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.