Jevon and Danica Rich connecting you to tribal missions Trip Successful
|
Thank You everyone for praying for my trip to Chicago. Everything went well without a glitch. My passport will be issued in a matter of a few days and things are lined up to register our marriage license and the kid’s birth certificates. Praise the Lord!
–Jevon
|
Saying Goodbye, Looking Ahead
“Mom?” Cali asked for the hundredth time. “Is it spring?”
We had told Cali that we would stay in Oregon until spring. So she knew, as the days grew warmer, that it was time to say goodbye to the Louks, and Meadowbrook, and the Molalla River, the temperate rainforests and waterfalls of Western Oregon, and the sparkling face of Mount Hood on the horizon.
The last Sunday evening before we left, we took a whirlwind trip to the Oregon Coast, so Danica could say goodbye to one of favorite her favorite places in the world. (Call me crazy, but sometimes I have to give visual and kinesthetic expression to unseen and spiritual choices. So I drew an altar in the sand at the edge of the waves that day. And on it, I drew not only the ocean and mountains, but also my “FOO”, (as I fondly call my Family Of Origin) because I had said goodbye to them earlier that same day. And I watched the waves wash that picture off the surface of the sand with a few salty sweeps.)
Of course it is hard to say goodbye. But goodbyes for us are not merely goodbyes. Because we are also looking ahead, with eager expectation, to what God has for us.
So, also in the same week before we left Oregon, we took a whirlwind trip to the PDX (Portland airport), and parked our van in a gravel spot beside the runways. Our little Cali tends to worry about everything unknown. Her latest concern about going to Brazil was the airplanes. So we thought that sitting and watching the big planes take off and land, while talking about the people getting on and off, and playing a “where do you think they are going?” game, would be good for her. Turns out, it was good for all of us. Because looking ahead in expectation is a faith-thing. (Thank you, Matt, Rachel, and little John, for joining us on that field trip! We miss you three.)
God does not merely call us away FROM something; He also calls us TO something.
Well after that, we packed up the van and started out towards Wisconsin. By way of the Southern Route. You know, down through California, all the way down to the San Diego area, and then East to Snowflake, AZ…and actually it was sort of the Southern circular route, because we went to Leupp, and back to Pheonix, and back again to Window Rock (anyone who knows Arizona very well is snickering right now), then to Albequerque, NM, Wichita, KS, and finally Eau Claire, WI. We did not have any appointments with churches during this time, but we had lots of individuals and families to connect with. Through our travels, we saw God raise our promised support level another good chunk.
We are at 60% recommended support, now.
Our route looked something like this. (Thank you, God, for GPS and Google Maps!)
And back in Wisconsin, we are still looking ahead to Brazil. Sometimes we ask Jevon to read to us all in Brazilian Portuguese. I think it is helping Cali and Karina understand that these words have meaning, just like English words have meaning! (Daddy is not just “talking funny”!!!!!) It is also warming up our ears a little bit, to a different sound system.
Thank you, Laree, for the Brazilian children’s books!!!!
Our target date is still August but it is going to take some serious work on our part and God’s mighty intervention to make that happen. We are at peace if it takes a little longer, just as long as it is not because we didn’t do our part. And why not keep asking God to help us reach that goal? Please pray with us, that God will speed us on our way. We don’t want to dilly-dally!
Jevon is gone today, on his way down to the Brazilian consulate in Chicago to get his Brazilian passport renewed. Please pray that this will go smoothly without a glitch!
Looking forward to the next post – when we can tell you what God does next!
We love you all. Thank you to each and every one of you who have welcomed us along the way in our travels. What a privilege to know you and to be co-workers with you in the Father’s work!
