FEBRUARY 2009
CAMPO LIMPO PAULISTA – SÃO PAULO – BRAZIL

But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him." But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved. (Hebrews 10.38-39NVI).

DEAR PRAYER PARTNERS AND SUPPORTERS,

Greetings from your co-workers to the Portuguese-Speaking World!

2008 was probably the most difficult year for us since we arrived in December 2001 to work in Brazil. Monica's health was a big issue, but we are so thankful that she is doing so well after the tumor was removed from her brain. She is not back 100% to what she used to be, but is at least about 75%. With all the stress we went through last year my (Jeff) health did not hold up and I had to take some time off in January and go through a health treatment. I'm feeling a lot better.

When we finished our 2008 Audit Financial Report, for the first time in all the years serving our Lord, RLM (River of Life Ministries) had a net loss of ($1,499.95) US Dollar. By the first of each month we usually have the amount needed for that month.

As the Hebrew writer wrote "we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved". Since we live by faith, we are even stronger in our faith and assurance of our call. And we will not retreat, for our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4.17-18).

HERE ARE SOME REASONS FOR PRAISING OUR LORD:

Women's Convention - On the first weekend of December Monica spoke at the first Christian Church/Church of Christ Women's Convention for the Southeast of Brazil. At this opportunity they asked her to give her testimony of how God brought her through the surgery. It was a very emotional service; Monica spoke about each step she went through from the day we discovered she had the brain tumor, to the present. For each moment, God gave her a scripture verse and a song. As she shared, she played the piano and sang the songs.

The Convention was a blessing; 96 women were registered.

Couples' Ministry - Every other Monday, Monica and I meet with the couples at the CLP (Campo Limpo Paulista) Church and teach them a marriage course. Last semester we taught on Building Your Marriage and 17 couples participated. To end the course we had a special dinner. This ministry has been a true blessing for us and the couples.

Christmas Celebration - Each year one of the ministries at the CLP church, is responsible for the Christmas Celebration. This time was the Children's Ministry opportunity. Monica worked with them and they presented a beautiful cantata.

Southeast Leadership Meeting - On the last Saturday of 2008 we promoted a lunch meeting for leaders from all the Christian Churches/Churches of Christ for the Southeast of Brazil. At this meeting I spoke on the topic: How Much is Your Reputation Worth? We had leaders from 6 churches and we made an agenda to meet 4 times in 2009 and we will promote the first Christian Church/Church of Christ Southeast of Brazil Convention in October of this year.

New Year's Eve Service - It is a Brazilian custom to end the old year & start the new, praying at the church. Our service at CLP started at 10 p.m., & after the service we had a New Year Feast.

12 Days of Purpose - Each day represents a month of the year. Our purpose in promoting these 12 Days of Purpose is to thank the Lord for the New Year and to honor Him with the "first fruits" of the year asking Him to bless and use us in each and every month of 2009. We started on Monday 5th and ended on Friday 16th. I preached on "The 12 Keys to Have Your Prayers Answered". We average 98 per day in attendance during these 12 days. That's amazing; when we promoted the fist 12 Days of Purpose in 2006, we averageed only 28 per day in attendance.

Wedding Anniversary - Monica and I celebrated our 20th Wedding Anniversary on Jan 7th. It was a great opportunity to go out and celebrate!

Koinonia - Fellowship (Jan 17) - After the 12 Days of Purpose the whole church at CLP spent the Saturday at a ranch where we had some Brazilian barbeque, and lots of recreation.

Vacation (Jan 19 through 20) - We took a 10-day vacation, but we stayed home most of the time. The purpose was to rest and have some time for the family. We did lots of "fixing" around the house; Roger has become a great helper and is doing a lot of the work himself.

Wedding (Jan 24) - Monica's cousin Renata got married and we went to her wedding in Ribeirão Preto, a city about 260 miles from our home. It was great to see many of Monica's relatives, many of whom we saw 20 years ago at our wedding.

Back to School - Roger and Isaac started their school, after a nice summer vacation, on Monday Jan 26. Roger is a sophomore in High School and Isaac is a 7th grader. Roger intends to move to the USA in 2010 to finish High School and pursue his college studies there.

CLP Church Anniversary (Jan 30 through Feb 1) - The CLP Church celebrated its 4th anniversary. We planted this church in Jan, 2005. When we started we were a courageous bunch, totalling 11. Now we have 130 members! This church is ready to plant a new congregation in Jundiai this year. On Friday Jan 30th we had a well-known praise band blessing us with their music.

On Saturday Jan 31, we had the participation of praise bands from churches in Campinas, Campos Eliseos, Itapevi and Pirituba. Our speaker this year was Brother Carlos Queiroz. Brother Carlos is the Executive Director for World Vision in Brazil and Minister at the Christian Church/Church of Christ in Fortaleza in the Northeast.

Global Women Connecting - Since the 2012 World Convention will be in Brazil, the Global Women Connecting needed a Brazilian President. Monica was honored to be chosen by the Brazilians to be the president. Pray that she will be able to fulfill her responsibilities.

Youth Outreach - At Pirituba's church on Saturday, Feb 14. At this event the Youth from CLP, Carrãozinho, Itapevi and Pirituba participate.

HERE ARE SOME SPECIFIC PRAYER REQUESTS & UPCOMING EVENTS:

Mozambique Mission Trip - Roger and I will be traveling to Mozambique Saturday, Feb 21 and we will be returning Tuesday, Mar 3. The purpose for this trip is to encourage and see the work in Mozambique. I have dreamed of taking Roger with me to Mozambique before he moves to the USA in 2010. Through the generosity of God's people, we received all the funds needed for this trip; we serve a Mighty God. We will meet Brother John Leech, from Seymour Heights Christian Church, on our way to Mozambique. We hope to take a couple of days to visit Shawn and Sarah Gardener in South Africa.

