Merry Christmas!

Christmas was a long but fun day at CLM. The day began for us around 6:30am when we began preparing breakfast for 70 people (Fortunately, cereal is a popular tradition so it was really just setting the table!) After eating and washing the dishes, we were ready to open gifts...this took over three hours since we randomly selected three at a time. When everyone was finished, we received one last gift...and although it was close to 75 degrees, we all went outside and took this family picture in our new CLM sweatshirts! After lunch, the rest of the day was spent swimming, playing volleyball, and having fun with all the kids' new toys. We are so grateful for everyone who so generously donated gifts. Thank you for your continued support, encouragement, and prayer that consistently helps us to share Christ everyday with our kids.

Sports and Recreation Area

We are excited to announce the official start of the sports and recreation area! A neighboring farmer supplied the use of this tractor attachment and Mike was able to take the first layer of topsoil away this past weekend. Then, it was up to the rest of us to remove the rocks and level the area. Our original plan was to create a court that could be adapted to play basketball, volleyball, futsal, handball, tennis and hockey. We were blessed to receive additional funding that allows us to put in a sand volleyball court! We will now be able to play soccer, basketball, and volleyball simultaneously. (The kids are starting rumors that we are going to be charging visitors to play!) It has been exciting to see everyone working together to make this happen. The kids are overwhelmed by your generosity and can't believe that people they don't even know have given so much money to make this a reality. We will be travelling this weekend to Paraguay to shop…pray that we find some good deals on equipment!

Lizena's Graduation

Lizena came to CLM when she was only 18 months old. After many years of struggling to catch up in school, her hard work and perseverance were honored last night at her high school graduation. We ended the night celebrating with a huge pizza party. Lizena plans to begin evening classes in January to earn a degree in Administration. She has been working at CLM in the laundry room during this past year and will continue as she begins college. We praise God for her life and ask you to pray for this incredible young woman as she seeks God’s will for her future.

Celebrating Jesus!

Mike and I have been doing a children’s service for our youngest nine children on Thursday nights for the past several months. We have read about the miracles surrounding Christ’s birth and have discussed the powerful truths of God being with us all the time and being children of God ourselves. This past Thursday, we celebrated Jesus’ birthday with a cake, party hats, and games. The children recited our memory verses, played games, and shared why they were thankful for Christmas. Thank you for praying that our children will understand the awesome love of their Heavenly Father and the precious gift of His Son.

Maria's Chair

Mike invited Maria, Romulo and Arivaldo to join him in the workshop to make their own special project, after they helped him to make the picnic tables last week. Maria was first and chose a plan for this beautiful chair. All the scrap wood (Brazilian cherry, oak, and pine) was found in the barn so the whole thing cost about $2 bucks in hardware! Mike cut some of the more difficult angles but she learned how to read a blueprint, use a mitre saw, planer, drill, belt sander, table saw, and jigsaw. I think you can tell by her smile how proud she is of her accomplishment! Please continue to pray for the bright future that God has planned for her.

The Bezorros are Coming!

As I'm typing this, bezorros are slamming against our doors and windows every few seconds. This picture was taken right outside our front door and by tomorrow morning, our garage floor and sidewalks will be covered with these nasty little beetles. They come out every year and it is like walking on peanut shells. They are able to fly but not very well--unfortunately, their kamikaze dives leave them wriggling around on their backs like little turtles until they slowly die. The kids love putting them on each other so I have to pretend like they don't bother me--even though they gross me out!

Picnic at the Pool

Today was our official summer kickoff celebration! With the help of Maria, Romulo, and Arivaldo, Mike made three picnic tables for the event. We brought out the umbrellas, swim noodles, beach balls and innertube and after grilling out some hot dogs, the kids enjoyed kicking back in the pool. This month is jam-packed with activities and parties, including several trips into the city with groups of kids to do Christmas shopping. Please pray for safety as we travel and as the kids swim and ride bikes.

