Ken and Lori Stucky
Friends & Family
E-Mail Updates
JANUARY 20, 2004
Family of Friends,
ALPHA has closed to catch its breath! We have 125 students fully registered and 20 more have reserved their desks. This leaves only 7 more openings (5
in 3rd grade and 2 in 1st). This enrollment victory represents over 50% growth for the new year. The teaching staff will converge in 2 more days to get its
collective box in gear. Classes begin on the 29th.
700 BOOKS: I signed off twenty some boxes of books this morning. The order came to 17,046.43 in Brazilian dollars which corresponds to US$6,000.00
Last year on January 20th, we only had 19 students enrolled so we definitely had not even ordered books. We are thrilled to be able to hand out books the
first day of class; please pray for God’s provision to pay for these materials. (These workbook style and are consumed each year.)
IBCV CHURCH MINISTRY: On December 31st we had over 90 people out for dinner and a program to usher in the new year. On January 1st we held a
one day retreat at our home for the youth. Our whole family was out of town to Field Conference from January 5th to 13th. Several of our students and
ladies are out of town this week at a Teacher Training convention to sharpen their skills for our Sunday School program. The Youth Group is saving up for
carnival camp to be held from March 20 – 24. I will be the guest speaker at the Berean Camp in Fortaleza; pray as I prepare 4 messages for that weekend.
ABREU’s SALVATION: He has been a friend for 7 or 8 years but continues to resist the Gospel. Pray for him to surrender to the Lord and give up
control. Abreu smokes and drinks and pretty much figures that he would be exchanging these habits for a "religious" lifestyle. He claims to be awaiting a
"touch" from God. Lets pray that he will respond to the Truth before the "touch" comes and it is too late.
IN HIS SERVICE – Ken for the Stuckys
SORRY, NOTHING FUNNY TO REPORT – I Promise a Kid’s Corner next week.
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Lethal Toilet Seat
February 5, 2004
FAMILY of FRIENDS,
Unbelievable! I can hardly figure out where to begin…
- 10 days before classes begin, we discovered that the school uniform fabric was not available in town; further search reveals that is wasn’t be found in
Natal (a city of 1 million) nor in Fortaleza (another city of 3 million residents).
- 7 inches of rain last Tuesday; hundreds of people displaced – Leila (Alpha school teacher) had the river 6 feet from the front of her house; our cloths
dryer goes south.
- Bought a new dryer, got it home, discovered that it is designed to run on a different electrical program.
- 140+ students; traffic jams in front of the school; tremendous opportunities to minister the love of Jesus to hurting people.
- Lori stepped out of the car and twisted her ankle on the uneven street down town; we ended up in emergency at 11 p.m. Monday night but the X-ray
showed no breaks. She did the 1st of 10 physiotherapy sessions this morning.
- 2nd grader breaks a tooth on toilet seat (you will have to write for the details on that one)
- Water pump at school burns out on Sunday; water pump at home goes on the frits on Tuesday
- 3rd grader takes a taxi home after class; after 4 or 5 rounds of searching the campus, a phone call reveals that he is at home taking a shower; nobody
(especially his mom) is amused.
- School uniform fabric arrived today. Lori’s half cast was removed today. Foundation for new music class room is in place. Science teacher for 5th grade
started today. The teachers have been paid for January. Alpha completes the first week of classes today; praise the Lord for headway with Daniel (Alpha’s
first Down Syndrome student).
- 13 youth group members are signed up for youth camp to begin on the 21st. Pray for me as I prepare 4 messages
- Excellent church business meeting sets in motion work projects at the church property.
- Praise the Lord for contact with Elias from City Works; he supervises a crew which came out to haul away several dump truck loads of trash which had
piled up on the Church/School’s street. I gave him a New Testament to read on slow days.
We are overwhelmed with opportunities and nearly overcome by the demands of the ministry. Pray for the right team members to rally around us so we can
have a reprieve. Praise the Lord for growth in the lives of those we are minister to.
Pressing On – Ken & Lori Stucky
KID’s CORNER:
ANABEL: instructed to fold her hands and close her eyes for prayer. She did pretty well until she got to the pinch… “Dear Jeezus, tanks for edreeting you
give us. Help us to do good tings and be nice to each uder and not, not, not, PINCH each uder” (here she opened her eyes, reached out and gave herself a
symbolic pinch on the arm to show duh Lowrud jus what kind of buhavyour she was laying on duh alter.
