prayer

The Day is Almost Here...

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The day is almost here. We fly out of Brazil on Tuesday, June 13th - only a few days away. The day is almost here. We fly out of Brazil on Tuesday, June 13th - only a few days away. 

There is a lot to process emotionally and spiritually. There are a lot of logistics to closing out house, finances, packing, selling things, donating what didn't sell, etc. But, my friend and our church pastor sent me this today,

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day…So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:16,18

I wanted to inform everyone of our time line. We fly our on June 13th, will spend a few weeks in Chattanooga, TN then ventura to Birmingham in July and the kids will start school (still TBD) in August. 

The next chapter of life and ministry are upon us, and there is excitement and mourning. That the Lord would be the desire of our hearts as in Psalm 73:25-26,

Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.

Lots of people have asked how they can pray, here are some specifics:

  • For all that is involved in the flight to the US to be smooth. With 3 flights, 2 kids, 1 cat, and 10+ checked bags (including some oversized items) - there are lots of hiccups that could occur. And we honestly do not have the margin to deal with a lot of stress as parents right now.

  • There is a cold moving through our family these last days, and we would love to not have to fly sick - pray for healing and protection.

  • For our housing and school situation in Birmingham to finalize in time for registration in August. There are options; however, they are not finalized.  

  • For no issues to arise as we still close out financial liabilities in Brazil even after we leave.

How can you help? Several people have asked me this, and I will be candid in my response:

  • Pray for the things above. 

  • For any current or former supporters, extra 1-time gifts are much needed in these first months of moving from a Brazil-contextualized salary, taxes and benefits reality to a US-based reality. 

  • Or, if anyone wants to help in a personal way, Gifts Cards are an excellent option. We will be purchasing basic things for us and kids these next months, and these gift cards are very helpful. A few suggestions of store options: Amazon, Walmart, Target, TJ Maxx/Marshalls. 

    • My personal email for any electronic Gift cards is: jme.spambox@gmail.com

    • For physical address, please use my parent's Chattanooga address: 5778 N. Morgan Ln, Chattanooga, TN 37415

Thank you for your partnership, your care and your prayers!

Prayer Walking on UFMG

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Our primary campus, UFMG, has not had in-person classes since March of 2020. There is limited activity on campus, research and faculty meetings, and the large open campus with lots of green has remained open to the public as a haven for outside activity since the restrictive measures have been in place in Belo Horizonte. 

A few weeks ago, a few people on our team began to talk about taking advantage of this unique opportunity to have a day of prayer walking on the campus. A huge campus, open to the public, with almost no one around to interrupt or ask what we are doing - a perfect situation to spend some time praying specifically for this campus and for God to open doors there!

Today, Monday, June 21st this happened. Two of our campus staff members organized it and it was great to see the younger generation taking the reins of important initiatives. 

Teammates Prayer Walking on UFMG’s campus

If you have a minute today, would you pray with us? 

  1. That God would open doors for the gospel on UFMG.

  2. That our team would have access to campus in 2022 (still no concrete plan on how open campus will be in 2022 because of COVID measures.

Prayer for 2 Guys

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In the last post, Ministry Front - 2019, I spoke of a few Bible studies in which I have helped lead. This post is to ask for prayer for 2 guys in one of these Bible studies.

I have told them I am praying for them to have faith, for God to grant them faith, to quicken their souls and for a transformative understanding of grace, the grace of God in Jesus Christ. Now I want ask you, also, to pray for the - Daniel and Gabriel.

Daniel and Gabriel have great questions. They have a great desire for real answers to their questions about God, the gospel, justice, grace and mercy. Their commitment to our Bible study has been steadfast. Their attention to the passages we have studied that highlight the essence of the gospel has been unquestionable. We have studies texts like Ephesians 2:1-10, Colossians 1:13-23, Romans 3, and others.

“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.” John 6:44

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6

Please pray for them. Pray for a regenerated heart. For a step of faith to trust in the grace of God through Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.

Baby Alert!

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Tathiana and our staff ladies at a retreat.We have hit the home stretch. It’s November, and Isaac will be here sometime this month. Tathiana is doing well; no health issues for her or the baby, nursery pretty much ready, hospital bag packed and doctor appointments scheduled. If only the Brazilian summer heat would ease a bit, 9 months pregnant and 90º heat don’t make for a enjoyable tandem.

We will be sure to post photos via Facebook and website, so stay tuned. Life and ministry are about to change as we know them!

Pray for these specific things: 

  • For the delivery, a C-section (because of a surgery that Tathiana had on her legs when she was a child), so that always is a bit scary, and the recovery is longer.
  • For Isaac to get through the first days with no health problems, feeding issues or infections.
  • For Tathiana to rest and recover as she adjusts to full-time mommying.
  • For Jon to have the heart of a servant beyond his natural ability, to have the heart of Jesus.