It has been a busy last few weeks!  We thought we’d take a moment to update you on God’s faithfulness and Goodness in our lives and in the lives of our PRECIOUS 13 children!  We are blessed, we are blessed, every day when we live, we are blessed!  When we wake up in the morning or we lay our heads to rest, we are blessed, we are blessed!!   Please also enjoy the powerful verses taken STRAIGHT from the Bible.  May they encourage and teach you the principles and truths that we should all LIVE by according to God’s Holy Word!                        -Dave and Jill and 13 children

Ps 11:7 For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright.

Ps 12:6 The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.

Ps 15:1 LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill?
2 He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart.

Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust. Psalm 16:1

Ps 16:7 I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons.

Ps 18:30 As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.

Ps 18:31 For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God? 32 It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.

Ps 18:46 The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.

Ps 19:1 ¶ The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

Ps 19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

Ps 19:12 Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults. 13 Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.

Leviticus 18:22 “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.”

Leviticus 20:1 “If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination:”

Rom 1:26 God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature.

Ps 19:14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.

Ps 21:13 Be thou exalted, LORD, in thine own strength: so will we sing and praise thy power.

Ps 27:13 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

**UPDATE ONE:

On the road again! I spoke at a Ladies’ Mtg in Kentucky, and then we headed to Ohio to an old fashioned Camp Mtg to sing. There is JOY in serving Jesus!

Later………It was a GREAT weekend at Bible Baptist Tabernacle in Cambellsville, Kentucky. Thank you for your love and hospitality to our family, dear church!! Then, we headed to Ohio for an old fashioned TENT revival.

Even Later……….Camp Meeting week went great! Just OLD Fashioned, convicting of sin preaching is SO refreshing!

In June – in Virginia (we were in that area due to going to the Homeschool Convention)…….

What a busy weekend it was fitting in Timothy’s graduation and then on Sunday singing at 2 different churches!!  What GREAT people we have met the last few days!

Well, I just HAVE to say what a TREMENDOUS blessing I received when we had Caleb and Katie Garraway and their 3 beautiful children to our house for lunch on a lovely  Saturday in June. Then, Sunday night the family sang and Caleb preached at our church.

WOW! What a blessing! Their singing was gorgeous and Caleb’s preaching refreshes me EVERY time I hear it!

In a world where it seems everyone (including Christians) are only 10 steps behind the world and it’s ways, it is SO incredibly encouraging to see a family that is choosing (with a passion) the OLD PATHS! The paths of truth and righteousness according to God’s Holy Word- the Bible.

***UPDATE TWO (all about Janessa):

I JUST turn my light off and tiptoe to bed. My body is crying out for SLEEP!  I fall into a blissful sleep for a total of 20 minutes and then hear Janessa begin to cry. Wearily, I rise, turn back on the light, and take care of my precious baby girl.   My sleep is sporadic and limited.

Janessa is getting bigger!! So, it is back to working out for me! Got my RUN in for today! Yeah! I enjoyed doing it with Nurie, Timothy and Gabriel. #plexusinspiresme

This MIRACLE continues to unfold in front of our very eyes! Janessa continues to defy the odds. With all her brain issues, we are THRILLED at every step of progress! She continues to (thus far) stay right on target with development! God is TOO good to us! We give Him thanks! Kaylee (thank God) continues to capture these precious moments on camera.

Thank you to a dear friend of ours for making these adorable onesies for Janessa! She always looks SO cute in them. You are a sweetheart! We love you and your family! Jill, Janessa and Family

We sure do LOVE this little girl! God, THANK YOU for your blessings to us! We are so undeserving and abundantly filled with joy!!

I seriously cannot believe that on June 11th, Janessa turned 2 months old. She is the LOVE of ALL of our lives and she CONTINUES to amaze us all! We love you, pumpkin!

Janessa had her Pediatric Neurologist Doctor appointment and again, we are amazed at her progress. Sometimes I worry about her and wonder if my imagination sees signs of her differences. But honestly, she acts no different (at this stage in her development) than her other 12 siblings. I continue to rejoice at God’s Goodness to us! I am trusting Him along this unknown journey of our precious Janessa and life in general.

Thank you for your continued prayers for Janessa to defy the obstacles of her brain deformities. Maybe I should not call it that though, because she is fashioned JUST the way God made her! People have led NORMAL lives with Janessa’s same diagnosis. That is our prayer for her.

***UPDATE THREE:

Our precious 13 children.

We SURE do love our 9 BEAUTIFUL daughters! They are SUCH a blessing in our home and bring us nothing but JOY!

These 4 boys of ours HONOR us by their respect towards us, their diligence, and their walk with God. We LOVE you, boys! Daddy and Mama

“This is my jump rope, Mama!” exclaimed Sofia to me in her pj’s one day. SOOO cute. I think it is a little short, don’t you? LOL.

***UPDATE FOUR:

Birthdays……………

GabrieI:   I simply cannot believe that it was 12 years ago today I gave birth to my baby boy- Gabriel. He is the sweetest, kindest, most cheerful boy you have ever met! Mama LOVES you, Gabriel!  You are such a healthy, vibrant boy! You bring Mama (and our family) MUCH joy! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

David:   Happy 46th Birthday to my wonderful husband- David! I decided to make him chili (one of his favorites) and cupcakes for his special day! We all enjoyed going around the table and expressing our gratitude for what a great husband / dad he is!

