Van Fans, put your hands together!
July 2, 1999
F&F,
We Stuckys loved the mission Conference last week; great fellowship! The big news is the arrival of the Sprinter - a 15 passenger van to enhance our ministry. Two small loans were secured to complete the purchase price and get the Sprinter into service; praise God with us for this tool. Check our web site in a day or two for more photos than you can imagine on this subject. We discovered that the van is one inch too tall to fit in our gate; by doing some fancy foot work and dusting off our Geometry skills, we were able to back the van in with about ½ inch to spare since the tire goes over the hump just after the high part of the van slips under the concrete header... It looks like Mr. Remodeler gets another job.
Please pray for conviction, right responses and tenderness between church members as the whole body comes together to deal with delicate discipline issues on Saturday evening.
Yours for Mossoro - Ken and girls
KIDS CORNER: Jessica & I were sitting at the table after the others had left. In fine fatherly fashion, I said, "what more could we ask for, sweetheart, our dog Red is having puppies today, we have soothing music playing in the background, the van has just arrived, we are eating tender turkey filets for lunch and we have each other..." Serious as can be, Jessica looked at me and said, "How about some ketchup and mustard daddy?"
Roadside Rescue
July 4, 1999
Happy Birthday America!
A missionary colleague driving a borrowed car blew the transmission 160 km out from Mossoro. At 2 p.m. we took the call - could we scrounge up a truck to haul the discombobulated car into Mossoro? In three phone calls, I discovered that my three FRIENDS who had trucks had just sold them. Where should I go? To an ENEMY? Ok, why not? I ran across the street to check with Edmar whose truck had bashed in our church wall 4 years ago. (Edmar never paid the damages and our relationship has been, shall I say, Strained?)
Edmar groggily informed me that he had been sleeping; in fact, he had just driven 48 hours straight! Oops. Oh well, since I was in up to my neck, I gave it a try, how about letting me drive your rig... ok, bad idea. Actually, he perked up and tossed me the keys.
My buddy (Neto) helped me load ropes, planks, tools, crow bars and a jug of ice water into the truck and we were off; first stop for 80 liters of diesel. Heading out of town I sensed that my wallet was back home... Second round. (By the way, how many times do you think I had to stop at check points to show my documents? See below for the answer.) Sixty km later I got a call with info as to just where the stranded family was; we agreed that Dave should take his wife and 3 girls to the closest town to catch a bus. Sixty more km down the road and Dave got a hold of us again - he needed to be picked up in Lajes 12 km from the vehicle.
Now, how to get the heavy car onto the truck bed? Heavy traffic, inadequate shoulders, the planks were too short, the incline was too steep and there were only three of us... So we lined up the car, parked the truck in the ditch down hill, tied the planks in place and took aim. We went like crazy and got the front tires up the planks about 2 feet from the top. Dave held the brake while Neto & I synched the car up tight with ropes. An unsuspecting farmer stopped by and we gave him a crow bar to wedge behind the rear bumper. (Notice that we recruited a stranger to be positioned BEHIND the steeply inclined car.) Having an unusual amount of strength I broke my rope and nearly flipped backwards off the truck; after heaving, synching, prying, lifting and herniating ourselves for an hour and a half, the car was on the truck and tied down - we headed toward home which was three hours away on a congested, curvy, hilly dark & dangerous highway. We pulled up just as church was getting over at 8:02. Hey, just in time to try out our new van by delivering nearly a full load of passengers safely to their homes. I don't know about you, but I can't think of a funner way to play hooky from church...
Yours for Brazil - Ken, Lori, Jessica & Alicia Stucky
PS Do you realize what this means? Edmar is no longer indebted to us; maybe this will break open some new chances to share Jesus with him...
PPS The officials never stopped us, of course! But if I had NOT had my documents...
Cold Banana Pie
July 11, 1999
F&F
Thanks for praying about our Church's General Assembly last week. The pastoral staff laid out plans for the future and some folks are now deciding what to do with it. Keep remembering us as we deal with discipline situations and attempt to set things in order so God's blessing on the church can be complete.
VAN MINISTRY: besides delivering people home from church services, youth group & our monthly adult fellowship, the VAN was a blessing to two families in crises. Here is how it happened: Fifteen Christians gathered for prayer on Thursday night became aware of baby Daniel having had seizures earlier in the day; someone else told of baby Luana who was being taken to physical therapy and was screaming so loudly that her mother & grandmother turned around without even seeing the therapist; they planned to walk all the way home to avoid the stares of strangers on the bus... Can you guess what we did with fifteen sets of seat belts? That's right, we loaded up and took the prayer meeting to these two homes which desperately needed encouragement! While we were praying with Luana's mother (Edna), her neighbor came over and asked if we would do a Bible study in her home?!? Of course we are too busy for that sort of thing... NOT!
