Marko and Shelley

The Power of Prayer

2011-07-08T09:09:00.001-07:00

I am in awe of the miraculous ways The Lord provides for us and I wanted to share a testimony with you in hopes of encouraging your hearts and inspiring your belief in the power of prayer.

Marko and I really could not afford to go to Brazil. A year ago we had planned on traveling to Brazil as a family but made the hard decision not to go based on the economy and the cost of plane tickets. Originally I was asked to direct an ESL Program for the Brazilian Students that would be attending the i2Training. Due to the massive amount of homework that goes along with the training course, my English course had to be canceled. This was confirmation that the kids and I really didn't need to be there. We decided to postpone our family trip to Brazil, sending Marko alone to support Josh in the Ministry. We were disappointed, but felt peaceful about our decision. This year we felt something beyond ourselves propelling us towards Brazil, and yet money was tighter than ever.

We sold the last of our 401k in order to purchase plane tickets which had gone up significantly since our last trip out of the country. We knew things were going to be tight, but we also knew that we were supposed to go on this trip. We had a peace and an excitement about traveling back to Brazil. We knew there was a purpose in our being there which was confirmed over these past two weeks.

Upon returning home from Brazil on Wednesday, we were aware that our checking accounts were running low. When I went on my daily prayer walk yesterday morning, I prayed specifically that The Lord would multiply our money (a prayer I frequently make). I also prayed that I would be able to buy a few groceries in order to get us by until pay day. My tendency is to worry about finances despite the fact that the bible promises The Lord will take care of us more than the birds of the air, and despite the fact that we have seen financial miracles consistently over the past 18 years! I think I am finally really "getting it" and really "believing it to be true." I truly believe that the Lord WILL provide as He promises. I am just a really slow learner!

Matthew 6: 25 says: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"

After my walk, I hopped into my car and headed for Safeway. As I was walking down the isles, very carefully selecting items that I needed the most, Marko walked in with a big smile on his face. He met his boss in the Safeway parking lot to commute to work and had seen me pull in. He said "Hi Beautiful-I have a surprise for you!" He then handed me an envelope filled with cash! Marko's boss and friend, Tony, had sold our Honda Pilot. The most incredible part of this story is that our car sold for almost the exact amount of money that we spent traveling to Brazil AND it sold at about the exact time we were landing at Seatac Airport!

The Honda could have sold while we were in Brazil and Tony would have emailed us telling us that he deposited money into our account. We would have been comforted knowing that the money was there (we might also have been tempted to spend money frivolously with that knowledge). I think it is no accident that the car sold the moment we arrived in the U.S. It allowed us the opportunity to really rely on the Lord while we were in Brazil and trust that He would take care of our every need while we were there, as well as, upon our return.

I share this story with you because for those of you who are Christians, I want you to recognize that if you are "Called" by God to go somewhere or do something and if you are obedient to that call, regardless of how impossible it may seem, you need to step out in faith and believe that He will provide for you. He ALWAYS comes through-even if it is in the final hour which it often is!

For those of you are not Christians, I share this with you in hopes of encouraging you to believe, not only in the power of prayer, but in God and in His son, Jesus whom died on the cross for our sins. My hope is that you would believe that there is so much more to our lives than simply living day to day for ourselves. We each have a purpose under heaven and there is nothing than can keep us from that purpose if our mind and heart are set on heavenly things and not earthly things.

Be encouraged and believe in the power of prayer!!!

An Interesting Dichotomy

2011-07-07T16:11:00.000-07:00

As we left CTMDT we received hugs from many of our Brazilian friends who walked us out to the car where Junior was loading our luggage. After a smooth but exhausting day of traveling, we arrived home from Brazil yesterday afternoon. It is always nice to walk out of Seatac Airport and breathe in the freshness of the Northwest. There are many things that we love about Brazil, but the staleness of the air is not one of them! Between the exhaust fumes and the mugginess, there is a lot to be desired in the with regards to clean air.

We came home to a beautiful summer day in Seattle. I was in bed by 8:00 our time enjoying the comfort of my own bed! Sleeping in bunk beds with aged mattresses makes for a rough go at attaining sleep. I woke up at my normal time of 5:30, rested and thankful for my cozy home. I went for my daily prayer walk in the early morning drizzle, reflective and a little emotional with mixed feelings in my heart.

We put our dream home up for sale a few weeks ago. We have only had one person look at it which is no surprise in this economy. No one looked at it when we were in Brazil, but today a Realtor had set up an appointment to show the house for the second time. This is what I was reflecting upon with mixed emotions. We love our home and so it is with some sadness that we have made the decision to sell.

We love it and yet it has become a burden both financially and emotionally. It is so big that we feel like all we do is work. I guess we have come to a place in our lives where we just want to be free. I have spoken of simplicity in the past few months. We desire to simplify our lives. How many Americans live a simple life? I honestly can't think of but a couple of people. Marko and I want to be free financially and emotionally to go where we are called to go and to do what we are called to do. At this point, we feel a calling to Brazil. We have no desire to live there full time, however, we do believe that we are to be there part time and for a season. It does not make sense to maintain our large American home based upon this upcoming season of our lives.

We are also experiencing a dichotomy of sorts between our two worlds. To spend time in Brazil is to spend time with people who are very simple in their way of life. They typically have very small homes and older, commuter cars. Their focus is not on materialism, but is on relationships. They seem to have no need to "Keep Up with the Joneses," but instead seem truly content with the simplicity of their lives. I truly respect the Brazilians for having their priorities straight in this regard.

Coming home to our American way of living has become somewhat of a disappointment to us. Are we thankful to live in a country where the American Dream is attainable and desirable? The answer of course is "Yes". The American Dream, as we discussed in our Women's Growth Group at Church, is not a bad thing. Why shouldn't we dream of a better life for ourselves and our children? This in itself is not inherently bad. The err I believe is in the need to "trump" your neighbor: Is in the need to have more money, in order to buy more things, in order to impress others. Most Americans in their pursuit of "things" have landed themselves in a pile of debt for which they have to work their tails off to get out of! Is this a dream that should be admired? Is it a dream that other countries should imitate? I think not. Instead, I think that we should imitate other countries, like Brazil. In Brazil, most people still work hard to save their money and pay cash for their homes. Sadly, I think this is changing as more loans are made available, but there are still many who believe in buying only what they can afford. Please don't think that it is my opinion that all loans are bad. I realized that small loans can help people in poverty start businesses and have homes of their own. This is a good thing. I just disagree with taking out huge loans that can never be paid back and that place unnecessary burdens on families.

I realize that it is not possible for most Americans to pay cash for their homes based upon our current cost of living, but maybe our standard of living is the problem. If we lower our standard of living, perhaps we could actually experience a little more simplicity in our lives. Of course I recognize that many Americans probably don't want to lower their standard of living and that is their choice. I say none of this with a judgmental heart, just a heart that has experienced a lot of change over the past couple of years. A heart that wants everyone to be free of the stress that financial burden brings.

Humbly, and gratefully, the only debt that our family has is our home. Unfortunately, in this economy, the home loan that we have has become a burden. Marko and I want to be free from this burden so that we can pursue God's Calling on our lives, bless others, and be free of the stress that accompanies a mortgage. For these reasons, we have decided to sell our dream home, and because of this decision, I am now experiencing a mixture of emotions.

The people that looked at our house today seemed very interested and the person who looked at it a couple of weeks ago called back with some questions. I have a feeling our house will sell a lot faster than we have planned on. On the one hand, I am feeling a little sad and the thought of packing and moving is a bit overwhelming: not to mention we have no idea where we will go!! On the other hand, I will be very thankful if our house sells in this market, and I will look forward to what the Lord has in store for us!! I know this: He loves us and He wants only good for us.

Jeremiah 29:11 says: "I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

A Joyful Reunion

2011-07-07T15:35:00.000-07:00

Before our 4th of July Celebration, our friend, Claudia, treated us to dinner at her pizza restaurant, Danihlo's Pizza. They make the best pizza in the world and it was our third time eating Jantar (dinner) at Danihlo's in a week!

After our 4th of July Celebration, our old neighbors, Meniho and Gislaine stopped by for a visit. They brought along Pastor Joanzihnio and our other friends, Gislane and Magano. These are friends that we spent a lot of time with in 2009 but whom no longer live in the community. In fact, Gislaine, who is a dentist, is living in the Amazons with an Indian Tribe. She lives a very simple life and is loving it. To get to her house you have to take a 22 hour boat ride up the Amazon River from Northern Brazil. There are smaller, faster boats, but this is the more popular way to make the trip. Our family has been invited to spend some time with this tribe and we hope to do so in the future. Gislaine lives in simple hut with a stone floor and shops once a month for food. She has tried Alligator and turtle which she says taste pretty good. She was not too thrilled with the idea of eating monkey which is another popular food in the Amazon.

Twenty Six Year Old Gislaine loves Gabriella and treated her like a sister. Gislaine is a rare person whose energy equals my crazy daughter's. She and her brother, Maniho, lived next door to us in 2009 and Gislaine would steal Gabriella from me almost every day so that they could wear each other out with their endless energy. Both Gabriella and Gislaine also shared the nickname "G" which further united them as sisters. Gislaine was such a blessing to me. Unfortunately, at almost 43 years old, I do not have a third of the energy that my daughter has. She constantly wears me out with her hyperactive, strong willed personality, and I need frequent breaks from her. Big "G" gave me those breaks while we were living in Brazil and I was so grateful!!

Our visit was short but meaningful. It was so great to reunite with these friends. It was the perfect way to spend our last night in Brazil.

Celebrating The 4th of July with Non-Americans

2011-07-07T15:08:00.000-07:00

It was mid morning on the 4th of July before I realized that it was an American Holiday. Stating the obvious, it is not a holiday that Brazilians celebrate so it was nearly forgotten by our family. I am thankful that Josh had the foresight to give it the honor that it was due. He announced during class that morning that it was a National Holiday for America and that all of the Brazilians were welcome to join us for a nighttime celebration.

About fifty Brazilians showed up around 9:00 P.M. to hear the history of the 4th of July. Josh explained about our countries freedom and how we came to celebrate this important holiday. Marko, Jussara, and Abdu, (a former shiite Muslim) then told the crowd what the 4th of July meant to them. A couple of Brazilians then spoke and shared how thankful they were for America and for our presence in their lives. The Brazilians then surrounded us and prayed for us as individuals and as a country. All in all it was a very moving evening for both Americans and Brazilians alike.

Josh, of course, even played The Star Spangled Banner and posted a picture of the American Flag on his laptop as a display! The evening ended with a small fireworks show that had the Brazilians cheering and gazing in awe. There were Brazilians leaning out the upper story windows as well-hanging onto every word that was shared. I was nearly moved to tears as I stood back and watched this joining of cultures to celebrate the freedom of one.

Mixed Emotions

2011-07-04T07:07:00.001-07:00

It is hard to believe our time in Brazil is coming to an end. We fly out tomorrow night. Truthfully I am not ready to go home. This morning we went to class and I found myself tearful during worship. It just wasn't enough time, and yet I feel that we have accomplished what we set out to do, so I can only be thankful. We will be back-of that I am certain.

I need to share a story with you. On Sunday nights there is a church service for the community that meets at CTMDT. This is the church that Tamaris and her family attend. Typically it is Maria, Tamaris, and Taislania, that go to church. If I remember correctly, the father, Antonio, and the son, Mattheis, usually stay home. Last night I was surprised to see the whole family show up for church. They were decked out in their new clothes and were all smiles! Taislania and Mattheis, who are very shy were happy and VERY talkative for the first time! The joy on their faces was indescribable! The children must have came up to hug me no less than ten times during the course of the evening. My heart was touched and I realized suddenly just how much they were impacted by our giving. And by "Our giving" I don't mean our family, I mean you, our friends and family back home. I wish that you could be here to see their faces and to receive their hugs.

It truly is amazing how a couple of nice outfits can affect a person's whole countenance. Though many material items do not bring true happiness, having our basic needs met can certainly make a person feel more confident and less ashamed. What I saw last night was a family that was transformed by the giving of others. We gave so little and yet it affected this family in ways that I cannot begin to comprehend.

I went to bed last night with my mind racing. I was struck intensely with the realization that as Americans, we can do so much to help this community and to help the world, and we can do it with so little. I know with all of my heart that our family has a future with this small community halfway across the world. Whether it's teaching English, having lunch in the Morro's, or building much needed houses, we will continue to be vessels for the Lord in this place. Tomorrow we will say another tearful goodbye to our friends in Brazil, but it won't be our last goodbye.

At Stanwood Foursquare Church, we have been talking about how we are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus in this hurting world. It is an honor to be the hands and the feet of Jesus in this community.

I wish I had pictures of Tamaris's family in their new clothes but since I don't, I will leave you with some random pictures.

Almoco do Morro

2011-07-03T14:16:00.000-07:00

We were blessed with an amazing lunch with our friends today. I was blown away at how hard they worked to provide a special meal for us. This was their way of thanking us for all that we (you all) have done for them. We were so honored to dine in their home. We ate lunch at the table that we gave them a year and a half ago when we left Brazil for the United States. They set the table with their best linens and insisted that we sit at the table while they sat on the well worn couch.

The food was beautiful and so delicious. They made enough food for five families and kept insisting that we eat more. As a result we are skipping dinner tonight! We left there with our tummies full and our hearts content.

We did not have a translator this time but we managed to converse rather well. I love practicing my Portuguese and cannot wait until the day that I am fluent! I fear this will be a long time off but I am determined to learn this language!

The kids kicked the futebol and Noah and Matteius played with Noah's homemade bow. Marko and I talked with Maria and Antonio the best that we could. It was a very pleasant afternoon and I am so thankful for the opportunity to spend time enjoying the company of Tamaris and her family. I am also grateful that our children got to experience a very different life than our own. It is humbling to realize how much we have in the United States and how little we really, truly need. The contrast is so vast that it overwhelms me.

As you look at these photos, please reflect on how much you have and give thanks to God for His provision in your lives. Please also pray for Tamaris and her family as they are also praying for you.

Brazilian Pho Pas

2011-07-03T07:16:00.000-07:00

It is normal to commit social "Pho Pas" when spending time in different cultures. Today I am going to share a couple of ours with you!

Brazils biggest "futebol" rival is Argentina. Two years ago our friends, Josh and Maisel, thought it would be hilarious to buy Marko an Argentina Futebol shirt. Now the funny thing is that Maisel is Brazilian. I am not sure Maisel realized that Marko would actually "WEAR" the shirt in public. This is not big deal in the U.S. of course but is a major deal in Brazil!

After Marko wore his Argentinian Shirt to class the other day and then into town for lunch, some of the Brazilian students went out and bought him a Brazilian Futebol shirt! Apparently they were afraid he was going to get beat up walking around town!!!

I had to take pictures in each jersey of course! I have also included some random pictures of our Brazilian friends. The darling little girl with Marko is our friend, Eliane's daughter, Sara. We just love this little girl and Gabriella keeps begging me to bring her home with us. I seriously would if I could-she's so cute you just want to squeeze her!!

We are heading out in about an hour to have lunch at Tamaris's house with her family. I learned something new and very important last night. When referring to the slums in Santa Luzia, they are called "Morro's". This is important because favelas have a negative connotation and are associated with drugs. The Morro's of Santa Luzia house many evangelical Christians and are mostly "clean" in regards to drugs. I am so thankful to my friend, Claudia, for educating me in the difference between slums. I had never heard this before, and would hate to insult our friends by committing a "Pho Pas" which I am sure I have already done!!

A Two Way Blessing

2011-07-02T06:47:00.000-07:00

Last night was the highlight of our time in Brazil for me, and is the main purpose for our being here. As I shared in an earlier blog, our church (more specifically the Women's Bible Study) raised some money and donated some items to our friends who live in the slums of Brazil. Tamiris, the fifteen year old daughter whom we are close to, came to CTMDT to walk us to her house. This was a big deal as she would not take me to see her home in 2009 because she was embarrassed. I could tell that she was nervous last night, but I just tried to make her as comfortable as possible.

We brought along one of my English Students, Issabella, to help translate. Tamaris and her family live in a cement house that is about 300 sq. feet. There are five family members and they all sleep in one room. Originally, I did not think they had a bathroom in their house. I was happy to see that they did have a small bathroom though it only had a curtain separating it from the rest of the house. They obtain their water from a wealthy neighbor on the hill. Apparently this is how most of the neighborhood gets their water. Fortunately, the city will be coming into the favelas in the near future to bring water and to build a paved road. This is great news on some fronts, but presents a challenge on others. The first challenge is that the proposed road will be built in the middle of our friend's only bedroom. Secondly, having water brought to the neighborhood will cost the individual families money that they don't have.

First we gave them some USA shirts that we brought from home. They immediately put them on and posed for some photos. They proudly wore the United States symbol and will most likely wear them often. We have found that every Brazilian we have given a U.S. shirt, hat, or bag to has worn it proudly. At least there are still countries around the world that love Americans!

We presented three bags of clothes and shoes to the family. They were overwhelmed. The mom, Maria, told us that they have gone many years without clothes. She also told me that she only had one pair of pants prior to last night when we were able to give her several pairs of pants that were donated from the U.S.

They were silent as they sorted through the many pairs of brand new shoes that our good friends, the Thayers donated. We asked them to share the shoes with their friends as there were too many for one family.

After visiting for a while, we asked them what their greatest needs were as we still have some cash that was designated for their family. They said that they felt ashamed to share their needs as we had already given them so much. We sat in silence for a few minutes and then I told them that our church was very honored to bless them. They finally shared that they needed to build a new bedroom (or two) since their one bedroom was going to be demolished. Their dream was to have two bedrooms so their teenage daughters could have some privacy.

I nearly cried when Maria was speaking and sharing her heart. She told us that this was her biggest dream. Can you imagine having your biggest dream be for your daughters to have their own room?! I was overwhelmed with gratefulness that the Lord allowed us the privilege of knowing this humble family, and that through the generosity of our church back home, we were able to bless them. Today they are going to find out how much it will cost to add a bedroom to to their humble home and we are hopeful that we will be able to purchase the materials necessary to build the room prior to our departure back to the U.S. on Tuesday. Our time here has been short but very productive and our hearts are full of love and gratefulness for our Brazilian community.

Thank you so much for being a vessel of the Lord and for caring about those halfway across the world. This was definitely a two way blessing. Through your generosity we were able to bless this family with material needs, but I think that this humble family blessed us even more!

A Dia do Visitando Amigos (A day of Visiting Friends)

2011-06-30T13:55:00.000-07:00

After enjoying a nice lunch with the Staff of i2 and CTMDT today, our family walked around the community visiting friends. First we stopped by our old house-the red one that we rented for six months in 2009. As we were peaking through the gate the new renter saw us and welcomed us in for a visit. Our old neighbor was also visiting so we chatted for a few minutes and met the renters new puppies. From there we continued on to Louis and Mattheus's house to surprise them. These boys were friends of Marko and Noah's from Brazilian School. Their family invited us to their family farm shortly after we arrived in Brazil in 2009. They treated us to a day of swimming, good conversation, and Churrasco (delicious Brazilian barbequed meat)!

Marko, Gabriella, and I left the boys to play with their friends while we looped around the block to Claudia's house. If you remember, Claudia and her husband, Danihlo, were good friends to us when we moved to Brazil. Unfortunately, Danihlo died four months after we returned to the U.S. It is sad being here without Danihlo. He was a leader in the community and is greatly missed. Claudia wasn't home so we stopped a few doors down at Itimar and Nusa's (our old landlord's). Itimar was alone-roasting coffee in his outdoor oven. Marko and I spent about an hour watching as he stirred coffee beans over an open fire. Most middle to upper class Brazilians have outdoor kitchens where they are able to cook over open fires. I love this part of living in Brazil and if we ever own a house here it will have an outdoor kitchen! Something that is rare in Washington State for obvious reasons!

