Our Weakness, His Strength

"God purposely chose what the world considers weak in order to shame the powerful."

As I read this scripture in 1 Corinthians 1:27, I was reminded again of God's perspective on weakness. Since His ways are higher than ours, He often does the exact opposite of what we expect. The children at CLM fall into this category! The world has labeled them as damaged and unwanted...and many of them have accepted that as truth. BUT we believe that God is going to use these orphans to change the world! Some of them are going to be pastors, teachers, evangelists, apostles, and prophets...God is going to send them out to tell people all over the world of how Jesus died for them! Their stories of pain, suffering, loneliness, and rejection are going to minister to people that no one else could...how powerful is that!? There will be people rejoicing in heaven that would have died in their sins if it wasn't for one of these little ones and the traumas they've endured. We will not understand why they had to suffer until we hear stories in eternity of people who had turned away from God until they met Maria Joana or Lucas or Cristiane!

In Hebrews 11:32-34 it says, "It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and all the prophets...their weakness was turned into strength." I would like to add the names of the children of CLM to that list! Will you stand with us in prayer, asking God to transform each one of these precious children into world-changers for Christ?

Shibboleth or Sibboleth?!

"Then said they unto him, Say now Shibboleth: and he said Sibboleth: for he could not frame to pronounce it right. Then they took him, and slew him." – Judges 12:6

This particular scripture was from my dear friend, Andrea who is always able to put things into perspective for me!:) I was overwhelmed this week with emails and conversations from friends and family who wrote and called to encourage us through this difficult time with the language! Thank you so much for standing with us in prayer, believing that when God calls us, He will equip us.

In some churches in China, they welcome new believers by saying, "Jesus now has a new pair of eyes to see with, new ears to listen with, new hands to help with, and a new heart to love others with." What a beautiful reminder of all we can do each day to share the love of Christ with a dying world! We are grateful that He has called us to a place where we can minister with our hearts until we are able to minister with our words.

Feliz Dia Dos Pais e Feliz Aniversario!

Lord, your Word says my light and momentary troubles are achieving for me an eternal glory that far outweighs what I'm experiencing now. So I fix my eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Cor. 4:17-18)

Today was Father's Day in Brazil...and our 18th anniversary! We celebrated at Turvo with the entire CLM family. Surrounded by so many beautiful children and my wonderful husband, I had so much to be thankful for and yet my focus drifted elsewhere and before I knew it, my "light and momentary troubles" had gotten the best of me. I have been so focused on the end goal of learning the language that I again am missing out on the internal process that God desires for me to apply to my life. (Will I ever learn this lesson, Lord?) I have felt like a failure because I'm constantly comparing myself to others and trying to meet their (perceived) expectations instead of only seeking God's approval. I find myself having to repent daily of my pride--asking God to help me focus on the gifts and talents He's blessed me with instead of coveting the gifts and talents of others. I have needed to ask Him to forgive me for seeking out that which is seen because I wholeheartedly believe that what is unseen is eternal and that is the only thing important to Him!

I am so grateful for all of you who have sent such encouraging emails during this difficult week! Thank you for covering us in prayer and sending so many timely scriptures that have reminded us that in our weakness, we find His strength. We love you!

A Day at Parque do Lago

Last Saturday we spent our "sabbath" listening to a sermon podcast from our church in Canton at the park. (Isn't technology great?!) While we were enjoying some worship songs afterward, a couple of boys approached us with much curiosity about our ipod and speakers. (They actually asked us if it was an "MP4" or "MP5" player!) After realizing that we didn't have any money with us to give them, we thought they would keep walking. Instead, they sat down on the blanket with us! Before we knew it, 7 more boys, ranging from ages 5-12 were surrounding us. They asked us questions about the U.S., our Bible, our dogs--we ended up talking with them for about half hour! It was disheartening to notice that most of them had filthy faces and clothes and probably lived in the poorest favela (slums where "homes" are made of plastic and cardboard) next to the park...but it was a blessing to see their smiles as we took an interest in them. We gave them all hugs as we left and told them that we would look for them again next time we were there. They followed us back to the car, where we gave them some "centavos" for ice cream--and they excitedly ran off towards the vendor at the park. Unfortunately, when we shared this story with our Portuguese teacher, she warned us that many of the children who beg for money will use it to buy drugs or glue. It is eye-opening to see how each day here brings new experiences that give us a glimpse into the former lives of our CLM kids. Please continue to pray for the children of Brazil.