Whoops!  Missed one!!  LOL.  The children thought that was hilarious!!

Renee:     Renee turned sweet 16!

Somehow my Mother’s heart has a constant, dull ache. How is it that just 2 weeks ago I had ALL 13 children in our home and now one has already flown the nest?

How is it that my girls almost died the other day (due to the car accident our 2 oldest girls were in)? How is it that life is SO fragile and we never know what a moment may hold?

**UPDATE FIVE:  (Pro-Life ALL the way)

**We are passionately (of course) Pro-Life!!  Please read the article below about this issue!!  Hope this helps to inform!

Abortion is MURDER! Read this SAD article below and be properly informed. Thank you.

Dear Jill,

The next time some politician tries to tell you he wants to keep abortion “safe and legal,” here’s a story to keep in mind.

It also shows the impact that pro-lifers can have when we keep the pressure on.

Just one more example of this was when health investigators in Illinois shut down two abortion butcheries.

Motivated by a pro-life backlash following the scathing Grand Jury indictment of Pennsylvania’s Department of Health and Department of State for turning a blind eye to Kermit Gosnell’s grisly abortion practice, the Illinois health department raided nine abortion mills.

According to reports, several abortion centers in Illinois had gone without inspection for as many as 15 years.

The Illinois investigators said they were so shocked by the conditions uncovered at two of them that they issued emergency license suspensions for both.

One of the suspended mills in Lincolnwood was cited for lack of a supervising registered nurse, failure to perform CPR on a patient who later died, and keeping TV dinners in a biohazard refrigerator next to aborted babies.

The mill in Lincolnwood received a $36,000 fine for the violations, but chose to close permanently rather than pay up.

The abortion center in Rockford also closed after being cited for numerous violations, including failure to keep a registered nurse on staff, unsanitary operating rooms, and stained equipment.

While the Rockford mill managed to negotiate a much smaller fine of $9,750, it still had to close due to the outcry from pro-lifers and others in the local community.

In fact, the abortion mill in Rockford had long been a focus of NPLA members and other pro-life activists, who reported that they had been verbally and physically abused by abortion mill staff while peacefully demonstrating out front.

The bottom line is, the bureaucrats across the country are under pressure from pro-lifers, and that’s a good thing.

Thanks to pro-life pressure, you and I are forcing them to inspect abortion mills and expose the true horror of that gruesome trade.

And knowing the truth, we must mobilize pro-lifers all across the country to both be active locally and work to pass truly effective pro-life legislation.

Legislation such as the national Parental Notification and Intervention Act and most importantly, the Life at Conception Act, which would legislatively reverse Roe v. Wade.

Please continue to do all you can locally and tell your friends about the Life at Conception Act, and how it uses the Supreme Court’s own roadmap to reverse Roe and ultimately end abortion-on-demand.

For Life,
Martin Fox
Martin Fox, President
National Pro-Life Alliance

**UPDATE SIX:

Renee competed at the Homeschool Convention Music Competition in Richmond, VA. She played the “Orange Blossom Special”. (Kaylee accompanied her on the mandolin).

 

SOOO proud of this girl! She spent a year learning the song she played in the competition and spent countless hours perfecting it…..even to the point of her shoulder aching!

“I LOVED seeing what HIGH scores you received from the judges, honey! WOW! You BLEW it away today, Renee!”    With Love, Mama and All (Kaylee, thank you for accompanying her on your mandolin and doing a TREMENDOUS job!)

***UPDATE SEVEN:

Some quality family time.

 

 

Sweet Frog! Ymmm! We had a great day and we SURE do love each other!    Did you know that Sweet Frog stands for- F.R.O.G – Fully, Rely, On, God! LOVE that!

So thankful that through the ups and downs of life, this man is the one steadfastly standing by my side. I love you, Babe.

Serving Jesus Until the Trumpet Sounds or We Draw Our Last Breath,

David and Jill Rodrigues and our 13 Treasures from God

This post is to update you on the “happenings” of our precious oldest son – Timothy – from oldest to newest news!  Please keep him in your prayers as he follows the Lord’s calling in his life.  Thank you!         -David and Jill Rodrigues

Big brother / little sister cuddle time.

My heart is HEAVY because this probably is Timothy’s last singing trip with us. He has been such a HUGE asset to our ministry! He does our entire sound system; helps set up and tear down our equipment at every church we are at; and adds IMMENSELY to our music! He will be SORELY missed, but we are excited to let him go and watch him “SOAR” for Jesus! He graduates soon and then will start a full time job and college in August! Yikes! Where did time go?

Have I mentioned lately how HONORED I am by our oldest son Timothy?! He had to go to a local college here in WV to take his SAT test in order to get accepted at the college he is planning to attend in Washington State. He did GREAT on the test and easily got accepted at the college in Washington State! Homeschooling works!   Bud, we are SO pleased with your HARD STUDY and diligence!

