On the 28th of February 2001, Buck and Luciene moved to the Amazon Basin of Brazil. We lived in Macapá, right on the equator. Why would a web designer give up his career and take his family from their comfortable life in Columbus, Ohio, USA, to live on the Amazon River? We came with a vision to save the Amazon, to tell people about Jesus, and plant a Vineyard church. We have planted a church, and we are turning it over to the national leaders, heading back to the States in Sept. 2009.

 

Merry Christmas!

God is so good. God is soooo good! God is so good to us! We would like to thank each one of you that prays for us. We know that people are praying for us, because God answers those prayers.

I was reminded in a recent congregational e-mail (I have included it below) from Rich Nathan, senior pastor of Vineyard Church of Columbus, that God will often answer our prayers, even long after we forget that we prayed them. Many years ago I had asked our prayer partners for prayer for a couple that were separated, my friend Valmir and his wife Ellen. There seemed to be no chance of reconciliation. Years went by, and I must confess that I had given up hope of them ever getting back together. They both moved to distant neighborhoods, and we lost contact. I ran into Ellen recently, and they have gotten back together! Even long after they have moved to another neighborhood and we have forgotten that we had even prayed, God is releasing His healing and reconciling Spirit.

We have asked for prayer that God would supply everything that we need to be able to begin construction again. Miraculously God has supplied, and we were able to begin getting materials, and began the construction again the week before Christmas. This Christmas, God has granted us abundance. We are still in awe at God’s goodness.

We are still trying to work through all of the paperwork for the car. We are getting close I think. The fact that I am an American is the hold up. Every time there is a new requirement, or they ask for more documents, it goes up the chain, from Macapá to Belém, then on to São Paulo, getting analyzed. Then it comes back the same route, requesting something else. Of the four co-signers that we have gotten so far, two have been provisionally accepted. But then they lost part of the application on the day that they were going to send it to headquarters, and in trying to track it down, and then redoing it, we have hit the holidays, so it will be a week or two until it is resolved. We bought an older used car to get around in for now, which is still much better than the Bug J

We were also reminded recently how blessed we are to have you, our faithful prayer warriors, praying for us. Hannah came in screaming that there was a snake under the mango tree. The mango tree is about three yards from our front door. I went out to take a look, and sure enough, there was a snake, bright red. Hannah had been very close to it when she saw it. I killed it, and asked the neighbors what it was. I had just killed a coral snake, which is highly venomous. We just can’t thank you enough, each one of you that lifts us up in prayer. Our ministry, indeed our very lives, depend so much on our faithful prayer partners. Thank you so much, and may God richly bless each one of you this Christmas season.

The Schmidt Family

Planting Churches in Brazil,

Eduardo (Buck) e Luciene Schmidt

http://www.holylamb.com

---------------------------------------

subscribe to our e-mail prayer letter by sending an e-mail to Schmidt_Newsletter-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Congregational Email - December 2004

By Rich Nathan

God's Delays Do Not Equal God's Denials

Over the last several months I've been meditating and teaching upon the subject of prayer. One of the great challenges in prayer is our experience of delays in God's answers. As I was preparing for the Advent Season, I came upon this verse in the book of Luke: But the angel said to him: "Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John (Luke 1:13)."

As you may know, Zechariah (John the Baptist's father) had been selected to offer sacrifices in the Temple. It was a unique, once in a lifetime privilege for a priest to be selected for this task. While fulfilling that role, an angel told Zechariah that his prayers had been heard. Which prayer was the angel referring to?

I don't think that Zechariah was, at that moment, praying for a son to be born to him. Zechariah had a priestly role to fill and was almost certainly interceding for the Jewish nation, not for his own personal situation. In addition, Zechariah and his wife, Elizabeth, were past their childbearing years. In the history of Israel only one other couple, Abraham and Sarah, had given birth to children when they were past their childbearing years.

Which prayer was the angel of God referring to when he said: Your prayer has been heard, Zechariah? I believe the prayers that were heard were the prayers that Zechariah and Elizabeth had prayed years before and then forgot about or gave up on.

There are many prayers that you and I have forgotten about or have given up on. Perhaps you've prayed continually for a healing to take place, a loved one to be saved, a child to be born, a ministry door to be opened, a partner to marry, a person to be converted, but God didn't appear to answer your prayers. So you moved on. Many times, moving on is a very healthy thing to do. We cannot obsess about what we don't have. Sometimes we need to say: "Well, this one is just one of those answers that God, in his infinite wisdom and freedom, has chosen to withhold from me. I'm still called to love God anyway, to be content in all circumstances, and to love other people. Whether my prayer is answered, I'm still called to a place of meaningful service to God."

But God's delays do not necessarily mean God's denials. God sometimes answers prayers that you and I have stopped praying. In fact, God sometimes answers prayers that we have entirely forgotten about. God can dig out a prayer that you prayed 20, 30, or even 40 years ago and say to you: "Surprise! I'm now going to answer your prayer. You may have forgotten, but I haven't forgotten."

Have you ever been overwhelmed by the thought that a blessing has come into your life simply because another person prayed for that blessing years before? I personally believe that virtually every one of us is a follower of Jesus Christ right now because someone prayed us in-a mother, a father, a grandparent, a pastor, a friend, a spouse, a Sunday school teacher-someone else prayed us in!

