Tuesday, February 16, 2010, Brazil
Dear Prayer Warrior,
CLM ENTRE
RIOS:
It is another rainy day. It rained
all night and hasn´t stopped yet. We were hoping to have a fun afternoon of
volleyball, soccer, basketball, and swimming with the church people and then a
campfire tonight, but ...... God has other plans and that is OK, too. Geovane
has gone to a church retreat this weekend with Loeci and Marcelo. He was the
only one who worked and saved enough money to pay his part and have some
spending money. A large group of our kids went last year when it was held in
Foz do Iguaçu. Now the others are lamenting that they didn´t put forth the
effort to save their money or work harder. We have been praying for a strong
transformation in Geovane´s life and that he would return from the retreat with
a renewed commitment to Jesus. Continue to pray for Geovane,
please.
André, Josiane´s friend from São
Paulo came to visit on Tuesday through Friday. He is a nice young man who loves
the Lord and is committed to serving Him. He is quiet and reserved, but
loosened up as the days went by. Josiane and he talked a lot and came to the
confirmation that the Lord is leading them to proceed with their relationship.
They made a commitment to date with the intent to marry. It will be a long
distance relationship and may be as long as another year and a half or so before
we hear the wedding bells. Please be praying for them.
Mariane did have half of her surgery
on Wednesday afternoon. Dr. Decio Filho opened up the tip and cut off a portion
of her bone and closed it back up. He decided that her finger was too small and
needed to grow more so did not put the pin in as he had originally said he
would. We are to change her bandages every 2 days. At the first change, the
smell was not too pleasing. I decided to start her on antibiotics just to be
safe. She returns to him in 2 weeks. Continue to pray for God´s healing of
Mariane´s finger.
Imperatriz started school last
Tuesday, as planned. It was good to have only 12 getting adjusted to the school
schedule. This Thursday, we will add another 16 to that. Hopefully, we will
soon enter into a smooth routine with tremendous cooperation from all.
Francielle and Aline seem to be enjoying their new school and are making
friends. They have two full days of school per week, while the other Imperatriz
students have only one. Francielle had to opt to stop her English studies in
the city, due to lack of time. Donei will assume her scholarship. He is very
excited about that. Our kids are usually really good at conversation, but weak
in grammar, so he will be starting at the first level. Josiele will continue
with her English classes. She really enjoys it and puts a lot into her language
studies. Please keep our students in your prayers that they will make this
their best school year ever.
Andy and Katie Roth will be arriving
on Friday in Curitiba. It worked out perfectly since I will be picking up Fran
and Nanette on Thursday and we were planning on staying over night to be able to
meet up with the CLM Plus girls who live there. Jake and Amanda have been
looking for a house or apartment for them in Guarapuava and hopefully, tomorrow,
they will be able to secure the one that Andy and Katie picked. They will come
to CLM first for a couple of days to get rested and organized and then spend a
couple of days at the beginning of the week getting the apartment set up and
getting their language classes scheduled. They will be living and studying in
the city for about 6 months. They are pregnant and will have the baby during
that time. Please pray for their travels, adjustment, language studies,
pregnancy, and for the building of relationships during this time.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
1) Geovane - we pray that the Lord
was able to do a transforming work in Geovane at the retreat and that it would
continue to bring changes in his life, may he realize the influence and power he
has in the Lord to make major changes in our family and at school, that he can
be all the Lord desires him to be, for a good school year.
2) Josiane and André - that the Lord
would continue to confirm their relationship according to His will, that they
would grow emotionally and spiritually together, that God would always be first
and foremost in their lives, that God would provide the opportunities for them
to be together and have communication.
3) Mariane - we ask the Lord for
continual healing of her finger and regaining of function, pray for her adoption
that the Lord would provide a God chosen Christian mother and father for her,
that He would prepare her heart and our´s, that she would adjust to school and
learn well.
4) Aline and Francielle - for
continual adjustment to Imperatriz, for the making of friends, for keeping up
with their studies, for a belief and confidence in what they can do in
Jesus.
5) Public School Students - pray
that school will indeed start on Thursday and that they will not be lacking
teachers or transportation, pray that our children will be ready to give their
all and be dedicated in their studies, for good behavior on the bus and in
school, for God´s protection.
6) Nicole - for God´s protection
while she is in school and on the playground, that they will be able to provide
the special care she needs, that she can keep up academically, praise to God
that she has come so far, special prayers for Lobinho and Joanna that God would
continue to fill them with peace for this major step forward for
Nicole.
7) Andy and Katie - for a safe trip,
especially that Katie will handle it well, for a confirmation on the apartment,
for the setting up of the apartment and language class scheduling, for
adjustment and dealing with all of the new experiences, for building of
relationships with people they meet in the city and with the CLM staffs and
children.
