Time Apart

If you give up all those things that provoke your curiosity and set your mind spinning, you will have more than enough time to spend with God and to attend to your business. Living your life prayerfully will make you clear-headed and calm no matter what happens. Your self-nature is overactive, impulsive, and always striving for something just outside your reach.

But God, working within your spirit, produces a calm and faithful heart that the world cannot touch. I really want you to take an adequate amount of time to spend with God so that you might refresh your spirit. All your busyness surely drains you. Jesus took His disciples aside to be alone, and interrupted their most urgent business. Sometimes He would even leave people who had come from afar to see Him in order to come to His Father. I suggest the same for you. It is not enough to give out--you must learn to receive from God, too.

Fenelon

Ecuador

Time to go back and check on Ansley in Ecuador. 

Click here to read her latest post. 

For Ans

Ans,

We both love the show Seinfeld. I stumbled across this video yesterday and thought of you. I know you'll love it. 

Protests

After I posted my blog on Monday my brother-in-law called me.  He said, "Okay, tell me exactly what is going on in Brasil with all these protests."

We had a good conversation but he made me realize that more of you might not have a clue what is going on other than just glancing at the news which, I'm sure as the news likes to do, is probably only showing the worst of the protests.

If you are curious about the protesting and want to know more about it then just click here. It's an article written by a Brasilian journalist and he gives a pretty good report of how our country got where it is at this moment.

We believe God is doing something in Brasil right now and our church family wants to be the light of Jesus and make a kingdom difference in this time of protesting. Our prayer is that through these protests more people will come to Jesus. That people will look to Him as Savior and not the government. That our country allows Jesus to clean up the corruption and that His people will lead this nation.

Please pray for God's family in Brasil and for Brasil.

Yesterday for Brasil

We had an amazing time of worship together with our house church family yesterday.

We had a group of people talking about the protesting that is happening in our country and what we, as Christians, need to be doing in the middle of everything.

We studied God's word, prayed for our country and our leaders and prayed for each other.

It was so encouraging.

As I type this there is another organized demonstration going on in downtown Porto Alegre. It's raining and cold and yet there are thousands protesting.

Something is happening in our country and we want to see God have the victory through it all. We want to see His people lead this country. I confess it is hard to see change like that with my physical eyes but I bet no one who knew Saul would ever have believed that He could be used by God in the way that God used him.

Saul became Paul and did amazing things for God. God can do the same thing with our leaders. That's what we want for Brasil. Strong Christian leaders who lead with humility and follow God's will.

We ask that you join us in prayer for Brasil at this important time in our country's history.

A Good Example

Teaching is not effective without an example. Begin with acting right, then you can speak later. Be patient. By this I am not saying to indulge people's sins, but rather to not be annoyed when someone makes slow progress. You can easily discourage others by being impatient with them. 

The more forceful you are, the more you need to learn gentleness and kindness. Try to understand the needs of the people you care for and adapt yourself to their needs. Show them your heart is open to them and let them know, through experience, that it is safe for them to open their hearts to you without fear. Never be harsh. Be kind and considerate. Decide slowly, but firmly. Correct yourself before you correct others. 

Fenelon

Winter

A couple of days ago I was sitting on our bed and I saw my breath.  Saw it like cigarette smoke.

Over the last few days we've started sleeping under extra blankets at night and watching tv while covered in blankets. I type this while sitting at a table with a blanket draped over me. My girlfriend just came in and called me grandpa. I didn't even fight it.

We've also begun the "living on hot chocolate and hot tea" season.

Remember the drawing the FBI sent out when they were looking for the Unabomber?

That's how Garrett (minus the glasses and mustache) watches soccer games on tv now. Curled up and wearing a sweatshirt with the hood pulled over his head.

My girlfriend has begun her cold season tradition of taking a couple of hot showers a day just to get warm.

We are beginning to move our gas heater from room to room.

All signs that cold weather season is now on us.

The sad thing it's not even the coldest part of the year. Not even close.

I realized today that our winter "officially" starts tomorrow.

