The Nichols Family Serving the LORD in Brazil SA.

22/08/2020

Short Message by Pastor and Missionary Bruce Nichols on the danger of "Fake News" and the true source of "Good News".

Short Message by Pastor Bruce Nichols on the danger of "Fake News" and the true source of "Good News". Please watch, like and share with your family and frie...

03/12/2019

From Bruce & Lee Ann Nichols:

Dearest children,
This was very kind of you. Your mother and I thank you for doing that for us. It saved us from taking time to write a letter this month. We know that you have been thankful for those who have so faithfully prayed for and supported us through these many years. The day before yesterday completed 43 years that your mother arrived here in Brazil as my friend. How the Lord has blessed since then by bring all of you loved ones into our lives. These verses come to my mind.
Psa 127:3 Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward.
Psa 127:4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth.
Psa 127:5 Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

We love you,
Dad and Mom

12/01/2018

Nichols' News - January 2018

Dear Support Team,

Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the fruit which increases to your account. I have received everything in full and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received … what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God.

We praise the Lord for your faithful prayers and support of the Lord’s work in Northeast Brazil which are an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God.

We are looking forward to seeing you this year to report what great things the Lord has done. Lord willing we fly to California on March 1st and return to Brazil on August 13th. After attending a Pastors conference, visiting churches and our granddaughter’s family, we will drive to the Midwest and then to Pennsylvania to visit family and churches. Pray for us to have wisdom and the direction of the Holy Spirit in planning our US ministry to edify the Church of Jesus Christ.

The seminary student and his family who had planned to shepherd the flock in our absence are not able to come. Pray for us to have wisdom and the direction of the Holy Spirit in making decisions for the glory of God and edification of the group of believers congregating in our home here in Salvador while we are in the US.

Thank you for your prayers for our trip to Fortaleza. When we arrived at the airport, we were welcomed by Denilton’s family, and right there in the airport, Denilton got down on his knee and asked Mercy if she would marry him. “She said yes!” with his big smile Denilton announced over the noise of the planes, cars and curious people. Jeremiah and his wife Roberta prepared a reception that afternoon in their beautiful flower garden for Denilton’s family and ours. You are invited to their wedding on October 13th 2018 in Ceará, Brazil. Pray for Denilton and Mercy to glorify God in their relationship reflecting Christ’s love for His bride and her willing submission with respect towards Him. Bruce teaches them on Thursdays.

Pray for the Brazilian Church of Christ to support their Brazilian missionaries.

Servants of Christ,

Bruce & Lee Ann and Mercy Nichols

Serving the Lord with Brazil Gospel Fellowship Mission in Northeast Brazil

18/12/2017

Nichols' News - December 2017

Dear Support Team,

“We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men.”

While Mercy was waiting at our door to receive the brethren for the 4 p.m. Sunday meeting, she saw Jander, a young neighbor man passing by and called him to study the Bible. He responded that he could only listen for a little while and that he feared dying. She asked him, “What will happen to you when you die?” “I will reincarnate” he answered. So Mercy read Heb. 9:27 with him and showed him how he had believed the devil’s lie. Terror struck, he looked up to heaven and cried, “My God, I’ve been deceived all my life!” She asked him if he knew what was needed to enter heaven. He admitted that he didn’t know neither did he have what was needed. So she read Mat. 5:20,48 how God requires of every man perfect righteousness to enter His perfect kingdom and we all fall short of His holy law, deserving only eternal death. The man ran home, got his New Testament, and ran back to quickly mark all the verses. He said he would like to study with us later. Praise God for the power of His Word. Pray that the good seed sown might bear good fruit in Jander’s life for God’s glory.

