A new Seventh-day Adventist Church building in Manaus, capital of the Brazilian state of Amazonas, got an unusual “foothold” thanks to an Adventist’s home sewing project of making slippers.
Physical education teacher—and Adventist—Cinthia Regina Pereira Lopes was sidelined by the COVID-19 pandemic, and during that time, she had a prayer experience with God. Cinthia was looking for a way to supplement her income as well as contribute to the church construction project. After participating in an initiative that made 5,000 masks that were distributed in hospitals, she prayed to God and asked for guidance to start a new activity, one that would help utilize the scraps of fabric left over from making the masks/.
She sketched a design for a slipper, found tips on refining the process via YouTube, and advertised the slippers on social media. She’s made as many as 20 pairs in a day, and separates her tithe and offerings for the church building project from the order income.
A Day With God
Cinthia's story was one of those presented in the “A Day with God” program, which brought together leaders for consecration and spiritual renewal. The event followed all the hygiene protocols and took place as part of the return movement of the Church's face-to-face programs in the northern and central-western regions of Amazonas. October is the month of women’s evangelism in the region and the meeting sought to encourage women to be missionaries in their spheres of influence.
“God gave us this mission, so nothing and nobody can take that focus away from us, because the new heaven and new earth are “in sight” and we cannot waste time. We must be missionaries every month of the year,” says Leila Fiuza, director of the area in the area.
This article was originally published on the South American Division’s Portuguese news site