Recap Video of Trip

First Real Day

August 15th, 2005, 8:34 AM

Bom Dia! Goodmorning! This will be an update on what we did the first day here is Brasil.

1. Breakfast was a 9:00am and included a lot of fruit like mango, banana, kiwi, and apple. Also scrambled eggs, cookies and bread. There were a lot of people there both that are staying in the house and from the community.

2. We had a worship time singing in both Portuguese and English. Then Lucas shared about how the college group works and the Brazilians asked questions.

3. There was an opportunity to go to the church for a skateboarding ministry so almost everyone went. The church is just a big open building that can be pretty much anything. Some of the girls were twirling with the children and eventually found a rope and played jump rope with them. Towards the end there was a small Bible study time.

4. We handed out flyers to the community telling of the service that night. It was all in Portuguese and we had to read it to them. Most everyone laughed with us through the whole thing since most of us at the time knew very little Portuguese.

5. We went to another church to attend a service that Lucas Bair preached at and Dustin Rankin gave his testimony. Shane translated for them. There was also some mime skits by the children. It was taught to them by a previous mission team. The building looked like it was a little school. The girls taught Sunday school too.

6. As soon as that service was over we headed straight to the previous church for it’s service. The previous skating rink was now a worship service.

In Brazil

We are in the airport now in Sau Paulo. We are on our long layover. We tried to get a hotel for cheap but once we got there we found that it was more than we thought. So we got a nice tour of the city for about 8$ for the group :) Most of us are just hanging out, most are VERY tired. Lucas just got done using a internet program called SKYPE to verbally talk with his wife and kids. If you download it and email me and I will add you and you can talk to any of us. We will be leaving soon for a couple more flights and will get to our final destination sometime tonight. So far we know we are not going to be going straight in to "the work". We actually will go to bed and start the next day. Pray for oppurtunities to serve God as we are very "actionless" so far. I did chat with a girl for a while about what we are doing and talked about John Leonard but didn't get into the gospel. She seemed to have a christian backgroud but only God knows. Again, please pray. Pictures will be uploaded now if it works.

- Doug

In Flight

We are currently flying over the Gulf of Mexico as I type this. We do not have internet on the plane but I will upload this the next time we have a connection. Everyone is doing well. We met at 4:00am at the church and Russ Mathews drove us to the airport. We had a pretty normal check in but with the many heavy bags we have that have items for the missionaries it was a little different. A few people had to go through the random detailed search. One was Dustin Rankin, his first time flying! We flew on a smaller plane from Des Moines to Texas but are not on a Boeing 737; A little more leg room and a turkey sandwich for lunch. Looking out the window all you see is water and boats. Lucas and I are on our laptops; Julie, Matt, Chris, Brooke, Paul, Rob, and Amalee, are all sleeping; Ashley and Julia are listening to music; I can’t see the others. The seatbelt sign was on for a while due to turbulence but just went off. When in Texas we went from one plane right to the other but had a decent amount of time to get there. We are planning on going to the beach in Miami during our approx 6 hour layover. I’ve taken about 95 pictures since packing last night. Hopefully I’ll have time and a good connection speed to upload them.

PayPal Link to Donate to the Leonards

PayPal Link to Donate to the Leonards

John Leonard Update

Dear Brethren,

I just returned from a visit with John and Bev. John is recovering from recent surgery where they reset his jaw. One of the gunshot wounds injured his jaw and broke some teeth. His teeth are wired shut for the moment as he recovers from this surgery. The greatest concern for now is a serious staff infection that he is fighting. This is indeed a most difficult condition and one that requires diligent prayer for healing to occur. Concerning his paralysis, the doctors are not very hopeful. Although doctors and medicines are wonderful, that is not where we put our hope. We are reminded in Psalm 147:10,11, "He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man. The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him, In those who hope in His mercy."