These 4 boys of ours HONOR us by their respect towards us, their diligence, and their walk with God. We LOVE you, boys! Daddy and Ma

I CANNOT believe my 2nd born child Timothy, is graduating from Rodrigues Homeschool already! Time Flies.

I LOVE that Timothy had my parents- Timothy Patricia Noyes– and Josh Alls travel over 6 hours to his graduation! Thank you and we appreciate the sacrifices you made to support Timothy’s special day!

I wonder where Timothy got his blue eyes from? Oh, maybe it was from his GRANDPA- Timothy Patricia Noyes (his name sake)! LOL.

It was a PACKED crowd today at the graduation! We rang cowbells when they called Timothy’s name. LOL.

I SURE do LOVE this guy! Timothy, Mama is SO honored by you! (Excuse the wet spit-up mark on my dress from sweet Janessa. BTW, Nurie bought this dress for me for Mother’s Day ). My children are SUCH a blessing to me! Xoxo

Timothy with his brothers.

On to college!

As SOON as Timothy got back from his graduation trip, he got caught up on his lawns and then packed and headed off to Wilderness Christian Camp at – https://www.facebook.com/WildernessChristianCamp/?ref=br_rs.

This is an amazing summer camp that makes a HUGE difference in the lives of young people. He will be working there for a few weeks as a volunteer and also to earn a scholarship for his college.

He has been gone 2 nights now and the girls and I have wept! The empty “feel” in our home is almost more than we can bear. I know that sounds weird since we still have 12 children here. LOL. It proves how CLOSE we are!

We have some SAD NEWS about Timothy!

Many of you may remember that when we sent out his graduation announcements, we mentioned that he would be doing his FIRST year of Bible College ONLINE. We were THRILLED that God was giving us another year with all 13 of our children here.

However, it was about 3 weeks ago, the college called and told us there were some math courses that were NOT allowed to be done online. We were frustrated that these details had not been carefully explained to us….especially because we had asked lots of questions.

Serving Jesus With Joy,  The Rodrigues Family

P.S. Nurie and Kaylee are doing very well since the accident!  It was a HARD time to get through, but we have SO much to be grateful for!!

God has allowed us to recover ALL losses since the accident and the girls stitches and staples have now since been removed.  They are WELL on their way to recovery and YES – Nurie has already driven since the accident (after David gave her a driving lesson in the NEW car)!  LOL.

Our precious daughters alive and well!  Thank you JESUS!

Until Next Time,  The Rodrigues Family

Dearest Family and Friends,

The mere English word – “Thank You” – does NOT seem adequate enough to express to EACH of you our DEEPEST gratitude for rallying together and helping us during a VERY hard time for our family!  We are BEYOND grateful to the Lord for sparing our precious girls lives!!  But secondly, we are THRILLED at how God provided our needs of the losses from the accident!  He has TRULY proven to us that HE owns the cattle on a thousand hills, the wealth in every mine!!  Praise Jesus!  Our faith has GREATLY been increased.

We thank EACH and every one of you for your generous donations you gave to help us get a car.  However, God miraculously provided a car through a giving lady at our church.  Now, we are using the money Nurie raised to make the car tow-able.  We have to purchase a tow dolly and that will cost approx. $3,000.  So, we THANK YOU for the money donated.  You have shown us the grace of God and reminded us that our labor in the ministry is not in vain!

My SWEET Nurie’s heart has been GREATLY encouraged and I have seen her smile and heard her giggle more now that she saw how MIGHTY God showed up on her behalf!!

“Nurie, you are SUCH an amazing and humble and kind and thoughtful woman in our home!  We love you and Kaylee and all the rest of your siblings with our WHOLE heart!!  Thank you for ALL your hard work that you attribute to our home.  You are an INCREDIBLE asset to our ministry and home!”  Love, Mama (and Daddy too)

Nurie and Kaylee had gifts, flowers, etc. showered on them during this hard time.  It was SO sweet and reminded them of how LOVED they are by fellow Christians.  THANK YOU, everyone, for loving on our girls as they recovered.

**This all was posted on Facebook in the days following the accident…………

Still VERY sore and tired girls. They still did not want to sleep alone in their bedrooms last night, so it was a special movie and Key Lime Pie last night. Ymmm! I (Mama) also went out and bought them each a new dress and replaced Kaylee’s ruined Bible and ruined clothing from the accident. 

It has even been hard for ME to sleep. Nurie just keeps recounting to me the trauma of when she nearly drowned and what went through her head at that moment. My Mama heart nearly breaks in two. Tears are pooled in my eyes now as I type.

Here is the news of this Car Accident as it was posted on Facebook.  We DEEPLY appreciate your prayers during this traumatic time. God bless you all.  -The Rodrigues Family

1st FB Post:
Please pray. Nurie and Kaylee just got in an accident on their way to volunteer at the Crossroads Pregnancy Center! I am shaking and going to see them now. They landed in a ditch upside down.

2nd FB Post:
*** Emergency! Please pray! Nurie almost drowned in the creek! We are en route to the hospital.

3rd FB Post:
Please pray. Thank Jesus they are alive!  

4th FB Post:

Nurie is talking and thanking God she is alive! She was trapped under the water and was thrashing around to try to get out. She told me she thought she was going to die….but that she felt ready to meet her Maker. However, she thought, “Is THIS how I am going to die?!! I don’t want to leave my family yet!”

