Don't have an account yet? You can create one. As a registered user you have some advantages like theme manager, comments configuration and post comments with your name.
It is a busy day so my plan is to
make the Prayer Warrior as brief as possible. Last week, I forgot to mention
Maria Joana´s birthday. She was 17 years old on Wednesday, June 24th. She came
to CLM when she was 8 years old and was a very scared and untouchable little
girl at the time. Through the years, Maria Joana has grown and changed in many
ways. She has shown difficulties in school, leading her to be unmotivated and
unsuccessful. Although, I can say that she is really good at table games and
capable in practical things. She likes to work hard, but is not into details.
She likes animals, especially dogs and horses. Her desire is to have a horse of
her own and almost has enough money saved to make that a reality. She is
volunteering at a nearby horse farm once a week and goes on trail rides. There
is nothing that excites her more than that does. Maria has a good heart and
likes making friends with short termers and other visitors. She usually makes
an impression on anyone she meets. Maria is a character and very unique. Pray
for Maria Joana and her future.
Alex has adjusted real well and is
not hard to work with. He is usually agitated if with other agitated kids. He
is calm if he is with another calm child. Thankfully, even though we are
halfway through the school year, the school will allow Alex to be matriculated.
The Judge has ordered visits with the grandmother for Alisson, Aline, and Alex,
as well as, their younger brother, Mateus (who lives at the government
orphanage) every 15 days. The possible plan is to return them to the
grandmother under the conditions that she removes the mother and uncle from the
house. They are drug addicts among other things. The grandmother is determined
to get custody of the children. Please pray that God´s will will be done and
that the children will be protected.
Viktória will be leaving tomorrow
morning with Patrick and Greg and Jenny for a short termers´ trip to Foz do
Iquaçu. It is usually significantly warmer there than here which will be a nice
change. Pray for good fellowship, safety, and a renewing time.
Bethany, Juan, and Caleb made it
safely to Ohio. They will be spending most of their time at Bethany´s parents
house in Ohio. They will also make a trip to New Jersey to be with other
relatives and will spend a week at Eastern Camp. The excitement of having their
first grandson home, is really high for Tom and Lilly (Shurance). Everyone is
excited to meet this special little guy. Keep them in your prayers for a
wonderful and refreshing time.
Our winter break from school is
starting this week. A few have recuperation yet, but for the most part, they
kids are off. We are in the process of planning a few activities to make the
vacation memorable and creative. Pray for this time.
WANTED -- a family interested in
adopting a 4 beautiful children from the ages 2 to 10 years old who live on
a farm. That request is from Arivaldo. He would love to have a new family
for his siblings and himself, and really desires to live on a farm. This
sibling group is not free for adoption yet, but we so hope that they will go in
that direction. Please start praying for a family for them, whether it be
Brazilian or international.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
1) Maria Joana - pray that she will
be able to buy a horse soon, pray for her job that she can prove herself as a
big asset, pray for her studies and for more motivation, pray for her
spiritual life that she may grow and believe, pray that God will reveal a clear
direction for Maria´s future since she does not want to stay at CLM
anymore.
2) Alex, Aline, and Allison - pray
for God´s protection and for His plan for them, pray that they would learn of
Jesus and His love and truths during their time at CLM, that they can develop
lasting friendship, pray for Mateus who is separated from his
siblings.
3) Trip to Foz do Iquaçu for
Viktória, Patrick, and Greg and Jenny - pray for safety and a good and
refreshing time away, for good fellowship.
4) Bethany and family - praise God
with their safe arrival home, may He bless their time with family and friend,
that He would use them at the church camp and through any other opportunities to
share about CLM, for a refreshing and renewing time especially for
Bethany.
5) Vacation time (about 2 weeks) -
that it will be a memorable, relaxing, and valuable time for the kids, for good
interaction between the kids and adults.
6) Elaininha - pray that the
invitation for the Stuber family to come to Brazil to finalize the adoption of
Elaininha would come through this week so that they could get down here and back
in time for their children to return to school, for God´s preparation for the
family and for Elaininha and for CLM.
7) Arivaldo, Raquel, Everton, and
Hellen - pray that God would free them for adoption and that He would hand pick
a special farming family for them.
CLM
TURVO:
On July 9th, there will be a group
from our church in São José dos Campos, São Paulo going to CLM Turvo for an
intense 4 day construction project. They will be doing some wiring and tile
laying. We are not sure exactly how many will be coming, but most of them are
professionals in this area of work. Please pray that all who are suppose to be
on this trip will come, that they can accomplish all possible, for sweet
fellowship and safe travels and for the preparation of the house for the
guests.
