I hugged a man....
 

lol...knew that would get your attention....didn't get a picture of me hugging him...but here is his picture...(oh, yes Brother Alvear hgged him too!)

http://i1109.photobucket.com/albums/...a/IMG_8489.jpg

Re: I hugged a man....
 

He has worked 20 years among the indians and it was his missionary friend that worked 38 years translating the Bible into the Guajajara (Guajá)....

Re: I hugged a man....
 

Re: I hugged a man....
 

I was weeping....where oh where are the oneness people??????

Re: I hugged a man....
 

It is easy to condemn people that believe different than us but the question remains DO we love HIM enough to do what these people are doing? May God help us all....me included....

Re: I hugged a man....
 

God bless u sister! Thank u for preaching truth. Keep on standing firm So many have compromised for fame & money, but when I read your posts I feel the Holy Ghost! I feel good about sending money to your work for the Lord. Please pray for me.

Re: I hugged a man....
 

I sure will pray for you....thanks so much for your kind words.

Re: I hugged a man....
 

Raul & Janice Alvear
P.O. Box 797
Jonesville, La. 71343

Janalvear@aol.com
bisporaul@uol.com.br

Greetings in Jesus Name:
“Woe is me if I preach not the gospel” (Paul)

This finds us in the far backlands of the state of Maranhao. Who would have ever dreamed that we would see churches and house meetings begin to sprout this far into the interior land? From a very humble beginning God is raising up a strong work. A place that was once so filled and dark with idolatry now has little candles of light here and there. Although, it may still seem dark to others, I remember when there was not a single light to be found… there was only a prayer, as I stood on a bridge watching Indians sail down the Corda river… once they were out of sight I wiped away my tears and tucked the words of my prayer in the secret chambers of my heart… but prayers that are prayed according to His will, never go unanswered. As humans, we often want a direct response and visible answers… but in the course of 20 years the answer to my prayer came to fruition. It was our son, Arlei that heard the “Go Ye” call and was sensitive to God’s request. Today… several years have passed since he first moved to this once desolate location.

God wills that the world be saved, but do we? He sacrificed His life on Calvary that the supreme price be paid. However earthly messengers have a tendency to be slow and unwilling to pay the price tag that is attached to reach the lost.

Unfortunately, in a world of outrageous prices, it was a necessity for our son to purchase tires for his truck. It may be a far too tattered and worn out truck but it is their only way of getting back into many areas, to reach the lost. So, yesterday I called and borrowed the money for 4 new tires. No they were not the best brand tires. In fact they were a mock brand that I had never heard of before. Yet I paid $1,600 USD for 4 tires… I have the bill of sale if anyone would like to see it… My heart smote me when I seen the tires they had been traveling on. The last time they went back into a remote village, their truck skid and almost hit an embankment. Now, I would have to make a choice by faith… I bought tires believing that God’s voice would speak to a receptive vessel that would heed and help pay off the tires, which were $400 USD, a tire… Thinking of all the trips they will make into the unknown to reach souls, with this gospel they’ve never heard of, was worth a step of faith.

I recently met their last group baptized in a little Indian village. Oh, how my heart did burn within me! I wish I could set the whole world aflame with the love that blazes in my heart for lost souls. Arlei and Gilene are in essence pioneers to this area. They have taken a grip on the “Go Ye” message and have cared only for one thing- that which is supreme; that Christ should be known and served. They possess an indomitable courage despite their lack of many things.

I wish I were rich. I would go buy them a couch, a new stove, a better bed, and certainly a better mattress. I would have a closet made for them, so they would have a nice place to hang their clothes and most of all a washer and dryer… Sadly, I am unable to do these things, but possibly you can be the helping hand for this sacrificing family. It has been 4 years that they have lived on the barest of necessities. I don’t think I can adequately describe their sacrifice. However, I know some of you have already helped and blessed them in many ways. I just feel so minuscule in comparison to the sacrifice our children are making. I am a blessed mother! Thank you for anything you do to help us and our children, here on the mission field.

I have watched my grandchildren come to grips with the fact they live in the middle of nowhere…Sabrina, who at first was so lost in this “new world” has now come to feel a burden for these backland people. She is beautiful inside and out, a 15-year-old hero! She has taught herself to play the guitar so she could be a blessing in the services and is doing remarkable.

This week, while we are staying with our son and his family, they have given their best! Their little abode is clean even though water is scarce. They willingly gave their bed to us and Sabrina’s bed to Sister Kathryn. We know we are beyond blessed… never fear, that we would take this all for granted!

Our Lord of the harvest will never cease to beckon to the generous souls and lead them to the distant fields that are always white to the harvest.

We pray that God richly bless you precious homeland supporters. Your prayers and giving are what keeps us on these front lines. Thanks you a million times!

Your Missionary Friends:

Brother Raul and Janice Alvear and family

Re: I hugged a man....
 

There have been lots of creepy creatures to entertain us….

“Sister Alvear that chicken you ate had maggots on it…” I looked at Kathryn who had just uttered these words to me and thought well…if the tiny piece that had been on her plate had maggots, I must have ate a bunch of them for I ate a big piece of chicken… Oh well…where I was sitting I could not tell what I was eating anyway…I remembered in the car was a coke so I asked someone to get it and thought…this ought to wash them on down…
We were visiting a family that lived in the middle of nowhere…they had once lived in a farm area in the state of Alagoas but the plantation owner had moved them to the far away state of Maranhao some 6 hours by bus from where our son Arlei lives. He had come with his wife and son and we picked them up and drove on out here in the middle of what was once just jungle land. For over a year the owner has had all kinds of machinery clearing the land and another plantation is being built…
We were not there to see or witness the founding and building of another plantation to burst some rich person’s ego …we were there because of the little ones that had briefly become acquainted with our Jesus right before moving up here. We had promised them we would come and they were so excited we were there. They had been 2 days without any electricity the generator was broke and the electric line from some other plantation nearby had blew down…so needless to say it was hot and stuffy and far from clean…the little lady of the house was so embarrassed because she cooks for the plantation men and all the months supply of meat and fish were going to ruin.

We jumped in and started salting down the fish and meat and hung them on a line in the hot sun and told her that way the meat and fish would not ruin…she looked amazed and said Wow, missionary where did you learn that? I smiled and told her I knew a lot how to preserve things from the hard life we have lived.

We strung up the fish on an old wire we tried to wipe clean along with some meat that was ruining…. Our biggest problem we had to keep an eye on it so the dogs and animals would not find them a hearty supper



Arriving at the second place on our journey…I wondered what they would feed us…It was not long until the table was sat…The first thing that I saw was the eyes of the fish in a watery soup…head, tail and all the rest…the roe (is the fully ripe internal egg masses in the ovaries,) Actually the fish tasted ok but I doubt if it was cleaned good…They had gone all the way to the port to get it for us…(such a sacrifice) Anyway poured hot sauce on it and ate away…They were so glad we were there…It had been over a year since I had seen them.

The sweetness of the presence of the Lord in the mist of the deep poverty makes up for any so called hardships we might suffer...seeing new people come to the Lord, seeing new ministers ordained is outweighs any obstacles...

Re: I hugged a man....
 

So far Brother Alvear has ordained 8 new ministers on this trip...