Tim and Marta Carriker

"Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness."      Colossians 3:15
 
Dear Friends and Family,
 
We are thankful to God for you; you have been our support and our joy. When we returned to Florianópolis, we were greeted by our pastor, Nicole, and her family at the airport. The church here is part of the group that God has used to bless our lives. The first weeks back were very involved at the church. We just finished 40 days of prayer and fasting followed by a weekend of talks on spirituality. This fast was not a complete one, each member chose a food or activity to give up for a while to concentrate their attention on prayer. Our church developed a book with devotions for everyone to follow during this time.
 
At the end of the weekend we had a service of testimonies, and some beautiful stories of answered prayer were shared. One of them was told by Moni, a story of breast cancer faced with denial at first. One day, after being told that the cancer might have spread to other organs it finally dawned on her that her life was at risk, and her young son might lose his mother. She also thought about her wonderful husband losing his wife. Moni broke down and cried and decided she needed to have a talk with her God. She went into a room, closed the door, and spent the night struggling with God about this situation. When morning came she had found the peace she so needed. Like Hannah, mother of Samuel, she left her prayer time trusting God, no longer desperate and sad. Then she started witnessing God's work. The radiation treatments worked after only three times, and her doctors were very surprised. She told them about Christ and her faith in him. Through her suffering, Moni found that God has always been her comforter and her security. What encourages us even more is the fact that Moni has only been a member of our church for the last few years but has become a strong Christian and even the leader of a small group. We are proud of her and pray with her for a full recovery.
 
We are encouraged because God answers our prayers, sometimes not as we would have them answered but always according to his sovereign will that takes into account more than we can understand. May this season find you all thanking God for his love demonstrated in your lives through friends, family, blessings and also for the occasional hard to understand circumstances that we are found in. May you struggle with God and come out trusting him and at peace. May victory be yours in due time, and may it all be seen against the backdrop of God's work for his own glory and praise. 

In our Savior’s love,

Marta and Tim Carriker