Missionary Resource Network

Amazon Project Special Update - Part 1

admin — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 00:21:57 +0000

Greetings to our friends……

Jill and I have been battling through the logistics of getting ourselves moved to Brazil. Each time we have set a date, it seems that complications come. But we have sold our house, found a great replacement to take over Missionary Resource, and other things have fallen into place. Yet, we are hesitant to set a finite date until we actually buy our tickets. Currently, minor (we pray) medical issues need to be taken care of while we still have good medical insurance.

Our previous planned departure date of Feb 18th was cancelled, but I (Joe) flew to Brazil on Feb. 20th to the 29th. I had 4 major goals:

#1 was to meet with the federal customs agency at the exact port where we will be sending our personal items. The written law of Brazil says we can bring our “personal and Business” items in tax free. But we have had trouble getting clear answers from the consulate office in Miami. I did in fact meet with the “Afundega” 4 times and gained valuable information. But this whole issue will take much prayer. The consistency of these laws seems to be up to interpretation.

#2 was to secure a rental house to live in. The house we wanted in the Missionary community is being turned into office space so we lost our reservation. Our next best option was a house that is somewhat occupied now, By a thousand termites. (a problem in Brazil) Our prayer is that they will be evicted before we arrive.

#3 was to find out about boats in the area that can be used for ministry. I looked at a lot of boats and visited shipyards in the area. But the most important contact was made when I visited the Brazilian Bible society for the 2nd time. A year ago they were thinking about selling a boat but then opted out. The good news is they now lease this boat to other ministiries. This will allow us to host short term teams almost immediately. it will also give us a chance to learn special dynamics to this type of ministry.

#4 was to take enough video and pictures to produce a nice promotional video for the riverboat ministry. I am happy to say that the mission accomplished and the video is in basic production now. Once it is done everyone will get a copy. I had great fun doing this. I took a 9 hr boat ride up the Amazon and a 40 minute flight in a two seater plane powered by a snowmobile engine. The result was I got over 200 video clips and 200 still pictures.

Amazon Project Special Update - Part 2

admin — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 00:20:24 +0000

Now knowing that God is bringing us closer to our departure date and ministry goals, our minds swirl with all the ministry possibilities, but we choose to focus on the main areas that God has shown us. The biggest focus of or missionary venture is the “Riverboat Project”. Our vision is to have a boat 65 to 85 feet long that can bring evangelism, medical care, education, construction teams, Pastoral training and real hope for communities along the Amazon River.

At the same time we will be able to use the boat for training missionaries for additional long-term work. During the summer months we will host teams of short-term outreach teams from the US to aid the Christian development of riverside communities. Our goal is to have 3 or more communities that we will consistently minister in until a church is planted.

We believe the riverboat will eventually consume all our ministry time and resources. The Amazon River is over 4000 miles long with 1100 tributaries. There will always be a need for this type of ministry. Until the riverboat is a full time dynamic, we will continue to do what first called us back to Brazil. Many of you will remember the story of Jill and I teaching about Missionary Care on National Christian TV. The response to this teaching made us realize the huge need there was for this type of training. Brazil is having strong spiritual growth in its population centers. These growing churches are beginning to send out missionaries without the proper training or the support needed to maintain missionary effectiveness. The attrition rate is something that needs to be addressed in Brazil. We pray our teaching will help change that.

The future also holds some name changes for Jill and I. First Jill will return to her native name of Edilma (say E’ju ma). I am sure some of you have heard me call her that. I will adopt the culturally relevant name of “Jo el” said in 2 syllables. This way if I am called Joe by friends it will only seem like a short nickname.

More updates to follow………….

November Reasons to Celebrate

admin — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 08:02:50 +0000

So many things have happened in the last few weeks, it is hard to believe all the breakthroughs we have had.

#1.) We have a contract on our house and we should close in January ( It’s sold! Not rented).

#2.) Our situation with the donated boat we were reselling has changed drastically. We can now sell at a lower price and it is moored at a free dock.