We ended our afternoon at the local internet cafe owned by our friends, Seshu and Zuma. The cafe is directly across the street from CTMDT and is where the students and staff hang out between classes. The cafe is new since we were here last. There is also a lunchonette in CTMDT that is equally popular, but does not have reliable internet! I am sitting in the cafe now. Marko Sr. went into the city for a meeting, Marko G. is helping in the kitchen, Noah is currently glued to the flat screen watching Brazilian Cartoons, and Gabby is playing with her friend, Lauda at CTMDT. It has been a nice ending to another pleasant day in Brazil.

I need to tell you about the photo with the young children. Our friend, Leo (on the right) was one of my English Students. He is the one who had a heart for the homeless. One of the homeless that he opened his home to was a single mom. She had a beautiful baby girl named Amirila when we were here in 2009. In our absence, she had a second baby (a boy) named Daniel. The mom gave up her parenting rights and Leo, who is a 26 year old, single man, decided to become their legal guardian. He is a wonderful dad to these two children, and it is amazing how the community here at CTMDT has come around him and to help him raise these children and provide for them. Apparently, the mom had taken the kids to live on the streets with her for a period of time. When Leo got them back they were naked, filthy, and had lice in their hair. That was two months ago. Now they are clean, happy, and very loved children. It warms my heart to see what a young man like Leo has given up in order to give these children a home and a family.

Tears for Sudan

2011-06-29T10:43:00.000-07:00

This morning we watched a video about Sudan as a part of our class on "The Life of Muhammad." As a result, there was a room full of emotional students, including myself. I have included some photo's from the video in hopes that you will be able to grasp the destitution of these people. Most of us know that Sudan is riddled with poverty and sickness. What is unknown to most of us in the West is how Islam has brutally controlled and maimed the Sudanese Christians.

Three thousand Sudanese Christians are killed every week for their faith. They are raped, sold to slavery, brutally murdered, and even forced to become soldiers at very young ages.

If a Christian converts to Islam, he or she can receive help from the government. If not, they are left to survive on their own. Starvation and sickness are killing the Sudanese in large numbers.

At times, I am almost embarrassed to be an American because of the reputation for gluttony and consumerism that we have around the world. Today, as I watched this tearful video on Sudan, I was proud to be an American. In the 1990's, Americans responded to the need in Sudan. We dropped large amounts of food into the hardest hit parts of Sudan, and we continue to do so. The food that has been sent has transformed the lives of the sick and dying. Even so, the situation in Sudan is far from inhabitable. To be a Christian in Sudan is to be persecuted beyond what any of us from the West can comprehend.

As we study the Life of Muhammad, and his violent ways, we cannot fathom how anyone could look to him as "The perfect human example", as Muslims do. Please educate yourselves on this religion and its violent leader. Take the time to read books like "The Biography of Muhammad" and "The Son of Hammas." Learn to love the Muslims enough to teach them a different way; to teach them about the love of a Savior, to teach them about a God who is personal and loving-not distant and violent.

CTMDT

2011-06-27T13:42:00.001-07:00

We arrived at CTMDT (The Missionary College) last night to a warm welcome from our old friends. It was so heart warming to be welcomed back with such enthusiasm. Most of the students that we know have graduated, but most of the staff are still here-the majority of which were my English Students.

The kids immediately went for a swim to the amusement of the Brazilians. It is their winter and most of them are in long pants and sweatshirts. Their winter is similar to our summer, so we are quite comfortable to be wearing shorts!

We are here with i2 Ministries which is a Ministry that trains Christians in the history and fundamentals of Islam, and who's goal is to lead Muslims into a relationship with Christ. Training started this morning. Marko and I have been through the training before but are here as support for i2 and its founder, our friend, Joshua Lingel. Though we will attend some classes, we will not be completing the whole training. It is a relief to not have to study our tails off like the last time we were here! This time, we can enjoy some time with our children without the pressures of studies!

We are headed out to one of our favorite restaurants (X-Burgers) for a Brazilian Hamburger and some Acai dessert! I will leave you with some photos of the kids at the pool and some of our Brazilian friends.

The two girls with the colorful bags are our friends, Tamaris and Taslaina. They are teenage sisters who live in the favelas (slums). Thanks to those of you who donated money to help them, we were able to bring them some clothes from the United States. The bags are filled with clothes and the girls were all smiles when they opened their gifts-thank you for blessing them! We have many more things to present them with, and I will be sure and post those pictures when we do!

Boa Noite!

Back in Brazil

2011-06-25T06:50:00.000-07:00

After 28 hours of traveling (18 of which were in the air), we arrived in Belo Horizonte, Brazil yesterday evening. It is good to be back in this country that we love, and we anticipate the next two weeks as we make new friends and reunite with old ones.

Our friends, Maisel and Marcia met us at the hotel where their friend, Junior, dropped us off, and we went out to a wonderful Brazilian Meal. It was great to eat Brazilian food again-something that we have missed!

We are currently staying at a hotel as our room at the Missionary College was having some major toilet issues. Apparently the smell in our room was so bad that they decided to put us up in a hotel for the first couple of days. After our initial disappointment, we decided to just enjoy the next day or two with our family. Once we get the the college we won't have a lot of quiet time!

The kids did amazing traveling. They were troopers as we manouvered (sp) four different flights to get here.

This blog will be short as the kids just woke up (11:00) and we are starving! I will leave you with some photos that we took from the airplane. They are breathtaking and I have labeled them "The Signature of God." I will also post some pictures of us with our fifteen pieces of luggage which we miraculously crammed into a Volkswagon! Just so you don't think we brought that much stuff for ourselves, we have four large bags of clothes, shoes, and school supplies that were donated from our church to a family we know that lives in the favelas. Thank you to all who donated! I will post pictures of the family when they receive their gifts later this week.

Goodbye Boaddicea "Bo"

2011-06-21T12:42:00.000-07:00

As we feared, our faithful dog, Boaddicea, had to be put to sleep this morning. Bo had a very aggressive form of cancer which caused her to gain about thirty pounds in a week. She had an enormous tumor that grew out of control in a short amount of time. We are very saddened by this loss, but are very thankful that she is no longer suffering.

I know it's probably not fair to pick a favorite dog, but if I am completely honest then Bo would be my lifetime favorite. Though she was only in our lives for fourteen months, she brought an amazing amount of joy into our lives. I need to share a little about Bo's story with you.

About sixteen months ago Marko and I were at Wells Fargo making a deposit. When we pulled into the parking lot we saw a pickup truck with six English Mastiffs in the back. You can imagine how impressive a sight this was. The largest dog (the dad) was 260 pounds. We were equally intimidated, and drawn, to these massive animals and soon began a discussion with the owner. He told us they were looking for a good home for one of the "puppies"-an eleven month old, 80 pound female.

Marko and I had always wanted a big dog so we told the owner that we were very interested in adopting "Boadiccea". He gave us his number and told us to call him. A month went by during which time Marko's mom passed away. We were slightly preoccupied so thoughts of Bo went to the back of our minds. We assumed that she had already gotten a new home, but when things settled down, we decided to call just to be sure. The owner had been waiting for us the whole time! He said that he thought we were the right people to take Boadiccea. We drove out to see Bo and bring her home.

She seemed very skittish when we went to pick her up and did not engage with us which caused us a little concern. We took her anyways. No sooner had we gotten home than she bolted from the car-leash and all and disappeared into the woods. We soon learned that she had never been on a leash before and was traumatized by the experience! Big 80 pound baby she was! We left food out that night and sure enough she found her way back to eat; something we would learn was somewhat of an obsession for Bo!

She disappeared again the next morning spending the day wandering our local community. We had to call her owner and have him drive over with his truck full of Bo's Mastiff Family in order to persuade her to come back home. Feeling a little bit wiser, we locked Bo in the dog kennel only to have her dig out in record time and disappear once again! Fortunately, that voracious appetite of hers brought her back at dinner time!

Bo managed to warm up to us a little bit over the next two weeks although we determined there were some serious issues with her-including a fear of men. We finally decided it was time to take her on her first outing. We took her down to the beach house where she again bolted the minute we let her out of the car. Of course she had no name tag or collar as we had plans to pick one of that very day- never dreaming she would bolt again!! Feeling like "Pet Owners of the Year", we had to call her old owner AGAIN and let him know we lost her and to keep his eyes and ears open.

For some reason this dog had already stolen my heart in the two weeks that we had had her. I posted photos and notices all over the neighborhood and local businesses. Nearly three weeks after Bo disappeared, I got a call from my parents telling me that their neighbor had seen Bo in town at a junk yard. She had traveled approximately three miles to get to her location at the junk yard. She was hiding between two shipping containers: She was greasy, emaciated, and scared to death. I will be honest and say that I was quite fearful as I tried to coax her out with a bowl of food. Having a frightened, large breed dog with a menacing bark can be a little intimidating!

After about twenty minutes, Bo finally followed me to the car where she inhaled a bowl of food. From that day on, I was Bo's "momma". She was glued to my side for the next fourteen months and she never wandered far from home again. She loved to just lean against me any chance she got. She would go for walks with me every morning; possessively pushing our other dog, Peanut, out of the way!

Although Boaddicea was fiercely loyal to our family, she continued to be timid around our friends and family. She scared people so much that Marko threatened to get rid of her if she did not become more socialized. We called in a Canine Behavioral Specialist who quickly fell in love with Bo and convinced us that she just needed a stable home, and that she was confident that Bo was not harmful. I started to work with her, socializing her at every opportunity. It took several months, but she came around and eventually was comfortable with our continual rotation of friends and family. Our friend and neighbor, Chris, walked down almost every day and brought her treats which also helped her to get over her fear of men.

With our children Boaddicea was incredible. At her two year old weight of 145 pounds, she thought she was a lap dog! She would crawl up in our laps anytime she could-nuzzling her enormous head against our necks. She seemed to especially love our middle son, Noah. She was constantly climbing in the overstuffed chair with him or climbing on his bed. In fact, she became Noah's alarm clock. Noah, being our hard to wake up child, needed a little "nudge" in the mornings. At 7 o'clock when it was time for Noah to get up for school, I would open his bedroom door and let Bo do her job! She would climb on top of Noah, lick his face and then snuggle in next to his right side (nearest the wall). Like clockwork, Bo would lay there for a minute and then kick with all four paws-kicking Noah right out of bed!! It was hilarious and I always intended to film it for America's Funniest Home Video's" but I never got around to it. The best thing about this was that; our typically grumpy in the morning Noah would wake up happy every day-even though he was often drenched in drool!

I can't believe I nearly wrote a book about my four legged friend: "Just an animal" as some would say. Strangely, there was something almost human about Boaddicea which endeared her to our hearts. I hope I haven't bored you with the details of her life, but I needed to write her story as part of my grieving process. Her short life (just two years) brought joy into the lives of a family who desperately needed some joy. We are forever grateful that we were chosen to be the ones to love her and give her a stable home for her short time on this earth.

Now I leave you with wise words from my 12 year old son, "If everyone had a dog like Boaddicea the world would be a happier place."

New Opportunities

2011-06-20T11:47:00.000-07:00

With the ending of one season comes the beginning of another. After saying goodbye to Lifestyle Homes and also to raising young children, Marko and I have had several new opportunities presented to us. We are very grateful for this season of new beginnings.

Through a strange series of events, Marko auditioned for the role of "Cameron Clay" in a T.V. Mini Series called "Somethings Out There" by local producer Michael Lienau. Michael his wife, Shari, and their nine children have become dear friends to us over these past few months as we have spend countless hours filming (in Marko's case), and hanging out on set (in my case). It was such a "God thing" that Marko got this role and I believe it was the Lord's way of pulling him up out of a depression that had seized hold of him during the past three years of stress and loss.

Marko, who had never acted in his life, seemed to be the perfect fit for the role of Cameron Clay. He had so much fun hanging out with the cast and crew of "Somethings Out There" and we look forward to the future and what it will hold. At this time, the trailor is completed as well as an introductory clip of the Mini Series which is a Christian film meant to counteract such popular supernatural shows as "Twilight" and "Harry Potter" with the real supernatural (spiritual). "Something's Out There" is aimed at families and specifically "Tweens". Several networks are interested in picking up the series, but financing is still in the works. You can view the trailor for this film at: somethingsoutthere.com. Look for key word: Joshua Clay. It is possible that when the show is picked up they will want some new Actors/Actresses. We are, of course, hopeful that Marko will be able to continue being a part of this amazing vision that the Lienau's and the show's writer have had. I truly believe that this mini series will have far reaching affects and will bring many into the fold's of Christ.

To his amazement, Marko is doing something else that he never would have imagined. He is selling cars in Renton with his friend, Tony. Always one to joke about used car salesmen, Marko is biting his words as he takes on this role himself. Marko needed a job and Tony had a position to fill. For the past four or five months Marko has been commuting to Renton and learning the car game. I must say, I think that he surprised himself with how much he is enjoying sales and the benefits of being a part of a team again. This is in no way his lifetime ambition, however, it serves a purpose for this season of time and we are grateful for a steady paycheck (and health insurance)!!!

As for me: Several small opportunities have arisen for me during this past year. After helping out with the Women's Bible Study and retreat at our church last Fall, I was asked to take over as the Coordinator for Women's Bible Studies. This came as a total surprise to me and it took me several weeks to say "yes" to this position. When I think about it, it is almost comical that I took so long to decide. The Lord put Women's Ministries on my heart eighteen years ago. I have had a strong desire to lead women for all of these years. I just wasn't prepared for someone to ask me straight out if I was willing to take over and then to have several people confirm that role for me. I suppose I had given up on the idea of leading Women's Ministries as I poured myself into the tasks of motherhood.

I love my (volunteer) position with Women's Ministries at Stanwood Foursquare, but I also realized that I need to make some money! Upon accepting the position, I was immediately given the opportunity to help design some flip flops for our good friend's shoe company. I had so much fun doing this and was blessed when they paid me well for it! The flip flops will be out in Spring of 2012! That may have been the end of my flip flop design career, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself and appreciate Bob and Danielle for allowing me to help!!

Just recently I got a job writing for an internet company called "The Content Authority". I have not yet had time to write any articles (other than the one that got me accepted) as we are headed for Brazil in two days! Let's just say that I am VERY excited and thankful for a chance to hone my writing skills. This is something I am passionate about and hope that it will lead me to other writing jobs. My life and my heart are full!

New Additions and Fond Farewells

2011-06-10T19:02:00.000-07:00

Is it any surprise that it has already been a couple of months since my last post in which I promised "A series of Posts" to catch you up on our lives?!! So much for all the time I planned to spend writing this year! I am pretty certain this has been our busiest year yet and somehow I don't think things will be slowing down anytime soon...

Sadly, I have not even introduced you to our amazing exchange student, Cristian. Cristian is an 18 year old young man from Venezuela who spent the past ten months living with our family. This morning at the crack of dawn, we drove down to Seatac Airport to say goodbye to Cristian as he headed back to his home town of Caracas, Venezuela, and to his eager family and friends.

Cristian was a senior at Stanwood High School. He has a very precious heart and we were blessed to have him as a part of our family. In the short time that he was here, he touched many people with his thankful heart and his infectious smile. Cristian will be missed by many, but we know we will see him again! Our tearful goodbye was not goodbye forever.

Along with Cristian, we acquired a few more new faces around the Jukanovich household this year! Cristian had always wanted ferrets which are not native to South America. Like the good Host Parents that we are, we thought it would be a great idea to buy a ferret for Cristian for Christmas!! He lit up like a five year old inspecting his new bike when we put that albino ferret in his arms! It was priceless. We soon decided that "Poncho", as Cristian called him, needed a friend. We found a cute little guy on Craigslist and Marko and I drove down to Seattle to pick up "Pepe"! The adorable little guys were buddies immediately and we patted ourselves on the back for purchasing two cute little ferret friends. Cristian actually bought them little leashes and harnesses and would take them on walks to the park where he claimed to get lots of attention from the girls!!

The only problem with ferrets is that they stink like I can't even describe and they don't seem to be willing to potty train! Our pats on the back soon turned into kicks in the rear as we realized how high maintence ferrets are! They started out in our mudroom but quickly ended up in our garage. Cristian had to clean their cage multiple times a day which got old real fast!! As happens with most kids, Cristian soon learned that animals are more work than he ever imagined. After several months, we decided that the ferrets needed a new home. We struggled to find someone to take them. Finally, in a desperate attempt to get rid of them we dropped them off at a ferret rescue shelter, where admittedly the owners appeared to be away. Upon returning home and being laden with guilt, we drove all the way back to the shelter only to find that the little creatures had literally "weasled" their way out of the zippered cage that we had left them in....oopsie! I felt really bad-truly I did-at least for a brief moment!

A few months prior to buying the ferrets, we picked up three pigmy goats-one for each kid. The kids got to name their goat and help take care of them by feeding, watering, and cleaning their stinky cage!! Their names were Rocky, Jimmy, and Cosmo. Pigmy goats are adorable, stubborn, and pretty low maintenance. Still, it was just more than we wanted to be responsible for. I say "were" because we recently sold them to some friends in an attempt to simplify our lives-the goal of the year!!

The last addition to the Jukanovich Family this year was our amazing English Mastiff, Boaddicea. "Bo" who started out to be a fearful, timid, and somewhat schizophrenic, ended up being the best dog we have ever had. We all love Bo-even Marko Sr. who would never admit it! She weighs 145 pounds but considers herself a lap dog! She literally will climb in anyone's lap at anytime and try to bury her head in your neck. It's the cutest darn thing! She has brought our family so much joy! Sadly, we might be saying goodbye to Bo much sooner than we want. Though she is only two years old, it is most likely that her body is filled with cancer. A tumor the size of a grapefruit was found in her ovaries recently. The vet said that he has never seen anything like it before and never in a dog so young. Bo's stomach is filled up with fluid and we fear that we are losing her.

It has been a year of welcoming new members to our family as well as a year of saying goodbye to those same members. Whether by choice or not, the circumstances of our lives seem to be aiding our desire for simplification.

As a side note, we put our house up for sale this week. We designed our home, we built it, and we love it. We just feel like it is time to downsize and free ourselves up for whatever and wherever the Lord calls us to go. For now, we are headed back to Brazil on June 23rd for two weeks of training with i2 Ministries. We can't wait to go back and visit our friends in Santa Luzia, practice our Portuguese, and eat Acai Berry frozen dessert!!! As far as our future goes....

"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails."

Stay tuned as that purpose becomes clear.

A Season of Loss

2010-11-20T08:58:00.000-08:00

It is hard to believe that I have not blogged for ten months!! So much has happened since our return from Brazil that life has been a bit consuming! I have missed writing about our lives, for to me writing is therapy! I have much to share but will try to catch everyone up in a couple of different entries starting with "A Season of Loss". I will begin with the following verse in Matthew 6:19:

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

As mentioned in our previous blog, my mother in law was fighting for her life last February. She lost her fight and went home to be with the Lord on February 25, 2010. How thankful we were to have had one last Christmas with her. Her passing has left a void in our lives, but we are incredibly grateful that she is no longer suffering. Her legacy lives on in her two amazing sons and her six grandchildren.

Losing Barbara was just the beginning of personal loss for our family. We have known nine people who have died since our return from Brazil. One of those people was a dear Brazilian friend of ours, Danihlo. We mentioned Danihlo in past blogs. He was instrumental in the success of our time living in Brazil. He was invaluable to our family and especially to Marko as he pursued business in Brazil. We feel the sting of his death and our hearts go out to his wife, Claudia, and their son, Daninhlo.

Physical death has been only one type of loss in our lives. We have experienced losses of lesser magnitudes including loss of our company, assets, finances, and material items. Though these pale in comparison to the loss of human life, they each require their own form of grief. So, I guess you could say this has been a year of grieving for Marko and I. Not only have we said goodbye to many dear people, we have also said goodbye to our company, Lifestyle Homes, and all of the people, successes, and purpose that went along with it.

This has been a year of letting go of the past with its successes and failures and embracing the uncertainty of our future. It has been a year of searching our hearts and digging deep within our souls in order to find the strength to begin again. Our strength comes not from ourselves but from the Spirit of God living in us.

