God's plans

Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

The consulate says that they have no new information on our visas.

Thanks for your prayers.

Prayer

Dear friends,
I recently shared with some of you that a friend in Brazil felt led to share Revelation 3:8 with us. We know God has opened the door for us to serve in Brazil. It just has to be in His timing. Monday I will be calling the consulate to check on the visas. If it is time, we are praying for the doors to be opened. If it isn't time, we are praying for the doors to be opened for service here as we wait. Please pray with us!

Jody

Revelation 3:8

:) I pray that God has been blessing you all, and that you have been a blessing to someone!
We went to Chicago Tuesday and took the name of the 2nd Brazilian church off of the visa applications. We decided that was the way to go, rather than trying to get the necessary letter from them in Brazil. Now, the people at the consulate said everything will be sent to Brazil, and we can check back in 4 weeks to see if we've been authorized.

A friend in Brazil emailed and said God had touched his heart to share Rev. 3:8 with us: "I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name." Praise God.

Boa tarde everyone. Good afternoon. Just thought we'd let everyone know that we are just waiting on the visas. We applied about 4 weeks ago and they said to check back in 6-8 weeks. They've called once asking for another paper from Brazil, which we are working on. The house is sold, we're debt free and packed. Please pray for God's will to be done in this situation.
We are living with my mom in Noblesville, but for the last week and a half, we've been staying with our friends the Colemans, in Frankfort. We had ballgames, doctor's appointments and VBS. Driving back and forth to Noblesville would cost a fortune. Don does it every day for work any way. We still have a couple of offers of places to stay here, and we may be calling those people and taking them up on the offer!
God is working on us, preparing us for what's to come. We are anxiously waiting! Maybe I should say, expectantly, not anxiously.
We'll let you know when we have a comissioning date, departure date, etc.

Father's Day

Hello Everyone! This is Maggie. Happy Father's day to all you Father out there. I just wanted to take a few minutes to say how blessed I am to have the Christian father that I have. We have had our rough times, but my mom says that it is because we are so much alike(scary right…just kidding). I really take that as a complement. My aunt was joking around the other day and said that my dad and uncle can talk to anyone for five minutes and know their blood type. I think that this is a gift that my dad has. There is just something about him that makes people feel so comfortable and relaxed around him.

I just wanted to thank him for all that he does for our family. I want to thank him for all the times that he dressed up in a wedding outfit or a hula skirt to dance at Emily's and my dance recitals. I want to thank him for being the arms that comforted me when I would fall and hurt myself when I was younger. I want to thank him for patiently teaching me how to drive even when I would drive about 50 miles per hour over railroad tracks, even after he told me to slow down about a thousand times. I want to thank him for being a Daddy to all of us kids even though he didn't have one to learn from when he was younger. You are an honorable man Daddy and I love you sooooo much. Happy Father's Day.

Treyton

Today Treyton got his Botox injections. He had to have general anesthesia, but it only took about 5 minutes. The injections were in the Achilles and the hamstring. The doctor thought it went very well. We have to follow up in 3 weeks. If it hasn't helped quite as much as the doctor thinks it should, then there is a muscle relaxer that he can prescribe. If it really doesn't help, then Treyton would need to have surgery. The doctor would rather wait until he is 6. That way he would probably only have to have 1 more surgery. If we do the surgery too young, then he would have to have several as he grows. He has to do stretches 2 times a day, and wear the brace at least 10 hours a day, and all night if possible until we go for the follow up. The goal is to have him walking correctly until he is about 15, and then he will always walk correctly.

Praise God that Chris, who does his orthotics, recommended this!!

Staying Strong

We did it! We applied. It was a difficult trip, and we did need two days to do it. They said to check back in 6-8 weeks. Please pray that the visas are authorized! It isn't guaranteed.

I was just thinking about how tired I am of this process. Then I read this:

Staying Strong
They returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith.Acts 14:21b-22In addition to some scientific definitions of "entropy," The American Heritage Dictionary also lists these: "a measure of the disorder or randomness in a closed system; inevitable and steady deterioration of a system or society." If you think of your life as a "closed system," you can easily see entropy at work: If left alone, does your life get increasingly more organized or increasingly more disorganized?In short, things just naturally run downhill. A large part of our life is spent maintaining things: our health, our property, our finances, and our relationships. Without injections of energy from us, they will deteriorate rapidly. And so will our spiritual life. Shortly after establishing new believers in the faith in towns in Asia Minor, Paul and Barnabas made a return trip to strengthen their faith, exhorting them to continue.Implication? They would naturally grow weak and discontinue their faith without efforts to the contrary. And so will we.Don't resent the work it takes to stay strong in the faith. The alternative is a faith so weak as to be unattractive and undesirable.All growth that is not towards God is growing to decay.
George MacDonald
Recommended Reading: Hebrews 10:24-25

Pray for us to stay strong!