Kaylee was passed out and could not help her. Finally Kaylee woke up and began calling Nurie’s name. Nurie could not answer and was beginning to lose consciousness. Kaylee could not see well, due to her eye being nearly swelled shut. So, she grabbed at whatever she could (her account of the story is cloudy) and lifted Nurie out of the water. Nurie GASPED for air. They could NOT get the doors open, but praise God they had JUST rolled down their windows. So, Kaylee DUG through the gravel and they climbed out the window. Thank God they are trim.

7th FB Post:

What would I do without church family? Erica Albright Doughty came to my rescue and went to our house to pick up HUNGRY baby Janessa and brought her to the hospital for me to nurse her. Also, Pastor Kevan Bartlett came to the hospital, prayed with us, and brought the children (still at home) dinner. THANK YOU!

Sometimes I HONESTLY wish there was 13 of ME to be with each of my children always. Thank God He does that job for me.

Timothy called us from camp (via LIVE call). He held it together for awhile, but then broke down and we were all crying together over the phone. This process of having my children scattered (doing the work of the Lord) is both rewarding, but HEART WRENCHING, GRIEVOUS pain in my heart.


8th FB Post:
Nurie asked me to tell you all that she wants to go LIVE tomorrow night at 7pm to explain how the accident happened due to a LOT of people asking. Please tune in to hear her heart. This is NOT easy for her, but it is her desire. Thank you. Jill (for Nurie) (photo- Botswana, Africa trip with Jasmine Cady).

9th FB Post:
My girls were SO traumatized by their near death experience, that they didn’t want to sleep in their own beds. So, it is girl slumber party tonight.

I LOVE my children MORE than words could EVER express. Understand, Mamas, out there?

I pray God blesses my children’s futures MIGHTILY! They are WONDERFUL children that bring me GREAT JOY!


10th FB Post:
Nurie will be going LIVE at 7pm tonight. Please tune in to hear her heart.

11th FB Post:
VERY sore girls today and bucket full of tears! Please continue to pray. Satan is on a RAMPAGE to attack us! Pressing Onward for the glory of GOD!

12th FB Post:  (FROM NURIE)…..
I share my heart about the accident. Please click on this link if you want to help me. Thanks. -Nurie   (Please click on this link to watch FB LIVE video) – https://www.facebook.com/rodriguesfamilylovesjesus/videos/2054930671411942/

13th FB Post:  (FROM NURIE)…..
Hello, this is Nurie. Did you all see my GoFundMe link that I have set up to raise money to replace my parents’ car that got ruined in the accident? Did you also see my video? Thank you for your prayers and please consider this. With Care, Nurie Rodrigues              Here is the link……
https://www.gofundme.com/nxxy7-sister-accident-ruins-car&rcid=r01-152912473795-d2b5d4997ec6468a&pc=ot_co_campmgmt_w

****Thank you SO much everyone for your prayers, love, and support!  God’s mercies continue to amaze us!  We love you all and hope you have a GREAT weekend.

With Love and Care,  The Rodrigues Family

Hello!  We wanted to take a moment to update you on our family’s “happenings” over the last few weeks and update you on Janessa’s progress.  Honestly, it amazes me how BUSY we stay with children SO many ages.  It surely keeps us on our toes!!  Every day is packed with activity, responsibilities, school, meal prep, etc. etc.  What a FULL life it is!!  We hope you enjoy reading ALL about it below.  We love you all and pray for you!

Rodrigues Happenings………

We all love DOTING on our precious little Janessa. She is SUCH a gift from God!

This was Janessa first “outing”…..

Janessa all ready here for her first big outing at the Cross Roads Pregnancy Center Banquet. Janessa was an angel….as usual. The banquet was lovely. 5 of our oldest, worked as waiters and waitresses. Thank you for attending, Dr. Bill Bartlett, Karen Rader, Mr. & Mrs. Marva Samples, and Mike and Pam Jones. PRO-LIFE is what we stand for.

Nurie and Timothy had their wisdom teeth removed.  It was enjoyable to me to serve and wait on them while they recovered.  We had fun shopping the night before for a ton of really soft food!  LOL. They did GREAT and healed quickly!

A PLUG for Plexus!  I have lost my baby (pregnancy weight) very quickly.  I feel great!  I am SO thankful for Plexus!  Message me if you are interested! 

Little Janessa’s first day to our wonderful church- Maranatha Baptist Church.

It was LOVELY having my entire family come to visit for a late Easter with the intent to meet our newest addition- Janessa Ruth.

My beautiful niece- Darienne Moravek- handmade / crocheted this GORGEOUS blanket for Janessa. Thank you, Darienne! It is SO SPECIAL!

Also, my sister Angie made these 2 lovely dresses for Tessie and Janessa. They match! She also made the headband. THANK YOU for those, Angie!

I LOVE this saying below! You know, the world always accuses Christians of brain “washing” our children.

Guess what, they do the SAME thing with their corrupt philosophy if they teach our children! Except I wouldn’t call it brain “washing”, but rather brain “dirtying”!

