SOC Portugal: A Field Of Opportunity

In the month of July, my Dad (Brother Brian Larsen) and myself had the wonderful privilege of returning for a third time to the country of Portugal, where we ministered lessons of the SOC in the cities of Lisbon and Porto. Since the first time we visited, we recognized a great door of ministry which the Lord has opened, not only to reach the country of Portugal itself, but also due to the large immigrant population there are great opportunities to reach many other countries around the world.

Portugal is a very traditional Catholic nation, and the older generation is hard to reach due to the bind which religion has on them. At the same time, the younger generation is becoming increasingly atheist, denying the very existence of God. These are the great challenges with which the Pastors are faced in their efforts to reach the lost with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Our contact, Pastor Luiz Fernando, is a Brazilian missionary from the city of Viamão. Along with his wife, his son and daughter, they have been serving full time as the Pastors of a Brazilian missionary Church in the Capital City of Lisbon. During our trip, we witnessed the burden that Pastor Fernando carries not only for his local congregation of mainly Brazilian immigrants, but he feels God moving his Church to reach the Portuguese nation.

The SOC has become a Godsend, as the message has challenged not only him and his family, but also many brothers and sisters who are leaders and members of the Church. God has planted them in the heart of Lisbon, as they are in a neighborhood with a great foreign population from around the globe. We witnessed the whited fields of the harvest in that community and are looking forward to continuing our work together with Pastor Fernando for the preparation of the Vessel. We also had the privilege of visiting our
friend and missionary Pastor from Angola, Pastor Adalberto, in the city of Porto. There we received a plea for us to return with the lessons of the SOC, as they have faced the challenge of preparing leaders in the Church to effectively fulfill the call of God.

Along with our schedule of meetings, we had the opportunity to plan for the future with our contacts, on how to effectively bring the SOC into the local Churches, and we are excited for the work which is to take place in the days to come. Please continue to pray for us, as we seek the mind and the will of the Lord for the country of Portugal.