I was raised in a Jewish family. I had no Christian contact. But I remember that when I was ten years old my parents went away on vacation for a couple of weeks. They left my sisters and me in the care of an elderly African American woman, who I just adored. Her name was Coretta. She was a great cook and a consistent disciplinarian.

There was one thing that stood out about Coretta-she was the first person I ever saw read the Bible. She read the Bible every morning and every night. She sat in her chair in her bedroom with her open bible, praying. One day I heard Coretta praying for me. Then seven or eight years later I met Marlene and she prayed for me every day for seven months until I came to Christ. God's delays are not his denials. God remembered Coretta's prayers in my life, and he remembered Marlene's prayers.

Several years ago an eighty year old grandmother came to Christ at the church. Her daughter beamed with excitement. She hugged me and said, "Rich, this is absolutely unbelievable!" I said to the daughter, "You've been asking the Lord for a long time for this, haven't you?" She said, "I can't tell you how many times I've prayed for this moment. And now, finally, I've gotten to see with my own eyes, my mother receiving Christ."

Let me share with you a note I recently received from a member of our congregation:

I was sitting in service a couple of weeks ago and as you were speaking you mentioned about how God answers prayers. For some reason my mind was caught on those words and I began to think of answered prayers in my life. God revealed an answered prayer of mine that I would like to share with you. I came from a broken home and I remember looking out the window in my room in the apartment I shared with my mother. I saw a dad and his son getting ready to go fishing. I had never been fishing before and I began to cry. As a small boy I asked God to take me fishing.

Well time went on. I grew up and got married and now have my own children - a daughter and a son. Three weeks ago I was driving to a football game with my son and he was talking about a fishing trip he and I had recently taken. He looked at me and said, "Dad, I want to go fishing with you again." I said, "Sure, son, we'll take another trip." But my son said, "But this time, Dad, let's just you and me go, OK?"

Sunday morning, in the worship service, God showed me that he answered the prayer I had prayed as a small boy through my own son 25 years later...

You may have forgotten a prayer that you prayed years ago. You may have given up about praying for something. But God does not forget any one of your prayers. God's delays do not mean God's denials.

posted by Eduardo Buck at Monday, December 13, 2004

 
I met some gringos yesterday, right on our street, just down from our house. Shawn Blore from Canada, and Douglas Engle from the US. They had a GPS, and the equator is actually right on our street, very near our house. Shawn is a "Latin America Correspondent", and Doug is a photographer. Shawn's site is www.shawnblore.com, and Doug's, with great photography, is www.douglasengle.com.

posted by Eduardo Buck at Friday, December 03, 2004

 

For the second time the shack at Novo Horizonte was robbed. This time they tore off some of the boards of the side of the shack, and took everything that belonged to Garcia, the worker in charge there. They took his stereo, his TV, all of his music CD’s, his propane gas container, his clothes. They even took his bed and mattress.

The shack is in such disrepair that we really need to just rip it apart and build something that will be more secure, and better serve the needs of the community. We would like to build a two story wooden shack, a small apartment upstairs, and an open area below to have meetings until we have the funds to build a brick church. We also need to get a fence up around the land, so that it isn’t so easy for people to walk through and steal. We need at least US$600 to start these projects. Right now the meetings are taking place outside, and mosquitoes have been quite a problem. Rainy season is approaching, and with it the urgency to prepare adequate conditions.

Pray for the thieves, that they would listen to the Christian CD’s that they stole, that they would come to know Jesus. Please pray that God would supply everything we need for the building and fence. Please pray for the work here, that it would go forward, and that many would come to know Jesus.
posted by Eduardo Buck at Thursday, December 02, 2004

 

Dear Prayer Partners, thanks so much for your prayers for us. I would to ask for prayer for Vaneia, a first time visitor who accepted the Lord this last week at the church.

I would also like prayer for Ronaldo and his family. He is an alcoholic, but is very interested in God. His family is praying that he would accept Christ and stop drinking so that he could keep a job for more than a few days, will stop spending their grocery money on alcohol, and stop beating them. I have been witnessing to him, have loaned him a book, and have had some good conversations. But he needs to get free.

The most common complaints we have heard in the neighborhood right behind the church are lack of good drinking water, the high level of violence, and alcoholism. Many women asked for prayer that their husbands would stop drinking so that they would stop beating them. Pray that we would have wisdom in how best to reach out and help this poor community, so troubled and desperate.

We don’t have our car yet. After giving them all the paperwork, they asked for more. We contacted the church, and they sent additional paperwork down by fax, and everything looked good, it looked like they were going to give us the car. But because I am a foreigner, they decided today that they couldn’t give us the car after all, without either a cosigner or a large down payment. The cosigner has to be Brazilian, can’t be a foreigner, and it can’t be Luciene. It seems so impossible. Please pray that even though it seems impossible, that God would make a way, and it would be His way, and His name would be glorified.

posted by Eduardo Buck at Tuesday, November 16, 2004

 
We finally have electricity in the new house, at least part of it. It was really nice to see lights on at last. The construction is big, and dark without the lights. Thank you Lord, for helping us this far. Help us finish it and be able to move in soon!
posted by Eduardo Buck at Monday, November 15, 2004

 
My absentee ballot finally got here November 9th, a bit late for me to participate in the election, but it was neat to see it finally arrive.

