Time flies when your having fun

We can hardly believe that we have been here for 4 months now. In some regards, it doesn't feel like that long, but then when I think about all the "stuff" that we have been through, it seems like 4 years! We actually have 10 weeks left in Campinas before we head down south to Porto Alegre. We are looking forward to joining the team that is already down there and moving forward in the call that the Lord has placed on our hearts. We have talked about the different aspects of leaving Campinas and even though we are ready, we will miss this place that we have called home. We have met some great friends here. Preston and I have befriended several elderly neighbors and they just love him. He still hasn't gotten used to all the Brazilians wanting to kiss him! We have grown close to one couple in particular at church that has blessed our hearts they way they pray for us and care for us. I (Keri) might just cry when I have to leave the Tia's from Peyton and Pierce's daycare and Preston's teacher, Professora Rose (as seen in the photo). She has been a true answer to our prayers.

Life here has been tough at times, but as always, the Lord has proven and continues to prove Himself faithful. And His faithfulness has nothing to do with me or my faithfulness to Him. My brain has a hard time understanding that, but I am so thankful for it. This has been such a rich time in our lives and I can't wait to see what the rest of the journey holds. I have much more rolling through my brain, but I will stop the rambling for now. Thanks for listening.

Please continue to pray for Paul and I we have our second language evaluation test this Thursday. We both feel more confident than we did the first go around, but it still gets our stomachs all in knots. Please pray that no matter what we do we will glorify the One that has sent us here.

Please remember to pray for the Isbelle's

Please remember to pray for Jon and Rachel Isbelle. They are our friends that have served the Lord in Rio for the last two years. They are with the Network of International Christian Schools. They are leaving Brazil tomorrow. Their time in Rio has been a great time of growth both for them and the teenagers that they touched. The Lord is leading them back the States, so please join us in praying for their transition back into that culture.

To Jon & Rachel: Thank you for being obedient to God's call. You are a true inspiration to us all!

16th Wedding Anniversary in Brazil

I just wanted to write this short blog to share with you how neat it was for Keri and I to spend our 16th anniversary in Brazil. It has been a hard 3 months since arriving in Brazil, but the times of refreshing that the Lord sends our way are just as exciting as the hard times are hard. Am I making any sense? It seems that every time we go through a difficult period either in language learning or with the health of one of the 6 of us or whatever else, the Lord is always faithful to turn around and give us a sweet time of refreshing. Well, that is what we got on our anniversary. We didn't necessarily do anything spectacular, but it refreshed us. Our "date" started at noon. I had another missionary couple, Paul and Toni Dillard, lined up to take Kati and Preston to lunch and a movie. The babies were taken care of by my language teacher. So, with all the kids taken care of, we could just relax and enjoy our day. We went for a walk, just the two of us! Something that never happens. Then we went to a movie and dinner at a very nice restaurant, all of this by ourselves. Something that never happens. Like I said, it wasn't anything spectacular, but it was a nice, relaxing afternoon and evening with my bride of 16 years. We needed this down time desperately and the Lord blessed our time together. While we were out, we talked about all the Lord is revealing to us and just how special it is that we are here following His direction. We have had some of the hardest times of our lives since we have been here, but there is no place that we would rather be right now. I asked myself and Keri this question, "Would you do it all over again if you knew it would be this hard?" We both had the same response without hesitation, "Yes!" We are learning just how faithful our God is and we are learning first hand what it means to trust Him and totally rely on His power and His power alone to get us through. Ok, that is all of my short blog. More later. Thanks for reading.