Fernando and Teresa Sarrafo & Family- Missionaries to Portugal

Fernando and Teresa are currently living in Brampton Ont. Teresa manages a private estate and Fernando is subcontracting in the area of counselling (from a Christian perspective). Fernando was raised in the city of Toronto, but has always had a heart for the nation of Portugal. He spent several years in Portugal to learn the culture and language and to understand the Lords vision for his life and for that nation. While there he met and married Teresa. Since 1996 Fernando and Teresa have been working alongside Portuguese speaking churches in SW Ontario helping families deal with many issues. Their focus now is to bring this proven ministry to Portugal. Over time they have been involved with short term missions where ministries and agencies have been established. Their goal is to develop a Family Center which will provide urgently needed services to hurting families. These services will include family/marriage counselling, women’s outreach, teaching and discipleship.

The Sarrafo's : Vida Nova Family Center.
 David (missing), Reuben, and Joshua

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*Ed's Note:  A technical glitch in a computer system prevented this missionary family from expressing fully what was on their heart for missions when they visited our church recently. The glitch caused the Powerpoint player to stop working.   I've asked Fernando to share a few of his Powerpoint pictures with us online at the ANVIL Newsletter, to give us a taste of what we missed that day.  This is a very exciting project!  Europe is in many ways closed to the gospel, yet God has a plan and people in place to begin to accomplish His Plan.  

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PORTUGAL:  Their Mission Field (Vida Nova Family Center.)

   We approach the "Midnight Hour" at lightning speed (for human kind).  The ones that have been called out from the world to serve the God of the Universe and His Son the Majestic King of Kings Yeshua  (Jesus) are getting ready for the greatest encounter between men and divinity that can ever be imagined.  We believe that Jesus wants to soon rapture His worldwide Church!

   One of the ways to get ready for the hour is to put away all forms of evil and focus on Godly things,

• study the Holy Scriptures, 
• pray and listen attentively to the ever so precious Holy Spirit and last but not least 
• work in a God-given mission field.

   This mission field can be anything from prayer to preaching to crowds or what ever He wills.

   Never despise the small beginnings of work for Him.

  

Here are a few examples of Sharing the Gospel:

     James, a dear friend and brother,  told me that he came out of small group of praying seniors that got together for prayer for over 50 years.  He described prayer so intense that many times angels would appear to listen in.  He described prayer meetings like an open “portal to heaven” where you could walk up the stairs to the Throne of Grace. This is James's prayer ministry.  Other people have other ministries.  Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke preaches to millions each year. 

 We are not all called for the same thing or have the same gifts.    
What about YOU?  
     
     Maybe you are like my brother "Henry" in the Lord.  In his spare time, Henry makes wood shelves in his garage and sells them.  The money is used to buy things for children in the third world.  Erika, his wife places the goods in the Samaritan Purse boxes and out they literally go to the ends of the earth!

   I urge you my brother or sister just simply do something for Him! Because when we go, nothing of this world can be taken with us, example; no houses, cars, gold or silver they all will have to be left behind, the only thing we can do is populate Heaven by telling people of the Way (Jesus).   We can support missionaries, by giving things or money.  -Money represents work!

   I love to give, and many of you reading this also like to give, we all feel real good about giving! 

    My family has a history of giving!  I remember my grandfather well.  He never turned anybody away that came asking for help,  My grandfather would say that “Only God knows what has happened in that man's life for him to live in such a way” Now, how much more should we give to expand  His Kingdom in these the last days?

   While pastoring in Brampton, our congregation decided we would like to build roofs for church's in the slums of Managua City in Central America.  We were moved with compassion at how those brothers and sisters lived.  All of us have seen third world countries with people wearing rags just begging, and as result we pitched in to help. Some helped in giving finances.  Others by actually taking time off work and going down to work those countries. One day I overheard a missionary that was working in one of those newly open Eastern European nations saying “While flying to the mission field I fly over the graveyard”, 
...so we asked the missionary, ..."what graveyard?”  
The missionary quickly explained that it was Western Europe! ... a very high-tech modern society that had expelled God from everything and was building the social fabric founded on socialism and atheism.  Europe is a pluralistic post-Christian society.

   Today one of the greatest mission fields in the world is Western Europe!  

     But wait, ...this seems backwards!  Hundreds of years ago it was Europe evangelizing the world, resulting in many places across the globe experiencing revival.  However, Western Europe has not experienced such revival.  Western Europe continues on building kingdom after kingdom on the blood of it's citizens.   The latest kingdom being the European Union, which already experienced two wars; one in the Baltic and yet another that is raging and growing in the Ukraine. ...Some even saying it's the beginning of World War III.