One other note, it is absolutely precious to observe Bev caring for her husband in such a loving and tender way. Continue to uphold her in prayer as this has been very draining on her. In fact, one way to help relieve some of the extra energy it takes for her to great visitors - we recommend that you consider using the free greeting card service offered by Methodist hospital. Simply go to the link www.iowahealth.org and on the Patient and Visitors link there is an option for "Send a Patient Greeting". It is a wonderful way to send a word of encouragement that is hand delivered daily right to John's room. Thanks so much for your prayers, love and concern for this family.

God is answering prayer.
Pastors Pat and Kevin

Leonard update

John Leonard arrived in Methodist hospital at 11:30 am. He is in critical condition. Bev and family have met with the doctors and they have decided that they will need to further stabilize him for the next day or two at least, before attempting any surgery. Of immediate concern is his ability to breathe. Being in his condition for nearly a week has made this very difficult for him. Pray for the doctors as they assess his condition and prescribe the necessary means to help him. A couple of items of praise to God. First, that he even made it here safely - it was a difficult trip and the staff on the airplane were outstanding in their efforts to keep him stable. Bev has seen him and he seems to recognize who it is that is talking to him. The best doctors available who would otherwise not be here on a Saturday, were all here. Bev has great family support here as well. Personally, I want to thank all of you, our church family, for your overwhelming response to this situation. Believe me, the family has been touched. FYI, WHO TV interviewed me as John was coming into the hospital. There may be a story at 6 or 10 tonight on channel 13. Keep praying! Pastors Pat and KevinJames 5:17

John Leonard

This update is to let you know that John Leonard is in fact arriving in Des Moines this morning (Saturday July 9). Pray for his transition to Methodist Medical Center and for the team of doctors that will be assessing his condition. We do not know yet when he will have surgery - but we will let you know as soon as we do. Thanks so much for your prayers and for the many who volunteered to help with meals or housing.Pastors Thomas and Nemmers

Update on Missionary John Leonard

Another Letter from our Pastor:

Dear Brethren,

Just a short update on the John Leonard situation. As you know by now, John was shot Sunday night, apparently by 2 or 3 assailants. He was rushed by car to a public hospital in Maceio. Eventually they were able to get him to a much better hospital in the same city. He suffered 3 gun shot wounds, the most critical being one that apparently entered his mouth and lodged in his 4th vertebra. A cat scan yesterday revealed the bullet will not be easy to extract. Furthermore, the damage done is indeed serious. John is currently paralyzed and from what we know it will be a true act of God for this to be reversed. This of course is what we are asking, if He is willing, our God to do.

Bev, along with Trudy Paulson, will be leaving for Brazil at 4:30 this afternoon. Be in prayer for them as they make their way to John's side. Praise the Lord that Trudy can be with Bev. Bev is very encouraged that she is able to come along. The children (except for Josh who is there) will remain in the states for now. Suffice it to say we are staying as close to this as we possibly can and as a church will remain ready to help in any way we can.

There are many questions that are being asked, some of which we know the answers, others we simply have to trust God who knows all things. As to the perpetrators of this crime, I am told that they were not recognized and sadly, a very low percentage of those who commit such acts in Brazil are ever caught. Troubling as that may seem, we must not forget that our God is just, and He will deal with those involved as He deems fit. As to why they would have done such a thing, the only explanation I can think of is the Gospel. Jesus said, "A time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God." John 16:2. This area of Brazil is strongly Roman Catholic. If you will recall John himself told us that they even worship former priests in their respective communities. When we were there a year and a half ago and opened up this new work a great number from the town filled the church. Many souls were saved during that time. I cannot help but think that the opposition was already scheming. The apostle Paul told us that "all who live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution." and our brother John is a direct recipient of such. What will happen after this we simply don't know. It's way too early to try and speculate what will happen in the near future. For now, we pray.

Thank you for your prayers and overflowing support for John and his dear family.
Serving Him-to the end,
Pastor Nemmers