National-led Churches Networking Together!

We've had an exciting weekend and are exhausted, but wanted to share :)

Last evening our Rio City Team hosted our third "Network Dinner" for our partners here in Rio. In attendance were 28 brothers- and sisters-in-Christ from churches in Recreio, Barra, Caju and Cesar Maia. What an enjoyable....and exhausting evening---it ended at 1:00 a.m.!

We enjoyed fellowshipping together, eating tacos (thanks to JEFC and Brenda Noteboom for providing the taco seasoning!) and getting to know one another better. As well, each partner spoke about their specific ministry and shared how God has been working. Ideas were shared of how we can continue working together for His kingdom. Relationships were deepened, encouragement abounded---and God was present!!! I could envision Him smiling on how his children from different denominations are working together to build His kingdom here in Brazil!

This was followed-up today with a training meeting for members of the Barra church, who are interested in joining the work in Cesar Maia with Atuacao Voluntaria and then we prayer-walked through the neighborhood.

Jeff and I were excited to see and speak to several children from our English class in the neighborhood! We have been teaching for 3 months in the school and in August we will add classes at the local church. Please pray for divine appointments!

Serving together to further His kingdom,

Di

"Taking It To The Streets!"

Recently during a service at Caju church, it was announced that the following Friday (the most violent night of the week in Caju) would be the “midnight---take it to the streets” evangelism event. The congregation cheered for this, even though it is a monthly event! Many raised their hands indicating that they would participate!

The following Friday we arrived at the church and there were approximately 40 people ready to go. We began with time in the Word, followed by intense prayer. Then, we were off to proclaim the Good News! Craig and I went out in a small group that included a 50-year-old woman and Lucas, a 13-year-old young boy. I was so impressed with Lucas. I learned that he is in a small discipleship group with some buddies, and he has a faithful and strong walk with the Lord. Lucas’ mother left him, his dad is seldom at home, and his aunt and uncle care for him. You would never guess that he comes from a broken home---the church is his family!

We ventured deep into this tough neighborhood, sharing with many as we walked. Soon we entered the area where drugs are sold. There were young boys delivering drugs and protecting the area. Some were on motorcycles flying back and forth. Some were standing in strategic places with machine guns and looking agitated. We shared with many of these young boys and prayed for some as well. We stopped often to pray for Jesus to bring His power through his Spirit.

We finished the night by meeting the drug lord. He was a huge man with a huge gun! Pastor Fabio shared with us that he has been meeting with this man to encourage him of the hope that he can have in a life with Christ. The church surrounded this man and prayed over him. He thanked us and left---carrying his big gun. As I left that evening, I was reminded that this is their everyday world. But Jesus is changing this place, one “Lucas” at a time.

Walking in faith,

Jeff

A Time to Rest in a Quiet Place....

Many people ask us how we "recharge our batteries" here in Rio de Janeiro after a busy time of ministry. Living life in a foreign land can be stressful at times....visa problems, dense population (14 million), horrific traffic, water and sewer problems, etc. So what do we do when we need a rest, a change of scenery or just....CRAVE Disney World?!!! We go to Penedo! A little village in the mountains known for their Finnish chocolate!

We were blessed recently to travel to Penedo with Pastor Cesao (Big Cesar), his wife Anna, Pastor Craig and his wife, Alessandra, and our good friends, Alisson and Desideria for a retreat and some rest! We spent time in the Word together, prayed together and had some fun together! We visited an awesome waterfall named "Cachoeira de Deus" (Waterfall of God)---a peaceful and beautiful place to visit in the mountains of Penedo!

Today in my quiet time in Matthew 14:23, I was reminded of the time we spent in the mountains in Brazil, resting in Him!!!

Blessings,

Di (for the fam)

Matthew 14:23 After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone.

It's a pleasure to introduce you to.....

...Craig and Alessandra Weyandt!!

If you have traveled to Brazil to serve with us, you may have already had the opportunity to meet them. Many of you, however, have not!

Craig and Ale are our fellow-missionaries and teammates here in Rio and they are two amazing servants of the Lord! Craig is from the East coast and Ale is from Rio de Janeiro. They were married two years ago or so here in Rio.

As you can imagine, living in team in a foreign land is extremely important! We laugh together, cry together, minister together, pray together, play together, dream together and "do life" together!

