Sad Times

Hello to all my Faithful Friends and Supporters Back Home.

I want to start off by thanking you all for your amazing support and sacrifice and faithfulness to me and my family. You guys are truly the best, and I am lucky to have you.
As many of you probably already know, my brother Caleb Mark Hamer, died on February 26. He was only 26 years old, and leaves behind an 8 year old son, also named Caleb. My father called me the day after it happened, and of course, I was heartbroken. Immediately, I was thanking the Lord that I got to see him one more time before he passed. I realized how much my recent visit was really provision from God.
Caleb was unique. He was so funny in his very own special way. And Caleb was humble. He was a grateful person who wanted to help others when he could. And he loved his son.
I remember one story of when my brothers were little that always makes me laugh. My 3 younger brothers were all very strong and close in age. Caleb was in the middle and the strongest. One day, when they were just toddlers, the two other brothers, Joel and Joshua, were fighting over one of those plastic Tonya trucks. Joel had one leg hanging out of one side and Joshua had one leg hanging out of the other. During the fight, Caleb walks over and starts shaking the truck as hard as he could. Both Joel and Joshua fall out of the truck and Caleb jumps in and starts driving it around. It was hilarious! He was a tough boy, but he had a soft and fun-loving heart. I will miss him so much.
Many of you came together for his Memorial Service and Reception at our church to help and participate. I can't tell you how much that means to me. I thank you so much for embracing my family in our time of need and grieving. My sister in law even commented to me about how kind you were to them, and how lucky I am to have such great people around me. I agree with her.
Also, many of you may remember Steve and Elba Dolan. They also work here at the Xingu Mission and were there on the day I preached at VTC. Their family has also suffered loses recently. Steve's brother-in-law passed away when they were still in the States, and just a few days ago, Steve's dad also passed away. Their family just left to go back to the States again for the funeral. I can only imagine how difficult it has been to have two big blows like that in such a short amount of time.
I ask that you keep both my family and Steve and Elba's family in your prayers. That God would bring true comfort in the mist of grieving. And that God would bring something good out of our suffering.
Even in this heartbreak, things are continuing to moving forward here at the Mission. I am planning to travel to Portel next week to visit again. I will be traveling with my friend, Manoela, and also Christopher and his fiance, Denise. Richie and his family are getting settled in there, and they have already started building a foundation for the school. I am very excited to see his progress, as well as find out what we need to do next in order to keep the project going ahead. Please pray for safe travels and wisdom.
I want to pray for you all as well. I just bless each of you with the tangible experience of God's awesome love for you. For those of you who are sick or have sick family members, I speak healing and restoration over your bodies. I pray that, whatever struggle you are going through, the joy of the Lord would be your strength and salvation. I bless you in your finances that you would have the ability to take care of your own needs and also the needs of others. I lift up your relationships that peace and forgiveness would rule them all. Thank you again for your love for me. God bless.

Always,

Allison Rupert

Caleb with his mom, Debbie Hamer, this past January

Back to Work!

Hello Guys!!

So, I hear it is finally starting to warm up there in the north! My short experience with winter this year was quite the reminder of how much I don't enjoy it. I'm glad for all of you that its coming to an end! I am also very happy to be back here in the warm, tropical climate of Brazil. It is the rainy season now, so it is not too hot. It's perfect.
Despite the weather, I had a great time seeing all of you again. I really enjoyed the opportunity to preach at church and just share with all of you what I have been doing over the past year and a half. It was unfortunate that we weren't able to have church on my last Sunday there because of the snow. I know, however, that the church is still planning on having a lunch to talk about my plans here in Brazil and how you can get involved. I hope you will be able to make it!
Next time I come to visit, it will definitely be in the summer so that I can stay longer and get to spend more time with all of you!
So, now that I am back in Brazil, I have settled back into my life as normal. I have been teaching a CDR again, which has started off great. This semester, I am helping my friend, Cleide, in one of the lower level classes. Most of these students don't understand very much English, and as it turns out, neither do I! You may find this strange, but even though you are able to speak a language does not mean you know how to explain it to others. I am constantly learning new things that I always took for granted. Cleide is a great teacher, and without her, I would be completely lost! I know that my time with her will successfully prepare me for my venture in Portel.
My goal since I have been back is to slowly start preparing things for my move to Portel. My preparations are already underway, and God has already helped me so much. I have a friend here who is from Germany, and she will be leaving next month to move home. Because she is moving, she wants to sell all of her things. I jumped on the opportunity to buy them because when I move, I will have to buy everything. So far, the mission has provided most of what I need for an apartment, but I will have nothing when I leave here. So I worked out a deal with my friend to buy everything for around $750! That includes a washing machine, a refrigerator, a stove, table and chairs, etc.! It is such great timing for both of us, and I feel very blessed by this.
I just want to say again how great it was to see all of you. I was so thankful for all of your kind and encouraging words. You made me feel welcomed and loved and cherished. I know that you guys are thinking about me even when I'm not there. I know that I am in your hearts, just as you are in mine. I'm glad that you have chosen to continue with me on this journey. Thank you.

