Our Prayers for you and your family... May you be Blessed with warmth in your home... LOVE in your heart... PEACE in your soul... And JOY in your life!
MY CHRISTMAS NEWSLETTER
(If you receive my physical mailings feel free to scroll down to the OUTREACH CHRISTMAS PARTY)
2018 has been a year! I will try my best to summarize it in a short paragraph and then expand on certain areas.
This year has been full of ADVENTURE some planned like South Africa but many unexpected ones as well like my trip to Brazil. It I has been a year of God revealing His bigger calling on my life (taking steps towards opening a non-profit 5 STAR global ministries) as well as revealing that it was time to start taking some big steps in my current ministry to begin this good but hard transition. God has also revealed my need for a season of healing not only physically but also spiritually and emotionally. I have faced grief and heartache as to many outreach kids and John Kerry one of the kids who lived at Miriam Center gained his heavenly bodies. Lived through my scariest moment of my life a 7.9 earthquake. Battled more health problems. I have experienced love in a new way through my relationship with my boy friend. I have experienced so much JOY through the work and ministry. So many children have gained new skills and abilities. I have been surrounded by amazing prayer warriors and supporters who enabled me to keep going when at times I felt like it was to hard. I Gained some amazing new friends who have come into my life to help me through all of this. So yes this year has been an ADVENTURE, maybe a mix between a rollercoaster (full of up and downs...excitement and fear...uncertainty...) and a mountain hike (a challenge of strength and endurance).
This newsletter will focus on updates on my relationship with Nathan (written by Nathan himself), my season of healing, earthquake update, financial needs and prayer requests. My New Years Update will share more about the ministry transitions, changes, and future calling with and development of 5 STAR Global Ministries.
UPDATES FROM NATHAN
Hello there! (:
You don't know me yet but you've probably heard about me on the latest update, yup, I'm Nathan. I'd like to present myself to the lovely Christians who are supporting Autumn and this beautiful project in Haiti which is deep inside God's heart.
The song below is part of a Brazilian Worship song which kept me faithful to my calling for the last many years. I've translated the song lyrics to English to provide you the meaning.
I won’t stop even though the road is long
I’ll keep going even in middle of fights
I am not alone, I feel you here
Life is like this
So much pain I have to go through
But The Lord is always protecting me
I feel you here
When the wind goes up against me
The problems try to take me down
I remind myself: The Great I Am has sent me
I have a Calling, I’ll never shut up about it.
I have a Calling, I have to preach the Gospel
I have been chosen since inside my mother’s womb
I know God won’t give up on me
I was born in a Christian home in Brazil in 1990, this country here in South America :). We have had a great expansion of the Gospel in Brazil since 1980 and this expansion keeps going on stronger and stronger ever since, thanks God!
Even though I went to church since I was very young, I had my real encounter with Christ on the day I was baptized : 18th October 2008. That day has marked my life and I said Jesus I want to live entirely for you.
In 2010 God has started telling me I would be a missionary, I had no idea why or how that would happen but I went on my knees into the Altar and I said : Here I am. I did that many times for the next years, God kept confirming me He wanted me to be a missionary.
I have done missionary work for the church in local missions, through Circus Arts, I have learned Theater, Juggling, Guitar and so many other things just because God kept telling me: you will be used by my hands in countries far away, you will do so many things.![]() I confess as years passed and passed it was so hard to keep going but I kept going and God kept asking me more and more stuff for me to develop because it would be so much useful for His project for my life. Sometimes it was so much hard to truly believe that this all would ever happen, I've been to Engineering College and it's quite challenging to fight for your faith in a Science Based environment, it's a daily struggle to defend your personal choices and beliefs while still being close enough of those around you to share Jesus love with them. During College I have had also my hardest struggles upon waiting to meet the person God had for me, in fact God clearly told me I'd not meet my Someone until I finished College so, it was a long time waiting and trusting and keeping myself away from any girls who would be interested in a relationship, after all, God had told me inside my heart I shouldn't be in a relationship during all my time of College...and almost everyday I have been praying for my special one who I knew was already doing missions somewhere around the world, that was for many years before I had met Autumn, I already knew God had someone prepared for me and I started writing letters (in English) to my significant other even before meeting this person. (Shhh you all will be curious because she is curious as well, I'm not suppose to deliver these letters before I marry my special one, but they're safely stored with plenty of prayers I've prayed along the years of waiting). So my point here is something I wish I could have heard during these years of waiting : Keep waiting, it is worth it, God tells us crazy stuff and when we obey He really does everything He said He would do. I had such a big dream of someday writing a Missionary Newsletter and of someday meeting someone special and I never thought both would happen at the same time: I met someone special and I'm here writing my first Missionary Newsletter! God is good all the time and it is really worth waiting and trusting to live His dreams for us, just keep being the best at whatever God pointed you to do right now and keep trusting what God told you He would do, if He said it, He WILL make it ! =)
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Meeting Autumn
I have met Autumn in 13th April 2018 on a Christian website and since then we have been communicating on a daily basis. In fact, we haven't really lived a Fairytale as we could have dreamed, meeting each other was quite challenging since the first day of conversations, we had very different background, theological, cultural and personal attributes and... guess what? God is using it all for His Glory! We have both been growing more in these 7 months of relationship than we have grown during all our lives, as individual person and also as Christian Leaders. I have been truly feeling how it is to live daily life in Haiti and wow, it's quite challenging! We have came to moments where we just video each other and let our tear drops fall into God's presence, deeply in prayer. And we have heard God's answer to all our prayers in such a beautiful way!