from the Rich family,
Jevon, Danica, Cali, and Karina
Skit Clips and More
| Here’s the latest news of the Rich family in…
Partnership Development What a joy to join hands in partnership with people who believe that God wants them to be a part of tribal missions in Brazil through their prayers and financial support of our ministry! We now have 47% of the recommended support for our family. This is up from 24% that we had end of December. You can see that God is doing something! And we count ourselves blessed to be looking for financial partnership now, with the economy already in a ditch – because we don’t figure the people jumping on board are fair weather partners! They are sacrificing to do what they are doing. Thank you God, and thank you to all of you who are a part of this. Missions Awareness It is so neat for me, Danica, to watch people be challenged as Jevon speaks about tribal church planting. He has had opportunities to share in 6 churches these past two months on Sunday mornings, as well as sharing his presentation in many more intimate settings. Some of the people in these audiences seem to have had little or no exposure to tribal missions previously. Because of his experience growing up with an indigenous people group in the jungle, Jevon has a unique perspective to share as he weaves in first-hand stories with what the Bible has to say about missions. We also have gotten to give 3 different groups of kids a taste of missions, here in Oregon. And so the original demonstration we did for our own Salem kids has grown into a full-blown skit – paint, wigs, and all! Kids are so fun to talk to, and we ourselves are reminded why we do what we do when we put it into visuals and concrete terminology for kids. We couldn’t give away the whole thing in an e-mail but Jevon picked some clips, pasted them together, and put them here for you: (four minutes, eleven seconds)
Marriage and Family This weekend, Danica’s mom met us at a hotel in Sunriver, OR, and took care of the kids there for the weekend so that we could focus in on the most foundational relationships to our life, family, and ministry: our relationship with God, and our relationship with each other. We attended the Weekend to Remember Marriage Conference by FamilyLife. Our prayer going into it was that God would shed some light on some blind spots or things in our marriage that we should be working on right now. That is what He did. We also had a very special time together, putting other things aside and remembering what we appreciate most about each other and all the reasons we got married in the first place! Now our prayer is that we will each be empowered to apply the things God taught us build each other up and strengthen our relationship. As Cali called from the backseat on the way home, “Mommy, are you going to be better to your husband because of you listened to a marriage conference?” Have we Lost you Forever? We got a call from one of the families we LOVE in Wisconsin this week. I believe the question was, “when are you coming back, or have we lost you forever?” Thanks for keeping in touch. We love you and miss you. Many of you have asked us to pray for you, too, and we are. Oh, and speaking of praying for you…we are trying to make a file on the computer of people’s faces and the things they asked us to pray for us most recently. So if you have a picture of yourself or your family, may we have it for our own people/prayer list please? Thanks! We want remember you, too! |
||||||
| Jevon and Danica Rich | ||||||
4 Minutes on the Road
We had a super Sunday. Check out this snippit into our lives.
|
Please pray for John. He is a hitch-hiker who rode with us to the closest town. Pray that he arrives safely at the destination God has for him, and also pray that God will give him understanding as he reads his Bible each night, and as he walks along the road with lots of time to think. Pray that it will be God’s people who pick him up and help him on his way, so that he will have godly company and conversation. Also that he stays warm. The high desert of eastern Oregon is cold in February.
-Jevon Rich
|
||
Praise
above: The kiddos asleep on the way home from a late night meeting. They’ve been great sports. We pack jammas along, and they sleep in late the next morning. 
It’s fun meeting neat people who love the Lord and are about His kingdom business. And it’s fun sharing what is on our hearts and God’s heart about missions.
We miss our home church, Salem Baptist Church, on Sunday mornings and often pray for you on our drive to church wherever we are. But there is something very cool about walking into another meeting of believers and hearing them start to worship our God and Savior Jesus Christ, often using the same songs we know from back home. It makes us realize that the Body of Christ is bigger than we know. It also makes us think about how awesome heaven is going to be, when we are all together – people from every local church gathered into the Bride of Christ and adoring Him together. That’s why we do what we do. Because there are others…
We know that God has purposed to gather a people for Himself from every tribe and tongue and nation.
So that’s why we spend our time meeting with whoever wants to meet with us in their homes, churches, youth groups, or Awana clubs, and talking about the tribes in the jungle of Brazil that are still without the message of reconciliation through Jesus Christ. And we are loving it.
We might possibly stay out West longer, since we may be able to meet with more people and churches if we do. That would mean we might be getting back to Wisconsin later in the spring than we originally planned. That just shows that God is answering prayers! Thank you all of you who are praying with us.
Love from the Rich family,
Jevon, Danica, Cali, Karina, and Isaiah
Praises:
We are meeting new people and making new connections.
The Lord has raised our promised support from 20% to 34%.
Jevon is getting more comfortable in front of people and is enjoying giving his presentation more and more.
Prayers:
Continued opportunities to share with families, churches, individuals, and small groups the work that God has put in our hearts to do.
Ministry partners.
Continued spiritual growth for each of us in preparation for the move to Brazil.