ALICIA: decided to ask grandpa to “please make mommy some crutches for her birthday.” Lori’s badly sprained ankle will hopefully be better by mid
October – lets pray there is no need for crutches yet then. At lunch after drinking a long swig of milk shake, Alicia asked, “Do I have a beard?” Everybody
gave her a blank and she replied, “Oh, maybe I mean a mustache?”
JESSICA: During our Mission Field Conference when the older kids (teens) were out doing feats of danger and dare, Jessica came to me and said, “Daddy,
I know I shouldn’t ask you this because I know you won’t let, but can I go propelling?” HINT: to do this activity, you need a harness and strong rope tied to
a tree or something at the top of the ledge…
February 20, 2004
Friends & Family,
YOUTH RETREAT begins tomorrow! I am the speaker and need your prayers. We will travel 3.5 hours to Fortaleza taking 15 students to flee the
Carnival influence and this season of sin.
PREACHING SERIES: we just finished a 4 part message on “Living Life With Eternity in Mind.” Pray for unsaved visitors to come to Christ and for
struggling Christians to step up to the challenge. Pray for the salvation of Abreu (our architect), Pessoa (our welder), Reginaldo (our brick layer),
Carlinhos (a construction worker), Jose Nilson (our accountant), Cliudemi (our sand and gravel supplier) and Junior (the brick, tile and cement guy). Did
you guess that we are back at our construction game?
MUSIC ROOM PROJECT: We are building a 20 X 35 foot music room to get Lori & Milton into adequate class room space. This is the very last
construction we plan to do at the current church/school location. This project will cost about $2650 and will be used for 3 years by which time we hope to
fully move to the new campus. Gifts can be designated to the construction fund.
INJURIES & ILLNESS: Today Susanna (preschool teacher) had her gall bladder removed. She has been gone from school for two weeks; we appreciate
her much more. Lori is 75% recovered from her bad sprain. One 5 year old attempted takeoff from the swing set and has his foot in a cast. Hair cutting (not
his own) got another little guy into the principal’s office.
HIGH WATER: Leila (1st grade teacher) had to move out of her home because of the advancing river. We rented a truck and took some of her family’s
treasures to a relative’s home and the rest to the wood shop for storage. The water has receded but threatens to rise again. A brand new reservoir which
was estimated to take 7 years to fill up overflowed in about 40 days. This January goes on record as the biggest rainy month in at least 50 years!
SPECIAL NEEDS KIDS: ALPHA has been visited by various families with special needs students. Apparently, ALPHA is the first school around to truly
welcome these students. Pray us through this time as we are scrambling to figure out how to deal with the demand. In cases where a teacher’s assistant is
required to care for the student’s needs, the obvious issue becomes the budget. We trust Him for this matter and also ask for wisdom in the daily contact
with these students and their families. Raoni and Daniel are two current students who could use your prayers and two more who are begging for an opening
are Jose Wendell and Andre.
GUESTS: in a few hours (after midnight Mossoro time) we am expecting 23 guests. Dan Anderson and youth group are coming through town on their way
to another youth camp. Hammocks do just fine for a night or two. There is never a dull moment in our lives. Lori & I are beginning to plan a 4-5 day get
away for early March. We are pope. That reminds me of a story about one of our ALPHA preschoolers – never mind…
Ken & Lori Stucky – for the kids down here
KID’S CORNER: I recently witnessed a tragic story of a dad who failed in every sense as a father. I was touched by this and resolved to be even more
involved in the lives of our daughters while they are young… Yesterday I was sitting at the dinner table and looking to my right tenderly confided in
Anabel, “Sweetheart, I love you.” She looked up at me and said, “Why, I didn’t do nufing.” I simply repeated, “I just love you.” To which she said, “I luv
you daddy, but I still didn’t do nufing.” Wow! Was she feeling guilty? Is the most frequent time she hears these words after a whipping? Or was she just too
busy with eating her desert?
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To pope or not to pope
February 27, 2004
FAMILY OF FRIENDS,
YOUTH RETREAT went great! Praise the Lord for several decisions for Christ including one fellow from our youth group named Hudynelly. We are
glad to be home.