With all of these losses and the continued pressures from a deteriorating economy, we hold on to the fact that as Christians, our treasures are in heaven! Where are your treasures today? I believe this is a time to take inventory of our lives and consider that which we can take hold of. I still struggle to let go of our past life. I will admit that I miss having financial stability. I do not, however, want to miss out on what the Lord is showing me during this time and I do not want to miss what he has for my future. So, I hold on to his promise in Romans 8:28: "In all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

THE ENDING OF A SEASON

2010-02-23T13:12:00.000-08:00

Just as Winter turns to Spring and hard ground gives birth to life, so one season of life turns into another. Our time in Brazil came to an end in December and we have begun a new season of life back in the United States.

The season we left was one of growth and life changing experiences. We left behind a community that we fell in love with and some lifetime relationships. On our departing day we had several people stop by to say goodbye. It was a very emotional time and I have included photos from that day. I was especially touched by our young friend, Tamaris. Tamaris is a fourteen year old girl who spent a lot of time with our family. She was very shy and I had no idea how much our family meant to her until the day we left. She gave me a beautiful photo of herself with a very nice message on the back telling me how much she loved our family. She was sobbing as she hugged me goodbye and my heart broke as I watched her walk dejectedly down the street towards her home in the favelas. I know we will see Tamaris again, and if there comes a day when she wants to come live with us in the U.S. we would welcome her with open arms.

We surprised our friends and family, not telling anyone we were coming home. It was incredible to just show up at their doors and see the shock on their faces. We were home for Christmas which turned out to be more of a blessing than we even knew....considering it might have been our last Christmas with Grandma Barbara, who is currently in the hospital fighting for her life.

The season that we came home to has been very difficult. Not only are we facing the prospect of losing our beloved Barbara, but we are also dealing with the struggles associated with shutting down our once successful construction company. It seems that we are in an altogether changing season of our lives. As we approach middle age (assuming being 41 and 43 is considered middle age), we realize more than ever how fragile life is. Not only is life fleeting, but our circumstances can be fleeting as well. There is nothing in our lives on earth that we can hold onto forever. Like the vision Isaiah had in verse 40:7 in the old testiment, so are our lives: "The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are the grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever." In this season of loss we stand on the biblical truth that not only does the word of God stand forever, but our hope is in an eternal God who loves us and has our best interest in mind.

Romans 8:28 says the following: "We know that in ALL things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Even when our future appears bleak, we can believe in these words from the Author of Salvation!

The Lord has put some specific things on our heart regarding Brazil. We know Brazil will be a part of our future-but more on that later!

FINAL DIA ESCOLA

2009-12-05T11:45:00.000-08:00

Friday was the kids last day of school. Summer vacation starts next week for the Brasileros. It is quite strange to think of having summer vacation during Christmas. It is also hard to get used to seeing Christmas decorations when a typical day hovers around 100 degrees! I must say that we have been enjoying some Washington weather this week though. It has rained every day for about eight days and today it has not let up at all. I have mentioned in the past that the only bummer about this is that we do not have any clean, dry clothes! Most of our wardrobe is hanging outside under our porch smelling like a damp dog! Ugh!!! I do look forward to having a dryer again!

We took the onibus into the city this morning with our neighbors, Patricia and Saulo, to celebrate Saulo's 24th birthday!!! We feel like the old folks around here! We are practically old enough to be their parents. I can't remember if I mentioned this before, but my age seems to really be hitting me in the face here in Brazil. The students at CTMDT refer to us as their "older friends" and sometimes even call me mom! How on earth did that happen?!!! I still think of myself as 32! What was really humbling was when I realized that the precious couple that I have been referring to as the kids local "grandparents" are exactly my age!! Oops! Thank goodness they did not realize I had been calling them grandma and grandpa! I could have sworn they had a decade on me! Guess I better take a look in the mirror!

O.K., back to school....The kids have had a great experience going to school here in Brazil. They attended a local private school called "Colegio Cramer". The boys had to get up for school at 6:00 A.M. which was a bit of a challenge, but they rose to the occasion and we are very proud of them. Going to an all Portuguese speaking school was not easy. Often times they would complain of being bored. When they did this I would remind them of their friends at school back home who came from China three years ago. It was not easy at first but eventually these girls started to speak English and are now doing very well. Most days the boys would come home with smiles on their faces, so I knew they were having a decent experience.

Gabriella went to school in the afternoon. Though she struggled most days when being dropped off, she was all smiles at the end of the day. It is hard to tell exactly how much our children actually learned this year but we know that the experience has been educating in itself. They are not fluent in Portuguese, but they understand a lot and can communicate quite well. We tried to keep up on American homework at home but we won't know until we get back to the states where the kids are at. I am hopeful that the five months of school here in Brazil has been a good thing that will have far reaching affects on them, whether or not they have managed to keep up with their classmates back home.

I have posted some pictures of each kid with their teachers and classmates. I also included a photo of Noah with his teacher, Angela, whom I particularly liked. The staff at Cramer was wonderful and we are so thankful that they allowed our kids to attend their school without a bunch of hassle or paperwork. It was just one more experience that went surprisingly smoothly for us in this foreign country.

2009-12-04T10:15:00.000-08:00

I have been planning to blog about some of the people who have helped our transition here in Brazil to be one of relative ease. There are many people who have reached out to us and gone above and beyond as we have settled into life in a foreign country. I will only be mentioning a few of them since I do not have family photos of everyone and I want you to see, as well as hear how they have blessed us. Maisel and Marcia have been a huge help to us in many ways. I regret that I do not have a family picture of them. I posted a couple of photos of them on a previous blog; two separate photos of them with their darling son, Samuel.

Our friend, Silvia, speaks good English and helped us to get our CPF cards (equivalent to a U.S. Social Security Card). She has also helped us with translations at the school that our children attend. Silvia's husband, Gustavo, is a helicopter mechanic at a local airport. Their daughter, Anna Victoria, is Gabriella's closest friend here in Brazil.

Eliane, an English Teacher, came along side me to help me in my preparations for teaching English. I came to Brazil totally unprepared to teach English, and she generously loaned me many books and activities from her stockpile of teaching lessons. She has opened up her heart and her home to our family, and we are thankful for her. She and her husband, Geraldo, have three children: Diego, Daniel, and Sarah.

Our neighbors, Gislaine and Claydson, have been like family to us. We have spent more time with them than anyone else in Brazil. We are privileged to have them in our lives and we will miss them terribly. Gislaine, who at 26 and has the energy that I no longer have, took Gabriella under her wings and has formed a lifetime bond with our youngest child. This precious brother and sister have helped us to communicate with the landlords that we both share and have also assisted us in paying our bills when necessary. We have shared meals, laughs, vacations, and tears. Our lives have been impacted through their love.

Danilho and Claudia, have been a wealth of information for us. I have mentioned that they own our favorite local pizza restaurant. They also run the Creche, the school I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that provides affordable education for the poor. Danilho has driven Marko around on several occasions to work out the details of living in Brazil. He has been invaluable to us and has introduced us to many people whom have assisted us in ways that are yet to be fully realized. We thank God for he and Claudia as well as their son, Danininho.

Ezra, is a dear CTMDT student who amazes us with her maturity. Ezra is a twenty two year old former Muslim who speaks four languages. Born in Bosnia and raised in Germany, she is a worldly-wise young woman! She is always there to interpret for us when we need it and she has blessed us with her contagious joy. We have enjoyed talking with her about her "boyfriend" problems and have been blessed to pray with her regarding her desires to be married and to go into the mission field.

There are many other Brazilians that have reached out to us and loved us. We are so humbled by this culture of people and their warmth towards us. We are in awe of their contentment in the little things. We have learned so much from watching their lives and from experiencing their love. We are forever changed and forever grateful for this experience in Brazil, and we believe this is only the beginning of our relationship with this little community.

FELIZ ANIVERSARIO

2009-11-30T12:48:00.000-08:00

This afternoon our neighbors, Gislaine and Claydson, had a birthday party for two of our friends, Gustovo and Magano. I realize you do not know these people but I just wanted to post some pictures of some of our friends/neighbors. We all live within walking distance of each other. Though I miss the tranquility of our home in the United States, I will definitely miss this sense of community. I love being able to pop my head over the wall and ask to borrow a xicara of farinha (a cup of flour)! The other day Marko Gabriel got in a water fight with Gislaine. I still am not sure who started it, but Marko had the garden hose and Gislaine a bucket of water. I heard screaming and ran out to take a picture. On Saturday we decided to have a potluck breakfast together. The kids have taken to climbing over the wall between our houses. I am not sure they realize how much they will miss this when we are back in the United States.

I had to take this picture of our friends eating American Chocolate Chip Cookies. They have become a favorite in our neighborhood and like I have shared, I have taught many people how to make them. In fact, I am teaching two more friends how to make cookies tomorrow. I need to send some chocolate chips to Brazil. They are very hard to find. I have never actually seen any. We have to buy large chocolate bars and break them up into pieces. Based on this fact, I suppose I should change the name to Chocolate Chunk Cookies.

I have to share something that we learned today about the mail system in Brazil. If you send a package from the United States you have to mark it as a "present". If you don't and it weighs over a certain amount, the post office in Brazil will charge the receiving person a large amount of money! A few weeks ago we received a box of coffee and syrup from a friend. We had to pay 130 reais (or around $70) to be able to get the package. We thought this was ridiculous, but somewhat humorous. Here we were having to pay for a care package that someone already paid for in the U.S.! We were not sure why this was the case, so we paid the money and enjoyed the contents of the box very much! It was not so humorous today when we received another box with a price tag of about $360 reais! Marko went to the post office with a friend and was told that he could choose to pay the money for the box or they could send the box back to the U.S. for free! We don't really understand the logic in all of this, but we sent the package back! We will, after all, be home in January to retrieve it! Lesson: If you ever need to send a package to Brazil, make sure you claim it as a "present"!!!

The young man in the photo with Marko and I is one of our favorite students. His name is Enrique and he is dear to our hearts. His family invited us to spend some time with them in Rio over Christmas vacation, and we hope to have him come live with us in the United States sometime in the future.

THE FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT

2009-11-29T00:17:00.001-08:00

Yesterday we spent the day at our friend, Tina's, country estate. Tina was the first person to open up her home to us when we arrived in Brazil. She lived in London for fourteen years and has been a great "English speaking" contact for us. I wrote about her and her beautiful home a few months ago. As I was wandering her gardens yesterday, taking pictures of her amazing tropic fruit trees, I started to think about the many comparisons that Jesus makes in the bible about our lives producing good or bad fruit.

We are struggling as a family right now to live at peace with one another. It has been about 100 degrees for two weeks and our tiny house is like an oven. The kids have been getting on each others nerves and have been treating each other and their parents disrespectfully. Marko and I have been a bit grumpy ourselves! Yesterday was a tough morning. We sat the kids down to have a little discussion before leaving for Tina's. We told them how proud we were of them for coming to Brazil and that we knew it had not been easy. We talked about how they have been treating each other and how it saddens God's heart as well as ours. Marko asked them to really think about how they were talking to each other and what a stranger would think of our family if they stood outside our home and listened. We told them we have to be the same in the privacy of our own home as we are in public or we are not being "real". We talked about how the Lord knows and hears all things. We then prayed and began our day once again with changed attitudes. This little discussion with our kids, along with seeing the fruit trees at Tina's led me to the vision for this blog.

One of my favorite verses in the bible is Galatians 5:22 which says: "But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control."

I want these attributes in my life, but often struggle to have them. I especially struggle with patience! It is amazing how the weather can have an effect on our attitudes, but here in Brazil my patience is definitely affected by the heat! I have to admit that I am struggling with self control as well. The food here is so amazing and the Brazilian Culture is such that they want you to eat with them and often times they don't stop eating until ten at night! This has been a challenge for me. Saying "no" doesn't seem to be an option!

Another verse that I want to share is John 15:1-6 regarding "The fruits of the Spirit": "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit.; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned."

In the same way a gardener prunes the dead branches in an orchard to produce good fruit, the Lord wants to prune his people so that they only produce good fruit. I don't know about you, but I need daily pruning! I desire to have the "Fruits of the Spirit" evident in my life. I want my impatience and my lack of self control to be thrown into the fire and replace with much " good fruit"!

When you look at these photos of some of Brazil's exotic fruits, consider they ways that the Lord is trying to prune your life so that you produce much fruit! I have included a picture of Tina picking fruit off one of her trees and a picture of the children by the pool.

A HAWAIIAN FAREWELL

2009-11-27T06:18:00.000-08:00

This is my last week teaching English in Brazil for the year. I mentioned recently that December is summer break in Brazil. Most of my students are either graduating or heading home for Feliz Natal (Christmas). They will come back in February to start a new school year.

One of my classes consists of the staff at CTMDT who are also leaving for vacation. Thursday was our last class together and they wanted to make me breakfast to say thank you. My theme for class that day was a Hawaiian/Beach theme. I wanted to share some of my photos with you. These students are very special to me and I am saddened to say goodbye. We will not be here when they get back from vacation. They prayed for our family and told us to please come back to live in Brazil full time. We are planning on heading home in January to spend some time resting and seeking God on our future involvement with our Brazilian Community. We do not plan to live here full time, but can see ourselves traveling here yearly and contributing to the community of Santa Luzia which we have come to love, not for its physical beauty, but for the beauty of the people and their hearts towards our family. We are still considering the job offer that has been presented to us to start and run an English Program for the Missionary College.

Just as school is wrapping up for the year, so are sports. Marko has been playing on a futebol team most Thursday nights for fun with some of the CTMDT students, as well as, local community members. The guys have nicknamed him "Renaldo" who is a famous professional futebol player here in Brazil. They have been impressed with "The white guy" from America who is twice their age! Marko has managed to keep up with the guys pretty good considering his knee issues. I have included a great photo of Marko with his teammates.

School for our children will be over by mid December. They have done an amazing job of adjusting to school in Brazil. It has not been easy for them considering the language barrier, but they have been able to meet some friends and learn some Portuguese, which was our goal for putting them into a Portuguese school. Marko spends a lot of time with his friend, Giogo, who is over at our house a couple of times a week. Please pray for Giogo. Giogo has shared with Marko that he does not have any other friends at his school. It seems that he is one of those kids that other students tease and are often mean to. He is devastated that Marko will not be here to finish the school year with him. We are worried that this young boys heart will continue to be hurt by the cruelty of other children. As in America, there always seems to be an "underdog" whom kids like to pick on. I am so proud of Marko for always loving the underdog, a prayer that I have prayed for all of my kids since they were born. I will try to locate a picture of Giogo if I can find one and will post it so that you can put a face to the name and can pray for him if it's on your heart.

We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We will be celebrating with some friends on Sunday. I am pretty sure this will be my first attempt at baking a turkey!

AN EDUCATIONAL FIELDTRIP

2009-11-24T08:55:00.000-08:00

Marko and I decided to pull the kids out of school yesterday to spend the day at a favela in Belo Horizonte. While researching our move to Brazil, we came into contact with an American by the name of Laura Bookout who was living in Belo Horizonte. Laura works for YWAM (Youth with a mission). She recently married a Brazilian and is in Brasil to stay. By the way, the locals spell Brasil with an "s". In America we use a "z", so now I tend to use both! Anyways, Laura invited us to spend the day at the YWAM base so we skipped school and hopped on the onibus to Belo.

We took the one hour bus ride into downtown Belo and then had to walk several blocks to catch another bus. All of our kids have a heart for the homeless (especially Noah) so it took us a while to get to the second bus. Noah insisted that we give money to every homeless person along the way. We even had to buy a hamburger and a juice for one of them! It was precious and we are thankful that the kids care about the homeless of which there are many in Brasil.

We caught the second bus which then took us to the base of the favela where we grabbed a taxi for the remainder of the drive. We arrived at the YWAM base just in time for a delicious Brazilian lunch of rice, beans, salad, and carne. We had the opportunity to talk with the YWAM staff and find out a little more about the history of YWAM itself and of the favelas.

YWAM is in the Luzeiros Flavela and has been there for 17 years. The ministry was started by the Dutch and there are bases around the world. These bases reach out to the local community and share the gospel with the children of those communities. They also have many athletic activities for the kids to be involved in. This base had a pool, playground, and a sports court. The children come to YWAM for after school programs. YWAM has plans to reach out to the adult population as well. In Brasil, YWAM is strategically located at the base of one of the largest flavelas in Belo Horizonte.

The flavelas consist of houses and shacks stacked on top of each other in the hillsides of Brasil. They have existed since the end of the 19th century and are increasing in number. About half of the population of Brasil's large cities live in flavelas. Flavelas are run by drug lords who sadly are often teenage boys. The drug lords are in complete control of these communities and they run a tight operation. Apparently they are good to the people within their communities. They do not tolerate crime within their flavela whatsoever and will punish anyone who steels or kills violently-often by death. They protect their own, and for this reason, the members of the community do not have to fear assault or robbery within their flavela. Killing is only allowed by the drug lords themselves and is only allowed outside of the community walls. Unfortunately, crime and violence between favelas is an enormous problem and there are thousands of deaths every month, especially in Rio de Janeiro, where we just learned that there are about 26,000 murders per month!

The Drug lord's are very accepting of the YWAM base and its staff. They support what YWAM is doing for their youth even though they do not live the lifestyle that is being promoted. Often times youth that have come out of the YWAM base are the ones who end up being sought after as Drug lord's because they have the education and intelligence to do well in the drug business. It is quite an interesting arrangement!

After lunch the children played while Marko and I took a tour of the base which sits atop a hillside and overlooks the city of Belo. It was quite pretty actually. At 2:00 the children arrived and we joined the staff for a few minutes as they explained to the children that we were going on a fieldtrip to get ice cream! The kids were beside themselves and could hardly sit still long enough to be introduced to our family!

We left the base and began our walk down the steep (and I mean steep) hills of the favela. I have to say that I have never felt my age so much as when we were carefully descending that hill. I had no idea how far it was to the ice cream shop and Marko and I were both aching by the time we sat down to enjoy our refreshing treat! Ice cream never tasted so good (actually, it truly was the best ice cream I have ever had-just like homemade). We loved hanging out with these children and their teachers. The kids devoured their ice cream and were loving every bite. We finished (dare I admit that I went back for seconds?!) and took a deep breath for the climb back up the hill to the flavela.

By the time we reached the YWAM base we were steaming hot and exhausted. It was time for us to say goodbye since we had other errands to run in the city. We hugged the children goodbye and regretfully climbed into the taxi which would take us back down to the other side of Brasil: the hustling, bustling city with its skyscrapers and parks. It was a short, but good afternoon, and a fieldtrip to remember.

We spent the evening running our errands and eating dinner in Belo. We then caught a 7:00 bus back to Santa Luzia on which we had to stand for the entire hour trip home. I took a picture of the bus so you could see how full they cram the city buses. There were about 100 people on that bus(I am pretty sure the capacity is around 60!) So much for safety limits! Welcome to Brasil!

OPPORTUNITIES

2009-11-22T13:09:00.000-08:00

It is Sunday evening and it has been a stifling hot day in Santa Luzia, Brasil. We just got back from the pool which was not very refreshing at temperature of about 80! Our house gets hit with direct sunlight all day and our portable air conditioner is not very effective. We also have a dead rat or some other varmit that is stinking up our house. You can just imagine the combination of a dead animal and intense heat-not a exactly a welcomed experience!

On a good note: I was able to get a few hours by myself today. I took a 6:30 A.M. bus into Belo Horizonte to go to the street fair. They start and end fairs early in Brasil because of the heat. I enjoyed walking around by myself without having to worry about keeping an eye on the kids. I ate a chicken skewer for breakfast and boy was it tasty! The fair was very crowded. I had to walk up the outside of the booths to keep from hyperventilating! The fair is several blocks long and about seven booths wide-its crazy!

It has been a fairly uneventful week. This is the end of the school year in Brasil so the students seem to have all gone into hiding to study for finals. I am winding down my English classes-in fact this will be my last week of teaching for the year. School ends around December 11th and the students take off for a seven week vacation. I am feeling sad about them leaving. Some of the college students (many of whom are my English Students) are graduating and I will probably never see most of them again. They come from all over Brasil which of course is a huge country!

