vr4stealth

Hey guys, I have a 99 es300 and the rear passenger door wont shut anymore. I checked the latching mech and it moves back and forth freely and wont go into lock position.
So im assuming I need to replace the whole assembly. Now I took off the panel and was wondering how do I remove it? it seems fairly easy but dont know how to get the rods from the door handle that run to the latch out so I can remove it. Any help would be great and if possible maybe another thread link if there is one already. thank you!