FAMILY RETREAT: while the youth group did a road trip, 7 or 8 church families got together for swimming, fellowship, food, devotionals and game
times. These gatherings keep folks away from the Carnival parades and rotten network programming this holiday offers.
MEN NEED JESUS: please keep praying for Abreu, Reginaldo, Cliudemi, Carlinhos, Junior and Pessoa.
MUSIC ROOM PROJECT: Walls are up, roof is on, electrical conduits are in, plaster is being applied and the doors & windows are being welded. A
couple more weeks till we move in. See pictures below. This project lacks about $1,500 for completion; gifts can be designated to the ALPHA
Construction Fund.
SPECIAL NEEDS KIDS: Thanks for remembering ALPHA in prayer as we minister to special needs students and their families. Andre is a little boy we
wrote about last time; he will be enrolled on Monday and begin classes right away.
FAMILY TIME: last week I wrote about needing some get away time. The e-message said, “Lori & I are beginning to plan a 4-5 day get away for early
March. We are pope…” Now is your chance to guess:
A. “Pope” is a term meaning “to plan vacations.”
B. We have entered a phase in our lives where we seldom sin and carry much authority.
C. “We are pope” is the vernacular for “We have a full schedule.”
D. The lowly spell checker saw fit to change it from the original rendering, “we are pooped.”
Ken Stucky – for the kids
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And a still small voice - NOT
March 7, 2004 – Sunday afternoon – rainy – 88 degrees
FAMILY of FRIENDS,
TWENTY-SIX men and boys put no small amount of grunt into church work projects yesterday! At 6 p.m. the ladies and children appeared with 6 pans of
lasagna and furnishings to get us all back to life. Light rain showers and a heavy cloud cover refreshed us as we dug fence post holes (by hand), installed
barbed wire, removed dirt mounds, filled in low spots and prepared footings for 30 foot light poles. A short praise/prayer service following the meal
closed out our time. This was the first of 3 monthly meetings scheduled at the church property getting us ready to draw up plans for construction.
TUESDAY/WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY will be short mountain trip for Lori & me. We depart after classes to spend a couple of nights in the hills a mere
2 hour drive from the intensities of our ministries in Mossoro. Get excited with us over the anticipated short break.
SUSANNA (teacher) is back. Her surgery went well - recovery is progressing and she is delighted to ease back into the classroom. We are grateful for
Sinadia who diligently cared for the 5 year olds in her absence.
PRAY FOR Hudynelly’s brother Hommennyg to come to Christ. If you can get those names right, you can have my job as youth group sponsor. One of them
trusted Christ at camp 2 weeks ago and the other is searching. Pray also for Charles to make some right choices regarding who he hangs out with and the
job he has at a bar.
In Jesus’ Name – Ken & family for the lost of Mossoro
KID’s CORNER: WEDNESDAY evening Lori & I took Jessica & Alicia to get cultured. A chamber group from South Brazil provided 2 hours worth of
fine string tunes in the newly remodeled theater (plush seats, AC and no chunks of plaster or ceiling panels coming loose). As a gentleman introduced the
group, he said “Good Evening” in his native tongue (of course) to which 1099 people mumbled a polite reply sounding something like “Good Evening” in
their native tongue (of course). One very high pitch voice shouted out with gusto “Boa Noite” which means “Good Evening” in her 7 year old nearly native
tongue (of course) to which 1097 people responded with a moderate round of laughter. Lori & I didn’t think funny - immediate resolve short course theater
etiquette must be part future outings thank you very much.
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Happy Falcon to You
MARCH 21, 04
FAMILY & FRIENDS,
Our baby turned 4 on Friday! We thought back to Jessica’s dismay 4 years ago when we brought Anabel home from the hospital on a Sunday evening just a
few hours old, “That’s too bad because Sundays are too busy for birthday parties.”
This morning the dogs were having a fit indicating that something/one was invading their space. Out on the car port, I found a creature hiding behind the
van. It was a slightly injured, partially scared and totally indignant Falcon? I don’t know birds, but for sure I wanted to get up at 5:20 on a fine Sunday
morning to learn more…
Three MK’s arrived in Mossoro to do 9 day internship/short mission with us. Faith Ann, Grace & Jeremiah Nichols are helping out at ALPHA, Church and
around home. Tomorrow morning 4 of our teachers will be doing college entrance exams so the Faith/Grace team is totally taking over the 4 years olds for
the day. I guess they are pretty well trained as they have had a day and a half in the class room.