Running the Race

This morning, our kids had a unique opportunity to run in a citywide race in Guarapuava. Edit, one of the other missionaries, ran in the 10km, Maria Joana ran in the 2km (with the 12-15 year olds), and Franciele, Josiane, and Lucas ran in the 1km (with the 10-12 year olds). We were so proud of them! Edit was first in her age bracket and will run again in Curitiba in December. Franciele took second in her race. All of them received a medal for their efforts. Even though we stood in 35 degree weather with a killer wind for three hours, it warmed our hearts to see them proudly cross the finish line!:) If you double click on the picture above, you will find three of them in the front towards the left (#152, 119, and 117). There are also pictures of each of them on our flickr account.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a large crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish." Hebrews. 12:1

A Special Birthday

Last week, was my birthday...our car broke down about 3 miles from home, our water was shut off, a lightning storm knocked out our internet, a pipe behind the washing machine burst, and our ATM card wouldn't work...and it was still the best week since we arrived!

How could this be, you ask?! On Friday, Maria Joana and Josiane came in to spend the day with us. We baked cookies, went for a walk, and did an aerobics class together. Then, we returned to CLM to celebrate my birthday. All the children were anxiously waiting by the front door when we arrived. They ran out with hugs, kisses, and shouts to close my eyes so they could lead me in to show me their surprises. I was pulled into the dining room by about a dozen children who told me I could open my eyes. The walls were decorated with posters, streamers, and special birthday messages. They had been working all week in the art room to surprise me! They had a huge cake with my name spelled with "m&m's" and a pile of notes and hand-wrapped gifts next to the table. I quickly realized that many of them had taken their own "treasures" from their room to wrap for me! Others had made handwoven potholders, art projects, and paintings--I wish you could have seen their eyes sparkle with pride as I thanked them and told them how much I loved each one! Afterwards, Mary asked who would like to pray for me and I think every one of them raised their hand! Listening to their heartfelt prayers moved me to tears. It was a special evening that I will never forget.

Yes...our car has been fixed, the water is back on, the internet is working again, Mike was able to fix the pipe, and we can get money with our ATM card again...but the precious time I spent with the children brought far more peace and joy than all the other things combined. Once again, God confirmed in me the significance of the eternal over the temporal.

Thanks again for all of your prayers. We miss you!

Overcoming Pride with Portuguese

"If we don't presently have an issue that is actively humbling us, we veer with disturbing velocity toward arrogance and self-righteousness." Beth Moore reminded me again that pride is not the opposite of low self-esteem but of humility. We can be absorbed in how wonderful we are or how miserable we are...and still struggle with the sin of pride.

Such a serious issue deserves some light-hearted examples of how we have been humbled learning Portuguese, right?! When we first arrived, I had asked, "Onde esta a minha esposa?" ("Where is my WIFE?") and Mike had raised his index finger in the air and said, "Primaveira, eu preciso a minha mala." He meant to say, "First, "(primeiro) but instead said, ("Spring, I need my bag.") Needless to say, we didn't impress too many people with our language skills in Sao Paulo airport! :)

During our first weeks at the orphanage, Mike asked one of the kids, "Como se diz essa?" ("How do you say this?") and pointed at his smile. The child answered, "Barba." For the next three days, Mike asked the children to "Mostra-me sua barba!" ("Show me your smile!") and "Voce tem bonita barba!" ("You have a beautiful smile!") Then, he was told that "barba" meant "beard!" No wonder the kids had such big smiles! I, on the other hand, continue to have a problem differentiating between the words that mean "coconut" and "poop." Needless to say, I've passed on ordering coconut pie when we go out to eat! HA

Unfortunately, most of our other mistakes involve words that would not be appropriate to write--how many curse words do they have in Portuguese anyway?! We have probably embarrassed ourselves in some way or another every day since we've arrived. Although it has been frustrating, it has allowed for quite a few laughs (for us and everyone else) and has made us more dependent on God for this overwhelming task before us.