So, let us boldly teach them TRUTH from the FINAL authority – the Word of God – the BIBLE!

Daddy loves his special little Janessa.

It was a blessing the beginning of this week our wonderful church had TREMENDOUS revival services! The preaching was old fashioned, convicting of sin, refreshing preaching! I thank God for a loving, but GODLY church!

In these pictures below our AMAZING Pastor’s wives – Linda Bartlett and Kristy Balser Johnson- are holding our precious Janessa.

I am married to the BEST man ever. He came home today (after soul winning/visitation) and presented me with this early Mother’s Day card and gifts. I cried.

Throw back in time.  Then and Now.

My 3 babies’ cuddle time. I am SO in love with them. What JOYS they are in our home!

Sadie- 4yrs. / Sofia- 2 yrs. / Janessa- 3 weeks

I just CANNOT say enough of how BLESSED I am. Timothy informed me a few days ago that he wanted to take me out to buy me an early Mother’s Day gift / early Parent Appreciation gift for homeschooling him.

The “Mom” in me argued and reasoned with him how I did NOT want him spending this kind of money right now- especially with college around the corner, etc. However, he had his heart SET on treating me on a Mother / Son date…..in his “new to him” wheels (car) David and I had gifted to him awhile back. I did not want to rob him of being a blessing, so I consented.

Janessa’s Doctor said……

We had a doctor’s appointment today for Janessa with the neurosurgeon. It went GREAT and so far Janessa is defying all the odds in her accomplishments….especially since she is missing her corpus collosum! Thank God!

To clarify….this is NOT Timothy’s actual graduation- that will be on June 9th. This is just a special evening at our church. Our wonderful church does this each year to honor all the graduates (from that year) in our church family.

We enjoyed hosting a graduation party after the service at our home.

Congrats, Timothy! We LOVE you! Maranatha Baptist Church and Daddy and Mama

I can’t believe our little angel turned ONE month already on May 11th. Today (Wednesday) Janessa is 5 weeks old already! Life SURE is a vapor! I am trying to cherish EVERY moment!

Thank you for reading and stay tuned for our next post!  We have a LOT going on and can’t wait to keep you posted.

Serving Jesus With Joy,  The Rodrigues Family

Our precious Janessa (the Lord is gracious) Ruth (friend/companion) arrived at 5:27pm on Wednesday – April 11th at 8lbs. 7oz. at 21 1/2 inches long.  She is PRECIOUS and we are THRILLED to have her!! 

What can I say other than this midwife- Sandra Cottle- ROCKS! She and the assisting physician worked MIRACLES and I was able to have a safe, natural delivery….the true desire of my heart. Thank you also Doctor Thomas! I love you both and literally owe you my DEEPEST gratitude for the REST of my life! Janessa is showing EXCELLENT skills thus far! Also, we owe a thank you to all of our followers prayers too! We serve an awesome God!

The day after Janessa was born, she had quite a bit of testing to see what the exact damage there was to her little brain.  We were hoping for a RAVING review, but the diagnosis was disheartening. Honestly, it is too early to draw conclusions or diagnoses, so I simply let my tears run as I CHERISH every moment with this precious, perfectly fashioned by God baby girl.

When we got back the results from the MRI, it was disheartening. Not only did it appear she had a possible in utero stroke but also her brain was formed differently. She is missing a large portion (if not all) of her Corpus collasum. Her brain is slightly swollen in places it shouldn’t be. And, she has a cyst. In a nutshell, those were the discoveries. Thank God, NONE of them are life threatening to her at this time! Again, the doctors assured us it was nothing we did, but a malformation that occurred in her developmental process.

Thankfully though, up to this point, she has shown NO signs of distress whatsoever.  So even though the MRI results weren’t good, but her actions say (so far) that she is doing excellent! The brain is a unique organ that can overcome odds in a way the doctors can’t explain. We are excited to see how God will work through this little girl!

We are HOME sweet HOME for a little over a week and we are SO thankful!  Janessa already LOVES the sound of her siblings, the vacuum, etc.  Below are some PRECIOUS pictures of Janessa’s siblings “loving” on her and seeing her for the first time.  Nurie said that she loves her so much, it makes her heart ache.  I think ALL her siblings feel the same.  We are indeed SO blessed! 

Below are some pictures (including my DEAR sister – Amy Foster and her family) of the PRECIOUS people that have visited us to see sweet little Janessa.  We are thankful to have SO many kind, thoughtful, Christian friends.  Our church even rallied together and delivered meals to us during my recovery time.  We are blessed!!  THANK YOU!

Our wonderful Pastor Bartlett.

My sweet Parents.

I was switching over my maternity clothes to normal clothes. Well, Sadie (4 yrs.) LOVES to dress up and be just like Mommy. Here (below) was her outfit choice. She even did her own hair! Isn’t it gorgeous?

Before Janessa came, she CONSTANTLY had a blanket rolled up and stuffed in the belly of her clothes – to look “pregnant”. NOW, she is always nursing her baby dolls. SO cute!

Mamas, teach your little ones to EMBRACE AND LOVE motherhood.

Thank you for going down this incredible journey with our family as we serve Jesus Christ- striving to make a difference for the Kingdom of Christ!  Thank you for your prayers as we walk through the valley in areas of our life.  We appreciate you all!!