Pray for an evangelistic campaign happening at the Christ is Life Church on April 9,10 & 11. Pastor Paulo Alencar will be our guest speaker.
From the Stuckys making Christ known in Mossoro
KID’S CORNER: On Saturday, three little ladies washed the van. One was rewarded with R$1.00 another with R$2.00 and the oldest got R$3.00 The
middle child asked, “Why did I only get R$2.00?” I promptly exchanged her R$2.00 for the youngest child’s R$1.00 at which point she began to utter a
pathetic remorseful cry. The youngest remembered how she had ruined some sheets of paper brought home from school when they got all wet. She solemnly
let us all in on her street savvy acquired from rough personal experience, “Pwetty soon, Alicia won’t have any money if she keeps cwying all ovuh it.”
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Got Ears?
APRIL 2, 2004
FRIENDS & FAMILY,
Our lost luggage arrived on April 2nd after 4 months and one day of wandering! If they had called one day earlier, I would have thought I was being fooled.
Youth Leadership Team went on a 2 day retreat last weekend. We came back with loads of plans and a renewed commitment to the challenges of reaching
into the lives of students who have no direction or spiritual guidance from their parents. Pray for Leila, Cris, Francisco, Gleiton, Ivonete, Ron, Andrew &
Ken in this awesome task.
Renee Lipka is coming to help at ALPHA next semester. Our English Coordinator is having a baby this fall so the timing is great. Renee’s parents arrived
in Brasil on the same air plane as Joe & Jeanie (my parents) in 1967 for the first time. Having spent childhood years here, she is fluent in both languages.
The men gathered for another church work day. Below are pictures of the newly installed light pole and the finished barbed wire fence. On May 8th the
church will gather at the property following one more work day to pray for God’s leading in laying out a floor plan of the church building. (If you keep a
prayer list, please jot this one down to pray for during April.)
Friday, Saturday & Sunday will be an evangelistic campaign at our church. Pray for those we invite to come out to the services and for the Gospel to find
hungry hearts.
Sweatn’ buckets – Ken & Lori Stucky
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Route 66
May 3, 2004
Friends & Family,
It was a great trip to Aracati on May 1st. Though our time was not without a few surprises and twists, we had excellent turn out and good participation. 66
people from our church piled on a bus and followed the beach northwest 1.5 hours to meet with another church for fellowship, games, sports, and great
interaction in newly made friendships. We had a skit about the sleeping church which challenged us to wake up and serve, meeting the needs of those
around us.
Easter weekend was another blessing; I have not written about the series of 3 special services we held that weekend. One young lady (Luciana) accepted
the Lord on Easter and another girl (Maria Tereza - a class mate Jessica has been witnessing to) got saved last night. Please pray for us in the nearly
overwhelming schedule of Church activities, preaching, teaching, School ministry and family life. We need His strength for each day. Please enjoy this
picture of the braver half of our group; these people all climbed up 100 steps to a look out point (I was the one taking the picture). Tomorrow morning at 5,
I travel with a friend to Crato on business; it is a 7 hour trip one way.
Privileged to Serve Him,
Ken & Lori Stucky
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Top and Center
May 16, 2004
FAMILY of FRIENDS,
Below is a picture of the land where the Christ is Life Church & the ALPHA School will soon begin to be built. Thanks for praying with us for these
construction ventures. This picture is 3 years old; an updated one will be taken as soon as an airplane can be secured for the task. Since then, the nearly
3000 carnuba palms have been cleared from the land and a fence has been erected.
Last week (Saturday) we men got together and welded the front gate in place and did some additional clearing of weeds and brush. The ladies and children
joined us for a short praise gathering and spaghetti dinner. Damianna brought guava jam for the bread and Luciana brought a cake. The generator failed so
we finished the meeting on 12 volts from my work truck. Sixty hearts lifted up the property to the Lord, giving Him our renewed commitment and our desire
that it be used for His Glory.
