We have transportation to Florida
Posted by Shawn on August 18, 2010
Returned home at 12:30 am this morning after driving round trip to Folsom California to aid in purchasing the shuttle van we will be using. Long day, but now we have a way to get to Florida!
It is a Ford Diesel van front shuttle with the wheelchair lift on the side. We will be able to have enough seats and then the room for the luggage and instruments. Thank you for all your prayers!
I will try to post some pictures later today.
God is going before us
Posted by Shawn on August 12, 2010
Never did I dream that this drive would be like this! We were hoping for a few, but now it is a full schedule. I know the Lord has plans, I just hope we follow Him all the way through it.
Oh, did I mention that we still have no vehicle to do this in? One more thing for God to complete as we move close the date of departure. We are still asking God to open the door to the right vehicle to safely get us there and Jeremy and Sam back.
Thank you for your prayers!
Hoping for a van like this:
Help find us the van?
Need a Passenger Van
Posted by Shawn on August 6, 2010
The time to leave is approaching very quickly and we will need a van that holds 9+ passengers. Please pray with us as we ask God for the van that will safely get us to Florida and Jeremy, Sam and possibly Matt back. We will probably have to tow a small enclosed trailer if anyone has one we could borrow it would be greatly appreciated!!
The plan, Lord willing, is to go to Colorado to visit my brother and family and my old best friend from High school. While we are there we hope to be able to present the ministry to at least one church (another prayer request.)
Then we will be off to Kansas City for Jeremy to play music and for us to present Island Light Ministries and our family. This is the home church of a band member playing with Michael Robert.
From there we have a place in Tennessee and then to Florida where we hope to have a couple of opportunities. God has been going before us and I pray we follow His lead. We have been praying that God will be the one to put it on the hearts of His people to support this ministry.
God has been working on my faith lately, feeling like Peter when he denied Christ when the pressure was on. I know I am only man and that He is God. I praise Him for showing me how weak I am, without Him none of this can happen. I hope that through our struggle and victories in the Lord that you (my friends and brothers and sisters in Christ) will be encouraged and your faith will be increased as well as ours!
May our Lord have mercy and Grace upon us always and may His glory be shown.
Medford Neighborhood Church
Posted by Shawn on August 1, 2010
We were invited to present the ministry at the Neighborhood Church in Medford Oregon today and I was blessed. The people there were so encouraging. A few of them had been missionaries and had some great things to say. One lady who lived a similar life to some of the Dominican’s we will be working, coming from a very poor area of a country and having no hope, to having hope in Christ. She touched me by thanking me for being willing to go and she cried as she prayed for us.
I will have to say, I didn’t really think I would be the one doing presentations at churches. I really don’t see myself as the right person, but God has other plans. We have a few stops already in the works on our drive to Florida.
We are still in need of a large van to fit 9 people and luggage along with Jeremy’s guitar and keyboard. Please pray for the right van to be presented that will work for this trip and to be used by Jeremy in touring or one we can borrow for the round trip.
God is good. Praise Him in all things!
p.s. Thank you to those who prayed for today’s presentation.
We bought the plane tickets
Posted by Shawn on July 28, 2010
We have finally purchased the plane tickets to the Dominican Republic, however, we did not get them to leave anywhere near home, but actually all the way on the other side of the USA.
Why in the world would we do this? We believe the Lord is directing our path across the U.S. with Jeremy and Sam to raise support. Jeremy will play shows at churches or wherever the Lord opens a door and we will present the ministry. We are having to do so much of this by faith, which I will tell you is like a roller coaster for me. I look to my self and see how I can’t make anything work, but when I look up to heaven and realize God has all things in His hands my worries fade. Oh how I need more faith!
God has already opened up some avenues without me even doing anything. I have yet to meet a man who set up Bethel Church in Medford for a benefit concert on the 12th of August. We have also been asked to present the ministry to the Neighborhood church in Medford this coming Sunday, again without my doing. Why do I fret? Why do I doubt? How gracious is my Lord and Savior for allowing me to serve Him or even call Him Lord. What a great God we serve!
I hope that over the next few weeks that I will continue to pass on and encourage others in the faith with many more examples of God’s loving care. Let us not be shaken. May the God of peace bless your home Today.
Stepping out in faith
Posted by Shawn on July 11, 2010
Seeing my wife getting antsy as I packed up books I realized how much this verse spoke of us from 1 Corinthians 1:26
Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.
We must not be the wisest pair to want to move to a foreign country with 5 kids and no money, but God chose us anyways.
Today Jessica and I packed 4 bags with books, towels, sheets, some tools and a motorcycle helmet. This made not sound like much, but it was a step of faith for us. These 4 bags all weighing about 49 pounds, making sure not to go overweight for the airlines, are going with a short term missions team to the Dominican Republic. The bags will end up being stored with other missionaries who live in Santo Domingo, the capital of the D.R.
Luggage going
The reason this is a step of faith for us is that we are sending things ahead of us that at this time we don’t have the funding to go and be missionaries, but we are trusting our Lord for the provisions. We believe He put it on our hearts and have seen confirmation of, for us to be missionaries in the Dominican Republic. We believe He is the one who has made the connections and sold our house. He is the one who will go before us and who prepares our path.
