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!