New Church Plant - Starting now we are raising funds to plant a new congregation in Jundiai, SP. Jundiai is a city located about 13 miles from CLP Church and has a population of about half a million. We are forming a team of 30 from the church in CP to plant this new congregation. We will need $10,000 (US Dollar) to start this new church. This money will be used to rent a building (we'll need three months for deposit), plus we'll need to buy chairs, sound equipment, instruments, children's materials and etc.

2009 Furlough - We are happy to announce that we will be leaving Brazil on Friday, June 26 and will be staying in the USA for 45 days, returning to Brazil on Monday, August 3. We would like to visit all of our upporters, friends and family if possible. So PLEASE get in touch with us as soon as possible so we can work out our agenda. Thanks!

Please Pray - We need your prayers! Pray for our family, health and ministry, that the Lord will use us for His honor and glory! We are praying for you! May the Lord give you wisdom and courage to do His will in your life!

Your prayers and financial support are vital for our lives and ministry! Thanks for your prayers and support!

God is good all the time and all the time God is Good!
In HIS Love and Service,
Jeff, Monica, Roger, and Isaac Fife

CHRISTMAS 2008
CAMPO LIMPO PAULISTA – SÃO PAULO – BRAZIL

She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,because he will save his people from their sins. (Mathew 1.21NVI).

DEAR PRAYER PARTNERS AND SUPPORTERS,

Grace and Peace from your co-workers to the Portuguese-Speaking World!

As Christmas and the end of this year approach, we're working and trying to get everything done before the end of the year. I (Jeff) am dedicating my time to write all the receipts and submit a report for the ministry. This year has been a very different one for us; we've been through new and hard experiences. I confess, it was very hard for us to go through Monica's surgery.

The boys had a hard time at school; their minds were on their Mommy, so they weren’t as dedicated as they're used to being, but thank God they passed and are enjoying summer school vacation. Roger and Isaac are both playing basketball and Isaac is very good in soccer. They're very active at the local church. Both play drums for the worship team, and Roger helps teach his Sunday School class. When we started the Bible College Roger asked permission to study, and since classes are on Saturdays we decided to allow him to study, even though he's still in high school. He's doing a great job; who knows, He may be a 5th generation of preachers in our family.
Monica is doing well, although she's still a long way from how she used to be (if in fact she'll ever be able to do all she used to be able to do). She loves the Lord and works for His Kingdom with the same dedication she always did. She is as sweet as ever!
The church in Campo Limpo Paulista, where we're directly involved, has matured a lot during this year - a growth of 30%! All the other churches under RLM (River of Life Ministries) grew; in October, we even planted a new church in the Northeast.

It's always hard for me to speak about myself, but at this time I need your prayers. Since July when we returned from our 10-day vacation, I had pneumonia; my health just isn't the same anymore. My nerves & immune system are very weak. After many exams the doctors concluded that my stress level is very high and I need some medical treatment and some vacation. According to the doctors, it's the stress of our work, plus the stress of being held at gunpoint. For those who don't know I was held at gun point twice during the last few years. Once, while I was teaching in the Bible College in Campinas about 35 miles from our home, three young men tried to kidnap me; they held a .38 to my chest, but thank God they only took the car. Then later, while I was preaching in the Northeast of Brazil, the bus I rode during the night from one city to the next was hijacked, and for 3 hours they held a 12 gauge to my head during the whole time. Now, with Monica's surgery, it all added up to more than enough to make me stressed out. I'm full of dreams and goals for 2009, and God willing, we'll plant a new church in Jundiai by March of 2009 . . . and we'll need your help for this to happen. Please pray!

God allowed us to make a down payment and finance a home, so now we're no longer paying rent. For this reason we moved. The house we're buying is very small, but God willing, it will be ours after a few years of payments. It's located 5 miles from the church at Campo Limpo Paulista, outside the city; for this reason we had no internet access for 2 months. We tried every type of internet access, but found none that would work, because of being outside the city. The reason we bought a home in the country was the price; in the city it would cost 50% more and the down payment we had saved through the years for this purpose wasn't very much. Finally, we're able to connect to the internet through the cell phone, so now we are back in communication through internet.

We're sorry to announce, we can't come to the USA in January. We’ ad planned to come, and were looking forward to the opportunity to see each one of you, but here are our reasons for not coming at this time: The tickets for the dates we needed were sold out. We could only get tickets for January 15 or later, which was too late for us; the boys will be back to school February 2nd. Even though we've saved for this trip, we didn't have the total amount needed, and at present, the ministry is in the red, so we used our travel money to sustain the ministry. (My health doesn't permit me to travel at present, either.) Hope you understand our position and can wait a few more months for us to come. We plan to leave Brazil June 26, and return August 10, 2009; so please start scheduling a date for us to come over and visit you during the summer. Sorry to disappoint!

Even though I've been weak, God has been strong and has done mighty things through our lives in the last few months. Thanks for supporting and praying for us! Your prayers and support are vital for our lives and ministry! Please pray for us!

Merry Christmas and a Blessed 2009!
Thanks for all you do for the Lord Jesus and His Kingdom!
Your prayers and financial support are vital for our lives and ministry! Thanks for your prayers and support!
God is good all the time and all the time God is Good!
In HIS Love and Service,
Jeff, Monica, Roger, and Isaac Fife