Pastor Craig is our team "activator" and is always ready to serve at a moments notice! He has a long line of strong, Godly leaders behind him that he has discipled and mentored along the way! Together with his Brazilian brothers-in-Christ, he was instrumental in the organization of "Surfer's for Christ", here in Brazil! Craig is a networker and can connect people together like no one else!!!

Alessandra just received her doctorate degree and she plans on using her contacts to network professionals here in Brazil to get more involved with ministry opportunities. She has a tender, servant's heart and is a great asset to our team!

Serving together,

Diane (for the fam)

College Visits----ALREADY?!!!

Hannah is currently in the USA, where she is visiting colleges with the help of her grandfather, Stan and her big brother, Drew. So far, she has visited the University of Minnesota, Crown College, and Northwestern.

In the upcoming weeks, she'll be visiting Moody Bible Institute, the University of Northern Iowa and Iowa State, I believe.

She seems to be having a great time! However, Jeff and I are feeling like empty-nesters, as the house is extremely quiet....

She had a layover in Charlotte, North Carolina on the way to Minnesota and stopped and bought her Starbucks-lovin' big sis a mug to surprise her with!

Please pray that God would direct her path as she seeks where to study after graduating in December here from Rio International School.

Pray, too, that she finishes school well here! She rides the city bus a half-hour to and from school each day, which makes for a really long day (7:00 a.m. until 4:15). Plus, she'll have extra school work in order to graduate early!

Serving together,

Di (for the fam)

Prison Ministry

You see movies and you hear about “foreign prisons” and now I know that they truly exist! Today my fellow missionary Craig and I visited a prison in Rio. Here are a few things that I saw:
• 20 men living in a 10’x20’ cell room
• 100 or more men sharing a bathroom
• Heat that sometimes reaches 130 degrees
• A prison that is controlled by drug lords
• There were only 3 prison guards for 600 men. The rest of the guards were prisoners.
I spent the day talking to many of the prisoners, encouraging them as much as possible and sharing about the hope we can have in Jesus. Many of them begged me to pray for them. One man grabbed my hand and pushed it on top of his head so that I would bless him. These men are living in a desperate situation. One young man I met had been picked up for a small crime and since he had no identification on him there was no way that his family knew where he was. He has been in this prison for 3 months. Imagine your 20 year-old son disappearing....

Here is the good news from the huge effort to help this situation:
• 1 year ago there were 1,000 men staying in this prison and now there are only 600.
• Building expansion is happening to make the place more spacious, add a visiting area and rooms for counseling and Bible studies.
• Many of these men are giving their lives over to Jesus. Several of them pleaded with me to bring them bibles and to provide bible classes.
• Medical and dental services are being provided on-site by.
• Many of the men are receiving legal help. The young man I mentioned above has had his parents contacted personally by a person from.

God is doing an amazing work in a horrible place!!

With the peace of Christ,

Jeff

The old has gone, the new has come....

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!!!

Remember the community called "Cesar Maia" where we are teaching English with our local Evangelical Free church?

One of the other classes being taught is sewing. Not just any kind of sewing....

My dear sister-in-Christ, Conceicao (pronounced, con say sow), is teaching these girls to take an old, unwanted piece of clothing and turn it into something new that they desire to wear!

After 3 months or so of working with these girls, they decided to have a fashion show to let their moms, friends and teachers see what they have accomplished!

Conceicao has done a wonderful job of communicating to her class how God takes us from sin----dirty, unwanted---and renews us with the forgiveness of sins for an abundant life with Him!

"Disaster" Relief?

Some of you have met, via Skype, a young missionary couple named Anna and Josh that Jeff and I have been spending time with to encourage and walk along side. She is Brazilian and he is North American.

Last Wednesday, we had the opportunity to walk with them through the community in which they work, praying for and with the people who live there. The community is called Cidade de Deus, made famous by the movie with the same name. Josh and Anna are leading a new church plant, along with a Brazilian pastor in an area called "Sitio", in Cidade de Deus.

After almost 5 years here in Brazil, I am STILL shocked from what I saw. It was far worse than anything I have seen here yet. After 3 days of processing and prayer I am still asking God how to respond to this. As followers of Jesus Christ, HOW do we respond to this "disaster"?!!!

Here in the midst of a beautiful city that is preparing to host the Olympics in 2016, exists a community that is in disaster and crisis! It is a crisis----without the hurricane or tsunami! The people are living in garbage, carrying water up a long muddy path by buckets, are needing food, bedding, clean water to drink, bathrooms. But most importantly, they need to know Jesus Christ, the Son of God and that they were created to have abundant life in Him! Only He can make a difference in Cidade de Deus!