On another note……….A VERY Happy 19th Birthday to our OLDEST child!!

How was it that 19 years ago today, I gave birth to this beautiful, godly, kind, thoughtful, respectful, obedient, hard-working, LOVELY Nurie Katelin Rodrigues?!!

She has set a STELLAR example to her younger siblings and we are honored and blessed to call her our daughter!

Today David and I (for fun) figured out how many birthdays we have celebrated with our children……to make them feel honored on their special day.

Guess what it totalled to? 137 birthdays (so far)! Wow!

We are blessed!

We feel that we are the most BLESSED people on the face of the earth!!  God is MUCH better to us than we EVER deserve!

We are THRILLED that our printing ministry continues to grow in leaps and bounds and David is SO busy in there now.  It is a FULL time job and a half for him to keep up with it all!  We are so blessed to see our burden to spread the Gospel through printed material come to a VERY sweet reality!

I am SO grateful to have a godly mate (husband) walk by my side in this journey of life.

David is SO sweet and was a HUGE support to me through labor, delivery, comforting me when we got the sad news of the condition of Janessa’s MRI results, etc.

He is always there to wrap his arms around me and tell me it will all be okay. He gathers the family and asks them all to lay their hands on Janessa’s head as we say a family prayer for her.

He is the ONE person in this world that SHARES the deep love I have for each of our children.

Thanks, Babe, for loving me and our 13 children. You are a RARE man of GREAT faith. Many live by faith, but not in the area of child-bearing. You encourage my heart. Thank you for the lovely gifts (pictured below) you got me in the hospital.

My Love Always, Your Jillybean

My LOVE!!

Well, I guess I will end with this.  I am one of the richest women in the world.  I am surrounded with a loving family and I could not ask for more!  I am content.  I lift the name of JESUS as the answer to EVERYTHING!  HE brings peace that passes ALL understanding.  I am SO thankful for the HONOR that God bestowed upon me to allow me to bear a child once more in my womb.  Below are some pics of the pregnancy from beginning to GLORIOUS end!!  Janessa, WELCOME to this world, honey.  We love you MORE than words can EVER describe!!

SHE IS HERE!  Hallelujah!!

Janessa Ruth Rodrigues……..

THE END.  (for now)  LOL

Hey All!  Timothy is on the brink of “flying the nest”.  We are excited about his future plans.  Read all about it below.  Also, we hope you each had a GREAT Resurrection Sunday (Easter)!  It was a JOYOUS day for our family – rejoicing in the fact that our Saviour Jesus Christ ROSE from the dead over 2,000 years ago!  We have little tid-bits of other info we are sending your way.  So, make sure to read all the way to the bottom!  God bless you all and we send our love!                  Serving Jesus With Joy,  The Rodrigues Family

Easter Pictures……..

Timothy’s Graduation Letter!! This explains what Timothy is doing with his future!! **Very exciting! Please read!***

Dear Family and Friends, April 2018
It is with GREAT honor that we would like to announce the graduation of our beloved first son – Timothy David Rodrigues – on June 9th at the HEAV Homeschool Convention in Richmond, Virginia. If you would like to attend this exciting event, please let us know, and we will send you more information regarding that.
Timothy has always (since birth) been a determined individual with a drive and passion for what he feels is important. We will not lie when we say it was a challenge to raise him as he has the strongest will of any of our children thus far. However, we never gave up in our training him and now we are rejoicing as we reap the benefits of that consistency. He is JOY in our home and a DEFINITE leader. He is driven and knows how to fix just about anything! He has been David’s “right arm” for years. He loves the Lord and faithfully reads his Bible, prays, and seeks God for His will in his life. We are SO proud of Timothy and are honored to call him our son!!
Since Timothy was 4 years old, he told us that he wanted to become a pilot to bring Bibles to people and nations that did not have them. He has stayed TRUE to that calling. He has studied and worked VERY hard at applying to a college that offers the BEST aviation program possible for this line of ministry. MANY places teach aviation, but NOT how to land in jungles, on sand strips, and other primitive locations. We did our research and found that Moody Aviation in Spokane, Washington offers the BEST aviation program in the country and keeps the students focused on their calling—Missionary Aviation. This training will consist of a vigorous 5 year program. The first year is Bible training, the next 2 years – airplane maintenance and the last 2 years – obtaining his pilot’s license. Timothy will leave WELL equipped in this field once he is finished!
We have prayed intently and counseled with our Pastor about this decision. It was a hard one to make because we are well aware that Moody Bible Institute errs on the side of Calvinism and is not solid on the KJV Bible. However, we were blessed to learn that they offered the option of the first year of Bible training ONLINE! We were also excited that they do not force him to use other versions than the KJV. We are encouraged that the first year of college, he will still live here with us as he does his work through correspondence. This will allow him the opportunity to discuss any areas of confusion with his Dad and Pastors at our church. We pray he comes out of this stronger in his knowledge of TRUTH in the Word of God!! Also, we were glad to learn that they encourage their students to get involved in a local church ministry. So, we look forward to flying out to Washington State the beginning of 2019 to look for a GOOD, solid, Bible-believing, fundamental Baptist Church for him to faithfully serve in upon his arrival there in the Fall of 2019.
During Timothy’s first year of Bible College Correspondence, he will be VERY busy working a full time job to pay for college and SAVE money for the next 4 years in which he will finish college in Washington State and be living SO far from home! We are humbly asking you to consider sending Timothy a one time graduation monetary gift to help support him in his ministry calling and to get a head start in paying for his college program. Thank you for your love and friendship. We LOVE you, Timothy! May God abundantly bless your future and life as you seek to please our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in all you do!! Lovingly, David and Jill Rodrigues (Dad and Mama)