Scholarships

All of our kids except Rita attend the public school in the colony. Two years ago, Rita was given a scholarship to attend a private German school, Imperatriz. This past week, we were told that the school board at Imperatriz has decided to give an additional nine scholarships to CLM for next year! This is an incredible opportunity because of the smaller class size and extra courses that are offered. However, the work load is two to three times greater than what our kids are accustomed to at the public school. Please pray that we will choose the right kids who will be able to handle the academic as well as emotional pressures of being at this school.

Trip to the Foz

Last week, we were blessed to spend some time with our short-termers from Ohio, Pete and Denise Haring in Foz do Iguacu. This waterfall is located about 6 hours from CLM on the Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay border. The views of the waterfall were breathtakingly powerful after all the recent storms we've had. We pray that God will continue to bless this special couple!

Our First Major Bike Accident

Fortunately, it is not as bad as it looks...but five stitches is bad enough. The kids were riding their new bikes on the sidewalk and someone cut in front of Carolaine. She successfully swerved to miss them and careened down a full flight of stairs onto the patio. She almost made it but when she hit the bottom, the bike flipped and she hit the metal railing with her nose! The cut was so deep that you could actually see the bone. The good news is that she is doing well and asked to ride bikes the very next day (and we now have one more distinguishing feature to tell her apart from her twin!) As we approach summer break, please pray fervently for the safety of all of our children.

Never Disappointed

I was reminded yesterday of a passage from The Shack where God shared with Mack that He's never frustrated with us. He knows that we may have to walk through a difficult situation 47 times before we hear clearly enough to agree with Him and change. The author proposes that God is actually thrilled because He knows that each circumstance we face is a building block that constructs a bridge that we will one day walk across.

We desire to mirror this with our children...to be thrilled because they are one step closer to overcoming a particular stronghold in their life. It can be extremely frustrating to correct a child for the same thing several times a day but if you multiply that out by 30 kids, you can only imagine the blood pressure spikes we have experienced! It gives us hope to remember that each battle takes our children one step closer to victory. Please pray that God will give us the wisdom and perseverance to help our children through each situation that He allows to build their character...and ours!

"I'm staying!"

My last post about Valdi and Paulo being "somewhat apprehensive" about leaving CLM was obviously an understatement. Their parents arrived during lunch and visited with the whole family for about an hour before we started to take pictures and say goodbye. When Paulo saw all of his belongings being packed into their car, you could see the confusion in his eyes. When it was time to get in the car to leave, he began to cry and said that he wasn't going..."Valdi can go, but I'm staying!" We believe that he thought he was just going on another visit and the permanence of taking all of his things with him scared him. It took close to another hour before he was convinced to get into the car on his own. My heart broke as I saw his fear of leaving his CLM family...but rejoiced because of the future that God has for him with this precious couple. Thank you again for praying for Valdi and Paulo as they adjust to their new life.

Valdicleia and Paulo

Things never seem to slow down here...tomorrow we say goodbye to Valdi and Paulo! They have been waiting for guardianship to be granted to their adoptive parents for several months and will finally move to their new home tomorrow. They are obviously excited about having a mom and dad but also somewhat apprehensive about leaving the place they have called home for 6 years. Please pray for their new family and also for the CLM family as we grieve their absence.

Praying for a Joyful Harvest

"Sow on in your weeping, for you have the promise of a joyful harvest (Psalm 126:5). You will reap. You, yourself, will see some results of your labor. This will come to you in such a large measure to give you joy, which a poor, withered and scanty harvest would not do. When your eyes are dim with silver tears, think of the golden corn. Bear cheerfully the present toil and disappointment; for the harvest day will fully recompense you."

This is from a sermon by Charles Spurgeon sent to us by friends living in a country closed to missionaries. (I changed the "thees" and "thous" to make it a little more reader friendly!) It ministered to us here because I have shed plenty of "silver tears" for our children and am anxiously awaiting the joyful harvest that He has promised in their lives. It also reminded me of our brothers and sisters around the world whose lives are threatened each day because of their desire to share the love of Christ with a dying world. Let us remember to pray for servants around the globe who are risking their lives to plant seeds of God's hope.