Me, my Dad, and my brothers

Below is a link with the pictures I took on my travels back to the US. Enjoy!

The States 2014

Love, Allison

Living in Eternity Now

Happy Holidays to the Folks at Home!!

Often when I blog, I give you guys a little update about what's going on in my life. This time, I want to talk about that but from a different angle. I want to talk about something that is close to my heart. Its an idea that propels me and gives my life meaning on a day to day basis.
Its the idea of investing in people. As we all know, we aren't taking anything with us when we die. No money or possessions. So the question becomes, "What really matters? What is going to last?"
I believe that the investment we make in others is one of the treasures we will take with us to Heaven. And it's a treasure that we can start building now.
I want to tell you about a few of the people who have made an investment in my life, and also about a few people that I have had the privilege to invest in. Remember, these are just a few examples...there are many more people in my life who have made an investment and have shaped me into the person I am today.
The first person I want to mention is Penny Barrick. Some of you may know her already. She is my sponsor, and she taught me how to do the 12 steps. She was there to help me when I was finally ready to get my life cleaned up. She did two things that made all the difference in the world. She loved me unconditionally, and she told me the flat out truth. For the first time in my life, I told all my most damning secrets to someone, and they didn't judge me. Because of her own past, she very much understood what I was going through, and gave me a lot of grace as I moved to the next level.
The next two people are a couple that I'm certain many of you know--John and Cathy Lieb. I have spent countless hours on their couch, watching their TV and eating their food. I have debated with John about many political and spiritual questions and ideas. I have been put to work on the many projects that Cathy has around their house. I have borrowed many of their books. I have spent many hours crying and lamenting and laughing with them. Their patience and acceptance of me has brought immeasurable amounts of healing to my life.
I don't want to know where I would be today if it wasn't for these people. I'm sure that many of you have these same kinds of people in your own life. They may even be the exact same people that I have!
Now, I want to talk about some of the people that I have been able to invest in.

Some of you might remember my friend, Cleide, because I have mentioned her before in my blogs. She is a teacher at CDR, and has been around missionaries for most of her life. Through those missionaries, she has gain a relationship with God, an experience of family, and speaks fluent English. She is charismatic and extremely intelligent. Over the past year, our friendship has been a constant source of strength and laughter in my life. We have prayed together on several occasions about many things. We have been honest with each other, rather than putting on a 'happy face'. I have been able to help her on many occasions financially. And she has fallen in love with my Red Curry Chicken. I feel that I am just one more human notch that God has prepared along the way for Cleide and her family. I am just one person here at this special time in Cleide's life, helping her move on to the next level. 

