Merry Christmas from the Coelho’s!

This is our first Christmas "card" as a married couple and boy has a lot happened since we saw most of you in May for our wedding. And since we didn't get actual cards out in time, here ya go!

We tried moving to England for a few months, as they needed an intern director, but when our visas were denied (they’re really cracking down on applications now) we decided our best move would be to come back to Napa.

Manuel is holding down two jobs at the Boys and Girls Club and Kohl’s. He loves working at the teen center which just had a grand RE-opening and he’s working hard to bond with the students in order to share God’s heart with them. He really enjoys being a cashier at Kolh’s working around lots people, and even on the days he works customer service he comes home happy.

I went back to work at the local tax firm, Ganze & Company, where I’ve been a secretary at for almost a year now. I love people and the environment. I feel very blessed to be working part time until our busy season starts again in February and to have a boss who is very family oriented.

We’re both working more than we’re used to, so we’re not involved in Global Passion like we’ve been in the past years, but Manuel still enjoys playing drums on Sunday mornings and I help with our church’s café.

We’re making plans to go back to school, Manuel to get his degree (at present he’s still deciding on a major), and I will be finishing my AA in Education, on my way to a BA in teaching.

We both still have a passion to go back to India some day and this is one of the life skills we’ll need to stay there long term. While our friend was in town (Brice Maddox, Missionary to India) he gave us some great advice….prepare for long term ministry instead of running into it without counting the cost. Jesus told His disciples the same thing. Count the cost before you make plans, or else you won’t finish them.

While we forward to the future we find that right now we desire to do the most good we can, to as many people as we can, for as long as we can.

Merry Christmas!!!

What's Next?

When we saw that hopes for going to England were dwindling, we sought some advice from our missionary friends to India. Angie and I have looked up to the Maddock family ever since we were interns. They got their degrees, started a family, and are now full-time missionaries to India. When we looked to the future, we hoped that our lives would look something like that, already sharing the same passion and interests.
Brice took us out to breakfast, and we just kind of spilled out our hopes for the future."Get to the field, no matter what it takes." That, for the past few years has been our mantra. With England not happening, we immediately thought that maybe it was time to get back to India. But after a long conversation with Brice, we were challenged by a few things.

First he challenged us to live life a little, enjoy marriage, get a little more life experience. He explained the challenges of the visa process in India as well. Only degree holding foreigners get leniency when it comes to staying in country for extended periods of time. (Things that have definitely changed since Angie and I were there.) He challenged us to finish our education, study something that a foreign government would accept as beneficial to their country (education,social science,medicine,business,ect) 

We were kind of awestruck by the end of our conversation..."you mean...don't go yet?" But we clearly got firsthand experience saying if you want to do this long-term, then long-term preparation is required. It was a big pill to swallow. We've never cared for work outside of ministry, and always viewed school as something we'd eventually get to. But this time, it was definitely presented as an essential, not optional, if we wanted to go long term.

So for now..we're working like crazy, and will enroll back into school as soon as possible. Angie is working part-time at Ganze & Co. and I'm holding down two part-time jobs at Kohl's and Boys & Girls Club of Napa. I am still playing drums for a few services a week, and Angie is on our youth leadership team. We signed papers today for an apartment, and feel like we're finally settling in for a while. It's a new season in life for sure, but we're both excited for where it will take us.

We'll do our best to keep the updates coming!

England...Not Happening

Well after waiting just over 3 weeks for our visas to the U.K we were informed Tuesday that they had been unsuccessful. The reason was minor yet enough to deny us entry. I don't really want to go into details with this post here, but feel free to ask us personally.  

So what now? Lots of questions stirring obviously. Didn't we believe that this was the right direction to move in? Enough so to leave everything behind: job, house, friends and family? Didn't we hear from God? Did He let this happen? Is it our fault? What now!?

I'm pretty sure Angie and I have searched for every reasoning as to why this has happened. And the one thing we believe is this: It doesn't matter why it happened, what matters is what we believe because it happened. And what we believe is that God is able to work this out. If it's inside our reasoning or not, it's all for His glory and our good.

We share the same attitude as Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego when faced with death:
"Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, 'O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. ¹⁷ If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. ¹⁸ But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.'"  Daniel 3:16-18

I bet these three guys asked the same questions we have in this time. How could this happen? God why?
Yet their response was in faith. God is able to save us from this, but even if He doesn't our faith in Him isn't swayed.