In 2008 the Lord brought Idelfonso and his family to our church. Nine months later while packing for our ministry in the US, Idelfonso came over and said to Bruce, “I was raised in church, but for these last nine months I had a pastor for the first time in my life. Never once did a pastor visit our home. Yet you came weekly to teach my family the Word of God.” When we moved from the Caucaia Bible Church in 2015 to Salvador, Bahia, Bruce left three men exercising their spiritual gift to preach the Word of God alongside pastor Zezinho. One was Idelfonso. The pastor has called us to be present on December 9th, 2017 for the installation of Idelfonso as one of the pastors. Pray for God to be glorified in him and his family and the Church of Jesus Christ edified by the faithful preaching of His Word.

While in Ceará, pray for our ministry to churches, to homeschool families, to Jeremiah and Roberta and our 8 month old grandson Bruce, and to Denilton.

Serving with Brazil Gospel Fellowship Mission for Christ’s sake, Bruce and Lee Ann and Mercy Nichols

Bruce Nichols - January 2018 Prayer & Praise
Making disciples in Salvador, Bahia

Lord willing, we plan to arrive in the United States on March 2nd and return to Brazil on August 13th. After attending Shepherds Conference, plans are to visit churches and families in California, then visit our eldest granddaughter and her family before traveling to the Midwest to visit our family and churches there. Pray that we will be useful in serving and edifying our family and the church of Jesus Christ in the Word of God. Pray for wisdom in organizing our short time in the US. While we are in the US, pray for the congregation of believers here in our home to grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and live for His glory.

03/12/2017

Nichols' News - November 2017

Dear Support Team,

Seeing the people,…were…like sheep without a shepherd… [Jesus] said to His disciples, “The Harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore, beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”

Praise the Lord of the harvest for sending us 16 workers to go house to house in our neighborhood of Itapuã proclaiming the Word of truth the gospel. Pray for the salvation of these who received the invitation to study God’s Word. Praise the Lord that Pedro and his girlfriend Jaqueline are studying the Bible. Pray that the eyes of their dark hearts would be enlightened, so that they will know God by repentance of sin and saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Besides, evangelizing people in the street, we spent time in prayer, eating a meal and encouraging one another in the Lord.

There was also a special announcement made by the young man and lady on the left side of the front row. Mercy will tell you the good news:

Denilton (from Canindé where we previously worked) came to request my father’s permission to begin a relationship with me in preparation for marriage if it be God’s will. Having received our parents’, siblings’, and pastors’ blessings, we also request your prayer for wisdom that we might reflect the mystery of Christ and His church, delighting ourselves in the Lord (not in one another, Ps.37:4) and being delightful to Him till He calls us home which we would prefer (2 Co.5:8-9)!

Thanks for your prayers and support of God’s work in Brazil. Lord willing, in March 2018 we will return to the US to report of the great things God has done in calling people to study and submit to His Word by His grace and to His glory.

Debtors of His grace,
Bruce and Lee Ann and Mercy Nichols
Serving with Brazil Gospel Fellowship Mission

07/11/2017

Nichols' News - October 2017

Dear support team,

“If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32

Praise the Lord with us for the growth that has been wrought in the life of Valéria (a single mom and neighbor of ours who has long been deceived in the false prosperity gospels rampantly propagated around us and even continued going to hear them while coming to our meetings). Last week, she told Lee Ann that she had stopped going to hear those false "shepherds" because, here, she was being fed the truth, shepherded and filled. Pray that she and all the other members of this flock would continue in Christ’s written Word alone and be mature, having their senses trained to discern good and evil (Hb. 5:14).

Pray for our family as we plan to minister from the 10th -16th of October with our son Enoch in the state of Alagoas where he and his family live. On the 11th -12th, we will be teaching the Word to pastors and their families. Pray that they might be encouraged and exhorted in the Scriptures and that the Lord might be pleased to raise up, through Bruce’s preaching and practice, many more faithful expository preachers who would preach God’s Word, God’s way! The rest of the week, we will be helping our son in his church in the capital - Maceió.

