#2.) As many of you know, we received the donation of a 45-foot fishing boat about a year ago. In that context, we have been trying to fix the boat up to make it sellable. We are now planning to more the boat from its dock in Stuart FL. To a free dock 50 miles South. Please pray for our safety on this short trip. If any of you know a marine diesel mechanic, please let us know.

#3.) Along with #2 we are trying to sell this donated boat to finance the ministry boat we need on the Amazon. Please pray that we find a buyer for the boat very soon and that we get a respectable price. We would like to sell it “as is” without investing in anymore repairs. There is an interested party now but

#4.)  We are actively looking for a suitable tenant to rent our personal house. We tried for a full year to sell it without an offer, so renting is the only option. Please pray that we find a renter, if you know anybody looking, Please have them give us a call. We would love a personal referral.

#5.) My sister-in-law had been working for the ministry for about 4 + years. She is here on a missionary visa that is about to expire. Please pray for the extension or modification of her visa. She has many skills and experience that make her very valuable to the ministry and we would hate to loose her.

#6.) Please pray for our new ministry manager Edilberto who will keep the ministry and store running while we pioneer the work in Brazil. He has a lot to learn but has already mastered some of the operational functions. He has more missions experience that I do and feel he will manage well with the right preparation. Pray for me (Joe) as I train him for the work ahead. Again Volunteers will help this situation as well.

#7.) Please pray for all we need to do before we leave for Brazil. This includes packing and moving out of our house. Shipping of all our belongings to Brazil. For me to learn Portuguese. And the finances needed to make the Amazon River project a success.

#8.) Pray for wisdom on how to overcome all the above…

Renting the house solves several major obstacles but creates a few others, since we will not be leaving with as much personal cash as we once thought. So a few things have been bumped off the priority list. One of the things we desired is to own a truck for ministry in Brazil. It looks like we will downsize to an “econobox”. Vehicles in Brazil are very expensive, about 30-100% more than in the USA. How about a 7 year old Dodge mini-van for $20,0000 – OUCH !  In all this we realize it is a blessing to have a car even though we have learned to take it for granted. More importantly we learn to trust God for our provision and not in our personal assets.

Our plan is to leave for Brazil in October of this year.  We will be traveling to Brazil in the very near future to scout out a place to rent during our initial time of adjustment. Our prayer is to get a house on a missionary housing development. (we are on the waiting list). This will help us network with the local Missionary community.  Just for a refresher. We will be in the city of Belem. It is easy to locate on a map or globe. Just find where the equator hits the coast of South America. That’s where we are headed.

In our next newsletter we will be constructing our monthly ministry budget for Brazil. ((It is also possible that someone will sponsor a $10,000 matching grant that will double your donation !)) This budget will include our personal living expenses. Generally we know that rent will be low but other things are no bargain. Gas is currently $4 a gallon. We ask you to consider supporting us with monthly support or one time checks that can be written to Missionary Resource Network and are fully tax deductible. More importantly, please do not forget us in your prayers……

#1.) For the rent of our house to a dependable tenant.

#2.) For the hundreds of details we need to accomplish before we go.

#3.) For the 4 major container shipments that need to go out this month.

#4.) For Jill’s health. She just had a lump removed that was not cancer.

#5.) For my ability to learn how to speak Portuguese.

#6.) For the fundraising of our riverboat project.

#7.) For God’s provision of the operating costs of the ministry here.

#8.) The ministry paid $13,000 to a mechanic to do some repairs on a  boat that was donated to the ministry. Sadly the mechanic has not touched the boat in 6 months. Please pray he decides to do the right thing. Otherwise we need to go to court. This will take time, and we need to sell the boat and be able to move it in case of a Hurricane.

Next we will move to Jill’s (Edilma’s) home city of Belem. The city was founded in 1616 and flourished after a Scottish scientist named Dunlop discovered the usefulness of the natural latex rubber that grew in the area. It is a city of over 1.5 million people and is recognized worldwide as the Gateway to the Amazon.

Before all that occurs, several major things must happen first. #1 we must sell our house. #2 My good friend Gary must move from Wisconsin to take over the administration of the ministry. #3 Is we need to raise our ministry support. We are close to reaching our minimal ministry budget of $1700 a month. We would like to move on to our desired budget of $2400. This would include health insurance, savings and the cost of having a car. (Jill and I will pay for the car- we just can’t afford the operating costs.)

Now, the big question. What are we going to about a ministry boat? We have a few possibilities, but we are going to aim for the best possible option. While in Brazil, I met with a boat builder who has built boats for the Brazilian Bible Society. The cost will be in the realm of $250,000. Please understand there are several advantages to a boat built on the river. #1, we will avoid any import tax. #2, a riverboat will have 150% more usable interior space because it does not need to be engineered for ocean waves. #3, A newer boat will have more fuel-efficient engines saving the ministry thousands of dollars in the long run. #4, we can have the boat built to our ministry specifications. One last exciting thing is that the Bible Society will rent us their boat so we can take it for a “test drive”!!

In our last letter we asked you to pray over some financial challenges. After much consideration we took a step of faith and signed a new lease for the thrift store building. In addition God supplied a generous financial donation that has restored a great portion of our need. We ask that you continue to pray and invest in the work of the Missionary Resource Network.