The director of the Missionary College asked Marko and I to come back next year to start and run an intensive English Program for the students. Please join us in praying for this huge decision. I do not feel at all prepared to take on such a huge undertaking, but I am also aware that it is an amazing opportunity. What it really comes down to is what is God calling us to, and is running an English Program in Brasil a part of His plan for our lives? If it is, then He will give us the strength and ability to do so. We find ourselves with many different opportunities at this time in our lives and we just want to be obedient to the "call".

Since there is no theme to my blog today, I will just post some random pictures for you to enjoy including a couple of photos of our favorite little guy-Samuel and his parents, Maisel and Marcia!

GLOBAL ISLAM

2009-11-14T11:08:00.000-08:00

Finally, the blog that I have been promising, and one of the reasons we came to Brazil in the first place; Muslim training with i2 Ministries.

We spent thirty hours a week for four weeks for a total of 120 hours of training in Islamic Studies with i2 Ministries. Our friend, Josh, started i2 Ministries a number of years ago because he saw the need for Christians to be educated, not only in the history and agenda of the Muslim Religion as proclaimed by the Prophet Muhammad, but also in the historical facts and proofs for Christianity. Josh, along with his wife, Jussara, and several other committed staff members, have created this training which is the most thorough training on Islam in the present world today.

We were blessed to be trained by four of the top experts on Islam in the world. These professors, were a wealth of knowledge. The training was intense, and the studies hard, but the education that we received in such a short amount of time was incredible. It left us with the desire to know more about Islam and its detrimental effect on all religions and cultures across the globe. The training also helped to solidify our faith in Jesus Christ and Christianity. We were left with a desire to know more about Christianity in order to defend our beliefs. We are in no way are experts ourselves on Islam or Christianity, but we feel that we have enough knowledge to educate our friends and family back home on just what the Prophet Muhammad and his followers mean by establishing an "Islamic State" in every country of the world. I will now share a brief summary on what each of the professors taught. I will use only their first or last name but not both.

Joshua spent the first week educating us on Christian Apologetics to Islam which simply means to defend the bible against Islam. Josh asked us to consider our "vocation" and to get involved with fighting Islam with love and the word of God. He educated us on the background and life of the prophet Muhammad, shared with us many contradictions in the Qur'an and other Islamic sources, and he challenged us to love Muslims enough to share the gospel with them. There is so much more that was taught but it would be impossible to relay it all. There are approximately 1.5 billion Muslims in the world today-15% or 300 million of those Muslims are radical which is around the population of the United States. Two out of every three wars are with Muslims. There are 30 wars around the world today-most of which involve Islam. Josh's heart is for the global Christian Church to be educated in regards to Islam. He has devoted his life to this cause, and he needs many people to come along side him in bringing the truth of the gospel to this people group.

The second week we were blessed to hear from Dr. Smith from London. Dr. Smith debates Muslims at Speakers Corner in London every Sunday. He is a well known and respected expert on Islam. He is also a dangerous threat to Islam and has laid his life on the line to go against the top Muslim Debaters in the world. He spoke about Muslim Evangelism Post 9-11. He gave us the resources to be able to debate Muslim Scholars. Of course we feel still feel completely ill-equipped to do so and don't intend to stand up on a ladder at Speakers Corner anytime soon! Dr. Smith opened our eyes to the vast growth of Islam in the U.K. and how Islam is now infiltrating the West.

Our third week was "Church Planting in a Muslim Context" taught by Dr. Jeff. Dr. Jeff lived in Africa for a number of years witnessing to Muslims. He spoke to us about the challenges of planting a Christian Church and the steps that it takes to do so. He used the church in the book of Acts as an example of how it takes a team of people to start a church. The most important fact that I got out of Dr. Jeff's teaching was a movement that is sweeping the west. This movement is called the "Insiders Movement". This is when Muslims convert to Christianity in their hearts but do not publicly aknowledge their new faith for fear of the consequences from their own families and church. Insider Missionaries use the Qu'ran as a tool to bring Muslims to believe in the bible. They do not, however, encourage the belief that Jesus is God. They water down the gospel in order to convert Muslims to Christianity. As Dr. Jeff stated, "The problem is that when you start with deception, you become a part of the deception." Often these Christian Missionaries dress up as Muslims, go to Mosques as Muslims, in essence pretend to be Muslims in order to convert Muslims. This ends up backfiring because the missionaries themselves are not being true to their faith in Christ and are deceiving the Muslims as well as accepting this part Christian/part Islam faith. There are Insider conferences in the United States today and I would encourage any of you that would like to learn more about it to do some research.

Our last week was spent learning about "Muslim Christian Theological Issues" from Dr. Sasan. He had us read the entire Qu'ran in the span of twelve days. It was a grueling read, but necessary for our education. He helped us to understand the Muslim mindset and why they believe what they do. He talked in great deal about the trinity and the arguments that Muslims will use against it. He mentioned that "The God of the bible and the God of the Qu'ran are 100% opposed in all areas, primarily in that of the relationship between God and his people." His teachings made us love the word of God all the more and opened our eyes to the complete confusion of the Qu'ran.

These professors have devoted their lives to educating Christians on matters of Islam and its effects on Christianity today. As I mentioned before, we do not in any way profess to be experts on this topic. Our eyes have been opened, and we are committed to sharing our knowledge with other interested believers. This was only a very small look into the training that we received through i2 Ministries. We are planning to take a team of people back to Brazil in July or 2010 for another training. If you are interested, please let Marko and I know. We would love to have you join us.

I have to mention some other people who were intricately involved in this training. Casey and Erica with i2 Ministries were huge behind the scenes people who contributed hours and hours of their time for this training. They were a joy to be around, and loved by everyone. I know there were other i2 employees who's contributions also helped to make this happen. Maisel and Yuri were the main interpreters. They worked tirelessly for hours on end to make sure that everyone had a chance to hear and understand this world of Islam.

I will end by saying that Marko and I completed the training with a desire to inform the local church about the truth of Islam. We have a new love and compassion for the Muslim people and especially for the women and children who are being oppressed by this religion. Marko spent a week in Foz do Iguacu where he had a chance to talk with some local Muslims and visit a mosque. Foz is a known refuge for the Taliban on the run from the Middle East and therefore is also a location with a CIA presence. Marko handed out a tract and New Testament to a Muslim man in a local shop, had lunch with a CTMDT student and another Muslim man, and met with a Christian Pastor in Paraguay who is reaching out to Muslims and desires to have i2 training.

Overall, Marko's conclusion was that for both the educated and the uneducated, the Muslims are a very intimidating religious group. They are knowledgeable in their faith and they can usually run circles around a Christian in a debate context. With some education and training, you can begin to see the need of the Savior for this religious group. There is no assurance of faith for the Muslim. Only by taking their own life in an act of suicide bombing, are they secured a place in paradise (according to the Qu'ran). This is incredibly sad and should cause the hearts of God's people to be touched and should move them (us) to share the love of Christ with the Muslims.

MINISTRIES WE SUPPORT

2009-11-13T09:45:00.000-08:00

I wanted to take this time to thank all of you, our friends and family, for your financial and prayer support. We are very grateful for the many ways we have been blessed. Some of you have sent care packages, and we cannot tell you how much that means to us. You don't realize all of the little things that you will miss from home until you spend some time away. The food, coffee, books, clothes, and toys have been such a blessing. The kids are beside themselves with excitement every time a package comes. Thank you so much. The biggest hits have been macaroni and maple syrup!! The things that I miss the most (besides you all) are: feta cheese, rice milk lattes, half and half, and my favorite iced tea from Haggens!!! None of which are really sendable (is that a word)?!!!

Your financial donations mean a lot to us as well. I wanted to give you an idea of how your money is helping us. It is pretty cheap to live in Brazil, but there are a few ministries that we like to support. Thanks to your generosity, we are able to be a blessing to the following people:

As you know, I am teaching English here in Brazil. I currently have about 40 students (down from my original 70). This is the end of the school year and many of my students are finding themselves too busy to "add one more thing" to their schedules. About half of my students are getting ready to graduate from the missionary school (CTMDT) in just five weeks. We will look forward to being a part of their graduation. These students, like many college students, are struggling to make ends meet financially. We asked them for a small donation for English class since we feel it is important for them to pay something. When someone pays for something it places more value on that item ( in this case-education).

I spend most of the money that I make on school supplies and providing snacks for my students. I love to spoil them with homemade chocolate chip cookies. They have fallen in love with American cookies and believe me when I say that I make A LOT of Chocolate Chip Cookies. I have had several cooking classes where I have taught my students to make this popular dessert!

I mentioned in a past blog that there are favelas (poor villages) on the hills behind our house. The people from the favelas walk through town every day there is garbage pick up (three days a week) and search through everyone's garbage to salvage whatever they can. Occasionally, we like to put out a bag of clothes, dishes, or food for them to take. They will take ANYTHING. One day I put out several dirty, worn out pillows that had been left at our house by the previous renters. The next morning they were all picked up by someone from the favelas. This was when I realized the truth in the statement "One person's garbage is another person's treasure." Now I don't throw anything away that is even only partially functional. Your money helps us to buy food for the poor in our community.

We support two local ministries. Our friend, Claudia, runs a small elementary school called The Creche. This school was opened to provide affordable, Christian education for the struggling families of our neighborhood. There are several families from the favelas that attend The Creche. They are charged a very minimal amount to attend school (again, there needs to be a price tag attached to create value). The Creche often struggles to pay the monthly bills. It is necessary for this school to remain available for the local families so we would like to continue to support The Creche even after we head back to the United States.

The final ministry that we support is one that our friend, Leo, started just out of the goodness of his heart. He rents a house a few blocks from us and is one of the CTMDT students, as well as one of my past English Students. Leo is an artist. He calls it "workmanship". He makes jewlry and sells it on the streets. This hobby has allowed him to meet many street people and other artists. He often befriends these people (many of whom don't have homes) and offers them a place to stay. At one time he had nine people (including a baby and a toddler) living in his two bedroom home. You can imagine the cost of feeding that many people. Milk for the children alone is a small fortune. They are all struggling artists and our heart is to help them out when we can. Thanks to your donations, we have been able to provide this household with food, milk, and even a Hedge (hammock) to sleep on.

Our own personal ministry is yet to be defined. Marko continues to pray about his involvement with i2 Ministries, and I consider my ministry to be teaching English to the local Brazilians. Beyond that, we know that we have been called to bless people in whatever way the Lord shows us, and you have been a part of that blessing.

I will leave by saying that we appreciate you all very much. I cannot begin to explain what your prayers, emails, care packages, and donations mean to us. Above all you are an encouragement to us- to our hearts, and to our spirits. Thank you and Deus abencoe voce(God Bless You)!

Rio

2009-11-12T13:52:00.000-08:00

This will be a very quick blog as my family is waiting for me to get home in order to watch a movie! For those of you who have been wondering, Marko did not go to Nigeria. We knew that it would be a miracle if his visa got accepted, but it did not even make it to the Nigerian Embassy for review. I think we were both somewhat relieved considering the last minute planning that was involved. It is highly likely that he will have another opportunity to travel to Nigeria with i2 Ministries in the future.

I flew out to meet my sister, Kristin, in Rio last Thursday morning for some "girl" time. We had a fun, but very busy three days! The only relaxing we did was to spend one hour in the sun on Copocabana beach! We managed to do lots of touristy things including: The Statue of Christ, which is the most amazing piece of art I have ever seen, Sugar Loaf, The famous Rio Futebal Stadium (at the moment the name is escaping me), the famous "Carnival" street, and a local Catholic Cathedral. We listened to Samba music at a local restaurant, drank Coco straight out a coconut (well Kristin did anyways), and even went to a futebal game where we sat in the direct sun. It was about 95 degrees and we were dripping with sweat! Lots of fun!

Kristin then flew into Belo Horizonte with me where we went directly to the local street fair which is very crowded. Our excursion did not last very long as we had to carry our luggage around the sales booths and we were not exactly popular!!! Kristin actually got shoved and sworn at. I had a backpack which was slightly easier to manuever in the narrow streets. We decided to leave before causing a riot! We hopped on the local onibus and headed for home. Kristin spent the next three days with us, experiencing life in Santa Luzia. It was so great to have "family" around for a few days. The kids loved seeing Auntie Kristin, but I think it made them yearn for home. Saying goodbye was tough but we know we will see her again soon.

I did not have my camera in Rio so you can thank my sister for these photos!

A DAY ON THE ATLANTIC OCEAN!

2009-11-04T13:34:00.000-08:00

I only have a minute as I am at the Lunchonette at CTMDT and they are closing. We are shutting off the internet and phone at our house because it is outrageously expensive for what we consider to be pretty lousy service. We will not have as much time to communicate with you all but we promise to keep blogging and emailing.

Our last day in Buzious was gorgeous and I got my chance to cruise the open sea in a boat! It was a wonderful day. I thought about my queezy friends back home as the three hour boat ride was a little hard on the stomach. The worst part was that we got off the boat and a couple of hours later hopped on our first of three bus rides that would take us home. We were on buses for twelve hours so that is a total of fifteen hours traveling on wavy seas and windy roads. I am seriously still nausious a day and a half later!

I have to run. I am leaving for Rio early tomorrow morning. Marko is still waiting to hear if his visa got approved for Nigeria. Stay tuned...and enjoy the pictures.

REFLECTIONS ON A RAINY DAY

2009-11-01T03:25:00.000-08:00

I am writing the following blog as if the events occurred today even though they actually happened four days ago. I had this blog all typed up and ready to post when I realized that I had been kicked off the website. I am having to re-type the entire thing but am still going to write is as if it happened today.

It is pouring down rain on our fifth day in Buzios. We had plans to take a boat tour around the local islands. Yesterday's plans to take a water taxi were canceled last minute so we were really looking forward to some time on the water. There is no place I would rather be, than cruising on a boat in the open sea, with the wind blowing in my face. I can thank my parents for my love of the water. I am disappointed that the weather is not cooperating, but I am hopeful that we will have one more chance tomorrow (our last day in Buzios) to hop on boat.

I woke up early this morning to go for a walk in the rain. I love to start my day off by taking in some fresh air by myself and having time to think and pray. For some crazy reason I find this alone time even more appealing when it is raining! I threw on my new, hard to find sweatshirt, and headed outside for what turned out to be a very reflective walk.

Buzios is a town for the rich. I mentioned in my last blog that the streets are lined with boutiques filled with expensive inventory. There are a couple of ritzy, all night dance clubs where the young people mingle. As I was walking down the boardwalk I ran across one of these young patrons. He was quite obviously drunk and struck up a conversation with me. I listened politely as he talked about his families successful furniture business, and then made my exit as soon as was possible.

A few yards further, a young couple dressed in fancy clothes was getting into a shiny, black, BMW. I could only assume that they had also been drinking by the way they pealed out on the wet, cobblestone street. The man driving was oblivious to the bystanders in uniform whom he just sprayed with water. I said a quick prayer that the young man would wreck his precious BMW but that no one would be harmed. That may sound harsh, but I have no tolerance for drinking and driving. Risking your own life is one thing, but risking the lives of innocent people is quite another, so I prayed that the young couple would learn a lesson on this rainy day.

Those uniformed people, that got a shower of rain water, happened to be the daily cleaning crew. They are out early every morning making sure this tourist town is presentable. They clean up litter and sweep the streets. Litter is a big problem in Brazil and it is not uncommon to see cleaning crews in high tourist areas. As I watched them hard at work I could not help but think about the dichotomy I was witnessing between two different classes of people. The wealthy party goers were enjoying themselves, leaving a wake of garbage in their paths. The cleaning crew was out there picking up after them for what I assume is minimum wage. It was almost as if the wealthy people had a sense of entitlement-expecting people to clean up their beer bottles and cigarette butts. This really bothered me.

I realize I am making a generalization. Not all rich people has a sense of entitlement. I have had nice things in my life, and I know several rich people who are very humble and generous. It is not bad to have nice things. I think it is the heart and attitude behind those things. It is my opinion that drinking and driving, as well as littering and expecting other people to pick up after you, reflect a sense of entitlement and an attitude of being better than other people. There was such a sharp contrast between these two groups of people that I had to write down my thoughts.

By the way...as I continued down the boardwalk I ran into that black BMW again: It was turned sideways on that narrow cobblestone street with its bumper smashed against the curb! I admit that I had to smile as I walked on by. No one was hurt, but that precious car was a little worse for the wear! Prayer answered!

Oh, one more thing. When I got home I was reading my bible and came across the following passage. Coincidence? Maybe, but I don't think so.

James 1:9

The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position. But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wild flower. For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich man will fade away even while he goes about his business.

MORE FLEXIBILITY...

2009-10-31T05:37:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, been when I picture Brazil I picture blue skies and gorgeous, white sand beaches. Our house is inland in the Boa Esperanza neighborhood of Santa Luzia, Brazil. We live in a small, humble home on a beat up street that has surely not seen maintenance-EVER. Behind us in the hills of Boa Esperanza are the flavelas or poor houses. The outlying hills are tropical looking, but we do not live in a luxurious, part of Brazil. Buzios is the first place we have traveled to since moving to Brazil four months ago. Of course we had a picture in our minds of what the week was going to be like and it included lots of sun and beach time! After all, you would think we would have that Brazilian tan going at this point. We do have some color, but it seems to be confined to our faces and arms, as we don't exactly get to do much sunbathing in Santa Luzia!

We arrived in Buzios to clouds and the threat of rain. By the afternoon it was indeed raining. It was light enough that we were able to walk around town and explore the shops and restaurants without much problem. By the next day, however, the rain was coming down in buckets. We were walking around town with shorts and t-shirts getting soaking wet. We were still having a good time, but the cold was starting to get annoying, and swimming in the ocean was not quite as alluring as we thought it was going to be.

By the third day, we decided that it might be a good idea to buy some umbrellas since our clothes were all soaking wet and we had no way to dry them. We also thought it would be smart to buy some sweatshirts in town to keep us warm. They would also come in handy for that cold ride home in the bus....finding sweatshirts was next to impossible.

We spent several hours looking for sweatshirts in the hundreds of boutiques on main street. You would be amazed at how hard it was to find cheap sweatshirts in Buzios, but then again, this is a touristy town and the boutiques are not catering to the average person! We ate dinner at an Italian Restaurant shivering under the eaves. Noah spent the entire meal curled up in a ball on a bench trying to keep warm. He was crying uncontrollably and when I asked him what was wrong he said he wanted it to be sunny so he could play in the ocean. The owner of the restaurant kindly offered to let Noah sit in front of the oven where he was cooking lasagna. Noah cheered up just enough to continue our quest for sweatshirts. It was nightfall before we found reasonably priced sweatshirts for the whole family (except for daddy who decided to tough it out)! We then walked back to the hotel and collapsed for the night.

We woke up the next day (yesterday) to blue skies and lifted moods. We spent part of the day at the beach and then our friends, Gislaine and Claydson arrived in town to spend the weekend with us. We are planning to take a water taxi to one of the local beaches today if the weather improves. It was raining this morning but looks like it might clear up. I guess it doesn't matter too much to me except that I would like get some good photos of Buzios in all of its tropical splender and that includes the sun! I do have a few photos to share with you. This truly is a paradise, rain or shine!

LEARNING TO BE FLEXIBLE!

2009-10-31T03:51:00.000-07:00

Currently, we are on a family vacation in Buzios, Brazil. We were going to leave the computer behind but Marko is trying to get to Nigeria, Africa next week. He has had to be on the computer a fair amount in an attempt to get his visa processed last minute. This has been a bit challenging. Please pray for the Lord to open the door if he is supposed to go, and if not that the door would be firmly shut.

