NTM

There is still a big job to do here in Brazil (over 100 unreached tribes), let alone the rest of the world. Please pray for more laborers to help in the work yet to be done. Currently there are six tribes here in Brazil with needs for workers, as well as the many we hope to soon start working in as a mission.

It’s easy to get bogged down with the day-to-day work and forget to find our rest and refreshment in the Lord. Please pray that we will keep our hearts focused on the Lord and grow in our own spiritual lives as we continue to invest in others’ lives.

Each day can be exhausting with “everyday living” plus the demands of our ministries. Melanie averages about a half day spent in ministry, plus meeting the needs of our family, while trying to keep her fibromyalgia stable. John averages very full workdays, ranging between 50-60 hours per week in ministry. The more tired we are physically, the more things drain us emotionally and vice versa. Please pray for needed strength and stamina in every area.

With our many and varying responsibilities, we face many decisions and issues with our co-workers, the students, our own family and people in the community. Please pray for wisdom in every area and that God’s love will shine through us in all we do and say.

Because the exchange rate of currencies is still low, prices here continue to rise, and our family continues to grow, it has been hard at times to meet all of our expenses. Please pray with us as we rest in God who meets our every need.

We make monthly trips into the state’s capital, about a 1½-hour drive away, for our kids’ orthodontist appointments, shopping, etc., besides driving in our small rural town. Medical work we do in another city, which is about a 1-hour drive away. The driving is pretty crazy here with lots of trucks, cars, motorcycles, bicycles, pedestrians and animals on the roads. Twice we’ve had motorcycles run into us causing a fair bit of damage to our truck. Please pray that we can get the repairs done. We praise the Lord we’ve had no major accidents.

Well, we’ve had a fun, eventful month since we last wrote. We celebrated Joshua’s 11th birthday, complete with a Lego cake that Melanie made. (She figured she better do it while he is still “into” Lego!)

Then it was time for some school parties. Both the grade school and high school had costume parties the same weekend.

Because Melanie helps with the planning and putting on of the grade school parties, she dressed up also—as a bag of Jellybeans! Joshua dressed up as…a piece of Lego! John got involved, too, and helped out by driving the wagon to pick up the kids in.

Student Council (which Charity, BJ and Bethany are all on this year) chose characters for the high school students to dress up as. The kids all drew a piece of paper with their character, and didn’t know who their “date” would be until they arrived at the party.

There weren’t enough boys to go around, so 3 girls ended up together. The threesome included Charity as Gary from Sponge Bob and her 2 sidekicks, Patrick and Sponge Bob. BJ and his date were the Bible characters Samson and Delilah, and Bethany and her date were Margaret and Dennis the Menace.

John & Melanie were asked to chaperone the party, so we chose our own characters and went as Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy! (John is still using his endearing Kermie voice with his Piggy!) The party was completed with a nice supper, impromptu skits and a game of Mad Gab.

We are really looking forward to John’s parents coming to visit for about 4 weeks over the Christmas holidays. This will be their second time here.

In closing, as we reflect on this Thanksgiving season, we realize we have so much to be thankful for. A few of our blessings we can count and name are:

· Fun times to laugh and enjoy each other

· Overall good health

· Freedom of worship in this country

· YOU, our supporters, encouragers, family and friends

· God’s faithful provision for all our needs

· God’s blessings He has freely given us through His Son, Christ Jesus, our Lord

Thank you for your prayers and support. We are so thankful to have you with us in this big job of reaching the lost for Christ!

Counting our blessings,

John & Melanie, Charity, BJ, Bethany & Joshua Kerstetter

GREEN is the “in” color now—at least outside it is! Rainy season has begun early this year and everything is already a glorious GREEN!!! After about 5 months of dry, brown vegetation and lots of dust, it is wonderful to have new green grass and virtually no dust! Everything looks so clean and fresh and beautiful!

One new piece of news is that we were asked by a young Brazilian couple to do some premarital counseling with them. Junior & Tatiana have both graduated from our Brazilian Bible School where they met while studying there. Junior is from a Christian family who lives in southern Brazil. Tatiana is the daughter of some of our Brazilian missionaries who have lived and worked with the Brazilian Language School (that is on the same property as our MK school).

They plan to marry in January 2007. We have only met with them a couple of times, but we are enjoying getting to know them better and trust that we will be a blessing and encouragement to them in this phase of their lives. Please pray for us as we counsel; this is a first for us and it’s also in Portuguese.  Please also pray for them as they plan the wedding, grow in their relationship, and seek the Lord for His will in where to serve Him together.
We are into our second quarter of the school year now. Things are going well overall, and we keep busy, as usual, with our many and varying responsibilities. We appreciate your prayers for our day-to-day happenings.