Yours for Brazil - K, L, J & A Stucky
KID'S CORNER: Remember Alicia's vocab? Hog dog is of course a wiener in a bun. Well, she came into the house with a "san wock" = a pretty rock she found in the sand box; then she wanted a "dink" from the "wog dug" = water jug. "Fix mine saps peas?" = "could you please close my SNAPS..." She was struggling to get her sandals on and she looked up at me and cried out, "Daddy, mine eeed you." I said, "you need ME?" She said, "No! I eeed YOU." Ok, so sometimes daddy gets mixed up on just who is "ME" and who is "YOU"...
PS I ate cold Banana Pie cuz I was late to the family party; I led Paulo to Jesus Christ after youth group on Saturday night...
PPS More VAN PLANS: a surprise outing with the youth group is being planned for this Saturday; tune in next Monday for pictures and a description of the event!
Fork Puppies?
July 18, 1999
F&F
More Van ministry this week - Saturday we loaded the youth group and headed 25 miles out of town to a tall hill overlooking Mossoro. Too many showed up to fit in the van so Lori (who was on standby) drove the Toyota truck* with 5 extra passengers. From our vantage point, we had sandwiches, hot chocolate and some good fellowship. We timed our arrival to the top just as it was getting dark; the stars came out in force. These kids are starved for outings; even though this scenic point is less than 30 minutes from town, NONE of them had been there before. They sang and laughed all the way there and back; Thank You to everyone who has been a part of making the van a reality! (A Special Thank You to an anonymous couple who sent us half of the money to buy the old truck making it possible to include the extra 5 youths!)
Anybody remember the 9 men on our prayer list? You know, the ones who's wives are saved? Two of them came to church tonight - PTL. Pray for the Holy Spirit to convict Genildo and Eduardo.
In His Grip - Ken & Lori Stucky
KID'S CORNER: Alicia observed that Red had some puppies; she likes to just squat down by their box and analyze them. She noticed how many there were too: one, two, tree, fork...
* You should of seen how amazed the kids were when my delicate wife manhandled the truck down the road; the reason she drove the truck and not the van is because she doesn't have the chauffeur's license yet which is required to drive the van...
Growing through loss
JULY 25, 1999
Friends & Family,
Aren't you glad that God's seal is worth much much more than man's guarantee? He says in John that nobody can "pluck us out of His hand." This week, we discovered that after 4+ weeks in the shop, the warrantee on Lori's CD Rom drive was basically useless. We ended up paying the difference for a faster drive as the 36X one she had was not fixable nor any longer available for replacement... (Who's fault do you think that was?)
Kyla, a summer missionary nurse, will be leaving Mossoro this week and Jerome (a supporter from Iowa) will be visiting in about two weeks. Two young men (former youth leaders in our church) have decided to remove their names from the roll and have left the church definitively. Pray for their relatives (also church members) as they consider leaving the church too. (We are willing to let them leave as this might be the purge needed for the church to re-enter a healthy growing stage.)
For His Glory - Ken & Stucky girls
KID'S CORNER: Alicia was "helping" at grandma's house the other day when grandma announced that she was going into the kitchen to see about defrosting the freezer. Alicia quickly joined her and asked to be a part of this event; it seems she understood something about de (the) frosting. That sure sounded good to her!
Hat & Hair Combo
August 1, 1999
Prayer Partners,
Our small work crew spent last week at the site of the school that we intend to launch the end of February 2000. We are putting in sidewalks so that neighbors don't dump trash in front of the wall. Tomorrow several men and women are meeting to discuss the forming of a school board and establishing direction for the baby school. Pray for clear vision as to what God wants to do through this ministry.
Ten month old Daniel (who is suspected to have Downs Syndrome) has been in and out of the hospital several times during the past three weeks; pray for us to provide patient ambulance service as well as spiritual & emotional support to Ediocelio & Nadja. Daniel seems to have a lung infection; he has had fevers over 104, convulsions and difficulty breathing. Ediocelio is one of 4 young married men who will be taking our deacon training course starting on August 9th.
For Jesus' Sake
Ken & Lori Stucky in Brazil
KID'S CORNER: Early this week I asked Jessica, "Do you remember Uncle Paul?" She said, "Ohhh, Uncle Paul is the old man with rumples, right? I'm trying to remember, does he wear a hat or hair? Maybe it is a little of each." The funny thing is that I think she has the right man, but I still am not sure what rumples are and how you can wear a little of each hat and hair...
PS This week I spent almost 2 whole days attempting to make a debit card cash withdrawal. Just when I think Brazil is up to speed, a glitch keeps me humble.