It has been determined and accepted
by Luiz and Aninha that Aninha indeed needs knee surgery. They are getting a
second opinion to relieve Aninha of some of the doubts she has. They are
possibly looking to have it done soon. It will require 3 weeks of complete bed
rest follow surgery. Because of the urgency, their trip to Nepomuceno will be
postponed for another time. Besides, much pain on her good knee, she is
consequently experiencing much pain on her polio effected leg. In general, she
is feeling rigid with difficulty to move freely. Please keep Aninha and her
physical/medical needs in your prayers.
Aninha´s 49th birthday is tomorrow,
July 1st. Aninha is originally from Nepomuceno, Minas Gerais from an Italian
family. She acquired polio within the first year of life. It especially
effected the muscular development of her left leg. She did not walk
independently (without braces) until she was 16 years old. In spite of her
physical handicap, Aninha is extremely vivacious and energetic. She is creative
and a very hard worker, always full of ideas. She is a great cook and enjoys
cross-stitch even though she has no time for that anymore. Aninha is a
tremendous woman of prayer and an incredible inspiration. Pray for Aninha that
the Lord would meet all of her needs.
Allan will be having his 20th
birthday on Friday, July 3rd. He is the oldest son of Luiz and Aninha. He is
Etienne, Natalia, and Romualdo´s brother. Allan graduated from High School last
year and is looking for a job and will probably take an Agricultural course.
Allan is very musically talented and plays the drums and is taking trumpet
lessons. He also enjoys sports, especially soccer. Allan has always
participated in a very natural way in the ministry at CLM. He is a fun guy with
a sincere heart. Pray that the Lord would give direction and opportunity to
him.
Letricia continues to need prayer to
gain weight. She is weak and falls often. Her mal-nutrition has caused her to
exhibit difficulties with learning, also.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
1) Work Team from São José dos
Campos - pray that all who are to come will, pray for the preparations to
receive a large group, pray for safety in their travels as well as during their
work, may there be great fellowship and gained vision for the ministry, that the
children will be blessed by all who are visiting, that much work can be
accomplished in the short time they will be there.
2) Aninha - praise God for who she
is and for her powerful call to minister through CLM, for God´s peace and
discernment about the necessary knee surgery, for patience during the
recuperation time, for very positive results from the surgery, for the chance to
travel to Nepomuceno later on in the year.
3) Allan - that he may find a job,
for continuation of his studies, for spiritual growth, for God´s blessings on
him for his participation in the ministry at CLM.
4) Letricia - for weight gain, for
further physical development and improvement in her coordination, for physical
strength and energy, for cognitive development, for adoption for her and her
siblings, Evelim and Jhonatan.
5) Jenny and Greg - praise God for
their help and excitement in being there, for their trip to Foz do Iquaçu,
thankfulness for their being here when Aninha is needing surgery, that God would
do a very mighty work in them.
6) Vacation Time - for creativity
and planned activities that are feasible to do with the kids to make their time
refreshing and relaxing and renewing.
7) More Missionaries - more
missionaries are needed to be able to take in more kids and build up an
effective team.
Thank you for being a CLM Prayer
Warrior. Your role is extremely important in this ministry. Thank you for
being willing.
We are happy with a little warmer
weather after about 2 weeks of very cold and lots of frost. Entre Rios was even
on national television one morning for being the coldest place in all of Brazil
with a minus 4.5 degrees C.! It all just makes us tougher.
We had a few important events this
week. On Wednesday, Josiane presented her thesis with the topic - "CLM as a
non-formal education, an education for life." Of course, she was nervous, but
had prepared very well. She was able to answer the questions and praise the
Lord she passed with an 80%. She still needs to sharpen up her thesis with that
which they found lacking. This was a major step accomplished. Her orientor had
a wonderful cake for her and those who came to listen. She will be graduating
in August. Please continue to keep Josiane in your prayers as she pursues the
next steps in her life.
On Wednesday, I took Arivaldo,
Raquel, Everton, and Hellen to the courthouse to have a visit with their
father. It is the first they have seen him since their mother died.