     Prosecution of the saints is just beginning.  A missionary friend mentioned that his home bible study in Belgium has been interrupted by assault police, resulting from calls from neighbors who accused them of holding “secret meetings”.  The missionary eventually had to get city authorization to do home group bible studies!  For the moment things have calmed down,  but evangelical Christians are frequently on the list of anti-government sympathizer groups. Only God knows how long this will last, and how it will spread to other parts of the continent.

     We have decided to take on a area in the European nation of Portugal.

     Just cannot explain these God things, but even though was raised in Toronto ever since I can remember always had the nation of Portugal in back of my mind. So much so that back in the 80's I did an European tour with a 74 Super Beetle and when arrived in Portugal decided to stay and not come back!  Of course the Lord was in it and he let me stay for a while not knowing it was a first step in preparation for my mission field. During that stay I not only was able to learn how to properly speak and write Portuguese but also meet a wonderful young lady that became my wife. Our firstborn son was born in Lisbon.  Soon after this,  the Lord placed in our hearts that it was time to leave and move back to Canada. It was in Canada that we took our first steps in serving the Lord in ministry and things have never been the same ever since.

   About 12 years ago I had a vision of the Glory of the Lord!

   It was coming out of the Throne of the Lord and coming down in the nation of Portugal. In the background there was a unseen choir singing in a crescendo; glory, Glory, GLORY... and when I asked the Lord where was his Glory falling?  

...He said “The Glory is Falling in the Glory of Ribatejo”.

   Later on that day I went to Google looking for “Glory of Ribatejo” and found out that it really exists. It wasn't until the Christmas of 2007 that we managed to get some money together to be able to go to Portugal and seek the Lord.  We wanted confirmation whether we had a calling for the project.  God did confirm that He had work for us in Portugal! 

     Upon our arrival back in Canada, we started the process to become Global Workers and in 2011 our first steps were taken in Portugal.

   With respect to town of Glory we discover that it's a very close-knit community, with no evangelical work whatsoever. We discovered another community about 10 Km away there is a Pentecostal church that is struggling to have proper installations for the congregation, therefore the town of Glory is not in their plans.

     But even though men has no plans the Lord of Heaven has, in fact He plans to have His Glory poured in that region, I told that to the pastor but he was more focused on having the much needed church building one day constructed, I wish that I could bless them... boy they sure need it!

  Portugal - My Power Point

     So having said that, let's take a closer look at present-day Portugal in pictures. These pictures tell a compelling story!

     Portugal is a maritime nation with a very large ocean territory, located in the southern west tip of Europe with a population of 10.5 million. It's made up of a continental mass and two archipelagos the Azores to the west and Madeira to the south. The Azores are only 2300 Km from Newfoundland, with old family ties to North America. 

     Portugal is one of the oldest European nations.  It became a nation in June 24 1128 and has a rich Christian  heritage with a early connection to Judaism, carved out of the Muslim caliphate that existed in the southern Iberian peninsula.

     The Portuguese sailed to every continent and establish an empire that lasted over 600 years.

I strongly believe the fall of the Portuguese empire had to do with the expulsion of the Jews and the embracing of a idolatrous type of Roman Catholicism, of which I will explain later.

     Today Portugal is a very modern nation with a network of universities, high speed rail, highways, health care system, even the Net works at higher speed than here. It's a founding member of NATO and a European Community nation.

With the forward trust to become a first world nation Portugal has embraced all that Europe represents, that is a socialist oriented government system, where humanistic values and mindsets prevail and godly moral values become more of something pass-e connected to older generations which according to the young generation “Christianity, religion, 'holds back progress”.

     As men move further away from God  the Heavenly Hand of protection is further away and as result a few years back the nation economically hit rock bottom, throwing many to the streets with no jobs. With the system saying that there is no God most people lost all hope, and today at night the main streets of the cities are fill with youth looking for something that they “hope to find”.

     The party starts at sunset and goes on through the early hours of the morning. A lost generation looks for love and acceptance at the bottom of a cup, or in the smoke of a joint, maybe a combination of light, sound and drugs. The system says “it's okay for they are only young people starting in life finding there way and as long everything is done in order and safety we should let them do it”.

     But when you lose your morals, youth, job, and savings, with the children at home living off a $300 dollar monthly government welfare check you become “Portuguese road kill” wandering from truck stop to truck stop, struggling emotionally living off the social garbage dump.

     Roadside prostitution is nothing more that beautiful people looking for love and acceptance on the wide and busy highway of life going no where to hell. Jesus said, “Narrow is The Way to Life and few find it”.

There was a time the Portuguese were great missionaries, the “Ordem de Cristo” in the 1500's sent missionaries all over the world, the Gospel was heard for the first time in southern India, Indonesia, Brazil, Africa, Japan, and Tibet, today it's completely opposite, the same way the empire has fallen so has the missionary zeal.