Recently Autumn has shared on her last update about her visit to Brazil and how incredible fun it was, how much we loved each other and that I am a real person (yes, I am a real person and she met me and can reassure you all of it! Haha)
The update also explained on how difficult her trip to Brazil ended with my family not blessing our relationship...well, I believe everyone can imagine how hard it is for a family to grow up their son (I came from a poor background and my family put so many efforts to provide me enough condition financially, emotionally and physically for me to develop my studies as an Electrical Engineer) so it is very hard for a family to grow up their son and see they telling them that he will eventually quit all his life here in their country to become a missionary in Haiti because he met someone online... well, it surely isn't something easy to go through.. But God is good all the time...I would like to thank everyone who has invested their money, time, prayers, emotions and love into helping Autumn meet me and wishing the best for her and into asking God to help us be together. In fact, God has blessed us and my family has reconsidered their position and Autumn and I are now dating! :D God is good all the time, I truly love when Autumn says : "God is a good, good Father." And it's so much true! God is a good father and He blesses His sons so if you are reading this and anxious about anything, truly just deliver your anxiety to the Lord for He takes care of all of us!
We would still appreciate to keep having your prayers for God to guide us, it is quite challenging to have God's confirmation to go into such a mission journey like Haiti but we are trusting God for His will. My family has allowed my relationship with Autumn but they still haven't blessed me to go to Haiti so we still have a long journey of prayer and we count on you to keep us covered in your prayers, I truly believe God prepared me for all my life to make something important like changing thousands of lives for Christ and your prayer is going to be such a major part of this dream coming true!![]()
Nathan as a Missionary
Everyone who shares God's word through their lives are a missionary but, when we talk about doing missions usually we think about going to other countries. In fact, just for you being reading this Newsletter and being interested into what Autumn is doing in Haiti you're already doing missions, whenever you pray or provide financial support for her or when you do something to someone around you, you are doing missions!
That being said, I have done local missions for a few years already, I have dedicated myself to Circus Arts in order to provide joy and happiness to kid's in poor schools, orphanages, places like that. It’s wonderful to see how the kids smile when you go juggling and you go into places where few people have cared to go there. I truly believe God can use these skills into International Missions as well as He has done in local missions.
I also enjoy studying languages so I'm recently focusing on knowing the major languages in American Continent (I already speak Native Portuguese and Fluently English) and I'm working my way to learn Spanish and French, I look forward to speak to people in their own languages and share with them the deep mysteries of Gospel, making hearts go into the Lord!
Actually God has let me learn English fluently even though I couldn't go to English Courses because I didn't have money for it as a kid. I believe God has planned all the way my life into going abroad and He knew I could be a good partner for Autumn on her daily struggles.
God has blessed me with Engineering and I.T. skills which include things like power transmission, Satellite Communication, Solar Power Generation and many other stuff which I never knew why would I ever use these stuff for mission...well, since I met Autumn I could finally understand why God has let me develop myself so much into Engineering Field as all these skills are so much needed in developing countries around the world!