Our family loaded up our backpacks and hopped on the local "onibus" in Santa Luzia on Tuesday night. We took the one hour bus ride into Belo Horizonte, hoping as always that we would survive without throwing up! We made it once again and were dropped off at the main bus station for a "Luxury Bus" that would take us to Buzios. The bus arrived around 7:30 P.M. and the kids were eager to explore. This was our first experience traveling the highways in luxury. The bus was complete with televisions, a bathroom, and a cooler full of water bottles. The seats reclined almost to a laying down position, so we were pretty excited about the prospect of actually getting some sleep on our ten hour bus ride into Buzios! Fortunately, the kids did get some sleep. As for Marko and I, well that's another story!

Have you ever tried to use a bathroom on a moving bus? What a nightmare! The bathrooms in an airplane are so much easier. The turbulence is nothing compared to attempting to use a toilet on a bus that rocks back and forth as it goes over bumps and around curves. Gabriella and I were in the bathroom trying to "shee shee" and brush our teeth. We had to hold onto the wall with one hand and attempt to brush our teeth with the other. The water in the sink would not drain, so it was spilling out of the sink basin all over our feet and the floor of the bathroom. Forget actually trying to go shee shee. I decided that I would hold it for the ten hour bus ride rather than EVER attempt that again!!! Fortunately, we made three stops during the long night so we were able to get off the bus and use a real restroom!

We were totally unprepared for the trip to Buzios. In an attempt to pack light, we neglected to pack sweatshirts or long pants. The air conditioning on the bus was a full tilt and it was freezing. Fortunately, the kids each had a small blanket that they had brought from the United States. They fell asleep quickly to the rocking of the bus. Marko and were miserably cold and tried our best to get some rest. We kept hoping someone would come walking down the isles of the bus offering us a blanket and pillow like they do in the Airline Industry. The problem was that there was only one employee on that bus and he happened to be the driver who was locked behind a secure door in the front of the bus! We resigned to the fact that we were going to have to suffer through the night, which all things considered, is not really suffering!

We arrived in Buzios at about 6:00 A.M. and took a short taxi ride to our hotel. We were about six hours early for check in but we decided to see if they would have mercy on us. After all, we were traveling with three children! The hotel was even more beautiful than in looked online, so we were thrilled. As Marko and I worked out an early check in with the employee, the kids ran around exploring! They were so excited about the pool which overlooked the Atlantic Ocean. It was all we could do to keep them from jumping in and waking all the guests at that wee hour of the morning! The employee happily informed us that we could check in early and proceeded to take us up to our room. We got upstairs and he let us in to our beautiful suite only to tell us that we also had the room next door. Wonderful! we thought until he told us that we would have to pay the same price for both rooms. We booked one room on line making it clear that we would have three children traveling with us. No one got back to us to let us know that we could only have a maximum of three people in one room so now they were telling us we had to pay for two rooms! We were pretty disappointed but the employee told us he thought we could work it out when the manager came in later in the morning.

We settled into our room and then decided to go for a walk along the boardwalk so as not to wake the other guests (attempting to keep our three children quiet is a joke and is a task that we have long given up on)!!! Before heading to the beach, we took turns using the bathroom which had a French "Budeaux"(spelling). Marko Gabriel, who is by nature very curious, had never seen a Budeax. He was quiet fascinated. Without asking for help he bent down and started to turn the knobs-water came spraying out of the toilet straight into his face and all over the walls! It was gross-but hilarious!! I wish I would have thought to take a picture at the time but I was too busy laughing hysterically. The photo here is a re-inactment.

The hotel would not bend on their rules, and we were not about to pay for two hotel rooms so we ended up canceling our reservation. They also told us that we would not find a hotel in town that would accommodate five people. We were all disappointed, but not discouraged. We took a deep breath and chose to be flexible. We prayed that we would find something that would suit our needs. It was a holiday weekend so we knew that it might be challenging, but we also knew that God was on our side and we believed that we would find somewhere to stay. Alas, the first hotel we stopped at had a room for five! It was not as nice as the first hotel, but the rates were much cheaper, and we had a swimming pool and a view of the ocean! What more could we ask for?!! We were thankful! We checked into the hotel and settled in for our first tropical vacation in Brazil. The need to be flexible continued, as the first three days rained like crazy! But, more on that later...

Posted are some pictures of the first hotel. I will post photos of our current hotel in my next blog.

ASK AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE!

2009-10-21T10:39:00.000-07:00

I have been praying for rain ever since my experience last month with Culture Shock. I am happy to say that my prayers have been answered. We have had rain almost every day, and when it rains in Brazil, it really rains! It comes down in torrents and is always accompanied by thunder and lightening. The storms are so much more powerful than what we are accustomed to in Washington State. I love storms, so this has been very exciting for me. Apparently it is the rainy season so we will be getting plenty of it. A storm is in fact upon us at this moment. I was up videotaping a storm the other night from 2:00-3:00 in the morning! Marko was slightly irritated with me and all of my exclamations of awe! He woke up blurry eyed and told me I reminded him of a little kid in a candy store! The truth is, he loves it almost as much as I do, but not at 2:00 A.M.!

We were blessed on Sunday by some of my English students. They had heard that I was homesick a few weeks ago and decided to plan an American Church Service at our house. They showed up at 10:00 and we sang American worship songs and then they asked us to share our "testimony" about coming to Brazil. Marko shared for about 45 minutes and there were tears all around. We are continually amazed at how our testimony affects some people. We are not super brave or spiritual, we are just normal people who are trying to be obedient to God's call on our lives. We never expected our story to impact people the way that it has. We were humbled and thankful that our friends took the time to bring a little bit of America to our home and for the interest they have in our lives. We miss our church, Stanwood Foursquare, so much. It was emotional for us to sing worship songs in English and made us long for our church in America. After our church service we had Churrasco and I learned how to make Pao de queijo (cheese bread), which is very popular in Brazil. We had a very relaxing afternoon and went to bed feeling very loved and blessed.

I have to share a couple of Gabriella stories from that day. I was in the kitchen preparing breakfast when Gabriella called from the bathroom in a panic. I opened the door to find my daughter bent over with her legs dripping with blood. Apparently, she decided that six years old was a good time to start shaving! She had several cuts on her little legs-one being about an inch long! In all my life I have never had an inch long cut from a raiser, so I have no idea what she was doing! I told her that little girls don't shave their legs and asked her why she wanted to do that. She told me that she was sick of having harry legs! My little girl absolutely floors me!

That same day when our friends arrived for church, Gabriella came outside with pink makeup all over her eyes. She looked beautiful, but she knows that she is not supposed to get into mommy's makeup without asking. I pulled her aside and asked her about it. She said "But I didn't use your makeup mommy!" I asked her to show me what she did use. She pointed to a sparkly, pink, birthday candle from her recent birthday party. Apparently, she rubs her fingers on the candle and then applies the "makeup" to her face. It was so adorable. It caused me to reflect upon the creativity of children.

I am not a parent who has issues with boys playing with fake guns. Most boys will make a gun out of anything. If you deny them the use of play guns, they will use their hand, a piece of wood, or any number of other items. Playing with fake guns is not going to make a boy violent. People typically become violent because they have been mistreated by those people who are supposed to protect them and love them the most. Reflection: Boys will make guns out of anything, and little girls will make makeup out of anything-even a sparkly, pink, birthday candle!

By the way, the picture of Marko is of him eating a chicken heart!

Feliz Aniversario Gabriella!

2009-10-14T14:00:00.000-07:00

Gabriella celebrated her sixth birthday last Friday. Marko and I let her skip school and we took her to the local bakery, Pao Mais, for breakfast and to pick out a cake. Shockingly, she chose the cake with the most frosting and a blue octopus on top. No pink for this girl!

After breakfast Gabriella and I walked to the neighborhood coffee shop to say hi to our friend, Antonio, who owns the cafe. We shared a cappucino (I have settled for an iced, instant cappuccino-you know those little packets of coffee with flavoring). I am actually starting to like it though I still dream of Starbucks or Walker's coffee back home.

We planned a quiet dinner with our family at Denilho's pizza, but we ended up having a few friends join us last minute, which turned out to be a lot of fun. After dinner we went to our neighbors house to watch an American Movie (Love Comes Softly). It is a mini series and SO good. It takes place in the 1800's and brought me back to those "Little House on the Prairie" days. Boy to do I miss innocent television shows like that one. T.V. has definitely gone down hill.

Birthday's are a big deal in Brazil-even more so than the United States- although parents spend a lot less money creating a special occasion for their children. Birthday's are a great excuse for to have Churrasco with your friends. We invited a few friends over on Saturday afternoon to celebrate Gabriella's birthday. Unfortunately, my camera battery died so I only had a few photos to chose from. The day was very enjoyable and Gabriella seemed to enjoy herself. She has made a very good friend here in Brazil, Anna Victoria. I have posted pictures in the past. Anna Victoria is a beautiful girl who's energy almost (but not quite) matches Gabriella's! They are in the same class at school and the language barrier does not detract from their friendship.

Gabriella has always been very rough with her toys. I am happy to report that she made it through her party with limited damage to her new presents. She attempted to super glue a cloth strawberry back onto her new cell phone carrier. The problem was that her Barbie cell phone was in the carrier. The two got glued together and of course when I tried to separate them, both items were damaged in the process. Gabriella also decided that her new Hannah Montana Barbie (her first Hannah Montana gift) needed a haircut. So far, her other gifts have remained unharmed five days after her birthday! Perhaps by age seven Gabriella will become a gentle, docile, child who's well preserved toys will end up handed down to her own children! Ha Ha Ha!!

A DAY OF REST

2009-10-04T05:35:00.000-07:00

Noah and I are headed to the store to pick up some groceries for our first effort at making Churrasco for some friends. Churrasco is the name for a Brazilian BBQ. You BBQ a lot of different kinds of meat and prepare rice and beans as the side dishes. After three months, we are finally abandoning our American habit of eating sandwiches every day for lunch and are embracing the Brazilian Cuisine. It has been fun to learn how to cook new foods, but I still have a big learning curve!

I don't have a lot share with you today, but I wanted to post some pictures from our relaxing day yesterday. Our friends, Maisel and Marcia took us to a Baptist Retreat Center for a day of rest. The retreat center was located in a little valley nestled between some lush green hills. There were several pools, a restaurant, and of course football fields. There was even a very old, small water slide. I did not go on the slide but apparently, it was pretty "rough" from aging and sun exposure. Several people got scrapes on their backs on the way down. In the United States, this would be unacceptable, but here in Brazil it is totally "Legal" Cool. No one seemed to mind-especially the kids! Before I go I want to say Happy Birthday to Anne Clark! Have an amazing day my friend. We love you and miss you guys like crazy! Enjoy the photos!

ENGLISH CLASS

2009-10-02T06:32:00.000-07:00

I mentioned in an earlier blog that I would share the details leading up to my current job- teaching English in Brazil. Here is my story:

Our friend, Josh, approached me the first week we were in Brazil and told me there was an opportunity for me to teach English for the staff at CTMDT (The local Missionary College). He told me to consider it and to be praying about it. The next day, one of the students, Fernanda, asked me if I would spend a couple of hours a week teaching her English. Fernanda was my first student. Little did I know what lay ahead for me!

I spent the next month taking an intense training course on Islam led by Josh and three other Professors(which I still intend to write about one of these days!). I helped Fernanda with her English when I could fit it in; between school, studying, and spending time with my family. The course finished up in August and this is when the opportunities to teach English began to surface.

Students started to approach me on a daily basis, asking me to teach them English. At the time, I was still unsure as to whether or not I wanted to teach English. Afterall, I did not come to Brazil prepared to teach English, and I had never thought of myself as a teacher. My background is in Tourism which is just slightly different than being an English Teacher! I have spent the past ten years as a stay at home mom, and have just recently been considering what I would like to do with my time now that my children will all be in school full time when we get back to the United States.

I have spent the past year contemplating what type of career I would like to pursue during this second half of my life. I know that I do not want to go back into Tourism. My heart has always been to help women in the following areas: Spiritually, mentally, physically. I know that many women suffer from low self esteem, as well as struggle with body image problems. Women have so many responsibilities that I think we often neglect our own health. Seventeen years ago I had a vision of being a counselor. At the time I was newly married and working in the Tourism Industry and struggling with my own "self esteem issues". A few years later I had children and started my career as a stay at home mom. I say "career" because being a stay at home mom is a LOT of work and should get more respect from the world than it does. A LOT more. O.K., I will get off my soap box now...

My dream from seventeen years ago resurfaced this year as I was researching jobs that would fit my lifestyle and personality. I began to research Master's Programs in Counseling and my plan has been to enroll in a Master's Program when I get back to the United States. Now enters a new opportunity-Teaching English in Brazil!

I started to teach English to the staff at CTMDT twice a week. This felt manageable and I was enjoying myself. Word got out quickly, however, and pretty soon not only were the staff and students asking me to teach them English, but other members of the community as well! I was sitting at home one night and I had a vision: I pictured five round tables with bright umbrellas in my yard and students learning Conversational English at my house. I believed this vision was from God, so after a couple of weeks of brainstorming and praying, I made an announcement at a CTMDT church service. I had no idea the response that I was going to have for my English Classes! After the service I was surrounded by students wanting to sign up for class at my house. By the time I went home I had fifty students signed up. I went home that night in a daze, wondering what on earth I was getting myself into! I felt totally overwhelmed. I promptly emailed my Teacher friends and asked for their advice (thanks guys) which has helped me tremendously.

The next couple of weeks were eye opening to me. I could not go anywhere without someone asking to sign up for my classes. Before I knew it I had over seventy students and I was starting to feel panicky! Every day I had students, neighbors, community members stopping by my house or approaching me in town to ask me about English. It was at this time that I realized the enormous desire and necessity to learn English. I had no idea how important the learning or our language is to other cultures. This knowledge has led me to an education that I never would have foreseen for myself.

I felt so nervous and unprepared to teach these students English, and yet here I was thrust into an opportunity that was not of my own making. I struggled for many days with wondering how I was going to handle all of the pressure. I knew that this opportunity was placed in my path for a reason and that God had ordained it. I knew that the vision I had come from Him. I knew that Philippians 4:13 says "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." I knew suddenly that this is what he had planned for me in Brazil all along. This was my ministry. Marko has been very supportive and has helped me so much as I have prepared for this new mission in my life. I could not do this without his support.

I decided that if I was going to teach English I wanted to do a good job. I got online and enrolled in a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) course. I am currently working through 120 hours of classwork in order to get a certificate of completion from TEFL. This certification will allow me to get a job teaching English anywhere in the world. I am working through the course while teaching my English classes by the seat of my pants! I am learning so much every day. For example, did you know that 50% of the worlds business is in English and 80% of the internet is in English? I am in awe of what the Lord is doing in my life. I love my students! They are amazing. They are so appreciative and they pray for me after every class. I am settling into a routine and am feeling less overwhelmed. I started out with nine English classes which was too much. I am down to seven classes and I have about fifty students which feels more manageable.

I am not sure where this journey will take me, but I do know that in Psalm 138:8 it says that "The Lord will fulfill His Purpose for me." I am trusting this verse and if it means I am going to spend the second half of my life as an English Teacher, then so be it. My dream would be to continue with my plans to become a counselor and combine counseling with teaching somehow, but as the bible says in Proverbs 16:9 "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." I believe that teaching English in Brazil is a small "step" towards what the Lord has for my future.

I know this blog was really long. Thank you for keeping up on our adventures here in Brazil and for your prayers. We miss you all terribly. Enjoy these pictures of some of my students!

YOU KNOW YOU ARE THE ONLY AMERICANS IN A SMALL TOWN WHEN...

2009-10-01T11:23:00.000-07:00

You know you are the only American's in a small town when: you have to go for your morning walk by 6:00, or you will have several neighbors joining you in hopes of practicing their English!

You know you are the only American's in a small town when: you go the gym and you are the only one NOT wearing spandex with racing stripes!

You know you are the only American's in a small town when: your son's are the only boys in the school swim class who are NOT wearing speedo swim suits!

You know you are the only American's in a small town when: the local bakery makes you Ovos Machitos (scrambled eggs) even though the rest of the town eats bread and coffee for breakfast!

You know you are the only American's in a small town when: the seamstress that is hemming your pants, drops them off at your house, since she cannot get a hold of you by phone! You are busy, so she tells your husband you can just pay for them another day.

You know you are the only American's in a small town when: you go grocery shopping and their are five young men from the meat department following you around in an attempt to speak English with you, when they should be working!

You know you are the only American's in a small town when: you walk into a restaurant and an employee you have never met before tells you that your husband and daughter were in the other day!

You know you are the only American's in a small town when: the local missionary school gives up its only air conditioner to make make sure your family is comfortable in the Brazilian heat.

You know you are the only American's in a small town when: the local furniture store owner hunts you down to let you know he has a furniture delivery for you. He went by the house and when we weren't there he started to ask around...He found us in the library on the second floor of the missionary school.

You know you are the only American's in a small town when: you are enjoying dinner at a friends house and the following conversation takes place: I say to the hostess: "This dinner is so amazing-did you make it?" The hostess replies: "No, my friend made it. She works at the store downtown where you bought a belt, some sandals and a bike pump last week." O.K. so you have to understand that "I" did not tell this person what I bought last week at the store! Her friend, who works at the store, told her everything that the "Americans" bought at the store! It was hilarious and at the moment Marko and I realized just how "visible" we are in this small town! Apparently we need to do a better job of blending in!

OH, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!

2009-10-01T08:32:00.000-07:00

This is a quick blog about our calm daughter. Gabriella is anything but calm. She is a very high energy girl who wants constant attention. She frequently wears her family out-especially her mother! On the flip side, she is very responsible and hard working and she amazes us with her maturity.

We are trying to have extra compassion for our children, as we know that they are experiencing Culture Shock in the same way that we are experiencing it. Overall, our kids have adjusted amazingly well to life in Brazil. They have, however, each been acting out in different ways. Gabriella seems to be reacting by being even more "hyper" which is just hard to believe. She is also sassy and demanding. The other day was particularly hard. She was "in my face" all day and was being mean to her brothers. After a little bit too much coca cola at the neighbors that evening, she was out of control. Mommy had to pull her aside and spank her, which only had a short term affect on her behavior.

By the time we got home, daddy had had enough, and mommy was coming down with a headache. I was in my bedroom listening as Marko had a "talk" with his darling daughter. Next thing I knew, she was screaming at the top of her lungs: "No, daddy, don't spank me! Your spankings hurt!" I peaked around the corner and saw Gabriella sitting cross legged on the floor with her hands on her hips and a very angry expression on her face. Daddy told her that he needed to give her a spanking for being disrespectful and her response was: "Oh, for crying out loud daddy, mommy already spanked me for that!" Marko and I looked at each other and we just couldn't help it-we started laughing hysterically to which she said: "Don't you dare laugh at me!" WOW! Can you say "Spitfire"!!

What's that saying: "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree." Guess which parents has the bad habit of saying: "Oh, for crying out loud!"? Parenting is humbling isn't it?

I have to share one more Gabriella story. Yesterday afternoon before school, Gabriella brought me her Portuguese dictionary and asked me to show her which words she would use "just in case" she got sick at school. Specifically, she wanted to know how to tell her teacher she had a stomach ache and needed to go home. I wrote down the words "Eu doente" which just means "I'm sick". Gabriella had me write it on a sticky note for her to take to school "just in case".

That evening when I picked Gabriella up from school the school Director wanted to speak with me. She told me that Gabriella had complained about feeling sick in the middle of the day and wanted to go home. I started to laugh and explained to her (with an interpreter) what had happened that morning. We all had a good laugh. Gabriella knew exactly what she was doing when she asked me for that sticky note!

Enjoy some "Gabriella" photo's-one which she quite obviously took herself!

A HEALING RAIN STORM

2009-09-21T15:14:00.000-07:00

Well, I think it has been about three weeks since my last blog update. I have been experiencing "Culture Shock". The definition of Culture Shock is: A state of disorientation that can come over anyone who has been thrust into unknown surroundings away from one's comfort zone.