8) Zsuzsa (Viktória´s sister) - will
be spending 4 days at CLM Turvo. May she have a special reunion with Luiz and
Aninha who she met in Hungary when they visited and also with Edit (friend and
translator), for an understanding of the ministry there, for building of
relationships, for completing the projects lined up for her.
9) Luquinho - that his heart would
listen to truth that he is a very intelligent and capable boy and that he could
make good choices based on that truth.
10) Cristiane - for major inner
healing, for overcoming of the affects of her traumas and abuse, for the few
visits she will be having with her mother, for spiritual growth, for her
relationships, for her school work that she could be free to do her
best.
11) Maria Luiza - her adoption
should be coming up soon and couples will be sent to see her. We assume it will
probably only take one couple, so may it be the one that God has chosen for
her. May God prepare her and all of us for this bittersweet
parting.
12) Nanette and Fran - for safe
travels, for renewing of friendships and making of new ones for Fran, for a
sweet encounter with Lizena for Nanette and wonderful experiences at CLM, for
good health and safety during their entire stay.
13) Mesa Brasil - is a program to
collect and then distribute to institutions vegetables and fruits. Praise God
for the wonderful blessings we receive from Mesa Brasil.
CLM
TURVO:
Last Thursday, I went to Turvo and it
was so good to hear Luiz and Aninha share about their experiences in Minas
Gerais. Most of Luiz´s family live on a large lot in a small town outside of
Belo Horizante. They are simple, but well known and liked and with much
influence in their town. When Luiz´s family arrived they had a big sign
welcoming them. They also had reporters and the entire town knew what was going
on. They were received with much love and affection. His sister, Vania who was
about 4 years old when Luiz disappeared, remembers well that day. Luiz was
usually on the streets causing trouble with a bunch of other boys around his
age. The police had taken him home several times. The day arrived in which
they did not take him home, but took him to an orphanage. That day, his mother
had locked Luiz and his two younger sisters in the house and left. Luiz did his
usual, he jumped out the window. Vania remembers seeing him run off. He never
came home again. She had a pair of shorts of his, which she saved for a long
time, trying to secure Luiz´s smell. Their mother tried to find him, but Luiz
had been transferred to several different orphanages until he ended up in
Nepomuceno, over 3 hours from Belo Horizante. His mother started drinking more
than she had before and eventually died of alcoholic poisoning at the age of
33. His father had 3 more boys after that.
Luiz´s family members for the most
part do not know the Lord. They all are on their second marriage. They are
amazed at how Luiz passed through so much in his life and has become the person
he is. All of those other boys, who he discovered were his cousins, have all
died or been murdered. He has the same wife, a beautiful family, and is
doing the Lord´s work. They admire him and desire to make the long trip to
Paraná for a visit. They actually desired all of them to move there to be
close, after so much separation. It was tempting, but gave him the opportunity
to share that he knows his calling and needs to be faithful to his God. Please
continue to pray for Luiz and his family as they sort out the amazing experience
that they have just passed through and for Luiz´s new found family that they may
come to know and love and serve the Lord Jesus Christ.
We have a correction on last week´s
Prayer Warrior letter. Loren and Joan Bunney´s trip is in March, not February.
A little misreading of the dates.
During this long holiday weekend, CLM
Turvo hosted a retreat. There were about 150 people and the Spirit was moving.
Seven people gave their lives to Jesus and many recommitted their lives to serve
Him. May the affects of God´s working bring even more fruits.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
1) Luiz and Aninha and family - that
the Lord would continue to sort out all of their emotions, for a growing
relationship with Luiz´s family, for salvation for them, for God´s protection
over all of them physically and spiritually, for continued divine orientation in
all they do.
2) Retreat - that the work of the
Holy Spirit in the lives of those who were on the retreat will continue to bring
growth, for a transformation in the lives of all those who are part of the CLM
Turvo family.
3) Swimming Pool Project
- praise God that Andy has experience in
installing swimming pools, for the donations necessary for the installation of
the swimming pool, for God´s protection over the pool always.
4) CLM Students - God´s preparation
for the starting of school, that all our students would be motivation and
dedicated having a successful year.
5) More awareness and financial
support for CLM Turvo - that more people would become interested in the ministry
and our financial needs.
6) Fabio and Edit - for continual
adjustment and the working of the Lord in their lives, for development of their
ministries, for development of all relationships and the breaking down of all
barriers.
7) Natalia - that the Lord would
renew her everyday, filling her with joy, purpose, and conviction, for God´s
working and blessings on all of her relationships, God´s direction in all she
does.
May God pour out His rewards to all
the CLM Prayer Warriors for their faithfulness and diligence.
rejoicing,
Mary