Thankfully, he has stopped drinking in the last 3 months so the scene wasn´t
worse. The problem was that he just didn´t relate to the kids at all. He and
the four kids sat all in a line looking at the social worker. She encouraged
him to ask them some questions but he had none until he finally asked if they
were ready to go home. Arivaldo had a look like, "Are you serious?" and Raquel
just put her head down and shook it as to say, "No way!" Afterwards, Luciana
said that in all of her career she has never sat in on a deader parent visit.
She will be fighting for them to not go back. So will I. Even though there are
4 of them, they would be a wonderful blessing for any family. Please pray for
their future that God will accomplish His will in their lives.
I was informed at the visit that
Mariane´s visit at her parents´ house was canceled for Friday. Her parents have
moved. A visit will be remarked when they manage to communicate their new
address to the Social Worker. Please keep her in your prayers for God´s
protection and perfect will for this precious little girl.
On Thursday, Mike and Mary safely
arrived home from their furlough to the States. They seem rested and ready to
jump in and were so very glad to see everyone again. It is so nice to feel the
fresh energy and excitement. That is their gift to us. Please keep them in
your prayers as they continue their ministry at CLM.
On Friday, Marcelo left with his new
mother to be. It was fast moving because Marcelo came to CLM 3 months ago
already free for adoption. Fernanda is a single woman interested in being a
mother. When Marcelo was interested in being a son, she was thrilled and
expressed her desire to adopt him to the Judge. It was necessary for her to
travel to Quedas do Iquaçu, where he is from, to get the guardianship. She did
that on Thursday and came back on Friday to pick him up. Marcelo seemed fine
and even excited about the whole thing. He did comment though that he hadn´t
met his father yet. He had a good trip of about 6 hours to his new home. He
was happy to find out that he had a television in his room. Fernanda is
interested in adopting another boy younger than Marcelo. Please pray for
Marcelo´s adjustment and that he will be blessed and happy.
Today is Lizena´s 22nd birthday. She
has had many struggles in her life. When she came to CLM at 18 months, she was
dangerously anemic and very delayed developmentally. Receiving fresh and hardy
blood helped her to have the energy she needed to achieve motoric progress. It
became obvious that she had mild cerebral palsy, being a left hemiplegics. That
certainly didn´t stop her though. She was about 2 1/2 when she walked. She
learned a lot of skills by observing the other kids for a period of time until
she figured out all the necessary movements. Lizena has always been an
inspiration. On top of her physical difficulties, Lizena also has learning
disabilities. But that too didn´t stop her either. She graduated from High
School last year and now is taking a technical course in Administration at
Imperatriz on Saturdays. She is not sure that that is really what she wants to
do, but she doesn´t want to not be studying and that is what is available at the
moment. Lizena is still living at CLM and is an employee. She works in the
laundry room, as well as, cares for the children, sleeping on the girls´
hallway. Pray for Lizena for God´s direction for her future and for her
spiritual growth.
We had a big surprise today. An
official from the Judge and a Social Worker pulled up with a 6 year old boy in
the car. It was Alex, Aline and Alisson´s younger brother. He had been at the
government orphanage and was attending a daycare. Some family members went to
the daycare and took him. Because of the violence in the family, the officials
were having difficulties retrieving him again. The Social Worker had talked
about him to me today, but never said that they were going to try to get him
today. Both Aline and Alisson were in the shower when Alex arrived. Aline
cried when she saw him and realized they were together again. There is one more
younger brother yet, Mateus and the desire is to reunite the 4 siblings. Pray
for Alex´s adjustment and acceptance of his new home.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
1) Josiane - praise God that she
passed the presentation of her thesis, for the Lord´s direction as to her next
step in life, for spiritual growth and all of her relationships.
2) Arivaldo, Raquel, Everton, and
Hellen - that by God´s grace and mercy they will not be sent back to the father
but that he would release them for adoption, that Raquel will adjust to the new
medication she will be taking to reduce the effects of her learning
disabilities, that God will convict a family to adopt them.
3) Mariane - that the Lord would
reveal His will for her future, that the visits with the parents would be
stopped if there is no chance for her to return to them, for her growth and
development.
4) Mike and Mary - praise God for
their safe return, for God´s grace and guidance as they continue their
ministries, for continual growth and understanding of this ministry, for good
health and strength.
5) Marcelo - for adjustment and
acceptance of his new home and family, that he would be happy and
secure.
6) Lizena - may God direct her
future, give her a peace, open the necessary doors, and draw her unto
Himself.
7) Alex - praise God for our new
boy, may he adapt quickly and feel loved and secure, that his documents will
arrive.