The sensible thing to do...
AUGUST 8, 1999
Partners,
Lori & Dad just finished the drivers course the DMV requires for driving the van. Now we rent a bus for them to practice in and to do their driver's test late this month. Last night I drove a 14 voice choir from a church in Mossoro to Assu (1 hour from here); they were good! The service had over a dozen special numbers, a very long message and several other presentations; it finished after 10:15 p.m. I got home at midnight!
Remember Maxwell & Maria? They are recent converts some of you have been praying for. The good news is that the Spirit has been teaching them; they realize the need to get married! Pray as we guide them in this and also instruct them with regards to parenting their two little boys. Eduardo (Antonieta's husband) was in church again tonight too; keep praying for him to recognized his need to accept Christ's gift of life.
Yours for MOSSORO - K, L, J & Alicia STUCKY
KID'S CORNER: Lori was exhausted after 9 hours of idiot school (for the comercial driver's license) when she got home; fortunately there were some left overs we could heat up for supper. As she slumped at the table, Jessica leaned over to me and whispered, "Daddy, I think mommy is kind of expressed out, maybe we had better be sensible to her." Well, that's probably not a bad idea...
See Church Property with freshly cleared fence lines: http://ww2.sd.cybernex.net/~te3/stucky/easter99.htm
AUGUST 15, 1999
Family & Friends,
How human can I be with you? Can I gripe about a speeding ticket for going 60
mph on the open road? Cars are allowed 69 mph and busses can go only 56 mph;
guess what? They categorized the van as a bus, so I was nailed for a grand 4 mph
over! I imagine that you know how I feel; anyway, a lesson was learned - we will
now function as a bus.*
THIRTY-FIVE adults gathered in our front yard last night for food, fellowship and
a brief object lesson on faith/trust. Six or seven unsaved neighbors came; pray that
the seeds of God's truth will sprout in their lives.
Erivan (my realtor to whom I have been witnessing for 4+ years) came to visit me
this week; he is troubled because a friend tried to commit suicide. Erivan told me,
"This man really needs God in his life. Could you visit him with me? Please don't
scare him off, but try to develop a friendship and win him over gradually. He really
needs what you can offer." WOW! Erivan almost got it right, didn't he. His words
were basically a concise description of an effective evangelism strategy. The only
thing he got wrong was the third to the last word. He should have said, "He really
needs what JESUS can offer."
For Christ in Mossoro - Ken & Ladies
KID'S CORNER: I was laying in the hammock with Alicia telling her of when
Jesus was teaching stories to lots of people. Some little kids came up to hug him
and just be with him; the disciples told them off and sent them away. Then Jesus
said, "Let these wee ones come to me, I like them very much." I asked her, "does
Jesus like babies?" She said, "I was a waby." I asked, "does Jesus like little girls?"
She said, "I'm a wittle gwirl." I asked, "does Jesus like big people?" She said, "I'm
going to be bwiguh wike Jesus." (Out of the mouth of babes.) Well friend, how
about you and me? Do we want to be "bigger like Jesus?"
* Busses in Brazil have no seat belts and often carry dozens more people than
they have seats for. Guess what? If you have one extra passenger in the Van
(categorized as a bus), you are nailed with a fine for not wearing a seat belt - How
do you like that?
PS We just had very good attendance at our Evangelistic Sunday Night service;
over a dozen unsaved visitors came!
(top of list)
Put on an extra plate, please
AUGUST 22, 1999
Family & Friends,
Was there ever a week where it just ALL went wrong? Everything you planned to
do took two or three times as long and instead of the "to do" list diminishing, you
added three more things for every one you scratched off! That's just a sample of
how things went at the Stucky house this last week. I am sure it was only because
Ken was planning on leaving for 2 weeks and HAD to get this stuff done. He
finally made it to Fortaleza with Jerome, our guest from the US. The plan was to
take a quick trip around Brazil ending up in Sao Paulo where Jerome would fly
back to the US and Ken would go on to Chili to check out several Christian
schools (the idea of a supporting church). As of 7 p.m. Friday night, when they
were supposed to fly out, their tickets had still not arrived. Thankfully, they were
able to prove that they did purchase the tickets and were able to have them
reissued for a small "fee" (you know how that goes!). Now everything is in hand,
so things look a little more encouraging. Tonight he is even preaching in Manaus
and then they are off
to see other sights.
The girls and I have a very full schedule with school, a birthday party, having
friends over, and playing at grandma's. We may even watch a few Veggie Tales
videos if we can fit it in! Thanks for praying for us and for the encouraging notes
that you send our way. We really appreciate it.
Have a great week!
