christ.
* Please pray that the three who accepted Christ will grow in the Lord and that we will be able to start a church with them here in Caxias do Sul. * Pray God will give us workers!
Because of Calvary,
David, Diane, Sarah, Lori & Amber
Update on the Cato's in Southern Brazil June 29, 2006 Dear Friends, Just wanted to update you on our ministry here and share some prayer requests and blessings with you. News and Praises: * I managed to break my ankle bone about three weeks ago. I was running in the rain and tried to jump over a mud hole and slipped and landed on my twisted ankle. Please pray that it heals quickly, the hospital put a splint on it and it seems to still be pretty swollen and blue with bruises. I try to stay off of it but I think I hop around way too much on my crutches. There are so many things to do and I feel so far behind. Also traveling by car here on these bumpy roads aggravates my leg worse. Anyone who has ever had a broken leg knows what I am talking about. * We have found a house to rent anticipating the return of John and Neila. We are beginning to look for furniture and major appliances. We are going to all the used furniture stores, etc. We have already found some good deals. * Two new families are attending church now in Cidade Nova and two people accepted Christ as Saviour last Sunday. (I almost did not go to church and preach that night because I had fallen on my broken leg. You just can never tell how God is going to work) Prayer Requests: * Please pray for the church in Cidade Nova and us as we give the responsibilities of the church back to the Yelle family. (They started the church about seven years ago.) It will be a big void in our life as we have given of ourselves for that ministry for over a year. * The new work in Bairro Serrano. That work has been put on hold for a few weeks because of my broken leg. We have two families doing Bible studies there so far and some have accepted Christ as Saviour. Diane has made some visits to these families since I became an invalid. * Please pray for our finances! Besides all the furniture and appliances we have to buy, Diane has to order over $1,500.00 worth of Homeschool books and DVDs this month for the upcoming school year. * Pray for spiritual victory here in Caxias do Sul ! (Pop. 500,000) Our goal is to start Fundamental Baptist Churches(plural). We know that only God can do that, so please pray that we stay fired up, in His will and filled with the Holy Spirit! Thank you for your prayers and support! By His Grace, David Cato and Family Missionaries to Southern Brazil
THE CATO FAMILY March 2006
MISSIONARIES TO RIO GRANDE DO SUL, BRAZIL
Praises:
Our soul-winning outreach is growing! Right now we have two families, one lady and five teenagers that go out at least once a week. We are currently using two methods. 1. Door to door passing out invitations and gospel tracts. We witness when they permit us to do so, very few Catholics will let a stranger just show up at the door and talk to them, but we try! 2. We visit friends of our members and contacts that we have previously made. At their table usually sipping chimarrao we will then present the gospel to them from an open Bible. (Very effective) Please pray for our soul-winning outreaches! We have seen several people come to the Lord this way. We also have big days at the church where members invite others to come and hear the gospel.
The faithful support of our churches! 1 Cor. 3:9a “For we are labourers together with God:..”
Prayer Requests:
Our discipleship program. The liberal churches and the cults are after our baby Christians. Sometimes they steal them before we can get them strong with the milk of the Word. A shame that many will go after other Christians instead of going after the lost.
Pray for the salvation of Clovis and Letiça, the husband and daughter of Ivonne, a faithful Christian lady in the church.
Pray that God will lead us to the right area to start another church. We are currently considering starting a church in another suburb in the Northern part of Caxias do Sul. A veteran Brazilian Pastor has also asked us to help in his area near Porto Alegre. We only have six more months here until John and Neila Yelle return to take over their work.
Our Bible Institute. We now have four students.
* The other night while coming home from teaching at the Bible Institute, I saw several strange lights in the woods. The next day I went to investigate and found two dead chickens, one dead goat, and a dead rabbit that had all its` feet cut off. Next to them were candles and a bowl of blood. Macumba! Sometimes at night we hear the eerie sound of their drums. They dance to the music of the drums until a spirit enters their body. Spiritism is very popular here. They offer up these sacrifices to bless or curse someone. What a shame! I heard of one poor woman who bought three shiny apples to donate to the demons while her children went hungry. She was asking the demons to bless her and give more food! It is estimated that 1/3 of the people living here participate in such sacrifices which is called macumba.
* Everybody is healthy and the girls are growing too fast! We love it here!
Because of Calvary,
David, Diane, Sarah, Lori & Amber
MISSIONARIES TO RIO GRANDE DO SUL, BRAZIL
THE CATO FAMILY
NOVEMBER 2005
Praises:
* Seven people have accepted Christ as Saviour since our last prayer letter. One man, Carlos, 11 years ago was the only survivor of a train wreck. He was blown 50 feet through a window and landed in the top of a tree. He told me that now he has been saved twice.
* We have started a Bible Institute with material from our brethren in Bahia and Manaus. We have one very dedicated couple who are attending so far and another young man will begin in January.
* A member of the church just called and asked me if I could go with him to visit some lost family members! Also another lady, “Ivonne” has gotten on fire for the Lord. Diane and she has led a sister and brother-in-law to the Lord! I am just about to have a fit! Excuse me while I just jump and shout a little bit!
* We have officially applied for our permanent visas! The Federal Police said they see no problems and that we should have our visas within six months. Praise God!
Prayer Requests:
* Our soul-winning outreach. Right now we have two families and one lady that go out at least once a week.
* The new converts. Most of them are doing Bible studies and we will baptize them soon in the river.
*Pray that God will lead us to the right area to start another church.
* The need: (What I saw recently on an interior trip) Lajeado and region 150,000, One S.B. church which works mainly with German people. Santa Maria 300,000, with one Fundamental Baptist church and a few S.B. churches. Cruz Alta 70,000, no gospel preaching church. Passo Fundo 200,000, with three small S.B. churches. Carozinho 30,000, no gospel preaching church. Lagoa Vermelha 30,000, no gospel preaching church. Vacaria 60,000, one conservative Southern Baptist church. Caxias do Sul 500,000, one Fundamental Baptist (the one we are working in), two liberal S.B. churches and several Reformed (Pentacostal) ”Baptist” churches.
News:
* Our house was robbed and cleaned out last month . Almost every thing of value was stolen. We lost about $5000,00 worth of merchandise including two computers, watches, video camera, digital camera and many other items. I sent an email to 126 of our friends and churches. They prayed for us and many of them responded with love offerings. We were able to replace many of the items that were stolen. I stand in awe of the great God that we serve and our faithful supporters who came to our aid in time of need. I am typing this letter on my brand new computer! Thanks to all of you who helped!
* We have since put in an alarm system and steel bars on the windows and doors.
* We got a new puppy (Hopefully one day he will be a big strong guard dog)
* Lori has braces now.
* We found a piano teacher for the girls.
Special Points of interst:
Gauchos drink Chimarrão a very strong green tea.
Most Catholics in RS also practice Candomble and Alan Kardec which are forms of spiritism.
Caxias do Sul is 2,369 feet above sea level.
It is colder here than Alabama!
Rio Grande do Sul is made up mostly of immigrants from Italy, Germany and other parts of Europe
In His Service,
David, Diane, Sarah, Lori & Amber
THE CATO FAMILY
MISSIONARIES TO BRAZIL
JULY 2005
Dear friends,
Greetings from Rio Grande do Sul, Southern Brazil. Sorry it took so long to send out a formal prayer letter! I sent out one via e-mail about a month ago but do not have everyone’s e-mail address. Please send your e-mail address to me at [email protected] if you did not receive our prayer letter via e-mail.
We are very excited about being here. I am chomping at the bit to start a church in a new area; however, we have promised John Yelle, (another missionary who is on furlough) to watch the church he started and also their house and belongings for one year. We do need some time to relearn the language, the local slang and culture. The people here are known as Gauchos, (a Brazilian cowboy mixed with Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and maybe some Indian and even German). They are a hard working, Independent, proud people. They are mostly of the Catholic religion and fiercely traditional. So, our work is cut out for us but we know that God can break the most stubborn heart. Please pray for us as we get adjusted here.
News: ***The church here is going great! We have visitation and soul-winning every Saturday at 2pm.
***We were able to buy a vehicle, (Hyundai Galloper) a seven passenger SUV which runs on natural gas which is about 1/3 the price of gasoline.
***I cut the tip of my finger off cutting wood; they sewed it back on at the hospital and it is doing fine. Thank God it was not worse!
***We have internet, so please feel free to e-mail us, send pictures and we can also send pictures to you.
***The American dollar has continued to fall in value. We have had a lot of expenses also lately which is normal when you first move to a new country. We thank every one of you who gave extra towards our travel fund, as this helped us tremendously and has kept us out of the red.
***Praise the Lord! We are officially at 99% support. (There are still others who have promised support yet!) Wow! We did it! God first of all; you who have given by faith and of course our efforts of going and telling our story. Thanks!
Prayer: ***The congregation here, pray that they grow in the Lord and that they stay in church
***Our witnessing, that their hearts will be receptive to the gospel
***Our health
***That we will learn the language and culture better
***The Bible Institute (We have two students now and will gain a third soon)
***Pray for Everton, a man who just made a profession of faith last Sunday
By His Grace, David Cato & Girls
The Cato Family
Missionaries to Brazil March 2005
Dear Friends,
Ain't God Good! I know that is not proper English but it sure says what I am thinking right now. We are nearing the end of our deputation journey with sadness, fear and gladness. Sad that we will be leaving family, friends and our native land for many years. Fear of the unknown, places we have never been and situations we have never experienced. Glad that we will soon be with the people of whom God has called us to work with; the people whom Jesus died for. I am so glad and happy that God is using me and my family! I know that He has a great work for us to do in Brazil! I can understand how the apostle Paul felt when he said; "And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry" 1 Tim 1:12 We have seen souls saved, people rededicate their lives for Christ and some called into full time ministry. However, our heart aches to be about the King's business in Brazil. Please pray that we will always be soul winners filled with the Holy Spirit!
We just came from cold, snowy West Virginia. Thanks, Bro. Jesse, and the good folks of Rock Cave Ind. Baptist for giving us a nice warm house to stay in! We have picked up several more churches for support. Just recently two churches in West Virginia, one church in Kentucky and five churches in Florida have promised financial support. That puts us at about 90% of our needed support level. We have just six more weeks of meetings to raise our final support. Our target date to be in Brazil is June 9, 2005. We are working hard and praying that the necessary funds will come in. I believe they will. Some churches have indicated that they may support us at a later date.
Prayer needs: * Please pray for our Visa situation! We may be able to re-instate our permanent visa once we arrive in Brazil. We will be applying for a one year religious visa so we can ship many of our things. Brother John Hawkins and the CBMB (World Baptist Mission of Brazil) is helping us with this Process.
* Our Travel Fund Thanks, Southpoint Baptist for the .00 that was sent for this need! Besides our plane fare and shipping costs, our largest expense will be for a vehicle. We are praying that we will have the available funds to buy a good used dependable car.
In the next few months, would you please consider helping us with this expense? Any amount will be helpful and appreciated.
In Christ's Service,
Prayer Letters:
December 2004
Dear Friends,
Praise the Lord from whom ALL blessings flow! We are currently at 80% of our needed monthly support level! This would not be possible with out YOU! Your prayers and financial support have made this possible. Thank You!
