Don & Linda Leaf
God has graciously opened the door for us to return to Brazil. We began to make preparations to do so in December of 2006 with the approval of our sending church, Victory Baptist Church, Weatherford, Texas. In February of 2007, we were officially endorsed by the Global Independent Baptist Mission Clearing House in Lewisville, Texas. Many churches who have supported us over the years have continued to do so or have reinstated our support so that we were able to begin deputation with about 50% of the support we are praying to see raised. God has already opened many opportunities for us to present our our calling and the ministry which God is putting before us. We thank the Lord for every opportunity He has given to us to be a blessing in the churches that have already allowed us to come and present the work of God in Brazil.
As we look toward our return, there is a group of people in the city of Cornélio Procópio, Paraná, Brazil, that have asked us to come and help them form a Fundamental, Conservative, Independent Baptist Church. This city has a population of around 40,000 people. Religiously speaking, the city has the usual Catholic and Pentecostal influence. There are also Methodist, Presbiterian, and Convention Baptist Churches in the city. The majority of these evangelical churches have adopted the contemporary philosophy of ministry. Our position is traditional and conservative. We believe that church services are to be focused on God and His glory rather than on human desires and satisfaction. We believe in old fashion soul winning and preach the Bible with the purpose of allowing the Holy Spirit to change the individual’s life so that he will fulfill God’s plan.
That plan begins with eternal life through faith in the work of Jesus Christ as the perfect substitution for the sinner. His work began with His perfect life which He lived for thirty three and one half years invoking the declaration of God the Father when he said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17) His death by crucifixion, as the perfect, sinless Lamb of God, provided the payment of the condemnation of every sinner that, repenting of his sin, by faith receives Jesus Christ as Savior. The proof of the satisfaction of His work on Calvary took place three days later when Jesus Christ arose for the dead and left an empty tomb. The sinner who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ by faith and receives Him as his personal Savior is made a son of God, is given eternal life, and is indwelt immediately by the Holy Spirit so that Christ can live His life in the believer.
We believe and preach that the Christian life requires two things to fulfill the will of God in the life of a believer in Jesus Christ. It requires submission to the Lord and obedience to the Word of God. As part of our ministry, we seek to teach and to train those who receive Christ as their Savior by personal discipleship and training in the Word of God. According to the Word of God, the only correct way to do this is by joining believers together in a local church. As we work with these believers and the Lord raises up leaders, we turn the local church over to a national pastor and to national leadership. Once the church has been formed and organized, we move on to another location as God leads.
Contact Information:
Email - don@donleaf.com * Address - 1311 E Bankhead Dr, Weatherford, Tx 76086 * Phone - (817) 550-5087