We thank God for the refreshing week that we enjoyed in Florianópolis (south Brazil) at our mission’s field conference. We were blessed to be reminded to fix our eyes on Christ who is our life so that we might walk in a manner worthy of His calling. It was also encouraging to see the work of our Savior being expanded in southern Brazil. May He alone for ever be glorified in His disciples.

From grateful slaves of Christ:
Bruce, Lee Ann and Mercy Nichols
Serving with Brazil Gospel Fellowship Mission.

10/09/2017

Nichols' News - September 2017

Dear Support Team,

“…be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also…”

THANK YOU so much for your faithful prayers in making disciples of Jesus Christ in Northeast Brazil.

PRAY for Bruce to have wisdom from above in the training of male leadership for the proclamation of the Word of God in the church of Jesus Christ, here in our home Sunday afternoon, (and during the week with men who come over for counsel) and in the seminary on Thursday night. Please pray for eighteen year old Vinicius who is tempted to love the world to repent of his sin and love the Lord.

PRAY for Lee Ann to have wisdom from above in coming alongside young married women, encouraging them with the Word of God in loving, respectful submission to their husbands for the glory of God.

PRAY for Mercy to have wisdom from above in redeeming the time, focusing on that which is eternal, as she searches the Scriptures daily and seeks to live them, learning from and serving her parents, in preparation for becoming a godly wife, mother and worker in the house, meanwhile making disciples of young women and children. On Sundays, she studies the Bible with Jaqueline; Mondays, with Amanda (our upstairs neighbor who has no time for God ); Tuesdays with Rebeca (who prays that her sin might deeply sadden her) and then Tamires (downstairs); Wednesday, with Mylena and her mom; some Thursdays, with Rebeca again; Fridays, with Larisa (a sixteen year old who has cancer); Saturday teaches children who come in the afternoon, and during the week teaches the children of our fellow workers whom we disciple. Mercy also helps a lot in the Bible & book ministry.

LOOKING FORWARD to our annual Brazil Gospel Fellowship Mission Field Conference (September 14-22), a time to worship the Lord together, to pray with and encourage one another in the faith and ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Debtors of His grace, Bruce and Lee Ann and Mercy Nichols,
Serving the Lord with the Brazil Gospel Fellowship Mission in Salvador, Bahia, Northeast Brazil

05/08/2017

Nichols' News - August 2017

Dear Support Team,

“…apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.”

In 1957, when Bruce was six years old, his family arrived in Brazil. Fifty years ago, God used Bruce’s father, Ken Nichols, to organize the Marco Bible Church. The church asked Bruce to preach at the 50th birthday celebration.

Thirty years ago, our family moved to the city of Canindé to obey the Lord’s command to make disciples. Bruce evangelized and trained the men to study and preach God’s Word. When we left that city there were three of the local men pastoring the small group of believers in the Canindé Bible Church.

Twenty years ago, God used Bruce’s youngest brother Jonathan to start a Bible church in Sobral. Jonathan evangelized people one on one through the gospel of John. He left them with four local men trained in preaching the Word of God.

Today, praise God that His truth endures, that all three of these churches continue to proclaim the Word of God, that they are growing, and are pastored by Brazilian men.

Pray for us in this very important work of evangelizing and discipling people here in Itapuã, that they will be thoroughly founded on the Word of God and persevere in the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ for the glory of God.

Thank you for your faithful prayers and support for God’s Work in Northeast Brazil.

We appreciate your prayers and provision for our trip to Egypt so we could be there for our daughter Grace and Samuel’s wedding.

Debtors of God’s grace,
Bruce and Lee Ann and Mercy Nichols
Serving with Brazil Gospel Fellowship Mission Write us: Rua da Mangueira do KM 17, #32 A;
Itapuã, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, South America; 41.610-790

[Picture]: Pr. Neidson and his wife, the current pastor in Marco.