CLM
TURVO:
This week, CLM Turvo had one adoption
and two children returning to their mother. The baby "João Lucas" was offered
to a couple in Maringá. He was getting so cute and the CLM family was pleased
to meet and have a good feeling about the adopting family. We commit him
to the Lord.
Gabriel and Willian were sent back to
their mother today. There had been visits for the last couple of months
now. The mother did work to change things in her life to be able to get the
boys back but we have fears that she could drift back into her old ways. The
grandmother was living with them, but just recently she ran off with a man.
What we thought would be of help and support is now not there anymore. Please
pray for the boys´ safety and that no harm would come to them.
Aninha´s doctor has recommended
surgery for her knee. It will get progressively worse if nothing is done. They
will be getting another opinion and do more testing to be sure. The real
question now is not whether she will have surgery or not, but which doctor to go
with. Aninha is having some other pains and difficulties such as a herniated
disk in her low back and her hips are getting stiffer and stiffer. Please pray
for Aninha and these health issues that she would have discernment and that the
Lord will be glorified.
Greg and Jenny are doing a great job
and seems to be loving it. Greg has been working hard in the garden with Luiz
and the boys and Jenny has been teaching the girl to crochet scarves, hats,
and the likes. Luana is whipping off one a day. Please pray for them as they
spend this time at CLM Turvo.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
1) João Lucas - that the Lord will
always be with him and that his new family can love and cherish
him.
2) Gabriel and Willian - that the
Lord would especially protect them from any danger or harm, that the mother
can maintain her somewhat balanced life and grow even more
responsible.
3) Aninha - for God´s complete
healing the way in which He chooses, that He would be glorified and that Aninha
would grow that much closer to Him through all of the trials.
4) Greg and Jenny - that God would continue to teach them through their
experiences at CLM, for good health and God´s protection.
5) Work Team from São José dos
Campos - they will be coming the 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th of June in mass to
work on the construction. Pray for good health, God´s protection, and that they
will accomplish an amazing amount of work, for great fellowship.
6) Grants - that they can collect
all of the documentation which is needed, that the lady helping them would be
directed by the Lord, that they would receive the grant money to help with
several major projects outside of the normal budget.
7) Tainara - that she can receive
the help that she is so much needing, that the visits with the grandmother would
be stopped, for improved behavior in school.
8) Studies - that all can improve
and have good results this second quarter.
9) Pray for more
missionaries.
Thank you for your faithfulness in
praying for us. Please continue.
I would like to start out asking for
prayers for some of our older girls. I love when they share their needs
and invite us to participate in their lives through prayer. Vera wrote: "I
want to ask for prayer. There are only 2 weeks left in the semester and I have
lots of tests ahead of me which are very difficult. I also want to ask for
prayer for my spiritual life as I am feeling that God want more from me. I also
continue to struggle with some interpersonal relationships and ask that God can
help me in all of this." Josiane is also asking for prayer as she presents her
thesis tomorrow night. Her thesis is on CLM as an informal education. She has
written the thesis and now will need to defend it before a panel of 5 or 6
professors. Josiele, Jake and Amanda, and myself will be there to cheer her
on. Julio and Elisabete are trying to get pregnant and ask for your prayers.
Berenice is finishing up her post-graduate thesis. She asks for prayers to be
able to concentrate on the goal and pull the last pieces together. Loeci and
Marcelo ask that you join them in praying for all of the wedding plans and
especially that January 10, 2010 will be a beautiful and perfect day since the
wedding is scheduled to be outside at CLM. Claudemir continues his college
course and has been coming home more often. He pitches in wherever he can and
enjoys the exercise and fresh air of home. Please pray for Lizena as she
decides whether the Administrative Assistant course she is taking is really what
she wants or if there is another course available. She knows that she does not
what to stop studying, but wants to find something that really excites her.
Thank you for lifting up our young adults in prayer.
We had a lady visit today who is
interested in adopting. She is single and is possibly interested in adopting
two boys. She first visited Turvo and talked to Luizinho who declared that he
did not want to be adopted, but wanted to stay at CLM. Here, she talked to
Marcelo who declared that he did want to be adopted and he would accept being
adopted by her. She was excited with that and left already decided to request
to adopt Marcelo. It is nice that he has only been here for about 3 months so
that the move will probably not be as hard on him as it would be with ones who
have been at CLM for years. Marcelo has not been difficult to work with. He
has really integrated well with the other children. Wherever the action is,
Marcelo is usually in the middle of it. His greatest difficulty is in school.
