Tuesday, November 24, 2009, Brazil
Dear Prayer Warrior,
CLM ENTRE
RIOS:
Yesterday morning, I took Mariane to
the doctor´s. He took the bandage off and removed the stitches (11 of them).
His comment was that it was better than he expected. To me, it appeared worse
than I wanted to see. The black on the tip goes a little further down than
before, there is some infection, and it is swollen. He put it back in the
splint, wrapped it up, and said come back Friday. The last couple of nights
have indicated to me that there is a big spiritual battle going on over this
situation with Mariane. Saturday night, about 1:00
a.m., all three of the little ones that sleep in the room across the hall from
my room woke up, kind of one by one, but real close together. Everton almost
never wakes up. He was scared. I sensed it was spiritual and started praying.
I prayed for them and for the whole house. I felt the battle was in relation to
Mariane. I prayed for her finger and that the enemy would have no power in it
at all. It felt powerful and they all slept the rest of the night. Sunday
night, it was just Hellen. She woke up several times screaming and very shook
up. She must have been dreaming and one time mentioned blood. Again, I felt a
connection to Mariane´s situation. The next day, Mariane shared that she had
bad dreams, too. We are praying for a major breakthrough in this spiritual
battle so the blessings of heaven can be poured out over Mariane and healing
brought to her little finger. Please join us.
The Bridal Shower for Loeci on
Saturday was great. It was so honoring to God. The Pastor´s wife shared some
scripture about "dreams", those which God has for us and those that He has
placed in our hearts. There were probably about 80 women there, from her
church, our church, and from contacts she has had all over the place. She was
radiant and praising God for all He has done and continues to do in her life and
for the man of God He has given her to marry. She was very appreciative to all
who came and the nice gifts she received.
Yesterday, I took Lucilene for a
second opinion about her scoliosis and the need for surgery. The doctor
confirmed that the best thing we could do for her would be to have the surgery.
If not, she would probably suffer major problems in the future. Her scoliosis
has progressed very quickly and is severe and there is no other means to correct
it. The surgery is very tedious and the recovery requires intense therapy. She
has one more appointment with one more specialist on the 14th of December and
then hopefully she will be scheduled for surgery in January. We may find it
necessary for her to remain in Curitiba for a while for the initiation of the
therapy. At least, a part of it will be during summer vacation. Both Lucilene
and I walked away from the appointment yesterday with the peace to move forward
with the surgery. Please keep her in your prayers in preparation, for the
surgery, and for the recovery.
Our little Maria Luiza is starting to
walk. She walks an easy 10 steps between people and is starting to let go and
take a few steps on her own. She is full of expressions and is enjoying hearing
herself scream, usually for joy. I have been so excited that my request to get
Hellen out of diapers and off the bottle while I was gone was accomplished .
She is quite independent and dry day and night. The bottle is not an issue.
She will drink milk from a cup at night, but never asks for a bottle. The other
night she happened to wet her bed in the middle of the night (which has been
very rare) and in my sleepiness, I grabbed a diaper to put on her. She looked
at me like, "Are you kidding? Are you thinking of putting a diaper on me?" I
got the message and found underwear for her. She is definitely a two year old
who thinks she knows how to do everything and that the world revolves around
her. She is a stitch and very smart.
This week we have 3 birthdays.
Lobinho (his real name is Wilson Lobo, but is called Lobinho which means Little
Wolf) will be 35 years old on Thursday, November 26th. and Lobinho was born
and raised in the Guarapuava area. He began coming to our church with some
friends and accepted Jesus. However, that caused an uproar in his family who
were rather against Christians. He wanted to stand strong, but ended up
drifting and choosing the easier way out. Several years later, after hitting
rock bottom, he realized that without Jesus, life really has no meaning and he
had no strength within him to walk the path he desired. This time, his decision
for the Lord took root. Jesus became his best friend and companion. As he grew
in the Lord, his world radically changed -- his values, his desires, his dreams,
his character. Several years later, a young lady who had once lived at CLM,
returned "home". It didn´t take too long for their eyes and hearts to meet. In
2001, Lobinho married Joanna and they now have two daughters, Moanna (7) and
Nicole (4). Shortly, before they were expecting their second child, they were
called to be missionaries at CLM. Lobinho is really touched when praising the
Lord. He plays the drums, sings, and is a good praise service leader. He
recently won the CLM weight loss contest and enjoys running, and of course,
loves soccer, too. Pray for Lobinho as husband, father, and a servant of
God.
Janete will be 13 on Friday, November
27th. She is Lucilene and Elielton´s sister and came to CLM when she was 5
years old, after life threatening violence in the home. Janete is short in
stature, but powerful in heart. She has a meek heart and is a natural born
servant. She likes to help and will see it through to the end. She is
especially good with the babies and very responsible. They respond well to
her. Janete is in the 6th grade and although school is not easy for her, she
manages to get by. She is hanging in two subjects - Math and Science - and
needs to pull some good grades this last quarter. She likes music and doing
choreography and singing in groups. She also likes swimming and does well in
sports. Pray for Janete as she continues to grow and mature, that she will make
good choices and seek the Lord.
Rita will be 9 years old on Sunday,
November 29th. She is the next to the youngest in the 5 sibling group. Her
sisters are Aline, Francielle, and Gisieli and her brother is Lucas. They were
brought to CLM when their parents were put in prison for murder. By the time,
both parents were released, they went their separate ways. Rita was 4 years old
when she arrived. She is a very intelligent girl who has been studying in
Imperatriz for the last 3 years. She has kept up very well and learns very
fast. She often struggles with respect and has difficulties with interpersonal
relationships. She has the misconception that she is the boss. Her dream is to
take ballet lessons, but her behavior hasn´t allowed her the privilege yet.