26/06/2017

Nichols' News - June 2017

Dear Support Team,

“Greet Prisca and Aquila…also the church that is in their house. (Rm 16.3) But when Priscilla and Aquila heard [Apollos], they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.” (Ac 18:26)

We live in days of broken families. Many don’t get married, but if they do, many end in divorce. As a result young people grow up without a good model for godly family relationships. 1 Tm 3.2,3 says, “An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach.” Hospitality is a Christian virtue that pastors need to practice, and in reality we are to model that for the rest of the flock. In our home we can teach by word, but also by example. On the weekend of June 9-11 we hosted Luan and his wife, Raquel, along with their two year old son. They are believers which the Lord has brought into our fellowship, so we invited them to spend the weekend with us for them to see how a Christian family lives. They took part in our family devotions and prayer and Bible memory at each meal. We also taught them the Word of God separately as well as together. One area of need among young families is teaching them God’s way to raise children in the fear of the Lord. Luan doesn’t have a job so they live with his mom who is against them disciplining their child. Pray for this family to not only know doctrine but to live in a manner that pleases the Lord. We disciple these couples not because we are the perfect couple and our child raising methods were perfect. To the contrary, we sinned, but God was gracious to bring us to repentance and obedient saving faith in His Word. We want to obey the Lord Jesus’ command to make disciples for the edification of His church and the glory of His name. There are 3 other young couples we plan to invite to our home in the same way as soon as we return from our trip to our daughter Grace’s wedding in Egypt (June 24- July 8th). Pray God be glorified in Samuel and Grace’s marriage.

We praise the Lord for your faithful prayers and support of the Lord’s work.

Bruce and Lee Ann and Mercy Nichols

Serving the Lord in church planting and male leadership training in Northeast Brazil with the Brazil Gospel Fellowship Mission.

Write us at: Rua da Mangueira do Km 17, ;
Itapuã, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
ZIP.: 41.610-790

20/06/2017

Nichols' News - June 2017

Dear Support Team,

“He commanded our fathers, that they should teach [the praises of the LORD, His strength and His wondrous works that He has done] to their children, that the generation to come might know, even the children yet to be born…that they should put their confidence in God.”

Thank you for your prayers for our trip to Canindé, Ceará for the Bible church’s birthday. Thirty years ago we arrived in Canindé with five little children proclaiming the word of truth, the Gospel, that our holy righteous God justly demands eternal death in the lake of fire for the sinner. At the same time, proclaiming God’s great love shown at the cross where He poured out all His righteous anger on His one and only Son the Lord Jesus Christ, thereby providing justice, payment in full for the penalty of sin once for all, and for all sinners on whom God graciously calls to repentance of sin and saving faith alone in Christ alone, mercifully sparing them from their due eternal condemnation!

The children of the Canindé Bible Church presented us with a book in which each one had written a letter of thanks to us for coming to Canindé to preach the Gospel to their grandparents and parents. They wrote of their joy to be taught the Bible stories and wrote their favorite verse. They also sang the hymn “Holy, Holy, Holy” and quoted Scriptures glorifying God’s holy character. Pastor Filipe made it clear to the church that we were only instruments in the hands of God to proclaim the Gospel in Canindé.

We praise the Lord for our daughter Grace. She has graciously served the Lord in her home caring for her brothers, nieces and nephews, and through hospitality to the church of Jesus Christ. Lord willing, on July the 6th Samuel and Grace will be united in marriage in Cairo, Egypt. Pray for God’s grace and peace in Christ Jesus to be on Samuel and Grace as before God they make a covenant to love one another for life and live for His glory, Samuel, the spiritual leader and provider and Grace, corresponding to Samuel with a submissive, respectful disposition as his helper\completer. Lord willing, we, Bruce, Lee Ann and Mercy plan to spend two weeks with them. Pray that we will glorify the Lord in Egypt with holy living.

All the glory goes to God!
We’re thankful to God for your prayers and support of God’s work in Northeast Brazil.

Bruce and Lee Ann and Mercy Nichols
Serving with Brazil Gospel Fellowship Mission in Itapuã, Salvador, Bahia