Tags: New Tribes Mission, NTM
Home Sweet Stuga
stuga: Swedish for “cottage” – a modest, cozy dwelling. can refer to a vacation or summer home.
When we refer to “The Stuga”, we mean the cozy little A-frame with a view of the Mollalla river off the back deck. And we feel very blessed to be settled here with this as our jumping-off point for a couple of months.
It is not, however, vacation OR summer (as the cold downpour of Oregon-wet-season-rain indicates…and that is not a complaint because I LOVE THIS WEATHER AND I MISSED IT WHILE I WAS GONE THE LAST 8 WINTERS! it’s soooooo good to be “home” and to hear the sound of rain pouring off the eaves and dripping from the trees!)
We are here for the purpose of meeting as many people as possible and talking about tribal church planting in Brazil and finding financial and prayer partners for this ministry. Please pray for divine appointments for us and also for wisdom and tact as we pick up the phone and start making phone calls.
Happy New Years to you and may we all remember His kindness to us as we reflect on 2011 and look forward to 2012.
Mike, Donna, and Izzy…we are praying a special prayer for you right now.
Love,
Danica for the whole Jevon family
Praises:
Thank you God for safe travels to Oregon
A fun Christmas week in Long Creek with Danica’s family
The provision of a place to live and work from in Mollalla (sort of between Portland and Salem)
Prayers:
Opportunities to share with families, churches, individuals, and small groups the work that God has put in our hearts to do.
Ministry partners.
Continued spiritual growth for each of us in preparation for the move to Brazil.
That God will speed us on our way.
Christmas with the Studtmanns
To anyone who misses the kiddos’ bright eyed faces…and to anyone who misses the Studtmann faces too. Enjoy.
Isaac
"the abominable snowboy" watching the christmas tree procedings
with Grandpa Studtmann
Long Creek Mountaineers
Isaac Number 24
Karina watching with new friend
Cali watching with Uncle Amos. Future Aunt Cymbre has the festive headgear.
Sam
hurray! our people won!
"Uncle Isaac has silly hair" -Karina (don't worry; it was just for the game)
- Christmas cookies!
Uncle Amos helping them
Amos made a Cali cookie and a Kiki cookie
Christmas Eve
studying the manger scene while Jevon reads to them
one present Christmas Eve
pajamas!
Christmas Eve goodies while we watch Dr. Seus's Grinch (the old one and the best!)
his first Christmas morning
good morning and Merry Christmas from the Riches
Cali and Dakota looking out the window
Karina and Danica
Grandpa Studtmann reading the Christmas story
some of us listen
some of us try but its so hard when you are excited
new puppy
new socks
new food
new zebra
Amos and his fiance Cymbre
Isaiah's awesome socks from Uncle Isaac which both Wisconsinites and Long Creek people will appreciate
Christmas dinner: Navajo tacos (tacos on fry bread)
Frederik (student from Denmark) helped too
and mom was flipping the fry bread between taking pictures
do you want to pet my puppy Sam?
oh sure why not?
and finally...the feast. Thank you God for another Christmas.
2011 Christmas Thoughts (from Danica’s journal)
When Karina was born, it was only barely more than a month before Christmas. She was born at home in our living room. I remember Jevon lighting the candles in that room. I remember them flickering in their spiral “staircase” of votive holders and casting a quite mood of rest, celebration, and reflection around that room after her birth. It was something like the peaceful scenes we create at Christmas for reflecting on our Lord’s birth.
And I thought, that Christmas, how very human an entrance God chose when He stepped into our world – His world. I knew something about labor pains and the crazy, messy, beautiful and miraculous event that birth is. He came the same way we all did. HE CHOSE TO COME THE SAME WAY WE ALL DO.
But I also thought, that Christmas: Jesus wasn’t born at home. And Mary didn’t have the comfortable place I did in which to do her work of labor and birth – that work God gave her. I thought about that. But I wasn’t sure what God was teaching me or to what conclusions He was leading me in those thoughts.
Well, this Christmas, Isaiah’s birth is the freshest one in my memory. And here I am again, reflecting on God’s human entrance into this world. How He chose to come.
Jesus wasn’t born in a cozy bedroom or a birth suite. And who knows how much time Mary had to “nest” or prepare a makeshift place in the barn before the labor contractions overtook her. Jesus was born on a journey, and there wasn’t even room in the inn for them.