He is significantly limited academically. Pray that God´s will will be done
in this situation.
Mike and Mary will be traveling
tomorrow, arriving at CLM on Thursday. They seem to have enjoyed their time
with family and friends and have had the opportunity to share about our ministry
and kids. We trust they are well rested and renewed in the Lord. Pray for safe
travels and for their readjustment and finding their place once
again.
We have had a very cold week. In
fact, one of the frosty mornings, Entre Rios was recorded nationally as being
the coldest region in all of Brazil. That is cold!
PRAYER REQUESTS:
1) CLM Young Adults -
Vera - school, relationships,
and spiritual growth
Josiane - thesis presentation
(Wednesday), God´s leading after her graduation in August
Elisabete - pregnancy and
deepening of her spiritual walk
Berenice - finishing of
her Post-graduate thesis, direction for her future
Loeci - wedding plans, school
and job
Claudemir - college, job,
spiritual life
Lizena - decision about the
vocational course she is taking, direction for the future, spiritual
transformation
2) Marcelo - that if this
adoption is not from the Lord that He would close the doors. If it is, that the
Lord would prepare him and give him tremendous excitement and peace about
it.
3) Mike and Mary - for safe travels,
for readjustment, for vision and creativity and energy to
overflowing.
4) Cristiane - have been hit hard
with the flu. Tomorrow she has two doctor appointments (eyes and skin) and we
aren´t sure she will be up for that. Pray for her recovery and regaining of her
energy, pray for her academic work and success.
5) Visits - Arivaldo, Raquel,
Everton, and Hellen will be having a visit with their father tomorrow. Pray for
God´s hand over them that it does not stir up any unwanted or unnecessary
emotions that will cause deeper struggles. Mariane will have a visit at her
parent´s house on Friday. Pray that she will either start warming up or totally
reject the possibility of returning to live with them. May God´s will be done.
The 5 sibling group (Aline, Francielle, Lucas, Rita, and Gisieli) continues to
have periodic visits with their mother. Since originally there was no intent in
returning them to the mother, the visits have only served to stir up confusion
in all of them. Pray that God´s will would be done and that it would be made
clear.
6) Disrespect and Anger - we are
dealing with some serious disrespect and anger in about 11 of our children and
adolescents. Pray for tremendous and consistent wisdom in how to deal with
them, for radical transformation and release through intercessory prayer, for
spiritual awakening in each of them, that they would work with us to help work
out their own freedom.
7) Edit and Fabio - that the Lord
would clearly lead them as they plan for their trip to Europe, that He would
indicate His purpose and plan for their time away, for continual growth as a
couple and for an understanding of their calling.
8) Evanira - will be taking over
some of Edit´s areas especially in the care of Juraci. Pray that it will be a
positive thing for CLM, Juraci, and for Evanira.
9) Elaininha and the Stubers - that
in God´s timing the Stubers would receive the invitation to come to Brazil to
finalize the adoption of Elaininha, that she would accept and feel secure and
loved, that she can pick up the English in spite of her language difficulties,
for a wonderful and fun time during their co-habitation.
10) 2010 CLM Calendars - Viktória is
working on next year´s CLM calendars. Pray for the final drafting and that it
will all come together as Vitkória has envisioned it, that she would sense a
tremendous satisfaction in the final result, that the calendars could bless many
and be a reminder to pray for this ministry.
CLM
TURVO:
The CLM Turvo family really got
attached to their little baby boy who they called Isaque. Today, he left with
his new to be parents with the name João Lucas. They seemed like a very nice
couple who have been married for 15 years and have no other children. He will
be residing in a city in northwest Paraná. May God bless his life.
Tainara´s visits with the grandmother
are not going well. This weekend her scheduled visit was even canceled because
of major family problems. Tainara´s mother came from Curitiba and there was a
lot of fighting. The grandmother was drunk and out of control. It certainly is
not an atmosphere that Tainara needs to be in. Pray that the visits could be
terminated and that she will be released for adoption.
Greg and Jenny seem to be very
content in their new surroundings and are doing a great job. It is such a
relief for Luiz and Aninha and Natalia just to have some help. Jenny has been
teaching the kids to make scarves and ski caps and everyone is enjoying the
benefits of their work in this cold weather. Please pray for them that love can
be their language of communication, that the Lord would lead and direct them
through His Spirit, for good health and God´s protection.