Goodbye to Fernando

We returned from our day off yesterday to find an email from our director that Fernando had left earlier in the afternoon. The judge had made a decision to allow him to return to the couple who had been taking care of him before his arrival at CLM. Fernando had lived with them from 4-11 months of age but they had not pursued legal guardianship. Fernando lived with us for almost 6 months and will be missed, especially by Hellen. Thank you for praying for God's best for his future.

Fun and Fruity Family Night

Tonight, Mike and I surprised the kids with several different kinds of homemade dessert pizzas: chocolate whipped cream with strawberry and coconut, peanut butter whipped cream with nuts and chocolate chips, and others with banana, pineapple, mango, and kiwi. We were afraid that all the sugar would keep them awake all night but it seemed to have the opposite effect...Hellen, Fernando, Mariane, Luana, Raquel, Paulo, Gisiele, Elielton, and Lucao all fell asleep during our Friday night movie and had to be carried to bed! We may have to make dessert pizzas every night!

Elaininha

Yesterday was an exciting day for Elaininha. After several weeks of visits, her new parents were able to take her home with them. Unfortunately, Raquel and Luana gave her an unexpected going-away present...chicken pox! The annoying itching didn't dampen her spirits though and she eagerly jumped into her parents' arms after lots of hugs and photos. Please continue to pray for her and that her special needs will be met with her new family.

Double Trouble!

Our twins aren't just cute...they're smart, too! Caroline and Carolaine were two of our top students awarded today for their good grades. Geovane, Rita, Willian, and Aline also earned a box of chocolates for their hard work. We are very proud of Arivaldo, Luana, Luquinho, and Raquel who received a special treat for bringing up their grades. Many of our kids come to us several years behind because they have missed so much school. Please pray with us for academic success for our children.

More Birthdays!

We celebrated Raquel and Paulo's 7th birthday today. This was a special day for both of them... Raquel's first birthday at CLM and Paulo's last. Raquel is in the sibling group whose mother died last month and she continues to struggle emotionally, crying several times a day. Today, however, it was wonderful to see her smiling from ear to ear as we celebrated her birth. Paulo's new parents came with several relatives and brought presents, another cake, and lots of treats for everyone. The adoption process is moving along and he and Valdi will probably leave to start their new life in November. Thank you for continuing to pray for these precious kids.

Memories

Remember your first bike? Taking off the training wheels? Your first solo ride without someone helping you to keep your balance? We had the privilege this week of sharing these special memories with our children here. We had hoped to buy 8 bikes but because of the generous discount we received at the bike shop, we were able to buy two additional bikes, helmets, and locks! A HUGE thank you to those who have generously donated to make this possible. Please pray for the safety of all of our children as they make more memories...of their first bike accident!

Nicole

Nicole is the youngest daughter of our fellow missionaries, Lobinho and Joanna. She has had health issues from birth, stemming from a protein deficiency. In the past 6 months, she has been rushed to the hospital several times because she has stopped breathing. Last night, she had a fever, started vomiting, and then began convulsing. She was admitted to the hospital for the night and is now in a stable but very weak condition. We covet your prayers for a miracle in her life. Please join us in praying for the peace that passes all understanding to reign in this family as they trust Him for Nicole's life.

Puzzles

I hate puzzles. I do not have the patience or perseverance to sit for hours to place a handful of pieces...and it absolutely drives me crazy when there is inevitably a missing piece. I recently finished a book, Parenting the Hurt Child, that compared a puzzle with the frustrations and joys that a mom had after adopting a traumatized child. The following is a paraphrase of that excerpt that also describes how we have felt here at CLM.

Imagine that someone has given you a puzzle to put together. When you look at the pieces, everything is gray and some of the pieces are rough around the edges. Of course, it comes with no picture and no directions. You try each piece and over time you are able to put some of the pieces together but for every couple of pieces that fit, you have tried and discarded many more. Some days you can't even stand to look at the puzzle but other days you work and work and are excited to find just one piece that fits. Other people come in and tell you that you are wasting your time...there are missing pieces and it won't be a very pretty picture when you're done.