Tonight is baptism poolside. Five or six will take this step, giving testimony of their faith in Jesus Christ. Pray for these young Christians to walk worthy of
His Name.
Next Saturday will be our monthly Youth Gathering geared for unsaved visitors. Each week, our youth group prays for the lost, practices skits and songs
preparing for this 4th Saturday of the month. Pray for many visitors to come and hear the Good News.
Praise God for Gil & Dave who are working with us to form a plan for gathering funds for ground breaking this August. Pray for wisdom as we work with
these men. Please use the picture below as a visual as you utter a prayer to the Lord. Ask Him to guide us in this incredible task of planting the first of many
buildings on this campus. We pray that many souls will come to salvation through the Church, School and many events which will take place in this
location.
Privileged to Serve
Ken & Lori Stucky
KID'S CORNER: Several children (including our Anabel) were overheard chanting excitedly about "Going to Abacaxi, we are going to Abacaxi."
Actually, we were a bus load of 66 souls headed to "Aracati" pronounced much the same. The difference is that "Abacaxi" means "Pineapple" and is used
in Brasil as we would use the word "Lemon" in the USA. A "Pineapple" trip would be one destined to failure similar to "getting a Lemon" for a car...
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Into the Water
May 30, 2004
Family of Friends,
There are times of tremendous joy in the work. Praise Him with us for 6 new believers who were baptized this month. Pray for each of them in their daily
walk with Jesus. All six have unsaved family members to interact with each day.
Below is a picture of my dad baptizing Damiana. Thanks to Canon and a flash quirk, there is kind of a holy glow about the shot. Probably one of the most
unique photo ops a guy can encounter.
Please keep praying with us regarding the August date for beginning construction of the campus. A pilot has promised to fly me around for picture taking of
the future campus site. Another neighbor has pledged to introduce me to the president of the city council this week in order to make a contact with will
facilitate the building permit process. Praise the Lord for the friendships which have developed over the 11 years we have lived in this city. Pray for each
of these men and women to see and hear Jesus through us.
Unbelievably privileged to serve Him,
Ken for the Stuckys
KID's CORNER: "If you wash God's hands, can you smell them?" Where do kids come up with these questions anyway? A wise lady named LeeAnn once
told me that our children's questions are not intended to drive us crazy, but rather they are "An opportunity to teach them God's Truth." So I dug out the
Word and began to build a rather extensive answer to the simple 4 year old's question.
God's chosen people were instructed to build the Tabernacle. God didn't need this place to live in, but the people needed this evidence of His presence.
Later this was transferred to the Temple. Later still Jesus Christ came to be "God among us" and to transition us into Grace from Law (John 1:14). Later
even still, (the day Jesus was crucified) the big curtain was torn open (by God Himself), eliminating the need for a super saint to intercede for us. About
seven weeks later, the Holy Spirit came to live in His own (Ephesians 2:17-22; I Corinthians 3:16 & 6:19,20). So there you have it. The answer is "Yes,
Anabel (and anybody else who was wondering) if you wash God's hands or even the hands of God's house (believers), you can indeed smell God." Don't
forget the down side; If you don't wash God's hands...
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What happens when you flush?
JUNE 22, 2004
FRIENDS & FAMILY,
Hello everybody! Not everything in the life of a missionary is soo very spiritual, after all. Our 29 year old septic tank simply wouldn't do its job any longer
so we broke out the tools and started to dig. It so happens that simultaneously we installed plumbing and underground wiring from the well to the cistern
and we laid a cable from the work shop to our house. This all adds up to lots of digging in our yard. Anabel was unable to appreciate the whole process
and became concerned about running out of places to play. "Is daddy gona haf dem doo dat to duh whole yard, mommy? Dey are digging everywhere!"
I am pleased to report that we are done digging and the bathrooms now work properly.
Happy Flushing - Ken and family
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No subject
JUNE 24, 2004
FRIENDS & FAMILY,
Please forgive me for not sending the last e-messages blind copy. Also, the correct reference is Ephesians 4:32, not 4:23 as I wrote. Now for a prayer
request: Mrs. Katia pictured below is very ill. She has had liver cancer for 10 years and is close to the end of her battle. I had the awesome privilege of
leading her to Jesus one week ago. Please pray with me for her son, Fernando, who is still resisting the Gospel. He had a serious car accident recently and
mentioned that God might be trying to say something to him. We have shared the Gospel clearly with him and appreciate your prayers. Mrs. Katia's
granddaughter pictured below made a profession of faith some time ago and Mrs. Katia's daughter-in-law (Ruth) is also a believer.