It was a little like the Reader's Digest Sweepstakes things, envelopes to fill out and sign, punch cards, little rings to seal the envelop, little pieces of paper with special instructions, etc.

Hopefully next election it will come a little sooner, so my vote will be counted. Thank God that it wasn't close this time. God has been merciful to us, and allowed us to escape the clutches of a liberal demagogue. We have four years to plan, and put in motion firm methods to assure someone who respects the constitution is elected. Let's not waste time!

posted by Eduardo Buck at Thursday, November 11, 2004

 
Hey, I just ran across a great blog all about Moringa, at http://www.moringablog.com/. We have been experimenting with growing moringa, and there was much helpful information on the blog. There are tips on how to grow it, etc. This will be very helpful as we develop projects and programs to integrate moringa growing into social assistance programs.

posted by Eduardo Buck at Saturday, November 06, 2004

 
Well, I have just officially become a disenfranchised voter. My ballot never made it, and today is a holiday here in Brazil, the day of the dead, from what I gathered on the internet about voting in Ohio today is the deadline for the postmark, that means I can't vote. I don't understand it, I sent in the request with plenty of time. From what I could find, there was no way to fax the stuff in like a friend of mine from Indiana did, had to do everything by mail. There is something disturbing to me about foreign governments mail system determining who can vote.

I am so disappointed. Especially knowing that Ohio is a swing state, that could determine the Presidential election. I can't tell you how disappointed I am. Like someone just punched me in the stomach.



posted by Eduardo Buck at Tuesday, November 02, 2004

 
I am starting to get worried. I still haven't gotten my ballot. I want to vote. I want every vote to count, especially mine. It should have been here by now. Ohio is one of the critical states, and since that is where I am from, that one vote means a lot, at least to me. Not just because it is a close race. I guess, being on foreign soil, and hearing the press here in Brazil slam President Bush, and all the liberals and communists insisting that I should vote for Kerry, I want to be able to declare without a doubt, that I voted for Bush, and that my vote was sent in, and it was counted.

I want to vote for life for the unborn. I want to vote for nightmares for the terrorists that slaughter innocent women and children. I want to vote for integrity, a man that I really believe loves God, and is serving Him as best as he knows how. I want to vote my conscience, and I want my vote to count. I vote for freedom! I vote for the country I love, the United States of a America. I vote Bush.

posted by Eduardo Buck at Friday, October 29, 2004

 
We want to thank each one of you that has so faithfully prayed for us.
We just received some really good news. Luciene is two months
pregnant with our fourth child. She has been feeling a lot of nausea,
but other than that, is healthy.

We just got some really good news as far as transportation also. As
you know from previous prayer letters, we have been struggling with
transportation. We have been making payments for a new car in what is
called a "Consorcio". A consorcio is a Brazilian invention. You join
a group, and the whole group makes car payments every month but you
don't get your car right away. Once a month, one person is chosen in
a drawing to receive their car. The rest continue to pay until they
can make the minimum down payment to get the car out, or until they
are chosen in the drawing.

We have been paying on our new car for about a year and a half. We
had to sell the VW Bug recently, and have been getting around by
bicycle. It was kind of difficult, figuring out how to haul both of
the girls to school on the one bike, but we have been doing it.
Raquel got her foot caught in the spokes of the bicycle this week on
the way back from school, bruised her up pretty bad, some blood, bent
the tire of my bike. Now she is terrified of going on the bike. Not
having transportation has been a real test for us, especially with the
second church plant on the other side of the city to supervise now.

We have asked for prayer, and God has heard, and has answered.
Yesterday, on the 22nd of October, our number was chosen for the car!
We need to complete paperwork, pay the fees, etc., and within a
couple of weeks we could have our new car! Please pray that we will
have the US$1,000 that we will need for the fees and shipment costs,
and that the paperwork would all go smoothly, and that we could get
the car without any further delay. We just can't tell you how happy
we are, and how much we appreciate all of the prayer.

My back has been better also. I have been able to get around pretty
normally, though I have to be really careful about bending down or
lifting anything. It was one of the most physically painful things I
have ever gone through. It was also a lesson in the subhuman
treatment that one receives with socialized medicine. My heart just
breaks with the suffering of the poor and forgotten ones.

In the midst of struggle, God has shined upon us with His merciful
favor. Our hearts dance with joy in His presence. Thanks for dancing
with us in prayer!


posted by Eduardo Buck at Saturday, October 23, 2004

 


I was playing some ball with the kids on Tuesday, and noticed my back
was stiff. It got progressively worse, until that night I couldn't
sit or stand without assistance, and then with much pain. I ended up
at the emergency room.

I went first to the public hospital, but after a few frustrating
hours, ended up going from there to a private hospital. They gave me
medicine, and told me I had to get a CAT scan to see if I have a
herniated disc, and what treatment would be needed.

