T BS Ministries - Tony & Barb Sistelos
P.O. Box 6872 - Evansville, IN 47719-0872

June 12, 2001

Dear friend,

Greetings from Brazil! We're alive and well. The Lord has been faithfully taking care of us. He has been speaking to our hearts about the ministry, the needs of those around us, and especially this world's need for God. We have a great desire to lead people to trust Christ, for them to know the joy He provides. This has been our main message every day: Christ died and rose again for all mankind; now He offers salvation by faith; Christ lives in us; we live to glorify God.

The Lord has been enabling us to get the gospel out by providing the right words at the right moment in our contacts and daily lives, opening the doors to us for invitations to take part in events and leadership roles, and, most importantly, revealing His will through the Word by the Holy Spirit. Now we'd like to share some of the fruit with you:

ADRIANA, a 25 year old university student and swimming instructor, came to know the Lord 3 months ago through our Tuesday night Bible study. Now she's growing spiritually by leaps and bounds. Recently she made the difficult decision to break up with her Spiritist boyfriend, Ramos. We've encouraged her to share the gospel with her friends and family, all those she loves. Please put Adriana on your prayer list, as she takes her first steps in faith, and trusts God for her future.

GLORIA, Tony's sister, has reason to be concerned about her future career. She's been working as a statistician for Sudene, a government research development center for northeast Brazil, for about five years. Meanwhile, for political reasons, this month the government has decided to turn the operation into a type of 'agency', which will probably mean downsizing and permanent layoffs for the majority. This has left Gloria wondering how she'll be able to pay her bills. Pray for her to be able to find another job soon. (Photo taken in April.)

The Brazilian Federal Government is experiencing an ENERGY CRISIS. Yes, electricity is running out, all because rains are scarce and the drought is back. Keep in mind that most of the nation's electricity is produced by hydroelectric plants. So all businesses and homes must reduce kilowatt use by at least 20% during the months of June, July and August in order to keep from paying a stiff fine, or worse yet, have their electric cut off for 3 days. Most folks are in panic, changing over to fluorescent light bulbs, buying kerosene lamps, or leaving off appliances. We're using creativity and finding ways to keep our kw's down. Public buildings are cooperating as well, keeping only the bare minimum lit at night. Every other street lamp has been turned off, so streets and highways are darker than ever (won't robbers love this? mosquitoes too!)

Speaking of mosquitoes, we're now sleeping in a MOSQUITO NET. I never thought I'd see the day, but it was an absolute necessity in order to get a good night's rest. Let me describe it: the netting is white, stiff, and full of tiny holes. It makes a tent-like structure above our double bed, and is supported by four metal poles attached to the bedposts. The poles have wire hooks where the net is attached to give it a 'roof'. Getting into bed is an interesting process. One must pull up the net, crawl into bed, and quickly tuck the walls of the net under the mattress before a mosquito can have time to figure out how to get in with you. Once tucked in, there's nothing worse than remembering that you forgot to turn out the light! And make sure you don't lean your knees or elbows against the net while sleeping. The mosquitoes will call all their friends for a party and soon you'll be scratching away.

My newly-saved friend, LOURDES, has come to me for a listening ear lately. She's going through a separation and her husband has already found another woman. Lourdes is a fellow teacher at the American School where I teach music. One day we started talking about the Lord and I invited her to my room during my free period for Bible study. Many things happened to keep her from coming, but she came. We ended up praying together for her salvation. She's been Catholic all her life, and fears hurting Mary (mother of Jesus), by becoming a Christian. There are many other areas where she needs help in understanding God's truths. Pray for her, that she might open God's Word for herself, and also for her confused and hurt children.

Speaking of studying the Word, Tony is glad to say he's almost done with this semester's courses at SEMINARY. In fact, he's writing a paper right now. All together, he has about three year's worth of credit hours. That's sure reason to rejoice! The photo on the left shows Tony preaching a missionary message last month.

Remember the private students I wrote about a few months ago? Here's what has developed: Antonino, my English student who teaches yoga and eastern philosophy, has become our special friend. His English is rapidly improving and he's softening whenever I mention the Lord or a Biblical concept. The little atheist girl, Sophia, has developed her piano skills amazingly and we enjoy a special friendship also. No open door has been available for me to talk about the Lord, as her mother is very much against it and has trained her daughter to pridefully reject the gospel. It is truly a challenge to be a silent witness, but in this case it's all I CAN be. Please pray that I can be the Lord's vessel with these precious two as well as my 300 other students at school during the next week til classes resume.

Tony and I are planning to go to the USA in July. We're still working on the departure date, because it depends on some things that will only be resolved in the coming week. We'll let you know soon. Our plan is to visit family and friends in Ohio, Indiana and Michigan, and spend time in Wisconsin, looking into the possibility of jobs for both of us, and Bible institute near Milwaukee. If the Lord should open doors for us there, we'll stay a while and hopefully get a chance to visit you later this summer or fall. This is our prayer, and now it's up to the Lord to do His will in our lives. "Cast your anxiety on Him, for he cares for you." (I Peter 5:7)

We believe God is taking us to the States at this time, pulling us like a magnet. Our purpose in going is for educational reasons, and to share our message, and ministry with others. More information about TBS Ministries, as well as recent photos, can soon be found on the internet (as of 7/1), at this address: www.tbsministries.com

Additionally, God has put a burden in our hearts for the people of Portugal. Five years ago Tony woke up one morning and said to himself, "I want to be a Portuguese citizen". He realizes today that it was God leading him to start the process of filing for offspring's rights to Portuguese citizenship. (His father immigrated from Portugal in 1945.) Just this month he received his Portuguese ID card and passport, after much paperwork and many trips to the consulate. This benefit provides him with access to most of Europe.
Therefore, we plan to visit Portugal later this year or next, as the Lord provides the time and finances to do so. Our trip would serve three purposes: 1) Meeting with the brethren there and looking into potential possibilities for the field; 2) Distributing the Grace Library CD-Rom Software; and 3) Seeing Tony's relatives for the first time. More and more, we perceive the needs of that country through phone calls and contacts, and long to play a part in taking the gospel message to that nation.

How thankful we are to see how God has provided our ministry needs through your loving gifts. You will never know how much we appreciate your prayers and support, but we trust that God will remind you often that your sacrifices have made a difference, and fill your heart with a deep peace. Meanwhile, let us know how we can pray for you!

From your partners in missions,

Tony and Barb