I want to also tell you about my young friend, Manoela. Her and Cleide have been friends for years, and Manoela also works at CDR teaching English for the children's classes. She is also incredibly smart, but very shy. For Manoela, the longer I know her, the more I discover how amazing and gifted she is. Its like unlocking a secret. I have the privilege of teaching her English, and she is a member of my small group. Over the past year, it has been wonderful to watch her grow and be stretched as she becomes more willing to open herself up to others about her deep heart. I have made an effort to try and support her in anyway I can. I am currently working on trying to convince her to come with me to Portel. Her gifts with children would be a valuable asset there.
Both of these girls are my friends, but I have made a point to challenge them in different ways. I see all the amazing potential they both have, and my desire is to stand behind them and be a support whenever possible.
But you see, the only reason I am able to bless these girls in anyway at all is because someone first blessed me. We were all designed to do this, no matter where we are in our lives. We cannot measure in this life how many other lives we can touch just by simply taking the time to invest in one. Most people won't do something "big" to change the world, but we can all do something small consistently and faithfully to change the world. I believe this is one of the most important ways for us to go about "storing up for ourselves treasures in Heaven." Please, think of the people around you who could use your help and encouragement and support. What opportunities could you help give them? What potential do they have that you could help them reach? I hope you will think on these things.
I love you all and can't wait to see you soon! God bless you and your families!

Allison

Looking Ahead

Hey Guys!!

Guess what?! I will be back in the States visiting with all of you in about a month and a half! I am so excited, you have no idea. As much as I love being here in Brazil, there is still no place like home.
However, the more time I spend here, the more comfortable with my surroundings I become. I notice little things that change with me. For example, I find that I can have conversations in Portuguese for longer without getting tired. I have even started praying for people in Portuguese sometimes. Also, when I travel, I don't get as exhausted afterwards as before. Basically, I judge everything by how long it takes me to get tired, and that's how I know I'm improving!
We take for granted in the States our modern conveniences. I'm not complaining, but I will just point out some differences. There are no dishwashers or dryers. Because there is so much dust from the streets, your whole house gets covered in layer of it daily. You constantly have to fight bugs and spider webs and dust, so you basically have to clean your house from top to bottom once a week. Also, for the water I use to wash my clothes, I have to use a pump about once a week to move the water to a larger tank. And sometimes, the water doesn't come. That's a headache, let me tell you. There are not any "fast food" restaurants around here either, so most of the time, if you want to eat, you have to cook yourself! I actually like cooking, but sometimes, you get busy with other things and don't really have time. Anyways, all this stuff adds up and takes a lot of time.
Well, I hope that gives you a better idea of some of the mundane things I have to do everyday. Now, on to the more exciting stuff.
So, last time I wrote, I told you I would be traveling to a city called Portel with Richie Bouthillier and his family. Well, it was a great trip and a great time on the boat getting to know their family better. It took us about a day to travel from their current city, Porto de Moz, to arrive in Portel. It is a very small town that is shaped like a peninsula on the river. From one side to the other is about a 15 minute walk. One side is a harbor with many boats coming from all over the Amazon region as well as from the large city of Belem. The other side is a very shallow beach area that stretches far out into the river. Even though the city is very small, it still seems to have a lot of activity because of the harbor. We spent the week checking out the different parts of the city and swimming at the beach. Richie found a piece of property right on the water, which is a perfect place to dock his boat as well as build a church building. He has already bought it, and his family were fortunate enough to also find a house to rent.
While I was there, I was asking myself if I could see myself working there. I like the city because of its beachy feel. (I always told the Lord I wanted to plant a church near the beach!) However, I was concerned if my abilities and passions were a good match for the city. As I have said, I really enjoy teaching English and the kinds of doors that are opened through the benefit of the school. I would want to start a school wherever I go. After talking to Richie and a few of the locals, it was clear that the people there would really be blessed by an English school, especially because of their proximity to a big city like Belem where there are a lot more opportunities. It gives them a chance to better prepare for their futures, as many of the Brazilian public schools in this region are of a really low quality.
Anyways, when I came home from my trip, I talked it over the Steve and Elba and all the other missionaries here, and I have decided that I am going to move to Portel with Richie and Christie and help with their new church plant! I feel like this will be the best fit for me at the right time. I am going to stay here in Altamira probably until June or July of next year and then move. I want to spend the next 6 months learning as much as I can about how CDR (the English school) works, and also give Richie and Christie a chance to get settled in there before they receive me.
I am very excited about this. I am especially excited because I feel like I have a great opportunity to really make a difference within the community I will be serving. One of my greatest hopes is that my life will make a lasting and powerful difference in the world, and I feel like Portel is a great place to start.
Please, pray for me as I work to make plans and get ready to move. Please pray that God orders my footsteps and directs all the timing and necessities. Thank you for moving along in this journey with me. You guys are really the ones who have positioned me to make a difference. I could never, ever do it on my own. God bless you!!!

