The President and Executive Director of Brazil Mission Society (BMS), Dr. William Thompson, met with the IELB's Board of Directors last Tuesday, 25 July, at the IELB's Administrative Centre, to talk about the many projects that receive grants from the BMS and about the perspectives and needs of the Brazilian church.

The BMS is one of the largest partners of the mission work in Brazil. It helps the IELB in placing vicars, establishing mission stations and social work projects. Its resources come from special offerings from congregations and individuals from the LCMS.

"I work with congregations and individuals that have their hearts open for mission", said Thompson. His main strategy is to take every opportunity he has to talk about the work at BMS, aiming to form a network of contacts among people and congregations that are somehow interested in mission in Brazil. Many of these have some kind of connection with the IELB, either by being children or grandchildren from missionaries that worked in the Brazilian territory in the beginning of the 20th century. Thompson has been bringing small groups to our country for them to see how things are working here, what the IELB is doing and what the needs are for our people. When they go back to the US, they eventually become supporters of the mission in Brazil, in prayer and/or with their resources.

The BMS and the Mission Area of the IELB provide donors with reports of what was done with the grants that projects receive here in Brazil. According to Thompson, "people like to know how the money they gave is being spent; they like to see results."

Thompson reinforced that the BMS needs, in order to fulfil its evangelistic task, people to pray for its work, witnesses to share with people the good things that have been happening, and donors to keep supporting the new and existing projects.