The pain has been extreme. Our support has not been sufficient to
cover additional health costs. Please pray with us, for complete
healing.

posted by Eduardo Buck at Wednesday, October 06, 2004

 
We sold the Volkswagen Bug. We barely got enough to cover the last repair bill. But we will have less headaches now. I think it was cursed for us. I hope the new owner has better luck. We have been doing a lot of walking. Spending a lot of time waiting for buses. I will probably buy a bicycle this week.

posted by Eduardo Buck at Thursday, September 23, 2004

 
Prayer Requests---------------------
- God's continuing provision and protection for our family.
- That God would raise up people to help Luciene in the children's ministry.
- Growth for the new church plants, and especially for faithful workers.
- Unity and teamwork among the church planting team.
- An increase in regular monthly support.
- God would raise up a worship team for our church and the new church plant.

Praise----------------------------
I was looking back over some of our past prayer letters, and I realized that I have not done as good a job as I could in keeping the praise reports coming. So many times, when we ask you guys to pray for us, our prayers are answered, but we don't let you guys know,so that you may be encouraged.

The church is doing good, and the new plant in Novo Horizonte seems to be off to a good start. There has been a sweet Spirit at the Marco Zero church, a real sense of God's presence in the midst of battle. Thanks so much for lifting us up.

Suzane is doing better, she was back at home recently. This was a real miracle, as the doctors had said that she had almost no chance of survival. She is right now back in Belem for a couple of days to do some further procedures. Thanks so much for your prayers for her.

Marcos Gean Dias passed away on the 28th of August at 11 am. He was 18. He was diagnosed with rheumatic fever, which results from strept throat that is not treated. I did the funeral the next morning, on a Sunday. I would appreciate your continued prayer for his family. His dad, Adamar, will be preaching this Sunday at the Marco Zero church. What was really cool with Marcos Gean is that he had a dream, he saw an angel fighting with a monster, and the angel had to go get another angel to help. They defeated the monster, then came and sat on his window and looked right at him. They told him that his time had come. Marcos Gean then asked forgiveness from his dad for everything wrong he had done, and got his house in order. That has been a comfort to the family in their pain.

Finances and Transportation----------------------------
For the third time we had problems with the bank. I tried to make a withdrawal at an automatic teller, and it said that the process was canceled and I didn't get the cash, but the money was taken outof our account. This was everything that we had for bills and food for the rest of the month. We have been repeatedly shaken and tested in our faith.

We finally got the car fixed and running, and put a for sale sign in it. Please pray that it will keep running, and that someone will buy it and it will be a blessing for them. Also, that the Lord would provide some other transportation for us.

Construction----------------------------
After six months of being completely stopped we started construction on the house again. We are so happy. We are trying to complete at least one room in the house. We have been in our little one room efficiency now for one year, and want to have at least one room so that we can have a little more space and so that we can have people visit. We sure appreciate your prayers.

posted by Eduardo Buck at Thursday, September 16, 2004

 
We got the VW Bug today from the mechanic. It has been at the mechanics for a week, just for this last problem, redoing the motor. I came home, picked up the girls, took them to school, and on the way back, the wheel fell off again. Thank God I was going slow.

This is the second time that the wheel has fallen off.

I put "for sale" signs in it today. We are going to sell it. Or maybe trade it in for a bicycle.

posted by Eduardo Buck at Friday, September 10, 2004

 
Marcos Gean Dias passed away this morning at 11 am. He was diagnosed with rheumatic fever, which results from strept throat that is not treated. He died of heart failure and kidney failure. According to http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4709, “Rheumatic fever begins with a strep throat from streptococcal infection.”

I met his dad, Adamar, at the hospital. We took care of the paper work, and then I took him to his house so he could tell the rest of the kids. The funeral truck dropped Marcos Gean's body off at his house, still in his adult diaper, draped inside the cheap plywood coffin only by a white cloth. We cleaned him up, cleaned the blood off of his teeth, cleaned the blood off of his ear and face and hair, dressed him, folded his hands.

Death is closer to the family than we are accustomed to in the States. It is not sanitized and commercialized, but close and intimate. As close as the front room, barely big enough for the coffin and nuclear family. The family, because they are poor, must clean him, must dress him, must sleep at night knowing that he is there in the front room. The funeral and burial will be tomorrow, Sunday morning.

This is the first death to hit our small congregation. This is the first death I have seen up close and personal here. I didn’t know that you have to put cotton in the nostrils and ears, so that things don’t leak out. I didn’t know so many things about death. These are things that they don’t teach you in church planting classes. This is stuff that you learn the hard way, with tears in your eyes and bloody cotton in your hands.

posted by Eduardo Buck at Saturday, August 28, 2004

 
Dear Prayer Partners,

This week has been so hectic. I don't think that there is one family in our small church that is not going through some kind of very intense struggle.

Members Adamar and Soccorro have a son, Marcos Jean, that fell down about three years ago and hurt his leg. There is something wrong in his hip joint now, and he only walks with crutches. He slipped this past week and wrenched his leg again, and has been in constant pain. They took him to the hospital on Sunday, and he was admitted, but there was no space, so they put him in the corridor. They suspect that he has pneumonia and the doctor just told them that he has heart problems. Jean is 18. He was finally moved to a community room, but was screaming and whimpering in pain last when I visited him. They moved him to intensive care as his breathing is so labored, and his kidneys are failing. Please remember them in prayer. Health care here is so precarious. It is not uncommon for poor people to die outside the hospital while waiting for care.