Jesus promised His disciples three things: they would be completely fearless, absurdly happy, and in constant trouble.
G. K. Chesterton

Here we go...

It's 5:35 am, and we are about to leave for Chicago. Yesterday I made 154 copies to take with us. They need the originals, plus 2 copies of everything, and I made 1 copy for us to keep. Please be praying!

PTL

Praise the Lord! The papers have arrived. Tomorrow we will have them certified, and Thursday we will be on our way to Chicago.

Update

How beautiful is it out? We are enjoying the weather-longing for Brazil, but enjoying the weather.
We had a great vacation, and are now staying with my mom in Westfield. Our insurance paper was sent by Fed Ex yesterday. We'll see how Fed Ex does this time!! We did finally get the long awaited paper from Brazil, I don't' remember if I posted that. We hope to get the inusrance paper, have everything certified, and go to Chicago Thursday, God willing!
I have gotten 2 emails from Brazil in the last week or so. One is from the Brazilian evangelist, and one is from the young lady we hope will teach us Portuguese. This is exciting, because they don't go to the Internet cafe very often.
We close on the house house on Tuesday. Praise God!
We have some final paperwork and book keeping and paper work to be doing while we wait. Yuck. Not my favorite thing to do.
We hope to have a get-together before we go and would love to see you then. We'll let you know!

Mother's Day

Hey everyone! This is Maggie. I just wanted to share something about my Mommy for Mother's Day.

I have so many memories of my mommy growing up. One of my favorites and probably one of the earliest memories that I have of my mommy is waiting for her to come sometimes in the evening for what seemed like hours, just so I could hug her. One thing that I will never forget is how she smelled…I always thought that she smelled wonderful. I think that this is my first clear memory of looking at her and thinking this is my mommy, and she is beautiful.

When I started writing about what my mom meant to me, I immediately thought, what can I say? How do I even begin to describe someone so amazing, so beautiful, someone so important in my life? Someone that taught me how to read and write? Someone who has shown me God’s love since I was very young?

I could only try to describe her. My mommy is very short. So short that I think that I was taller than her by the time I was 12. She has the prettiest blue eyes and the brightest smile. She has the type of beauty that can only come from years of service to God and selfless love to her husband and children. She has the type of radiant beauty that comes from the inside out.

When my sister and I were about 2 and 3 she started going to a small Wesleyan church in Frankfort, because she wanted my sister and I to grow up in a church. It was in this church that my mom dedicated her life to Christ. It wasn’t always easy for her because my Daddy wasn’t a Christian. He said that it was OK for her to take my sister and I to church but she would have to do it on her own, because he had no interest in going to church or in God. Every Sunday she would lug my sister and I and later my brothers to church by herself, while my dad slept in or went golfing. I think that most women would have given up, but not my mom. She clung to the verse Acts 16:31, “ Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” My mom clung to this promise and prayed that my dad would someday find Christ.

I don’t think that I ever really appreciated or realized what a strong Christian my mom was when I was little. It wasn’t until I was a few years older that I realized how much my mom prayed for my family. She has this bible and inside on almost every page are the names of my Daddy, my brothers, my sister and I. She would find verses and promises in the Bible and claim them for each of us throughout the years.

After years and years of praying for my Dad he finally came to Christ and slowly one at a time after him each of us kids also came to Christ. That verse that my mom claimed and prayed about for years was finally fulfilled.

This journey has eventually brought us to where we are today. My whole family will soon be leaving to go to Brazil as missionaries. My dad who said he wanted nothing to do with God became an ordained Minster last weekend. The verse that we have claimed for our ministry is that same verse that my mom once claimed for our family. We hope and pray that we will be able to reach Obidos, Para, Brazil one family at a time.

My Mommy has faced many trials and at times I was the source of those trials. But despite these trials, my mother as remained firm in Christ. With each trial I have watched my Mommy grow stronger and more beautiful. The one thing that all this really comes down to is that I thank God for a wonderful mother. She is my hero. I am so blessed to have her as my mom and my friend. I doubt that I will ever became the women that she is, but I will never stop trying.

Lots of years have passed since I would stay up late, waiting to give her a hug. But those years have only increased my love and appreciation for her. In closing I would like to share some scripture that I have claimed for my mommy. Proverbs 31:28-29 says, “Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.”