**News: We have really enjoyed the fellowship and opportunities to preach but are anxious and chomping at the bit to be about the work in Brazil.
We just bought the Rosetta Stone's Portuguese Course levels 1 & 2 on Ebay. The girls are learning fast and Diane and I are brushing up on our grammar. It is the best course I have ever seen! We have just received our passports and will be applying for our visas soon. We hope to get a permanent visa right away because of our two oldest daughters having been born in Brazil. The visa is called a "Family Reunion Visa". We will be traveling to Miami, Florida in early January to speak with the Brazilian Consulate about our visas.We have 14 meetings in Florida; then will be heading for KY, OH, WV, PA & NY for meetings in March & April. We have about 35 meetings planned but need to schedule 10 more.
**Prayer Needs: Travel Fund ,000 1. Visas $1,800 2. Plane tickets ,000 - ,800 3. Shipping costs $1,500 4. Dependable Used car ,000 - ,000 5. Home School books & videos ,500, The sell of our house and motorhome, God's power in our lives and for lost souls in Brazil.We need 10-15 more supporting churches to be at 100% of our needed support level.
2Cor 10:16 "To preach the gospel in the [regions] beyond you, [and] not to boast in another man's line of things made ready to our hand."
1Cor 15:34 "Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of
God...."
By His Grace,
David Cato & Family
September 2004
Dear Friends,
*Thank you very much for your prayers and support! We are currently at 70% of our needed support level. We are excited and thankful for what God is doing in our lives. We are planning to leave for Brazil by May or June of 2005. Please pray that our support level will be at 100% by then. I have 37 meetings scheduled until then but need more in Florida for January and February.
*My survey trip to Brazil was a blessing. I had the privilege of visiting John & Neila Yelle's work in Rio Grande do Sul and also Lanny & Judy Wood's work in Sao Paulo, Brazil. They are both doing a great job and it was good to be able to speak in Portuguese again. We have prayed about it and believe God would have us to work with John & Neila in Rio Grande do Sul. They have asked us to watch their work for them when they go on furlough next year. The city they are working in has over 400,000 people and has very little gospel witness. The predominate religions there are Catholicism and Spiritism.
*I have barely had time to breathe since I got back from Brazil a month ago. Just in August we have traveled over 2,300 miles visiting churches in Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Ohio; preaching, teaching, singing,(our girls do the singing) and showing slides. We participated in two camps, one for missionaries and the other a children's camp in Ohio. (Six children made professions of faith at the camp in Ohio, Praise the Lord!) I also had to do some extensive brake work on our motor home. Thank God my father-in-law helped me on that one! We are just happy to be busy serving the Lord and am content knowing that we are in the center of His Will! God Bless you until we meet again!
June 2004
Dear Praying Friends,
*It seems just like the other day since I sat at my computer and wrote our last prayer letter. Time goes so fast. I am reminded of the scriptures in Romans & James: Romans 13:11,12 "... for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand:" Also in James 4:14 "Whereas ye know not what [shall be] on the morrow. For what [is] your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." These verses remind me that what we are going to do for Christ we must do soon and with urgency! I found out that a man whom I had witnessed to in December of last year died just recently in a fishing accident. He was a good man but lost and did not know Christ as his Saviour. He did not know that this would be his last year on earth. It makes me think of the people who will die without Christ this year; especially those in Brazil who have never heard a clear presentation of the gospel.*
*July the 14th I will leave for a survey trip to visit John and Neila Yelle in Rio Grande do Sul and also Lanny and Judy Wood in Sao Paulo Brazil. Please pray for safety on this trip and that God will give us a greater burden than ever for the Brazilian people.
Updates:
**We are currently at about 63% of our support and it is steadily increasing.
** Since our last prayer letter we have seen 12 people accept Christ as Saviour and 34 surrender their lives to the will of God.
**We have been in 168 churches since January 2003
**We are still having fun and are just beginning to catch our second wind! We can not stop until we
accomplish that which He has called us to do.
In His Service,
The Cato Family
March 2004
Dear Praying Friends,
We are over half way now; it seems just like yesterday that we hit the road on full time deputation. We have been on the road now for sixteen months. Our heart is in Brazil but we must raise the funds needed in order to keep us there when we get there. Please continue to pray that God would move people's hearts to support us on a full time basis.
Blessings & Answered Prayer: * Almost every service these last months we have had people make *** decisions for Christ, either dedications or rededications. Two small girls were saved just recently. Now * that is exciting!
** Praise The Lord! We are now at 53% of our support (We are past midway, each percentage is a step closer to Brazil!)
** A preacher gave us a very nice Computer. Thanks Bro. White!
** No major accidents or sicknesses
** New Support. Amen! We have had at least fourteen churches take us on for financial support since December of last year and some have increased their support.
Prayer needs: * That we would be filled with the Holy Spirit of God constantly!
** Meetings to present our ministry. If you know of someone I could call for a meeting * please drop me a line via e-mail. I have used up many of our contacts and need a fresh supply.
* * That our motorhome would hold up.
* Money for home school books.
News: * Amber and Lori have lost more of their teeth. Amber's nickname is now snaggle tooth.
** Sarah turned the big age of 15 on March 2nd. (They grow up too fast)
** Sarah added more songs that she could sing in church
** Diane is still homeschooling, cooking, doing laundry, correspondence, paperwork, and just being * my wonderful wife & mother to our girls.
By His Grace,
Dave Cato & Family
Come on down and drink a big cup of steaming chimarrao with us!
Dear Churches, pastors and friends. A lot has happened since our last prayer letter and we are excited about what God is doing here on the coast! We have a lot of challenges and hurdles to get by which present us with many possibilities. Please keep us in your prayers as without God we can do nothing! God can!
Ministry News: We found a good place to meet in downtown Tijucas and will be meeting there three times a week. Keep us in your prayers!
* We just started a new ministry called Candle Light English where we will teach basic English for free once a week with a Bible theme. A great way to get people to hear the gospel who otherwise would not listen.
* Ivanio and Carine missionaries we are working with and whom we led to the lord years ago are starting to combine their ministries from Bombinhas and Itapema. We will be helping them and meeting together on Sundays once a week at a restaurant.
* Outdoor evangelism and advertising. Something that I have used in the past but are using quite extensively now. I have a loud speaker that I mounted on my motorcycle where I preach the gospel, advertise for our church services, etc.
Blessings: Our daughter Sarah is at 100% of her support level and will be coming to Brazil to join and help us in September!
*Our other daughter Lori and her husband Corey are at close to 55% of their support level. They will be visiting us in December for a short vacation and to get some paper work done.
*Amber is still with us for the summer and will be going back next month
for her second year of Bible College. We have had fun seeing some of the beautiful sites that we
have here in Brazil.
Prayer Requests: Diane ́s mom has cancer and Diane will be going back to the states with Amber to help her mom for five weeks. Please keep them in your prayers and me as I hold the fort down without my help meet during that time.
* The work in here Tijucas that we can get a church started! It is not easy starting a church from
scratch
* The work in Itapema, Porto Belo and Bombinhas with Ivanio and Carine
* Evangelism, pray for our door to door efforts and preaching with the loud speaker. Pray that God
would break their self righteous, rebellious, stubborn hearts!
* For Amber as she is getting her wisdom teeth pulled in a few days.
*Please pray for our health, I have down almost a week with a terrible cold and Diane has had some pain from stones in her kidneys.
1Co 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work
of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
We are co-laborers and our reward will be in heaven, an eternal reward. I am looking forward to it, Jesus
is coming soon my friends! Thank you for your help in the ministry here!
Bro. David and Diane Cato Missionaries to Southern Brazil. Phil. 1:6
February 2015
Jonilton gave us the same answer that most Brazilians give when asked about their eternal destination. “No one can know if they are going to heaven or hell, we will find out when the balances are weighed.” After about 20 minutes of explaining the gospel to him, a big smile came on his face as he realized that Jesus paid it all on Calvary! We witnessed in depth to about eight people that day before a person accepted Christ as Savior. Religion is the worst kind of prison as it gives a false security.
We have settled into our new home in Tijucas and we can find our way around now without a map. We found a place to meet and are having church services twice a week. So far we just have five people besides ourselves so please pray that God will bring in the souls. We have been going door to door two to three times a week and people will listen but they are so full of false religions that it is difficult for them to understand the gospel. Pray God will open some doors and some hearts!
We are teaching the Bible once a week at APAI which is a learning center for disabled people, so that is an opportunity for us to give the gospel to the students and teachers there. Diane has started ladies tea and Bible study once a month. Some who will not come to church services will come to this. Also, we are trying to get into the local schools here to preach the gospel to the children. Pray God opens a door for this.
In December, the whole Cato clan will be together again as Sarah comes to join us permanently if she gets all her support and Corey, Lori and Amber will come down for a visit. Yippee! Corey and Lori are going full speed ahead on deputation and hope to be here full-time soon. *Special Prayer request* Please pray for the funds to purchase
some land to live on and build a Christian camp for teens. We have found land as cheap as $30,000 for anywhere from 10 to 50 acres. We could all (Corey & Lori, Sarah and ourselves) share in the cost and that would only be $10,000 for each of us. With just two years worth of rent money we each could build a decent house to live in. Of course, a place that already has buildings is even better! :-)
It is a wise investment of God ́s money. Please pray about giving to this cause and mark it as land fund for the Cato Family! We want a place that is within 35 minutes of five large cities where we could plant churches somewhere between Tijucas and Brusque, a region that has over 200,000 people.
Prayer & Praise: *The work in Bombinhas and the Bible study groups in Itapema
* Tijucas and surrounding cities.
* Tatiana accepted Christ as Savior but her boyfriend has not yet so please keep Cristiano in your
prayers!
* Pray for more families to come to Christ and start Bible studies.
* Pray for the church in Maringa, that they will continue to grow and win souls for Christ. * The funds to buy some land!!!
* For Sarah as she raises support to come to Brazil. She is at about 60%
* For Corey and Lori as they raise support. They are at about 20%
* Amber, our youngest daughter who is attending Bible college. She is in her first year.
Thank you so much for your prayers and support!
Bro. David and Diane Cato Missionaries to Southern Brazil. Phil. 1:6
November 2014
Isa_55:9 says “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
As far as we knew we would spend the rest of our missionary career here in this region but just like God moved Paul to different areas, God had plans to move us also. We were not even thinking of moving but through some very unique events God plainly showed us that it was time to go and that the church we had started three years ago was ready to stand on it ́s own feet. They are now 100% indigenous with just a few things that we left for them such as a pulpit, some chairs and some Sunday school stories and of course years of Bible teaching. They have called a Brazilian pastor,Diogo Souza, a Sergeant Major in the Air Force who will retire soon. Please pray for the deacon Giovani, their family and the new pastor. We had a very tearful going away service there as we handed the church over to the nationals. I preached on Rom. 8:28 and how that God has a plan for each of us.
