Brazil River of Life Ministries (Jeff, Monica and Isaac Fife)

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