Brazil papers

We have the long awaited papers from Brazil! There is a long and crazy Fed Ex story complete with a mad dash to Lafayette before closing time, and a mix up with 502 Main Ave., and 502 Main Street...but we have them. Now we just need the insurance papers.

We are staying with Jody's mom in Noblesville now. Tomorrow we leave for vacation. We are gong to Florida, and will be back on Friday. Hopefully the insurance paper will be here, and we'll be ready to close on the house. They were to appraise it today.

Seems like we're moving on!

Boa noite! Hope you are all doing well. We have had a whirlwind of activity lately. Last week we signed the purchase agreement for the house and ordered the title work. I hope we will be able to close this week. It would be wonderful to check that off the list!

Saturday Don went before the ordination council. He read his doctrinal statement and the pastors asked him questions for 2 hours. In the end, they recommended he be ordained. Sunday at North Salem with friends and family Don was ordained. We had a nice celebration afterward!

Our letters from Brazil and from the insurance company haven't come yet, so we had to cancel the trip to Chicago to apply for the visas. We hope to go next week. Believe me we will go a soon as possible! We may need to reschedule our vacation we had planned. We don't want to be gone when the papers come in!

Tomorrow Treyton turns 3!! We are having a little party for him. Cupcakes with candles.

We'll keep you updated. Thanks for your prayers.

Faith

God is not a man, that he should lie,

nor a son of man, that he should change his mind.

Does he speak and then not act?

Does he promise and not fulfill?

Numbers 23:19

Trust in him at all times, O people;

pour out your hearts to him,

for God is our refuge.

Selah

Psalm 62:8

from our newsletter

God Is Good!!
We are so excited to tell you that Amanda has the papers that we need in order to apply for our visas.
A pastor who is in Brazil on a mission trip will be coming back on May the 4th. He will overnight the papers to us. The day after we receive them, probably the 7th, we will be in Chicago applying for the visas and celebrating!!!

We are currently staying with the Smiths. When we leave here we will be going to stay with Jody’s mom for a couple of weeks.
We praise God for His people, and for the offers we had of places to stay. Believe it or not, we had more offers than we needed! We pray God will richly bless all those who were willing.

Retreat!
As in relax and reflect, not as in run away! On April 20th and 21st, Don and Jody had the privilege of going to the SBC pastors/ wives retreat. (Missionary couples were included.) We went to Nashville, Indiana for a wonderful time.
House
We have a buyer for the house!! Once we close, we will be completely debt free and ready to go, with no strings attached!!! We’re so glad we stepped out in faith and were able to see God work!!
Don’s Ordination
Don has been studying for his ordination council. On May 5th, he will go before the council. On May 6th, you are all invited to his ordination at Emmanuel Baptist Church, in North Salem. For the sake of space, please email or call us if you would like directions.

Contact Information
While we are in the States, we can be reached at 765-242-2137 (Jody), or 765-242-2364 (Don).
All correspondences, including support, should go to PO Box 506, Frankfort, IN 46041. Support checks should be made out to LOVEM Ministries, with Casa1631 Brazil Missions in the memo line. This is the permanent address for support. Once we get settled in Brazil, we will let you know of our Brazilian address. Our email is fields.jody@gmail.com or daddydonf@yahoo.com. Our blog is www.casa1631.blogspot.com.

Prayer Requests
Please pray for our spiritual preparation during the visa processing time.

Pray for us to continue to draw closer as a family.

Pray for us to find the right Portuguese teacher, and the right house to live in.

Pray for God to prepare Obidos for the harvest!

Pray for quick visa processing and safe travel. All right, pray for the visas to be processed in God’s perfect timing!


We Are Saved By Hope
(From Living Under Hope By Toby Mac and Michael Tait)

We are saved by hope. Romans 8:24
“In January 1922 Ida Well-Barnett (1862-1931) took up the cause of twelve black prisoners sentenced to death in Little Rock Arkansas…In our darkest time we need to look to our hope. The men on death row who were interviewed by Ida Well-Barnett set their hope on heaven, but Ida convinced them that they could still hope for something closer to home and not leave their families fatherless yet…Paul and Silas, who also hoped in heaven, set their eyes to continue the work they had been called to do in Philippi despite their circumstances…Too often we overlook the simple power of hope. We struggle to have faith for God to act on our behalf, or struggle to love in situation that seem unsolvable, but we fail to realize that before we can do either, we must first have the hope that things can change for the better. Hope is the raising of a head sunk in despair to look upward for an answer…It is the first posturing of the spirit to have faith or be able to love. Hope gives faith its substance and tangibility; hopelessness drains our strength to do anything…What do you place your hope in today? Are you generally hopeful about your future, or do you feel that only bad and more bad is headed your way? If we don’t have hope, do we really know God?…Is there a situation in you community of which you know about that seems hopeless, yet you still feel compassion for it?…You might be just the very light someone needs to pull thorough…How are you helping your church spread God’s hope to others? Are you more concerned with convincing others that God is real than letting them experience Him thorough your own attitude and optimism? Or are you self-consciously trying to get others to accept you rather than reaching out with the acceptance of Jesus that live in you heart?”