Yours for Mossoro - Ken
PS Breaking news: Property adjacent to the ALPHA School and Christ Is Life Church was going to be developed into a Motel (in Brazil, that is a
prostitution compound). Through God's gracious provision, a contract of intention to buy was signed today and earnest money was put down to hold the
land for God's purposes. This is a TREMENDOUS victory. If you could be part of the support team to help rescue these 5 acres, please write for more
details. k
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Pushing Back the Fence
JUNE 28, 2004
DEAR FAMILY & FRIENDS,
Strategic steps take part in the story of every project and ministry. The ALPHA School is no exception. We have signed an intent to buy 20,000 square
meters (approximately 5.5 acres) to expand the ALPHA campus; the title house is preparing the new deed this week.
Here is a summary of the happenings that bring us to this exciting juncture. Three years ago ALPHA purchased 11 acres on which to build its permanent
campus. At that time an additional 5.5 acres was available but the price was prohibitive. In 2003 we were once again offered this land but the price was
still too high. In May of this year, we became aware of a developer making plans to build a “MOTEL” on this property. (In Brazil, a Motel is a brothel or a
house of prostitution.) We decided to attempt to negotiate a deal, rescuing this property from such dishonorable use. Exactly three year after buying the 11
acres, we closed on the 5.5 acres. The price? Precisely 10% lower than the 11 acres. This is a work of God, as the whole community has developed and
land values have gone up over these three years!
We invite you to participate in this blessing as He burdens your heart. Each square meter can be sponsored for 99 cents. (the first piece was $1.10 per
square meter) The down payment of 32% is due one week from today. Your gift will be key in helping us meet this deadline. We are procuring short term
loans to cover this payment and at the same time we are trusting Him to raise the funds in a timely way. If you would like to make a pledge for any date in
the next 10 months, that would be great! The contract was negotiated to spread the payment out, the last one coming due in April of 2005.
Some suggestions are:
A. Pick a number of meters to sponsor at $0.99 each
B. Make a donation for 1% of the project at $198.00
C. Pledge any dollar value as a one time gift.
D. Send monthly contributions toward this land purchase or any other aspect of the ALPHA ministry.
Thanks for your interest in reaching ALPHA students and their families with the Good News. Even if you are not able to give toward this project, join us in
prayer for God’s provision.
Please reply to this message with your pledge so we can tally the response and report on the progress. No matter what, rejoice with us for the mile stone in
the life of the ALPHA School Ministry!
Humbly yours – Ken for the ALPHA kids
Checks should be made out to: BGFM. Mail your donation to: P.O. Box 355, Springfield, IL 62705-0355. Attach a sticky note stating: “For ALPHA
Property”. Absolutely 100% of your gift will go to the project!
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That is what children do!
JULY 7, 2004
FAMILY of FRIENDS,
The deed for the new ALPHA property is in hand! This is a tremendous mile stone for us. The down payment has been made and we will be building fence
in about 6 weeks. So far 4,108 square meters have been pledged; please pray with us for sponsors for the remaining 15,900 meters.
This weekend at our church business meeting, 4 new members were accepted. Praise the Lord for Damiana, Neide, Ailton and Clenilda. Pray for their
journey and growth as followers of Jesus Christ.
Family Vacation starts in 6 and half hours. We are visiting Brazil’s first capital – Salvador. This is to be an educational break. We will pick some
highlights to share with you when we get home.
Continue to pray for Fernando, whose mother (Mrs. Katia) passed away on Saturday. He is recovering from heart surgery and we continue to share Jesus
with him. His wife, Ruth, is so eager to see him come to the Lord.
Your Brazil Branch - Ken & Lori and girls
KID’s CORNER: We enjoyed having guests from Fortaleza this weekend. The Young family includes two little girls who gave Anabel a run for her
money. I noticed Anabel and one of her companions elbowing each other on their way to their “picnic table.” I also overheard the dialogue, “You are
bumping into me, Anabel!” The retort bounced back, “THAT is what children do.”
