Wednesday, June 28, 2023 PM

All right, well good evening folks.

We're gonna be able to hear from our brother Jeff how one of our

missionaries and we support good to hear about what the Lord is doing in their lives and get an update on that.

And.

After Jeff shares with us, then we will go ahead and have our time of prayer.

Jeff if you want to go to about Ten till or five till and give a little bit

opportunity for questions and so and then afterwards we'll have a time of prayer.

And that'll be the plan.

Okay.

Well brother.

Why don't you come on up here?

It's always good to be back with sunny -siders and just

seeing everyone again and.

And especially just this last year the Lord's

really used You folks and we really appreciate your prayers for us.

I came down with Leukemia a little over a year

ago.

So we were we were back here on our furlough.

We were thinking it's gonna be about one year this was in 2000

about three years ago and.

And Adriana applied for her green card and that didn't come.

So we were delayed some but it finally came and we were thinking all right now we're gonna

now we're going back we're gonna continue on back to Brazil and

and then I came down with the leukemia and so it's been 10 about 10 months

since I had the stem cell transplant and.

I.

Just want to just give a brief testimony of

I've just you know what the Lord taught me and laid on my heart during this This

time during this last year here.

I think if I could sum it all up and the verse it's on my

mind that pretty much sums up my testimony of This past

year going through treatment and the transplant is a well -known Verse

should be I guess I know when I was a kid, but Romans

828 Probably you kids probably know that verse you could

you could quote it Romans 828 where it talks about it says

all things work together for good to those who love God to those who are called according to its purpose and

That is so true in my life and The verse

the following verse goes on to say that that purpose is to conform us to

Christ's image and So the Lord's Truly he has used

my sickness as part of conforming to his image and

One thing that I experienced

Was that it I had a renewed?

First of all a renewed sense of just God's people the love of God's people and how they

Prayed your prayers all of you giving.

There were people there back in Washington, you know driving us to the clinic or

Providing food, you know for our family when they you know, they stay home and Just

bringing meals and stuff.

Just all of that.

It just gave me a renewed sense of you know, the family of God.

It's it's a wonderful thing.

I know you all Experienced that here with each other it's a wonderful thing and it I

You could see the love of Christ Demonstrated in so many so many lives it was this just as if

Jesus was like giving me that taking me to the hospital, you know and praying for

me and bringing food for my family and

Another thing is I Just That

that verse that says teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts into wisdom.

I just I was reminded again, you know of the brevity of life.

We don't know when God can take us but While it is today

We we follow him and he's faithful he is so faithful to us

even when we're when we slip up we're not as faithful to him, but

he's always faithful and Just that working showing us his purpose

For us even the hard times the trials is sickness.

It was for his purpose to conform me to the image of his son.

And he use he uses Every situation in our lives just in our daily

lives.

I was just reminded and it It may be more aware just in daily life

simple things just to be aware that Jesus is walking beside Me, you know the presence of God.

Like that book brother Lawrence, I think way back in the 1800s that book

practicing the presence of God and I have a devotional actually, you know based

on that and yeah, it's just just that reminder just to be I

Was I was drawn closer to God.

Also, and I remember in the past always seeing people that were going through trials and in

sicknesses and how they would talk about you know that Just that presence that nearness of

God to them and I remember always thinking I don't really want to go You know go through these trials, but

what they're what they're talking about.

It sounds good I mean it's like I want that I kind of want that and I was I

Experienced that and so for that I am very thankful to God and

But it's you know, it's a constant I Wish that would that was it?

You know, I'd be now I'm gonna be close to God you know forever, but

That's not how it works God allowed that and it was a special time but but daily,

you know, I need to be Just presenting my body as a living sacrifice.

Because it's a battle it's The battle of a Christian's life.

It's a battle.

We gotta we have to keep Stay close

to God and keep short accounts and Just walk in the light

and that's something the Lord has taught me During the past year also

also, just I Used to think you know, I was I never had

a health problem before and I could work hard.

I liked hard sweaty work.

And.

Then I got sick and it just I Can't do it.

I still I'm pretty you know weak for like hard work.

But hopefully I'll be able to Pick that up a bit and get back back into it.

But you know the the Lord use that, you know just Dependence on him, you know, it's it's not your

strength.

It's mine.

Anyway, he can use somebody who's sick.

He can use he can use anyone.

It's because it's not us anyway, so I Was just reminded of that it also.

It's another thing that Lord just Brought to my heart during the past year of with

leukemia in the treatment.

As far as plans for the future We do want to go back to Brazil.

