Just another reminder, that our 25th wedding celebration is coming up in a few months. We hope you already have plans to be present on Nov 25th, at 3PM, in Martinsburg, WV. The activities will take place at the Independent Bible Church, on Hedgesville Road. Hotel accomodations can be made at the Comfort Inn Aikens Center. They have a special rate. Call and tell them you are with the Turley group from Independent Bible Church.

Let me share just how blessed I am to have a wife like Diana. Even after 24 years, going on 25, we keep on kissing.

One of the greatest lessons I am continually learning is about the importance of relationships. It is investing my life in the life of another person. I beleive it is what Jesus taught when he told his disciples, "If you want to be great in God's kingdom, learn to be a servant to all." To be a servant, to be interested not in my own gain, but in the gain of others....their emotional, physical, and spiritual gain. To invest my life in the life of another....

If you have not noticed, our pics don't show lot of places. Yeh, we loved the mountains back in June, but most of our pics are about people; relationships; ministry to individuals and groups of individuals.

Diana has a wonderful relationship with the women of her small groups (she has 2) and is sought after for her wise counsel. We try to invest in families with other kids, but also enjoy the college/career age groups as well. we are beginning to believe that it is better to reach out to un-marrieds, first, in order to prevent so many marriage problems.

We continue to teach family seminars, and continue to invest in the lives of those that God puts onthe path we, too, walk. It is our duty to serve others.

Luke 17:10 "And when you have done all that is commanded you, say, we are unprofitable servants, we have only done our duty."

Don't know if I mentioned it inthe last blog, or not, but we really ate, and ate, and.....well, you get the picture. Here are some more pics to prove we ate...
Rosevaldo makes some of the greatest pizza in the world.. I mean it is a mean pizza.
The grilled Tambaqui fish is a favorite. Makes my mouth water just to write about it.

Brazil is so blessed with a bounty of food. While beans and rice are the main staple, there is a variety of fresh foods, fruits, veggies, and the likes that you have never seen. God is good. WHy are there so many poor people in Brazil, you may ask? Well, let's say that personal political interest keep people in bondage and poverty. Brazil is not a poor country. It is a rich country with a lot of poor people is all.

Hey, everybody! The BrazilTurleys are back, with more pics of the month of July, even though the post is in August. Even though we don't have pictures to prove it, we were actually a part of a team from Miami called T.I.M.E. International for about th efirst 2 weeks of July. The 14 teens were from Fl and MA, and did 70 gospel drama presentations before 6,000 people in3 different cities. God gave fruit for the labors, and opened some incredible doors of opportunity. Our family spent the week at the beach with them (hey, somebody has to suffer). Hopefully we can get soem pics from them. I will get their web address for you to check out.

The last two weeks of July were with friends from MAnaus. Ivete and Deborah came to visit, and we had a great time with them in Campos do Jordão, Brazil's highest city in the mountains. Had a great time with them. Ivete was Joshua's 1st grade teacher that taught him to read. She was sooooo impresses with Charity Maria. Said she could see Josh all over again.

After the girls left Rosevaldo, Maria Ivete, Erika, and Hartur came to visit. We ate, and we ate, and we ate till we could eat no more. We ate pizza and tambaqui (a wonderful Amazon fish cooked on the grill...see pics) till we could eat no more. Oh!, by the way, did I tell you we ate while they were here???????

Rosevaldo and I go waaaaaay back, when I first went to Manaus in 1984 with SMITE Singers. His wife Maria Ivete was one of Joshua's fav teachers at CEBAM. She, and Ivete, Josh's 1st grade teacher, are now teacher supervisors, and may I say, very competent ones at that. Way to go girls.

The Brazil Turleys want to remind you that we will be in the USA for several months beginning the first of October, 2006. We are inviting everyone to our 25th wedding celebration to be held November 25th, 2006, at the Independent Bible Church, Martinsburg, WV, at 3PM. The party will be on us. All we ask is that you get there and enjoy. It will be like a huge family reunion plus a wedding anniversary and ministry display, all in one.