I can't wait to go and do His mission wherever He calls me to and I wish to develop a ministry alongside Autumn as we have already been talking and praying about. I look forward to preach to people but also to make their lives completely transformed by God's presence, to bring them to a new way full of Jesus guidance over them!
Thank you
I would like to conclude my part of this newsletter saying thank you all for the opportunity of receiving your prayers, I would like to thank you all for how much you have been taking good care and supporting Autumn for all these years before I met her. I would like to thank you all for the fact you have accepted me and trusted me when Autumn shared her life and included me in her life, I would like to thank you for your continuous prayers and for you wishing the best for Autumn and also now for me. I would like to thank you because you never let these kids in Haiti down, the more I know them the more I am touched by their hearts and smiles and the more I can see how beautiful is this ministry that Autumn is developing over there. I wish from the deepest of my heart that God may bless you all so much and I promise you that I will also be one of Autumn's supporters and, just like you all, I will take care of her and I'll do it in a special way, making her life better through emotional support and listening to her and taking care of her so she can develop into a better and better ministry and she can dedicate even more to her mission, I always tell Autumn: I'm into your life for you to be able to achieve more and more and more things over there. And that is truly my goal in this relationship, I want God to be the main reason of we being together, we didn't met because we just had sparks of lightning when we saw each other or something super romantic like that at all, what happened is that we both are warriors, soldiers of Christ who are up to give up everything to live His will and, during that road, we have met each other so we can be even better warriors and take care of each other's and keep each other surviving in this beautiful journey of Faith as we help and heal so many other people during our way. This is what we believe and this is our goal, we invite you people to join us in praying, donating and supporting so may God keep doing more and more. I thank you for accepting me in your lives now that I am with Autumn and I will look forward to know more of you and to share more of myself and on everything that God will unravel in our relationship in the next newsletters.
God bless you all,
Nathan
SEASON OF HEALING
August & September of this year I took a medical sabbatical after having continued health issues throughout the early part of the year through April. Those months I focused on my physical health but did not step away from Haiti stuff. I continued to work on Haiti stuff daily from the states. During this time dear friends and fellow missionaries of mine at No Boundaries International (NBI) in Oklahoma City helped me realize I would benefit and needed to step away from ministry in Haiti and take care of not just my physical but emotional, mental and spiritual health as well. The past year I have seen and felt signs of burnout and compassion fatigue. I started christian counseling realizing I needed to take steps but in September during a 1 week visit with NBI I realized how much I needed a season of healing. NBI has offered me a safe place to go as a place to rest & participate in inner healing, be filled back up spiritually, learn new skills helpful in future ministry (trauma informed care protocol and leadership training) and serve in their ministry at the same time. November 18 till mid January I will be in Oklahoma City. I will being doing minimal Haiti stuff and putting more responsibility and trust on my Haitian staff. My last 5 weeks in Haiti were some of the most challenging and hardest of my ministry career. We experienced a 7.9 earthquake epicenter my town, in a 2 week span 4 of the children in my care went to be with the Lord, I had some stressful, big, important meetings, and crazy ministry schedule. I think on top of not feeling good health wise (I am continuing to have trouble with my GI track). I am beyond excited and ready for my season of healing with NBI. Please join me in praying for this time that I would be filled up spiritually, mentally, emotionally, as well as my GI track to heal.
My time so far has been AMAZING! I am learning so much, getting to serve alongside them to some of the most vulnerable and in need populations in the United States and getting filled back up. I will share details, stories, and pictures in a future email update.
EARTHQUAKE
The scariest day of my life occurred early October when the ground around me shook and I heard things falling and breaking around me and began to run out from under the porch to the street. (I had my key in my door about to go into my house.) After shock wore off and I realized I just experienced my first earthquake later finding out the epicenter was just 2 miles away and it was a 7.9 earthquake. The following morning damage reports from community started to come in. Many of our staff had a lot of damage to their homes. A few their entire house was gone. Stories of close calls were shared. Fear was thick. That day we had a 2nd big aftershock that caused more damage in the community and intensified the fear. Considering hundreds of thousands of people died in the 9 magnitude earthquake in 2010. Most everyone I know lost a family member or friend in 2010. Many left PAP to come to our area of Haiti to escape memories....I personally have never felt so out of control and everything was so unpredictable. You never knew when another earthquake or aftershock was going to come. I was scared... how was I to help others without overcoming my own fear.