Lori (for us all)
KID'S CORNER: Alicia is in a state of denial. She refuses to believe that Daddy
has taken a trip and the rest of us were left behind. Every meal she puts a plate on
for him and declares that it is for "DADDY." Any normal week, there are many
times when Ken is in a meeting around noon time. When the girls ask where he is,
I tell them that he is in a meeting, but that he will be home soon to have lunch with
us. Since I had explained to Alicia many times that Daddy wouldn't be home for
several days, I thought it would be interesting to ask her where she thought he
was. She gave me the same response that I usually give her any other normal day
when Daddy is around but can't be seen. "He's in a meeting, and will be home
soon to have lunch with us." She has an incredible amount of patience for a 2 year
old, don't you think?
(top of list)
Two bee or not two bee
AUGUST 29, 1999
Dear Friends and Family,
This week the excitement mounted as Ken's dad and I took another practice run
in the city bus and then drove with the examiner. All we had to do was drive
around the block, so it wasn't too hard. Both of us passed the test and now all we
do is wait for the license to come in the mail. Having made it this far is quite a
victory! If my dates are correct, we started this process the first week of July.
When was the last time it took you over 2 months just to upgrade your driver's
license?
I have been corresponding with Marcondes, the husband of one of our church
members who is in jail. About three months ago he accepted Christ as his Savior.
His wife was telling me that she had recently been at the court house on business.
While she was there, one of Marcondes' cell mates was there to see the judge. He
told Silvana that he had been liberated....not from jail, but from SIN! Through
Marcondes' testimony, this man has come to know the Lord. He said that he
doesn't ever want to go back to that life he had of lying and stealing. When he is
released from prison he is going to work for his living. WOW!
JESSICA'S TRAUMA: I had just gotten back from taking my driver's test when
I heard wailing over at the house. Running home expecting Alicia to have broken
her collar bone again, I found it was Jessica who was in tears and holding ice on
her arm. She had been outside and gotten stung by a bee. One of the workers
found the bee hive in a tree and promptly removed it. In spite of her suffering,
Jessica suddenly realized that there might be something in this for her after
all....HONEY! Sorry, Jessica, wrong kind of bees. Guess Winney the Pooh had
bad days, too.
Clashing whats?
September 5, 1999
BRAZIL'S BIRTHDAY IS ON TUESDAY
Dear Friends and Family,
I'm home! Getting back is always the best part of any trip. As I told Lori when
calling from São Paulo (halfway back to Mossoro from Santiago, Chile) my cup is
full. Visiting over a half dozen church planting projects as well as a couple
Christian School efforts has given me a recharge including an expanded vision for
personal evangelism, a recommitment to a fresh daily walk with Jesus, resolve to
guide our small family in daily spiritual exercise, and a commitment to rally a band
of workers around me as I better delegate and train people for His service. Does
that last sentence sound optimistic? Really, if I can work in half of that, the trip was
worth while.
Anybody remember Marcondes? He's Silvana's husband who is doing time for
theft. Months ago I tried to visit and was barred from Jail. While I was 5000
kilometers away in Chile, Lori went to drop Silvana off for visitation when she
decided to register with the Chief and see about the possibility of HER doing a
visit. All the rules were bent and that very day (Thursday) she was able to spend
an hour and a half with Marcondes and Silvana offering Biblical solutions and
Spiritual advice in his very difficult situation. Lori was subjected to only ½ of the
strip search as she entered the prison as the officer was too embarrassed to put
her through the same exercises the poor women visiting their husbands had to go
through. Praise for Paulo (a prison mate Marcondes won to the Lord) who has
since been released; pray for Marcondes to resist the temptation to attempt
running away...
For Jesus in Mossoro - Ken & Lori Stucky
KID'S CORNER: One day after reading from the Psalms, Jessica wondered out
loud what kind of music would use "loud clashing thimbles."
PS My most embarrassing moment: Having flown extensively and lived in South
America for nearly 3 decades, AND having been a pilot myself, throwing up on
the airplane somewhere over Minas Gerais was definitely the low point of 1999
for me. In 31 years I have never heaved as much as last Thursday; after hitting the
grown the "missionary trots" set in, and has not let up for the past 4 days... Soooo,
I guess it wasn't motion sickness, but some heavy duty stomach flue.
(top of list)
Bed pan or Bread pan?
September 13, 1999
Dear Friends and Family,
Well, Ken is off again. This time he has an entourage with him. Ken, his folks, Joe
and Jeanie Stucky, and two other staffers are spending the week surveying several
other Christian schools in the region. Sometime Friday they will complete the loop
and head home. It will be interesting to hear of their discoveries which will shape
their ideas for the future school.
This week was a full one. Tuesday the church celebrated Brazilian Independence
Day with a picnic in the afternoon and an evangelistic service at night. Saturday
our Adult Group met on our porch for fellowship, learning, and food. It was great
seeing the interest of the unsaved husbands who came along and participated.