#3.) We have made our final truck payment and the ministry now owns its vehicle free and clear.

#4.) We were able to buy a used forklift for $750 and a few repairs. Very important since we have been so busy.

Moving to Brazil Update

admin — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 08:02:13 +0000

Most of the obstacles listed on the back of last months newsletters have been moved in our favor. We have already moved out of our house and the new buyers are renting until the closing. Jill and I are now living in a rented missionary hospitality house and about 90% of our belongings are in storage. The plan is to send a shipping container to Brazil a few weeks before our departure. Now the question is when will that be. We are planning to leave the second week of February 2008. (God willing!)

What the Future Holds?

admin — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 08:00:02 +0000

Many people have asked what will happen to the ministry here when Jill and I are gone. It will continue in every way. The man we first introduced as my replacement 6 months ago will not be staying. God has provided a new person in Orlando Arguelles. Orlando and I have known each other for 11 years and in many ways our lives have followed similar paths. Orlando is a staff Pastor and Worship leader at Calvary Chapel in Coral Springs. His wife is Elizabeth, and kids, Josh, Alexis, and Christian.

$10,000 is a Lot of Money!

admin — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 07:59:14 +0000

It may be shocking for many of you to find out that the ministry has an annual budget of well over $100,000, so we would like to thank each and every one of you that participated in the Matching Grant. All the funds were greatly needed. I do apologize that half of you got a newsletter insert that had the wrong expiration dates. For a donation to be eligible for matching, it must be received and deposited before the end of the year, so December 20th is the deadline for mail ins. Thanks again!

Busy Busy Busy

admin — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 07:56:08 +0000

October and November has been some the busiest seasons we have ever had. The Ministry shipped 3 full containers. One went to Haiti, and one went to the Dominican Republic. The Caribbean, South and Central America have been the focus of the ministry for years. But we have sent our first container to Africa. Missionaries from a local Calvary Chapel Church moved to the Ivory Coast Africa. We even put their Jeep inside the container. The picture to the right shows that once the car was loaded we had just 2 fingers of clearance.

A Personal Note

admin — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 07:54:44 +0000

If you have read the ministry newsletter before, you know this is the business side of the page. As we venture to take on bigger goals,- bigger challenges await and we realize we can’t do it alone. We humbly invite you to partner with us. Besides some of the financial things below, we are desperate for volunteers at the Ministry Thrift Store. Think of the Store as a living warehouse for donations. This year we filled six, forty-foot containers with the needs of missionaries in 3 countries, With smaller shipments going to many more. What we need are volunteers to come to the store 4-7 hrs a week or one (7 hr) Saturday a month. Please contact us for details. Don’t wait.

Making Moving Plans

admin — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 07:53:39 +0000

To some of you the 9 weeks before we move may seem like a long time. But time will fly buy especially with the holidays in the mix. Our desire is connect with each one of you before we leave. We will be planning a get together in January so we can fellowship together before we leave. At the moment our cell phone numbers are the same. Our house phone and address have changed. For the next 9 weeks our home phone will be 561-395-7608. The ministry address will remain the same and all mail should continue to go there.

Making Ministry Plans

admin — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 07:52:33 +0000

During the next 9 weeks we will be available to speak in churches, Bible studies, Sunday schools and Home fellowships. Please call us with opportunities. With the next newsletter we will have a new brochures, prayer cards, and informational packets for churches, foundations and donors.

Once in Brazil, we will be moving forward with our plans to establish a base of operations for our future riverboat. This may take up to a year before we are able to buy a boat. For outreaches and visiting groups we will be “renting” a boat from the Brazilian Bible Society until we get our own. During the development phase we will also be involved in training churches in missionary care. Brazil is sending lots of missionaries but many are returning due to lack of care and resources.

When in Brazil we will be living in a missionary community called MICEBE. This will give us the greatest opportunity to network with other local ministries, it will also be a time of adjusting to the culture and the Portuguese language.