But then one day, a very special person comes and is able to add color to your picture. He brings you framework, patterns, and best of all, a guiding hand. After many years, your puzzle is almost completed. Yes, there are still a few pieces missing, and some pieces are ragged and tear-stained...but it is the prettiest picture ever.

Jesus is the only One that can bring true healing to the torn and missing pieces of our children's past. Thank you for standing with us in faith for a miracle in each of their lives.

Children's Day

Yesterday was Children's Day here in Brazil and it was a special day at CLM. It marks the first day in the pool and all the kids have been talking about it for the past month. Due to some problems with the drain, Mike ended up having to dive down with Donei on Saturday night around midnight and again on Sunday morning around 7am to insure that it would be ready for the big day. Having 30+ disappointed swimmers on Children's Day just would not be acceptable! We started the day with a nature walk where Mike read Scriptures related to water, sun, fruit and trees at several stops and we sang worship songs. After lunch, we went swimming until a group from the Agraria came to do games and face painting. One game had Mike in a sack dress covered with candy and the kids were told to chase him to get a treat. (At one point, Mike slipped and disappeared under a mob of children...of course, there are pictures on our flickr page!) They also brought tons of food and dessert for dinner and then the kids were able to swim some more before getting ready for church. We praise God for blessing our kids with such a perfect day.

Happy Birthday, Mike and Joanna!

We celebrated Mike and Joanna's birthdays tonight with the entire CLM family. Mike turned 39 yesterday and Joanna turned 28 on October 4th. Before eating cake and opening presents, each of them chose their favorite worship song but once the kids got started, they didn't want to stop singing! We ended up choosing two more songs before serving the cake and the kids continued to hum and sing on their own throughout the party. It was a wonderful evening filled with laughter and hugs. Check out our flickr page for more fun photos!

Congratulations Malone University!

As part of Malone College's Homecoming Celebration this coming weekend, they have invited alumni who are on the mission field to share through video about their ministry. They hope to have participants from every inhabited continent to congratulate their alma mater on their name change...and we thought you'd enjoy some more shots of our beautiful kids! If you are having trouble viewing the video, cut and paste this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRrqxgZx4Ko

A Long Day

As you can imagine in a house full of children without their parents, the sudden death of Arivaldo, Raquel, Everton, and Hellen's mother caused a surge of emotion and fear. Throughout the day, there were lots of questions about death, that were compounded when we discovered that Francielle's hamster had passed away before lunch. Several broke down in tears and asked for prayer for their moms and dads while others tried to isolate themselves by being aloof or angry.

Our director returned with the children around 6pm and shared that she was thankful to be home. Upon arrival at the funeral service, she was greeted with a slew of profanities as the family tried to grab the children, telling her that they were going to keep them. She still had Hellen in her arms, and when she saw one of the sister's coming at her with a broom, she decided the best course of action was to take Hellen and get the police. When she returned with an officer and a social worker, a neighbor had helped to calm the situation down and the family assured her that there would not be any other problems. Unfortunately, the reaction of their relatives scared the kids who stuck like glue to Mary during the rest of the visit.

Although Everton and Hellen are too young to remember, Arivaldo and Raquel both seem to be in shock. We continue to covet your prayers for each of them, as well as our entire CLM family.

Prayer Request

We were just told that Arivaldo, Raquel, Everton, and Hellen's mother died last night. She had been pregnant, started hemorrhaging, and the bleeding could not be stopped in time. The children will find out in the next few minutes when they wake up. Our director will be taking them this morning to the funeral which is about an hour away. They have not seen any of their family (they have two older sisters, 11 and 16) since March when they were placed with us. I can't imagine how difficult this day will be, especially for the two older ones. Please join with us in lifting these precious children to our Heavenly Father.

A Horse for Maria?

