Our True Source of Living Water.....

Please join us in praising God this morning for the arrival of water at the Mission House!  It's been a long and frustrating process, but....

..more importantly we praise God for his son, Jesus, the source of living water that brings life to the soul!

Because it's all about Him,

Diane and Jeff

Lifting Jesus Higher Than Soccer!!!!

Violent riots broke out in Rio last evening after the death of a professional dancer who was allegedly killed by police when he was mistaken for a drug trafficker.  

During this time of the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic Game preparations, any controversial act is causing Brazilians to protest, as they are angry about the billions of dollars that have been spent on infrastructure instead of public housing, more aid for the poor, new roads and ending crime.  

As well, many Brazilians are warning tourists "not to come to the Cup"...but come, they will...

We are planning to lift the name of Jesus higher than soccer!  We are working alongside of the Brazilian church and Exodus Cry and are thrilled to be involved---at such a time as this!

The lack of trafficking laws in Brazil, corruption and poverty has caused many children to become involved in the sex industry.  Statistics show that 250,000 to 400,000 children are trafficked in Brazil every day. Young girls, often less than 13 years of age, are sold to an average of ten men a night for as little as 10 reis each ($4.50 USD).

Our efforts to combat sex trafficking will culminate at the start of the World Cup in June of 2014 and continue throughout the 31 days of the games. 

As soccer teams from all over the world gather to play in one of the world’s largest sporting events of the year, prayer teams will unite in the tournament’s host cities to reach out to the countless victims in Brazil’s notorious red-light districts and pray for an end to sex trafficking in the nation. 

Here in Rio, we will work together in Vila Mimosa, the largest and oldest red-light district.  Exodus Cry has already rented a prayer and worship house that will be open 24/7.  We are preparing to evangelize, worship and pray together.

We have been meeting in preparation of this opportunity that we have to combat the enemy!  What the enemy wants to use for destruction, God will use for His glory!

The dates of the World Cup "coincide" with our Rio City Team's summer TREK7 program and we are thrilled to be receiving 8 youth from the United States to join us in our efforts!  I LOVE when we can see how God puts His plans together like this!  

As well, Jeff and I will welcome and receive a new ReachGlobal missionary, John Spina, who is from one of our our home churches, Johnston Evangelical Free Church in Iowa, who is coming to help us facilitate, coordinate and mentor this year and future year TREK7 college-age short-term missionaries.  

The video below was filmed by Exodus Cry in preparation for Project Liberdade, here in Brazil.

Please join us in prayer as we are in preparation to combat sex trafficking during the 2014 World Cup!

Here for such a time as this---with our new permanent visas ;)

Diane and Jeff 

Exodus 3:7, "The LORD said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering."

Loving the lost into the Kingdom...

I recently had a great conversation here in Rio in a taxi with the driver.  I celebrated with him when he told me he believed in Jesus!  And then I cried inside when he told me that he also believed in other gods.  He told me that he believed that all of these gods would get you to the same place in eternity and that it didn't matter which one you believed in.

Many times we hear this same thing here in Brazil.  People believing in multiple false gods.  People putting their hope in hopeless gods.

The taxi driver asked me why my "good God" would allow him to have a healthy child and his friend to have a son in a coma out of which the doctors have said he will probably never wake up.  I involved the two other passengers in the taxi in the conversation, two visiting Americans, and gave them opportunity to speak into this.

They responded that sin entered the world when Adam and Eve disobeyed God. They responded that our life here on earth is short in comparison to eternity, and only those that trust in Jesus will spend eternity in the presence of the Father.

When we arrived at our destiny, I was able to share the complete gospel message with this taxi driver and leave him with an evangecube.  I encouraged him to pray to God to reveal himself to him and then to begin to read the book of John from His wife's bible.  He sincerely seemed to be willing to do that.  Please pray that he does!  Please pray that he comes to know Christ!

I was reminded how narrow is the gate and how few will enter it.  It also reminds me how much work we still have ahead of us to spread the true gospel of Jesus Christ.  How God desires that NO ONE should perish!

To quote Billy Graham, “It is the Holy Spirit's job to convict, God's job to judge and my job to love.”


Delighted to be here loving on people,

Diane and Jeff

"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father but through Me'" (John 14:6).

Preparing for our Futures and Making Good Choices

Today we returned to Campinho where we have ministered many times with one of our Brazilian partners, Juliana of Atuacao Voluntaria.  Today we went with two of our three interns, Cody and Leah, and they facilitated the children's program.  Jake was unable to accompany us as he had a 2-1/2 hour phone interview for a possible internship this summer.