We are learning many lessons while we wait!!!

Praise and prayer request

Praise God again for his people. Don, Jody, Jacob, Curt and Treyton are currently staying with the Smiths, and Maggie and Emily are still with the Marcum's. What a blessing these people have been to us!
Don and Jody are about to leave to go to a pastor/wife retreat in Nashville, Indiana, with Pastor Rick and Carol Williams, from Emmanuel Baptist Church. We qualify to go as missionaries, and also, Don is about to be ordained.
His ordination will be May 6, during the 10:30 service, at Emmanuel Baptist Church, in North Salem. We invite all of you to come. We will get directions at later.
Please pray for us as we make some decisions about visas applications! We'll keep you updated. Still no paper from Brazil.

Magnify

Hey everyone this is Maggie. Just wanted to share something.

I will bless the LORD at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul will make its boast in the LORD;
The humble will hear it and rejoice.
O magnify the LORD with me,
And let us exalt His name together.
Psalm 34:1-3

Point a telescope at any star in the night sky. It's amazing how the instrument will magnify the star for you, even though that distant ball of gas is actually millions of times larger than the image your eye sees. Believers are like a telescope for Christ. He is far more radiant than we could ever communicate, but the purpose of our life is to magnify Him.--Charles Stanley

Waiting...

Waiting...we should get better at it the more we do it, but I'm not sure it happens that way! We are waiting on our letter from Brazil so we can apply for the visas. That's it. We have received Don's retirement money and as soon as we are told the pay-off amount for the 2nd mortgage, we will be debt free, other than the 1st mortgage on the house. We will be able to lower the price, and list it with a realtor. We have money to make the mortgage payments and take care of utilities for about 1 1/2 years. All we need are the visas to be able to go!!!

Sunday we will start over at the Smith's house! We can't thank the Marcums enough for their hospitality. I'm sure it hasn't been easy, being invaded like this, but they have never made us feel anything but welcome. As a matter of fact, they've invited Maggie and Emily to stay here as we go to the Smith's, so that they (the girls) can have a little quiet time!

Please pray for us to use this time wisely, and for God to prepare our hearts for what we are about to do. Even though we see his hand, and know he is in control, it is stressful, when a whole family is waiting, giving things away, moving around, etc. Praise God for his new mercies every day.

God is good!!

Well, we're about to wrap up our first week here at the Marcum's. I want you to know that God is in it. There have been just the 2 of them here for years, and now the 7 of us invade the house, and it has been great. We feel so at home and welcome here, and they tell us that they hardly know we are here! That's a miracle, because I've never thought of us as a quiet family. Bob said that the best part of the day is in the evening when we all sit around the dinner table together! What a blessing they have been to us.

We are still waiting on the papers from Brazil in order to be able to go and apply for the visas. Pray for them to arrive soon, please, and for our house to sell. Even though we will go even if it doesn't, it would be awesome if it would sell before we go!!!

Oi, everyone! I'm (Jody) really tired, so I hope this makes sense!! We are moving out of the apartment tomorrow, and will be staying with the Marcums for 2 weeks. After that we go to the Smiths for 2 weeks, and then if we need more time, we have several options. I've been packing all day. I thought we had gotten rid of everything we wouldn't take with us, but...We had a huge load for the trash and a load for the storage unit, and we are still pushing it with 3 checked pieces (that's 7 extras) and 2 carry ons each! Shwew! Tomorrow we will spend the day cleaning here.

All of that to tell you about our new contact info, in case you don't know. All mail needs to go to PO Box 506, Frankfort, IN 46041. Don's cell phone is 765-242-2364 and mine is 765-242-2137. Email is fields.jody@gmail.com, or daddydonf@yahoo.com. Sorry if I've already told you this. Also, if you would like pre-addressed envelopes for support, please let us know.

Amanda says she should have the letter we need any day now! Pray for it to come soon, so we can apply for the visas!!