THANK YOU!

CLM received three wrapped gift boxes from the Builder's Club in Louisville. My friend, Tina asked each child in the club to work for a family member for three hours to buy special gifts for our children. They sent three packages to represent the gifts that Jesus received from the Wise Men on the first Christmas. By their precious smiles, you can see how blessed our children were by this act of kindness and service. Thank you for sharing Christ's love through your generosity and service!

Chicken Feet?!

Yesterday, when we heard the lunch bell ring, we thought we were having rice and beans like every other day...but when we arrived at the table we found something else waiting on us...CHICKEN FEET! I quickly took our plates to the kitchen and begged Tommy (our cook from Sweden) to demonstrate his friendship for us by taking it off our plate! He obliged with a grin, telling me that he wouldn't eat it either. Mike is not one to get queasy but he almost had to leave the table as we watched the kids gnawing the little bit of "meat" off of the toes!

First Week at CLM

After one week at CLM, we have quickly realized that there is an endless supply of things to do each day. When we walk out our front door each morning, we’re not sure what will happen by the time we reach the “big house” where the children and single missionaries live. Usually within seconds of closing our front door, we are greeted by screams from several children and are literally attacked before we are even halfway across the yard. Although we are thrilled that the children are excited to see us, parents who are reading this know that one or two kids are a full-time job…and we now have 36!

Although it was never a problem to manage behavior in my classroom, I have found it extremely challenging here to discipline in another language. It can be very frustrating to start a sentence and realize in the middle that you are not sure of the correct conjugation for the verb! It loses the desired effect when the child being disciplined doesn’t understand what you are saying!

As always, thank you for standing with us in prayer, believing that the Holy Spirit is transforming each of these precious lives.

Salto São Francisco

We finished our third level of Portuguese classes this week (YEAH!) and were finally able to take a day to do some sightseeing. This waterfall is the largest in our state and is about two hours from CLM. We had perfect weather and were grateful for some time away from the city. Our teacher, Gislaine, had invited us and another student to go with her and her cousin, who offered to be our guide. Unfortunately, each one of us took at least one spill on the steep trail, but are grateful that no one was hurt badly. We started directly above the falls and ended below them--wish all of you could have been there with us to experience the beautiful view and the refreshing mist!

We are picking up a friend who is flying into Curitiba on Saturday and...THEN, WE ARE MOVING TO CLM! :) It's hard to believe that we have been here in the city for over 7 months! Thank you for your continued prayers as we transition into the daily schedule with the children and prepare for celebrating Christmas away from our families.