We have our tickets bought end of July and

Originally I was I was thinking, you know, what am I gonna be able to probably have to do another ministry?

I'm gonna go back to Brazil, but maybe help out at the school or something.

Because they were telling me, you know You know transplant patients, you know, they're gonna

they're gonna have some problem things.

They can't do and So I was thinking well, I Guess

maybe I'll do some some other ministry, which is fine.

I was ready for that but then I I started thinking, you know, I

Had this plan the Lord had laid on our hearts that and the mission had invited us to start a work a

new work On a different River, there's a team of missionaries.

They're all.

New and.

Our mission leadership thought it said it'd be great if you could join this new work.

Same people who Lena who Lena people just a different area but it'd be great if you could join it

and you know, cuz they're gonna need your help and experience and With the people because they're

gonna be just learning the language.

So we were ready to do that and then you know, We were delayed and and I was thinking

might not work to go go back to that ministry now, but I just started thinking, you

know the Lord had that for us and if he's.

He's.

Giving me back my health at least for now I'm gonna

I'm gonna keep going with that with that goal to get back to the that new work and.

And especially because in my last visit there to that new work

there was a man there that he He's he we were there to tell him that missionaries

want we're gonna be joining their village and to be learning their language and teaching

them and.

So they a guy came up to me later and he said We really do want missionaries.

We want could you come back and because.

He said I'm a missionary.

He heard the gospel from another Kulina from way up river where Wycliffe works

with the Bible translators and.

So he said I'm a missionary, but I my knowledge of the Bible is so my faith is small.

It's like a little child.

And he said I don't know much about God's talk.

That's how they say, you know God's Word.

So.

We want missionaries to come to help us teach us more of God's Word and I

Thought I couldn't promise him because at that time I didn't know if we were going to be moving there or

not.

But I said but for sure, you know, the mission wants to send missionaries.

So you will have a have a missionary but I Always remember that and I have is I have the

audio Recorded so I listened to it again and again and

So that's.

That's on my heart to go back to be able to teach that that man in his

his village and Hopefully and prayerfully

someday those guys will Will be spreading and he then he

will be you know a true missionary if he he knows God's Word enough to To

spread it to others in the gospel to his own people and his own language.

He will have no problem Like I would in speaking the language

so that's what is on my heart and.

And.

So, yeah end of July July 30th, we should be flying from Seattle and

August 1st we should arrive in Brazil the first six months.

We will be helping out at the school there because I need to Kind of get established with the doctor

there and in the town and kind of see how that goes with

Continuing the treatment.

Which right now is for GVHD which means graft versus host disease.

Which is very common for transplant patients.

The new cells kind of see the host cells as Foreign like, you know,

that wasn't the same as the host the person where they came from so it's like

So they start to attack the cells.

Which the doctors say is actually a good thing because you want the new cells to be finding

bad stuff like cancer cells.

To fight it off.

But It also fights, you know, some of the host cells so and that can show up in the

lungs the liver skin eyes.

In my case, it's in my eyes and I had a rash Here on my chest

so I have to take immune suppressants for that and

Then the idea is to taper off.

So I I had tapered all the way off about a week and then I got the rash and I promise So put me

back on some more and I'm gonna have to taper off again.

And the doctor said probably after you're in Brazil, you'll start tapering off.

So I need to establish With the doctor there and

See how that goes so we'll be helping out at the school there the mission school for missionaries

children Near the capital city of Manaus.

I'll probably be working on maintenance.

Maybe a Bible class or something.

And Adriana will probably be in the laundry.

Helping out with laundry maybe guest housing.

Cleaning up guest apartments and stuff like that and maybe some classes.

I don't know.

So, yeah, we're we're excited about that and I just want to

thank you all again for your prayers and

It's I mean just incredible but The Lord taught me

a lot through that.

Our children are ready and excited to go back to The two

youngest Janice I and Braden.

They've been here three years in the States now.

Well, you know to but yeah, so they ever we had a really good

school for them there in Washington Christian school and.

But they're they're excited to go back to and

Braden and Janelle will be finishing their senior year back there at the school.

Janissa will be in seventh grade.

I can't believe it.

And Sheldon is the oldest he's in Moody Aviation and Spokane, Washington.

So.

He's.

He's gonna get his privates pilots license in August, I guess.

So he's almost there for the private pilot license and then another year he'll have

higher up levels Instrument rating and all that and

He should finish in two years two more years.

Oh.

My dad also sends greetings to everyone.

Yeah, we were just there a couple weeks ago and.