On a planned visit to Ivanio and Carine in Itapema SC, missionaries that we had won to the Lord and trained 5 years ago; God showed us very clearly that we were to help them and begin starting another church in that region. (Ivanio told me that they had been praying for years that God would send us to help them, he had never mentioned this to us) We are now in the process of moving to a city near them called Tijucas, SC. Ivanio has started three works already in the region, we will be helping him in one of those in a town called Bombinhas. We will also begin a work in Tijucas as soon as God opens the doors. We are so excited! With God ́s help we hope to have a new church up and running within a year! Mar_9:23 “Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” Our daughter, Sarah, will be coming
down to help and also Lori and Corey, our other daughter and her husband, after their deputation. We will have a total of four missionary families working together! The Dream Team! :-) We are so blessed and privileged to be a part of God ́s great work in starting New Testament churches. We could not do it without your help! Thanks!
Prayer & Praise: *Pray for us as we get settled into our new surroundings.
- * The work in Bombinhas and the Bible study groups in Itapema
- * Tijucas, a city of 35,000. While there we met a Mormon missionary girl who said that they were
just now starting a church there. We are getting there just in time. - * Pray for the first family to come to Christ and start Bible studies.
- * Pray for the church in Maringa, that they will continue to grow and win souls for Christ.
- * For Ivanio and Carine Kohler with their two children as they labor in Itapema & Bombinhas
- * For Sarah as she raises support to come to Brazil. She is at about 50%
- * For Corey and Lori as they raise support. They are at about 12%, they just started deputation
- * Amber, our youngest daughter who is attending Bible college. She is in her first year.
- * Thankful for new car, a 2008 VW station wagon. Thanks to those who helped with this!
Thank you so much for your prayers and support! We enjoyed furlough, seeing old friends and meeting many of you for the first time. Please pray for Brazil! If you want to plan a missions trip and help us out, please get in contact with us, we would love for you to come.
Bro. David and Diane Cato Missionaries to Southern Brazil. Phil. 1:6
June 2014
We are almost done with furlough! Departure date: June the 24th. We
are so excited about getting back to Santa Maria and the work there. We have been in 92 churches with just three to go and traveled over 30,000 miles and have gained some new support. Praise The Lord! Thank you so much for supporting us financially and with your prayers because it allows us to do the work that God has called us to do. We love being missionaries; best job ever!
We were going to have to drive our small car full of luggage and put Diane and Amber on the bus to get back to Santa Maria from the airport in Porto Alegre. A Brazilian friend offered to meet us and loan us his dual cab truck. Ain’t God good! We hope to buy a larger and newer car when we get back. We were able to raise over $13,000.00 for our car fund. Many churches and individuals gave money for this. Thank you so much! We will send pictures when we get one. Also, we will be able to buy a sound system to mount on our car to announce meetings and preach in open air events with money donated from a church in Ohio. I have to say it again. Ain't God good! :-).
The church in Maringá has almost doubled since we left with new believers. We also have two members who moved to Santa Maria and found our church. Both are mature Christians and have been helping with the preaching and teaching of the Word; so we now have more help. We are looking forward to meeting the new members and believers. I would like to start another church when we get back now that we have more help and with God’s help, of course. Yes! Ain't God good!
Ivanio and Carine, missionaries saved and sent out of our church are doing great. With just a little over one year in Santa Catarina, they have started a church and home Bible studies. At one time they had eight families for the Bible studies. Please keep them in your prayers and also pray about their financial support. Carine is pregnant with their second baby so they need to raise some more support. We can get the money to them if you would like to help them out. Please consider helping them! I can translate and send you their prayer letter. They are dear servants of God and worthy of support.
On a personal note, Amber graduated from 12th grade in home schooling and will be attending Heartland Baptist Bible college in August. We are so proud of her and she believes God wants her in full time ministry also. Sarah is currently at 32% of her needed support and hopes to be able to come back to Brazil and help us by next summer. Please keep her in your prayers as it is not easy for a single girl to raise support. Also, my daughter and son-in-law (Lori and Corey) plan to come down and help in the work and will be starting deputation in August. They went to HBBC also. Please consider having them come to your church! Lori already knows the language and Corey is a hard worker. We want to get them down to Brazil as soon as possible. There is so much work to be done and souls to be reached with the gospel. Who knows, we may be able to start two more churches at the same time with enough help!
Blessings: *New support raised *Money raised to buy a car. Thanks for those who gave! *Sarah, our oldest daughter, is at about 32% of her needed support to come to Brazil and help in the ministry! *Corey and Lori will be starting deputation and coming down to help in the work! *New converts in Maringa and church growing. *The works in Bombinhas and Itapema are growing with Ivanio and Carine
Prayer requests: *The churches in Brazil *Adriana and Rodrigo, members of our church that have moved to another suburb. (We hope to start a work there also one day.) *Our preparation and safe trip back to Brazil *Sarah, protection and to get her support raised quickly. *Lori and Corey as they prepare for the ministry *Amber as she goes to Bible college. *Financial support for Ivanio and Carine, our missionaries to Santa Catarina.
We love you folks and have been so blessed and refreshed visiting family, friends and churches while on furlough. I will have to say it one more time. Ain't God good!
Thank’s for partnering with us for souls in Brazil! Brother David Cato and Family Phil. 1:6
March 2014
So far we have been in 72 churches and traveled over 24,500 miles. We are about 3/4 done with furlough and we plan to return to Brazil June the 24th. Our next furlough will be much shorter; we hate to be away from the work in Brazil for so long! It has been great to see old friends and make some new ones. We have picked up a few new churches for support, hopefully others will take us on as well. Most of our supporters have been very faithful over the years and some churches have also raised our support level for which we are very thankful. We have seen some folks saved and some dedicate their lives for God’s service; yet sadly we have not seen many willing to go to the foreign mission field. Thank God for those churches that are still evangelistic and missions minded!
The church in Brazil is doing great and far better than I even imagined! Giovani’s mother and sister have accepted Christ as Savior. Some new children and teens are coming to church now. Pastor Carlos has done a great job in watching over the church and now a veteran missionary who is semi-retired is watching our work until we return. Giovani and Vinicius are having home Bible studies in their house on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. The church also has meetings on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Everyone in the church is less than three years old in the faith and are fired up to serve the Lord!
Recent News: * My great aunt Coleen Zorn aged 89 died a few weeks ago and we attended her funeral. She was born again.
* We were able to reconnect and visit with the Watson family and Cato families while in Alabama. So good to see uncles, aunts and cousins! We were also able to spend some quality time with our parents.
* Our guard dog and friend Mojo (famous cat killer) died in Brazil, age eight.
- We had great meetings in all the churches and were able to fellowship with several old friends from Bible college.
- Blessings: *New support raised *Some funds given to help buy a car when we return to Brazil. *Sarah, our oldest daughter, is at about 25% of her needed support to come to Brazil and help in the ministry! *Car, trailer and family holding up so far in all the traveling. *New converts in Maringa and church growing. *The works in Bombinhas and Itapema are doing well
November 2013
Furlough is going fast! We are having fun visiting family, old friends and meeting new friends. We have travelled over 16,000 miles in our grey Chevy Impala and have been in over 35 churches since June 1st. We have had some great times with family, churches and traveling in this great country of ours. We have about seven months to go. I am ready to return to Brazil already but God has a work for us to do here reporting to, encouraging and challenging local churches for the great work of worldwide evangelism. So far we have met very few people who feel called to be foreign missionaries or have a burden to reach the world for Christ! Please pray that God will raise up men, women, boys and girls that have a vision for the lost! The field is the world.
The church in Maringa is doing great and has actually grown since we left. Pastor Carlos is doing a great job and a team from Pastor Antonio’s church is helping with the teen ministry. Several have accepted Christ recently. Pastor Carlos has a nerve disease which is incurable and even broke his leg recently; yet that has not stopped him from faithfully serving. Please keep him and the church there in your prayers!
Ivanio and Carine Kohler, missionaries sent out from our church, just recently rented a building for one of their ministries and are doing great. They have two works started in the region of the coast area in Santa Catarina, Brazil. Please pray for them as they labor and they still need to raise another 30% of their financial support. If you would like to help them, get in touch with me and I will show you how to help them. They are a very dedicated couple who love God and want to win souls to Christ and start New Testament churches.
Sarah, our oldest daughter, started deputation in August to come back to Brazil and help us in the ministry. She is at about 15% of her support level. Keep her in your prayers as well. She is a tremendous help working with the children and teens. She also teaches music.
Corey and Lori, our son-in-law and daughter, are planning on coming to Brazil also to help in the ministry. Corey is a hard worker and has a heart for lost souls and Lori already knows the culture and language being an MK. Pray for them as they make plans to start deputation. With their help we will be able to start churches quicker and get more done in less time. God ultimately does the work but he uses men and women made of flesh and blood. I have noticed that the more we work, the more God blesses! May
God send forth laborers into His harvest! We need more help! How about you?
Blessings:
*Some new churches have taken us on for financial support *Sarah is at 15% of her financial support
*The church in Brazil is growing spiritually and in numbers!
*Corey and Lori will be joining us in Brazil Our mission team is growing!
Prayer requests:
*Car fund – We need to raise at least $15,000 for a decent used car. Our 1997 Volkswagen
Golf is in bad shape and is too small and low to the ground.
*Corey and Lori, that they will be able to raise the money quickly that they need to come to Brazil
*Sarah, for safety on the road and that churches will give her meetings and take her on for support
*Amber as she finishes home school and prepares for Bible College in August 2014. *That Amber will be able to find orthodontists to adjust her braces
*That Ivanio and Carine will get the financial support they need and their evangelistic efforts
*The church in Maringa, that the members will continue growing spiritually and that !others will come to know Christ as Savior!
Romans 10:1 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel (Brazil) is, that they might be saved. Bro. David Cato and Family
September 2012
It was with happiness and yet with tears in my eyes that I had to take our second oldest daughter to the airport to catch a plane to Oklahoma City. Lori will be graduating next year from Heartland Baptist Bible College and then getting married in June of 2013. Corey Meier, a young man who is attending college with her, came down to Brazil and asked Lori to marry him. I never thought that I would like anyone who came after my daughters but Corey is a good man who loves the Lord and loves Lori. They plan on becoming missionaries to Brazil. Amen! :-) Sarah graduated this year and is now helping us here in the ministry while she does her internship. She is a big help and a blessing to us, she can cook, sing, play the piano and is a great communicator. She just translated some songs from English to Portuguese which is already being used by some churches here. Lord willing, she will be going back with us in May 2013 and begin deputation as a single missionary and then come back and help in the work here. We are so proud of her. Amber will come back with us and finish 12th grade while we are on furlough and then start Bible college just before we come back to Brazil. The nest will be empty but so far the birds are flying well. Amen!!! Ain’t God good!
Blessings: * About 20 saved in the last three months. *Church is growing * Teens are starting to bring visitors and evangelize * Seeing some fruit from the public school ministry * New converts class well attended * Lori got a job working at a Christian book store in the states
Prayer Requests: * Please pray for Vinicio and Vitoria two teens who were faithful but have slipped away from fellowship with the church. * Pray for the new converts * Pray for the families of Marcos, Vanessa, Franciele, Andressa and Giovani. * Pray for Maringa the suburb where our church is located. * Pray for Camobi, the suburb where we live. * The local school in Maringa where Diane, Sarah and Amber are teaching Bible classes
* Pray for Gaucho Day which will be September 23rd. * For Cristian, a man who is helping us in the ministry here and hopefully will watch the work here when we go to the states.