Music Night went well. Our theme this time was Missions. Several numbers from
the choir and a skit rounded out the night. Jessica sang her first solo in church last
night. Wasn't always on pitch, but she wasn't scared a bit. It is fun to see her
grown into a young lady. Happens too fast.
We appreciate hearing from all of you. Thanks for your interest and
encouragement.
For us all here on the "bottom side,"
LORI
PS...aside from the gross stuff that came along with the family being sick, I don't
have anything exciting or funny to report. Hang in there till next time!
(top of list)
Two friends meet on the other side
September 19, 1999
Partners,
We had an overwhelming week; here is some of what's on my mind: - Safety as
we traveled 1500 km visiting 4 Christian schools.
- Incredibly gracious School Personnel who have offered help as we launch our
school.
- A 400 km evangelistic excursion with 27 people from our church packed into
the van and kingcab truck yesterday.
- Mixed emotions as our friend Wes Garrett was promoted to glory this week.
- A crushing blow for our friends David & Becky who lost their son (Chet) in an
accident yesterday morning. Chet was to graduate from high school next spring.
Please pray with us for the D&B Deichmann family in this time of loss.
Thanks for praying also as we plow through heaps of tasks needing to be
accomplished by February for classes to begin in the ?? School (that's right, we
need a name too!).
Yours for Mossoro - Ken & Lori Stucky
KID'S CORNER: You know something, even when we are grieving our losses,
kids keep saying stuff. The simple words of little children keep us from shelling out
in hard times. Some N. Irish friends named Lynn & Heather were visiting our
home a while back when Alicia labeled the lady "Aunt Feather." On Friday little
Alicia (now much older and wiser) came up to my dad and said, "here, gampa,
this is a ‘heather' for you". You will never guess what Dad did?!? Well, I'll tell you;
he put the little heather in his baseball fap and called it macaroni.
PS. The Wes Garrett family and the David Deichmann family are very close;
young Chet would have been at Wes' funeral Saturday afternoon; instead he went
on ahead to meet Wes on the "other side"...
(top of list)
Weewee in well doing?
September 26, 1999
Prayer Team,
How long would you keep inviting someone to Church? I had about given up on
José Wilson... Six and a half years ago I met Zé (short for José) on a welding
project and we gradually became close friends. I'll never forget the day I pulled up
in front of his house and noticed him dressed in his best - I jokingly said, "ya going
to a wedding or a funeral?" It turns out his brother had just died in a terrible
motorcycle accident. Ooops. Imagine my surprise and pleasure tonight as Wilson
walks into the church for his VERY FIRST time with his wife Solange and two of
their children! Please join me in praying that this will be the first of many trips to
hear God's Word taught; their little boy (Fernandes) enjoyed the nursery and
anything that gives mom a break is a winner.
I had better get to bed as Mondays bring me out of bed a 5 a.m. in order to make
the deacon training time down town at 5:30!
God bless you - Ken & Ladies
KID's CORNER: The other day Alicia came into the living room sobbing again!
I just kind of slumped over in my chair, exhausted from dealing with one crises
after another. Alicia did a double take and came up to me and said comfortingly,
"Daddy, are you tiwud?" Yes, honey, TIRED, sick and weary. "Oh" she said, "I'm
not weewee. I'm just cwying; I'm not weewee and sad, I jus need mommy."
PS Last week we requested prayer for the Deichmann family. Chet's funeral was
an incredible blessing with at least 4 young people coming to know Jesus Christ.
Pray for continuing results in these young lives and for several who have
recommitted themselves to the Lord.
Haven't too many chances
Sunday, Oct 3, 1999
http://ww2.sd.cybernex.net/~te3/stucky/jan99.htm
Click here and go to the bottom for pics from last month's trip.
Praying Partners,
We have found a loaner 16 foot tall manually opperated crane for working the
prefab concrete construction pannels. These will be used during the next three
months as we build a starter school facility. I just called my trucker in Fortaleza to
arrange for shipping the crane and discovered that he passed away shortly after
the last deliver he made for us a year ago... This drives home to me the need for
faithfully handing out the Truth to everybody we interact with; is there someone
YOU rub shoulders with who needs to hear the Good News?
Last week we went by the prison and dropped off a package for Marcondes. His
wife, Silvana, just told Lori that he has been reading the Bible we gave him to all
his cell companions and has been "preaching" to them. Who would have ever
thought that my first my dear wife and now a baby Christian would get to do what
I had tried to but was turned away by the suspicious guards?