Rita is very talented in music, especially singing, and also art. She enjoys
swimming and other sports. Please pray for Rita that she can be submissive and
respectful, as well as, sensitive to others around her. Pray that all of her
talents and abilities can be developed, to God´s honor.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
1) Mariane - that God would continue
to do His work of healing and restoration to her finger, for full victory in the
spiritual battle that seems to be raging, God´s help for Mariane to process all
of this, that God will be glorified.
2) Loeci - praise God for a very
special bridal shower that honored Him, for all of the wedding plans and that
all will come together well ahead of time, for a God perfect day.
3) Lucilene - that the Lord would
continue to lead in regards to the surgery she is needing, that the surgery will
be scheduled in January (after the wedding, hopefully) so that most of her
recovery will take place during vacation time, for emotional preparation for
her, that all the arrangements can be made for the best care and best
results.
4) Maria Luiza and Hellen - for
God´s protection at all times, for continual growth and development, for greater
gentleness for Hellen and obedience, praise for Hellen getting potty trained and
off the bottle.
5) Lobinho - that the Lord would
grow him in all areas, for the finishing of his schooling, for wisdom and
discernment as husband, father, and missionary, for the opportunities to lead
worship as the Lord would provide, for the opportunity to bless other couples
through their marital experiences and training.
6) Janete - that she can pass the
school year, that she will always be respectful and grateful and not be
influenced by negative attitudes of others, that she would gain life through her
serving and that it would be done with all joy, for a deep decision for the
Lord.
7) Rita - for respect for authority
and for her peers, for submission and humbleness, improvement of her
interpersonal relationships, that she can merit ballet lessons before she is 40,
for development of her talents.
8) Vera - she is asking for prayers
that her apprenticeship can become a full-time job, for her finishing of her
classes, especially Spanish that she has such difficulties in, for her college
graduation in January, for adjustment to her new roommate.
9) Marilda - for God´s healing of
her infected throat, for finding of another house to rent since the owner wants
her house back, that God would choose the location and that it would be better
and less expensive than where she is living now, for spiritual
growth.
10) Meghan and Joacir - that they
can obtain the necessary documents for Isabella to travel to Canada, for God´s
timing for their departure, for Lydia´s trip tomorrow to return home, for
Joacir´s adjustment to Canada and learning of the language, for continual growth
and development of Isabella.
11) Josiane - will be starting a
time of experience at CLM next week at CLM Entre Rios. Pray for her adaptation,
for her responsibilities, for her professional development, and for all of her
relationships, for continual spiritual growth.
BOTH
HOMES:
1) Mike has been working diligently
on a new bookkeeping system and a budget for 2010 for Entre Rios and Turvo. Due
to a very low exchange rate we are looking at a need to greatly reduce our
spending, which seems to be already at the bare minimal. However, by God´s
grace and orientation, we accept the challenge. Please pray for this area of
our ministry and for the cooperation of the entire CLM Family. Pray also for
any possible extra funding that can supplement the budget such as selling of
product from the fields or gardens, voluntary allocation of a portion of
personal income tax to institutions, reduction in fees. Especially pray for the
receiving of a discount from the electric company. Pray also that the exchange
rate would go up.
2) On the 4th of December, the Juiz
and those involved in the Family Department will be giving a Christmas
"adventure" for the children from CLM Entre Rios and Turvo and the government
orphanage. They collected money through the Criminal Department for minor
offenses to provide a day for the children at a Hotel Farm. It is located about
50 km outside of Guarapuava in the direction of Curitiba. I have seen the
signs, but have never been there. It will be there from 10:00 in the morning
until 4:00 in the afternoon, including lunch and an afternoon snack, swimming,
games, covered wagon rides, etc. They will also all receive a Christmas gift -
perfume for the older ones and a toy for the younger ones. We are going after
the Mayor to possibly donate a bus for transportation to and from. We are
getting special permission from the Judge for our kids to miss school that day.
We are praying for a beautiful and enjoyable day. Pray for God´s protection.
CLM
TURVO:
PRAYER REQUESTS:
1) Praise God for Kevin and Elaine
King´s family visit and also the visit from Pastor Edygio from our church in São
José dos Campos. Visits are always uplifting and encouraging.
2) Studies - pray that the children
can have a strong finish and that all will pass, pray for motivation until the
end.
3) End of the Year Activities - for
planning and organizing of the end of the year activities, that the joy and true
meaning of the season can speak louder than the business, pray for all who will
be visiting during December.
4) Fabio and Edit - After having set
up their apartment last week, they officially started their ministry at CLM
Turvo as of yesterday. The staff had a meeting to make some decisions about
schedules and responsibilities. Fabio and Edit feel very well received by Luiz
and Aninha and Natalia and also the children and are so excited to be where they
know without a doubt that God wants them. Pray as they adjust and discern their
specific areas of ministry and for the building of relationships.
5) Luiz, Aninha, and Natalia - for
their restoration and renewing, for the opportunity to go on vacation, for the
adjustments to having more staff and the organization that needs to accompany
this, for praise in their hearts for the anticipation of growth.
6) Andy and Katie - that the Lord
would provide their visas in His timing, for patience and trust knowing that
nothing is impossible with God, to keep their eyes on Brazil through God´s eyes,
for God´s provision for them at all times.
There are always lots of things
happening at CLM, especially as the year comes to an end. We pray that joy and
peace will fill your hearts and ours, as we are reminded of the birth of our
Savior and the hope He shines upon our lives. Thank you for ministering along
side of us.
God is faithful,
Mary