Love, Allison

Check out the beautiful pictures from my trip below!

Portel

Still Searching

Hello to my Favorite Missionary Team!

Right now, most of you are experiencing my favorite season of the year--Fall. Oh, how I miss Fall! However, I would not trade it to have to endure those awful winters again....I am definitely a summer person! Anyways, I hope everyone is enjoying this special time of year and that you are experiencing joy and peace.
Let me catch you up on the latest with me. I have been very busy.
As some of you may know, I went to Vineyard Leadership Institute a few years, however, I never quite finished the program. Well, I have only a few more classes to go, and I have decided to work on completing the program while here in Brazil. As you may not know, the program has changed now, and is called Vineyard Institute. It is also launching to become a worldwide ministry training program for the Vineyard movement. We hope to have the program translated into Portuguese and moving along in Brazil in the next year or so. I am very excited about this as I believe solid theological training is a much needed asset for the upcoming leaders in the Brazilian churches. We have many passionate and talented leaders here who are hungry for a deeper understanding of the Bible.
The Alpha Circles group that my team and I started has ended, and we are now moving onto new endeavors. Through many of the relationships Christopher and I built in the Alpha Circles group, we have created a new group. This group is different in a few ways. For one, it is not in English, but Portuguese. It is basically a small group with the hopes of digging deeper with our new friends. We are looking forward to learning how to live the Kingdom lifestyle together. Please pray that God continues to bring us closer and gives us an environment of safety to be vulnerable with one another.
In the past few months, I have had the privilege of helping out my good friend, Marcelino, with a new homeless ministry. I admire Marcelino for his passion and his desire to change the world. He very much believes in doing practical things to make a difference and in loving all people, no matter where they are coming from. So, once a month he and a few others have been coming to my house and making lunch for the homeless people in our city. Then, we go out and give the food away while talking and offering to pray for them. Through talking to them, we discovered some of their other basic needs that we could help with. We decided to put a care package together for them that includes, a toothbrush and toothpaste, a shirt, soap, and deodorant. We also include a letter telling them about the love God has for them. It is one of my favorite ministries that I have done so far because it is so easy to make an impact in these people's lives.
At the Xingu Mission, we have had some new missionaries join us from another base. They are Art and Cyndi Rae, and their son Daniel. They are currently staying with me as they work on repairs to the new house they bought. Their hopes in moving to Altamira is to bring the program, Living Waters, here to Brazil. Cyndi is working with a translator to translate all the material into the Portuguese dialect best suited for Northern Brazil. I am very excited about having them here to start Living Waters in Brazil for the first time. I believe Brazilians are in great need of a healing care program to begin to experience deeper healing and deeper intimacy with God. It will be an amazing blessing to the church and the community. I have also been blessed to have such gracious and loving people in my home. We have become really close in this short time.
Lastly, I want to keep you updated on my future. Since I have come here, I have been keeping my eyes open to see where God might want to plant me. I have visited the other bases and other cities, but still do not feel any definite callings from God for a certain place. Recently, another missionary couple, Richie and Christie Bouthillier, and their children, have decided to branch out and start a new base. They are still not 100% sure, but they think they will be moving to another city in the Amazon Region called Portel. I will be joining them this week as they travel there again to make their final decision. So, this is yet another possibility of where I could end up in the future. This would be a completely new work, as there are currently no Vineyard churches in this city. Everything would be starting brand new. Please pray for my trip, and that God would speak to me one way or another about his plans for me.
The time for me to visit all of you is getting closer and closer, and with it, I am getting more and more excited. I can't wait to reconnect with all of you. Thank you again for all of your support, both financial and moral. I pray that everything you have given to me will be given back to you. I bless your families and your jobs and your dreams. For those of you that are struggling right now, I pray God's mercy and tenderness over you. That he would use this struggle to bring you closer to the knowledge of his great love for you. To all of you, remember that your true home is in Heaven, and that all of us are called to bring Heaven to Earth. Thank you for being apart of the journey with me. 