   In the center of the nation, the Roman Catholic Church has a city (Fatima) just for the practice of the “Marian Cult” to a deity call the Queen of Heaven or as the locals call it “Our Lady of Fatima”.

Because of separation church & state this harlot generates the money to maintain the Portuguese Roman Catholicism, therefore it's of utmost importance. “The love of money is the root of all evil”.       

     Exodus 20-3,4,5. "You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me”.

     There is a famine in the land! one has only to look at their faces, a famine not for food or water but for the Pure Living Water of the Word and Spirit of the God of Heaven.

Maybe seeing this will help shine some light on the great need in Europe/Portugal!

     The national obsession is soccer.  The national TV and others, have not one but various 3 hour long programs debating soccer stuff.  When people do not have a relationship with a loving Heavenly Father, Saviour, and Spirit, they consume themselves with superfluous things of no value which matter nothing in the scope of time and eternity.

     It's so sad to see people mostly men many of low income standing in line for hours pay way more than a days wage to go and see and worship these idols (Benfica team also known as The Red Devil), while at home they have depraved families, special the children.

     The family disintegration in Portugal is phenomenal 1 in 4 marriages end in divorce.

     In a economy where people have a low purchasing power, business do not last long, as a consequence many lose their jobs. Portugal along with other southern European nations have been under a economic recession.  Obviously the European Project is not working as promised, and as a result we have a drastic rise of fascist and communist parties at the polls.  This eventually will produce fanatic laws just like Nationalist (Nazi) Party in the last century.      

     (Unemployment Line) I remember growing up in Toronto in the 70's hearing “Go west young men go west”.  Here in Portugal, the word you hear today is “immigrate”. As you travel through out the cities what you see is mainly seniors.  Many young people, especially the skilled qualified workers pack their bags and leave the country due to the high unemployment.    Psalm 127:1  “Unless the LORD builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the LORD protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good”.

     Maybe we cannot help all of Portugal, surely we can help some lives. Why not start in one small city? Telling one person at a time that there is a hope and a Way, and that one can be rich without having money and one can be sure of a good future to come now and in eternity for ever more. 

In a dry weary land a small cup of water can go a long way, yes we are small but He is Big, and all He needs is willing hearts.

     The town of Glory do Ribatejo has no evangelical church. It's a very close community.  The youth wander the streets at night, yet the mayor says, "...all is well".   Obviously he is living in denial!

Little does he know that the Lord of Heaven has a big plan for his city, “The Glory is coming to the Glory”.

     Pastor Alexander is about 10 kms away from Glory. He rents a building that is small and in desperate need of repair.  Thanks to the brothers and sisters in Canada we were able to bless him.   
The Word of the Lord for the pastor was of “Taking the territory for the Lord and to focus on that”. We have hope and pray that he will "hold-fast" and follow through. 

     The congregation was blessed with some property; yet they lack the finances to build a church.  Pastor Alex, Pastor David and myself prayed at the altar in the field.  We are trusting that the Lord will provide through his Beloved Church, which is "His Hands" and "His Feet" here on Earth!

   Less than an hour away we have also a girls orphanage, it's run by the Portuguese Assembly of God, unfortunately the boys lost their orphanage do to lack of funds to rebuild the deteriorated building.  Because of a great need for orphanages the government still does not interfere with biblical teachings and the Godly way of running this particular orphanage.  This reminds me of the picture of the beautiful flower that pierced the concrete in the broken sidewalk. Here we have many flowers.

   Portugal is a completely "different" mission-field, compared to what many are accustomed to.   Portugal requires a completely "different" approach, ...one must be living in the community, building bridges, creating relationships, meeting needs.   These wonderful people are so far from God and His Ways.  This is a mission field too large to be ignored!  We know that if we begin to minister, God is faithful and this people group will respond to the gospel! There is no substitute that will meet the need we all have deep inside of each of us.  Not sports, Not religion, and certainly Not government!  Only Jesus living on the inside can fill the void,  ...AND above all He has already promised to pour out His Glory, and, who can resist.

Thank you for checking this out and helping with our Vida Nova Family Center.

Fern 

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Ed's note:   Donating to the Sarrafo's Mission Plans: 

Yes people can receive tax charitable receipt from the PAOC here is the link.

https://paoc.org/donate/browse?page=2&location=Eurasia

Then click on Fernando & Teresa picture. OR
Contact below and say to donate: Fernando & Teresa Sarrafo/Portugal

The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada
2450 Milltower Court
Mississauga, ON L5N 5Z6
Canada

905-542-7400

The PAOC also issues Tax Charitable Receipt to residents in the USA need to contact them for that.
email: Fernando Sarrafo  @ wordoflifecc@hotmail.com