A note From Timothy………
I am so thankful to have been born into a Christian Family. I thank God for my wonderful parents and siblings. I will truly MISS them when I go to college! It has been a blessing to be in a big family because I have always had someone to talk to and someone to play games with, etc. It is exciting following God’s calling of missionary aviation in my life!! It is with JOY I look forward to the future in this ministry! I thank God for His guidance in all I do. Thank you all for your prayers and support!
For Christ, Timothy David Rodrigues

Some FOOD for thought!!

We SURE do LOVE our Old, Black Book – the Preserved Word of God – the King James Version!!

Sadly, this is what our culture and country has come to! NRA – who supports our freedom to bear arms and protect ourselves- is being SLAMMED, yet Planned Parenthood – who OPENLY kills humans, our society accepts! WOW! We are mixed up!

**Update on Baby Rodrigues……

Look at those chubby cheeks?

What do you do when you love someone SOOO deeply (whom you have never yet met) that your heart ACHES?!

What do you do when the concern for her little, damaged brain weighs SO heavy on your heart, your heart feels it is breaking and the tears run unchecked down your cheeks – wetting your pillow?

What do you do when all you want to do is cuddle her in your arms and whisper words of love and comfort…..yet you know she still has the trauma of labor and delivery and cat scans and MRI procedures shortly after she is born?

What do you do when you simply feel helpless in it all?

You run to God and let Him wrap His arms of peace and comfort around you- letting you know that all will be well…..according to His perfect will.

With a Heavy but Trusting Heart, Jill

It was a blessing going to New Testament Baptist Church for their Missions’ Conference again this year!  They always treat us SO good!

Mrs. Debbie Fleck- the Pastor’s wife.

 

Corrie Carter – a DEAR friend of mind there – who is also expecting her 6th baby!!

Our children enjoyed going bowling.  It was Sadie’s (4 yrs. old) first time!! 

David was the bowling champion! He beat everyone’s score there! Go, Babe! You are awesome!!

We also enjoyed having my sister – Angie Hillegass- with her 7 children come visit us while we were there.  Angie was (at the time) about 4 1/2 months pregnant and I was over 8 months pregnant.  SPECIAL!!

Sister Love!!

How many of you know that I lost 5 babies to miscarriage?

Morgan- 1997
Aaron- 2011
Jordan – 2011
Lauren- 2012
Nolan- 2012

We miss them and wanted to use the Maternity Photo Shoot pictures to create a wall in remembrance of the babies that have gone on before us. We are inhabiting Heaven, and it is a sweet place to us! We look forward to meeting them again someday!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am now due ANY day with our precious gift from God!  We can’t wait to hold her in our arms.  Our children ask almost every day – “Mama, WHEN are you going to have your baby??!!”  Precious!  They can’t wait either.

9 month maternity picture

My respect for this man SOARS….for when I see how HARD he constantly works to keep things running smoothly for our family – well, it is a HUGE responsibility of a family of nearly 15 people! It seems he is constantly fixing things that have plum worn out. He does it, and does it, and does it, and does it….over and over and over again.

Modern men of this world only seem to care how sporty their car is, or how big their muscles are, or how many “chicks” they have hanging off their arm. To me, it is COMPLETELY unimpressive!

Give me MY man….loaded with godly character and who is a manly man. That is tough and never gives up. That loves God with a passion and follows HIS leading for his life. That leads our home with firm authority, but tender love. A man that never RUNS from his responsibilities, but faces them day after day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I LOVE you, Babe! (P.S. Thank you for fixing our sewer! What a blessing! You are the BEST! )  Love, Your JillyBean ……Oh, by the way, your muscles ARE impressive though!

Lovers

Thank you for your prayers and support of our family and ministry.  You are all special to us.  God bless you all!!      With MUCH Love,  The Rodrigues Family 

Well, we have enjoyed continuing to serve the Lord and we are thankful for the continued opportunities He gives us to serve Him in as many capacities as possible.  We continue to travel to sing and present our ministry……although I (Jill) look forward to finishing our last bit of travel so that I can be home to “nest” before our baby comes…..which is VERY soon! ***Please see maternity pictures below.***

You probably remember the Botswana, Africa Missions Trip that David, Nurie, and Jasmine Cady took this past January.  Well, David put together a short, fun video of that trip – click on link below to watch!

I (Jill) have had 18 pregnancies (13 healthy, full-term pregnancies and 5 miscarriage pregnancies) thus far and have NEVER had a professional photo shoot.  I wanted to get one done – to be able to cherish and remember the many years I have had the HONOR of “being with child”.  Plus, I wanted to designate a “memory” wall in honor of the babies we have lost – Morgan (1997), Aaron (2010), Jordan (2010), Lauren (2011), Nolan (2012). http://ljschaible.wixsite.com/lsphotography did a great job!  Thank you, Lori Schaible!