And that's what we hold to in this time. We believe God has a plan in all this.

We'll be sure to keep everyone updated with whats next, but for now we'll be headed back to Napa for the time being.

Love you all, looking forward to what's to come!

England...why not? (Pt.II)

Eighteen days ago we packed our bags, left our jobs, said goodbye to friends, and headed for our grandparent's place to await our departure to England. Eighteen days and here we are, no visas, no plane tickets, nothing. We never would have anticipated it would take this long, but then again, we never anticipated we would ever be going to England. The lessons that can be learned in life will pass by if you don't stop for a minute and intentionally take notice. So instead of searching every angle of reason, or why God does things the way He does, we hold to one thing. He's got it covered.

"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.


And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.


What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?

-Romans 8:26-31

England...almost there

This past few days Manuel and I have been busy packing and moving out of our apartment of 3 months, to stay with my wonderful grandparents in Shingle Springs for a few days to await the final part of our visa process. All we have left to do is wait. Which is a hard thing to do, but hey, it strengthens us right?
Our small apartment was filled more than we realized...thank goodness grandma and grandpa came down to help us out, we wouldn't have made it without their truck!
As we drove down highway 80 we had to stop a few times and tighten the loads, but grandpa's knot knowledge was put to good use. :)

Grandpa's truck

Our truck.

Please keep us in prayer as we wait that God would work out everything we need in order to pass this application process. We'll keep you posted once we get the visas and our airline tickets.

England...still waiting

As you may have been keeping up with both mine and Manuel's facebook posts as of a few Mondays ago when we received the invitation to be intern directors in England, you may have noticed, we're still in the states.

Due to the kind of work we'll be doing with the interns and among the different charities we are connected with, we were told last week that we need a visa called Tier 5 Charity Workers Visa. Sound like a mouthful? Try explaining it to someone over the phone when English is not their second language, e.i. the travel agent. This visa will allow us to have much more freedom in what we can do while we're there and possibly give us the ability to earn money as well.

The upside is that we are on top of it and with my last day of work being last week, I'm able to devote much time to preparing for our interview which we had scheduled on Tuesday of this week. Yesterday to be exact.

That brings me to the downside. Because of the nature of this visa, we're facing a lot of paperwork and details we've never had to do before. Such as this interview which Manuel and I were on our way to, when we had a tire blow out on highway 80, in the fast-lane. Thankfully Manuel is a skilled driver and might I say tire replacer, but unfortunately we didn't make it to our appointments and we've had to reschedule for Friday the 3rd.
We've gone back and forth in the first few weeks with a little worry or frustration, but we've both come to agree that we completely trust God will work everything out. With all the roadblocks we're coming up to, it must be a great opportunity that the enemy is trying to thwart. Please keep us in your prayers and believe with us that Friday's interviews will go well and our visas will be given quickly.

England...Why not?

Well, Family, most of you already know the Coelho's big news, but we thought we'd officially announce it.


We're moving to England!



On Monday the 16th Manuel got an offer from One Hope's Paul Walker to join the U.K's Broadcasting internship as the Intern Director for at least 3 months. He took me out to dinner, our favorite Don Perico's, and said, "Baby, are you ready for our life to change?" I was, to say the least, a bit astonished when he told me of the opportunity and that the start date for the internship was Sept. 1st. Only a few weeks away.

We prayed about it and felt as though God had answered our prayer that we had been praying over and over since we read the book "In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day" (that's a mouthful isn't it?). We had asked God to put a risk in front of us that we may take it....sound risky to you?

We called Paul the next day and asked for more details and within 2 days we had made the decision to take the position. Not only would it allow for Manuel to continue to do what He's been doing here (as no interns were signed up for this year in Napa, it was perfect timing) but it would allow for me to come alongside and join him in ministry, doing what we both dream to do, making leaders in every country.

God has completely taken care of every finance, every need that has come up, and has made preparations in advance for our coming, we were so blessed to find out everything would be paid for.

As for an official departure date, we are waiting on our visas to be processed and we'll let you know as soon as we know. They've graciously pushed back the start date of the internship to Sept. 13th or 20th so we have enough time to get there, get settled, and know our way around.

And so begins our new chapter in our marriage and ministry!

Manuel and I went camping this past weekend and it was awesome. We really needed a rest, which was evident from the large amount of sleep we got. We ate, slept, and read, the perfect vacation! I loved getting up in the coolness of the morning and starting breakfast, pancakes, bacon, eggs, with some starbucks coffee. It was so relaxed and peaceful.