Culture Shock typically hits a person after about three to four months of living in a foreign country. I guess that means I am right on schedule! We have been in Brazil just shy of three months. Our time here has been amazing and very smooth going. About two weeks ago I became overwhelmed with homesickness. I shed many tears. After talking to some very experienced missionaries, I realized that I was indeed experiencing culture shock.

The hardest things for me to adjust to have been the heat and the lack of alone time. I have always had a very difficult time with the heat, even in Washington State which is no comparison to our little corner of Brazil! The temperature has been near 90 consistently and I think it must be close to 100% humidity! It is normal to take three showers a day here and the minute you go outside you are sweating like crazy. For someone who loves cooler weather and rain, this has been rather challenging. Our whole family is having a hard time with the heat and it is barely Spring here! We are planning on buying an air conditioner for our house ASAP! For now we spend the heat of the day sitting inside by portable fans!

Those of you who know me well know that I thrive on time alone. Don't get me wrong, I love people, but if I don't get a large amount of time alone, I start to feel out of sorts. This has been the other hard aspect of Brazil for me. I have very little time by myself. I have shared in past posts that we live in the middle of town with neighbors on either side, including neighbors who have a restaurant in their home! Brazilians are very friendly and social, so we have frequent visitors as well. On top of that, I now have approximately seventy English Students signed up for my classes on a weekly basis! I will share more about that in an upcoming blog. I am sure you get the picture that there is not a lot downtime to "breathe"! I believe that these were the two triggers that led to my feelings of Culture Shock. A surprise rainstorm this afternoon helped to snap me out of my downcast mood.

Gabriella and I were walking home from the store around 3:00 when we saw the storm clouds threatening on the horizon. We walked home quickly because you don't want to be caught in a thunder and lightening storm in Brazil. It can be very dangerous. Marko and the boys arrived at home at the same time we did. We rushed around the yard putting away toys and taking clothes off the clothesline, as the wind started to blow.

The black clouds made it quickly to our house and the rain came down in torrents just as we got the last of the laundry put away. We pulled on our raincoats and stood out in the downpour for a few minutes before the thunder started to roll. It was the most magnificent storm I have ever experienced. We sat under our porch breathing in the fresh air and thanking God for the rain! It may sound funny, but I felt like the stress of culture shock was washed away in that storm. I cannot explain how refreshing it was to see and feel the rain on my face. I absolutely love the rain and this was a welcome change to the smoldering heat we experience on a daily basis. Unfortunately, heavy rains also frequently produce flooding in Brazil. Today was no exception. There was some serious flooding in Belo Horizonte, a large city near our town, which caused the deaths of several people (if we understood this evenings news correctly). It is a reminder again of the fragility of life and the need to be thankful for the every day blessings that the Lord gives us if we but pay attention and take our eyes off ourselves. The following verse has helped me as I have struggled through the past two weeks: Psalm 16:5-11.

A THIRTY HOUR CAMPING TRIP

2009-09-06T12:13:00.000-07:00

Well, we just experienced our first camping trip in Brazil. We have been planning our mini vacation with some of our neighbors for about three weeks. We got online and picked out our location: A beautiful camp site with a river, nearby hotel with restaurant, a grocery store conveniently located, and a stunning waterfall. The kids eagerly anticipated our weekend adventure....

As seems to be the normal Brazilian way, things turned out a little different than we had planned. Our understanding was that we would have three vehicles for our party of twelve to make the one hour drive to the campsite. Our departure time was Friday at 2:00 P.M. Our neighbors pulled up around 3:00 with one tiny little Honda Civic like car. Our other neighbors drove their truck. The third vehicle? Well, were not sure what happened with that, but let's just say that Brazilians have no problem with claustrophobia! We crammed twelve people and a whole lot of luggage into those two cars (six people in each). Marko, Noah, Gabriella, and I crammed into the little car that happened to have no air conditioning. No problem we thought...after all, it is only a ONE HOUR drive! Two hours later we pulled into a quaint little town to ask for directions to the waterfall.

The young man who helped us told our friends the price and gave them directions. The price turned out to be more than some of our friends could afford so they decided at that point to pursue option number two: Another campsite that was a little more "tranquilidage" (peaceful). O.K. so disappointment number one was the fact that we were now two hours into our trip. Disappointment number two was the fact that we were no longer going to our original campsite with the pristine waterfall. They assured us that there were lots of waterfalls in Brazil so we were sure to find another one. We hopped back into the car thinking we must be within fifteen minutes of the campground. We headed up into the hills of Brazil and literally chugged up the hill. The six of us plus our luggage made that little car have to fight for every mile. I was reminded of the Children's book called "The Little Engine That Could." Do you remember it? The little red train, from Thomas and friends, chugged up that mountain with determination repeating "I think I can, I think I can." Well, that little red engine made it up the mountain and so did we-with lots of encouragement for our driver, Juan, and peels of laughter from the kids.

At the top of the mountain we took a left onto a dirt road that was obviously maintained very little. The car took a beating as it weaved between rocks and pot holes (Clark's it reminded me of the lava roads in Hawaii if that gives you any idea-although it wasn't quite that bad)! For four miles we drove out into the middle of Tim-Buck-Nowhere wondering what we were in for.

I have to take a quick break here to insert that it just started raining. Rain in Brazil is awesome. It doesn't rain, it pours. We have only experienced it one other time and it was a welcome change to the unbearable heat in Brazil. We were the only crazy neighbors who ran outside screaming with joy and while jumping in the mud puddles. It was a blast! When it rains, the road in front of our house becomes a small river in no time. Right now there is thunder and lightening and my whole family is outside having a blast. I would like to join them but it looks like this rain will be around for a while so I will get back to my story....

We arrived at our very remote campsite at about 5:30 P.M. It wasn't looking too promising, but we were tired and hungry so we decided to stay. Upon further investigation, we did find a little waterfall and even a river. It was not what we were expecting, but it was quiet and would suffice. We set up our tents and settled into an evening of food, worship, and laughter. I was sick with a pretty bad cold so I turned in at 8:00 with the kids for a rough night of sleep. The ground was very rocky and our borrowed tent too small.

We woke up groggy the next morning to our friends telling us they found a new, better campsite just a stones throw away. So, we lugged our bags to the new campsite, picked up the tents as they were and carried them to our new location. This was a better location and it looked like we would have a better nights sleep....that is if we would have stayed another night-but more on that later.

The day was wonderful (despite a couple of issues). We swam in the river and under the waterfall, we ate wonderful Churasco (Brazilian word for meat cooked on the bbq), we hiked and explored, etc... One issue was the fact that I took a tylenol P.M. in the afternoon! I knew that it could make me tired, but I had no idea that I would feel like I was wearing a whole shield of armor! I could barely lift my legs to hike up the hill from the waterfall and my eyes threatened to involuntarily close at any given minute. Lesson number one: Use Tylenol P.M. as directed!

The second challege was a little more serious. Marko, the boys, and our two friends, Juan and Dahnilo decided to swim across the river (it was more like a pond). They stayed close to shore and the gals and I went back to sit on the riverbank with Gabriella. Apparently, halfway across the river, Juan got a leg cramp and could not swim anymore. Marko was already on shore so when Juan yelled for help he dove in and swam to him. In his haste to help Juan, Marko forgot to take off his hiking sandals which are very heavy. He got to Juan and grabbed a hold of him. They struggled, but made it halfway back to shore before Marko realized they might not make it together. Marko's sandals were holding him down and his attempts to tell Juan to roll over onto his back were fruitless (as Juan does not know any English). Marko realized the seriousness of the situation and yelled for Dahnilo to help. Dahnilo jumped in and the two of them were able to get Juan saftely to shore, but not without a fight. Marko said it was very frightening and he thanked God that he has kept up on his swimming. Without that training, one or more lives could have been lost. Lesson number two: Remove sandals before saving someone from drowning!

We got back to camp that afternoon and our friend's parents decided that we would drive home that night. We were not exactly sure why we drove three hours to camp for one night, but we think that our friends wanted to get back to their grandfather who was recently diagnosed with cancer and was staying with them. We were disappointed again but got over it quickly. We decided to just look forward to spending the rest of the three day weekend at home.

It was hard not to wonder if it was worth all of the work that it took to pack everything up, drive for three hours in a smoldering hot car, and camp for only 24 hours, only to know you had to go home and unpack everything. One look at these pictures and one can't deny that it was worth it. These photos, great fellowship, along with the saving of one precious life, made our thirty hour camping trip a worthwhile adventure.

OUTREACH

2009-08-27T14:48:00.001-07:00

Sunday we walked a couple of miles on the train tracks to join our friend, Leo, on an outreach to a local flavela (poor village). Our visit was short but impacting. It was so good for our family to see how other people live. It has been several years since our trip to the Dominican Republic and Marko was the only one old enough to remember that experience.

The people in the village were very kind and were enjoying their day visiting with each other. We were there with a medical team, a dance team, and various other people with hearts to reach out to the poor.

Unfortunately, Noah ended up getting really sick before we could join in on the day's outreach. Marko had to carry Noah on his back all the way home and the poor guy threw up halfway there. We thought he was dehydrated, but he ended up sick for several days with a fever, throwing up, diarrhea, headache, and the chills. He is now on antibiotics and is doing much better.

I wish I had more to share with you but for now all I have are a few pictures. We will have many more opportunities to visit the flavela's in the future. Until then, here is a glimpse of a community of people struggling to make ends meet.

A VISIT TO A FAZENDA (FARM)

2009-08-27T13:18:00.000-07:00

Saturday we were invited to some friends weekend home, a fazenda in the hills of Santa Luzia. They picked us up at noon and we spent the remainder of the day enjoying the spoils of the land. We ate fruit from their trees, eggs from their chickens, and we even drank fresh, straight sugar cane ( what a delight)!

The kids had a blast hunting for crystals in the forest, riding the play jeep, rowing across the family pond, and swimming in the pool.

Marko and I once again enjoyed Brazilian fellowship while eating Brazilian Cuisine. We stuffed ourselves full and rolled into bed wondering if we were ever going to exercise discipline in our lives again!

As is customary, the visit was an all day event. We were exhausted from attempting to speak and understand Portuguese, as well conversing in English with Brazilians eager to learn our language! Grandpa (Vou) was very anxious to practice his English and boy is it hard on the brain to try to meld two languages together for clear understanding! I think we all were worn out by the end of the day!

A SNAPSHOT OF OUR DAILY LIVES

2009-08-25T11:21:00.000-07:00

Well, as usual, I have not been able to blog as much as I would like. We finally got internet at the house but there was a mistake with the installment and it is pretty slow. We hope to have the problem reconciled quickly (quickly is not really a reality in Brazil)! Marko's schedule has been busy dealing with computer gliches and various other issues that have arisen with the house. I have a full schedule including taking care of the kids and the household, as well as Teaching four English classes a week. I have never considered myself a teacher, but God has opened the doors for me to teach in Brazil, so I am stepping out in faith. This just sort of fell into my lap and I believe that it is what I am supposed to do. I left the United States with plans to pursue my Master's degree in Counseling. I still have that desire, but here I am in Brazil doing something I never would have planned on doing, and I am enjoying it! I am currently taking an on-line course called TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language). Who knows, maybe I will enjoy it so much that I will switch my Master's degree to TEFL! I am so open to what God has for me. A common phrase that Marko likes to use is: "I just work here"! In other words, as Christians, God is in control of our lives and we are just trying to be obedient and walk out the plan He has for us. His plan is frequently not our plan, so we try our best to listen and be obedient to the call-even if it is teaching English in Brazil!

I thought I would give you a little snapshot into our daily lives. Marko and I have a goal of waking up at 5:00 every morning to do an interactive bible study. We do not make it up at the same time every day, but we are committing to at least 3-4 days a week. It is a little difficult right now in that Gabriella's bedroom is the living room and she wakes up very easily! We wake the boys up at 6:00 to get ready for school which starts at 7:00 (and here I thought school was early in the U.S.)! Marko makes the kids breakfast while I go on a walk/run around our neighborhood. I get back in time to drop Marko and Noah off at school directly across the street.

On a typical day Gabriella and I will then walk into town to do our errands. It is about an half mile walk to the grocery store so we don our flip flops and head out. The walk into town is easy but the walk back can be a little challenging depending upon how many bags of groceries we bought! I have yet to master the art of purchasing just the right amount of food so that we can carry our grocery bags comfortably. Usually I get home with red marks on my wrists from supporting the majority of the bags (Gabriella always seems to come down with some excuse as to why she can't carry more than one or two bags)!!

We get home in time to do some American homework and hang out with daddy before picking the boys up at 11:30. The boys come home and we either make lunch in the house or walk next door to our neighbors restaurant. We can go to their all you can eat buffet for $4 Reais which is equivalent to about $2.00 American-depressing I know!!! Imagine if we could eat so cheaply at home!

After lunch we hang out as a family while Gabriella gets ready for school. We drop her off at 1:00 then come back home and tackle the boys' American Homework. We want to make sure they keep up on their American studies because their school in Brazil is 100% Portuguese speaking so they are not getting much out of it academically (yet).

I am not sure what happens to the afternoon, but it always seem to fly by. We usually we end up at CTMDT where Marko G. works in the school store. He helps cook and clean and is paid with free food. He is so adorable in his apron. I will have to take a picture of him to post on the blog. While Marko is working hard, Noah is usually playing hard, and mommy and daddy are studying. Noah as you can guess can typically be found running, jumping, or climbing something! On hot days we are down by the pool for part of the afternoon. The water is freezing though so it is usually just the kids who are swimming! At this moment it is 4:00 P.M. and we are hanging out at CTMDT waiting for Gabriella to get out of school at 5:30.

We will pick her up on our way home for dinner. Evenings are spent as a family or with friends eating Brazilian Cuisine! One night our neighbors came over and taught us how to make homemade bread. We started the process at 7:00 and the bread was not finished until 10:00 so that is when we ate dinner!! Imagine these loaves of bread sitting in your stomach all night! I woke up with a seriously bloated belly! No wonder I am gaining weight!

The picture of us standing by the cement wall is of us talking to our neighbors. If we want to borrow something we just stand on a stool and pop our heads over the wall. It is pretty "Legal" (cool)! Our neighbors are amazing. We have a brother and sister who live on one side (Geslaine and Claidson). They are 24 and 26 years old and such great neighbors! Geslaine is a our local dentist and she saw Marko for free a couple of weeks ago! Our other neighbors (the ones with the restaurant) have two teenage daughters who love to play volley ball and watch movies with the kids. Last night they brought spaghetti over for Noah because he has been sick and pretty much home bound. I did not think I would like having neighbors so close, but truly it has been a blessing! I could do without the barking dogs, however!

Some nights we eat dinner at our friends pizza restaurant. Danhilo and Claudia have been a huge gift to us. Danhilo managed Domino's pizza in America for about seven years so his English is good. He has helped us tremendously to settle into life here in Brazil. Claudia is one of my English Students. They serve the best pizza I have ever had. It is a secret family recipe and I SO want to steal it and bring it back home!!! I am kidding of course, but I am now ruined for any other pizza.

Well, that about covers our typical day. It is not so different from home except that we walk everywhere and we are never alone!!

ZOOLOGICAL

2009-08-18T10:47:00.000-07:00

Sunday we we were invited to the zoo with our neighbors, Claudia and John. They picked us up in their VERY tiny car and we braced for the hour long trip to "The Zoological" with kids on our laps. I know I have mentioned that driving in Brazil is scary at best. Most locals laugh when you put on your seat belt (if there is even a working one in the car). They rarely wear seat belts here and they drive like maniacs so it can be a very frightening experience! I pray every time we get into a car with a Brazilian. Not only do they tend to be crazy drivers, the roads here are horrible. There are potholes everywhere. Even the so called highways are full of bumps and small craters!

We arrived at the zoo around 11:00 and it was already packed. We had no problem finding parking as the zoo was huge and there was plenty of street parking. We began our tour at the home of the Leao (lion). They were magnificent as you can see. I have never seen such a large lion! The way they have the animals staged, it is almost as if you are on a safari in Africa! It brought to surface my dreams of an African Safari which we plan to do in the next couple of years.

The birds were exotic-just what you would picture for Brazil. Unfortunately, I did not get optimal pictures of them due to the cage wires!

We took a break for lunch and I almost gagged because of a homeless man that was collecting cans near our table. He was very nice but had really bad B.O.! I felt very sorry for him but I also felt sorry for myself as my lunch threatened to errupt on the table! I had to excuse myself and finish my food outside of the restaurant.

We finished our zoo trip with a quick tour of the Amazonian snakes-yikes! On the way to the car we ran into my favorite animal-the monkey's (macaco's). The monkey's were not caged. They were just hanging out entertaining their audience! The monkey that I will picture here was a ham! He would just stare at you until you gave him some food then he would do a little dance until you fed him some more.

Overall, the trip to the zoo was a pretty good experience. Once was enough for me, however. As most of you know, I am not one who likes to hang out in large crowds. I rarely visit the zoo in Seattle and then only if it is a school fieldtrip and I am needed to chaperone! My idea of fun is a little more simple: I prefer visiting one on one, or with small groups of people in the comfort of my own home (or someone else's). I enjoy the tranquility of a beach above anything else. Public places make me a nervous wreck with my kids. I have a hard time relaxing and find myself counting heads every five minutes or so! Now we can chalk the zoo off our list of Brazilian Adventures! Enjoy the photos!

AN OASIS

2009-08-16T13:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we were invited to the home of a family from the kids' school. We do not have a car so Tina picked us up in at noon to bring us to her "casa." We had no idea what a treat we were in for.

Tina is a Portuguese woman who spent several years in England where she met her husband. Her English is very good and she has been a great help to us as the kids' have settled into school. About a dozen years ago Tina and her husband bought seven and a half acres in the foothills of Santa Luzia, Brazil for about 7,000 dollars. Their plan was to build a vacation home. Crime in England began to escolate, and the cost of living became increasingly outrageous, so the family decided that Tina and the kids would move to Brazil. They are part owners of a large corporation in England, so the husband had to stay there. He travels to Brazil every month to spend time with his family and Tina and the children travel to England about three times a year to see him. The life they could not afford in England, they can easily afford here. We were blessed to enjoy the day with them at their country retreat.

After a twenty minute car ride on the back roads of Santa Luzia (where we live), we arrived at a gated driveway with exotic, tropical trees flanking both sides. We entered the gate and drove up to Tina's beautiful home nestled in the trees, with a small mountain as the backdrop. We breathed in the country air and felt like we were back home in Stanwood! Though our homes are completely different in architecture, and the vegetation different as night and day, the tranquility was the same and we were in love!

The kids played for hours with Tina's kids in their family pool. By the time they got out of the pool they had puffy eyes and pruney toes! There was a pool house with a bathroom, a spa, and a sauna. I got a kick out of the fact that their was a HUGE bullfrog in the toilet! Apparantely that is quite normal and someone has to pluck the frogs out of the toilet on a regular basis. I did get a photo of half of the frog sticking out of the toilet but I will spare you that picture and will instead post some more tasteful pictures of the house and yard.

Marko and I spent the afternoon hanging out in the outdoor kitchen which we loved; eating and then eating some more. Tina had a few other friends stop by and we sat at the long outdoor table visiting and practicing our Portuguese. We wandered the grounds and were introduced to Tina's 12 dogs, including three puppies, and hundreds of chickens.

The day was perfect and was a nice retreat away from the city life we are now getting used to. Our house in Santa Luzia is very humble and small, but the simplicity of it is refreshing to us. We walk everywhere which is something entirely new to us. The kid's school is directly across the street, CTMDT is two blocks away, the grocery store, hair salon, and restaurants are within walking distance. It is a nice change for us to be living in the city, and since we have no car it is a blessing. Spending the day with Tina at her country estate was like a breath of fresh air and a reminder of what we left behind. We have no regrets though-only joy for what tomorrow will hold. Each day is a new adventure filled with little treasures from our Heavenly Father.

BRAZILIAN "FOOTBALL"

2009-08-14T06:58:00.001-07:00

A couple of weeks ago one of the locals, Yuri, took Marko, Sassan, and I to our first Brazilian football game. This was quite the adventure! First of all, the game started at 11:00 P.M.! Those of you who know us well, know that we are usually in bed by about 9:30 so this was an unusual event for us!

