The Road Is Not Easy

While in Haiti last week we had the privilege of worshipping at a church in Picot.  One of the songs they sang is titled “The Road Is Not Easy”  It explains their faith and contentment in Christ in spite of difficult circumstances.  Are we who have so much content in Christ?

Chemen an pa fasil – The road is not easy
Jouk nou rive Genyen nan siel la – Until we arrive in Heaven
Li genyen pikan e piej anpil, – It has prickly problems and many obstacles
Chemin an pa fasil – The road is not easy
Men Jezi mache ak nou – But Jesus walks with us
Li rann ke nou tout a fe trankil – He makes our hearts full of peace

Ke: – Chorus
Non, non, chemen an pa fasil (bis) – No, No, the road is not easy (2x)
Men Jezi mache ak nou – But Jesus walks with us
Li pote fado nou – He carries our burdens
Gras Li fe ke nou rejuoi anpil – His Grace makes our hearts rejoice

Homes For Haiti

Thank you to all who have prayed for us and provided financially for our trip to Haiti.  We leave Thursday, January 4, 2012.  During our time in Haiti we hope to build four homes.  Four families will move into a new home in the next two weeks.  Praise God!

Homes for Haiti from Reciprocal Ministries INTL on Vimeo.

Good News Of Great Joy!

Yea, for it was removal of punishment,
and remission of sins,
and “righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption,”
and adoption, and an inheritance of Heaven,
and a relationship unto the Son of God,
which he came declaring unto all;
to enemies, to the perverse,
to them that were sitting in darkness.

What then could ever be equal to these good tidings?

God on earth, man in Heaven;
and all became mingled together,
angels joined the choirs of men,
men had fellowship with the angels, and with the other powers above:
and one might see the long war brought to an end,
and reconciliation made between God and our nature,
the devil brought to shame, demons in flight,
death destroyed, Paradise opened,
the curse blotted out, sin put out of the way,
error driven off, truth returning,
the word of godliness everywhere sown, and flourishing in its growth,
the polity of those above planted on the earth,
those powers in secure intercourse with us,
and on earth angels continually haunting,
and hope abundant touching things to come.

Therefore he hath called the history good tidings,
forasmuch as all other things surely are words only without substance;
as, for instance, plenty of wealth, greatness of power, kingdoms,
and glories, and honors, and whatever other things among men are accounted to be good:
but those which are published by the fishermen would be legitimately and properly called good tidings:
not only as being sure and immoveable blessings, and beyond our deserts,
but also as being given to us with all facility.

For not by laboring and sweating,
not by fatigue and suffering,
but merely as being beloved of God,
we received what we have received.

- Chrysostom, from his homilies on Matthew

Remembering 9/11

9/11 Ten Years Later from Sujo John Ministries on Vimeo.

RODRIGUES NEWSLETTER

Novo Demini, Brazil
August 6th, 2011

Dear Friends,

This time we send our greetings from our little corner of the world, the Novo Demini Village. There are 330 Novo Demini Theli (inhabitants) plus two missionary families and the health workers. That’s quite small if it was compared to a little town but when you are all squished into an area of less than a half of a square mile it can get to be quite overwhelming. Everyone knows everyone else’s businesses and our house seems to be on the main highway. I usually don’t even have to leave my front porch to hear the latest gossip and that’s when the two parties are not actually having their powwows right in front of our house.  We are so grateful for all God did and supplied for us last year when we were on furlough and now we are just glad to be settled in again here at Novo Demini.  Like I mentioned above sometimes it can get quite overwhelming but this is where God’s will has brought us and we are happy to be in the center of His will.