Once again, the floor tiles began
lifting up. This time it was on the boys´ wing taking over the first room.
Everyone is baffled as to the cause of this. Before, it was that maybe the hot
weather had something to do with it, but now it is cold. Maybe it was the
materials used, but some places were replaced for the second time.
Unfortunately, the money being used to relay the tile was designated towards the
completion of the second floor. Please pray that there will be no more tiles
rising incidences. Also, pray for the project to finish the second floor. It
appears that the group from our church in São José dos Campos (São Paulo) is
still planning on coming although the numbers have been reduced. Pray that they
will accomplish a tremendous amount of work in the 3 days they will be there and
that vision for this ministry will fill their hearts.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
1) João Lucas - may the Lord bless
him and his new family, may He have the CLM family to adjust to his leaving,
praise for being able to participate in his life.
2) Tainara - may the Judge order the
visits to be stopped, for her release for adoption, for psychological help for
Tainara.
3) Greg and Jenny - that they would
continue to adjust, that the language barrier would not be a barrier, that they
might be teachable before the Lord, that love would bind them
together.
4) Tile rising - that the problem
could be discovered and that further tile lifting would not occur, for the
continuation of the construction project for the second floor.
5) Work Team from São José dos
Campos - that the Lord would bring those specific ones that He has called to
come on this trip, that they can have the satisfaction of seeing significant
progress made, for safe travels and good fellowship.
6) Josefina - that her fever will
stabilized and her sore throat healed.
7) Aninha - that the Lord would
direct them as to whether she should undergo knee surgery on her good leg,
direct the advice of the second opinion. It is one of the hardest decisions in
her life.
8) Luiz - for good health, clear
vision, patience and overflowing energy.
We experienced a sad moment
yesterday. Elaine who is now 19 years old has had some major problems with
disrespect, disobedience, and dishonesty. Several months ago, a violent
outbreak brought her to the point that I asked her to leave CLM. She asked
earnestly for another chance. Hope was given when she really allowed the Lord
to work and cleanse her heart of a lot of unforgiveness and anger. Change was
seen for a short time. We continued to observe what she would do with this last
chance, while trying to encourage her to allow the Lord to continue to
transform. This weekend, lying and deception closed the door on her last
chance. On Monday, I told her she would have to leave by Wednesday. It was her
decision to pack up and leave immediately. She is "temporarily" living with
Juan´s sister. She admits that she is a person who probably needs to learn the
hard way. All we can do is continue to pray for Elaine and know without a doubt
that the seeds were planted and the potential for a transformed life is
there.
Sunday, was the birthday celebration
for our local church. We had a praise service in the morning, followed by lunch
which was a churrasco (barbeque). In the evening, we had another service
followed by cake. We thank the Lord for our church and our church
family.
Viktória and Maria Joana went to the
horse farm again. Maria was able to help groom the horses and they both took a
ride afterwards. The owner invited Maria to help out a couple times a week.
She is more than thrilled. This Thursday and Friday are holidays so she plans
on taking full advantage. Please continue to pray for Maria Joana that she can
find meaning and purpose where she is.
On Saturday, June 13th, Jake will be
27 years old. Jake is the son of Bill and Debbie Teater from Tremont, Illinois
and the brother of Allyshia, Abbey, Gabe, Jeremiah, and Hannah. Jake has been
to CLM on various short term trips including an extended one for over 2 years.
He was one of the origin missionaries that went from CLM Entre Rios to CLM
Turvo. He left there to go back to the States to follow his heart and marry
Amanda Gutai from Mansfield, Ohio. They have been married 2 years now and have
returned to Brazil to do long term service with CLM and are presently studying
the language in Guarapuava. Jake has great computer skills and tries to keep
our computers up and running, which isn´t easy. He also is the constructor of
the CLM website. Jake is very innovated and likes to come up with new and
creative ideas. He likes woodworking, biking, and photography. Pray for Jake
as a husband and as a servant of God serving at CLM.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
1) Elaine - that all that was taught
to her at CLM will be of tremendous value to her as she faces many challenges
and decisions, for God´s protection over her, for a spiritual awakening in
her.
2) Apostolic Christian Church of
Colônia Vitória - that the Lord would bless the church with truth and with
growth, for the many new converts and their Christian development, for little
Esdras as he continues to grow and thrive after a very rough start, for the
Sunday School Teachers and Cell Group leaders, for Pastor Rogério.