"What blessed relief comes when we finally fall on our knees and humble ourselves before God. We suddenly realize what a heavy weight pride has been. It is exhausting to insist on thinking so highly of oneself with such mounting evidence to the contrary!" Lord, I desire to humble myself before You and trust that You will lift me up. (James 4:10)

Obedience vs. Sacrifice

I am reading a book by Beth Moore called Praying God's Word. I found it on a bookshelf at CLM and thought it would be a great resource for praying over the children. The author addresses specific strongholds and defines them as “anything that exalts itself in our minds, pretending to be bigger or more powerful than our God.” They steal our focus and cause us to feel overpowered. A stronghold can be an addiction, unforgiveness, despair over a loss—anything that consumes our emotional and mental energy and strangles the abundant life that God has for us as believers.

The enemy can influence our behavior by influencing our thinking...something that he does quite well in my life, unfortunately. It is so easy for me to become discouraged because I'm constantly trying to please others, and obviously never able to complete the task! Here I'm faced each day with the overwhelming mission to learn a different language (well enough to be able to teach and minister), make new friendships here while maintaining relationships back in the States, adjust to a new culture without the comforts and familiarity of “home,” and somehow have the time and energy left over to be a parent and friend to the 40 children and 14 missionaries at CLM!

I hadn't thought of this as a “stronghold” in my life before, but I'm beginning to see it as a recurring theme that God wants me to give to Him once and for all. I have to realize that it is impossible to please everyone but I can please Him...just by being the person He created me to be! No more, no less. I think as I begin to move out in this freedom, only then can I truly model God's grace and forgiveness to the children He has called me to love.

Stay tuned for the next section....on pride! AAAH! Thanks for your prayers!

NO GOOD DEED GOES UNPUNISHED

I decided that I would mow the side of the hill at CLM close to the playground. They gave me a 220 electric mower with a 300 ft cord spliced in several places. (By the way, only three wheels worked...but I was up for the challenge.) Trying not to get electrocuted or lose any toes, I took my time. Things were going great until about halfway when out of nowhere, I hit something metal. All of a sudden water gushed up from the ground in a geyser. I was soaked (remember the 220 electric?) and a little scared and confused. Who puts an exposed waterline on a hill side? While I was standing there with a dumb expression on my face, I felt a searing pain shoot up my leg. Thinking I was getting shocked, I ran for my life. The pain did not stop! I then realized that I was standing on a hill of fire ants. They had gone up my leg when I stopped mowing. After a culturally offensive dance, I was able to get them all off. When I thought it couldn't get any worse, I saw one of the older boys running at me wide-eyed with his shoe in his hand. Once again...dumb expression on my face as he hit me VERY hard on my back. All I understood was "VERY DANGEROUS." I didn't want to know what he had just killed on my back so instead I asked him where the water line went. And in perfectly understood Portuguese he said..."your house." After 3 hours of plumbing work, I finished the mowing just before dark. Not learning my lesson, I tried to do another good deed and prepared a Mexican dinner for Mary with hot peppers from our garden. While relaxing after dinner, I realized that I had been bitten several times during my mowing experience by the dreaded "borrachudos." (Brazilian mosquitos on steroids) I went to scratch a persistent bite right below my eye, not realizing that I had some pepper residue on my hand. I felt like my eye was on fire. I rushed to the bathroom medicine cabinet for my tube of eye gel. With my blurry vision, I threw off the cap and squeezed it into my eye...but much to my dismay, the burning intensified. Who knew that my cold sore medicine was in an identical tube as my eye gel?!

Reunited at Last

Last night, Mike preached for the special anniversary service for the church in Entre Rios. He shared about "the standing stones" in Joshua 3-4, and encouraged the congregation to come forward to participate in building a memorial of God's faithfulness in their lives. Patricia from CLM came forward and shared that God had been faithful to her because she had been praying every night for her brothers to come to CLM with her...and they came yesterday! :) The interesting part was that she had been thinking about her two older brothers, and two younger brothers arrived that she didn't even know she had! She has had a constant smile on her face and walks around with them hand in hand. It has made for a wonderful adjustment for Diogo and Lucas because they seem to trust everyone because Patricia does. Please continue to pray for this family.