Gratefully yours - Ken & Lori Stucky
KID'S CORNER: My giant size tape measure was on the dining room table
when Alicia accidentally helped to the floor. Hearing a tremendous crashing sound,
I ran into the room and said, "Alicia, you shouldn't be touching my tools!" In a
humble little voice, she explained the whole thing to me. "Daddy, I am not tushing
it, I was just holding it. It falled on the fore; daddy, I am not tushing it..." Indeed I
could clearly see, she really was not "tushing" it, at least not now anyway.
(top of list)
Caleb James
OCTOBER 10, 1999
Prayer Partners,
Caleb James was born to Ron & Ranelle this week in Hutchinson, KS. The 3 of
them plan to join us in Mossoro on the 28th of December; pray that a Brazilian
visa can be arranged for this man child in time for their return to Brazil. The young
feller is already 22 inches tall with great
intentions of passing up Uncle Kenny by the time he hits age 14.
This week I had a successful trip to Fortaleza picking up a load of school furniture,
building supplies and construction equipment. The main item on the truck was a 16
foot tall crane with a hand crank wench; this will be used to lift 600 pound
concrete panels.
Lori & I have been shuttling back and forth across town this weekend to speak at
a conference on the spiritual needs of the Christian Family. Pray that these
messages delivered at the Maranatha Baptist Church will bring growth in that local
church as God's Truth is applied in individual lives.
Missionarying in Mossoró - Ken, Lori, Jessica & Alicia STUCKY
INFO CORNER: Did I remember to tell you that Lori & Dad finally got their
chauffeur's licenses in the mail? Now I am not the only van driver. Lori took us to
a funny little restaurant on Friday and the shishkabobs were really tough, they had
NO grape pop or tonic water; they also forgot the potato salad we ordered and
had only one desert left (in the entire restaurant!) - now if I had driven...
PRAISE FOR SAFETY: on my way home from town, yesterday, a sheet of
plywood
flew off my pickup but injured nobody.
(top of list)
A Van gives Birth
October 24, 1999
Family of Friends,
It's so exciting to pick the first fruits of the van ministry! Adriana & Leninha were
born into the family of God tonight after several months of Bible studies in their
home. Shortly after taking delivery of the Van in July, we took 15 people one
Thursday night on a round robin mobile prayer meeting to encourage families who
where stuck at home with sick children. While we were at Edna's place, two
young ladies tugged at my elbow and asked for a Bible study in their home... Since
then the van has been a blessing to about 100 people, but tonight it was a special
thrill to drive these baby Christians home together with a full van load of excited
church people who were chattering about the two newest members of our
"family."
Giving out the Truth in Mossoro - Ken & Lori Stucky
KID'S CORNER: Alicia came bubbling into the office and said, "daddy, can I
pway duh tangerine?" And so, (after ciphering her language) let her do just dat.
Next week I will print your best guesses as to jus what dat tangerine weely is...
PS. This e-mail is dedicated to Don & Maria in honor of their tireless
efforts in promoting the van project for 11 long months.
PPS. For more info on the van: http://ww2.sd.cybernex.net/~te3/stucky/van.htm
(top of list)
You call that a Mountain?
October 31, 1999
Family of Friends,
It is nearly midnight! Marcondes' hearing was called off; it looks as though he will
be transferred without further hearings. Pray for him to stand for Jesus in tough
times.
Saturday, 14 of us took a 100 mile trip to a small mountain called Martins. We
had a fellowship time with another youth group and climbed down a rugged path
to see some caves; only one of the kids had ever been in a cave before. It was
also the first time for 11 of the 14 to go over 2000
feet above sea level.
Tonight Leninha's mother raised her hand asking for guidance in her search for
peace with God. Pray that she will fully understand what it means to follow Jesus;
it seems she has some church background from many years ago.
- Tomorrow: I roll out of bed at 4:30 to go do Deacon Training; then to Natal to
drop of my folks at the airport, headed for a month in Africa with my sister Deb
and family
- Tuesday: Home via Cruzeta were we stop to encourage a young missionary
couple
- Wednesday: Heavy duty Youth Group planning
- Thursday: Night service
- Friday: Meet with the Church treasure and vice-treasure to solve nightmares
- Saturday: Youth group
- Sunday: Bible Teaching and my turn again to preach.
Study, Preach, build a school, interpersonal relationships, manage construction
workers, paper work, remodel Lori's bathroom, hire teachers, solve emergencies,
fix the wires, fix the pipes, change the oil, find time to fellowship with God... At
least I am not a full time mom!
In Jesus' Name - Ken for the Stuckys
I asked for some folks to share verses on Friday night at our special Celebration
Service; Jessica piped up and recited Romans 8:31 and 32 and 33 and I didn't
know when she would stop... We thank Him for the years we have with our kids;
before meals we read Scripture and then reread it for 6 weeks or until we can
recite it. Guess who gets it down first?