3) Jake - that the Lord would
continue to develop and grow him, that he will continue to be a God-honoring man
and husband, for more perfecting of the languages, for clear leading as to the
specifics of his ministry at CLM, that he can get all of the bugs out of the CLM
computer system.
4) Maria Joana - that her work at
the horse farm will be beneficial and satisfying for her, that she would show
more respect and cooperation, for her studies and interaction with others her
age, for a renewed experience with Christ.
5) Disrespectful Attitudes - over
coming of the disrespect in several of our children through prayer and
discipline.
CLM
TURVO:
Aninha took the results of her MRI to
the doctor today. He explained that there is cartilage damage and that she
has lost the fluid in her knee, as well as, damage to the knee pad. Both must
be repaired or further damage will result. Since the idea of surgery on her
only good leg is an extremely delicate decision to be made, they will seek other
opinions. It is also very necessary for her to lose weight and maintain her
weight low. Please pray for confirmation and direction for Luiz and Aninha as
they discern what to do. Because of the pain and the possibility of an
emergency with Aninha´s knee, their trip to Minas Gerais will probably need to
be postponed for now. They will take a vacation closer to home.
Greg and Jenny seem to be adjusting
real well. Jenny is teaching the kids to make scarves and Greg is helping with
the physical work that constantly needs to be done. Luiz and Aninha and Natalia
are very thankful that they are there to give a hand. Keep them in your prayers
for good health and that their experience can teach them much and bless their
lives.
Little "Isaque" is still there and
continues to capture everyone´s hearts. He is a content baby that sleeps,
drinks, and sleeps some more. It is said that he should go for adoption any day
now. Since Thursday and Friday are holidays, nothing will probably be done this
week.
Once again, CLM Turvo is plagued with
the floor tiles rising up. This time and for the first time, it is happening on
the boy´s hallway. So far, the tiles have risen in the hallway and the first
room. They are having them replaced. This time it can not be blamed on the hot
weather since it is very cold right now. Please pray that this problem would be
stopped so that they can apply the funds on the second floor.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
1) Aninha - that the Lord will put a
supernatural peace and confirmation as to whether she should go for surgery on
her knee or not, for an ability to lose weight like she has never had before,
for alternative plans for a vacation.
2) Greg and Jenny - that the Lord
would mightily bless their fellowship and ministry at CLM, for good health, for
learning of some of the language, for interpersonal relationships to deepen in
spite of the language barrier.
3) "Isaque" - that the Lord would
chose the best family for him.
4) Floor tiles - pray that this
problem can be resolved and stopped and understood, pray for patience during the
inconvenience.
5) Work Team - pray for the large
work team which will be coming from São José dos Campos, São Paulo of about 48
people, mostly professionals, pray for good weather and a successful project,
for safe travels.
This is a brief overview. Please
continue with us. The journey is precarious, the servants are tired, but we
have an forever faithful and mighty God.
We are in the process of adjusting to
Mike and Mary not being here. Sometimes, it seems like CLM is gelatin. When
someone is gone, the rest just jell their way into the areas that need to be
covered. When they come back, they move in and everyone adjusts again. We
especially miss their smiles and hugs. Please be praying for them for rest and
refreshment in the Lord. They are in Cincinnati, Ohio right now with
family.
On Saturday, Meghan, Joacir, Marilda
and her daughter, Samily took 6 kids to CLM Turvo. The lucky ones were Everton,
Arivaldo, Caroline, Carolaine, Geovane, Luana. They stayed over night and
returned Sunday night. They worked, played, and had a great "CLM Turvo" time.
I believe that Meghan and Joacir have
had plenty of time to share their news with the closest of relatives, so I will
announce it to the world now. They are pregnant and expecting their little one
around October. They are hoping to go to Canada for a year or so in maybe
September or so. Pray for a good pregnancy and a healthy baby.
Similar to some cases in Turvo, Entre
Rios has some family visits which have been ordered by the Judge. Aline,
Francielle, Lucas, Rita, and Gisieli are to be having visits with their mother
and stepfather, for the purpose of having contact with the family and not to
return home. Aline and Francielle have gone twice. On Saturday, Lucas, Rita,
and Gisieli went to spend the afternoon. The mother has some real
organizational issues and definitely untruthfulness. She doesn´t seem to manage
well with her baby, but insists that she is getting the five kids back. She is
making promises and telling them that the Judge has already determined that they
will be returning to live with her. It is all very confusing for the kids.