We taught about making good choices in our lives today that affect our whole lives.  We had the children memorize Proverbs 13:20, which says, "Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm."  Cody shared how he has two older brothers-in-Christ that are teaching and discipling him.

As well, we brought letters, each with a picture of a student, written back to the children from a church in Washington. The children enjoyed learning about these children in the United States; their favorite foods, games and about their church.

We spoke about being missionaries in other places in the world and how they could begin now to learn other languages and how they can study now to be able to go to college some day.

I was blessed to have a conversation with a woman leader in the program who shared how two years ago she made the conscious decision to break the tradition in her family of the women not being married to their boyfriends, but just living together.  She was the first woman in her family to be married.  She has begun to teach this to her 14-year-old daughter, as well.

We had a wonderful afternoon ministering together in Campinho about making good choices in our lives!

Blessed to be serving,

Diane and Jeff

Cause to Celebrate!

We are celebrating God's goodness here in Rio!

This morning we received our permanent Visas!

Please join us by praising and thanking God!

Psalm 145:7, "They celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness."

Feeling joyful in His abundant goodness,

Diane and Jeff

One Small Reason

We recently received a short-term team here in Rio from Valley Southview in south Des Moines.  The time we spent with them was wonderful!  We enjoyed their passion.  We enjoyed the comradery.  We enjoyed showing them the ministries we are involved in.  But mostly, we enjoy what a short-term creates for us---ministry-wise. 

Let me share.....

One of the nights we traveled with Valley Southview to a neighborhood where our Brazilian partner, Caju, desires to soon plant a church.  We were enjoying an evening event at which many non-believers were in attendance.  We worshiped, we enjoyed an evangelistic skit (performed by Valley Southview), and discussed it in small groups, and we broke bread together.

God always works in ways we don't expect!  I had promised the women on the team that I would be there for them that evening to help translate if they needed me.  However, halfway through the evening, the wife of the pastor asked me if I would go over to the neighbors house with her and meet with this woman. 

This neighbor had heard English worship music and called the home at which we were meeting to inquire what was going on.  Soon, three of us were on our way next door to meet with this neighbor.  We spent time talking, encouraging and praying with a woman that was seeking after Christ.

What a joy it was for me Sunday evening to see this neighbor worshiping with the body of believers at the Caju church!

We never know exactly how God will use a short-term team.  He uses them all is many different ways.  And this is only one way He used this team.  There are numerous other ways!

I just wanted to share this one, as I was so happy to see this woman at church because of Valley Southview's trip to Rio.

Pray for this woman to know the true Christ!

Blessings,

Diane

Staying the Course when Things Get Tough....

Sunday evening we will receive our three interns that have been serving so faithfully at CENA in Sao Paulo, here in Rio.

We're soooo excited to see them face-to-face and to have some time listening to what God has been doing as they have served first at the "casa amarela" (yellow house) in downtown Sao Paulo for a month and then at the recovery farm in Juquitiba for a month.

These three young interns came for 3 months to serve the Lord with their whole hearts.  As our family has learned first-hand here in Brazil these last 8 years, especially after a serious car accident that broke 18 bones in the three of us that were in our car, following Him may mean we suffer physically, lose relationships, dreams, material things, or even our lives.  Those who are following Jesus for "prosperity" reasons won't stay strong and stay with Him when the going gets tough!

For one of our interns, Jake, it has gotten a bit tougher recently...

Almost two weeks ago, Jake was hit in the eye by a machete at the recovery farm.  His cornea was cut and his vision was blurred.  We praise God for the excellent medical care that is available in Sao Paulo.  We praise God that He protected Jake from this accident being much, much worse, especially because Jake plans to continue playing quarterback for his collage football team this Fall!  We praise God for our teams of prayer warriors who pray for us all daily here in Brazil!

What we've seen in Jake is not simply a shallow, me-first faith!  We've seen a man-of-God that wanted to stay the course, that wanted to finish the work to which God has called him to here in Brazil!  

Jake understands that giving up everything may mean we give up something physically, but when we become a disciple of His, we cannot continue to belong to this world.  We make a choice because we cannot serve both God and man and when we choose to follow Christ, we are releasing control of our lives.

Please join us in praying for complete healing for Jake's eyesight!

Luke 14:33 says, "In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples. 

Blessed to see such Godly maturity in such a young Christ-follower,

Diane and Jeff