Another member had a blood pressure emergency, one was falsely accused of assault, one had to hide from her former husband because he was hitting her and treating the kids bad, some don't have enough to eat and are just really struggling. Our car has broken down three times past week, has been down for 6 days this week. Tuesday, after it seemed that everything was fixed and working ok, the tire flew off as we were driving down the street. Thank God we were driving very slow, and that no one was hurt.

We would really appreciate continued prayer for new transportation, and that we will be able to start the construction project again. It has been stopped for months now. I will be giving a talk at YWAM on Thursday evening, and would appreciate your prayers for that also. The devil is furious, because he knows that his time is short. Please continue to remember us and our small church plant in prayer

posted by Eduardo Buck at Wednesday, August 25, 2004

 
“Mom, they must be really rich. They have a special machine”, our six year old daughter Raquel told Luciene recently. “It’s like a box, and they put popcorn in, and push some buttons, and it comes out all done.”

“It’s called a microwave”, Luciene told her. “We used to have one in the United States, when you were younger.”

But she doesn’t remember.

posted by Eduardo Buck at Wednesday, August 18, 2004

 
God has opened the doors for a new church plant in Novo Horizonte, a neighborhood on the other side of town from the current plant in Marco Zero. We rented a house that has a big front room that used to be a bakery, and have one single worker living there to spearhead the evangelism and small groups.

It is definitely a humble beginning, and needs lots of work. We need to clean the weeds out, fix some of the structural problems, give it a good paint job, and fix the fence around it. It is encouraging to know that all through the Bible, God has used humble beginnings for His kingdom purposes, and used the foolish to confound the "wise".

The new church plant building in Novo Horizonte.

On Saturday, the 31st, we had a Sopão, which is a big pot of soup, and invited the neighborhood to come and eat, hear music, and play. We closed the street off and put the chairs outside.

Look at the size of that pan! We did a lot of soup. We cooked it over a fire right beside the church.

There were a lot of kids, Luciene and Jane did a little program for the kids beforehand that went really well.

We had a great time, and we learned a lot that will make the next time even better.

posted by Eduardo Buck at Sunday, August 01, 2004

 
We took an exploratory trip to Villa Nova this week, to see what doors God may be opening up for river evangelism and work among unreached people groups along the rivers.  Please pray for us, that God would continue to open doors for further ministry among the unreached, and that the Lord of the Harvest would send workers into His harvest field.

This girl is 19, mute, and pregnant.  She would not let us pray for her.  Her brother is also mute.  There are some spiritual strongholds in the family.  Her dad (behind her) is an alchoholic.

Some of the kids got all dressed up when they saw that we were taking pictures.

God, be merciful, and help these precious children escape the spiritual darkness and live free.

This is the church that has just started in Villa Nova.  It is up on stilts because it floods during rainy season when it is high tide.  Even though it is fresh water, at this point the Amazon River has tides because it is right at the mouth of the ocean.

This is Vermelho (Red).  He fishes, harvests Açai, and relies heavily on shrimp.

Lord Jesus, be merciful and compassionate to the children and unreached people along the rivers.  Raise up workers for the harvest Lord! 

Playing in the water.  Luciene asked which way the river flowed, and they replied, both ways!  The current was going one way, downstream to the ocean, and the current was very strong.  Then the water started flowing the other way when the tide started coming in, and it was just as strong.

In front of the church at Villa Nova.

In front of the river at Villa Nova as night falls.

Luciene and Raquel recently made some awesome cinnamon rolls together.

Raquel just lost her two front teeth.

Rafael Guerra, Newton's son.

posted by Eduardo Buck at Monday, July 26, 2004

 
Our lab is having puppies!  It is a happy day.  So far there were nine born, but three were dead, there are six healthy ones.  Three chocolate, two white, and one black one.

posted by Eduardo Buck at Monday, July 19, 2004

 
Our telephone went down again, a couple of times, for days at a time.  So frustrating.  I have been working on the new site for the church, and hope to have that up in the next couple of days.  If our phone keeps working for a couple of days that is.

posted by Eduardo Buck at Friday, July 16, 2004

 
The kids just love our Roy Gernhardt CD, "Altar of Innocence". I tried to put something else on, but the kids changed it back. This is his first CD I believe. I think that he put out a worship CD also. He is a worship leader at the Tuttle Crossing Vineyard (hey guys, are you ever going to finish that darn site? It has always been under construction.). Can't wait to get my hands on something else of his.
posted by Eduardo Buck at Monday, July 12, 2004

 
A good friend of ours just sent this to us, sad statistics about child abuse in Brasil. I would say that the stats may be low, and shocking as they are.
posted by Eduardo Buck at Sunday, July 11, 2004

 
During times of trial, during times of walking through the fire, that seems to be when there are feelings of isolation of being all alone. The phone stops working. The car breaks down. The doorbell breaks and we don’t know it. Friends stop by, ring the doorbell that is not working and leave, while we are at home, alone.

God uses those times, of trial, of isolation, to form us, to mold us. I know that this may come as a shocker, but God’s goal is not our comfort and satisfaction. His goal is that we grow and mature, until we become more like Jesus.

Jesus was many times alone. Often he prayed alone, early in the morning, or all night long. During the most trying time in his life, as he prayed and sweat blood in the garden, his friends slept, and he prayed and cried out alone. As he was beaten and scourged, he suffered alone. As he carried his cross through the streets, collapsing under the weight of our sin, he suffered alone. As they nailed him to the cross, he suffered alone.