God bless you all and thanks so much for your part in the work here!
Brother David Cato and Family
Romans 10:1 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel (Brazil) is, that they might be saved.
July 2012
It was the first service in our new building on a Sunday night and all of a sudden we hear this huge boom as a rock hits our front door. Adriano, the 10 year old next door, was angry because he was told that maybe his mom and dad would start coming to church since one had moved next door to them and his dad did not care for such things, so he threw a rock at our church. That was about five months ago… Now Adriano has accepted Christ as Savior (his family is still lost) and we have a good group of faithful teenagers who are anxious to learn the Bible and serve the Lord. Pray about baptism as we have a large group that needs baptized and it is winter time here and very cold besides the fact that most of them are kids and teenagers and we have to talk their parents into letting them get baptized as most are Catholic and Pentecostal. We will have to wait for spring or find an indoor heated pool. Sometimes we become weary but it will be worth it all one day. The teens welcomed us back with a surprise party when we returned. Times like these help us remember why we are here and what is important in this old life.
We have so many things to share, I def. need to write more prayer letters and keep you updated more often. I will try to send out more in the future.
Happenings for the first part of 2012: *26 saved. *24 Sunday night services 24 Sunday school services *6 outdoor meetings *20 Thursday night Prayer meetings *20 Bible studies *Five Local pastor’s meetings *One big day of 200 in an open field *VBS in Feb. in which we averaged 50 per day (20 professions of faith from children). *Six ladies meetings. *Moved to new building. *Received $1,000.00 towards buying a building or piece of land. *Sarah graduated from Bible College and is now helping us (She graduated with a 4.0 and received an award for her missionary fervor, we are so proud of her). Lori is down for the summer and her boyfriend; Corey will come down again for two weeks (another missionary, praise the Lord!) Diane and Amber have been asked to teach seven hours a week in the public school here, what a great opportunity for evangelism *Our dogs have killed their 12th cat; I am beginning to lose count *Diane had to have emergency surgery five days before we left for the states to take a kidney stone out *We were caught in a hail storm in Oklahoma during a picnic; we hid under the picnic tables as hail some the size of baseballs fell. It was exciting I videoed it and you can see it on our Facebook page
Please pray for: *Venicio, Franciele, Vanessa, Victoria, Natalie, Sandy, Brian, Adriano, little Victoria, Gilvani and wife. Also special prayer for Robson and Lucas, two young men who recently accepted Christ as Savior and also Allison, brother of Franciele, who is a much troubled teen that runs the streets getting into trouble. *Please pray for someone to come and help us; we need someone who can preach and pastor, to help and watch the work here when we go to the states for furlough. *We are in need of some land and or a building. Our rent is about $160.00 per month but the owner is planning on doubling that when our contract is up. Pray for his salvation and wisdom as we seek a more permanent solution. *Souls to be saved, church growth and spiritual growth for the new believers. *Diane’s hip bursitis *Sound system (About $300.00) *Lighted sign for front of church
Please pray about giving to our building fund as we would like to buy a piece of land or a building for the church to have a more permanent residence here. Pray that we would be able to buy the building we are meeting in or find a good deal soon. A church in Jacksonville, FL has already given $1,000.00 towards this and it is in a savings account. Please pray about giving something towards this worthy cause. We will begin furlough in May 2013, so if any one would like to schedule us to come by, please, let us know. First, we would like to visit those churches that we did not get to visit on our last short furlough and also raise more money as the demands of the ministry here have increased. Thank God the dollar has gotten stronger and has helped some.
God bless you all and thanks so much for your part in the work here!
Brother David Cato and Family Phil. 1:6
December 2011
Merry Christmas and a Happy Near Year!
I hope this letter finds everyone in good health physically and spiritually during this wonderful time of the year. We are excited as to what God has done and will do during this coming year!
We have been able to hold teen’s meetings with over 100 children in attendance. 15 made professions of faith recently. Diane and Amber have been teaching twice a week in a public school near here. God has really opened the doors for us to preach the gospel in a Villa called Maringa, which is in Camobi, a suburb of Santa Maria. We have been meeting in the open air every Sunday morning at a park in the center of the villa and giving free breakfast and afterwards the Word of God. We have been averaging about 25 – 30 in these meetings. We will be having a teen’s camp including two other churches January 6 – 8 and will be sponsoring 10 poor kids from Maringa. Please pray for them as most if not all are unsaved. Also pray for guidance and patience as these are street kids and do not know how to act; but Jesus died for them and loves them. The theme of the camp will be “Jesus Saves & What are you doing with Jesus?” Please pray that God will work in a great way. We will also be doing a Vacation Bible school January 18-20th. The director of the school where Diane is teaching is going to let us use the public school facilities for VBS! Amen. Ain’t God good! On the 14th of January we are going to help paint the school. We will gather about 20 helpers and paint as much as possible in a day.
Ivanio and Carine are in São Paulo now on deputation and doing good. They have about 20% of their needed support. Most of the churches that they have visited have taken them on for support and they are very excited about what God has for them in Santa Catarina where they will be starting a church. Please pray for them as they are an extension of our church and yours as they were saved and trained under our ministry. If you would like to support them, I can give you their bank information and how to do it.
Special need: We found a building and land for sale that would be perfect for a church location. It is on about an acre of land and has a half finished building which is large enough for 200 - 300 people. Please pray about helping us with this project!If everyone would help some, we could buy this property and begin to use it for the glory of God. I will speak to the owner this Saturday and give a more exact price but we are thinking that it will be in the $25,000 - $30,000 range. It would cost four times that in a wealthier neighborhood. Pictures and link to video included. Our furlough will not be for another 18 months and we would like to buy some property or a bldg.. before we return. We want to stay in Brazil and preach the gospel as long as we can. Anyone who invests in this project is welcome to come down and see the work and bldg. in person. In fact, we invite all our supporters and friends to come down. We can use the help and you can use the vacation! How about it? J
I took some videos and pictures of a Catholic procession during one of their holidays and also of a Candomblé festival. It is so sad to see how religious the Brazilians are and yet so lost without Jesus Christ as their Savior. Jesus died for everyone, He loves us and all we have to do is receive that love and believe in Him. So simple, and yet so few people truly believe.
Romans 10:14: “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?”
We will be coming to the states in May 2012 for Sarah’s (our oldest daughter) graduation from Bible college. We should be In the Oklahoma and Ohio area for four-five weeks. If anyone in these areas would like for us to come by for a report during this time please let us know! We just want to serve the Lord and further His cause on this earth.
God Bless you all and thanks so very much for your part in the work here!
Brother David Cato and Family Phil. 1:6 Please pray about helping with this bldg..!
Any questions please email me and we can call you or hook up via Skype!
Links:
Video of possible church location http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhDXu5WdBvI&feature=youtu.be
More pictures of possible church building http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150447682277781.361169.599407780
Sunday School in Maringa (Open air meeting) http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150444380002781.360572.599407780
Public School Ministry http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150289259157781.335907.599407780
Candles for demons http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150444510637781
Candomblé Festival (dancing with demons) http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150444496602781
Catholic Procession (idolatry) http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150374330677781
Pictures of Candomblé http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150447712652781.361178.599407780
Pictures of Catholic Holiday (multitudes worshipping Mary) http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150374119022781.352389.599407780
Dear Friends, Family and Fellow-laborers,
July 2011
Since we arrived in Santa Maria things have been a whirl wind. Since February we have started a mission church here in Camobi, Childrens club, an outreach with college students and continue to help with the Baptist church in Parque Pinhero and attend their services. I thank God for allowing us to keep busy for Him!
Our girls came down in May with three students from their Bible College to see the work here and to help. It was a blessing to have the three young men with us, Chris Baber, Bryce Dowell and Corey Meir (Lori's boyfriend). They helped us pass out over 7,000 gospel tracts, gave their testimonies and did special music for us. We also did some site seeing and got to see some caves, the never ending fire, museums, local Italian cultural and some beautiful views of the surrounding country side. They plan on coming down again next year and maybe bring some others with them. Pray for this ministry of mission trips; we would like to get a Volkswagon van to transport everyone when they come down (About $7,000.00 for a good used one) This last time we used our small car, plus my old motorcycle and sometimes Pastor Antonio helped us with his truck.
We had two families coming regularly and were doing home Bible studies with them. They have a Pentecostal back ground and had been out of church for a while. After learning how to be saved Biblicaly which is 100% through Jesus Christ, they decided that they prefer Pentecostal doctrine and have returned to their Dad's church which is called “Jesus of the Nations”. We had two Mormon missionaries visit us last Saturday night. They heard the gospel and got shook up when I asked them what was in the book of Mormons that was not in the Bible that I needed in order to be saved. My heart went out to these young men as they are sincere in their desire to work their way to heaven. Keep them in your prayer as I will speak with them about their souls when given opportunity.
The Assembly of God church started a Bible club after we did nearer to where our kids come from and are also feeding them as most are poor. We usually just give them a snack such as cookies, etc. They are averaging about 30 kids and we are averaging less than 10. It is amazing how many religions are here and actively trying to convert the people. Catholics, JWs, Mormons, Spiritists and Pentecostals are very strong here as in most of Brazil. There is a Baptist church not too far from here that runs about 1,000 on Sundays but they are also Pentecostal in doctrine and are Baptist only in name and not doctrine. There is such a need here for true gospel preaching churches! Please keep us in your prayers!
We have began doing religious surveys at the University next to our house and have been able to witness to several students. We have about eight that say they would be interested in doing a Bible study. Praise the Lord! Also, for those that speak English and want to practice, we plan on meeting once a month to speak English with them, eat donuts, drink coffee and give them the gospel. We need to use whatever means necessary (legally and ethically) to reach them with the gospel. It is not easy to break through or cross over the religious and cultural barriers that exist here.
Ivanio and Carine the couple we trained have started their deputation here in Brazil to raise money to work in Santa Catarina. They came by here topresent their work and even though our church is a mission we have decided to take them on for monthly financial support.
We are still attending and helping out at the local Baptist church in Santa Maria which Pastor Antonio started about 16 years ago. Diane teaches piano there, Sarah plays the piano and I preach for them sometimes. They help us with the ministries here in Camobi also and are a real encouragement and a blessing. I will be preaching at a youth conference for Cojubusul (Baptist Teen meetings of the south or something like that) on the 23rd and 24th of July. Please pray for me as I prepare for and preach three messages on Christian growth and salvation in Christ.
Thank you for your prayers and support! Because of Calvary, David, Diane & Amber Cato Sarah & Lori (Bible College)
Dear Friends, Family and Fellow-laborers,
February 2011
During the months of December and January we were in the process of finding a house and moving. We found a nice house at the end of a quiet street near the University to live. God must want us to work with the University students!
We were able to rent a store front to start a church. With the help of Pastor Antonio and his church, we will also be holding a Vacation Bible School in our area from the 24th to the 26th of this month to get the new church started. Please pray for this event as we hope to have over 100 children show up. The devil is also busy as the community center where we will be meeting also scheduled a film to be watched on the same day. The University is showing a film in another room of the building on the first day of our VBS. (Probably teaching socialism, homosexuality or something like that, unfortunately) We need to make the VBS more exciting than their film. Please pray about this situation.
