Mike Constantz mentioned in his letter about us knowing just about everyone at church, and being "family." Well, that is just what we are, family of God, doing God's work in the family.

These pictures are of friends...no, family that we have worked with, cried with, laughed with, labored with, played with...you know, family things...over the past 21 years. Yes, it has been 21 years since we arrived in Brazil. In that amount of time we should have made lots of friends...no ...family!

All of these pictures have been taken in Brazil within the past three months. They are weddings we have performed, retreats we have participated in, and places we have ministered in during this time. Let me assure you, there is no better place than to be in the family of God. All these people have touched our lives in one way or another. All of these people are very special to us. All of them are very special in God's eyes, too.

You see, not only do we have biological family in the USA, but we have family here in Brazil, too. These, and many others have earned a special place in our hearts. Yes, we miss family back in the States, but God fills the void with other people, too.

I will share this; sometimes I miss my family that I even cry. That happened a few weeks back at a funeral. I wept, not for the deceased, but because during the funeral the deceased's ten grandkids got up and shared stories about their grandfather, how he played with them, spoiled them..you know, Grandpa things. Well, after about the third one, I was a basket case. I was thinking, "I may never get to spoil my own grandkids, but God knows that . He knew that when He called me to Brazil. He will have to send an adopted "grandpa" to my grandkids, just like He sends us "adopted" grandkids here. God always fills the void when we let our satisfaction come from Him.

I realize I have not posted for some time. It is not because we have not been busy. It is just the opposite. Sometimes I think we are too busy.

I also realize that this is called our "Foto Blog." Well, in this post I am not going to put photos, but rather let a friend "paint" a mind picture for you.

This letter was not solicited, nor did I have knowledge of this letter until it was snt to me just this week. I don't know that I deserve such praise, for I am just a servant of the "I AM" and without Him I am nothing.

Please read this letter with Spirit eyes, to see the images that God sees. I know He has a plan for our lives. It will be exciting to see what happens next.
Blessings to all.

05 May 2008

Dear Friends of Tom & Diana,

My name is Mike Constantz and I am a growing friend and fan of Tom & Diana Turley. My fondness for them began as soon as I met them almost four years ago when I became the Pastor of Missions at Saddleback Church in California, and it has grown every time I have been with them.

I have been in missions for 30 years, first as a medical missionary to the Philippines, then with the first team to show and plant churches with the JESUS Film outside of the U.S., then serving in Sri Lanka for 6 years during the start of their civil war and finally travelling to about 150 countries training national Christian workers. So I’ve met a few missionaries in my day. These two missionaries are special!!

THANKS

I just left the Turley’s. I am writing this letter on my flight home from Brazil. Tom & Diana have no idea that I am doing this. But sometimes you just have to sit down and say “thanks” to the people that are making a significant difference in the world for Jesus. I want to tell you thanks for being a part of Tom & Diana’s ministry through prayer and financial support. When you get to heaven you are not going to believe the number of Brazilians that are going to line up to give you one of their big hugs of gratitude for helping Tom & Diana serve the way they so effectively do throughout Brazil. Many will spend eternity with our Savior Jesus Christ because of YOU.

You’ve followed their story through the churches planted and lives changed in the Amazon. Then the move to Sao Jose dos Campos and growth of the First Baptist Church along with it’s nationwide influence in serving thousands of pastors. And then the marriage and family seminars throughout this vast land. Always raising up and leaving behind nations to lead on… all with a servant’s heart.

Honestly, have you ever met a couple with greater servant’s hearts than Tom & Diana? To serve Jesus through serving others is their pleasure. They do it quietly, expecting nothing in return and model for those around them what Jesus would be like. That is truly the highest form of missionary service.

GABRIEL

I was with Tom at First Baptist Church yesterday, Sunday. He was preaching in the English morning service. But before he went in to preach we wandered around the church campus so he could show me around and so he could greet some of the members. A church of thousands and it seemed he knew everyone. During our stroll we came across Gabriel. A young man of 16 who lost his dad a year ago. Tom gave him a smack on the back and said that he was going to be his dad. Gabriel flinched and gave out a yelp like he was hurt, but he LOVED it…. the idea of having a spiritual “dad” that could model just a bit of what our Heavenly Father is like. Gabriel followed us everywhere for the next 2 hours. Just a young believer with a working mother and a younger sister. The family of God being a family for each other.

“REALS”

“Reals” is the name of the Brazilian currency. If you haven’t heard of this before, you will. The Brazilian economy is really cooking. BRIC is the financial planners name for where Americans are being encouraged to invest internationally. (Brazil, Russia, India, China) This is great for the Brazilians, bad for the American missionary converting a weakening dollar into “Reals” every month. It’s like getting a 30% cut every payday. This is today’s reality for Tom & Diana.

CAN YOU HELP?

I raised support as a missionary for 25 years. It is an exciting adventure every month seeing God at work providing for every need through His wonderful people. (You trust God just as much for your jobs and salary, you just don’t need to make your needs known when support is being weakened by things like the currency exchange.)

So I wanted to ask on behalf of Tom & Diana. (They had no idea that I was going to do this and are probably horrified that I even did it.) Can you help in this time of need? Could you increase your monthly support? Can you help with a one-time gift? Do you have friends that might be interested in becoming financial partners in God’s work in Brazil?

I know how this works. Missionaries either trust God for more support through their current friends and partners or head home to add more partners. But I have seen how strategic Tom & Diana’s work is right now. I would hate to see them have to leave their assignment to find more ministry partners. They are so strategic to what God is doing there. Not only are they serving churches throughout the entire country, but Brazil has become a regional hub in South America and the work is about to expand into countries surrounding Brazil… Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia, Chile, Peru.

Would you prayerfully consider helping Tom & Diana?

On Behalf of the Turley’s I thank you,

--Mike Constantz-Misson’s Pastor-Saddleback Church