Trip to Turvo

We had a wonderful visit with the rest of our family in Turvo yesterday. They are located about an hour and fifteen minutes from CLM and currently have 19 children. Mike and I arrived with 18 of our children before lunch and stayed until after dinner. The day was filled with lots of fun activities, including a walk to a nearby waterfall, basketball, bicycling, cricket, and board games. I think the highlight of the day was the series of tug-of-war competitions right before dinner. Luis and Aninha's children, Alan and Natalia, Paulo (one of the older boys from Turvo), and Mike went against about 15-20 of the younger children...and the kids won every time! They finally convinced me and their sister, Etienne to join in...and we still lost! You've never heard so much bragging! We were thankful for God's hand of protection while travelling and for the bonding that took place between our two families. Please pray for our extended family in Turvo, that the healing touch of the Holy Spirit would heal the wounded areas of their hearts.

Wedding #2

On Saturday, we celebrated the wedding of Everson and Leticia, the first wedding of one of our boys. (The boys´ ministry started in 1990, after having an all girls' orphanage since the '70s.) Paulo, Elaininha, and Moanna were the ringbearer and flower girls. Not only were they adorable but were very well-behaved, sitting directly behind the pastor for over an hour during the ceremony. This wedding and reception were held at our church and was not nearly as stressful as the first one this month! Mike and I actually took a van load of the younger kids back to the house before the reception to pick up all the pop and by the time we returned, they were ready to start serving. Dishes of food were placed on each table and then platters of beef and pork were brought straight from the barbecue behind the church. It was a wonderful evening, enjoyed by all (except our cow and two pigs!) Thank you for praying for Everson and Leticia as they begin their new life together.

The Hike

Since the kids are on their winter break from school, we divided everyone into three groups for some special outings. We invited Jorai and Narah to join our group at Salto Sao Francisco, the highest waterfall in our state (643 feet). Since it is about a three and a half hour round trip hike, we knew there were only a few kids that would be up for the challenge. (Actually, I think the three and a half hours in the van there and back were more challenging because of the narrow, curvy roads!) Donei, Willian, Lucao, Maria, Francielle, Geovane, Romulo, and Lucas were excited to be chosen and did a fantastic job. We were so proud of them! We praise God for wonderful weather and His hand of protection...although Mike had a first-aid kit ready for practically any emergency, he only had to pull out a pair of tweezers to remove a splinter!

Robson

Thank you for your concern and continued prayers for Robson and his brother and sisters. It has been a month since he ran away and we found out on Friday that he has been at his mother's house the entire time. Our vice-director, Viktoria had spoken with her several times on the phone and each time Robson's mother expressed deep concern about his whereabouts. During the last phone call, Viktoria directly asked her and she admitted that he was living with her. She went on to explain that he has changed and that she wants to resume legal guardianship of him but not Altair, Caroline, and Carolaine. Although we miss him, we believe that God is in control and we trust His perfect plan for each of their lives.

Wedding #1

After hours of preparation, we arrived (with our sanity somewhat intact) at Meghan and Joacir's wedding with 36 children in their best clothes, hair curled, gelled, and sprayed for the evening's festivities. I have to say, in my unbiased opinion, they all looked absolutely beautiful! (Lots of great photos on our flickr page to prove it!)

Unfortunately, there were not enough seats downstairs at the reception hall for all of us to sit together and we were directed to the balcony area. Imagine for a moment, 21 children under the age of ten waiting for four hours to eat, on a balcony?! Let me just say, it wasn't pretty! The good news is, we finally managed to get them all home and in bed by 11pm with plans of allowing them to sleep in...but I believe those same 21 were all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed this morning and gearing up for our next wedding in two weeks! Please pray for Joacir and Meghan as they begin their new life together...and for us as we prepare for wedding #2 this month!

The Shack

Before leaving Canton, a friend gave us a copy of the fiction book, The Shack, by William P. Young. It is about a father who has an encounter with God several years after his daughter is abducted and presumably murdered. While reading this powerful book, I had to admit there have been moments where I have questioned why God allowed our children to have such horrific experiences; why they weren't spared the pain they have suffered. He reminded me again of His infinite wisdom and perfect love in this dialogue between God and Mack, the grieving father:

"If you knew that I was good and that everything--the means, the ends, and all the processes of individual lives--is all covered by my goodness, then while you might not always understand what I am doing, you would trust me."

When Mack replies that he's not sure he knows how to trust, God replies, "Trust is the fruit of a relationship in which you know you are loved. For now I just want you to be with me and discover that our relationship is not about performance or you having to please me. I am good and I desire only what is best for you. You cannot find that through guilt or condemnation or coercion, only through a relationship of love."

