A “Centavo” for Your Thoughts

We have discovered an aspect of the mission field that we had never considered before. Who would have thought that currency exchange rates would have such a drastic impact on ministry? All of the support raised for CLM and its missionaries are in dollars. Each month, those dollars are exchanged into Brazilian reals. In the past two months, the real/dollar exchange rate has dropped from 2.12 to 1.94—only a difference of 18 hundredths, so no big deal, right? Well, for every thousand dollars sent, CLM received $88 less this month than last. It is projected to go as low as 1.8. If that happens, we lose another $78 for every thousand dollars. In 2004, the exchange rate was around 3 to 1. CLM receives the same amount now as they did then, but their buying power has been drastically cut. To make matters worse, we bought our first tank of gas the other day and realized (after several mathematical calculations) that we paid $5.17 per gallon! But hey, look on the bright side...beans and rice are pennies a kilo!

Lasting Fruit

During our first trip to CLM in 2004, we met a young man named Izael. We were blessed to see him dedicate his life to the Lord after Mike preached one Sunday. He captured our hearts and a wonderful relationship began. Since then, we have kept in contact over the past three years. He is now 18 and is waiting to enter the military. He came to spend the weekend with us and it was a great time encouraging him in his walk with the Lord. He came to CLM when he was 4 years old. He has a tender heart but struggles with fear and is haunted by his past. He currently lives with his older brother and is surrounded by violence and alcohol. The night before he came to visit us, his cousin was stabbed right in front of him. Please pray for God's protection and guidance for Izael.

Pizzaria Bona Bonnye

Last Friday, we all went to CLM's favorite pizzaria—and unfortunately, I think we gained about five pounds in the two hours we were there! (Or does 2.5 kg sound better?!) Unlike in the States, an all-you-can-eat buffet here allows you to gorge yourself without leaving your seat. About every two minutes, another waiter arrives with a different type of pizza—and we realized there are some things that just should NOT be on a pizza! Tuna, palm hearts, corn, peas, and artichokes? YUCK! However, we did enjoy the “amendoim” pizza which is very close to a peanut butter spread. For some of the kids, this was their first experience at this type of restaurant and they loved it! This special outing was the result of the children working together in four areas: respect, obedience, kindness, and honesty. When one of the children demonstrated extraordinary behavior in one of these areas, they earned a letter. It took a little longer than we had anticipated to reach the goal but they did it! :) Go to our Flickr page to see more pictures from this fun event! Please pray that the children will continue to develop Christ-like character.

Children of CLM

Hope you enjoy the smiles and giggles as much as we do! We wish you knew the stories of each one of these precious children...they are truly miracles of God! If you have trouble watching the video, go to this link: http://youtube.com/clmbrazil



Thanks again for all of your prayers, encouragement, and support. We love you!