Oct. 10, 2007 - October Update

**********No Cliffnotes, Marla writting a news update******************

Unlike many of the emails that we send your directions, we wanted to give some updates and information on some of the things that we have asked you to pray about.
Our first prayer request was for our future. We asked prayer, not just for our immediate future but long term. After much prayer, and giving up some of our own hopes and dreams, we feel very strongly that we are to stay here in Brazil. I have never felt so fulfilled in what I've done as I do here. From everything to helping our pastor with the leadership of the church, to discipleship groups, to reformatting the Sunday school program, God has blessed and grown the things that we have had the privilege to be involved in. Though it's hard to look far into the future and not see things like family camping trips on the weekends or watching our kids play in highschool basketball games, we rest in the confidence that God has gotta have something great for us down here too.
Second, Marla had asked for her friend Linda. And since this is Marla's thing, I'll let her write

Hey everybody, Marla here...
I'd written a while back about my new friend Linda. Just as a recap we met last year at the local health clinic and occasionally would see one another on the street and chat for a few minutes. Then we moved to a new house, had a baby and she came by to see us and after visiting each other a few times we decided to
walk together two mornings a week and we've been doing that since April. Linda is from Sweeden and married to a Brazilian guy. She has had a difficult life
having a mother who's been an alcoholic Linda's entire life, and growing up in foster care since about age 7. As a young teenager Linda went to church with a friend for awhile, but her foster mother got to where she would not allow it and Linda didn't like having to sneak out and fight with her foster mother about church so she quit going. So anyway over the last several months we've become better friends. We'd talk about everything under the sun, and many times our converstaions would move in the direction of spiritual things.
Linda has a deep hunger for peace in her life and a lot of questions about the Bible and God and Cristianity. So we'd talk and several times I prayed with her about specific situations or struggles she was going through. I invited her to church the Sunday Micah's parents gave their testimony (end of July) and she came. And she has been coming to church with me every Sunday since! I was able to give her a Bible in english (which she speaks fluently) and also invited her to a special afternoon time we had with some women from church where we made scripture journals. She told me the last time we walked that she's been getting up 1/2 and hour early in the mornings to read her Bible and write notes, thougths, verses or prayers in her journal. I am praising God that she is responding to Him. One Sunday that we'd had communion at church she kinda looked at me and wasn't sure if she was supposed to take it or not. After the service we were talking about it and about what it means to have Jesus as your personal savior and we read Romans 10:9 together and talked about how you accept the free gift of salvation by confessing and believing. And I said something about praying and asking Jesus into your heart to be Lord of your life. She was like "Marla, I think I did that when I was 13...does it still count?"
God is moving in Linda's life and her heart. And I praise Him for her friendship and for the ways he's using Linda to challenge me in my personal spiritual walk. I thank you for your prayers for her and ask that you please don't forget this woman. She has a lot of hurt and mistrust and fear in her heart and I ask you to join me in praying for her to continue to respond to God and to surrender her life completely to Him, and allow Him to heal and rebuild and give new life. Also for her Husband who at this time has no interest at all in God. And for her little boy Adriano who is coming to church with her each week. That seeds of faith will be planted in his young heart.


Third we had asked prayer for our support account. We hadn't given many details other than falling value of the dollar and increased finacial need because of Samara. A long time ago, before we even came to Brazil, I promised to write with openness and clarity. The purpose of this was not just so that I could journal what was going on, but to give you a better picture of the things we face, and to give you a better picture of what being a missionary is like. We have remained committed to sharing both the highs and the lows of this road. But when dealing with things like money, we have kept it vague, because money can be a sticky subject. But about a week ago, I felt a bit convicted that I hadn't really been completely open with you all. So with a recommitment to openess and honesty, I'll fill you all in. When we arrived in Brazil about a year ago, we had a pretty good black balance in our missionary support account (about $12,000). For the first 3 or 4 months the incoming $ matched, more or less what was being expended, so our support account stayed more or less the same. Then about that time we got an email from our headquarter office. We had been opting out of a lot of benifits that OMS requires of the career missionaries. We had been doing this to protect that black balance. But about 8 or 9 months ago, OMS headquarters said, you guys have been with the mission for 6 years already, and are signed on for at least 2 more, so you can no longer opt out of the benifits (retirement). So our monthly expenses went up about $600/ month. Then we got some emails from some of our most faithful supporters, who's finanicial situations had changed because of loss of a job, or switching jobs, or living on a fixed income, who physically could no longer support us finaicially on the level that they had been. Then the amount of rent that we pay was increased pretty substantially. The combined result of all of these things was about $1,200 more was going out monthly than what was coming in. About 5 or six months ago, when this really started to become apparent, we committed ourselves to prayer. We didn't want to just see the need, and jump on-line without seeking God. So we have been praying every since. Marla and I wrote into headquarters and took a voluntary salary reduction of about $350 / month, to help keep us in the black, but even with the salary reduction, our black balance is being reduced by about $900-$1,100 per month. As of the end of last month our black balance had been reduced to about $6,800.
Every month we receive a report, emailed to us, detailing incoming funds and from who they came. Every month we read over that list, and feel so incredibly blessed. We know so many are already giving sacrificially, and feel honored to be representing you all in Brazil. And behind those names that we read every month, we know there are so many more lifting us up in prayer. Folks, we never take for granted the prayers that you all pray. In a field that seems plagued by health issues, security and safetly problems and traffic that terrified my Mom, we are thankful for every prayer, and pray often for you in return. When Samara was born we were blown away by the generosity of so many of you. Everything from clothes, to handmade blankets, to checks, to a videotaped babyshower, and another that was webcammed. Words cannot expressed how loved we felt by you all. And yet in the back of our minds, this need remains. We have hesitated a long time in writting this email because of the gratitude that we continually feel. And yet at the same time it wouldn't be fair to let you guys ,who have been so involved in the other aspects of this ministry, be left in the dark. If our support account goes into the red, our salary will be cut, and if it gets farther into the red, we will be pulled out of Brazil to go back to the States to raise more support.
Through all of this, we have not felt (even a little) abandoned by God. From the beginning His timing has been perfect. And we know that God's plan, done God's way, never lack provision. Though many of your names are on the checks that go to OMS monthly, it is God to whom we look for our support. We are confident that in His time, He will provide, through His channels. And rest assured, that when He does, you all will be the first to hear.

Thank you for your faithfulness,
in Him, for Him,
Micah and Marla and Samara

ps. The attached picture is of the 3 of us on a new trail we found a few weeks ago