The game was like nothing I have ever experienced! I mean, we have been to Mariners games, etc... but football games in Brazil are WILD! The sport is so popular. Apparently you don't dare wear the wrong color to a game. If you accidently end up on the wrong side of the stadium wearing the wrong colors...well, let's just say that you could be in serious trouble from the opposing fans! Fortunately, there are a lot of Military Policia at the games so we felt relatively safe. This game was not one of the more important ones, but was crazy just the same. They even have a mote around the entire field so that crazed fans cannot storm the field!

We learned within the first five minutes that you don't sit down (except for halftime). The fans stand the entire game, yelling at the top of their lungs. It was very exciting and I will post some pictures so you can get an idea of what it looked like in the stadium.

Marko has been playing football a couple of times a month. For being an "old" guy, he is doing a pretty good job of keeping up with the young locals. Last night he played indoor football on a turf field. He told me that it was much easier on his knees and he plans to play there on Tuesday nights with the guys.

I am off to pick the boys up from school so I will say goodbye. We should have internet at the house by next week so it will be easier to keep up on the blog. I know I have promised more stories, and I have them to share as soon as I am able! Until then, bom dia (good day)!

MORE EMBARRASSING MOMENTS

2009-08-08T05:14:00.000-07:00

Well, I promised several updates on my blog this week but I have not had many opportunities to write. We moved into our new home and do not yet have internet. I have to walk to CTMDT (just two blocks away) to use the internet. We have been spending the week getting settled into the house and preparing it for when Marko comes home (tomorrow). We are missing him and have had hardly an contact with him since he left a week ago. The kids and I are doing pretty good but they have been testing my patience this week. I need daddy to come home and take over!

Here is a NOT so funny kid story: Let me start out by saying that Noah absolutely loves weapons. The other day we were at our new house with the current renters and some of their friends, including a couple of pastors. We were having a small church service to send Anna Paul and Leonardo off on their mission trip to Portugal. We we were all sitting around talking when all of a sudden Noah brought out his two pocket knives. Everyone in the room stared in horror and started to talk amongst themselves, shaking their heads. All I could make out was that this was a bad thing. I felt really embarrassed and had no way of explaining the situation. One Brazilian could speak decent English and explained to me that it is very much illegal to carry weapons of any sort in Brazil. They said that you would get thrown into jail immediately. Obviously Noah is too young to be thrown into jail, but the fact that he was a child (my child) and the fact that I let him play with knives probably did not impress the locals! I know that he has been taught the right way to use a knife, but they of course have no idea about that! This was one of those moments where I wanted a hole in the floor to just swallow me up! Oh well, lesson learned. After everyone left Noah and I had a serious discussion about when it would be appropriate to show off his knives-I told him that Brazil was not that place! Now I will share another embarrassing story:

There was a bbq at CTMDT a few days ago. There were about thirty people there including the kids and I. A man named Jeone was the primary chef. He made us some delicious carne, including chicken, pork, and steak. After lunch, I went up to him and said "Muito Bonita" intending to say the lunch was very good which happens to be "Muito Bom". Now, I know the difference so I am not quite sure how the wrong words came out of my mouth, but what I unintentionally told him was that he was very beautiful! He gave me a really funny look, smiled, and then started to walk away. I immediately caught my mistake and shouted after him "Nao, Nao, Muito Bom"! What a situation...here was this married man who knew that my husband was out of town and probably thought I was picking up on him! I am certain it will not be my last linguistical mistake, so I just had to laugh it off!

Well, I still have more stories to share including how the kids got into a local school and how the professors for i2 ministries blessed us with their expertise on Islam, but those will have to wait for another day. I will say goodbye by sharing a few randoms photos.

By the way, I lost some of my email addresses when I switched email accounts. If you have not heard from me (Jody Wlasuik and Jenny Sepulveda for example), please email me at sjukanovich@gmail.com. I have not forgotten about you!

BACKSTAGE OUTHOUSES

2009-08-03T18:39:00.000-07:00

Funny title I know, but it will make sense when I share the following story: Saturday night Marko and I had an amazing opportunity to go to a Christian Concert with our friend, Josh, whom we came to Brazil with. The main artist, Anna Paula, and her husband, Gustavo, are a very famous Brazilian couple. Gustavo also runs CTMDT where we have spent the last five weeks. Anna Paula and Gustavo are two of Josh and Jussara's best friends. Unfortunately, Jussara was not able to join us in Brazil due to work. Because of Josh's relationship with the family, we were able to get backstage passes to the concert.

Now, you have to understand that I have never gotten backstage passes anywhere, so I admit that I was embarrassingly like a "groupy"! I just figured I might never have an opportunity like this again so I was going to make the most of it! Let's just say that I took a LOT of photo's (I can only post a few so I will post some of Anna Paula, Gustavo, and the other band members.) Josh got a kick out of my childlike behavior and took pictures of me taking pictures! Josh, you see, is considered pretty famous himself, so this was all old hat to him!

So, I was hanging out, taking pictures, eating snacks and drinking juice when I had to use the banheiro. The banheiro's backstage were glorified outhouses. They were not your typical outhouse that we all have used many times before. They actually had a toilet bowl in them and a contraption to flush the toilet! Well, the "contraption" looked like a stick shift so I just pushed it back like you would in a car. To my complete shock, a large amount of blue, sanitizing liquid sprayed all over me! It mostly landed on my jeans and my sandaled foot. I freaked because even though the liquid itself was clean, it came OUT OF THE TOILET BOWL! I mean how clean can it be?! So, here I am walking around meeting famous people smelling like an outhouse! How much more humiliating could one feel? I am exaggerating a little bit in that I don't think I really smelled that bad, but geez-how gross! I had to just get over it and get on with my picture taking because there is no way I was going to let it ruin my night.

The experience was amazing. Anna Paula's band is so talented. Many of them are friends that we have met at CTMDT. There are some really gifted musicians in Brazil. The worship was incredible, and even though I could not understand much of what they were singing, the spirit of God was there. This was a very special concert in that they were doing a live video tape, and Anna Paula and Gustavo are moving to the United States next week for a couple of years to learn English and for Gustavo to go to Seminary. They have a HUGE following in Brazil and will be missed horribly. They made their announcement at the concert to the thousands of fans who were there. It was an emotional night for many. Perhaps all of you back home will have an opportunity to hear her in concert as my understanding is she plans to go on tour in the U.S. with a popular Christian band.

From my limited observation, it does not seem that there is a huge social gap with Brazilians: It is quite common for famous people to hang out with regular folks. I just don't see the same interactions amongst the famous people of the United States, (not that I have first hand experience). I see such humble hearts here in Brazil. People really "get" that all we have, and all we are is because of the Lord, The Maker of heaven and earth. The Christian church here is so dynamic. Sometimes I feel so spiritually frail in comparison. Being here definitely makes me want to grow deeper in my relationship with Jesus. Being away from all of the "stuff" we had in America is a huge blessing. I know I want to go back to my life in America, but I don't want to go back the same. For now, I embrace the life that I have here in Brazil. It is so very different than the one I have at home. Both are a blessing.

THE VERMEHLO(RED) HOUSE IS OURS!

2009-08-02T06:42:00.000-07:00

I have so much to share that it will take me all week just to get caught up! I will try to share one story at a time. The story of the day is that "WE GOT THE HOUSE"! I was just in town with the kids shopping for groceries at the local store when our friends, Anna Paula and Leonardo (who live in the red house), came up to me and hugged me enthusiastically! Anna Paula told me in her broken English that they had been trying to find us all day yesterday and today to tell us the good news! They are moving to Portugal on Wednesday morning so we can move into the house this week!

Marko just left for Foz Do Igueza early this morning on a mission trip. I am trying to reach him via Josh's email so that he can hear the great news! The kids and I were suppose to go on the mission trip, but things did not work out. I think it is important to share the reasons behind the change of plans as I believe it pertains to this current news!

A couple of weeks ago Josh sat down with the American team to debrief and talk about Foz. He shared honestly with us the challenges that we were going to face on the mission trip, including: a thirty hour bus ride(one way), a break out of the swine flu in a nearby vicinity, and the fact that Foz is a well known hideout for terrorists! No big deal!

Now, I am not the bravest person in the world, and being the protective mom that I am, I felt a little anxious about taking the kids on a mission trip under these circumstances! I was also concerned that they would have a hard time walking around the city of Foz every day for 5-6 days as we witnessed to Muslims. I was still planning on going at this point, but my senses were heightened to the challenges facing us.

A few days later Josh approached Marko and I and told us that there was a chance that the bus was going to be canceled to Foz due to lack of people/money. He told us that we needed to finalize our decision within a few minutes. It was apparent that the bus would definitely be canceled if our family of five did not go. Well, we had committed to this trip and there was no way I was going to just back out. Besides, I did not want to miss what the Lord might have for us in Foz. I will be honest and say that it was tempting to cancel because of all of the above concerns, however, I did not feel right about that. Marko and I talked and prayed and decided that we would send a fleece up to God (sort of a prayer of faith). We told the Lord that we would plan to go on the mission trip as a family and if the kids and I were not supposed to go then we prayed He would close that door- A couple of days later the bus was canceled.

I wish that I could say that I accepted that decision as an answer to prayer, but my mind still questioned our decision. The other Americans and about sixty Brazilians were still going to Foz. The Americans planned to fly but the ticket cost was too high so they decided to rent a smaller bus which made the cost go up per person. I am not sure of all the details of why they canceled one bus for another one that was higher in cost but my understanding is that about a dozen Brazilians had to cancel due to finances. All this to say that the kids and I could still have gone. I wrestled with our decision and Marko had to keep reminding me that we prayed and God answered. We stuck to our decision. He is gone. We are here. Now I know part of the reason why: I have to spend the next three days meeting with Anna Paula, Leonardo, and the owner of the house finalizing details and going over all of the expenses etc...We will move in early this week and Lord willing the kids will start school this week as well: That is a story in itself and I will share that in an upcoming blog! Until next time...Thank you for your prayers and may our Lord show himself to you in tangible ways!

DIVINE APPOINTMENT NUMBER TWO

2009-07-31T13:54:00.000-07:00

It is Friday night and I have so much to share from the week! I will only be sharing one story tonight as I am exhausted and need to spend some time celebrating the end of our course on Islam! Yes, we finished this afternoon! It has been a long but wonderful month of intense schooling. We took our final exam at 2:30, said goodbye to a couple of the Americans who were headed back to the states, and now we are preparing to eat some dinner and reflect upon the past month! I have a lot of catching up to do on my blog but probably won't write until Sunday or Monday after Marko has left for the mission trip to Foz Do Iguacu. The kids and I are not going on the mission trip like we had planned. I will explain the reasoning next week. For now, I am just going to share one quick story:

On Wednesday of this week, Marko and I went into Belo Horizonte with our friend, Sylvia, and her daughter, Anna Victoria. Our purpose was to get a CPF number which is equivelent to the United States Social Security number. It is a very important document to get if you plan to stay in Brazil for any length of time. Paperwork in Brazil can take days to acquire, so we had very little expectation of getting our request that night. Actually, we expected to have to go back to Belo two or three more times. We prayed just before getting on the bus which would take us into the city. After an hour bus ride, that was more like a roller coaster ride, we ended up in downtown Belo sick to our stomachs! We found the appropriate office and with Sylvia's help made our request. Fifteen minutes later we had our CPF numbers in hand! We were incredibly relieved and thankful. This was seriously a miracle!

We did a couple of other errands and decided to take a break for dinner. As we were standing at a cross walk waiting with literally mobs of people to cross the street, an African American man came up next to us and said hello in English. Obviously our language stood out from the rest of the people and it caught his attention. It turns out that he was from Kenya where English is a common language. It also turned out that he had been a pastor at CTMDT in the recent past. In fact, he remembered Sylvia. Now, the reason this is so amazing is that Belo Horizonte is a city of 3.5 million so the chances of us running into him at that moment in time were slim. We stood on the side of the street talking for twenty minutes and here is what we learned:

Sammy Mudanya Junior was preparing to move back to his native Kenya to campaign for the 2012 Presidency. He is actively involved in politics in Kenya. He has political connections in Africa, and in fact, his uncle just had lunch with the Rwandan President recently. The reason we consider this a divine appointment is because Marko's brother, his wife, Jennifer, and their two daughters, Lian and Anna, will be moving to Rwanda in September. I won't go into detail about what they are doing because I am certain I will give wrong information, but suffice it to say that they hope to work with the local government to help start profitable businesses in the country of Rwanda. So, all that to say that we feel that this divine appointment with Sammy might have been for their sake. Dano and Jen if you are reading this we will get you the contact information shortly!

Well, that is the story of the night. I must say goodbye and God Bless You. Look for the divine appointments in YOUR life. It might surprise you how often they happen if you just pay a little closer attention. I know that I will be paying more attention to the seemingly "chance" encounters in my life that really are the hand print of God.

Much love,

Shelley

DIVINE APPOINTMENTS

2009-07-26T13:43:00.001-07:00

My dear friend, Danielle(a teacher at the kids school), sent me the following quote today from the book "Wild Goose Chase": "God is setting up divine appointments all the time and as long as our motives stay pure, and our spirits stay sensitive, He will make sure we meet the right people at the right time." I love this quote, and it is perfect for the story that I have to share with you this evening.

Marko and I have been looking at rental houses in the vicinity of CTMDT. We have been offered the opportunity to stay here at the school if I stay on to teach English to the Brazilians, however, we think we would like a place of our own. As we have said, the students and the staff here at CTMDT are amazing, but this is like a college campus, and college aged students are NOT quiet! We get to bed really late every night due to the noise level, and our alone time is next to none! Based on those facts, we have decided to pursue finding a house to rent.

When you rent a house or apartment in Brazil it comes like an empty shell. I know I shared that in an earlier blog. You have to buy everything before moving in. Well, we looked at the one house a week or so ago, but it just did not feel quite right. Last week Marko was talking to an American, Rachael, who lives here full time with her Brazilian husband. As Marko was sharing that we are looking for a house, Rachael's eyes lit up and she got what we call "The Holy Spirit Goosebumps". She has been staying with a family two blocks up the road who are planning on moving out in the near future. The couple, Anna Paula and Leonardo, have a testimony that is similar to ours and they are just waiting for paperwork to go through so they can move to Portugal with their two children. Rachael took us by the house and we knew immediately that this was the house we wanted to live in. We stayed for five minutes and then left with hope in our hearts.

Yesterday, we were headed into town for breakfast. We decided to walk by the house (which we call "our house", so we could show it to the kids who hadn't seen it. Leonardo was out in his yard when we peaked in the gate. He came over and insisted that we come in and have breakfast with them. We were looking forward to eating eggs in town, and as Americans, we also felt like we were imposing, however, we had heard that it is rude to say no when invited to a Brazilians home, so we accepted. Well, what started out as breakfast turned into eight hours of food, fellowship, and prayer. This was truly a divine appointment! It was amazing how similar our testimony was to Anna Paula and Leonardo. They feel like God has been preparing their house for us. They even plan to leave just about everything when they move which is unheard of! There is so much more I could say, but my whole family is with me at the moment and I cannot even concentrate! I will sign off with some pictures and a requests for prayer regarding this house. It is very small and very simple but it is perfect for us. The whole house is the size of our master bedroom back home, but we love it! We want a completely different life here in Brazil. The yard is big for Brazil, and there are several fruit trees including a couple of banana trees! Oh, one more thing to note is that the house is directly across the street from the school we are planning on having our kids attend! Was this a divine appointment? I believe in my heart that it was!

ARAB FESTIVAL

2009-07-26T12:32:00.000-07:00

Friday night the students at CTMDT held a fundraiser for our upcoming mission trip. They hosted an Arab Festival so that we could experience more of the culture we are learning about. It was very well done. There are many talented students at this school. The kids helped with some painting and Gabriella even joined the dancers for a show. She was adorable! The kids had a blast dressing up. The costumes were pretty picked through by the time I got to them so my head dress is pretty boring as you can see! The festival was complete with Indian food which was a big hit. It was a lot of fun and such a great way to continue our education! Marko and I were the oldest people at the party, however, and we were ready for bed at our normal 9:00 time. The problem was that the party did not even start until about 8:30. They do things really late here! Often times restaurants don't even open for dinner until 7:00! We finally had to borrow a refrigerator and go to the grocery store because as most of you know, the Jukanovich's eat dinner around 4:30 or 5:00! Going to bed with a full stomache was not working for us! I honestly think I have gained five pounds in a month!

School is going really well. Marko and I are enjoying being back in school after twenty plus years! I am so proud of Marko. He got a 98% on his first test! He would probably be mad at me for posting that, but I think it is worth reporting. Those of you who have known Marko for a long time know that school was not easy for him. It is not that he wasn't smart, but just that he was a typical boy and did not do well in the standard school setting. I think that it is unfortunate that students like Marko get stuck in classrooms where you have to sit still and listen to someone all day. Schools need to take into account the different learning styles of their students. I know that there are many wonderful teachers who are great about identifying their students learning styles, but I also know that with class sizes the way they are, there is only so much you can do. I will get off my soap box now, but being the mother of two busy boys, who take after their busy dad, causes me to be aware the struggles boys often have in school. I believe that this new season of our lives is one of education for Marko and I. I consider my husband to be very intelligent and It makes me so happy to see him excelling at school! I can vouch for the fact that school is intense and we have to study hard. We had our second test yesterday and are waiting to hear how we did. We have one more week of class and then we are off to Southern Brazil for our mission trip. More on that later...

BELO HORIZONTE STREET FAIR

2009-07-21T12:45:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, I had my second experience with the largest street fair I have ever seen. Four of us gals took the local bus into Belo Horizonte. It was an hours drive on a standing room only bus (fortunately, we all got seats). Unfortunately, the man next to me was hacking up a lung the whole ride so I am praying that I won't get sick!

We were dropped off in downtown Belo where we stopped off for a quick breakfast at one of the local restaurants. Breakfast typically consists of numerous meat and cheese filled pasteries. The pasteries are amazing here. I think that they are all made fresh and lack the preservatives that we are so used to back home. I am not one to eat pasteries (especially in the morning), so I ate my protein bar while the girls ordered their snacks to go "Pardeleva". I don't have my Portuguese dictionary with me at the moment so I know that I spelled that wrong!

We then walked several blocks to the fair where we split up into two groups and spent the next two hours shopping. I bought several souvenirs and a late birthday gift for Noah from Grandma Barbara. Overall it was a very productive morning. I even managed to avoid the porta potties this time. We figured out that if you pay $1.00 at the local restaurants you can use a clean bathroom! There is even a lady in the bathroom that cleans each stall after every couple of uses! Now that is more my style!

As I am sitting here writing, I am having a bit of deja vu. I am remembering that I already wrote about my trip to the fair as I was sitting by the pool with the kids on Sunday. Sorry about that but now you just got an expanded version of my experience in Belo! Now I will talk about the kids!

The are doing really well. Noah and Gabriella seem to be doing better with homesickness. I know they will have days like that and so will mommy and daddy. Overall they are doing amazing. Marko has become friends with the kitchen staff here at CTMDT and is their little helper. The staff: Saju, Zuma, and Seeda, are all very nice and go above and beyond to help our family. They even make me special meals if I ask so that I don't have to eat the nightly pasta that they serve. Saju (male) brings Marko with him to the grocery store and they come back with their arms full of food. Marko, as you can imagine, loves his role as helper. In his spare time he is memorizing scripture with his brother and sister, doing homework, and designing his new store. Yes, he is planning on building another store when he gets home! This one is much bigger and will double as a guest house! We are still trying to figure out how to pay for this new project of his, but we fully intend on supporting his efforts. You should see his designs-they are amazing and we are so proud of him!