If any of you know Maria, you know her passion is horses. Recently, I was praying with her and she just began sobbing. I had never seen Maria cry and when I shared about it with our director, she said that Maria has only cried twice during the last eight years, once when her puppy was run over by the garbage truck and the other when Mike and I left on furlough in May. I'm very close to Maria and her outpouring of emotion broke my heart. I encouraged her to continue crying out to the Lord, that He would give her the desires of her heart. After talking with our director, we asked Maria what she would think about having her own horse. Her face lit up with that beautiful smile she has and she simply said, "Good idea!" Although this is a huge undertaking, we believe it could be another opportunity for her future. She has already been saving money by giving baths to Maggie and Mocha and washing our car but still has some work ahead of her to earn enough to bank for the horse's upkeep and vaccinations. Please pray for Maria and for God's leading in this endeavor.

Our Sunday Morning Children's Service

Our Sunday morning services at CLM have been the highlight of our week. We all meet in the family room and Lobinho and Joanna lead us in praise and worship. The children sing their hearts out while dancing, raising their hands, and acting out the motions to the songs. Then, Mike and I will perform a skit or two that involves the kids, before he gives a short message. Today's message focused on the principle of being faithful in small things in order to become faithful in bigger things. Mike explained that God wants to do great things in them and through them but they also have a role to play. He shared that each of them have responsibilities and as they do those well, they will earn greater responsibility. Our skits focused on how each person has duties appropriate to their age and as we mature in faith, others depend on us. The kids were very attentive and I believe that many seeds were planted in their hearts.

Bom Apetite!

At times, a picture really doesn't do justice to the experience, but in this case, I'm sure you are able to feel the same emotions that I did! When I came downstairs today for lunch, I had a little surprise waiting for me...a lovely pig snout on a bed of tender rice! AAAH! I didn't notice his tongue and teeth sticking out until I looked at the photo...although all the kids waiting around for my reaction made sure to point them out! In case you were wondering, Mike (yes, of course he was the prankster!) removed it AND replaced the rice for me before we sat down to eat.

Surrendering Again

Donei and Andy's situation has made quite an impact on all of us this past week. After Andy's sudden adoption, it broke my heart to see Donei so upset and walking through yet another rejection after saying goodbye to his brother. Our other sibling groups were affected, thinking that the same thing could happen to them. We have tried to reassure them...but the fear remains. It has made for quite the emotional week, with angry attitudes, disrespectful behavior...and consequently, lots of tears on my part.

I'm trying to navigate through these emotions, reminding myself daily that God is using the children to change me, not the other way around. Mike and I are always looking for ways to make a difference and often forget that it's really about God making a difference in us! I felt like God led me back to Hebrews 12 where it talks about enduring hardships as discipline to remind me that He is using every difficult situation here to shape and mold us into the people He desires us to be. We have always had a problem with wanting quick results...and the issues in our kids' lives are not going to be fixed easily--and certainly not by us! It is truly a spiritual battleground where we must cry out for the Holy Spirit to heal their wounds and break down the walls around their hearts so that God's love can pour in. Please join us as we surrender again to the Lord, believing that He alone can change us and the future of each of our precious children.

Another Luana

Luana, a beautiful 3-month old baby, was placed at Turvo this week. She has an allergic reaction on her face and is also needing a minor surgery to release the tissue under her tongue. Please pray for her medical needs as well as her adjustment to the CLM family in Turvo.

A Visit with Bernadete

Elielton, Janete, and Lucilene had the opportunity last week to visit with their older sister, Bernadete. We had met Bernadete on our first trip here in 2004 and fell in love with her beautiful smile. Unfortunately, during the next year, she had to be removed from CLM and placed in an all-girls home because of acting out sexually. She ended up running away during the following year and we heard that she had a miscarriage. Two weeks ago, she had her first child, at age 16. When the kids arrived for their visit, they were surprised to find their mother, grandmother, another older sister and a younger brother waiting for them, along with Bernadete, the baby, and the baby's father. It was a pleasant visit, but obviously had an emotional effect on all of the kids. Please pray for Bernadete and her baby, Gisiele as she begins her own family. Continue to pray for adoptive parents for Elielton, Janete, and Lucilene if this is God's will for their lives.