Hotel accomodations can be made at the Comfort Inn Aikens Center, in Martinsburg. Special prices have been arranged to help you out. Call (304) 263-6200, or 1 800 276-7415, and say you are with the Turley group.

Directions to the church can be found at www.ibcwv.org. For more info you can contact us by email at brazilturley@gmail.com. We look forward to seeing each and every one.

Psalm 90:2 "Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God."

Montequeira mountain range, São Paulo, Brazil

Rudy Vaughan has been a friend for a long time. His dad, Tim, had a tremendous impact on my life many years ago when I was a student at Liberty University. Rudy travels world wide preaching, teaching, and sharing his passion, the Word of God. He is a gifted communicator, and God used him on several occassions while in Brazil. Follow the fotos from the International English service at the First Baptist Church in São José dos Campos, and from the First Regular Baptist Church in Caçapava, SP.

You can check out Rudy's web site at www.wordoutreach.org for more info on his ministry.

The Vaughan girls, Shelly and Sabrina, along with the Brazil Turley girls, Diana and Charity Maria, were involved in several ministry opportunities; Shelly, in Diana's small group, and all the girls in the International English Service with puppets.

The girls have taken pictures together over the past 3 years. Here is the 2006 version.

Now while the others were just cooling their feet (freezing their feet is more like it) I decided to take the polar bear plunge. BRRRRRR!!!

Aguas da Marambaia is a small family run mountain inn, with 7 chalets built right on the Marambaia river. June is winter here, so the Vaughan family, along with ourselves, enjoyed the fire at night. Charity and Sabrina, age 6, loved the marshmellow roast, too.

The river comes from the mountain, so the water was super cold. There is trout fishinh in the area, too. Check out the site www.aguasdamarambaia.com.br

A special treat in June was the arrival of friends Rudy, Shelly, and Sabrina Vaughan from Louisville, KY. They came to minister not only to Brazilians, but to us as well. We took 2 days for some R&R to a place in the mountains called Aquas da Marambaia. See for yourself some of God's magestic sights. Let me just say, we really do love that place. More fotos about Marambaia in our next blog. Enjoy the sights.

During our May travels we had the priveledge of spending one night with Brother John and Sister Alta Hatcher. Unfortunately we do not have a picture. We stayed in their home in 1999 while they were ni the US for several months. He is 82, she is 81, and they are still planting new churches in the state of Paraná. What an encouragement they are to us.

Along the same trip we visited Lucas and Josie Liachi, and family. They were our youth ministers when we left Paraná in 1999. They did a fantastic job with the youth, and added to their own family. Just one year ago he accepted the pastorate of a church, and is doing a fantastic job. Pray for Lucas, Josie and the kids.

In May the Brazil Turleys travelled some 3000 miles, to eight (08) different cities, sharing God's Word to families. Had several salvation decisions along the way, plus numerous testimonies how God used us to heal wounded family relationships. PRAISE THE LORD! Here are just a couple of fotos of us doing our thing.

Brazil is an amazing country, with an amazing imigration population as diverse as any in the world. In our International English Church service yesterday morning we had people from Brazil, USA, Paraguay, Great Britan, Germany, Russia, South Korea, and Taiwan. Here is one of my "little" Taiwanese/Brazilian friends named after me. Thomas X 2= Trouble

How could I not include Charity Maria in with our pics. She is just too pretty. I love her princess outfit, and with her friends, they all are little princesses. And thanks to "Grandma Pam McCord" she now has a big pink teddybear to hold , hug and sleep with.

The first four months of 2006 we taught seminars and/or preached in 24 different locations, including churches, schools, and special events. Many decisions were made for salvation; marriages and other family relationships restored; commitments to serve Jesus Christ were made. Pastors have decided to use Walk Thru the Bible material for their marriage discipleship training, too. To God be the Glory!!!!

Diana's How To Win Over Bitterness seminar has had a tremendous impact on the lives of those she has taught. PTL!!!