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Deep Blue
JULY 29, 2004
FAMILY & FRIENDS,
Family vacation was a success! Our principle destination was Salvador, Brazil’s first capital. There we visited a fort, convent, former slave market,
several museums, ornate churches buildings, beaches and historical markers of every variety. Below is a picture of a famous elevator built by Mr. Lacerda
in 1873. It transports nearly 30,000 people a day from sea level to the upper city and down again. The cost? Just 5 Brazilian pennies (divide by 3 to get the
$$ equivalent).
From Salvador, we drove 550 km inland to visit the chapada diamantina where diamonds were being discovered a few short years prior to the California
Gold rush. The other pictures below are of pools we explored deep in one of the area caves. Minerals in the water make the sun reflect the deep blue.
On our trip we visited several sister churches, toured a Christian School project, interviewed an education expert regarding some issues we are facing at
ALPHA and did informal evangelism at each stop along our 4,500 km trip. Seven of our group members took turns sharing a brief message with those who
served us along the way. We witnessed to waiters, gas station attendants, store owners and people in the plazas in each town. Over 60 New Testaments
were distributed and we continue to pray for these people to come to know Jesus Christ. In each NT we wrote a brief note including phone numbers where
more information can be found. As a group we memorized Galatians 5:16-26 by simply reading it out loud twice each day.
It is good to be home. Sam & Deb Dick (my sister) and their boys Brian & Andrew are in Mossoro for 4 weeks. Praise the Lord for His goodness in our
lives.
Incredibly Grateful – Ken, Lori, Jessica, Alicia & Anabel STUCKY
KID’S CORNER: Alicia & I were jumping the warm Atlantic waves at the beach the other day when she piped up and said, “Daddy, lets go out in the
middle.”
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Nilka's Salvation
August 16, 2004
Family & Friends,
Nothing can compare to the thrill of adding new people to the family! Nilka came to Christ this month and is taking the early steps of growth in her spiritual
journey. Our Thursday night small group has been praying for her salvation and we recently gave her a book autographed by all of us. Below is a picture of
Nilka & Dan Hazen a visiting pastor from Washington.
Tomorrow is the first of two airport runs for the week. Dan flys in the afternoon. On Wednesday, Sam & Deb Dick depart for Kansas City. We are grateful
for the 4 weeks we had with them. Since they are missionaries in Africa, our family reunions are seldom.
The ALPHA Land project is on track. Donors are needed, however, for the ongoing payments spread evenly over the next 8 months. We offer a special
thank you to those who have helped with this purchase.
Reaching Brazilians – Ken & Lori Stucky
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All Aboard
OCTOBER 13, 2004
FAMILY & FRIENDS,
Sunday night is our Baptism service for 5 budding preteens and Mrs. Nilka! This public testimony of following Jesus Christ is a tremendous opportunity for
6 sets of guests to hear the Good News. Pray for unsaved family members, neighbors and class mates to respond to the invitation to our special service on
October 17th.
Mr. Evaristo who battled lung cancer for three years passed away toward the end of September. He lived a clear testimony of trust in Jesus during the last
months. Please pray for over 200 friends, neighbors and relatives who heard the Gospel at his funeral. His wife, Nazareth, is comforted in knowing he is
with the Lord, but is struggling with loneliness. Pray for her to draw strength in her walk with the Lord each day.
Have you heard about the bus ministry? In our work with children, youth and families, many opportunities have been passed by for a lack of transportation.
Over 75% of our church families don’t have a car making it really tough to plan events that require going somewhere. God’s gracious provision of a bus
has begun to make a difference. The ALPHA School ministry gets in on this too. If you would like to contribute toward the purchase of this vehicle and in
this way bless the lives of families who don’t have wheels, follow the instructions below.