I don’t understand why it is that God allows us to suffer, except that it must in some way, do in us what years of comfort could not do: make us into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ.

posted by Eduardo Buck at Friday, July 09, 2004

 
Our phone has had problems again. I mean, we do live on the Amazon and all, but it is still really nice to have a working phone. For the last week, we would have problems and the phone would not be working for days, then the technicians would come, and it would work for a little while, then suddenly stop working again. I would just go dead, but people trying to call, it would just ring and ring, so people would think that we weren't home.

Then, about 4am this morning, the phone starts ringing. Just ringing, and then it would stop, then it would ring again. I unplugged it finally, and then plugged it back in this morning, and it promptly started ringing again. Of course, when I called about getting it fixed, they said that it was a problem with our phone or our internal wiring. Bologney.

The good thing is, they finally just pulled a new line from the main box which is quite far away, so instead of getting 28.8 or 26 K on the modem (click walk away and eat breakfast and brush your teeth and come back to see if at least the text has loaded speed), I am now getting a blazing 48 K (and to think that there was a time that I thought cable modem was slow, after working on a T-1 all day at work :-) I am pumped. This is just such good news. Thanks to everyone that has prayed for us in this area.

posted by Eduardo Buck at Thursday, July 08, 2004

 
Thanks for your prayers for Suzana. Last we heard, she is still in intensive care, but they are very optimistic about her condition, and it looks like she will make it ok. Thanks so much for your prayers, this was a battle won in heaven by faithful prayer warriors.
posted by Eduardo Buck at Sunday, July 04, 2004

 
We asked for prayer for Suzana yesterday. We went to Eberson's house last night. He is Suzana's brother and attends our church, and we heard yesterday that Suzana had gotten a little better, that her kidneys had started working and things were looking up.

Today, things have taken a bad turn, her kidneys stopped working again, and they said that she could die at any time. Eberson left for Belem this morning at 2 am. Her husband is also there with her. They have a daughter that is about four years old. Suzana is about 25.

Please continue praying for Suzana, and her family.
posted by Eduardo Buck at Friday, June 25, 2004

 
I just ran across this quote here, thought it was good.

"A call, ... is pure process; it cannot be measured, quantified, or controlled by institutions. People who are called tend to violate the rules in annoying ways." ~ Cloister Walk, Kathleen Norris.
posted by Eduardo Buck at Thursday, June 24, 2004

 
Our friend Suzanne, (a relative of Luciene's, our sister-in-law's sister) is in
Belém in Intensive care. She is hanging between life and death. She
went for routine surgery. She is a Christian. Please pray for her.
Check our site for updates.

This is from our latest e-mail prayer letter. If you don't currently recieve it, and would be interested in what is happening with us or willing to pray for us, just subscribe to our e-mail prayer letter by sending an e-mail to
Schmidt_Newsletter-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

posted by Eduardo Buck at Wednesday, June 23, 2004

 
Newton Guerra and I (Eduardo Buck Schmidt) just went to the Intervinha 2004 in Brasilia. It was actually held about two hours away, in a place called Cocalzinho, at the Hotel Cabana de Pirenes (or something close to that :-)

We had a great time. What a pleasure it was to meet other pastors from around Brazil and the United States, and Fernando Mora from Venezuela. To me the best part of the whole experience was the opportunity to meet with and share ideas with like-minded people, to share vision, to spur one another on to good works, to rub shoulders with those like Steve Nicholson, someone that I have long respected and studied church planting techniques through tape ministry.

The setting was just beautiful. Our room was literally right on the lake. This is the view from our room.

There were many neat things that caught my eye, like this wheel of an old cart.

This is Fernando Mora, from Venezuela, and Mark Fields, from the US.

My friend Ricardo Costa is developing an online study course for the Vineyard Brazil, and here he is showing us his presentation. From left to right seated, Richie Bouthilier, Ricardo Costa, Eduardo Schmidt, standing behind is Newton Guerra.

"And you are inviting us to come and visit you on the Amazon?" Manga, Boris, and Newton are looking over Richie's shoulder, to see the photos of the snake that ate a man in Altamira.

Newton, Richie, Boris, Eduardo, and Clenildo.

Joe, Newton, Steve Nicholson, Celso, and Eduardo.

Marcos and Newton standing, Fernando Mora, Joe, and Jason seated.

Roger Williams, Steve Nicholson, Mark Fields, and Fernando Mora pray for the four that were selected coordinators for the Vineyard Brasil. The four coordinators are, Elba Nolan, Bebeto, Celso (am I spelling your name right?), and Milton Lucas.

Praying for and blessing the coordinators.

Praying for the team in Altamira, officially made Vineyard now, Igreja da Vinha.

Roger Williams, Eduardo Buck Schmidt, and Steve Nicholson.

Lincoln, a very courageous guy to live in Rio!

If there are errors in spelling, please let me know! Se tem erros por favor me avisa!

posted by Eduardo Buck at Sunday, June 20, 2004

 
God protected us once again. I was taking the girls to school, and as I got to the end of our street, the steering broke, and the car went all crazy. Thank God, that once again, it happened on our street, and not on the main road. I just can't believe how good God has been. I think that is three times that the steering broke like that. And three times God has kept us from serious harm.