(top of list)
Scunny Scool
NOVEMBER 7, 1999
Family of Friends,
My folks arrived in Africa safely; all sorts of little ministries they usually do got
noticed. There was an inch of dust in the church before adolescents club on
Saturday; the church lawn wasn't cleaned up as usual; no cold water materialized
in the igloo at church; the church gate got opened late; & the front row (far left)
chair was empty AND, how could I forget the tenor section of the choir... These
are great opportunities for church members to become ministers.
Next Monday is a National holiday; we have scheduled 24 hours of fasting and
Bible reading. We intend to read the New Testament clear through beginning at
6:30 a.m. ending early on Tuesday morning. Now if I can only get 6 or 8 people
to sign up for the event...
Reaching out to Mossoro - The Stuckys
KIDS CORNER: Even though I am a week late, here are our readers best
guesses as to jus what dat tangerine of Alicia's weely is... Tamberine, Tamburine,
Tambourine, Tamborine and a few more "far out" instruments. As far as I can tell,
it was a Tambourine that she wanted to play. Weely, playing a Tangerine wouldn't
be dat fun... By the way, Alicia brought home a whole box of tings from Scunny
Scool (as she calls it); it turns out, they were toys we had donated to the nursery,
but she claimed them back. I guess we need to have a "letting go" ceremony next
time.
(top of list)
Dem baahd colors
November 14, 1999
Family of Friends,
By the time your read this, we may well be into our 24 hours of Bible Reading and
Fasting. For sure next week I'll tell you how it went. Remember the disciples who
kept falling asleep on Jesus when they were in the garden - most of the people
who have decided NOT to go say that they could handle 24 hour with no food,
but couldn't manage without the sleep... How much of the New Testament do
YOU think we'll get through? My goal is 100%.
On Tuesday, after NOT having slept for 24 hours, we have been called on to take
a church family to Fortaleza (3 to 4 hour drive) for medical exams not available in
Mossoró. Lori will skip the event tomorrow in order to help with the driving on the
day after.
Last night Lori started recording session with some students. They are working on
audio Bible Stories (radio drama style). Send your good ideas for this ministry.
Your Mossoró Missionaries - K, L, J, A +1 Stucky
KID'S CORNER: Alicia was all bothered about something when she came to
me jabbering about, "not wanting to eat the colors." "Dey are not gooohd, " she
said. "Ok, Lish, just don't eat them" I said. After carrying on and on about not
wanting to eat the colors, I also understood that she DID "want to eat more
flowers dough, especially with dip on dem." "Duh flowers are gooohd, but duh
colors are baaahd." She must wonder why God put "dem bad stems" on
cauliflower.
(top of list)
Who, what, when,where & why?
November 21, 1999
Family of Friends,
Twenty-four hours indeed. I endured without food. Heavy eyes took over though and Francisco & I decided to celebrate the Lord's Supper and go home after 16 hours. We started with a company of 8 which dwindled to 4 and finally just us two. We read 19 books - Mt, Ac, Rm, Gl, Ef, Fl, Cl, 1&2Ts, Tt, Fm, Jm, 1&2Pe, 1,2&3Jo, Jd, Rv. It comes out to about 60% of the New Testament.
Daniel and his parents rode with us to Fortaleza where a variety of medical exams showed him to have a light case of Down's Syndrome and no further problems. They are grateful for God's provision of transportation and housing for this needed trip.
On Wednesday, a colleague and I did a van run to Limoeiro (a 7 hour trip) do take Bill (a missionary with a herniated disk) and Sandy (Bill's wife who is having complications with her artificial hip). It was a blessing to be able to offer them the ride as Bill is unable to sit because of his back. They go to the States in two weeks to get further medical attention.
Yours for Mossoro - K,L,J,A & WWWWW?
KID'S CORNER: "Daddy, I need to bwoh my nose. Mommy's wittle box has toyuht paypuh squares in it." How handy, little nose blowing squares in a box. Maybe mommy should patent that one and make a fortune...
17 pastors
November 28, 1999
FAMILY of FRIENDS,
Seventeen Pastors met here yesterday; they came from a three state area. Their purpose is to defend sound doctrine and to encourage one another in the developing of Bible teaching churches in Northeast Brazil.
Two of the unsaved husbands were in church tonight. Please pray especially for Eduardo and Augusto this week.
My folks arrive home from Africa on Wednesday; remember us as we dive into the school construction this week.
Pressing on - Ken and family (yes, we are expecting a year 2000 baby)
PS Are you on our snail mailing list? If so, a "Stucky Ministry" calender is about to arrive at your home. We hope it will remind you to pray often for us in the Lord's Work in Mossoró. If you are not on our snail mail news letter list and would like to be, please inform.