Luggage to the D.R.
Our biggest challenge of moving is knowing what to bring, what we can replace there and really what we need. Many things are not available or can be expensive there. Clothing would seem to be inexpensive, but we have learned otherwise. Shoes can be very expensive there and the quality of many things can be much lower quality than what you would want to spend money on. We have been told to bring sheets and towels as well as bringing shoes, sandals and other basics. Bringing five children and the amount of curriculum they will need for schooling is adding up to be quite the load, we are looking at shipping via the airlines, but that means getting a shipment to Sacramento or Portland and being set up with them as a business.
Please continue to pray for us as things move into place.
Dominican Republic Missions
Posted by Shawn on July 1, 2010
Jim and Debra Tunnicliffe – our friends and ministry partners with Island Light Ministries are flying out this Saturday to the Dominican Republic. We are asking for prayer that over the next two weeks God will open the right doors and close the ones where we as a team are not to be. I am also asking that you prayerfully consider supporting the work of the ministry, since there is still a great financial need.
While the Tunnicliffe’s are there they hope to confirm some aspects of where we will be serving. Some of those areas are in trade school teaching, food ministry, youth ministry along with many other ideas and visions. Each of us will have somewhat different roles to play with all one thing in common – glorifying God and leading others to Christ.
I am excited about the work God has before us and I believe there will be a large harvest. I believe that the spies sent out by Joshua had it right when they talked about the size of the grapes. God will go before us to conquer the enemy as we follow in the path He has for us.
Jeremy Oliveria Prodigal Psalms
Posted by Shawn on June 25, 2010
Most of our friends and family have seen (or should I say heard) the gift of music Jeremy has. We, as parents, have known for years that this gift was meant for God’s glory and knew that God had a plan in it. However, Jeremy struggled growing up to be in the rock music scene and wanted nothing to do with “Christian music” or anything close.
Over the last 3 years he went through many struggles and was our prodigal son. One that brought us to our knees in prayer constantly, knowing we could do nothing and fearing the worst. This struggle within our family drew us to the Lord in a powerful way, we have learned to be dependant on Him (wish I wouldn’t forget this almost every day.) The Lord has shown Himself faithful as usual and has brought Jeremy back and with a walk that any father could be proud of. He desires to serve the Lord and to bless the Lord with music.
Jeremy Oliveria Prodigal Psalms
Now Jeremy is on the verge of releasing his first album – Prodigal Psalms (Jeremy Oliveria) as a solo artist. These songs are inspired by the spirit and Jeremy hopes that pride does not get in the way of God’s message. Pray for Jeremy and the music, that he will touch many lives – especially those prodigals out there. So many young men and women who know who God is and who were raised with the Word spoken are out there in the pig mud of the world desiring something better.
One of the songs is up Today – Friday the 25th on the the myspace page at: http://myspace.com/jeremyoliveriamusic
Also follow his FaceBook page (address will be added later.)
Protecting Your Children
Posted by Shawn on June 23, 2010
As a parent we automatically protect our children and keep them from harm… usually. I know there are those who have harmed their children and some even to the point of death. But for most of us, it is natural to protect. We will do whatever is in our power to protect them physically from harm, from hurt feelings, from their own foolishness…
However, how effective are we at protecting them spiritually?
We can’t protect them in the physical from the spiritual, that we can only do within the spiritual realm. Some of you, like me, have warn ourselves out fighting the spiritual enemy in the physical realm. This has resulted in failure and frustration. Only when we truly submit to Our Father in heaven and began praying for our children daily can we truly see victory in these spiritual battles.
We as Christians have probably all heard the verse: Ephesians 6:12 (NAS) “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” But do we understand and put that into our daily practice?
We must be praying for our children everyday. The Lord is the only one who can keep them, not you or I. I know many of us have wanted to lock them in cages for a time, but that wouldn’t even solve the problem anyways. Our children need us to be praying especially when they don’t think they do or want us to.
As the father and Biblical leader of the home I state Joshua 24:15 – “As for me and my house we will serve the Lord!” It is my job to cover my children until they no longer need it, and to continue to cover them in prayers long after.
Lord help me to do just that and to never forget the awesome privilege of raising our children under your wings.
The Brochure is done and ready to print
Posted by Shawn on May 12, 2010
We finally finished the brochure! It takes quite a bit of discussion to really get a brochure refined. Only so much space and there is so much we want to say. Below are the pages in PDF format.
Oliveria Missions Brochure page 1
Oliveria Missions Brochure Page 2
The blog software won’t allow a document over 2MB, so I had to split it into the 2 pages (front and back.) Feel free to print this out and pass it on to your friends and let them know what we are doing in the Dominican Republic.
Our goal is to be there around the middle of July and we are trusting in God for the support we need to get there and get started. It will take a few months to get fully engaged into the activities of the ministry, since we will also be working on the language (Spanish) as well. Currently we have a tutor helping my wife and I as well as two of the older children and we will either have a native tutor there or attend a language course.
Please pray for us and the Tunnicliffe’s as we embark on this adventure God has given us!
Oliveria Family