THANK YOU for your care and part in our lives.

“For we are labourers together with God…”
I Cor. 3:9

We really are laborers together. We could not stay here without your support—both through prayers and finances. We really do appreciate YOU!!!

Because He keeps us,
John, Melanie, Charity, BJ, Bethany & Joshua Kerstetter

Time flies… The school year began here at Vianópolis Schools on August 7th, even though we didn’t feel quite ready to start. We have 26 students enrolled this year in grades 3-12. This is a good increase from the 18 we had last year. It’s a good group of kids and we praise the Lord for the privilege we have in being a part here.

The wedding… On Sept. 2nd John & Melanie participated as “padrinhos” (“witnesses”) in a Brazilian wedding. We walked up the aisle and then got to sit down up front with the other 38 “witnesses” for the almost 2 hour long ceremony. It was similar to a North American wedding, with a few variations as well as some personal touches, just like we personalize our weddings. It was a really special and beautiful ceremony and we believe God was glorified. (Read details about the bride and groom in our last August news.) Please pray for this new little family! (Doesn’t she look like she could be their mommy?!)

Growing up… BJ (15) is so pleased he has passed the 6-foot height! (Mom is feeling a little short next to her little boy…!) His next goal is to pass up Dad at 6’2”! At the rate he’s going, it won’t be long! Bethany (13) is growing rapidly, too, and is quickly catching up to Charity (16) who has stopped growing at 5’5”. Joshua (almost 11) is growing slow and steady…

Extended family… Every 3 weeks, the boarding kids have a chance to go home for the weekend, if home is close enough to do so. There are always some, though, whose home is too far away to go for a weekend, so we try to have some of these kids over to our place when we can. The first going home weekend we had one senior girl stay over who usually goes home but her parents happened to be in the States. This last going home weekend we had 2 brothers here. We enjoy having the kids over and, of course, our kids enjoy having their friends whenever possible.

Our partners-YOU… Once again, thank you so much for partnering with us in our lives and ministry through prayer. We know many of you also give sacrificially so we can serve the Lord here, and for that we are truly grateful.

May the God of all peace richly bless you,
John & Melanie, Charity, BJ, Bethany & Joshua Kerstetter

Dear friends,

We just have a little news and prayer request we’d like to share with you. John & I have been asked to be in a Brazilian wedding on September 2nd. The bride asked us to be "padrinhos" in the wedding. This is what the Brazilians do in their weddings instead of bridesmaids and groomsmen. There are many couples on both sides who stand up front during the ceremony—some for the bride and some for the groom. These couples can be husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, cousins, or friends, etc. In this wedding there are to be 10 couples on each side! That makes 40 people standing up front besides the bride and groom and preacher! We’ve never done this before, but at least we won’t feel too conspicuous with that many people! Please pray for us in this new experience!

Let me share a little about the bride and groom… The groom is one of our Brazilian missionaries. Jefferson and his first wife, Gloria, were missionaries in Senegal, W. Africa. In April 2005 she had a heart attack and died on a plane to Paris where Jefferson was taking her for medical attention. They have 2 little boys, Daniel and Lucas. We first met Jefferson and Gloria when they were finishing the mission training here in Brazil before they went to Senegal.

The bride, Joana, is originally from northeastern Brazil, but moved to our town with her mother as a young girl. She had a very hard home life and was partially raised and brought to know the Lord by some other Brazilian missionaries. (This family used to serve in Senegal, W. Africa with Jefferson and Gloria!) After Joana came to know the Lord, this family came to the difficult decision that they would not be able to return to Africa because of some health problems. Joana, as a young teen, encouraged them not to be sad and comforted them by saying that she would go to Africa as a missionary when she grew up! Little did they realize what God had planned! We first met Joana at a store downtown where she worked as a teenager.

Joana has been studying at a seminary in the same city where Jefferson has been living and serving with the mission since leaving Senegal after Gloria’s death. They have gotten to know each other this past year and have recognized God’s hand at bringing them together. After the wedding, Joana wants to complete her seminary training, they hope to go through the mission training in the States (to learn more English), and then eventually return to Senegal to serve the Lord there!

Please pray for this couple as they are united in marriage on Sept. 2nd and become a new little family unit. The boys, ages 5 and 3, have totally accepted Joana as their new mommy they’ve been praying for and she seems to be fitting into the new mommy role well. They do have a lot of adjustments and changes in the days to come, though, and I know they will appreciate your prayers.

Thank you so much for standing with us!

In His love,
John & Melanie & kids