And.

As you probably all heard he has congestive heart failure.

So he's been in the hospital a couple times, but currently he's at home.

So they would appreciate your prayers.

And yeah, I don't know if you have any

questions or

yes.

I.

Know what it used to look like.

But I I don't know what it's gonna look like now.

I mean in some senses I do but.

Because I.

Mean, I haven't really been tested.

But I.

Feel like I need to test, you know, see see what it is and how it's gonna how it's gonna work out.

I guess yeah.

Yeah, we started with the cleaner

work as a married couple.

2001 and.

You know, we were in the village one village we moved to another and This will be the third.

If it were, you know, if that's the Lord's will if it works out to go to this new village, it'll be the third village.

Third move so.

And we've also helped out at the school during those years for short time.

Okay, yeah, I could probably ask two Browns too they they probably know better

than I do.

Yeah.

My dad was back on a furlough if I remember correctly and

Another mission he's he was with back then they called it new tribes mission.

It's now ethnos 360.

That's the mission agency that we belong with.

But a new tribes mission another new tribes missionary was scheduled to speak.

At a Air Force Base, right.

And.

But he wasn't able to so he called my dad they were they knew each other.

And asked if he could go there and take his place.

So he did and he met Jerry Brown and They corresponded

and.

Then the next furlough I think I think it was the next furlough the following furlough like four

or five years later Jerry was stationed over here

In Tinker Air Force Base, I guess so.

And if they were going to Sunnyside, so that's how we.

We my dad was invited to speak and.

And then from then on every every furlough, you know, we stopped by here and

got to know people and so yeah, that was.

When was that?

1970s.

Yeah, so I was.

Yeah, yes with that ethnos my brothers at one

point.

Almost all of us kids were on the mission field.

Yeah, my two brothers worked in Peru.

Well, they started in Brazil then they were in Peru.

Chris came back.

He's working at the MTC missionary training center there and Missouri

Ethnos training center.

Brad is with front pioneer mission in Peru.

Beth was working at the school.

She she came back several years ago.

Carrie and Roger were also working at the school there and they're back in Minnesota.

Julie and Warren were.

We're in MAF and they they were in Brazil.

He was actually our pilot for a while.

And then later they moved to Mozambique and then.

Now they're back in Nampa, Idaho.

And oh, they also spent just they just now finished a year at the school and put a kid quad.

I kind of taking a little leave from from MAF but so

that's what the family's doing and.

Yeah, well when I

I attended this school actually I they're also and.

When I was there it was like there was like 80 People like including staff

students.

Now there's probably.

Half of that.

Yeah, there's not as many students not as many Mission organizations that are in Brazil

now but the one good thing is that it kind of transitioned over more now they have

Brazilian missionaries and.

Their children are going there and they have the Brazilian curriculum and also the American curriculum

and sometimes the the Brazilian parents will decide that their kids can

do the American curriculum and they're learning English and.

So it's worked out really good.

Yeah, there's there's groups going down to do work projects.

If there's any teachers here they would really appreciate teachers.

No, I don't think no.

But the the Brazilian kids there they learn English, you know, because they're together with other

English speaking kids and.

No, just Portuguese in Brazil Portuguese.

Besides the tribe of there's tribal languages, but the official language is Brazil Portuguese.

Yes.

Yeah, ethnos 360 they they work with I Mean you have to

start from zero like learn the language.

It's a long -term ministry commitment learn the

language and then learn the language and culture and start

a church that hopefully and prayerfully is a church that can

function on their own and.

So the missionaries can leave and know that you know, there's leadership there and.

But it's it's long long term and sometimes you don't see results right

away.

No, that's it's good.

Well, my parents worked there for many years.

I Would say there's there's not really a there's not a self -sufficient

church Among the coolinas yet, but there's individuals now.

Individuals and they you know, they're they're families.

So, yeah, we want to see the.

We want to see the actual church community get started and and

spread maybe we won't maybe we will see it, but Maybe it'll come

behind us.

Like I said that there isn't really a church yet and in the place where we're moving

is it's a new work and I mean There's there's there's though that there

are people there that say I'm I'm a missionary or I'm a pastor but

they're kind of We don't know, you know the level of their knowledge.

They're saying they are pastors and missionaries and they're asking.

That's why I Really took it to heart because the the man seemed very honest.

He said I don't know on my faith is small.

