and GOOD NEWS from Prague too!

We also received news from the Rettigs (who are on furlough in the US this summer)...

Proverbs 25:25  As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country.

Spiritual birth and physical birth was the news we received from Prague.

Pavel has been preaching regularly in our Pribram services and does a tremendous job. He and his wife, Jana, and faithful Tomas go every week to minister to the small group there. Last week Pavel reports… “But the evening was not over yet....Jana spoke to the lady, Jana,  who was coming for studies and she was concerned about the salvation. We were just about to leave (it was 7:30 already) and she wanted to pray...So we went to study the Bible, to understand what is Salvation and what is the purpose for our salvation. We stayed together (2 more hours) with my wife and Zdenka and taught about sin, repentance, faith in HIM. She was clear on everything and ready so we prayed for salvation and I do believe she is really saved. First person with whom I prayed for salvation..I am so glad Zdenka was there as well. She was crying with joy after we finished and we sang songs...”
Praise the Lord for the second lady in Pribram to be saved and for faithful Zdenka, baptized in May, who is a “Lydia” in that city.


Congratulations to Monika and Roman Kratky on the birth of their son, Simon (She mon)  on June 23rd. Simon weighed in at 4kg, 51cm  (8 lbs. 13 oz. and 21 inches). We praise the Lord for another added blessing to the church in Prague.
Emilie

monkey tales from Brasil :-)

Coelho email still not working... but the phone must!  :-)

 

Hi everyone - just some tidbits "as the monkey swings through" (literally one was found outside Coelho's front door when they returned home today).  It was a full grown dust pan size monkey, and everyone had their picture taken with it.  The monkeys usually do not come through this area until August and then not very many are seen. 

 

Everyone now has a great tan and loved the sand dunes and the beach. Riding in a dune buggy along the beach was a big highlight of their overnight stay at Morro Branco.  On the way back to the sitio (Coelho's home and retreat center), they decided to make another trip to the beach outside Fortaleza for more souvenir hunting.  An exhausted group was ready to call it a day after that excursion.

 

Your youth and their sponsors will be leaving for the airport in Fortaleza around 12:30 p.m. Friday.  Hopefully they will be able to sleep on the long flight home.  Yes, home!!  What stories they will have to tell.  Can't wait to hear them, myself (Fran).

 

Shari and Valdez want to thank all of you immensely for allowing your young people to come visit them and their children and see first hand what mission work is like in Northeast Brazil.  Keep praying for fruit from the English immersion camp and for the Lord's working in the lives of your youth.

 

Thanks also for the youth bringing all Valdez's study books, the gifts and clothing sent from friends and family.

 

Glad to send this to all of you.  Fran 

 

update from Brasil ~ last few days

Latest from Brazil via Mrs. Coelho's mom...

Hi everyone - just to let you know that Shari called Jim and I last night after 10:30 and asked us to relay a message to each of you.  They have been having problems sending and receiving emails for a few days. 

Tuesday they took it easy.  Shari took 2 groups of teens to a local grocery store to purchase items for themselves and items for them to take home.   No fancy supermarket and quite an eye opener.

The teens went to a very small (60 students), extremely poor public school for a couple of hours.  There they taught some English to the students (K4 through 3rd grade), gave out wordless bracelets, gave the gospel message, and prayed with them.  This is a school that cannot afford to purchase a soccer ball nor do they have a playground (just a small patch of cement in the hot sun).  It is a typical government school. 

Lunch was at a Brazilian restaurant with lots of good Brazilian food.  Afterwards they went to the largest new modern shopping mall in Fortaleza. 

They walked out on the beach and watched the sun set (6 p.m. daily) from the boardwalk.   Such a georgeous sight!!

There will be no updates to you until they return from their overnight outing to Morro Branco
and the Dunes!!!!  Last great experience before returning to the States.

Thanks for letting us report to you.  Keep praying for God's working in their hearts, for health, safety, and witnessing opportunities.



And from Giselle (foreign exchange student back in the day and good friend of one of the other moms of our group) via facebook  (See, facebook IS good for something!)...