How assuring to know that it is not because of what we do that Christ loves us and died for us...but because of who we are. He desires relationship with us simply because we are His! I know that you too will be transformed by this thought-provoking book--let me know what you think after you have read it!

Jorai and Narah

We have been blessed with the arrival of two new short-termers from Ohio, Jorai and Narah. They are sisters and will be serving with us for two months. They have jumped in with both feet and eagerly offer to help wherever needed. They are constantly surrounded by a throng of kids who have quickly fallen in love with them. Please pray for these two precious young ladies that the Holy Spirit would move mightily in them and through them during their time with us.

Changes

We had several significant changes at CLM while we were on furlough. First, Gabriel (in red) returned to live with his mother after staying here for two years. We miss him but believe that his mother has changed and is prepared to care for him. Secondly, we received Fernando who will be one year old on Sunday, June 15th. His mother is a drug addict and alcoholic. His older sister already went for adoption and his mom is pregnant again. He has been living with a distant relative since he was 4 months old but since they had no legal permission to be taking care of Fernando, he was removed from their home. They are now in the process of trying to acquire guardianship of him. He will be going for adoption, but whether the Judge will look with favor on this family or not is questionable. Lastly, Bethany and Juan's son, Caleb arrived and is healthy and perfect. Please pray for Gabriel, Fernando, and Caleb and the destiny that God has for their lives.

Returning to CLM

We had a busy but wonderful time in the states this past month, spending time with friends and family in Canton and Cincinnati and even taking a quick trip to Oregon to visit my sister and brother-in-law. We were so blessed by the encouragement and support of everyone we met. It was a joy to share pictures and stories of our CLM family face-to-face with all of you. We are excited to share that we have all the money we budgeted for the sports and rec area and plan on beginning in August. A special thanks to all of you who so generously gave towards this project!

Our time in the states was too short to spend with friends and family but too long to be away from our children here. We were literally attacked with hugs and kisses (from Maggie and Mocha, too!) and were reminded again that we are exactly where God wants us to be. (Although we have been warned that it will take awhile to adapt back to the hectic schedule of CLM life...and rice and beans!) Thank you again for your continued support, encouragement, and prayers...we praise God for each of you and our partnership in ministry.

Mother's Day

Not being with our 37 children on Mother's Day was more difficult than I thought it would be! :( Fortunately, I was able to call them and hear their precious little voices saying, "Feliz Dia das Maes!" When I was telling someone about how they all lined up outside of the office to talk with me, they commented how well-behaved they were to take turns on the phone. I had to tell them that in between each conversation were shouts to be quiet, shut the door, and "hey, it's my turn!" which helped to remind me why we needed this time of rest! Please pray for the other missionaries during this time...and that God would send more workers!

At War

Mike was asked to preach all three services at First Friends on Sunday. Several weeks ago, God had given him the message to share even before Pastor Stan asked him to speak. Mike reminded the congregation that we are at war with an unseen enemy, one that is constantly trying to rob, kill, and destroy us. He ended with these five questions:

1. How comfortable are you in your lifestyle?
2. Do you truly see the conflict around you?
3. Are you willing to learn to confront?
4. Can you give up the desire to belong to this world?
5. Are you ready to embrace change?

We feel that our eyes have been opened during this past year to the evilness that is around us. We are grateful for your prayer support as we reach out with Christ's love to the children at CLM, who are very aware of the war that wages around them.

So surreal!

It is so surreal to be here in the states again after living in Brazil for the past 13 months! We are grateful for a safe trip and the time that we spent in Canton with friends. We are now visiting our family and are trying to find time to rest and seek the Lord. Thank you so much for your prayers!

Family Fun

We had the idea last week about beginning to talk about stewardship with our devotions group. We divided into teams of two and gave each team 10 reais (about 6 bucks) to buy something to prepare for all 10 of us. They had to plan the menu, shop for the ingredients and prepare everything themselves. It was an eye opening experience for some of them who had no idea how much things cost. The shopping experience itself took almost two hours! We had sloppy joes, salad, fruit salad, two desserts and pineappple juice. Since they are used to having beans and rice every day, there wasn't a lot of conversation at first as they devoured their delicious work! It was a wonderful evening and one that I'm sure we'll do again. Please pray for each of these girls that they become the young women that God intends them to be.

Luana

Our director received a call yesterday that a 6-year-old girl had been removed from her home in Guarapuava and was in desperate need of a place to stay. She had been living in one of the worst slums in the city in extremely filthy conditions. Her mother was only 11 years old when Luana was born and her father is a drug addict. Her grandmother had been taking care of her but decided that she didn´t want her either. With the recent adoption of Sabrina, we just "happened" to have one bed available for this precious little girl. When Luana arrived, she was crying and had to be led up the sidewalk to our house but within a few minutes, she was laughing and enjoying the tire swing that Mike put up last week. I had the pleasure of showing her around the house, helping her with her shower, sitting with her at dinner, and preparing her school supplies. Each new experience was met with eyes of wonder and a somewhat unsure smile that communicated, "You mean this is mine now?" Please pray for a smooth transition into our family for Luana.

