Paul and Becky

We were blessed by a visit from our friends, Paul and Becky this past weekend. Before coming to Brazil, we were introduced through email by a mutual friend in Canton and have been able to get together here on two different occasions for lunch and to encourage each other. They have served as missionaries in Curitiba for the past 24 years. They have planted four churches and have a Christian Camp and Retreat Center called ARCA that reaches out to thousands every year. It was wonderful to introduce our children to them and share what God has been doing in their lives. Please pray for this special couple!

Pressing Towards the Goal

Our theme for our summer worship services at CLM is based on Philippians 3:14. Our desire is to teach the kids about the value of working together towards a goal. One week, we had a photo scavenger hunt of very obscure locations around the property. It was very obvious that we needed each other because the task was impossible for one person to accomplish but as a team, they were easily able to meet the challenge. Today, we continued with some team-building activities in the soccer field, reiterating the concepts of "two are better than one" and "a cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart" from Ecclesiastes. Please continue to pray for our children as they strive to overcome the obstacles in each of their lives. May each realize that with God, nothing is impossible!

Summer Fun

Each month, we try to make special memories with the kids through small group or individual activities. On Tuesday night, Mike took Elielton, Altair, Lucas, and Arivaldo camping while Francielle, Janete, Cristiane, Lucilene, and Patricia spent the night with me at our house. While we enjoyed a movie, girl talk, and LOTS of junk food, Mike was tying down the tent to trees after the wind whipped the stakes from the ground and threatened to carry it away with them inside! (My times with the kids always seem so much more tranquil than Mike's!) Other activities this month have included a trip to the cinema, overnight trips to CLM Turvo, a slip 'n' slide, and a trip to the city with the ten little ones. We will also be doing a tractor ride, a picnic by the pool, a video game tournament, and our volleyball championship before the month ends. Check out our flickr album for lots of fun pictures! Thank you for your continued prayer, support, and encouragement as we minister Christ's love to these children!

Fun in the City, Part 1

Wow...what a day we've had! Today was our trip to the city with the ten little ones and since they don't get too many opportunities to leave the house, it was a pretty exciting day for them. We started our adventure at a museum where the kids were mesmerized by the three caged monkeys near the entrance. They were even more impressed when we went inside and saw over 50 different species of birds and other wildlife as well as a collection of insects, geodes, dinosaur bones, and a 7m python skin! Although it was a display of stuffed animals, the kids kept asking us if they were alive. We explained that they had been alive at one time but that they had died and someone had preserved them so that we could see them. This was a difficult concept for some of them to understand!

Fun in the City, Part 2

After the museum, we went to our favorite ice cream buffet and then on to the park. Although this park has the most playground equipment of any other park in the city, it is their favorite because of the trampolines! They jumped until they couldn't jump anymore and then still had enough energy to play for another hour before it was time to leave. I think the pictures tell the tale...and of course, there are many more on our flickr page! :) We praise God for His protection while we were travelling and for the special memory that we made with the children.

Edit and Fabio's Wedding

At the end of 2003, we were blessed to meet Edit, a missionary to CLM from Hungary. She was visiting with Bob and Kathy Larson and came to a Bible study that we were having at our house. She shared with us about the ministry at CLM and the following summer, Mike and I led a team from First Friends to Brazil to visit her and meet "her kids." The rest, as they say, is history! :) How awesome it has been to serve with her and a special blessing to have been a part of her wedding this past weekend! She and her fiance, Fabio asked if Mike would perform the wedding ceremony and it was a beautiful blend of Brazilian and American customs. Aline was one of the bridesmaids, as well as Natalia, Luis and Aninha's daughter from Turvo. Thank you for joining with us in praying for God to fill their marriage with His never-ending love.

Bernie and Shirley

Bernie and Shirley are members of the CLM Missionary Committee in the U.S. and live in Arizona. We had only heard their voices through a teleconference until this past week and were so blessed to meet them personally here in Brazil. They planned their trip to surprise Edit for her wedding but also had the goal of meeting and encouraging each of the missionaries. Although they were here for less than five days, their prayers and loving words will remain with us for a long time. We praise God for their conviction to support, encourage, and visit believers who have been called to the mission field.

Short-Termers

We have been so blessed this month with several short-termers who have been willing to help out wherever they are needed. Three of them are in this picture: David and Samuel are Viktoria's nephews from Hungary and Emi (seated next to me) is Bethany's brother, Ben's sister-in-law from Paraguay. David has been here before and will stay until June. Emi will be leaving this week but Samuel will be with us until next month. Carl just arrived this week and will be staying until the second week of March (I'll be sure to post pictures of him soon!) It has also been wonderful to have Josiane (seated next to Viktoria) here this month to help prepare Gisiele, Diogo, and Everton for school. Please pray for protection and God's abundant blessings for each of these servants as they help us to share Christ's love with our kids!

Slip 'n' Slide

Mike transformed an old pool liner into hours of slip 'n' slide fun for all the kids today! It was one of the hottest days we've had and the kids had a blast cooling off while zipping down the slick plastic. (For those of you who were ever a part of one of our youth retreats, you will be happy to know that we did NOT use cooking oil...we have learned our lesson and have changed to dish liquid!) It started out as an activity just for the little ones, but before we knew it, everyone had their swim attire on and were waiting in line for their turn. Thank you for your continued prayers for safety for each of our kids this summer.

The Lizard

I've had so many emails about the last picture from our trip to the Foz that I decided to add a post to explain! We first spotted this large iguana-looking lizard close to the pool and really didn't know what to think...was it someone's pet or just wandering around trying to look for food?!? I didn't have my camera with me and when we came back down, it was gone. As we were leaving the next morning, it literally crossed the parking lot in front of our car and headed around the corner of the building so I was able to jump out and get a picture. I will try to be better at explaining my pictures in future posts! :)

R&R

We were blessed to have a few days of rest and relaxation after Christmas and decided to return to Foz do Iguacu, near the Brazil/Argentina/Paraguay border. The majority of our time was spent reading by the pool, walking, and deciding where we were going to eat (although I did have urges to discipline random children in our near vicinity!HA) It was a wonderful time of reflecting over the past year and planning for the next. We praise God for our marriage, our beautiful children, and our family and friends. We pray that 2009 is a year of even greater transformation in our lives and yours. As always, thank you for partnering with us to minister here in Brazil!