The place is so beautiful, the sunset, the time of the day.Then, after the sunset all the group went to step their feet on the water, it was so warm.I enjoyed watching them so happy playing, laughing, having fun by the water, by the the waves. It was really a very special and happy day for everybody. Jessica told me that they have a tight schedule.Today, Wednesday, they are going to a nearby beach called Morro Branco, to visit the colored hard sand cliffs. My family and I went there three weeks ago. It is such a beautiful place. The group will love it. Jessica told me that they will arrive home on Saturday, late at night. 

I think Monday was the day of rest and grocery shopping, and Tuesday was lunch in Fortaleza after visiting the school.  Tonight they will be in Morro Branco.  Friday night they fly back to the US (home late Saturday, Lord willing).

photo credit:  http://wanderlustfood.blogspot.com/2008/11/lunch-on-beach-morro-branco-brazil.html

Thank you for praying with us!  

As one of my children at home commented yesterday after counting the days until the older kids return...

"After a few days, you start to miss them!" 

daybook 6/20/2011

 

FOR TODAY  

Monday, June 20, 2011

    

 

Outside my window...

the Cowgirl has Valerie (the calf) out of the pasture for some halter training and grazing (and fun)

the garden is growing nicely  (and yes, so are the weeds)

 

I am thinking…

about picking strawberries tomorrow and hoping the weather will cooperate nicely.  Actually I’m thinking about the FUN it will be to go with a couple friends and all our available kids!  :-)  …and hoping we bring some berries home too.

 

I am thankful to God …

that His grace is sufficient.

for my wonderful husband who was willing to grill for us yesterday ~ It was a delicious and relaxing meal with some of my family.

for a quick phone call from Miss Artist this morning  :-)  Chatty as ever about the sweet Brazilians she’s met ~ not a word about tarantulas or snakes!

 

I am praying for...

... the Rettigs and the church in Prague ~ currently on furlough for this summer ~ I’m hoping we can see them! :-)

… the sale of my mother-in-law’s home

… Amber’s dad

… Grant S.

… people who live and work in Japan

… Cinnamon ~ her Army hubby is in Afghanistan, her Marine son is home from Japan!

… Amy W., a young wife/mom with cancer

… Sarita & Jeff need visas for their return to Israel

… our group in Brazil – in spite of delayed luggage and native creepy critters, they have had a great English Retreat the past weekend – more ministry and touring to come this week before they travel home again

… my cousin’s little guy, 9mo Callan ~ He had surgery to begin correcting his health issues; they are also preparing to move across the country in a few months

… Michelle B., recovering still from her gall bladder surgery  :-\  

… folks in Joplin, MO, and along the Missouri River ~ so hard hit with tornadoes and flooding this year

… the A Family, on furlough from their field of ministry ~ such a blessing to see them again!

… the H Family and the home-going of a dear saint, Letha

… Gina’s family ~ in their loss of Jason as he rescued his own children from drowning

… Lea’s dad ~ in the midst of a serious health crisis

… Kari’s dad ~ having by-pass surgery on Wednesday

… Amy ~ serving as the Head Cook at RRBC for a few weeks and wearing a boot after cracking her foot!

… Laura

 

… and especially marriages ~ meant to last a lifetime

 

From the learning rooms...

Brazil… Brazil… Brazil…

I need to return dvds we are finished with … and make next year’s enrollments with A Beka

  

From the kitchen... 

leftovers from yesterday:  hamburgers, hot dogs, marinated turkey tenderloins, potato salad, flaxseed corn chips, hummus, pineapple salsa (my sister likes to shop Trader Joe’s), Symphony Tier Bars (yum!)

ripe bananas are calling… “Smoothie!”

 

I am creating...

a strong desire to join my hubby on his trip to Missouri next month  (I saw pics of the hotel)

 

I am going...

to take my young girls to help me clean the farm office … this afternoon  (an hour ago?)

