Tuesday, January 4, 2010, Brazil
Dear Prayer Warrior,
CLM ENTRE
RIOS:
Well, we had a great New Years and we
are on the march to the wedding. We had tons of people here for a special New
Years lunch. Julio (Elisabete´s husband) prepared barbequed ribs for all. It
was interesting because the ribs were staked in a grill type thing and put in
the ground. The wood fire was made in a circle around the meat. Even being a
distance it was hot enough to slowly cook the meat. CLM Turvo was here, Jeane´s
family, Solange´s family, Vera, Elisabete and Julio and his son, Juliano, some
of Elisabete´s relatives, Kelly and Weslly, Ivone and family, Rosemarie and
Mateus, Berenice, Loeci, Elenize and Guilherme, and probably some others here
and there. It was a fun day just to be together. Some were swimming, some
playing games and sports, some just talking and laughing together.
Adir, to our surprise, announced that
he will be getting married this month. We haven´t met the girl yet, but he says
he plans on bringing her here. His father-in-law also wants to come and meet
everyone. He said that she is a hard worker and a good girl. He was so cute
when he shared that he asked her to not prohibit him from doing two things:
(1) Coming to CLM and (2) Playing soccer. Keep him in your prayers,
please.
We heard disturbing news yesterday
morning. Ivone called and said that she heard that Airton (her brother) was
shoot in the chest. She had very little information and no one knew where he
was. I called all of the Guarapuava hospitals, but did not find him. Airton
had lived at CLM for about 8 years before he returned to live with his father in
the mountains. By evening, we had a little more information about his condition
and where he is. He is in a hospital in Pinhão. They could not operate to take
the bullets out because they had no blood to give him. One of his sisters went
there in the evening to give blood. Airton has been in stable condition and
responds well to questions. He does not seem to know who shot him. They did
end up doing emergency surgery this afternoon when they discovered that there
was a bullet in his lung. Please pray for full recovery.
Last evening, our accountant showed
up with a 13 year girl he had given a ride to. Maria Agusta was running away
from her father having no idea where she was going. She had walked about 7 KM
and then got a ride. She was left off by the first colony. As Gerald passed,
she begged for a ride and shared her story with him. She said that her mother
had died giving birth to her. She lived with her father and stepmother until 3
years ago when her stepmother left. Her father started drinking and with that
came physical abuse and mistreatment of Maria. About 3 months ago, her father
was put in jail for stealing whiskey from a bar. Maria has lived alone during
this time. She feared that her father was being released from prison yesterday
and decided to run for her life. Maria was very nervous and crying. She seemed
like a really sweat girl and will be going into the 8th grade, which is good for
her age. She has faced a lot. I called the Child Protection Agency and they
took her to the government home because of her age. They will be able to check
out the situation with her father and offer him treatment for his drinking
problem. There is a reason that Maria came into (and out of) our lives. One
thing is for sure, we can pray for her.
Evanira will be 38 years old
tomorrow. Evanira came to CLM when she was 12 years old, joining her 4 younger
sisters, Terezinha, Inês, Santina, and Neusa. She needed surgery for her
crossed eyes and has suffering with visual problems. She graduated from High
School and later took a Practical nursing course. She works on and off as a
private nurse, usually for elderly people here in the colonies. She is the wife
of Lauro and the mother of Kelly and Weslly. They live near CLM. Please pray
for Evanira and her family, especially that the Lord could take His rightful
place in their lives.
The wedding plans are coming along.
Of course, there are a lot more details always coming up. We have the tables,
benches, and plates. Now we are after silverware. The food needs to be bought,
but the cook is sick. We ask for your prayers for Wilson, who is in the
hospital. We have plans for the grass cutting, parking, poster at the entrance,
cleaning, preparing the guest rooms, etc. The photographer is lined up, the
cake ordered, the wedding dress and clothes for the kids and the hats are all
ready, and the setup and decorations are under control. The ceremony and music
are being organized. Pastor Rogério and Pastor Fábio will be doing the ceremony
and sermon and Mike will be translating it all into English. Nicole will be the
flower girl and a young brother and sister will be the ring bearers. There will
be 10 couples on each side (that is the Brazilian custom instead of bridesmaids
and ushers) that will enter in support of the bride and the groom. Bob and I
will be walking Loeci down the aisle. Loeci will be singing a song to Marcelo´s
surprise. We are expecting a beautiful day, in spite of, the downpours we have
been having everyday. More out-of-country guests will be arriving tomorrow -
Mark, Barb, and Heather Scott, Andreia
Giovanetto, Talissa Shaull, Greg and Jenny Bolinger, all from Tremont,
Illinois. Also, arriving will be Rosilda Weinhardt and Jonathan Meister. More
help is on the way. Please keep Loeci and Marcelo´s wedding in your prayers
that more than anything it will glorify our Wonderful God.
We received 4 unexpected visitors
tonight. Pastor Silvio from Goias, his wife, Cleide, his daughter, Raquel, and
her boyfriend were passing through from Foz do Iquaçu and decided to stop in. I
met Silvio in 1982 shortly after I came to Brazil. He had not been back to CLM
since then. We were not expecting them, but God knew they were coming. The
rooms were ready and we had lots of leftovers from dinner tonight. He had
everything prepared.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
(1) New Years - we praise God for a good start for
2010, thankfulness for so many of the family being here, thankfulness for God´s
promises for this year:
Psalms 107:35 "The Lord turned the
desert into pools of water, He turned the parched land into flowing
springs."
