CHRISTMAS 2008CAMPO 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.
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