In our last Newsletter we asked you all to pray for our trip from
Anápolis to Manaus. We are glad to report that our trip was uneventful and we made it fine to Manaus. Our car also arrived safely and Praise Be to our God that everything we put in it was there when we picked it up. Only God could do such a perfect job of taking care of everything. We also had a very good trip up to Boa Vista. We had heard terrible stories about the conditions of the roads, but it was one of the best trips we have ever had from Manaus to Boa Vista.  We’ve been back o Novo Demini ever since the 10th of May. It took us a while to get our house back in order but we finally did. João is very allergic so it’s not just get back and put everything back in its place. Most everything had to be washed first.  There is no such thing as spring cleaning here, we have to do that almost every week or we just won’t survive. We had had most of our luggage that we brought back with us, sent up the river.  We finally received them around a month after we got here, so then we had some more to organize and find a place for. Our house is quite small so it’s an art to keep everything organized. Everything has to have its place and everything has to stay in its place. That can get to be quite challenging when you have a six and a three year old.  We all went through an adapting period when we got back but I think it
was the hardest for Nathan, our oldest. He still can’t quite understand why there are so many people watching his every move, why they laugh when he gets hurt and so many things that are just so different in this culture. I think it made it a lot easier on him though as our co-worker has a son just about his age and they get along really well.  Ryan just tags along and tries to imitate everything his older brother does. Nathan also has started kindergarten so that keeps him busy part of the day.  João has been out a lot with the people and working at getting back to where he was in the language. Relationship is very important in this culture and a must if you plan to somehow teach or influence them. As I write this letter he is on a boat trip down river to a small town called Barcelos. He went to help the Novo Demini people in the process of registering the Novo Demini School. He left on the 28th of July and hopes to be back by the 9th of this month. It was a 4 day trip down river and he hopes to make it back up in six. The boys and I are here praying for God’s protection for him and the 4 Yanomami men who are with him.  There is another missionary couple with us so we are not alone.
God has taken care of the boys and me and we are happy this time of
separation is coming to an end. I don’t know how many of you already know it but I’m expecting our third child. We still do not know if it will be another boy or a girl. My due date is the 4th of October. Due to this fact I’ve been a little slower than normal. I’ve had my high energy days and no energy days (Ha!!!), but Praise the Lord I have been well so far.  As the weeks go by I get a little slower but I’m sure it’s all to be expected and within the normal. Plans are for us to fly out to Boa Vista on the 20th of September, so we
will have a few days to get everything ready for the baby’s arrival
sometime around the beginning of October. We are so glad that João’s mother will be flying up from central Brazil to be with us during the time we are out. She will be a big help with the baby, the boys and just a blessing to have her with us.

Thank you so much for your prayers and financial support of our
ministry! God bless each of you! You are each a very important part of
our ministry!

Because of Jesus,

João, Hope, Nathan, Ryan & Baby

 

(UPDATE)

João Rodrigues [mailto:joao_rodrigues@ntm.org]
Enviada em: Monday, August 22, 2011 7:28 PM
Para: Grace Fread
Assunto: Rodrigues Newsletter

Dear Friends,

As you can see it's been a few days since I wrote this Newsletter. Sorry /it'staken me so long to get it out. I hope there is still a bit of
extra news maybe you hadn't heard of earlier. João made it back safely from Barcelos one day earlier than expected. It was a pleasant surprise!!  We have a little less than a month to go to Boa Vista to get ready for the baby's arrival.

Hope you are all well!!

If any of you would like to send us an e-mail please be sure and send it less than 20 kbites and please erase our message and only send yours so the e-mail will be smaller.

Update From Hope Rodrigues

Novo Demini
August 4th, 2011

Dear Members of the Loomis E-Free Church,

By now I imagine you've already received the update I asked mom to send out for me. João left last Thursday on a trip down river to Barcelos. He arrived around 10 o'clock Sunday morning. Hopefully he will be starting his journey back today. He's done this trip 2 other times and one time it took him 9 days back up river and the second time he was able to make it back in 6 days. He is planning on making it in 6 days if all goes well this time.