The following week and weeks have been full of assessing damage at many of the outreach families homes as well as staff at the Miriam Center. So much need... I am learning we are limited in who we can help based on if they own their house or rent. Those who rent and their homes are unsafe it is our goal to raise funds to help them rent a room for a year to give them a safe place while they get back on their feet. For those who own their homes the goal is to provide assistance to fix up or help start to rebuild their homes. I know I can’t help everyone so my Haitian staff are helping to assess those most in need and we will create a hierarchy to help based on what donations come in.
As rainy season is upon us damaged houses are causing more issues. All those cracks and fallen rooms and damaged walls are leaking water every-time it rains which is every few days. It’s hard to sleep when you’re wet. It is also hard to stay healthy. I really hope that we can start helping more of these families soon.
So far $7,000 has been raised and we are in progress of helping 2 MC staff and many outreach families start to repair there homes thanks to these generous donations. We still have many families in need of help. If you feel led to donate towards this we will continue accepting donations and helping families as funding is available.
PLEASE CONSIDER DONATING TO THIS NEED.
***MARK ALL DONATIONS EARTHQUAKE RELEIF***
FOR JONATHAN SAKE OUTREACH CHRISTMAS PARTY
December 21st we were able to pull off the Annual outreach Christmas party thanks to your generous donations. We had a decent turnout 100 of the 200 families.Lower attendance could have been due to multiple factors weather, turmoil that continues in Haiti, etc. Regardless those who made it had alot of Fun learning and celebrating the true reason for Christmas. All the families left with a new book bag full of beans and rice, a creole children's Bible story booklet, and the laminated sermon about the backpack. I received many pictures of the families enjoying the Photo Booth. The extra 100 book bags we will work to get to the families unable to attend the party over the next few weeks through homevistis. If we are unable to get them all handed out before the beans and rice start to go bad we will bless some needy families in the community. We will make sure children are blessed this Christmas. Please take a few minutes and enjoy the pictures.
1. MULTI-VITAMINS for 200 outreach kids to receive daily vitamins for 2019- $5,000.
***Currently Walgreens has buy 1 get 1 free until December 28th. Please consider donating towards this so I can buy vitamins for the year while they are on sale! If you donate please send me an email letting me know how much so I can purchase while on sale.
2. SUPPLIES TO START NEW OUTREACH CENTER IN PdP- $6,000
*** We will be opening the outreach center in PdP in May. My parents are coming in January to help me get the building ready and build the needed equipment we still need. Please consider making an end of year contribution towards materials needed to get this amazing center off the ground. I am also creating an amazon wishlist that you can purchase needed therapy toys and supplies for the new center. I will include the link in the next email as it is not finished yet
3. VITAMINS FOR RICKET VITAMIN PROGRAM for 2019 which serves 50 children- $5,000
*** These Vitamins are also on sale at Walgreens till December 28th for half price. These kids get a Vitamin D, Calcium, and multivitamin daily. These children have the chance for there bones to grow normally with vitamin therapy. Otherwise they could forever have bow legs or knock knees that will cause joint pain and even possibly limit work potential as they get older.
4. OUTREACH PHARMACY (fill the pharmacy with medications to start new year) $2,000
*** 3-4x a year we have to fill up the outreach pharmacy. I just got word from Haiti that we are running low on medicine and we need to do another medicine run to PAP to buy needed medications to continue to provide much needed medical care to the outreach families.
5. EDUCATING TRAINING NATIONALS- $3,700
***I have agreed to take 4 Rehab Technicians and 4 locals to do a 4 month training starting in February where they will receive Continuing education specializing in pediatric therapy and teamwork/leadership skills. The Rehab Technicians are my potential future Rehab Technicians for the clinic in PdP while the 4 locals are all planning to go to school to become therapists or Rehab Technicians next fall. Each will get a food/housing stipend weekly in order to survive. Please consider helping me cover the cost of investing into the next generation of Rehabilitation Staff for the northwest zone of Haiti. I need $230 per week to pull this off.
TO DONATE
1. ONLINE CTEN WEBSITE- www.cten.org/autumnmarshall/
2. PAYPAL: autumn.marshall@nwhcm.org
*** Specify what specifically you would like your donation to go towards or leave blank if it is just a general donation.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT AND PARTNERSHIP IN MY MINISTRY. MAY YOUR FAMILY AND YOU HAVE A BLESSED CHRISTMAS!!! SENDING MUCH LOVE!
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