October 2006
Dear Loved Ones,
We pray that you all are doing well. Since we arrived at the beginning of August, winter has come and gone. We enjoyed two or three weeks of wonderfully cool weather in the 60s! Each of us has a couple of sweaters and they were well used during our “winter” days! Don't worry! It's all passed now, and we're thawing out!
Rich and our other Word Made Flesh colleagues have been spending lots of time on the streets these days. Lapa, the city square where we used to go to meet the kids has become all but deserted. During the holiday months here (December through February), we spent lots of time walking the city and being led by friends from the streets to learn of other popular hangouts for street kids.
We were led to two new places, called Praça XV and Praça Mauá, that are also in the downtown area. It is here that we are now spending much of our street time. We have noticed during the past almost three years that we've been living in Rio that there are many mothers on the streets with their young children. As you can imagine, it adds an entirely new dimension to street life when you're raised on the streets rather than forced or enticed there.
We have our mother tongue, which is our native language. We have mother earth from which all things come, and Mother Nature, the unpredictable source of typhoons and tornadoes. The mother lode is the source of riches and a “mother headache” is one that sends you to bed. The mother of all storms is fierce, and the motherland is the home we left and long for. Mother is the source of life. Mother is powerful. Mother is strong. Mother can nurture, and mother can destroy. Depending on our experiences, the word mother can evoke images of a warm, welcoming woman or turn our blood to ice” (p 168 of Captivating by John & Stasi Eldridge).
Maybe you are a mother. If not, you probably know a mother. For sure, you have a mother. And so you know that mothering is one of the most important jobs that exist. Pray with us this month for the many mothers that we know on the streets. Pray for Diana, Viviane, Ana Lucia, Rosane, Jessica, Vera, Monique, and the many others. Pray for transformation in their hearts and their lives. Pray that their hardened exteriors would be broken and the soft, tender places allowed to show through. Pray that they would know the extent of their true beauty, their value, and their loveliness. Pray that the Lord would reveal Himself to them in unique ways. Pray for their children, as well. And pray for vision for us as we discern how our ministry should be involved with these women.
Love and Saudades (“missing you”),
Rich, Rebecca & Anna
P.S. Our newest prayer cards were sent out in August. We are aware that some of you have just been added to our mailing list this month. If you did not receive one of our prayer cards (it has a photo of our family, info about us and a few prayer requests) and would like one, please e-mail us at rich.nichols@wordmadeflesh.com or rebecca.nichols@wordmadeflesh.com.