April 2022 Newsletter from Carol James

“As for God, His way is perfect” (2Sam.22:31)

Dear Friends,

Many times during this second year of the Covid virus, it seemed like so many things were going wrong and out of control. Those were the times the Lord had to remind me that in spite of difficult circumstances, He actually, was still in complete control of all that came into our lives, His way is perfect, and His blessings unending!!

I would like to share some of these circumstances and blessings with you, but first I want to thank you for your faithfulness in praying for me and for the work in Brazil and for your faithful financial support.  How I thank God for the ways he chooses to meet all our needs!

Secondly, I would like to start with an urgent prayer request from Brazil. In a letter this week from Dan Brown in Boa Vista, he asks for prayer for the urgently needed supply of aviation gas:

 “Please continue to pray for a solution to the aviation gasoline shortage. God has heard your prayers but we must continue to acknowledge our utter dependence on His provision. The only supplier in north Brazil remains closed by the authorities under accusations of irregular sales to the illegal gold miners.   Asas de Socorro, the Brazilian aviation mission we partner with, has been trying unsuccessfully to get fuel from other sources…Their lawyer has met with officials and they are following up on possible solutions.”

 They are thanking the Lord that the fuel supply lasted long enough to bring the missionaries from all five of our Yanomami mission outposts out of the jungle for health reasons and for a week of mission conference.  Now, weeks later, they are waiting in Boa Vista to be able to return to their mission posts.  Also, several New Tribes Mission families are still in Yanomami villages waiting for flights for needed supplies.  Please pray for God’s protection for them and for His solution for this problem.

Please pray also for the Yanomami believers and church leaders, that God would protect and help them to grow in their faith and dependence on Him during this time without the support of missionaries.  .

Items for Praise:

BIBLE TRANSLATION:  Praise the Lord with us that the translation of the Ninam New Testament has been completed!!  Ninam is the dialect of Yanomami people living on the Mucajai River.  It has been a long, difficult task.  Carole Swain has persevered in the translation since 1972, and in recent years,  Brazilian translators have  joined her in this work.  To the glory of God, the translation is now complete and in the hands of the Brazilian Bible Society for publication. Publication should be completed in about a year.

During the months of May through July, the translation will be recorded by Ninam speakers. This is a huge undertaking involving the technology of the Brazilian branch of Faith Comes by Hearing, and a lot of logistics and missionary help.  Pray that all will go smoothly in this undertaking. 

We praise the Lord that donations have already fully covered the cost of the recording – over $18,000!  And thanks to modern technology, the Ninams (in the middle of the jungle!) will be able to listen to the recorded translation on their cell phones before it is in print!!

Another praise and answer to many prayers is for little Davi, son of Alfredo and Tatiana, who were our co-workers at Mucajai.  Davi was born in February 2021 with only half a heart.  The family had to leave Mucajai after 6 great years of ministry there.  Minutes after he was born, he had the first of a series of surgeries to save his life. Davi is now a very healthy one year old!!  Because of the necessity of living near a hospital to continue to give Davi the medical support he needs for a few years, the family has relocated to a ministry at a Word of Life missions school. Until they can return to Mucajai, Alfredo and Tatiana are teaching and preparing young Brazilian students for ministry on the mission field.  Once again, we were reminded that “As for God, His way is perfect”!  Our God is a God of miracles!

The absence of little Davi’s parents at Mucajai left their co-workers, Andre and Julyana Silva alone in the ministry there. Then, after the worst of the Covid shutdown in the Boa Vista area, Andre became sick with the virus.  After feeling better, he had his Covid vaccinations, and eventually ended up in the hospital with two pulmonary embolisms which his doctors say were a result of having taken the vaccine too soon after having had the virus.  Please pray for complete healing and for a timely return to the ministry at Mucajai.

Now, a quick update on life here in New York State.  We were very saddened when we lost our dear brother, Laverne, due to Covid pneumonia.  On 12/23/21 he was welcomed into the presence of his Savior and heard the words he had longed to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”  He has been greatly missed by family and friends.

Then on March 16, my sister, Glennis, was taken by ambulance to Strong hospital and had a stent implanted to correct a blocked artery.  We praise the Lord for skilled EMTs and doctors who cared for her and put her back on the road to recovery.  We thank the Lord for answered prayer, and that she is doing very well and regaining her strength.

God doesn’t expect us to understand everything He allows into our lives, but to accept it from His  hands, knowing that His ways are not always our ways, and that “His way is [always] perfect!”

Thank you again for your participation in the ministry in Brazil through your prayers and encouragement and financial support.  Please continue to pray for the workers who are actively involved in reaching and teaching the Yanomami people with the Word of God.

Grateful for His love and grace,

Carol James