Manuel and I would sit down to eat and then do our morning devotions and watch the chipmunks and squirrels race around our campsite in search for food and hiding places for their newly found lunch. I didn’t think them so cute, however, after I woke up from a nap and found more than half our bread eaten and a huge hole in the bag. That night we had burgers wrapped in bacon instead of bread.

Watching the lake, the stars, and the little furry animals, I realized again why God really does deserve so much praise. Romans 1 :20 says “for since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.”

Have you ever felt like you were not where you wanted to be?

I cannot tell you how many times I have thought, I wish I was there, wish I was doing that. The reality I’ve come to see is that no matter what it is I’d rather be doing, if I’m not content with where God places me, if I always want to be at the next step in His plan, I’ll never be content.

As most of you know, Manuel and I have a heart to reach this generation of leaders inside and outside of America. Most of you also know that Manuel has been blessed with an amazing job that allows him to do just that. He is the intern direct at Global Passion Ministries and more recently has partnered with Book of Hope (now One Hope) to take on their interns as well. What that will end up looking like we have yet to see, but its exciting none the less. His job not only allows him to make training this generation his top priority, but allows him to travel both in the US and abroad leading students into a deeper relationship with God. As you can imagine this is something only God could have orchestrated and Manuel and I are SO excited for where we are headed in the future of the internship, as God NEVER ceases to surprise us.

I have been privileged to help out as much as I can getting the interns prepped for their 2nd year of training overseas, but as you can imagine, my heart is divided between my two jobs (I also work part time at a local tax firm). I love the people I’m with, they remind me each day that God loves people in America just as much as those in India, Africa, or anywhere else. I have had many opportunities to share my testimony and that just increases my desire to impact my workplace all the more. I do, however, often have that feeling that I want to be in ministry full time. Manuel and I have frequently talked over the reasons why or what we need to do to change my situation…but we always conclude that we are right were we need to be and the Lord will move me when He sees fit and we’ll have no doubt its Him. What I’ve learned from this season, and will continue to learn, is often pointed out to me by others, as I am unusually hardheaded (All of my family members are aggressively nodding their heads in agreement right now). As Paul states in Romans 9, we are simply the clay. There is no vase or pot that would say to its master, “Why have you made me for this purpose? I desire to be a cup or a plate.” No, instead the master chooses what He desires it to be and the vase or bowl simply fulfills that purpose. Do I always sing for joy when I realize what God asks of me? No, sadly not every situation is what I would have picked, but what I’ve seen Him do in situations where I’ve been obedient to do as He’s asked, be it to stay put, or move, has changed my character. And THAT my friends, is worth my pain or frustration EVERY time.

True Compassion

Yesterday we visited a special needs orphanage. It was like nothing I had ever experienced before to say the least. Children mostly, mentally and physically handicapped; limbs shrunken and twisted, faces deformed, speech unrecongnizable. I couldn't bring myself to take pictures, and I hope I can put into words the experience in full.

I realized later that night in our debrief with the team, that I felt for the first time a true sense of compassion. We all felt like crying in pity for these children as we walked from room to room, but the Holy Spirit, knowing that tears could not mend, filled us instead with compassion. Smiles were on our faces as we loved on these children, most confined nearly lifeless to a bed. We put bracelets on their twisted wrists and fingers, touched their hands, and rubbed their backs, praying silently. As we moved from each child, smiles soon came on their faces, noises which were clearly distinguished as joy and appreciation filled their voices, and I prayed that God, in a way only He could do, would let these children know Him for who He truly is. That someday they would run freely, laugh out loud, and embrace their Father in Heaven. Remembering Him as their only hope on earth.

Some would say how could a loving God allow such pain, but somehow I know that all will be revealed in the end. That the testimony of those children will tell of their trouble, but also that at the heart of life not much is needed. Not occupation, not possesions, not plans for the future. Only a hope in Jesus. For if ever I questioned the existence of a loving God, my experience at that orphanage forever removed all doubt, for His love was evident to all. I will never forget those faces, innocent as they were, and can only trust that the love of Jesus came through.