Noah is of course wowing the students with his gymnastics abilities. He runs, jumps, climbs, and flips over anything he can at CTMDT and is enjoying his freedom. He is playing a little soccer with the locals here and there which we know makes Grandpa Terry happy! He is his tender little self and snuggles mommy and daddy whenever he gets a chance. He is doing really good on his math homework but it is a struggle to get him to read or write! He would rather be jumping across rooftops (another one of his goals in Brazil)! YIKES!

Gabriella is a bundle of energy as always and is especially loving her freedom. I am actually a little concerned about the lack of structure in her schedule right now. It will be hard when school ends for Marko and I and we get back to a more normal schedule. She runs around here like she owns the place and hangs out in the school store where she knows that she is going to get free snacks from Saju, Zuma, and Seeda! The locals are spoiling our kids with love and with sweets! Gabriella is doing really well in school. I have the kids doing homework every morning and she is such an eager student! I love that I don't have to nag her to do her homework.

Well, we are off to town for dinner so I will say goodbye for now!

Shelley

NOAH'S BIRTHDAY

2009-07-18T15:57:00.000-07:00

We just got back from dinner and I wanted to share some birthday pictures with you. Noah turned eight years old today and it was a great birthday for him despite the fact that he did not have you; his family and friends with him. We had a birthday party for him in the school cafeteria and some of the students even did a puppet show for him. He loved every minute of it! He was spoiled with little gifts from the students and has been enjoying his new toys today. We went swimming in the afternoon and are now getting ready to watch a movie.

Today I had my second coffee experience in Brazil. This time I took one of the locals with me so that she could tell the Barista exactly what I wanted which was an iced mocha with rice milk. They don't have rice milk here, so that was not an option. I ended up with a cappuccino shake made with milk. It was the size of a kid cup, and was again made with a packet of cappucino! It was o.k., but not good enough to drink on a regular basis! The first thing I will do when I get home is make an iced mocha with rice milk! Anne, you better be enjoying them for me because I am having some serious cravings!

Ezra, one of the students here took a few of us to get pedicures today. It was $6.00 for a pedicure! I will be ruined when I get back to the U.S. for certain things. The cost of living is so much cheaper here! We looked at a house to rent yesterday. It is a two bedroom house a few blocks from CTMDT. The cost would be $300 American dollars a month plus utilities! Pretty depressing isn't it?! You have to buy all of your own appliances and furniture, but those items are also very cheap. We are praying about whether to stay at CTMDT or move into this home. There would be benefits to both and we just want to "Wait upon the Lord" in making our decision. We have one week to decide. We have a meeting on Monday night with some of the staff at the school to talk about about our next step after the upcoming Mission Trip, as well as whether or not I will be teaching an English here at the school. We hope to make our decision about the house after that meeting.

I don't think that I ever mentioned the street fair that we went to last weekend. If I did then sorry for being repetetive! It was the most amazing street fair I have ever been to. It starts at 5:00 in the morning and was totally packed by the time we got there at 7:30. There was a large group of us that went. We had about ten Americans and five Brazilians to help translate for us. It was quite the experience. The kids were with us which made it hard to shop. It was so crowded that we dared not take our eyes off of the kids. I am going again tomorrow morning with just the gals to buy some souvenirs! I have to say that the porta potties at the fair made the ones at home seem like glamorous powder rooms! I will do all I can to avoid them tomorrow! Enough said!

Enjoy the pictures!

HOMESICK

2009-07-16T06:09:00.000-07:00

Last night was the first time the kids were feeling homesick. We went to dinner at our favorite hamburger place, and on the way home Noahs started to cry. He curled up on his bed and cried himself to sleep. This was heartbreaking for me. Gabriella started to cry when she heard her brother crying. I think that Noah is feeling sad that he won't be able to celebrate his birthday at home with friends and family. We are going to plan a party for him in the hopes that he will have a special birthday. The Brazilians love to throw parties, so I think it will be easy to get lots of help! Both of the kids woke up much happier today. I think it will help to get them in a local school where they can meet some friends. There is a school across the street that we are going to look into. The school year starts on August 1st. Marko and Gabriella are looking forward to school but Noah (not surprisingly) does not want to go. I am praying that once he tries it he will love it! I have been homeschooling the children every afternoon. They seem happy to do their school work and I am hopeful that they will continue to enjoy learning.

The students here continue to amaze me. They are so loving towards our family. They are eager to learn English, and I am teaching English to one of the students in the afternoons. We are picking up on a little Portuguese but are so anxious to become fluent. We have worship every morning before class and I love to listen to the locals sing in their native language. It is so beautiful. We recognize some of the songs and can sing along in English. Brazilians are passionate about God and about life. They worship in song and dance with abandonment. I get teary sometimes just watching them. I pray that I would become more passionate about God and less concerned with the things around me.

We are on a twenty minute break between lectures right now and I have to go. I am going to skip this lecture and spend time with the kids. I will post some pictures of the students worshipping. I hope it will touch your hearts. The picture of the students with their hands on the wall is very touching. We were praying for the countries that are the most oppressed by Islam. There were lots of tears that day.

KIDS "DO" THE DARNDEST THINGS!

2009-07-15T12:04:00.000-07:00

Well, I promised some kid stories, so here they are: Our first week here when we were staying in the hotel in Belo Horizonte, Noah got a bloody nose down at the pool. Daddy asked Gabriella to get some toilet paper from the bathroom (which was right next to the pool). Instead, Gabriella decided that it would be better if she got some toilet paper from our room (on the 8th floor)! Mommy, who was up in the room, was quite surprised when her five year old daughter knocked on the door! We had to have yet another converation with our independent daughter about not going off by herself-EVER!

That same day, we were walking into town so daddy could get a haircut. We stopped at a shop which had a barber shop on one side and a clothing store on the other (the two were connected). While daddy was getting his haircut Noah and Gabriella decided to investigate the clothing store. Mommy had stepped outside for some fresh air (truthfully there is no such thing in Brazil). To my horror, I turned around to see my two younger children in the store window with their hands up a mannequin's dress! There they were, right in the store window which happened to be facing the street! I ran into the store, told them to stop, and then asked them what they were doing- to which they replied: "We just wanted to see if our hands would reach all the way up to her neck"! I sighed with relief over their innocence and told them that I did not want them to do that again. Of course they wanted to know why and I had to come up with some reasonable answer that would placate them. I don't remember exactly what I said, but it seemed to work. We have not had anymore mannequin issues to date!

Our kids know that they are not supposed to go near water when mommy and daddy are not around. There are two pools on the campus and we take them swimming twice a day. The rest of the time (while we are in class) they are not to play near the pools. Well, our little girl decided that she would just walk across the bar stools that are in the shallow end of the pool (by herself-in her clothes). As you can guess, she fell in. She hit her chin on the cement bar stool and soaked her clothing. When we found out what happened, and imagined what "could" have happened, she was in big trouble! Grandparents, please do not worry too much. I think we have finally made the rules and boundaries clear to our wandering child!

One of Noah's goals in coming to Brazil was to climb a coconut tree and pick a coconut. I had no idea how serious he was until there was a group of us talking down by the pool. All of a sudden I hear this "Hey, mommy" from what sounded like far away. I turned around and looked up in the direction of the voice. With absolutely no shock (considering the source) I gazed up at my younger son and laughed as I saw his tiny figure thirty feet up in a coconut tree with the thumbs up sign! Our friends, on the other hand, as well as the grounds keepers, were a little more frightenend than I was. We ran to the base of the tree and told him to come down slowly at which time he got his first lecture about climbing trees in Brazil. Unfortunately for him, he was only about ten feet away from picking a coconut. Fortunately, he found one on the ground and one of the locals opened it for him so he could drink coconut milk the native way!

The last kid story I have is that our next door neighbor (in the doorm room next door) came up to us and told us that our kids are "so quiet". He said he never even hears them! Marko and I laughed and told him that it was probably the six inch cement walls between our rooms! Never have we heard our kids described as quiet!

Well, that is it for now. Hope you enjoy the photos!

SATURDAY MORNING

2009-07-11T03:00:00.000-07:00

We are thankful for a weekend. It was a pretty intense week with thirty hours of school, plus and additional two hours of studying a night. We have three more weeks of school for a total of 120 hours of class. I really enjoy learning and the subject matter is fascinating. We should know a lot about the Muslim faith at the end of this journey. There is so much to share but it would not be appropriate on a public blog, so we will share what we have learned when we get back to the states.

We are humbled by the people here. As I have said, they are so warm and so filled with joy. They live simple lives and they are truly happy. It really causes me to examine my own heart and my own life back home. Do I live a joyful, relaxed, purpose filled life, or do I succumb to the ways of the West and live my daily life rushing from place to place, doing this and that, wondering where the joy is? I know that I am guilty of the American way. It is so hard to "not" get caught up in the busyness. Taking care of my house alone is a full time job. Here it has been refreshing to live opposite of what we are used to. Our room is small, there is no yard for me to take care of, the staff cooks all of our meals, and laundry is but a fifth of what it is at home (because we only have one suitcase of clothes each)! It has been a nice change of pace and it will be interesting to see what changes we will make in our lives when get home.

Not only are the people joyful, but they are very affectionate as well. It is not uncommon to get a dozen hugs a day and kisses on the cheek as well. What I love most is that the men do not seem afraid to show affection or emotion towards each other. The young men here (college age) are always hugging and comforting each other-something that American men would do well to emulate.

The food is incredible, but it has been hard getting used to the changes. For instance, they actually eat cake for breakfast(as well as lunch and dinner)! Carbohydrates are a huge staple in Brazil-even more so than at home! For breakfast every morning we are served fruit, panini sandwhiches made from white bread, cake, coffee and juice! Can you say CARB-LOAD?!! They have the most amazing eggs here, but they don't typically eat them for breakfast. They are instead served at lunch or dinner with meat. Boy am I missing my daily scrambled eggs with salsa and feta cheese! Marko and I are going to try to find a way to boil some eggs on a regular basis. Our bodies are just not adjusting well to this current breakfast diet! Lunch, on the other hand has been pefect: some sort of meat with rice or potatoes and a green salad. Dinner, if we eat at school, is delicious, but again is a lot of carbs. They offer a lot of pasta and fried foods. Most of the fried foods at least have chicken in them. A couple of times a week we just walk to one of the nearby restaurants where they typically offer buffets. There is not a set price on the buffets, instead, you fill your plate up with whatever you want and then they weigh it. You pay according to the amount of kilograms your food weighs. You can get a full plate of food for about $6 Reis or $3.00 American dollars! Speaking of food, it is time for us to head down to that carbohydrate breakfast! Next time I will share some funny kid stories!

IT'S NOT STARBUCKS!

2009-07-09T02:27:00.000-07:00

Well, I had my first coffee experience in Brazil, and it was not quite what I am used to! We had a twenty minute break from class the other day so Marko and I walked the short distance to the "one" local coffee shop with some of the other American Students (there are only about ten of us). We had heard that they had the best coffee in town and that we might even be able to get a latte! Now, I had not had a latte in a week so I was REALLY looking forward to this! We got there and realized that it probably wasn't a good sign that there were small individual packs of Cappuccino on the shelf, but we did see some "real" coffee in the shop as well, so we were hopeful. Well, you guessed it, we got the packs of Cappucino-not quite the Starbucks experience that we are used to! We were in a hurry to get back to class because our friend, Professor Josh, does not like people to be late and afterall, we are the only Americans. We attempted to tell the Barista that we wanted our latte's to go but she just kept giving us ceramic cups and telling us to sit down! O.K., so you have to know that Brazilians are not in ANY hurry. They are a very laid back people and not at all like we are accustomed too! Needless to say, we were late for class and it was not like we could sneak in the back door-there are no back doors (so much for fire codes)! We had to walk in front of the entire student body (200 of them) as well as in front of Josh as he was lecturing! Not a good example to have the late people be the Americans. To make things worse, we got a not so subtle admonishment in front of the entire student body (just a gentle reminder-not pointing figures of course) that we should respect the Professor and not walk into class late! O.K., So can we say embarrassing?! We wanted to crawl into a hole! So much for that latte experience. I don't think I will be having another until I am back in the states!

I have so many stories to tell but we start school at 8:00 and are in class for 5-6 hours. I will have to write more later. School is intense but we are learning a lot about Islam. I am thankful for the education we are receiving, and we are thoroughly enjoying our time with these amazing people!

CTMDT

2009-07-06T15:36:00.000-07:00

We arrived at CTMDT (The Missionary School) on the 4th of July. This is where we will be spending the next month in training. The school is like a small college campus and is fully protected by a cement wall. It is a very serene place with old architecture, a variety of vegetation, and two beautiful swimming pools. Our room is a large dorm room with three sets of bunkbeds and I feel like I am back in college! You cannot put toilet paper down the toilet and the only hot water is from the shower, but we are enjoying the "simple life". My biggest concern in coming here was that I was told that we would have to do laundry by hand! Can you imagine doing laundry for five people-by hand?! Fortunately, the staff had pity on me and they are allowing our family to use one of two washing machines on campus. I was so thankful I wanted to cry! They do not have dryers, so it is old fashioned clothes pins on a clothesline for drying. You won't find me complaining!

The people are lovely! The average age of the students is around 18 and the majority of them are local Brazilians! They are as eager to learn English as we are to learn Portuguese! It is pretty funny trying to communicate, and we are hopeful that by the end of our time here we will be able to communicate to some degree!

Our plan is to stay a month, however, I was just asked to teach English to the Pastor and his wife for an additional three months. I am praying about whether or not to accept this job. We are relying on the Lord to direct our path.

We were surprised today when Josh and the other staff called us up on stage and introduced us as a part of their staff. We are going to be on staff with i2 Ministries for six months while we decide what direction we are going to take. We were also informed that all of our expenses (here at the school) are being paid for by the ministry! We get all of the benefits that the other staff get including housekeeping and free food whenever we want! We were so honored and blessed and thankful to God for His continued provision.

I need to go study now. Fact of the day: There are roughly 1.5 billion Muslims in the world today and 300 million (15%) of them are radicals.

Our kids are adjusting well. The students play "football" with them and love to touch the tops of their heads (It appears to be a cultural thing).

OLA FROM BRAZIL

2009-07-04T08:05:00.000-07:00

After 24 hours of traveling, we made it to our Hotel in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, where we have spent the last three days. We are currently waiting for a van to pick us up and take us to CTMDT, the missionary school where we will spend the next four weeks. Traveling went well despite the worst turbulance we have ever encountered!

It is important to note some of the financial details of how we were able to get here. Three weeks prior to our intended departure date, we did not have our airplane tickets or the money to buy them. Thanks to generous donations from family, friends, a local church, and an accidental house fire, we were able to pay for not only our tickets, but our stay at CTMDT as well. I must explain the house fire: Grandma Barbara's house caught on fire and Marko was the general contractor on the job. The insurance company paid him to manage the renovation. It goes to show that there is truth to the saying "Good comes out of every bad situation"!

There are two big contrasts that we have seen between North Americans and South Americans. The first contrast has to do with the attitudes and countenance of the Brazilian people. When we got on our plane in Los Angeles to depart for Saul Paulo, Brazil, there was an amazing exuberance coming from the passengers. The noise level was such that I had a hard time hearing, but the noise was not bothersome at all, it was very pleasant in fact. This is where we first got a glimpse of the joy the illuminates from this culture of people. They are full of energy and laughter. In fact, they even laughed as we were going through turbulance as if we were on a roller coaster ride! I, on the other hand, had a hard time keeping my dinner down, and the look in my eyes elicited more laughter from those passengers next to me!

The other contrast has to do with customer service. Not to be down on my fellow Americans, but I have been very disappointed lately with customer service in general. Brazilians customer service is to be admired and duplicated. Where North Americans seem to expect tips, South Americans often refuse them. They shake their heads and say "Nao, it is my pleasure".

Portuguese people are crazy drivers! I don't think there are very many rules of etiquette in Brazil. It appears that the speed limits are not enforced, and pedestrians don't seem to have the right away. In fact, there are very few cross walks which is quite frightening when walking with young children. We are keeping our kids very close to our sides!

Overall, we are thoroughly enjoying our time here and we look forward to what the Lord has in store for us. I will post some pictures as soon as I figure out how. Marko has nicknames me the "computer terrorist" and says that I did not even need special training to earn the title! I do seem to struggle with not messing things up. I have already lost this post once. I pray that it actually work this time! Until next time...

Adeus!

The Call began in October 07

2009-06-18T22:18:00.000-07:00

This is our testimony. A testimony to the call God has placed upon our lives to move to Brazil in service to Him. This is the journey of God’s vision for us, as well as testimony to his provision in our lives.

· October 2007 – The strong presence of the Lord at Josh and Jussara’s Florida wedding leaves us desiring more from the Lord and each other.
· Josh Lingel, founder of i2 Ministries, a training resource equipping Christians to affective reach Muslims, invites Marko to consider joining his ministry which has a base in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
· Our good friend, Walter, speaks with Marko about moving to Brazil and becoming involved with his commodities business.
· Lifestyle Homes and Construction, struggles to survive the economy. A meeting with a career counselor points Marko toward doing business in Brazil.

Suddenly, Brazil was a word we could not ignore. God was speaking and we were listening.

· February 2008, while on prayer retreat at Lake Chelan vacation home, the Lord speaks to Marko, “Sell the condo”. Marko shares revelation with Shelley and she affirms this is the right decision. Within three days we receive an unsolicited offer in the mail from a buyer on the condo.
· May 2008 we no longer receive a paycheck from Lifestyle, but our needs were met from condo sale proceeds.
· September 2008 condo money runs out, but we received back pay from Lifestyle Homes and an unexpected IRS tax refund.

God’s provision is evident and abundant!

Brazil beckons us for months. At every turn … the news, movies, conversations … Brazil is a common thread. Although somewhat humorous, we recognize this is not coincidental and our faith is both shaken and strengthened.
· Marko is prophesied over by a local Brazilian woman on a trip to Brazil. She is the Lords mouthpiece, “Come to Brazil. You will know where you are to live and work when you arrive.”
· We resign leadership role in church body where we served eight years.
· The Lord calls us to simplify; shut down businesses, sell real estate as well as unnecessary autos and equipment, pay off debt, order our home and personal affairs, raise personal and financial support, etc.
· August 2008. After a short church sabbatical, we begin fellowship at Stanwood Foursquare Church. This body embraces our family and God’s leading in our life.

The vision – Our first six weeks
While the call to Brazil has been clear, the details of what we will be doing there are still unclear. The first four weeks will be spent at a school in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, where we will be equipped to minister in the following areas: sharing the gospel with Muslims Post 9-11, Church planting in a Muslim context, and Christian/Muslim theological issues. Following our month of training we will travel to Iguaca Falls, Brazil, where we will have an opportunity to witness to Muslims. We will also be building relationships with local churches while teaching them how to effectively minister to the high population of Muslims in the area. We will seek and trust in Gods direction from this point forward!

“I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me”
Acts 26:17-18
Is this not how God has called disciples for generations? Jesus once said, “… sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” Mark 10:21

Where will we live? What will we do in Brazil? We step through this door of faith and expectantly embrace this new mission. Without doubt, we press onward. Without hesitation we say, “Yes, Lord.”

“do not be anxious about your life … consider the lilies, how they grow … if God clothes the grass … how much more will he clothe you? … seek first His kingdom … For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Luke 12:22-34

“I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

Why Muslims?
With an estimated 1.5 billion Muslims in the world today, there is a need for the global church to be educated on how to effectively reach the Muslim world; the largest unreached people group of today. We believe that we are to play a role in equipping the church to minister to this exploding religion. We are surrendering our will in order to be obedient to God’s call in this next season of our lives. We are taking small steps of faith daily as we move in the direction He has laid out for us.
For the latest updates on where we are and what the coming days and weeks are holding for us please visit our blog at http://thejukes.blogspot.com You can choose to support our family and i2 ministries financially by going to the “support” tab at the top of this page.

Our prayer—that God would speak to each of you personally as you seek Him, that lives would be changed and personal relationships with God would be formed and deepened as a result of this testimony. God be glorified!

Thank you for taking the time to hear what is happening in our lives—The Jukanovich’s