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!

Coincidence? I don't think so!

In church this morning, Natalia, one of the missionary's daughters gave a testimony before being baptized. She is twenty years old and serves at the orphanage in Turvo with her parents. She spoke in Portuguese so we didn't understand all of it but heard her mention our names. After the service, we found out that when we were here in 2004, Mike preached and gave an altar call and she accepted the Lord. I prayed prophetically over her that evening that she would make a huge difference in the lives of the children at Turvo (at that time, the orphanage hadn't been built yet!) She shared this morning that at the time, she couldn't believe that she would be serving at Turvo, but when she started the Lord reminded her of this promise. We were so blessed after the baptism, when she asked us to come up and pray over her with her parents! It was so awesome! What a wonderful blessing that we were here for her special day! :)

Around Our New Home

Hey everyone! Sorry we haven't posted anything since we've arrived...as you can imagine, it's been somewhat of a whirlwind getting settled. :) We wanted to give you a quick glimpse of our new home and family. Let us know what you think!



If for some reason, you are unable to view the video here, cut and paste this URL to view it on youtube! http://youtube.com/clmbrazil

Our First Video

The Cochrans have gone high-tech! :) We've just uploaded our first video to give you a 2-minute glimpse of what God is already doing at CLM. We hope this is a tangible way for you to join us in Brazil!



Please email us or post a comment to let us know if you were able to watch it. If you can't view the video here, cut and paste the following link: http://youtube.com/clmbrazil
(I think I'm going to get Sandra Bullock to play me and Mike has suggested Britney Spears for him in the next one!HA) Thank you again for your prayers and support!

Goodbyes

This has been a difficult week of goodbyes to our friends in Canton. Although our excitement builds each day as we get closer to Brazil, the sadness that grips our hearts with leaving grows as well. Mike and I have been blessed with such wonderful friends (and you guys are making this really tough!) Thank you all for your prayers and support that have encouraged us during the first part of this journey. Please continue to stand with us in faith, believing that the Holy Spirit will restore what the enemy has robbed from these precious children.

"Without wavering, let us hold tightly to the hope we say we have, for God can be trusted to keep His promise." Hebrews 10:23

Children Helping Children

Last week, Mike and I were invited to share about CLM with a group of first and second graders at St. Louis Elementary School. (I think Maggie and Mocha stole the show, as usual!) Each year, their wonderful teacher, Mrs. Tina Miller enhances their educational experience with a service-learning project. This year WE were it! The students invited their families to Phil's Restaurant where they took the orders, served up the food, wiped down tables...and earned tips to bless the children at CLM! The restaurant was packed from 4-8pm with the students taking turns in half-hour shifts throughout the evening. The kids raised almost $550 in only 4 hours! :) I was especially blessed when several of my precious teacher friends from East Canton dropped in to show their support. Thank you Barb, Linda, Cindy, Yosie, Deb, Molly and Jan for making this night even more special for me! AND a special thanks to Tina, Melissa, Chris (the "pop lady!") and all of the students and parents who made this project such a success!

Countdown

Today, two of my close teacher friends, Chris and Yo, came to church with us and to lunch afterwards. As we ate, we talked about Brazil and the date we are leaving. I thought about the other dates that we have counted toward together: Christmas break, Spring break, summer vacation--even the days until school started! (Are teachers like "Rainman" or what?!) I've known them for almost 14 years and now in only 14 days, I'll be saying goodbye to them, not knowing when I'll see them again. (I know that sounds dramatic...but it's the kind of day I've had, okay?!) Countdowns can be exciting because they usher in a new chapter of our lives. The tricky part is that in the midst of that excitement, we can experience intense grieving for the chapter of our life that is ending. We've been praying about Brazil for over 2 years and know that God has called us there...but that doesn't make the goodbyes any less painful. Life is full of paradox--the Bible says to be first you must be last, to find your life you must lose it, to enter the kingdom of God you must be like a child, to be great you must become a servant. Since my hope and trust is in this Author of paradox, I must embrace the joy and the sorrow as gifts from Him. I love you all and will miss you so much!