Goodbye to Fabricio!

We had a hearing scheduled with the judge to talk about Fabricio's future on June 21st. Usually these meetings are just with Kevin, the social worker, and one of us but Fabricio's mother had travelled from her home in another state to plead for her son. After the judge heard the mother's story, she decided that Fabricio would leave with her immediately! It was a shock for us to have things move so quickly but we were excited that Fabricio would be rejoining his family after only being with us for such a short time. Please pray that the seeds that were planted here will take root and Jesus's amazing love will shine through his life.

..

Bo and Bela

The trade has been made and we now have two horses and three less cows wandering around the farm.  They are both very gentle and don't like to run--perfect for teaching young children!  Bela (with Mike) is quite a bit smaller than Bo (with Ben) and will follow you all day if you have corn in your pocket.

Riding a horse can give a child a sense of independence that boosts confidence and self-esteem.  Many forms of equine therapy, however, do not involve getting on the horse at all.  Simply having a child groom, feed, and care for the horse can help establish an emotional connection.  Please pray that God will multiply these benefits in our kids.

Goodbye to Sam!

Sam just returned to the U.S. after another 6 months at Entre Rios.  He blessed us with several visits during his time there and we were thankful for the love he shared with all the kids, as well as his expertise around the house.  He finished our fireplace upstairs, built a covering for our pool filter, and started a sidewalk down to the soccer field.  We are looking forward to his return to Brazil next year.  Please pray for God's direction for Sam's future in ministry.

One More Addition!

We have one more addition to the Turvo family...a horse! One of our neighbors has offered to trade us two horses for three of our cows. The kids are so excited about being able to ride and we know it will be a wonderful experience for them to learn to care for a horse. We are interested in doing equine therapy and we are looking for any material or information you might have about the subject. If you know of anything, let us know. Thanks!

Josicleiton and Mayara

Late Friday night, Josecleiton (12) and his sister, Mayara (8) came to live with us. Their story is heartwrenching and we ask for your fervent prayers for the Holy Spirit to begin healing their emotional scars. Cleiton has severe abdominal issues and has been scheduled for a surgery on June 6th. Mayara cried herself to sleep the first few nights.  They both seem to be adjusting well and are basking in the hugs and individual attention they are receiving from our staff.

Marciel and Marciano

 

Marciel (15) and his brother, Marciano (12) arrived on Monday after being removed from their home.  Marciel had dropped out of school two years ago, and has been living on the streets. He shared with us that he can't hear out of his right ear, nor see very well with his right eye.  They are both absolutely delightful boys who have captured our hearts.  Please pray for their quick adjustment and that they feel safe and secure with us. Also, pray that we can quickly meet Marciel's medical needs.

Mother's Day, 2012

We had a beautiful Mother's Day celebration and are thankful to everyone who helped to make it such a special day.  Elle and Kristin helped the kids make cards and a video and Mike bought each of us flowers and prepared a delicious lunch and cake.  Our family celebrated the day before with our annual photo shoot and I loved it!  (I'm understanding now why my parents didn't have many pictures of us growing up! :0)  Thank you for praying for each of our families (Mike, Mary, Lindsay, Jenna, Ben/Jake, Amanda, Noah/Adriel, Elaine, Helisa, Hellen), as well as for each of the CLM children who are waiting for a new mom.

Kristin

Kristin Keiper arrived in March and will serve with us until December.  She does so many things, I'm not sure how me managed without her or how we'll manage after she leaves!  She is the definition of a servant and has the hugest heart for the kids.  She had served for six months with us at Entre Rios and has grasped Portuguese more quickly than any other short termer we've had.  She has earned the love and respect of the staff and kids and is an integral part of our team.  Please pray for Kristin.

Elle

Arielle Mack arrived six weeks ago and took CLM by storm.  She had told us when she arrived that she wouldn't need a day off...I don't think she took ANY time off!  Her love for Jesus spilled out over all of us and literally immersed the children in its wake.    Thank you, Elle for your beautiful transparency and unconditional love.  You are missed!

Apologies and Thank yous....

For those of you who continue to faithfully check our blog for updates and photos about our ministry and family here in Brazil...please accept my humble apology for allowing weeks and sometimes months to pass without a post. Thank you for continuing to pray and support us during the most challenging time of our lives. Adjusting to our new life as the parents of three teenagers and the responsibilities of being in charge at the orphanage here in Turvo has been difficult at best. We are taking a few days of much needed vacation time this week and my goal is to bring you up-to-date...so stay tuned! :) BLESSINGS!