And I'm like a little child in my knowledge of God's Word and he said so we need missionaries somebody to come teach us

more of God's Word, so That's in this new area, but there's other

villages where Where we worked before

We had the opportunity to give the chronological Starting in Genesis all the way through to the death burial and

resurrection of Jesus to to a couple Adriana had had

the the Bible study with the wife and I had the Bible study a little later with

the husband and Now we are so happy to hear that.

They're they're meeting with the Culinas in their village that we we left

several years ago.

But you know meeting they had they have their group that they're meeting with and I guess he's teaching, you know

As much as he knows, you know of God's Word to the to the people.

So Really thankful for that how?

God's grace, you know touch those lives and he's using those Davi and Andrea

there.

Well, I grew up in Brazil and you know, I

When I graduated from high school, I figured you know, I know the the language.

I know the people.

And I see you know that there's still a lot of work to be done.

God still can do a lot of a lot more and So

I was you know challenged my heart to to return to the culina people because I

Figured you know, he's already given me some of the language and Just knowing the people and

the culture in the area so I I you know, I returned

to the culinas and When I reach Yeah,

yeah They they remember him

Jesus better.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah, when I when I was visiting this village, I had the opportunity this new village.

You know, I I Was speaking the language so they knew I was somebody you know that had something to do with them

and then I said I.

Dwayne.

Dwayne me Dwayne me son and then some of them some of the older guys.

Oh, yeah.

Because he actually made a he made a trip to that to that River a

long time ago, but I never had but that was my first time.

But he had been there before so They knew about him.

Yeah, it's kind of a legend.

No, the culina people are.

They're pretty happy -go -lucky and then they don't get so involved in politics as some of the

other tribes in that area.

No, no.

And.

Yeah, so the population of the village that the new missionaries are going into is

probably a hundred.

But there's other villages nearby.

Each about a hundred or less.

So, I think there's like five or six villages just in that little area.

Less than an hour or about an hour apart by canoe.

Boat.

They have the New Testament.

Yeah, they have the New Testament.

It was just just printed just finished about two years ago.

And they also have it on audio.

In fact, we can even listen to it on the on the internet.

Which we've been doing to try to keep the language in our mind.

Yeah.

Maudie M -a -o -r -i.

Yes, pray for pray for Maudie and his.

His brother I think it's his brother -in -law he said was the pastor and He's the

missionary.

It's

it's his village is not the village where the new missionaries have started but it's a

possibility still.

Because I think we're gonna we're gonna split our team into two groups.

So we'll be in two different villages.

Yeah, also pray about.

There is some opposition, but it's not from the tribal people.

It's.

The government Indian agency.

Which they call Foon I?

Foon I is.

They they came in there and just a few months ago and

The missionaries that were there the new couple they just built their house probably probably

about a month before and They came in and

they I don't know they told them.

They made it sound like it wasn't that serious I guess like oh, no, this is just something you have to do, you know.

You need to you know, so they signed this paper which they weren't supposed to

because Because the individual missionaries are not responsible.

It's we're under an admission organization.

So it should have been the mission leadership and you know.

The lawyer and everyone that would would sign that or would look at it first but they signed the

paper and the paper said that.

Saying that they had invaded protected land and You know,

they had to get out in 30 days.

So.

The mission Ethnos in Brazil has a

Lawyer that's he's working on their case now but you can pray about that that.

Because they said you're supposed to you're supposed to present yourself me before a foo and I.

Before you go in, you know, just kind of just present, you know, say.

Kind of tell us that you're going in, you know, but they didn't do that.

And so then they came and it said you have to get out

but with prayer.

I think I think they'll be able to

Resolve that and be able to go back in because.

For one thing it's false that it was invaded because we got permission.

They got the missionaries got permission from the people.

The people signed a document said we are inviting the missionaries to come all

official and so.

We the missionaries were not invading the land, you know uninvited or anything.

But they were invited in there and also it's not protected land.

What the food I was probably referring to is that it's real close to a river.

That is protected land like only like anthropo people that study plants and you know, it's

it's like a reserve.

And they're you know Amazon.

So.

But it's real close it's right right on the mouth of that river is the village.

So I think they thought they could try to put that in there and you know, this is protected land.

It's not it's Indian land, but it's not Government, you know protected land.

Yes unfortunately.

Yeah.

Yeah, but it was only one couple and the single guy.

There was another couple on the team that wasn't there at the time.

So they didn't sign the paper.

So it doesn't apply to them.

And it's only that village so There's still a lot of other possibilities.

I Think the Lord will work that out.

So

so if there's no more questions, just.

Thank you again for all your prayers and and your love and and we always love being back

here with you you also.

Thank you.