Andy's Adoption

Andy's new mom arrived today! Regina is a single woman who lives about 4 hours away from us. After visiting two months ago, she immediately contacted a lawyer and began the long adoption process. We received the phone call this morning that she was on her way and would arrive in the afternoon. As with Sabrina, I was flooded with emotion at the thought of Andy leaving...but this time, it was for Donei, his older brother who would be left behind. Normally, a sibling group would be adopted together but because Donei came to CLM before Andy, they were treated as two separate cases. (Donei will turn 14 this month and Andy is only 6 years old.) They have two different dads and because their mother was not with Donei's dad, she signed off on her parental rights but kept them with Andy until recently when she decided to sever those ties, as well. The boys were told when they arrived home from school, and as you can imagine, it was a shock. Donei started crying and said that he didn't want to be here to say goodbye and that he wanted to go to his psychologist appointment as previously scheduled. However, God had different plans--Regina arrived late and was able to speak with Donei when he returned. She assured him that she wants him to stay with them during holidays and promised to bring Andy back for visits. Please pray for Andy's new life with Regina, as well as Donei and the rest of the CLM family as we say goodbye to him.

Birthday Celebration

We celebrated three birthdays this week: Luana turned 7, Willian is now 12, and Lucilene started her teenage years. This was Luana's first birthday at CLM and she was overwhelmed with the attention and gifts. Her mother was only 11 years old when she had her and being a little girl herself, wasn't able to give her the attention she needed. While our other first graders are sounding out words and adding numbers, she has difficulty identifying her letters and numbers and often confuses the two. Willian is a bright boy and does well in school. Unlike our other children, he has visits with both his mom and dad, who are both interested in assuming guardianship of him. Lucilene also struggles with her schoolwork and has been working to master her multiplication facts. She and her younger sister and brother, Janete and Elielton have recently become available for adoption. Thank you for praying for the needs of each of these special children.

Dia dos Pais

Last week, we celebrated Father's Day here in Brazil and honored Lobinho and Mike, as well as our future dads. The kids made cards and gave each dad a special mug...Mike's had a picture of a black lab in honor of Maggie! We were blessed to have Bob, our director's brother-in-law here with us to celebrate. He and his family have been intricately involved with CLM for the last 28 years, visiting 14 times. This was Bob's first visit without Kathy, which has made it bittersweet. Please continue to pray for him as he grieves and for Lobinho and Mike as they model a father's love to our 36 children.

Destaque da Semana!

Since January, we have been choosing one child as our Star of the Week based on good behavior or improved behavior. The kids have really enjoyed the suspense each week waiting for the announcement of the next Star...but we have realized that some of our kids will never be chosen based on their behavior! In an effort to spotlight each child as a unique gift from God, we began today randomly selecting one child as our "destaque." The word is often used for employees here and means distinguished or outstanding. Valdicleia was chosen today and is holding the bulletin board I made to highlight her favorite things. We hope this will be another way to reinforce how special each one is to us and to God. Please pray for Valdicleia this week!

Birthday Bonfire!

My second birthday in Brazil was celebrated tonight and it was even more fun than my first one! Edit's birthday is just a few days before mine so we decided to celebrate them together this year. Instead of having our birthday cake in the dining room like we normally do, we brought it outside around a huge bonfire that Donei and Lobinho had made earlier in the day. Edit and I lit the fire before we sang a few worship songs and, of course, Happy Birthday. After we opened our presents and ate cake, we just hung out together, enjoying the warmth of the fire. I felt so encouraged by my conversations with the kids, listening to their laughter, and receiving their hugs and kisses. I remember being so overwhelmed when we first came, wondering when I'd be able to put together a complete sentence, let alone share my heart with them, telling them about the wonderful plan that God has for their lives. But tonight, around the fire, the conversations just flowed, no tension or stress, no frustration with vocabulary or grammar...God is so good! I praise Him because He is truly able to do far more than we can ever hope or even imagine. Thank you for standing with us in prayer, encouraging us during the difficult times, and rejoicing in each small miracle that we've witnessed in the lives of these precious children.