Goodbye to Leah

Leah arrived back in October and has been with us for six months. She had come with the intention of taking care of children but did so much more than she had planned. She spent her first several weeks at Entre Rios before returning here to help us prepare for receiving children in December. She was involved with spreading gravel for the concrete, as well as landscaping around the pool. She helped to clean the entire house several times (during the construction phase, it seemed like we couldn't get rid of all the dust!) while using any free time to study Portuguese. When the children arrived, she began planning special things with each of them: popcorn and a movie in her room, painting nails, straightening hair...anything to let them know they were loved. She was involved each day after school with English classes, and she strived to make each lesson interesting and fun. In her free time, she would invite Lindsay and Jenna to go for a walk or play basketball or cards with Ben. She has been a blessing to all of us. We are so thankful for you, Leah! You will be missed! May God continue to guide your steps in His perfect will.

Picnic with the Girls!

Abbie and I took the girls for a "piquenique" in the woods that turned into quite the photo shoot! Couldn't resist posting some pics! :)

Abbie is with us for only 3 more weeks and has been such a blessing. Please pray for her as she prepares to return to the states at the end of this month. Lord, please give her clear direction for the future.

Two years together!

Five Years in Brazil?!

We are approaching our five year anniversary in Brazil at the end of this month and our two year anniversary as parents in April. All I can say is, you never know where God is going to lead you when you put your trust in Him! It has really made me wonder...what else has He planned for us? When we started serving at CLM, I knew it was the greatest challenge I had ever faced...and then we decided to adopt three adolescents! Now I just have one question...is it possible that there is a more difficult job than parenting three teenagers?!? I have cried out to Jesus more these past two years than ever before and I guess that is proof that we're exactly where He wants us to be.

"Blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they go right on producing delicious fruit." Jeremiah 17:7-8

Jesus, I put my trust in You during these difficult times. You are always faithful. I believe that Your word is true and You will complete what You have promised. Thank You for sustaining me during the times of drought.

New Birth Certificates!

Two months after our final adoption papers were released...we have Ben, Jenna, and Lindsay's new birth certificates! It has been 22 months since we invited them into our home and we can now finally say that everything is official. :) Although we can breathe a sigh of relief that this stage of the process is over, now we start the second round of paperwork. Tomorrow, we will head to the city to apply for their Brazilian identification cards and once those are in hand, we can apply for passports. At this point, I don't even want to think about the documents we'll need when we're ready to travel back to the states! Thank you for your continued prayers.

They Are Ours....LEGALLY!

We have our final adoption papers! It was a day after my sister and brother-in-law returned to the states but my dad was here to rejoice with us. It has been a frustrating 20 month wait that has taught us (over and over and over...) to trust in God’s timing and not our own. Thank you for your continued prayers for me, Mike, Ben, Jenna, and Lindsay. We especially need wisdom as we find the delicate balance between ministering to our own children's needs and the needs of the children that will soon be in our care.

Spring Cleaning

Our social worker, Elise, invited several ladies from her church to help us clean on Wednesday and they did an excellent job. The whole house was literally hosed down, scrubbed, and squeegeed (is that a word?!) and it was wonderful to get rid of all the dust and debris from all of our construction projects. It was even more rewarding to begin organizing the new areas that we'll be using next week with the kids. The pictures above show the activity room upstairs that will be used for a library, building with legos, arts and crafts, watching movies, and our Sunday morning children's service. We praise God for each of these women and are so thankful for their servants' hearts.

Meeting Grandpa and Aunt Debbie

We have been blessed to spend time with my dad, sister, and brother-in-law this past month...our first family visitors since we arrived in Brazil almost 5 years ago! Since we haven't been able to travel because of the adoption process, we hadn't seen them in over a year and a half. It has been fun to introduce them to Ben, Jenna, and Lindsay and watch them practice their English. Please continue to pray for each of them to feel secure in their new family.

Lots of Changes

The last two months have been busy ones here in Turvo! We are in the midst of several construction projects as we prepare to re-open the orphanage in December: pouring concrete around the swimming pool, repairing the tile in five of the girls' and boys' rooms downstairs, building a railing around the second floor landing, putting up a wall and door to the third floor, constructing a fenced-in play area with a swing set and sandbox, and finishing two missionary apartments. Pray that all construction is completed correctly, safely, and in God's perfect timing.

A New Beginning

I feel like we have come full circle. After arriving in Brazil in 2007, we lived in Guarapuava for 6 months for language training before moving to the orphanage in Entre Rios. We have now just finished another 6 months in Guarapuava with our children before moving to the other CLM orphanage in Turvo! We moved on September 1st and patiently waited for (okay--stalked, harassed, pleaded, and bribed) the internet provider for three weeks...and are SO thankful to be connected again to the outside world! We have received such a warm welcome from everyone we've met and are enjoying the beautiful and peaceful landscape of our new home. We have been busy meeting our new neighbors, social workers, and others in the community who are thrilled that the orphanage will be reopening soon. Please continue to pray for our family as we build relationships and prepare for accepting children who need to experience the love of their Heavenly Father.