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.