The motor has to be fixed too, it is throwing oil out all over the place. The tire has a huge hole all the way through it, I got a flat yesterday on the way to pick the girls up from school, they were almost the last ones to be picked up. Sometimes I just don't even know what to do with the car right now. Lord, please provide us with a new car!
posted by Eduardo Buck at Thursday, June 17, 2004

 
There was an robbery right in front of our house last night, at about 6:30 pm. I just saw on the news that they caught one of the guys, and got his gun. He is a minor, so he will probably be back on the street tomorrow. Thanks for your prayers, we got home about 20 minutes before the robbery. It could have been us. God has been so good to us, and has protected us and provided for us, and I know that a lot of that is your prayers, so I just say, thanks so much!
posted by Eduardo Buck at Wednesday, June 16, 2004

 
Newton and I just got back this morning from the InterVinha in Brasilia. I am very glad that we went , we had a great time. We met a lot of good people. We got to meet Mark Fields, Roger Williams, and Steve Nicholson, among others. We got to form relationships with some of the main Vineyard pastors from Brazil. We were much encouraged, and very excited about the partnership possibilities with some like-minded pastors that we met. We would ask for your continued prayer that we could continue to grow in favor of both God and man.
posted by Eduardo Buck at Tuesday, June 15, 2004

 
I once again have gotten behind on getting photos up. Hannah turned eight years old on June 1st. We had her party at the school. Luciene made an excellent cake. The first layer was orange cake, there was a guava (goiaba) filling and the second layer was chocolate. The icing was blue with marshmallow fish and octopusses and sharks, and the little mermaid graced the top.

Luciene made a wonderful cake for Hannah's birthday.



Photo by Eduardo Buck Schmidt

Hannah's party was at her school. The Staub's brought Rachel to share the time with her.


Photo by Eduardo Buck Schmidt

Patsy Staub helped paint faces for Hannah's birthday party.



Photo by Greg Staub

Eduardo Buck painting Raquel's face.



Photo by Greg Staub

Josiah Schmidt, jamming on the guitar.



Photo by Eduardo Buck Schmidt

Josiah likes to keep his sandals clean.



Photo by Eduardo Buck Schmidt

In a real answer to prayer, we were able to get a sign painted. A local Christian man did it for us at cost. Here they are transporting it down Rua Equatorial, the street that runs directly on the Equator, where the church is located.



Photo by Eduardo Buck Schmidt

Here are a few of the main people after a recent meeting, in front of the Igreja da Vinha (Vineyard Church).



Photo by Eduardo Buck Schmidt

A recent meeting at the Novo Horizonte small group.



Photo by Eduardo Buck Schmidt

posted by Eduardo Buck at Monday, June 07, 2004

 


Here is Luciene with some of the kids from the Children's ministry. This was on the second Sunday service that we had this last Sunday. Five kids accepted Christ!

Thanks to each one that has been praying for us, we really appreciate it.
posted by Eduardo Buck at Thursday, May 27, 2004

 
I just figured out how to turn the comments on. Amazing how something that simple took me so long to figure out. Hey, anyone have experience with the photoblogging that blogger.com now has? Let me know what your experience has been.
posted by Eduardo Buck at Saturday, May 22, 2004

 
We are at war. We wage chemical warfare, and kill the bloody infidels full of blood by the hundreds. But there is no shortage of them, and the more we kill, the more of them there are to kill. These bloody infidels, also known as “mosquitoes”, are responsible for bringing death and sickness to our people. We have two friends right now from YWAM here in town that have dengue fever.

We spray our room every night with poison. Amazing how many mosquitoes can hide under a bed, or behind a dresser. It is a part of our daily routine, everyone out of the room, spray it full of deadly chemicals, wait until the deadly gasses recede, open the windows, sweep up the dead carcasses and give thanks to God that there are that many fewer mosquitoes to perturb you all night.

I was out with our little Rottweiler puppies yesterday. Of the six that were born, there are three still alive. What I noticed though was how many mosquitoes were attacking them. They were trying to sleep, and mosquitoes were biting their faces, their bellies, anywhere that they could get in to suck their blood.

posted by Eduardo Buck at Friday, May 21, 2004

 
This last Sunday we just had our first service of the new church plant, Igreja da Vinha de Macapa, it was really a blessing. A Christian Brazilian singer, Judson Oliveira, was here in town that weekend. Newton, one of the pastors in our church, had helped pick him up at the airport, and got to know him, and invited him to the service, and he came!

He ministered some worship, and prayed for the three leaders and our wives, and prophesied that there would be people going out to the whole world from here in Macapá, that God would take our humble beginnings and bless us and help us grow. There were many tears, and the presence of the Holy Spirit was very real.

It was such a blessing. There were 50 people there for the first day. God is so good!

The opening of Igreja da Vinha Macapá, you can see the worship band way up front.

Judson Oliveira ministers worship. He also prayed, prophesied, and just really blessed us. Only God could bring a well known Christian artist to a small church for the first meeting.

Luciene is ministering to the children.

posted by Eduardo Buck at Wednesday, May 19, 2004

 
Here is our latest e-mail prayer letter.



At a time when our ministry has taken a great leap forward, when the
construction project has progressed beautifully, when God is using us
to minister to the needy, we find ourselves in a time of spiritual
attack. We really need and appreciate your prayers right now.