Aline seems to see right through it and has no interest in going on any visits.
Francielle seems to be ready to move home. The three younger ones came back
telling all of her lies, but don´t seem to have mentioned much since. Please
pray for them that the officials can clearly see the situation and determine
what would be best for the 5 of them.
Mariane is to have a visit with her
parents at the courthouse on Friday. If the parents show up, then visits will
be marked at their house to determine the possibility of Mariane returning
home. Our prayer is that they would not even show up if it is not God´s will
for Mariane to have involvement with them.
Once again, we are blessed with a
visit from Brother Jacob Lay and his son, Robert, and granddaughter, Jessica.
It is a long trip from São Paulo. Although Jacob´s Parkinson's has progressed,
he loves to come to CLM to hear the children´s voices and laughter and to be
assured that this ministry that is so dear to his heart is thriving. About 15
to 20 years ago, he had donated an irrigation system for our gardens and
fields. It has served very well all of these years, however the pump finally
saw it´s last days. He was glad to take it to São Paulo to the factory and
obtain a new pump for CLM. He, of course, was willing to hand deliver it.
Let´s pray God´s blessings over Brother Jacob and his family for all of their
love and generosity.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
1) Mike and Mary -praise God for
their safe travels to the States, pray for their rest and revival in His Spirit,
for the special times with family and friends, for godly reflection on the
first two years of their ministry with CLM, excitement for their return on June
18th.
2) Meghan and Joacir - praise God
for their pregnancy, pray for good health, for God´s timing for their trip to
Canada, that the Lord would continue to develop Meghan´s ministry with CLM until
that time, for spiritual growth.
3) Aline, Francielle, Lucas, Rita,
and Gisieli - that the Lord would work His perfect will in their lives, that
they would see through the mother´s lies, that they would trust that we want the
very best for them and want to help them work it all through.
4) Mariane - that God´s plans for
her would not be hindered, that she would feel the security in us during this
time, for the least confusion possible, for her learning at the special school,
for God´s comfort as she takes the long trip to and from the school each day.
5) Brother Jacob Lay - that God will
bless his travels and his generosity, that Lord willing, we can have many more
encounters with him, blessings on Jessica as her grandfather´s practical
nurse.
6) CLM Team - that the Lord would
refresh us daily, give us a glimpse of His eternal plan for CLM, that He will
supply all of the love, patience, wisdom, joy, peace, energy, and so forth that
each of us need to meet the needs of the children.
7) Andy and Katie - for God´s light
on their visa application and what they should do next, that the enemy can not
discourage them, for a tremendous mission preparations experience at
MTI.
CLM
TURVO:
Aninha has shared as lot of prayer
requests with me:
1) Jenny and Greg, who will be
spending two months doing a short term experience
at CLM Turvo. They are excited to be able to anticipate that there is some
temporary help on the way. Their prayer is that Jenny and Greg would adjust
well and feel very much at home.
2) Aninha will need to go to Ponta
Grossa (a city about 3 hours from us) to have an exam done on her knee. It
continues to be very painful, making walking very difficult. Our prayer is that
Aninha can get by without needing surgery and that she will have a peace about
whatever treatment is decided most appropriate.
3) Allan that he would be able to
find a job and follow through with his plans to move away from home. He would
like to live with Julio (Josiane´s brother) once they both get jobs and are
better established. He is growing spiritually and in maturity which brings
great joy to his parents.
4) Etienne continues to work on the
Indian Reservation and go to school at night. Her grades were very good which
is a great bust especially at the moments in which she is extremely tired. Pray
for her problem with her knee that some relief can be given.
5) Tainara is having visits with the
grandmother with a strong possibility that she will return to her. It has
created confusion and insecurity. There is also the danger of her being near
the two uncles that abused her. Please pray fervently for Tainara and God´s
protection.
6) Ana Paula (9), Zélia (8), and
Natanael (4) are being put up for international adoption. As Aninha put it,
"they would be a tremendous blessing in any family". Pray that God would reveal
that special family and the process would move forward.
7) Luana is one year old today. She
came to CLM, when she was about 4 months old. She is starting to take some
steps on her own and is, in general, developing very well. She has a funny
habit of smelling people when she first meets them. She loves her cover and her
dolls. Pray for God´s future plans for her.
8) Pray for complete finishing of
the entire structure and property.
Thank you for praying with us and for
us. We are truly grateful.