How big is biguh?
December 5, 1999
Family of Friends,
Alicia is now "biguh" as she puts it; her third birthday was celebrated low key as weekends are a full schedule for the Stucky household. She is glad to be going off to "school" on "Febwuawee" 15. As Lori plans for teaching music in the school and caring for a baby next Spring, it's a welcome idea to have both of the girls in school all morning.
The Africa travelers are back! We picked them up in Natal and got home by 9pm on Wednesday. Dad & Mom had a good month with Sam & Deb and their boys in Bamako. This week is ground breaking at the school.
Lori finished the third year at Mossoro's Music Conservatory. We are all glad to have her back. Spending a year in the Brazilian educational scene reinforces her conviction that it is time to start a school. More than once classes were changed or canceled without warning.
Pray as we run down the home stretch with our Christmas production; Lori has been married to the Cantata and we are just two weeks from being done. Pray for endurance and a full house on the 19th so that the Good News will get around and many will come to know Jesus.
From the Stuckys in Mossoro - Ken
KID'S CORNER: The other day I was eating a snack with Alicia when the time seemed right for a father/daughter conversation. "Alicia, do you like Jessica?" "Yes, daddy, I wike hur." "Then why do you fight with her?" "Daddy, I'm not fighting wif hur, I'm eating my snack." Indeed she was, even I could not argue wif dat...
what sex
12, 1999
Family of Friends,
I promised pictures of the ground breaking and construction but you will have to wait till next week. We are a little behind schedule, but here is what has happened this week:
Pray for safety and efficiency as we will be motivating a crew of about 12 guys. Remember the final week of preparation for our big Christmas Program to be presented Sunday (19th) at 7 p.m. Please pray also as I discuss with Evani's unsaved husband the possibility of him letting her work with us as our Kindergarten teacher in the new Christian School.
Yours for Mossoró - The Stuckys
KIDS CORNER: One of the ladies in our church was carrying on and on about us needing to have a baby boy because EVERY family just HAS to have one. She promised us that she would pray for a boy. After thanking her, Lori assured her that she needn't pray any longer as we are quite certain that the child's sex has already been determined and God is not likely to change it at this point...
250 at the program
December 19, 1999
Family of Friends,
Around 250 people came to the Christmas Cantata tonight. The drama told of a vivacious 80+ year old lady who shared her Jesus faithfully and won even her hard hearted nurse to Christ on her death bed. The real story of Christmas was shared to lots of first time visitors and others who have come to church repeatedly. Nobody seemed to be ready to accept Him tonight, but pray for hearts to be softened with the Truth.
Mrs. Guiomar asked me to stop by to pick up some of her friends and neighbors to come to the program so I arrived at her house 45 minutes before 7 p.m. People started climbing into the van and it looked like we would need to have a second load. But, they were content to just pile in. As I pulled out onto the street, I noted that the van had a dramatic power loss - I discovered the cause when we unloaded 28 people at the church!
Lori is relieved that the months of preparation ended in a nice program. She had to arrange all the music on the computer and produce the accompaniment tracks since nothing was available from the publishing companies.
School construction went well this week; 120 mixes of concrete were poured, forming a slab on which we will start building walls tomorrow. The promised pictures have been delayed, but expect something new on our web site by mid week.
Your Exhausted Stuckys - K, L, J & A
MeatShack?
DECEMBER 26, 1999
Family of Friends,
After another successful week of school construction, we took half of Friday and all day Saturday off work! We packed up the girls, our brick layer from California (John) and my folks in the truck and went to the Atlantic. We did some Four Wheeling then everybody picked up shells and smooth stones and the ladies required some drift wood the size of a California redwood; we ate stale crackers and fruit salad and headed home in time for hamburgers & dogs on the grill.
Today there was a very good turn out at church. Tomorrow at 4:30 I am up again to head to Deacon Training. Tuesday, Lori & I drive to Fortaleza to pick up Ron & Ranelle who arrive from the USA at 6 a.m. on Wednesday. One stop at the Federal Police and then home again. Missionaries friends from Northern Ireland arrive on Thursday, big party on Friday and crash on Saturday. Sunday is another work day and Monday through Friday of next week is field conference back in Fortaleza. Oh yes, during all this, there is teaching, preaching, visits, youth group, school construction and I am still looking for two top quality teacher who will work for a song...
Preparing to reach lost Brazilians in 2000 - Ken and the girls
KIDS CORNER: Jessica asked me about a Bible story of the three men with strange names. What names? I asked. Oh, daddy, I think it was RapSack, MeatShack and Abednego. It seems there was also a big stove in the story...