Raquel and Eduardo (Buck) have been coughing, struggling with asthma
etc. Please pray for complete healing.

We were going across town on Saturday to lead a new home group in
Novo Horizonte, and the car broke down on the way. We never made it
to lead the group. Our transportation situation has begun to affect
our ability to effectively minister the gospel, please pray that God
would supply new transportation for us.

We have recently embarked on a journey to plant a new Vineyard church
here in Macapá. Knowing our financial situation, I was quite
apprehensive about the start-up costs, and my faith wavered. The
Lord clearly gave me Isaiah 54:2-4, "Enlarge the place of your tent,
stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back: lengthen your
cords, strengthen your stakes. For you will spread out to the right
and to the left; your descendants will dispossess nations and settle
in their desolate cities. Do not be afraid: you will not suffer
shame. Do not fear disgrace: you will not be humiliated. You will
forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of
your widowhood."

We decided to step out in faith, and rented a building literally
right on the equator (check our website at www.holylamb.com for
photos). God has given us favor, and has been so very real during
the home meetings we have had so far. The needs are great for the
new church plant however. We need chairs, instruments, children's
material, cement to pour the sidewalk, electrical material to fix the
lighting, paint, and many other miscellaneous things. The Brazilians
are very excited, we have been gathering used clothing to sell,
planning bake sales and a craft sale. We are planning to have the
first service the 16th of May, please join us in prayer that God
would show up and change lives!

We also committed to helping a national worker, Newton and his wife
Angelica. Newton is a hard working and loveable guy, and is right
now attending theological seminary. We are praying that God would
raise up someone with a burden to sponsor national workers, to help
him with the costs of seminary, and provide a salary for him so that
he can continue in full time ministry while pursuing his degree.
Newton is a rare gem of a person with a good heart as well as a good
head, and has the ability to connect with people and propel the
church forward against the gates of hell. Please pray for him and
his family, his three children Rafael, Gabriel and Heloisa. Rafael
is almost 14, and he is getting to be a handful.

I know that we should not be surprised at the attacks that we have
found ourselves under, the slander should not surprise us, we should
not be fearful of the lack of resources, nor the fact that the bank
made an error once again and some of our funds are unavailable until
it can be straightened out: none of this can shake us, because we
have a great big Daddy that loves us and takes such good care of us.
When we talk to our Daddy, we always give thanks for you, our friends
and family, that lift us up in prayer and help sustain us through the
times of trial and testing, and who rejoice with us in the times of
blessings.

Prayer Requests
1. Anointing for the new church plant, signs and wonders and
above all, unity and real love for one another
2. Favor with God and man, wisdom to lead
3. For an increase in regular monthly support
4. The Lord of the Harvest to raise up workers for the harvest,
and sponsors for national workers
5. For funds to finish our house and the guest house
6. For funds for a down payment for new transportation

posted by Eduardo Buck at Tuesday, May 11, 2004

 
Our latest prayer letter just went out. If you don't get it, and you want to, just sign up below.





Click to subscribe to Schmidt_Newsletter



posted by Eduardo Buck at Tuesday, May 11, 2004

 
It has been a while since I posted any photos, so there are a lot of them.

Eduardo (Buck) and Luciene Schmidt have been released to plant Vineyard Churches, and Rick Spinos and the Videira Church invited them to receive a send off blessing.


Photo by Greg Staub

Rick Spinos praying for blessings for the Schmidt family, who have been released to plant Vineyard Churches.

Photo by Greg Staub

These cashews came from our land.


Foto by Eduardo Buck Schmidt

Dancing Green Hannah


photo by Eduardo Buck Schmidt

Josiah and Luciene at the table


Foto by Eduardo Buck Schmidt

Please, no cameras, no interviews.


Foto by Eduardo Buck Schmidt

Josiah in a JC Penney catalogue pose :-)


Foto by Eduardo Buck Schmidt

Hannah, Raquel with a silly face, Josiah and Daddy on a ride at the shopping center.

Photo by Luciene Schmidt

This year we did Raquel's party at her school, and she invited Rachel Staub (on the left), newly arrived in Brazil, to go to her party too.


Foto by Eduardo Buck Schmidt

This is at a meeting for the new church plant. God really showed up in a powerful way.


Foto by Eduardo Buck Schmidt

We rented a building for the new Vineyard church plant in Macapá, Igreja da Vinha in Portuguese. There was a lot of work to do- there is still a lot of work to do. First we cleaned out the trash and mud that was inside.


Foto by Eduardo Buck Schmidt

Foto by Eduardo Buck Schmidt

Foto by Eduardo Buck Schmidt

This new Vineyard Church plant is right on the equator- you can see the Equator monument in the background on some of the following photos. To get the building ready, we have to fix the water problem. We cut steps into the hill in front of the building, put in a drainage ditch, and a handicap ramp.

Foto by Newton

Foto by Eduardo Buck Schmidt

Foto by Eduardo Buck Schmidt

The guys joked that this puppet looked a lot like Newton


Foto by Eduardo Buck Schmidt

We had a get together at the house on Sunday, to eat together and compare blisters from Saturday :-)


Foto by Eduardo Buck Schmidt

Foto by Eduardo Buck Schmidt

posted by Eduardo Buck at Sunday, May 02, 2004