A New Start

Sabrina started her new life with Marcos and Vanilde yesterday, leaving after lunch to drive back to Rio de Janeiro. We were so proud of her and grateful for the work that the Holy Spirit did in her heart in such a short time. It was truly a miracle to see this timid little girl wave goodbye to her CLM family and drive off with two strangers to her new home. I was also so thankful to hear that the parents are eager to keep in contact with us through pictures and emails...and that they are already thinking about adopting two other children here! Please pray for the special bonding that needs to take place between Sabrina and her new parents, that the Holy Spirit will use Sabrina to share Jesus with them, and for confirmation that they are also to adopt two more of our children.

Update on Everton

Many of you have written to ask about Everton...I am thankful to say that he slept well the night after he was bitten by the scorpion and today walked over to our house to tell us that all the pain was gone! Thanks so much for your prayers!

Another Goodbye

I was told yesterday morning that the couple that visited from Rio de Janeiro is coming tomorrow to finalize the adoption of my Sabrina. She has been my shadow for the last several months and has often called me "mom." My heart aches as I realize I may never see her again...but rejoices that God has allowed me to play a small role in her life. When she was told that she was going to be adopted and move away from CLM, she immediately and emphatically told our director that she didn't want to go. Our director asked me to talk with her and although I broke down in tears several times, I am grateful that the Holy Spirit spoke through my frailty. Today, she was actually referring to the couple as "mom and dad" and showing pictures they had sent of her "new home." Please pray that the Holy Spirit continues to prepare Sabrina (and me) for this sudden transition.

Scorpion Attack

Our sweet little Everton was rushed to the hospital this afternoon after being bit by a scorpion. He had been playing outside near a pile of posts when the kids thought they saw a crab. When they investigated, the "crab" stung Everton's finger and wouldn't let go. Luquinho quickly batted it off his finger and rushed Everton inside. He has been crying on and off for the last 5 or 6 hours as the pain comes and goes. When the pain comes, it is very intense and he screams at the top of his lungs. During one of these times, I asked in desperation if he wanted a piece of chocolate and he paused in mid-scream and shook his head yes! Fortunately, I had several Hershey's Kisses in my pocket which helped to take his mind off the pain. Our director was once bitten by a scorpion and she said the pain lasted nearly a week before subsiding...please pray for this precious little guy.

Exercising Our Faith

We are trying something different on Sunday mornings at CLM...and we LOVE it! Instead of getting all the kids ready to sit through an adult Sunday School class at our church, we are having a special devotion time for them at home. It has been wonderful to worship together with songs geared towards the children. Watching them clap, sing, and act out the songs has been such a blessing! We began last week explaining that we go to church on Thursday and Sunday nights to get fed but on Sunday mornings, we are going to exercise our faith by reaching out to others in our community. The children got in groups and brainstormed ways that we could help others. Many of them mentioned those that live near us in an extremely poor village in cardboard shacks with no indoor plumbing. They suggested taking care packages to them with blankets, food, medicine, clothing, and other necessities before cold weather comes. Other ideas included building better roofs for their homes, praying and telling them about Jesus, helping with cleaning, and making cards. This week, after a devotion on Ecc. 4:12, Mike shared about working together and I read their ideas from last week. We divided them into groups and shared that we would begin by praying for the families and making cards to put in the baskets that we would be making during the next several Sundays. All of the children were so excited and ran downstairs to gather their art supplies and begin working in their teams. We were so proud of our teenagers who were the leaders of each group, helping the younger ones to find scriptures and add special messages to their cards. After working for over an hour on their cards, each group gathered together and prayed for the families that would receive our gifts. Please join with us in praying for the needy families near us and that reaching out to them in Christ's love will impact their lives and the lives of our children at CLM forever.

Missing Kathy

Kathy Larson was a daughter, a sister, a wife, a mother, a grandmother and a friend to so many and her absence has been deeply felt here at CLM. Kathy had visited CLM 13 times in the past 26 years and has left a permanent impression on so many children. Shock is the only way we can describe our reaction to hearing the news that she had had a massive heart attack and died instantly. However, shock and sadness were overcome by the joy we have in our hearts knowing that she is with Jesus. He is always in control. Please continue to pray for Kathy's family as they grieve and for our director as she returns to us this week, after saying goodbye to her sister and best friend.