We had the privilege of ordaining Ivanio this month. We had four pastors in attendance and asked him some hard questions. Pastor Antonio, Pastor Carlos, Pastor Daniel and myself. Please pray for him as he is an extension of our ministry and yours! Because of your help in sending us to Brazil and us leading Ivanio and his wife to Christ and training them, another missionary is being sent to start churches. That is what it is all about. Pray that we will be able to do this over and over again. They hope to start deputation in June of this year.
Diane spoke at a ladies meeting in which there were about 50 in attendance. The theme was “Being a woman of the Word” by Dorothy Johnson. Diane had it translated into Portuguese. If anyone wants a copy, let us know.
Sarah and Lori will be coming down in May for the summer. Three college students will be coming with them to experience the foreign field and help us with the work here. They will be staying three – five weeks. If anyone is interested in coming with them send an email or give us a call. We still have some room for a few more. It would cost about $1,500.00 for the tickets, food and fun.
Thank you so much for your faithfulness in your prayers and support of our ministry. We could not do it without you! Lord, willing we will send out another prayer letter soon with pictures of the VBS and of our first meeting of the new church here in Camobi.
“Here am I” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qqw8l-Big_A
Thank you for your prayers and support! Because of Calvary, David, Diane & Amber Cato Sarah & Lori (Bible College)
September 2010
Dear Friends, Family and Fellow-laborers,
We dropped our girls off at the airport last Friday to return to the states for another year of Bible college. Time flies by quickly! It was a real blessing having them here for the summer; what a big help they were in the ministry. Sarah will be in her 3rd yr. and Lori 2nd yr. They both want be missionaries and plan on returning to Brazil. Wow!!! How many instead of seeking the Lord 1st seek husband or wife 1st and that ends up determining their future? We are so proud of them as you can tell. J Lesson: If you know what God’s will is for your life, then do it! Do not let circumstances determine your future. Matthew 6:33
Our vacation Bible school went well, even though we did not have as many children as in times past. Some teens, Filipe and Lucas, came from Santa Maria by bus to help us. They and our girls did most of the work passing out flyers, singing, doing puppets, skits, etc. We have had some new children come to Bible club because of it and have had three children accept Christ as Savior. Next May some students from Sarah and Lori’s Bible college plan on visiting us for a few weeks to help in the starting of a new church in Camobi, Santa Maria, RS. Please pray for them as they need to raise about $1,500.00 each for plane fare and other expenses. Also, if anyone is interested in coming down with them or at any other time please let us know. We can use all the help we can get. Jeff & Bobbi Feller from Columbus, Ohio came down and helped us in March. It is a great way to get more of a burden for missions, see where your mission’s money is going and the best vacation in the world! Come to Southern Brazil!
Ivanio and Carine graduated from Bible Institute and are in the planning stages of raising support to become full time missionaries to Santa Catarina, Brazil. They are expecting a baby boy in November and hope to start deputation by May of 2011. They have put in an application with B.E.M.A. a mission board in the U.S.A. Please pray for them and if you are interested in supporting them please let me know and I will put you in contact with them. They are soul-winners and have a servants heart. I believe that God will use them in a great way. Their e-mail is [email protected] They speak English. Their testimony of salvation and call to missions is truly amazing. They were seeking God and we were seeking for someone to help us in the ministry and while on vacation, we just “happened” to meet in another state at the right time and right place. God’s timing is perfect.
The Lord is leading us to another area to start a church. By January-Feburary 2011 we plan on moving to Santa Maria to work with Pastor Antonio in starting a church in Camobi, a very large suburb that includes the Federal University of Santa Maria with over 30,000 students and has the 2nd largest military base in Brazil. Through an acquaintance of Pastor Antonio, we already have an invitation to preach to the soldiers on the base (I have a burden for soldiers being a former Marine)! When I preached a conference there in April they asked us to come and help them as they are the only Fundamental Baptist church in a city of over 270,000 people. We had no thought of leaving Caxias do Sul at that time but God began dealing with our hearts that Santa Maria is where He wants us to be. What an opportunity we have in reaching University students by way of teaching English and preaching directly to the soldiers. We are very excited about what God has for us as we start a new church and work with Pastor Antonio in evangelizing Rio Grande do Sul.
Video of Santa Maria - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5y2eoPAh7B4&feature=related
We are excited about the new ministry opportunities and at the same time sad about leaving the church here that we started in 2007. ..but God is in control and promises to never leave us nor forsake us! Brother John Yelle, a missionary also with our mission board and has a church at the other end of town will be taking over the work here as a mission from his church when we leave. Diane and I cried when we told the people that we would be moving to another city. Now I know how Paul must of felt when he had to leave some of the churches to start other churches. We are sad about leaving this area but at the same time know that there are others who must hear. 2Co 10:16 “To preach the gospel in the regions beyond …” How often our heart aches when we have to say goodbye but one day it will be worth it all!
Mat 19:29 “And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.” Ain’t God good! J
Thank you for your prayers and support!
Because of Calvary,
David, Diane & Amber Cato Sarah & Lori (Bible College)
Dear friends and supporters, February 2010
Thank God the work is going well; we had a new family visit us last night and we have had several saved in the last 30 days. We are working more with churches of like faith in the area for fellowship and evangelistic purposes. We plan on handing out about 5,000 + gospel tracts during some parades that will be held here for the Festa da Uva (Grape Festival). We see God working in many areas and with many people. The many years of prayer, preaching, teaching, making friends and hard work are beginning to pay off. Please keep us in your prayers!
Praises: * Diane has been getting better from her neck problems! Yea!
* We have had some new families visiting our church!
* We had five people make professions of faith in the last 30 days!
* The new converts are growing and starting to help more in the ministry!
Prayer requests: * We recently lost $400.00 from one church which was our largest financial supporter. They still support us for $100.00 They recently lost their pastor and have been going through financial problems. We understand and thank God for their faithfulness and keeping us on for support. We hope and pray that they get a good pastor to lead them. Please pray for us as we adjust to this loss of financial help, we do not want to have to come back to the states to raise more support. We would like to stay here at least another three or four years before our next furlough. We have been blessed so much, we cannot complain. We lost five supporting churches at the beginning of last furlough and picked up five before coming back to Brazil! We are not worried but could sure use the prayers and support of our brothers and sisters in the states.
* We really, really need a store front or building to rent so that we can hold a larger number of people. Our living room will only hold about 25 people, we had a high of 27 and I had to preach from the doorway. Rent is about $500.00 - $800.00 per month. We would like to find a place that is more accessible and on a main road. Our house way off the main road hidden in the suburbs.
*We need more gospel tracts! Thousands and thousands!
God is Good! All the time!
Thank you so much for your gifts, support and prayers! We love you all and may God bless you abundantly in 2010
David, Diane & Amber Sarah & Lori (Bible College)
Web site: http://catofamily.4t.com/ e-mail [email protected] Phone 011-55-54-3211-5842
THE CATO FAMILY
MISSIONARIES TO RS, BRAZIL
Dear Co-Laborers in Christ, September 2009
We have hardly had time to breathe since we landed on American soil about four months ago. So far we have visited 39 churches. I came down with a fever while traveling to meetings in Missouri and Kansas and was laid up two days in a hotel and ended up missing four meetings. It has been two weeks and my voice is just starting to come back from that sickness. I coughed so hard that I pulled my neck out and had to wear a neck brace for some time. During this time I had to drive my family from Ohio to Oklahoma Citywith a U-haul to enroll my two oldest girls in Bible college. It was a memorable experience to say the least. Jas 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; I know God has a purpose.
Diane has had some health problems that she is battling. She has much pain in her right lower back and hip area. The doctors have determined that it is arthiritis in her faucet joints and she has had three injections for pain and had a small operation where they burn the nerve endings. She is doing better but please keep her in your prayers. Amber is still on medicine for epilepsy but has not had any more occurrences and may be able to be taken off the medicine in a year or two.
I have been encouraged visiting churches and seeing God’s blessings. Like I have said many times, we have the best supporting churches of any missionary. We have seen at least 20 people make decisions for Christ during our meetings and I know of at least four for salvation. We were able to see some saved at avacation Bible school that we helped at and some saved out on visitation. We must evangelize while we can. It is also my desire to see some surrender their lives to full time service as foreign missionaries. Mat9:38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest. Please pray that God would send someone to help us down in Southern Brazil! We have a short furlough and were not able to schedule all of our supporting churches due to scheduling conflicts, distance and time so if you are one of our supporting churches and I have not spoken to you yet, please get in contact with me by e-mail or phone. I will also be sending a DVD of our ministry for those that we were not able to see.
Our church in Colina Sorriso is still holding it’s own. We do have some bad news though, brother Anderson and his family have moved back to their home town in Santa Maria. So we are six people short of what we were in attendance. The good news is that it is God’s work and he will supply the members as we are faithful praying and preaching and teaching the Bible. Ivanio, the deacon who is watching our house and the church there is doing good and holding fast. I am proud of him and Carine as they have really grown in the Lord in the past two years since their conversion. Please pray for us as we finish up with furlough! We have about 27 churches to visit still and are scheduled to leave for Brazil on December the 1st. We enjoy seeing our brothers and sisters here but already are homesick for the work in Brazil. That is where we belong and by God’s grace I would like to start another church when I get back. I don’t know how we are going to do this but the need is so great and there are many suburbs with over 15,000 people with no gospel preaching church.
2Co 10:16 To preach the gospel in the regions beyond you,.. 1Co 15:34 ..for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.
By His Grace
David, Diane, Amber Sarah & Lori (Bible College)
Web site: http://catofamily.4t.com/ e-mail [email protected] Phone 251-504-7846
MISSIONARIES TO RS, BRAZIL March 2009
Dear Co-Laborers in Christ,
In six weeks we will be heading for the states for a much needed furlough. We hate to leave the work here but it has been four years since we have seen our family and friends and we have one daughter (Sarah) in Bible college and will be dropping off another one (Lori) in August. We also are looking forward to reporting to our supporting churches on what God has done here in Southern Brazil. A lot has been done but much more needs to be done. I have tried to contact all of our supporting churches either by phone or by e-mail, if I did not get in contact with you yet and you would like for us to come by and report please e-mail me. We will only be doing a six month furlough and my calendar is pretty much filled but I still have some openings and I would love to come by and report on our work and see you again.
The church here is growing, we just baptized five people and a new family of six that just moved from another city has joined our church. Our living room is getting too small to hold everyone; we are averaging over 20 people per Sunday service. Soon we will have to rent a building. Praise the lord! In January Missionary Brother Jerry Lantz & his wife Atalia came down from São Paulo to help us with Vacation Bible school, we used a local school gym and averaged about 50 children per day; eight made professions of faith in Christ. We just held our first mission conference with Pastor Valcides missionary to the Indians of the Amazon and Veteran Missionary Joe Hawkins. (Please pray for Brother Joe as he fell and broke his collar bone while visiting his daughter.) Our church voted to take on Brother Valcides as our very first missionary at 200 reais per month which is equal to about $80.00. Amen! A missions minded church is a growing church. We are still doing house to house soul-winning and park evangelism on Saturdays. The new family is a blessing and helping with the ministry here, we plan to mount a speaker on his car and go down the streets advertising our church and preaching the gospel.