A Glimpse of Nigeria

Women's Ministry Appreciation Day: Part of a special song

Small Group Bible Study at a SU Camp (scripture union)

SU Camp with their Book of Hope

Driving through Lagos:

An Unpredictable Ending

Angie and I watch movies on a pretty regular basis. We live near the library and can get some pretty decent flicks for no price at all! We've got a good number under our belt, including documentaries of course ;) and we've noticed a running theme: It seems like in most movies the guy gets the girl, the team wins the championship, the unlikely overcome the odds, the good defeats evil ect. It's so predictable! We've decided that most of our favorite movies are the ones with unpredictable endings. The last minute twist, the cliff-hanger, the are you serious?! kind of endings.

As much as we love an unpredictable ending in a movie, I think in reality we would rather have something we could map out and see all the way through. I think at this point in our "movie" Angie and I can't really see where the plot will unfold next. We have guesses, good ideas, various opportunities, and a truck load of passion, but at this point have no idea where it will take us next.

Thoughts of the future can turn from exciting dreams to an uncertain depression pretty quick believe it or not. Maybe thats why Jesus said only worry about today. Feeling like worrying was taking over I found myself turning to this scripture this morning and was reminded of so many things. Mostly that our christian cliche "God is in control" is rooted in truth. God really IS in control.

Angie and I are learning to thank God for who he is more and asking what next less. And even though it still feels like at any moment the story could take an unsuspected turn, we know that we are holding on to the Rock, our Salvation, the Lamp that lights our path and removes all darkness. Our certainty is in Christ and Him alone.


²⁸ For You will light my lamp;
The LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.
²⁹ For by You I can run against a troop,
By my God I can leap over a wall.
³⁰ As for God, His way is perfect;
The word of the LORD is proven;
He is a shield to all who trust in Him.

³¹ For who is God, except the LORD?
And who is a rock, except our God?
³² It is God who arms me with strength,
And makes my way perfect.
³³ He makes my feet like the feet of deer,
And sets me on my high places.
³⁴ He teaches my hands to make war,
So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

³⁵ You have also given me the shield of Your salvation;
Your right hand has held me up,
Your gentleness has made me great.
³⁶ You enlarged my path under me,
So my feet did not slip.
(Psalm 18:28-36, New King James Version)

Nicaragua News

I thought 9 months in India would prepare me for any type of heat or humidity, apparently I was mistaken. This Latin American country has got me sweating like no other! The best you can do is play it off like the locals do, and pretend like it's not that big of a deal. Never let em' see you sweat ;)

It's been great to work in a new area of ministry. The non-prof i work for "Global Passion" is partnering with another ministry "OneHope" (formerly Book of Hope) to distribute the word of God to every child across the world. They have been around as long as i have been alive, and do their jobs very well. From research, to cultivating relationships, to distribution, OneHope has distibuted over 600 Million copies of the gospels, put into magazine form, and relevant to various age groups. This year alone they will distribute 83 million books across the globe.

I am excited to see where this partnership takes us, and the opportunities it will bring for me and Angie. I look forward to the day when Angie can join me in ministry on the field, and I pray that day is soon!! I am also hopeful that God would continue to bring young men and women into our ministry that can be futher equipped and sent out to the harvest fields.

I always seem to get that feeling that this is only the beginning. Angie and I are always encouraged that we have our whole lives ahead of us, and yet so much seems to have already taken place. We savor the small glimpses of the future, but ultimately we're just along for the ride. Lord have your way.

Welcome to our page

Manuel and I have been quite busy since our wedding between interns and married life we are loving every minute. We know all our family and friends would like to keep up on our latest activities, so we'll try to keep this as up to date as possible!
And so begins our first post...
We're quite excited about our interns coming at the end of August, Manuel has been working tirelessly doing everything from preparing teaching material to repainting the FUEL office. This week he's put down his paintbrush for a One Hope missions trip to Nicaragua. He'll be there until the 24th of this month, just in time to get another visa to take off for Nigeria! He'll be doing Book of Hope distribution there as well.
We've both really enjoyed our new life as a married couple. We're slowly but surely getting our house organized and set up to feel like home. We have great neighbors who have made themselves available often.
I've been enjoying a part time job at a tax firm where I am a secretary. I help out at FUEL as much as I can helping the interns get ready for their second year. I've enjoyed my mornings off to have the time to do my "wifely duties" as Manuel calls them. :)
We are still very involved at Hillside (our church) where we teach Momentum (junior high sunday school)and help out in Remain (youth group), Manuel also plays drums for both youth and occasionally big church.
We are so excited for what God is bringing our way and very thankful for friends and family to share it with!