Love,
Allison Rupert

I am going to include a few links below showing you some of the things that has been happening here. We were blessed to have another baptism. Also, once a year is Children's Day, and our church held an event for the children in our neighborhood. It was a great way to show them that they are special and loved.

Marcelino preparing lunch for the homeless

 

 

 

 

Me teaching at the Youth Group with Cleide translating

Pictures from the Baptism and helping the homeless

Pictures from Children's Day

Good News and Bad News

Hello Everybody!!

How are you? I sincerely hope you are all doing well. I hope that whether or not your circumstances are good, that at least your heart is doing good and is full of peace.
So, I will go ahead and get started catching you up on the latest here in the Amazon Region of Brazil. Last time, I told you about the Intervinha Regional Conference featuring Phil Strout, and Danny and Penny Meyer. Well, it was amazing! It was so good to hear messages in English, and they spoke right to my heart. It was really what I needed for encouragement. I also got a change to spend some time with Danny and Penny Meyer because they stayed to visit with their son, Christopher. I loved getting to know them better, and just feeling their support and encouragement for me. They are a really special couple.
Well, CDR has started again, so I am teaching again, and I must say that I love teaching. It is such a privilege to not only teach these kids something that will help them in the future, but also to speak into their lives about the love Jesus has for them. It is very rewarding for me.
I have also been able to teach some at the Youth Group at church. The last time I talked, I explained to the kids about spiritual gifts, and how they could use those gifts to reach the lost. After I taught, I broke them up into groups of 3. In each group, the kids were suppose to pray for one another and ask the Holy Spirit to speak to them. If they heard anything, they were suppose to tell the person what they heard. To my excitement, many of the kids were deeply touched by the Holy Spirit, and God used these kids to speak powerful words of encouragement and healing to one another.
Also, I want to mention that there have been no new developments on my ideas of moving to Macapa. I have not heard any clear direction from God on how or when to move forward. So, I would like it if you continued praying that God speak to me clearly about the future he had in store for me. I, of course, will keep you informed.  
Ok, so you are probably curious about this Good News and Bad News thing. Let me start with the Good News!
So, I've decided that because I miss all of you so much that I am going to come home for a visit early! That's right. I originally had planned not to come home for another year, but I talked to my superiors, and they said it would be fine for me to come back early. So, I have decided to come back for the month of January. I will be on a break from CDR that month, so I will not miss anything happening here. I will be staying with my mom in Georgia for about a week and then heading to Columbus to spend some time with you all! I can't wait to see you again!!!
Ok, now for the Bad News. Financial Support.
Let me explain the situation. Over the past two months, I have not received almost $1000 worth of support. I need around $1500 a month to continue to stay here and work, and I have only received around $1000 the past two months. This is really significant. If this trend continues, it will wipe out the saved funds I have in just a few months, and I will have to go home. And not just for a visit.
I know that each of you supports what I am doing here in Brazil and would like to see me continue it. Its important. I believe in what I am doing, and I believe that God has a future for me here.
I ask that if you are not already supporting me financially, that you would make the decision to start. And I ask that if you are already supporting me financially, that you would consider raising your support every month. I want to remind you all that monthly, consistent support is the best way to invest.
I also want to remind of how grateful I am to all of you who have been so faithful to me through every kind of support you give, be it financial, emotional, moral, or spiritual. You guys are my team, and nothing I do here is possible without you. I hope that I do a good enough job helping you feel connected to the work of God here. I know its easy to feel distant from it or that your life doesn't have an effect on things down here, but its not true. You are so intricately connected, and what you are doing makes a profound difference.
I love you all so very much, and I am so looking forward to seeing you soon. Below is list of ways that you can give financially, if you so choose. Thank you again.

Allison

*You can allocate the funds at church for me by check or cash for: Xingu Mission-Allison Rupert.