Lori will be graduating from school and we are planning a nice graduation party for her and have invited about 50 people to attend. We are so proud of her, she wants to serve the Lord and attend Bible college with her sister.
Please pray for our church while we are in the states. Brother Ivanio and Bro. Anderson deacons in our church will be running the church while we are gone. They will both be taking turns preaching and teaching the Bible. I will also ask some Pastors and missionaries to come and preach sometimes. God is blessing the work here and I am already looking forward to getting back in December. The future is as bright as the promises of God! Thank you for your faithful support and prayers!
THE CATO FAMILY
Missionaries to Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
November 2008
Dear fellow laborers, friends and loved ones,
These last three months have been a blur. I spent one month in the USA visiting family and helping Sarah get settled into college. When I arrived in Brazil we had to move to another house. That has taken about a month of our time looking for a house, moving, fixing up the house we were in and the one we were moving into. Moving is such a pain. I keep thinking of that verse: Rev. 2: 20“He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” It would not hurt my feelings at all if he came today. “This world is not my home, I'm just a passing through”
We had to move the meetings of our church to our new house. Praise the Lord, He gave us a house with another large living room to hold preaching services and Bible study. We still live in the same suburb so that makes it easy for members who do not have cars. We try not to make a habit of picking people up for church as that creates a dependence that is hard to break later on when the American Missionary turns the church over to a Brazilian pastor. We will pick up children and older folk when it is raining and take them home after dark.
Our numbers had dwindled when I went to the states but now they are climbing again. We had 10 for the teens meeting last Saturday and 12 for Kings Kids Bible club. Now that everyone knows where we are at I believe the numbers will continue to grow. Ivanio and Carine are really coming along good in the Bible Institute. They plan on becoming missionaries one day and hopefully will be able to watch the work here while we go on furlough. We watched over two other ministries for the first two and half years that we were here, so we had a late start with starting a local church here in Caxias do Sul. I am confident however that God will bless the ministry here and that many will be saved. We are meeting Wednesday nights specifically praying that God will do something special here in this city of 500,000 of which for the most part are idolaters and spiritists. There are ten of us who meet every Wednesday. We need the boldness and power of God to witness and preach to these people who have been blinded for centuries. Please pray with us brethren!
Prayer Requests: * Saturday Soul-Winning Outreach * Nursing Home ministries * English Bible Class * Bible Institute * Sunday Preaching Services * Wednesday Prayer Meetings *Tract Distribution * Sarah in Bible College * Our Health * Ivanio & Carine * Salvation for our new neighbors & Rosangella, Sydnei, Odilone, Henrique, Rodrigo, Alexander, Fabiana, George
* Spiritual growth of church * The Street Ministry that we are planning on starting (We have ordered thousands of Gospel tracts and will make some scripture signs, there is a large park in the middle of town where we can go and witness) If you can help with the tract ministry please send us some Portuguese Gospel tracts or money to buy some. We need thousands and thousands!
Our address is: David Cato Caixa Postal 1206 95001-970 Caxias do Sul, RS Brazil, S.A.
I would also like to thank you for your faithful support financially and prayer wise. I believe that we have the most faithful supporting churches of any missionary. I mean that! God Bless you for your faith and help with the ministry here in Southern Brazil. Looking forward to seeing you during furlough in 2009.
July __________ Aug.___________
By His Grace, Sep.__________ Oct. ___________
David, Diane, Lori, Amber & Sarah (Bible College)
Web site: http://catofamily.4t.com/ e-mail [email protected]
THE CATO FAMILY
Dear fellow laborers, friends and loved ones, July 2008
In one month Sarah and I will be boarding a plane bound for the U.S.A. To enroll her in Bible College. When Sarah was a little baby Diane and I dedicated her to the Lord. It is with mixed feelings that I return to my native country, sad because I will miss my little red headed girl and yet joyful because she has grown up to be a beautiful Christian lady. She believes that God would have her to be a missionary. Of course Diane and I are hoping that she will be a missionary to Brazil.
God has given us much to do here in the way of ministry and many out reach opportunities have opened up. We are now preaching at two nursing homes. Diane and the girls are still teaching the children once a week with the King's Kids program. We have two preaching services per week at our church. I am teaching a Bible course in English at a local English school and also teaching a seminary course to a couple who are planning on being in the ministry full time. We also have a gospel tract ministry, Saturday door to door visitation and soul-winning. (There is something about going door to door that just takes the pride right out of you). We also use monthly teens, men and ladies meetings to reach new people. Please pray for us as our plate gets more and more full. We plan to come home in 2009 for a short furlough.
Praises:
- We have a new family that has joined us
- A family was baptized with the exception of the wife
- Some have made professions of faith
- The new couple Ivanio & Carine that God has sent to help us!
- Lori finished her ACT test and all the girls have finished school for this year
:
- Sarah as she starts her first year at Bible College
- Diane and I as our first girl leaves the nest
- Growth of our church and the new believers
- The ministries of our church
- Ivanio and Carine as they study in the Bible Institute
- Our furlough coming up in 2009
- Rosangella, Sydnei, Odilone, Henrique, Rodrigo, Alexander, Fabiana & George for salvation
- Please pray for Rio Grande do Sul. An area filled with religious lost people. About 90% of the people here are either Catholic, Spiritist or some type of cult. People need the Lord.
Thank you so much for your faithful support and prayers!
I Corinthians 3:9
For we are labourers together with God:
Serving Christ in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
David, Diane, Sarah, Lori & Amber
Missionaries to Southern Brazil Feb 2008
Latest News
Greetings from the deep South of Brazil! A lot has happened since our last prayer letter. We are continuing with the work here in our house. We have three faithful families so far. André and his two girls, Moasir with his wife and children and a single lady by the name of Juriçi. Please pray for them as they are all baby Christians except for Juiçir. Moasir just recently received the Lord as savior. Our main need right now is for Spiritual growth as well as new believers. We would like to start another church somewhere with Saturday night services in the future.
I will be visiting the states in July to enroll Sarah in Bible college. We will miss her, she loves the Lord and is such a blessing. She will be the first one to leave the nest. I am a tough Marine but I know that I will cry when that time comes.
I would like to take a short furlough in 2008 but our church is in it’s infant stages and I can not leave it for more than a month. We hope to take a furlough in the summer of 2009. I plan on making a DVD of our work with more details of our ministry and make it available by the fall of this year.
Praise the Lord, the work in Nova Petropolis seems to be going good with the leadership of Wendell Barros. We still help them from time to time but are trying to concentrate our efforts here in Caxias do Sul.
We are currently working hard to get ready for vacation Bible school. We have rented a building nearby and plan to have any where between 40-60 children. The girls will be doing a puppet show and we will have some help from another missionary that we had helped earlier with his VBS.
The dollar continues to fall in value, it has fallen from 2.55 to 1.75 since we arrived 2 1/2 years ago. However our supporters have been very generous and faithful and we have been able to make it without too many difficulties. Thank you so much as you make it possible for us to be here!
Thank you so much for you prayers and support! We Love you all! The Girls send their greetings also.
Prayer requests
* VBS and follow ups
* Evangelism and Visitation, more souls to be saved in 2008!
* Ministry with the College Students
* Please pray for our current families!
* Our health, my stomach has been bothering me for some time now.
* Sarah as she prepares for Bible college.
* Lori and Amber as they continue homeschooling
* Amber is doing better but still has to take epilepsy medicine.
* Diane as she teaches, cooks, cleans, visits folks, and puts up with me. She is such a blessing.
* Someone to watch our house and work in 2009
* Our financial Support
Because of Calvary,
David, Diane, Sarah, Lori and Amber
Dear Friends, August 2007
In the last three months, all of us have had the flu, I spent two weeks in bed with the flu. Diane hurt her back, Amber had an ingrown toe nail cut out. We found out that Amber and our new Rottweiler puppy both have epilepsy. They both have to take Phenobarbital which is for epilepsy. Praise the Lord for the trials and that we are all doing better now. It is 71 deg. F outside right now with the sun shinning. Amen! Ain`t God good!
Our Wednesday night Bible studies are beginning to grow one person at a time. Some of the ones who have started with us are no longer with us. 1 Jo 2:19* They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: Sadly here in the land of the Catholic and Spiritist, they will embrace religion if it does something for them like heal them, promise them wealth and fame, etc. Idolatry is a curse to these people. We have a lady by the name of Diane who has shown fruit and is growing in the Lord. Please pray for Rosangela, she has made a profession of faith but does not seem to be growing and often refers to her good works. She brings her family and is faithful to the services. Another lady asked Diane today if she could come to our Bible study! Praise the Lord! We are studying through the book of John with them. I am in the process of making a special information-invitation packet to hand out door to door. Please pray that God gives me wisdom as to how to do this. We want to blanket this city with the gospel. We are looking for new ways to evangelize. Please pray for us as God has burdened us for this great city. It is hard to get religious peoples attention. They look at us as a cult just like JWs or Mormons. Only God can get their attention, that is why we need your prayers!
The work at Nova Petropolis is still going strong. We did lose one of our best workers. Claudio whom I thought would help us, felt the Lord leading him to attend a Bible Institute in another city about 100 miles from here. We hope the Lord uses him in that area. We are having a big day next month, Gaucho Day! Sort of like Cowboy day, there will be open air cook outs, Chimmarro, horse back riding, and everyone will dress like Gauchos. It will be a lot of fun and we hope to draw some new people to hear the gospel message. God is still blessing the Kings Kids club, three children accepted the Lord two weeks ago. The devil however has been mad and is fighting our efforts. The local community has launched projects on Saturday for the children such as soccer, food, dances, etc. and has managed to take some of our children away from the Bible club. Grrrr! I hate the devil and his stinkin tricks! When you try to serve the Lord, there will always be opposition! We are currently looking and praying for a Brazilian pastor to take over the church there in Nova Petropolis. We love the people there and want to help and will continue to help them in any way that we can but God has burdened our hearts to start a work here in Caxias do Sul. A city of over 400,000 people. Nova Petropolis has 18,000. It is hard to pastor a church 40-50 miles away and start a church at the same time.
Please pray that God will send us a Brazilian worker to help us with the work here in Caxias do Sul. Right now it is just our family and a few baby Christians.
Thank you for your faithful support! May God richly bless you and your ministries!
The Cato Family
Dear Brethren, May 2007
Greetings from cold Southern Brazil! The average annual temperature here is 60 deg. F. It is cold here and so is the spiritual condition. Our city of Caxias do Sul (Pop. 412,000) is about 80% Catholic and 60% Spiritists (many Brazilians practice Catholicism and spiritism) and the rest are mostly cults and false religions. Please pray for us as we try to give the gospel to these spiritually blind people! We are still having Bible studies in our house on Wednesdays and have two faithful ladies and their children attending who were recently saved. We try to make visits at least once a week. Recently we have been going door to door with a religious survey and it has given us the opportunity to witness to several people. A lady prayed to accept Christ as Saviour last Saturday!