 

I am reading...

for a summer Sunday school class ~ Choosing Forgiveness by Nancy Leigh DeMoss

                                         

 

 

I am hoping...

multitudes of lovely strawberries find their way to my kitchen tomorrow, or at least sometime this week  :-)

 

I am hearing...

the Cattleman humming and singing as he plays with Matchbox cars in the basement…

For all the saints, who from their labors rest, 
who thee by faith before the world confessed, 
thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest. 
Alleluia, Alleluia! 

We’ve been listening to Hale & Wilder   :-)

Around the house...

I for one am impressed  :-)  We removed a lot of the clutter on Saturday as we prepared for Sunday ~ at least shifted it to the basement… ahem.  And did some dusting.  We are amazing!  ha ha

 

One of my favorite things...

feeding a hungry crowd good food

 

  Someday maybe we’ll open a stand at the State Fair?

 

Pondering these words...

from yesterday’s Father’s Day message, directed to us as children of our heavenly Father.  Good job, Lance!

 

My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:   For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.  Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:  So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. 

Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.  It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.  Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.

My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction:  For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.

Proverbs 3:1-12

 

A few plans for the rest of the week:

Early to bed, early to rise…  Trying to establish a new habit before my oldest teens come home!

 

Here is a picture for thought... 

the Popper and her good friend at VBS ~ Crazy Hat Day with a NASCAR theme

(photo by Sarah)

FYI for Felicity:  the straw hat came from my niece who studied in SA!

One of these days I’ll get the pics off of my own camera…

   

 

  ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord,

that thou fulfil it.

Colossians 4:17

  ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

 

~ Find more Daybooks at Peggy's ~

 

PS… Here’s the link to pictures of the Coelhos camp

update from Brasil June 19

And tonight's e-mail...

English Weekend Retreat is over, our Sunday night church service is over, and we are all looking forward to a relative day of peace and quiet tomorrow!  We will take a trip or two to the grocery store to buy food for the rest of the trip, however.  Some of the girls are interested in seeing a typical grocery store.

 

Our church service went great with three teens giving their testimony, everyone singing several songs in English and one in English and Portuguese (they did great!), and Pastor Saylor preaching with Pastor Valdez translating (he did great, too!).  We were served a beef broth soup--very delicious, and everyone stayed afterwards for over an hour trying to talk to each other in broken English, words in Portuguese, sign language, and lots of translation!  Even Johanna (8) was talking about how she had to go from group to group helping people talk to each other!  But it was a great night and the young people of both countries enjoyed themselves!

 Again, here's the link to some pics of the camp ~ Click here!

update from Brasil June 18

Here's what we received from Mrs. Coelho tonight  :-)

Hello, families of really brave teens!

 

Snakes, tarantulas, frogs, and bugs--these are just some of the wild things your teens encountered just today!!  The frog snake was found on the sink in the girls' bathroom--Mrs, Saylor tried valiantly to kill the thing with a broom or something (never was quite sure what it was)--but finally decided to get some help!!  :>)   Tarantulas were found this morning in the girls' dorm and in the boys' dorm on some other days!  It's been exciting--and, to be honest, we're soooo glad they are experiencing some of the things we experience on a day-to-day basis as missionaries here in Brazil!!

 

On to ministry experiences,  this has been an excellent day!  Your teens did a fine job in their English teaching classes--as each one had an opportunity to teach and present a part of the lesson.  I'm seeing them interacting so well with the Brazilian campers.  It takes a fair amount of patience and ingenuity to talk to strangers in your language in a way that they can understand!  I've been so proud of them. 

 

Tomorrow is our last camp day--we will have Sunday School and church service in our chapel in the morning with a bit of free time before lunch, and then free time until 2:00 pm when everyone goes home.  Then, a quick "rehearsal" for church Sunday night and most likely a fast nap!!!!!  Church starts at 7:00 pm our time.  I know our church people are quite anxious to have the American team with them tomorrow night.

 Chapel at the camp

answered prayer!

Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.

 I've received "official" word confirming that the missing luggage was picked up TODAY from the airport ~ I'm thinking I have some very happy girls in Brazil!  :D

woohoo, now on with the mission!