(2) Adir - that the Lord would bless
Adir´s marriage and that he would take the commitment as a very serious one,
that he and his future wife can grow in their love and relationship with each
other, that they would come to know Jesus as their Savior and Lord.
(3) Airton - that the Lord would
bring him through this trial to full recovery, that it would be discovered the
motive and who shot him, that he would know that the hand of the Lord was over
him.
(4) Maria Agusta - praise the Lord
for His protection over her that she did not fall into the hands of those who
would have harmed her, that she would be protected and that her situation with
her father would be resolved, that she might have a bright future.
(5) Evanira - pray that she can find
a permanent job with normal hours, pray that the Lord can transform their family
and that the enemy can not bring anymore destruction to it, may their hearts be
fully yielded to the Lord.
(6) Loeci and Marcelo´s wedding -
that all of the preparations can get done, for finding of silverware to borrow,
for the safe arrival of the guests who are traveling, for good weather, that the
would be present and highly honored at this wedding.
(7) Talissa - will be staying for 6
months. May the Lord help her to adjust, to learn Portuguese, to build
relationships, to allow the Lord to work a mighty work in her heart, may she
clearly see what the Lord is calling her to.
(8) Rosilda - will also be staying
on after the wedding. May the Lord convict her of His plans and may she be
obedient.
CLM
TURVO:
CLM Turvo also received unexpected
visitors tonight. Eric from Argentina and his family arrived. He had been to
Turvo on a work team probably 2 years ago. Both homes had unexpected blessings
tonight.
Rebeca and Damares will be leaving
this week. We are very thankful for their help here with the children. Their
love and creativity was a real blessing. May the Lord continue to bless their
walk with Him.
We are thankful that Luiz has
connected with his biological family. He has been able to talk to his father on
the phone and sisters and nieces and nephews, also. Luiz and Aninha are
planning a trip to Minas sometime after the wedding. They are seeing whether
there is a possibility that the whole family will be available to go. Pray for
them and for discernment of the details and timing of the trip. May their
reunion be everything and more than they anticipate.
Luizinho will be 12 years old on
Sunday, January 10th. He came to CLM when he was 8 years old and had been
abandoned and unwanted. Luiz likes to play with the other boys and is a big
help with any jobs that need to be done. He is very dedicated in anything he
does. Recently, Luizinho hurt his leg and has been in a cast. He is anxious to
be getting it off soon. He is excited to be going onto the 4th grade next
year. He is a happy boy and likes to make others around him feel good. He
receives visitors very well. Pray for Luizinho that he will be granted a family
since he is already free for adoption.
Willian´s 6th birthday is also on
Sunday, January 10th. He is Gabriel´s older brother and they returned to CLM
for the second time about the middle of last year. Their mother was a minor and
very incapable to care for the boys. When she became of age, she tried to do
everything to get the boys back and did. However, shortly after they returned
home, she got herself in trouble again. She had gotten in a fight over someone
else´s husband and had her house burnt down and went to jail. The boys were
removed once again and returned to CLM. Willian presents as a rather
traumatized little boy. There is a lot of violence within him and mischief. He
has come a long way, but has a ways to go to learn obedience. Willian likes to
play with toys, like cars and trucks and balls. He is best if he is not
together with his brother. Pray for Willian for continued improvement and for a
good future.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
1) Rebeca and Damares - that the
Lord would bless them for the time they spent volunteering at CLM, may it have
marked their lives and brought growth, may the Lord always be with
them.
2) Trip for Luiz and Family - may
the Lord clearly show the details and the timing of their trip to Minas to
personally meet Luiz´s family, for safety and tremendous joy.
3) Luizinho - that the Lord would
provide a family for him and for his adjustment, for healing of his injured
foot, that he would continue to have success in his studies, that spiritually he
would grow and allow the Lord to be his all in all.
4) Willian - for inner healing for
all of his traumas, that he would overcome the tendency towards violence, for
academic success, that the mother´s rights would be removed and that they would
be put up for adoption.
5) Year 2010 - that the Lord would
grant a victorious year helping CLM Turvo grow in staff and children, that they
would be able to keep within the budget, that they would prosper financially,
that they would be able to move forward with the projects God has put in their
hearts, that the hearts of the children would be turned to God, that God would
be glorified.
6) Fabio and Edit - that they would
adapt to their new ministry, that they would receive the financial support that
they need, that they would trust that the Lord called them and will equip them
right where they are, that the enemy would have no victory but that love and
relationships would be victorious, that the Lord would strengthen them
individually and their marriage through the trials of the first two years of
ministry.
7) Adriana and Manuel - for their
continual adjustment and adaptation to the CLM family, for academic success
during the next school year, for building of relationships with staff and
children.
Thank you for sharing in our week
with us. Thank you for your prayers. May God bless and keep you and give you a
memorable new year.
trusting,
Mary