Pressing On for Him – Ken & Lori Stucky
KID’S CORNER: The favorite game of the month around here is “Chest” as Anabel calls it. Jessica just doesn’t concentrate much so she gives up her
prized pieces easily. Alicia is pretty fun to play with as she comes up with some tricky strategies. Anabel insists on a turn too. The little guys in front are
called “persons” and in her style are rather royal (move like queens). I have finally convince her that they don’t go backwards but have not yet managed to
get her to limit their moves to just one square forward at a time. They say if you want your kids to be designers, builders etc. get them going on this sort of
game early on…
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Green yellow and blue
November 7, 2004
FAMILY & FRIENDS,
Yesterday brought great progress at the church property! Twenty Five came out to breakfast at 5:30; we then plunged in on various tasks. Hoeing, raking,
burning, leveling, digging trenches, plumbing the water tank… The last three men to leave, headed home about 11:00 after burying pipes under the
scorching sun. I gazed up at the colorful yellow tower and the 250 gallon tank against the striking blue sky and said to the others, “all that is lacking, is the
green!” Brazil’s colors are green, yellow and blue. Of course green is what happens when your irrigation system is in place. So now it’s just a matter of
time.
Praise the Lord for 3 family fellowships of about 12 people each which meet weekly. Group number 4 is tooling up to begin soon. Pray for lives to be
grounded deeper in the Word as additional people make this commitment to study and pray together each week.
We are nearing the half way mark on the School Property purchase! After next week we will have only 5 more payments to make (one of these has been
pledged). For $1 per square meter or about 10 cents a square foot you can sponsor land for these Mossoro Ministries. Consider it the “Buck A Meter
Program”. Please inquire if you would like more information.
ALPHA enrollment for 2005 begins next week. Our search for 2 additional teachers continues. Decisions regarding scholarships must be made. Two
closing programs are being rehearsed and fine tuned for the end of the year (to be presented on December 6 & 7). Thanks for lifting us up during this
intense time.
Humbled to have you as partners in His WORK
– Ken & Lori Stucky
KID’S CORNER: Last night as we celebrated the Lord’s Supper, parents were given a few minutes to discuss matters with their children. I leaned over
and whispered into Anabel’s ear some of the finer points of the issue at hand. She looked at me and said, “And den after dey had duh bread and wine some
bad people put Jesus on duh cross, right?” “Yep” said I. “Then what happened?” She answered, “Den duh blood came out and He died.” “Then what?”
“Den he got alive again!” “After how long?” Asked I. “I tink it was 50 minutes or about two days or one.” When I told her that the “Snack” would be for
the adults and older kids, she was fine with that after making sure that her baby cousin (Silas) wouldn’t be getting any either.
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After a short silence
December 5, 2004
FAMILY & FRIENDS
Eight years ago today, Alicia joined our family. Last night I offered to play a round of chess with her since I knew today (the big 8th birthday) would be a
ministry packed Sunday with little time to spend together. I slipped up and blew it! Alicia beat me a round fair and square. I then offered her a chance to go
to bed with the win or play another round winner-takes-all. She couldn’t contain herself and proceeded to loose. When I tucked her into bed she was
bawling for having been so “stupid”. I tickled her and congratulated her on beating me for the first time ever – not bad for being only 7.99 years old. Pray
for Lori & me in the challenges of balancing the intensities of ministry with the need for tender guidance of our three daughters so they will mature into
Godly young women.
Tomorrow is packed. Class pictures, preschool program practice, grade school program practice and then at 7:30 pm Kindergarten Graduation &
Preschool program. On Tuesday the little kids have their end of the year party while the bigger kids practice for their closing program scheduled for 7:30
Tuesday night. Wednesday/Thursday are parent teacher meetings and Friday is IT – the last day of school 2004!
Praise the Lord for a good end to a full year and for heavy enrollment for 2005. We have shared the Gospel with many new families and are praying
fervently for response to the Truth on the part of these students and their families. Pictures will be forthcoming next week. Please pray for Lori as she leads
these two programs Monday & Tuesday.
Psalm 46 – God is our ever present Refuge in time of need…
Ken for the Stuckys
KID’s CORNER: Anabel loves to try new words on for size. She often doesn’t know what they mean, but sometimes gets pretty close. Considering that
two languages are involved, sentence structure and vocab can be an unusual challenge. This week I came home from work and noted that there were back
packs, shoes, school uniforms and papers everywhere! “What’s the deal here, looks like a pig pen,” I said. Mommy pitched in, “you girls are getting pretty
lax about things.” Anabel (who had just showered and was sitting at the dinner table in her underwear sprawled back on her chair waiting for lunch) said,
“yep, mom, look at me, I’m RE-laxed.” Instead of a good useful lecture, the whole thing turned into a full family laugh.
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