During devotional time together, Jeff and I read from "My Utmost for His Highest". Matthew 5:3. I was reminded that we are all "paupers" until we receive from Him.

Allow me to quote, "Blessed are the poor in Spirit...." This is the first principle in the kingdom of God. The underlying foundation of Jesus Christ's kingdom is poverty, not possessions; not making decisions for Jesus, but having such a sense of absolute futility that we finally admit, "Lord, I cannot even begin to do it." Then Jesus says, "Blessed are you...." (5:11). This is the doorway to the kingdom, and yet it takes us so long to believe that we are actually poor! The knowledge of our own poverty is what brings us to the proper place where Jesus Christ accomplishes His work.""

Will we bring food? Definitely. Will we provide clothing? Definitely. Will we bring the hope of salvation through Jesus Christ? ABSOLUTELY!!!! I am no longer feeling overwhelmed, for I was reminded that I can only point to the doorway to the Kingdom and let the Holy Spirit do the work!

Serving together,

Di (for the fam)

How wonderful is the body of Christ!!!

It's been really difficult living 6,000 miles away from Drew since he graduated from the International Christian School of Rio de Janeiro two years ago, or so!

July 11 was his 21st birthday and it was kind of a tough day for us here!!!

How wonderful it was to receive pictures of him at his surprise birthday party given by the Tometich family! To see him laughing and enjoying the day really gave us comfort and joy!

Thanks to everyone who helped to not only celebrate with him, but to comfort his family in his absence!

Love you guys!

Serving together,

Di (for the fam)

Walking where Jesus would walk....

June brought us the excitement of watching our 2nd World Cup from Brazil! And in 2014 the World Cup will come here to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil!!!!

The city will host people from all over the world, and we are praying and seeking God's will on how we can minister and evangelize in the midst of the excitement and chaos!

Along with all the World Cup excitement in June, came a short-term team from Iowa. This team included people from 2 different churches in Iowa.

Ryan arrived 3 days before the rest of the team to see the different ministries here in Rio. He was able to speak at the youth at Recreio Celivre and to jump in and teach a little English at a local school here in a community called Cesar Maia where Jeff and I are teaching English with Atuacao Voluntaria (mobilizing professional volunteers) alongside Celivre Recreio.

This relationship with Cesar Maia was a result of Celivre Recreio reaching out to a community after the torrential rains we experienced here in April. God continues to grow these connections and many Brazilian churches are beginning to network and get involved here in Rio.

The Iowa team's mission was to encourage the missionaries at CENA in Sao Paulo. They accomplished this goal beautifully AND SO MUCH MORE!

They touched the lives of so many homeless, hurting and lost people of Sao Paulo! They performed skits, cooked meals for the homeless, shared the Gospel and had a children's program for the street children! They preached, they cleaned matresses, hosted a woman's tea for prostitutes, delivered a sewing machine for sewing classes for prostitutes (a special thanks to Jackie Passer!) delivered beautifully-sewn baby quilts to the daycare (a special thanks to the women at JEFC!) and made a taco feast for the staff at CENA!!! They prayed with the prostitutes, drug addicts, transvestites and CENA staff!

Take a look HERE!

God used this team to be the hands and feet of Jesus!!!

Serving together,

Di

Many cultures, one God....

What a privilege it was in May to receive 10 brothers- and sisters-in-Christ from Carver College in Atlanta, Georgia! Countries represented included Jamaica, Philipines, North America, and Guatemala! Different cultures.....yet united in Christ!

This vision trip began with visiting our churches we have here in Rio. We were able to visit all three CELivre (Community Evangelical Free) churches, including Niteroi, Campo Grande and Recreio.

We also traveled to Sao Paulo, where we ministered alongside of the full-time missionaries at CENA (Community Evangelical New Aurora). Aurora is the name of a street in downtown Sao Paulo that is known for the homeless, drug-addicted, prostitutes and transvestites.

Traveling with us to Sao Paulo were Frido (the Brazilian pastor from Celivre Recreio) and Sonia (a member of Celivre Recreio). Sonia is praying and seeking God's direction to possibly return to CENA for a longer period of time to serve. Pray for her as she seeks His will!

Ate mais, (until later),

Serving together,

Di (for the fam)