The boys and I are fine PTL!!! We sure miss him though. With the boys there is never a dull moment and hardly a minute goes by without them chattering away. I know it would be a lot harder for me if I was alone, even though they are a lot of work I love them for it. There is also one other missionary couple here with us.

Nathan is in Kindergarten and it has been fun teaching him. He is all excited to learn. Ryan has those days he wants to study and those he just wants to play so I just let him decide. He is only 3.

The work here is going well. We have a group of around 50 that confess their faith in Christ. We do know though that they still need a lot of teaching. Unfortunately our co-worker that was at a level for teaching moved down river to Barcelos. João has felt a big burden as it is now up to him to get to a level in the language to be able to teach. He is already at a good level but still lacks a little to be able to teach. The other missionary couple with us is responsible for maintenance and doesn't have to study the language. Pray that God will continue to encourage João's heart.

Please pray also for our Yanomami school here. The reason for João's trip to Barcelos was to talk to one of the government organizations that is responsible for the schools in our area. From a quick e-mail I received from him, after he arrived in Barcelos, I'm not sure how it all worked out.

Plans are for us to stay in the tribe until the 20th of September. Then we will be flying out to Boa Vista to get everything ready for the baby. My due date is the 4th of October.

Thank you so much for your prayers and financial support of our ministry!

Because of Jesus, João, Hope, Nathan, Ryan & Baby

Prayer request from Hope Rodrigues in the Amazon

Novo Demini, July 28th, 2011

Dear Friends,

This is Hope, hope you are all fine! Just wanted to send you all a quick update and ask you to be praying for João.

He left this morning around 9:30 our time. He is headed down river in a boat with 4 Yanomami Indians from Novo Demini. They are going to a small town called Barcelos. The purpose of this trip is to help the Yanomami people from Novo Demini resgister the school here. He took all the documents we think are necessary but pray they don't ask for something he doesn't have.  One of the four going with him is a teacher and another is a leader of our community.

They left today Thursday the 28th and he hopes to get to Barcelos on
Sunday the 31st. He will be spending three days in Barcelos and head
back on the 4th. He hopes to make it back on the 9th or 10th if all goes as planned.

Pray for His safety and for the safety of the 4 Yanomami that went with him. Pray for the boat to run perfectly and that we will continue to get lots of rain for the river to continue high. It makes for a lot smoother sailing.

Pray for the boys and I as we await his return. We have one other
missionary couple here with us, who also has 2 children, so we are not
alone. Pray nothing will happen out of the ordinary while he is gone.
Pray for our safety also!! Pray no weird critters like snakes, bats,
rats, or tarantulas will appear while he is gone. I'm still a whimp and
João is always our hero when it comes to killing the above.

Praise the Lord so far all is well with my pregnancy. We have a flight
set for the 20th of September to go to town for the baby to be born. The baby is due on the 4th of October.

I hope to send a more complete update out in the next few weeks, but just wanted you all to be praying for our family in these next few days!!

Please pray for our e-mail system as twice we have had problems with it since we have been in the tribe this time. Last time was even more serious and so pray it works until we go to town for our baby to be born.

Because of Jesus, Hope4us5

 

(A Second Request and Update)

Hello again, this one will be real quick.

Just wanted to let you know I got an e-mail from Joao saying he is safe in Barcelos,

Pray for the school situation as he didn't give details but he sounded
like it might not work out or be hard don't know any details. Pray God
will be giving him wisdom as he speaks with the secretaria lady today.

Hope

PS pray as I left a trantula un-killed last night. He was up high in the
office last night so when I tried to get him down to burn him he escaped up above the plastic. I'm hoping he will come down again and I can kill him. so far I had slept like a baby but I think because of that last night I kept waking up afraid he was going to go in the boys room. We are all fine though. Ryan is crabby and needing a nap so will try and get an early dinner so he can take a nap and still sleep at night. I need to do laundry and then try and get started on thanking my vouchers and still get a newsletter ready to go for the 10th before Joao gets back.