*You can mail your support directly to the mission:
Xingu Mission-Allison Rupert
PO Box 340785
Columbus, Ohio 43234
USA

*You can also donate online at:
http://www.xingu.org/14o_rupert_donation.html

Penny and I at the Intervinha Conference

Click on the link below to view more pictures.

Intervinha Regional Conference

Going Back, Going Forward

Hello to all my Beloved Friends and Family!

Thank you for your prayers and support and for hanging in there with me. If you can believe it, next month will mark my one year anniversary here in Brazil. It seems that it has gone by so fast, and I can't believe the amount of things I've learned in one year.
My Portuguese has greatly improved. I can understand most of what is being spoken to me, and can communicate enough to even have some deep conservations. Last night, I even taught at a friend's small group in Portuguese. I have also decided that next month, I will stop taking classes, but continue to study on my own. I do still have a lot to learn, but I feel confident that I will continue to grow with more time and experience.
I feel pretty comfortable with the lifestyle here. There are many things here that in the beginning seemed so different, but now, I have started to take them for granted. Actually, the thing that has probably been the hardest for me to learn is the different communication styles between American and Brazilian culture. This is something, I know, will take me a lot more time to learn. Brazilian culture focuses on pleasing others. They use more indirect communication and avoiding telling another person "no". As you know, American culture is very different from this. Our communication is very direct and saying "no" does not usually offend someone. Neither communication style is "right" or "wrong". Both have their advantages and disadvantages, but for me, it is sometimes like trying to solve a mystery with a bunch of subtle clues. I am sure that if a Brazilian moved to the States, they would feel the same way I do!
Right now, I am on a break from teaching at CDR, so I decided to do some traveling. I took a boat back to Macapa. Macapa is a city that I traveled to when I first came to Brazil. Some of you may remember that Buck and Lusiane Schmit were missionaries there some years ago. They have since moved back to the United States, but the church that they planted still remains. I spent almost 2 weeks there getting to know again some of the people I had met originally, as well as meeting the new people in leadership. It was a great time.
While I was there, I started seriously considering the possibility of getting involved with their ministry. One of the ideas we discussed while I was there is the possibility of starting another CDR (the English school). CDR provides a great opportunity to help support the local community, as well as give exposure and credibility to the church. I also spoke with another couple in the church who have a great heart to minister to the people they refer to as "Urban Tribes". Basically, these people represent those who would not normally be attracted to the church environment because of traditionalism and legalism. They are also located more in the downtown areas of Macapa which is a large city of around 500, 000 people. Both of these ideas really got me excited as I feel I have a lot to offer in both of these areas. I am praying that if this is what God has for me, that he would continue to reveal his will and favor. Please, pray with me about this, and let me know if you feel that God is speaking to you concerning this possibility.
Next week, we have our annual Intervinha Regional Conference here in Altamira. This is very exciting because pastors and church members from the North and Northeast regions in Brazil will all be coming here to attend the conference. Phil Strout, Danny and Penny Meyer will also be coming here to speak at the conference. Several other missionary families and I will be joining them on a boat trip for about 4 days, and then at the end of the week, we will have the conference. For me, I am really hoping to be ministered to by our visitors and really get refilled by the Holy Spirit. Please pray for me that this is a time of refreshing and direction for my future here in Brazil.
Also, on a deeply personal note, I have a request. As you all know, I am single. I am 33 years old, and I will be 34 in October, which is just around the corner. Since I have been in Brazil, I have yet to meet anyone that I think I could marry. This is a deep hope and dream of mine to meet someone I could share a loving, life long relationship with and start a family. I ask that you would pray for me to meet the man God has for me. And again, if you hear the Lord speak to you anything about this on my behalf, please let me know.
Thank you again all of you for your faithfulness to God and to me. Thank you for being on my team, and for being my cheerleaders! I long to see all of you, and sometimes its hard to think that I have another year to go before that happens again. I long to worship with you again, to hug and cry with you again. I love you all. Bless you and your families and your hearts.

Love, Allison

Below is a link with the pictures from my trip.

Macapa