In some ways, the cinder-block walls and cement floor of the dorm room where Isaiah was born probably bore a slightly closer resemblance to the scene on which the newborn God-man entered when He was born. It was a makeshift barrier of a mattress blocking off our end of the hallway that provided privacy. Most of the people accommodating us and rejoicing with us that night were not our extended family.
But we were prepared.
We were provided for.
Everything happened exactly as planned, exactly as it was supposed to happen. We had everything we needed.
And this Christmas I have a vague picture in my mind which is slowly coming into clearer focus: a picture of human, humble, imperfect circumstance, messiness, a bit of chaos, and makeshift creativity – all being directed purposefully by a God of perfect order, Sovereign intention, and faithful provision.
Here meets humility and deity.
Here comes our Savior!
Do not be afraid.
Watch. Worship. Trust.
Celebrate with lights and candles and feasting and gift-giving; it is right to do so, because Christ is our light to reveal God to us, our provision from God, and the greatest gift from the Greatest Giver of all. But when the short season is gone and the mess of everyday not-quite-so-perfect moments is back, remember that the God we can’t see is right there in the thick of it with us, silently working it all according to His perfect plan.
A God of sovereign intention.
A God of faithful provision.
A Savior in Whom meets humble humanity and glorious Deity.
OUR SAVIOR.
JESUS CHRIST.
Do not be afraid.
Watch.
Worship.
Trust.
Newsletter 11 2011
Click on a Thumbnail and zoom. Press backspace to view Thumbnails again.
Oklahoma Pics
Above: My language helper, Louise, (middle), my language partner, Julie (left), and Cali and I
at an appreciation dinner we put on for all of our Cherokee language helpers.
Below: A Friday afternoon after language session – Jevon cutting a rotisserie chicken for a picnic in Louise’s backyard. And that is my mom in the picture also. She came for Isaiah’s birth and was a huge help and blessing to us.
Above, left to right: Jevon holding Isaiah, me, Julie, Louise,
Cali and Karina in front.
Below: Another session day. The shoes are on the table because we are eliciting noun phrases. Such as “two black stringed shoes”. We set up the situation on the table and asked her to describe it, in hopes of getting the phrase in its most natural Cherokee form. We were concerned that if we simply asked for it in English, our English form might influence her language choices.
sorry the pictures are a little blurry. we are getting to know a new camera.
Shoes were not the only things on the table that day. We had lots of fun with various assorted objects.
Isaiah – one week old. With Faith – the midwife God gave us in answer to your prayers, Salem kids! We are so thankful for her help and for Isaiah’s very good birth.
A Saturday morning at the Illinois River.
Flowers from Daddy.
Clean-up crew. Teamwork was a big theme of our 7 weeks living together in Oklahoma.
Stew for 30 people.
And bread to go with it.
Eye protection…was he just being a goof or did chopping that whole bag of onions really warrant some safety gear?
Playing with the kids while other daddies and mommies cooked.
Who isn’t cute with flour on their noses?
And who doesn’t love chocolate chip cookies?
Cali with Louise.
Louise and her twin sister, Betty.
Some of the church ladies put on a baby shower for the two pregnant girls and Isaiah and me.
Lucille and Isaiah.
I guess when you travel by car as much as we do, little things entertain you. ha ha, like seeing all the same 6 digits on your spedometer. This was a few days before we got to trade our faithful little Toyota…
for this. which is a little roomier and more comfy. thank you, Lord, for letting us drive a mini van, this year.
October 1st we left the camp in Oklahoma…
and I spent 3 weeks at Marilyn’s dining room table sifting through language files and charts, writing down everything I knew about Cherokee…and trying to make careful notes about things I didn’t understand yet. All this was a practice run. If God gives me the opportunity to work in a language that is not yet written down or does not yet have God’s Word translated, I will have a good idea where I’m supposed to start!
The write-up was due and I turned it in Monday, October 24th. Jevon was as excited as I was to be done with the linguistic marathon. He put in as much work as I did to make this happen, because he wanted his teammate equipped this way. And we both are super glad we did it…and glad its done…glad God carried us through this chapter of our life.
So bring on the next one.
and here’s a bonus picture of Isaiah…at six weeks old. He’s getting bigger and cuter all the time.
Until next time…
May God, in His faithfulness, continue to grow us and stretch us all in preparation for His work in every corner of the world.
Love,
Danica for the Rich family
