Enjoying Rio!

Taylor had sooooooooooo much fun playing in the water at Camboinhas beach near our apartment. We all had a great time just talking, enjoying the breeze, and walking around before the week got started.

One of the teams last days here we got to go to Rio and see one of the wonders of the world... The Christ the Redeemer Statue. We took the scenic route to get there, but once we got to the top the view was great! Another thing that everyone liked while they were here were the sweets. Mmmmm Mmmmm. I think the group favorite was Brigadeiro, a yummy chocolate candy they make here.

Fun Stuff in Niterói: Climbing the Costão

Jude took the girls to climb a "hill" close to our house and it proved to be quite an adventure. No pregnant climbers allowed, but here are some pics. They even got to feed a monkey!

Team Activities at the Project

Here are some pics of the team in action at the project during the VBS and doing some home visits. They poured out lots of love on the kiddos and the staff... Jude and I were especially encouraged. Thanks for everything guys!!! The group picture is tiny, but just to give you an idea of the group involved in the VBS.

Soul Cafe Short Term Missions Team

A group of 4 lovely ladies from Soul Cafe made the trip to see us in Brazil and help out with a Vacation Bible School and some home visits for the Project! It was a blast and we thought that we would show you some pics from their time here. From left to right, Kim, Taylor, Kerri, and Sheila and of course my handsome husband, Jude. They made it, after a long trip and some luggage issues, but they were all still smiles!!!

Pastor Claudio and Jude went to pick up the team. This pic is the team with our Pastor, Pastor Claudio, who has an amazing heart for missions and loves when teams come in... he gets to use his English!

Here is Kim, with what became her favorite outfit before all of the luggage arrived! The airline delivered it the afternoon after their flight arrived. Yeah!

Taylor made quite the appearance at a " Country Party" that one of the lifegroups at our church had. We were all invited and had a great time. Taylor even joined in on a dance the youth performed! I also had to throw in a picture with my belly, Joel is growing strong..... and should arrive in a little over a month.

Waiting

Well, since we are updating our blog, I thought I would add my two cents. The past months seem to have flown by in one sense and dragged by super slowly in another. Sometimes I find myself thinking, am I still only 7 months pregnant, am I not at 8 yet????? I think that I have thought that every month, except the first one, since I didn´t even know that I was pregnant. :) Good things come to those who wait, so I know that this little blessing to come, here in about 2 months, will be amazing. It seems that we have been waiting on lots of things lately. Getting internet in our house, getting the leaky window in the babies room fixed. Waiting in Brazil, means at least 4 months. :) In these cases, we have been "waiting" for over 6 months I believe. David writes in the Psalms about waiting... I wonder if he ever found the secret for waiting. Some of the verses talk about waiting patiently, others about wait, accompanied by hope in the Lord. Other times, you can almost hear the distress in the Psalms... How long will I have to wait? Praise God that David was honest with the Lord. When I think about what I want, I get impatient and don´t like to wait. When I think about the greatness of my God, I dont mind the waiting so much. Even as I write this, I am frustrated in the waiting, but my God is still the same God, just as marvelous and just as capable of holding me in His mighty arms and comforting me, even if it is over something that I know is small and realitively unimportant in the big scheme of things. Yet He still cares. I am thankful that I serve that kind of a God. When I remember to put my wants aside, even then He fills me with hope not in my daily situations, but in Him who is over and above all.

Psalm 130:5

I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,

and in his word I put my hope.

(NIV) Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society

It´s Madness I Tell You!

Pastor Beto, director at the project, took me to Maracaná Stadium to watch his favorite team play a soccer match. This is the second time we have gone, and it´s the second time his team came out winless. I´m not sure that he is going to take me again!

Pencils, Lifegroup and That Pregnant Teacher!

The picture at the top is of the kids showing off the pencils we brought back for them from the US. They thought they were too cool. Then there´s Jane with some of her students. The littlest one is Daisy and she is actually in another class. She is toooooo cute! Then there is me with some of the girls from the project that have been coming to the Thursday night lifegroup that we attend. We´ve been praying that the Lord would use this time to really speak to them. And lastly is Jane and I in Rio. Some friends of ours took us on a tour of Rio since we haven´t really spent much time there and we don´t have a car. This was taken about 6 weeks ago in a national park that overlooks Rio.

My First Bible

We held a special service for some of the kids at the project earlier this year. Once a child turns 10 years of age, they are given a bible as a birthday present. This is a picture of Larissa (one of Jane´s students from last year) and her mom with Jane after the service.

Pics from the Spring Semester

These are some of the kids that we are working with this spring.

Baby Shower!

Our church family held a baby shower for us back in June. It was such a blessing and we were even more blessed that Jane´s mom was able to be a part of it while she was visiting here in Niterói. We aren´t the only ones at church that are expecting a baby. Two of Jane´s girlfriends, Francine & Sabrina, are expecting as well.