The work in Nova Petropolis seems to have hit a brick wall and seemed to all but stop! As many of you know, I took the reins of a church that is about 20 yrs. old and with it 20 yrs. of problems! You veteran pastors know what I am talking about. Some folks have been getting saved and we baptized four people recently and are planning another baptism here soon, however I have been having problems getting people involved in the various ministries that we have been trying to start. Yesterday after teaching on Evangelism the people began to give excuses why they could not evangelize. The main reason seemed to be that they thought the church had a bad testimony and that they were not worthy! I found out that one of the young preachers (I am training two preacher boys) had just recently been falsely accused of attempted rape. The small city is ablaze with this gossip. I did research and looked into it and it is 100% false and the girl is a liar (Even the girls dad does not believe it!) but the Devil is slick and the damage has been done. There are also two families within the church that have been feuding for many years. (jealousy and envy) Last night we had a meeting and got some things aired out. Some anger was shown and some tears shed and the church is in the healing process now! God will get the victory! Please pray that God will give me wisdom as I lead this church on the right path. The church has potential and there is so much to be done for our Lord here in this spiritually dark region. We are starting a “Kings Kids Club” on Saturday afternoons and will be having a missions conference in a few weeks. I have been praying that God would touch one of the young preacher`s heart about starting a new work in a city nearby and last night he came to me and asked what I thought about him starting a church in that nearby city. (It was hard to hide my emotion, I almost started crying!) We are going to do a survey and begin plans to evangelize this new area!
Please pray for: Claudio, the young man who wants to start a new work; Dalvan, the one accused of rape (that boy has potential, I believe that is why Satan is attacking so much); King`s Kids Club; our missions program; evangelism in Caxias do Sul and Nova Petropolis; growth of the new converts; the salvation of those we have been witnessing to; Diane`s outreach to the neighborhood ladies and that the Lord`s will be done in everything that we do! Please pray for Sarah as she is graduating this year and wants to attend Bible college next year. She is teaching English to help raise money for Bible college. We are so proud of our girls!
Thank you for your faithful support! May God richly bless you and your ministries!
The Cato Family
February 2007
Praises! 1. People are still getting saved Amen!
2. We have two people doing Bible studies
3. We have been able to show an evangelistic film to several
families
4. We have five people scheduled to baptize on February 4th
5. We are starting a new Bible Institute in February with about
five students
6. We just started a nursing home ministry and may be starting
another one soon!
7. We are averaging about 45 in the morning church service
8. Our Home Bible study is averaging about 10 people including our family
Prayer: 1. Pray for lost souls and for our soul-winning outreach
2. Pray for the new converts, Norberto, Rachel, Rosangela, Eunice, Elias, Mateus, Cleji
3. Pray for the Bible Institute students Cleselio, Beno, Dalvan, Ariane, Cleni and Pedro
4. Pray for the new nursing home ministries
5. Pray for the church in Nova Petropolis and our home Bible study
6. Church camp for the teenagers Feb. 12-16
News: The girls got another parakeet to replace the one eaten by the dog. Amber just had a birthday and is 11 yrs. Old now. Our furniture debt has been paid and we were able to buy a water filter. Sarah will be graduating from High school this May and will stay one more year to help in the work here before heading for Bible college. She wants to be a missionary. My Uncle and Grandfather passed away within these last few months. Let’s witness to our family before it is too late! Diane is still teaching English and has been able to witness to several students. Three have been saved through this outreach. God bless you and thank you for your prayers and financial support allowing us to stay on the mission field!
Okay! It is time for someone to visit us! We invite anyone who supports us financially or in prayer to visit us. It will be the best vacation/mission trip you have ever taken. Our phone number and e-mail is at the bottom.
Psa 8:1 “..O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.”
October 2006
Dear Friends,
Thank you for your prayers and support, isn't God good!
News: We have turned over the work in Cidade Nova to John and Neila Yelle who have just recently returned from furlough. Keep them in your prayers! Sarah, Lori and Amber have really come a long way in learning Portuguese. Sarah is looking forward to Bible College, Lori took some art classes and Amber loves to play with the dogs. All three are taking piano lessons. They grow up so fast! They are already 17, 15 and 10 years old. Since our last letter, a church in Nova Petropolis about twenty miles from here has asked us to help them during a transition period. The church has been without a pastor for one year. They have several men who want to study the Bible. We hope to start a Bible Institute with these young men. My goal is to train the Brazilians in soul-winning and to be Christian leaders. This church will also help us some with the ministry here in Caxias do Sul. (Caxias do Sul has about 500,000 people and very little gospel preaching churches!) We are working with the Germans in Nova Petropolis and the Italians in Caxias do Sul. There are even a few Brazilians mixed in here and there. We need soldiers in our ministries!
Praise: *We were able to lead a young lady and some children
to the Lord recently in Bairro Serrano. *My foot and leg are doing better! I can now do door to door visitation and soul-winning! (I could not walk for two months after I broke my ankle!) *We had nine teens at our first teen meeting in Nova Petropolis. Two made profesions of faith. * We had over 50 in attendance last Sunday morning. Six people came forward during the invitation professing Christ as Saviour! Amen!!! It was friends day and we brought six people from Diane’s English class; three of these accepted Christ as Saviour!
Prayer Requests: *Please remember to pray for the work in Bairro Serrano! We had 21 children last time we held Bible club there; however no adults have shown any fruit of salvation yet. *The church and work in Novo Petropolis. *Pray for Darvan, a man who has been called to preach but got involved with a girl. We hope to be performing a wedding for them soon. He is currently under church discipline. *Pray for Claudio, another young man called to preach and seeking the Lords will as to where God would have him go. *Pray for Diane’s English class, she currently has about 30 students. It is our goal to win them to Christ.
* Please pray that the three who accepted Christ will grow in the Lord and that we will be able to start a church with them here in Caxias do Sul. * Pray God will give us workers!
Because of Calvary,
David, Diane, Sarah, Lori & Amber
Update on the Cato's in Southern Brazil June 29, 2006 Dear Friends, Just wanted to update you on our ministry here and share some prayer requests and blessings with you. News and Praises: * I managed to break my ankle bone about three weeks ago. I was running in the rain and tried to jump over a mud hole and slipped and landed on my twisted ankle. Please pray that it heals quickly, the hospital put a splint on it and it seems to still be pretty swollen and blue with bruises. I try to stay off of it but I think I hop around way too much on my crutches. There are so many things to do and I feel so far behind. Also traveling by car here on these bumpy roads aggravates my leg worse. Anyone who has ever had a broken leg knows what I am talking about. * We have found a house to rent anticipating the return of John and Neila. We are beginning to look for furniture and major appliances. We are going to all the used furniture stores, etc. We have already found some good deals. * Two new families are attending church now in Cidade Nova and two people accepted Christ as Saviour last Sunday. (I almost did not go to church and preach that night because I had fallen on my broken leg. You just can never tell how God is going to work) Prayer Requests: * Please pray for the church in Cidade Nova and us as we give the responsibilities of the church back to the Yelle family. (They started the church about seven years ago.) It will be a big void in our life as we have given of ourselves for that ministry for over a year. * The new work in Bairro Serrano. That work has been put on hold for a few weeks because of my broken leg. We have two families doing Bible studies there so far and some have accepted Christ as Saviour. Diane has made some visits to these families since I became an invalid. * Please pray for our finances! Besides all the furniture and appliances we have to buy, Diane has to order over $1,500.00 worth of Homeschool books and DVDs this month for the upcoming school year. * Pray for spiritual victory here in Caxias do Sul ! (Pop. 500,000) Our goal is to start Fundamental Baptist Churches(plural). We know that only God can do that, so please pray that we stay fired up, in His will and filled with the Holy Spirit! Thank you for your prayers and support! By His Grace, David Cato and Family Missionaries to Southern Brazil
THE CATO FAMILY March 2006
MISSIONARIES TO RIO GRANDE DO SUL, BRAZIL
Praises:
Our soul-winning outreach is growing! Right now we have two families, one lady and five teenagers that go out at least once a week. We are currently using two methods. 1. Door to door passing out invitations and gospel tracts. We witness when they permit us to do so, very few Catholics will let a stranger just show up at the door and talk to them, but we try! 2. We visit friends of our members and contacts that we have previously made. At their table usually sipping chimarrao we will then present the gospel to them from an open Bible. (Very effective) Please pray for our soul-winning outreaches! We have seen several people come to the Lord this way. We also have big days at the church where members invite others to come and hear the gospel.
The faithful support of our churches! 1 Cor. 3:9a “For we are labourers together with God:..”
Prayer Requests:
Our discipleship program. The liberal churches and the cults are after our baby Christians. Sometimes they steal them before we can get them strong with the milk of the Word. A shame that many will go after other Christians instead of going after the lost.
Pray for the salvation of Clovis and Letiça, the husband and daughter of Ivonne, a faithful Christian lady in the church.
Pray that God will lead us to the right area to start another church. We are currently considering starting a church in another suburb in the Northern part of Caxias do Sul. A veteran Brazilian Pastor has also asked us to help in his area near Porto Alegre. We only have six more months here until John and Neila Yelle return to take over their work.
Our Bible Institute. We now have four students.
* The other night while coming home from teaching at the Bible Institute, I saw several strange lights in the woods. The next day I went to investigate and found two dead chickens, one dead goat, and a dead rabbit that had all its` feet cut off. Next to them were candles and a bowl of blood. Macumba! Sometimes at night we hear the eerie sound of their drums. They dance to the music of the drums until a spirit enters their body. Spiritism is very popular here. They offer up these sacrifices to bless or curse someone. What a shame! I heard of one poor woman who bought three shiny apples to donate to the demons while her children went hungry. She was asking the demons to bless her and give more food! It is estimated that 1/3 of the people living here participate in such sacrifices which is called macumba.
* Everybody is healthy and the girls are growing too fast! We love it here!
Because of Calvary,
David, Diane, Sarah, Lori & Amber
MISSIONARIES TO RIO GRANDE DO SUL, BRAZIL
THE CATO FAMILY
NOVEMBER 2005
Praises:
* Seven people have accepted Christ as Saviour since our last prayer letter. One man, Carlos, 11 years ago was the only survivor of a train wreck. He was blown 50 feet through a window and landed in the top of a tree. He told me that now he has been saved twice.
* We have started a Bible Institute with material from our brethren in Bahia and Manaus. We have one very dedicated couple who are attending so far and another young man will begin in January.
* A member of the church just called and asked me if I could go with him to visit some lost family members! Also another lady, “Ivonne” has gotten on fire for the Lord. Diane and she has led a sister and brother-in-law to the Lord! I am just about to have a fit! Excuse me while I just jump and shout a little bit!
* We have officially applied for our permanent visas! The Federal Police said they see no problems and that we should have our visas within six months. Praise God!
Prayer Requests:
* Our soul-winning outreach. Right now we have two families and one lady that go out at least once a week.
* The new converts. Most of them are doing Bible studies and we will baptize them soon in the river.
*Pray that God will lead us to the right area to start another church.