We had a GREAT time in Florida with a PACKED schedule of traveling to sing at Revival Services and Missions’ Conference and normal church services.  It is a TRUE blessing serving Jesus FULL TIME!  We were glad to get back home though to get caught up in the print shop orders for Gospel Tracts.  We are THRILLED that our printing ministry is growing in LEAPS and BOUNDS!  David (along with us all) are SO excited to see our ministry grow in so many ways.  We live a GOOD life.  Our God – is an AWESOME God!  Remember, God blesses faithfulness.  Keep on keeping on in His calling for your life!  Sit back and enjoy the pics below – along with the BLOG posts with it.    In His Service,  The Rodrigues Family

Are ALL those people in the water above our children? LOL. Plus, another 4 children not in the photo!

We are TRULY blessed! Love it when we find a day (midst our busy schedule) to enjoy as a family!! To top it off, David took me on a hot date to a beautiful restaurant on the ocean for a late Valentine dinner! I am blessed!   (P.S. See the flowers in my hair? They were on our FOOD at the restaurant! So neat and pretty!)

More pics from a different beach below.  FUN!!We thought we’d throw in this thought provoking picture below along with these words………..

The main point here, is that BECAUSE kids are NOT being taught salvation through Jesus Christ and to FEAR a true and righteous God and His commandments in the public schools, they resort to anger, violence, sinful lifestyle, etc.

This is NOT to say we do not feel HORRIBLE about the shootings, and NEED to pray for the hurting victims and their families!

However, let’s be honest, back when the Ten Commandments and Bible Classes, and Prayer were mandatory in public schools- how many shootings did you hear of then?? When we RULE OUT God, we rule out good morale teachings and our compass for right and wrong. (Satan – and evil – are certainly the author of confusion). Thus, kids are aimless in their direction in life and have no fear for the consequence of their sin. They then act on a whim in the heat of their anger, and thoughtlessly take the lives of innocent victims.

On another note…….An Evangelist we were in meetings with (Evangelist Pollard) had fun figuring how much time I have actually been pregnant. Including my miscarriages, it totalled to about 11 years! Wow! I am blessed! Jill   (I only have about 2 to 3 weeks before baby number 13 makes her appearance!  We can’t WAIT to meet her!!)

We were at a church in Florida where the Pastor there USED to be a Muslim.  He migrated to America with his family from Liberia. Praise God he was MIRACULOUSLY saved and gave his life to Jesus and began spreading the Gospel and serving the TRUE God with a passion! He also lovingly Pastors his church.

Well, one night he stood up (before our family sang) and began to tell how the Muslims are multiplying in LEAPS and BOUNDS because they have SO many children!  The Pastor went on to say that it is sad that more Christians are not having more children to raise up for God’s glory. It was TRULY inspirational coming from a man that knows and has lived in that culture. He encouraged our hearts GREATLY to stay our course!

More fun pictures (below) of a church we were at in Fort Pierce, FL.  They treated us SO kindly!  We love and appreciate you guys!! 

The Pastor giving our children gift cards.

Some of my sweet, pretty girls having fun with the picture “effects” on my phone.

Judy Edmonds

Once our Florida trip was over, we headed to Sugarcreek, Ohio for a Ladies Meeting.  It was packed out and Judy Edmonds did a phenomenal job planning it!

What an HONOR it was for Jill to speak 3 times at this INCREDIBLE retreat!! Judy chose the theme- “Clean Up For Jesus”.  It was a JOY being there!  I HIGHLY recommend this ladies’ mtg. to anyone who would be interested next year.

Thank you for attending, Pam Jones and Kim! It was nice to have ladies there from my church and area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was also a JOY to give this trip a dual purpose. We brought our wonderful son Timothy along to count this as his “senior” trip. David and I had great one on one time with him. We are excited to see him graduate from highschool in June and then start Bible college (for Missionary Aviation) in September.

View from our room.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We love you, Bud. Daddy and Mama

On Sunday night – March 4th, we (our family) sang a song I wrote in Amy’s honor. It was a special night and after the service, we enjoyed having the entire Foster Family come over for some fellowship at our house.

My(and Amy’s) Mom and Kevin’s Mom.

Rodrigues and Foster cousins

My (and Amy’s) Dad and Kevin’s Dad.

Our Phillip and Kevin’s brothers – Brian and Trevor.

Cousins

These are my stair-step teenagers – below. Nurie- 18 yrs/ Timothy- 17 yrs/ Kaylee- 16 yrs/ Renee- 15 yrs/ Phillip- 14 yrs/ Samuel- 13 yrs

And guess what? They are a PURE joy in our home! They are sweet, respectful, obedient, kind, hard-working, etc.

Mamas (and Papas too), raise them up right and you will NOT dread the teenage years, but rather look pleasantly forward to them! They are truly some of my DEAREST friends.(Giving God the Glory, Jill -and David too)

Serving Jesus……because this is our REASONABLE Service,  The Rodrigues Family