* The need: (What I saw recently on an interior trip) Lajeado and region 150,000, One S.B. church which works mainly with German people. Santa Maria 300,000, with one Fundamental Baptist church and a few S.B. churches. Cruz Alta 70,000, no gospel preaching church. Passo Fundo 200,000, with three small S.B. churches. Carozinho 30,000, no gospel preaching church. Lagoa Vermelha 30,000, no gospel preaching church. Vacaria 60,000, one conservative Southern Baptist church. Caxias do Sul 500,000, one Fundamental Baptist (the one we are working in), two liberal S.B. churches and several Reformed (Pentacostal) ”Baptist” churches.
News:
* Our house was robbed and cleaned out last month . Almost every thing of value was stolen. We lost about $5000,00 worth of merchandise including two computers, watches, video camera, digital camera and many other items. I sent an email to 126 of our friends and churches. They prayed for us and many of them responded with love offerings. We were able to replace many of the items that were stolen. I stand in awe of the great God that we serve and our faithful supporters who came to our aid in time of need. I am typing this letter on my brand new computer! Thanks to all of you who helped!
* We have since put in an alarm system and steel bars on the windows and doors.
* We got a new puppy (Hopefully one day he will be a big strong guard dog)
* Lori has braces now.
* We found a piano teacher for the girls.
Special Points of interst:
Gauchos drink Chimarrão a very strong green tea.
Most Catholics in RS also practice Candomble and Alan Kardec which are forms of spiritism.
Caxias do Sul is 2,369 feet above sea level.
It is colder here than Alabama!
Rio Grande do Sul is made up mostly of immigrants from Italy, Germany and other parts of Europe
In His Service,
David, Diane, Sarah, Lori & Amber
THE CATO FAMILY
MISSIONARIES TO BRAZIL
JULY 2005
Dear friends,
Greetings from Rio Grande do Sul, Southern Brazil. Sorry it took so long to send out a formal prayer letter! I sent out one via e-mail about a month ago but do not have everyone’s e-mail address. Please send your e-mail address to me at [email protected] if you did not receive our prayer letter via e-mail.
We are very excited about being here. I am chomping at the bit to start a church in a new area; however, we have promised John Yelle, (another missionary who is on furlough) to watch the church he started and also their house and belongings for one year. We do need some time to relearn the language, the local slang and culture. The people here are known as Gauchos, (a Brazilian cowboy mixed with Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and maybe some Indian and even German). They are a hard working, Independent, proud people. They are mostly of the Catholic religion and fiercely traditional. So, our work is cut out for us but we know that God can break the most stubborn heart. Please pray for us as we get adjusted here.
News: ***The church here is going great! We have visitation and soul-winning every Saturday at 2pm.
***We were able to buy a vehicle, (Hyundai Galloper) a seven passenger SUV which runs on natural gas which is about 1/3 the price of gasoline.
***I cut the tip of my finger off cutting wood; they sewed it back on at the hospital and it is doing fine. Thank God it was not worse!
***We have internet, so please feel free to e-mail us, send pictures and we can also send pictures to you.
***The American dollar has continued to fall in value. We have had a lot of expenses also lately which is normal when you first move to a new country. We thank every one of you who gave extra towards our travel fund, as this helped us tremendously and has kept us out of the red.
***Praise the Lord! We are officially at 99% support. (There are still others who have promised support yet!) Wow! We did it! God first of all; you who have given by faith and of course our efforts of going and telling our story. Thanks!
Prayer: ***The congregation here, pray that they grow in the Lord and that they stay in church
***Our witnessing, that their hearts will be receptive to the gospel
***Our health
***That we will learn the language and culture better
***The Bible Institute (We have two students now and will gain a third soon)
***Pray for Everton, a man who just made a profession of faith last Sunday
By His Grace, David Cato & Girls
The Cato Family
Missionaries to Brazil March 2005
Dear Friends,
Ain't God Good! I know that is not proper English but it sure says what I am thinking right now. We are nearing the end of our deputation journey with sadness, fear and gladness. Sad that we will be leaving family, friends and our native land for many years. Fear of the unknown, places we have never been and situations we have never experienced. Glad that we will soon be with the people of whom God has called us to work with; the people whom Jesus died for. I am so glad and happy that God is using me and my family! I know that He has a great work for us to do in Brazil! I can understand how the apostle Paul felt when he said; "And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry" 1 Tim 1:12 We have seen souls saved, people rededicate their lives for Christ and some called into full time ministry. However, our heart aches to be about the King's business in Brazil. Please pray that we will always be soul winners filled with the Holy Spirit!
We just came from cold, snowy West Virginia. Thanks, Bro. Jesse, and the good folks of Rock Cave Ind. Baptist for giving us a nice warm house to stay in! We have picked up several more churches for support. Just recently two churches in West Virginia, one church in Kentucky and five churches in Florida have promised financial support. That puts us at about 90% of our needed support level. We have just six more weeks of meetings to raise our final support. Our target date to be in Brazil is June 9, 2005. We are working hard and praying that the necessary funds will come in. I believe they will. Some churches have indicated that they may support us at a later date.
Prayer needs: * Please pray for our Visa situation! We may be able to re-instate our permanent visa once we arrive in Brazil. We will be applying for a one year religious visa so we can ship many of our things. Brother John Hawkins and the CBMB (World Baptist Mission of Brazil) is helping us with this Process.
* Our Travel Fund Thanks, Southpoint Baptist for the .00 that was sent for this need! Besides our plane fare and shipping costs, our largest expense will be for a vehicle. We are praying that we will have the available funds to buy a good used dependable car.
In the next few months, would you please consider helping us with this expense? Any amount will be helpful and appreciated.
In Christ's Service,
Prayer Letters:
December 2004
Dear Friends,
Praise the Lord from whom ALL blessings flow! We are currently at 80% of our needed monthly support level! This would not be possible with out YOU! Your prayers and financial support have made this possible. Thank You!
**News: We have really enjoyed the fellowship and opportunities to preach but are anxious and chomping at the bit to be about the work in Brazil.
We just bought the Rosetta Stone's Portuguese Course levels 1 & 2 on Ebay. The girls are learning fast and Diane and I are brushing up on our grammar. It is the best course I have ever seen! We have just received our passports and will be applying for our visas soon. We hope to get a permanent visa right away because of our two oldest daughters having been born in Brazil. The visa is called a "Family Reunion Visa". We will be traveling to Miami, Florida in early January to speak with the Brazilian Consulate about our visas.We have 14 meetings in Florida; then will be heading for KY, OH, WV, PA & NY for meetings in March & April. We have about 35 meetings planned but need to schedule 10 more.
**Prayer Needs: Travel Fund ,000 1. Visas $1,800 2. Plane tickets ,000 - ,800 3. Shipping costs $1,500 4. Dependable Used car ,000 - ,000 5. Home School books & videos ,500, The sell of our house and motorhome, God's power in our lives and for lost souls in Brazil.We need 10-15 more supporting churches to be at 100% of our needed support level.
2Cor 10:16 "To preach the gospel in the [regions] beyond you, [and] not to boast in another man's line of things made ready to our hand."
1Cor 15:34 "Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of
God...."
By His Grace,
David Cato & Family
September 2004
Dear Friends,
*Thank you very much for your prayers and support! We are currently at 70% of our needed support level. We are excited and thankful for what God is doing in our lives. We are planning to leave for Brazil by May or June of 2005. Please pray that our support level will be at 100% by then. I have 37 meetings scheduled until then but need more in Florida for January and February.
*My survey trip to Brazil was a blessing. I had the privilege of visiting John & Neila Yelle's work in Rio Grande do Sul and also Lanny & Judy Wood's work in Sao Paulo, Brazil. They are both doing a great job and it was good to be able to speak in Portuguese again. We have prayed about it and believe God would have us to work with John & Neila in Rio Grande do Sul. They have asked us to watch their work for them when they go on furlough next year. The city they are working in has over 400,000 people and has very little gospel witness. The predominate religions there are Catholicism and Spiritism.
*I have barely had time to breathe since I got back from Brazil a month ago. Just in August we have traveled over 2,300 miles visiting churches in Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Ohio; preaching, teaching, singing,(our girls do the singing) and showing slides. We participated in two camps, one for missionaries and the other a children's camp in Ohio. (Six children made professions of faith at the camp in Ohio, Praise the Lord!) I also had to do some extensive brake work on our motor home. Thank God my father-in-law helped me on that one! We are just happy to be busy serving the Lord and am content knowing that we are in the center of His Will! God Bless you until we meet again!
June 2004
Dear Praying Friends,
*It seems just like the other day since I sat at my computer and wrote our last prayer letter. Time goes so fast. I am reminded of the scriptures in Romans & James: Romans 13:11,12 "... for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand:" Also in James 4:14 "Whereas ye know not what [shall be] on the morrow. For what [is] your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." These verses remind me that what we are going to do for Christ we must do soon and with urgency! I found out that a man whom I had witnessed to in December of last year died just recently in a fishing accident. He was a good man but lost and did not know Christ as his Saviour. He did not know that this would be his last year on earth. It makes me think of the people who will die without Christ this year; especially those in Brazil who have never heard a clear presentation of the gospel.*
*July the 14th I will leave for a survey trip to visit John and Neila Yelle in Rio Grande do Sul and also Lanny and Judy Wood in Sao Paulo Brazil. Please pray for safety on this trip and that God will give us a greater burden than ever for the Brazilian people.
Updates:
**We are currently at about 63% of our support and it is steadily increasing.
** Since our last prayer letter we have seen 12 people accept Christ as Saviour and 34 surrender their lives to the will of God.
**We have been in 168 churches since January 2003
**We are still having fun and are just beginning to catch our second wind! We can not stop until we
accomplish that which He has called us to do.
In His Service,
The Cato Family
March 2004
Dear Praying Friends,
We are over half way now; it seems just like yesterday that we hit the road on full time deputation. We have been on the road now for sixteen months. Our heart is in Brazil but we must raise the funds needed in order to keep us there when we get there. Please continue to pray that God would move people's hearts to support us on a full time basis.
Blessings & Answered Prayer: * Almost every service these last months we have had people make *** decisions for Christ, either dedications or rededications. Two small girls were saved just recently. Now * that is exciting!
** Praise The Lord! We are now at 53% of our support (We are past midway, each percentage is a step closer to Brazil!)
** A preacher gave us a very nice Computer. Thanks Bro. White!
** No major accidents or sicknesses
** New Support. Amen! We have had at least fourteen churches take us on for financial support since December of last year and some have increased their support.
Prayer needs: * That we would be filled with the Holy Spirit of God constantly!
** Meetings to present our ministry. If you know of someone I could call for a meeting * please drop me a line via e-mail. I have used up many of our contacts and need a fresh supply.
* * That our motorhome would hold up.
* Money for home school books.
News: * Amber and Lori have lost more of their teeth. Amber's nickname is now snaggle tooth.
** Sarah turned the big age of 15 on March 2nd. (They grow up too fast)
** Sarah added more songs that she could sing in church
** Diane is still homeschooling, cooking, doing laundry, correspondence, paperwork, and just being * my wonderful wife & mother to our girls.
By His Grace,
Dave Cato & Family
Come on down and drink a big cup of steaming chimarrao with us!