Oh puke.

Hey B, Ans and Stephen........you guys missing it?

For Adwee

Ans,

The seleção played Saturday and won 3-0 against Japan. The last goal was set up by your boyfriend. It was awesome.

Here it is just for you:


Next game is today against Mexico.

Who knows? Maybe he will score for you.

Back to Ecuador

Time to check on Ansley and what's going on with her.

Click here to read her latest post.

And don't forget to pray for her and her kids. Thank you!

For my new son

Stephen,

I love the way you treat B. I love the way you communicate with her. You guys have a healthy relationship and that's super important.

But there is one thing you need to remember as you start your new life together with my daughter.

It doesn't matter how great of a listener or communicator you are. Sometimes, no matter how much you want to help your wife, you have to remember that "it's not about the nail."

Remember that and you will be just fine.

This video will help you remember.

Two Things

1st thing:

Pray for this dork. She gets on the plane today headed back to Ecuador to be with her kids at the orphanage.

2nd thing:

Today is Valentine's Day in Brasil. This is my valentine.

I have the best, and best looking, valentine ever!

Feel free to celebrate with us.

Sunday

This post will be specifically for B and Ans. My apologies to the rest of you. 

Girls,

Sunday, as you know, we went to the seleção game at the new stadium of that other team.

Thought I'd share some pics of the day.

The Hamlett's wanted to go but wanted a translator so they bought me a ticket to help them :) Told you they were awesome.

Anderson had money left over that grandparents had given him for his birthday so he bought his own ticket. He used every penny and was so happy to do so. We then were able to buy Garrett a ticket. Cool how God worked it all out for us to go.

Anderson went with Lucas and his family.

The Confederation Cup starts this weekend and Brasil plays Japan in their first game. A Japanese reporter and cameraman were at the Brasil game on Sunday and guess who they talked to? Anderson, Lucas and his family. We'd love to find that video.

Elias went with us and he and Garrett, like they always do, jawed the entire game. Seems like they will be best friends forever and always be rooting for opposite teams. Inter-gremio; Real Madrid-Barcelona, etc. They never agree on anything in soccer. I love to hear their back and forth. They crack me up.

They were both impressed with the stadium.

After the game Garrett told us that college is now back off. He wants to play in a pro stadium. I think he was impressed.

I'm going to be his personal PT after he goes pro.

I just noticed how much taller I am than him. Whatever.

Even though we were in the new chiqueiro.....

.....we had fun and saw a great game.

Wish you guys could have been with us.

Videos for Ansley of her boyfriend.

One that I took:



A more professional one:


Can you make out what he said after he scored? Take a guess.

Family

We just put these guys on a plane:

It's the Hamlett family.

They are part of our sponsoring church in Alabama.

They decided to use some of their vacation time to come visit us. They came on their own dime.

You are probably thinking that we've known them for a while and are good friends and they came to hang out with their buddies right? You would be wrong.

We met them briefly, in passing, at a church function in Alabama 4-5 years ago. That was our only contact with them.

They just decided to come see us, get to know us, get to know their Brasilian family and to encourage and bless us.

They did all those things and more. I can't tell you how much they blessed us in their 6 days with us.

We didn't know these guys a week ago and a week later they have an amazingly strong and special place in our hearts.

So thank you Richard, Jennifer, Maelee and Max for sacrificing your money and vacation time to come spend time with our family.

And thank you for blessing us with your kindness, your hugs, your laughs, your encouragement, your prayers and for the way you interacted with our Brasilian family.

You have no idea how much your visit encouraged all of us at the perfect time that we needed it.

God used all of you in a big way.

We are already looking forward to our next time together.

You can't expect to live life as you please, then go to God as a last resort when you need help. Is this loving God? I think it is more like irritating Him!

Fenelon

Back to Ecuador

Ansley heads back to Ecuador next week.

She was supposed to get there last week but she hit a little snag, literally. You can read all about it on her latest post by clicking here. 

Thanks to all who have tithed to her ministry and made it possible for her to return.  We so appreciate your sacrificial giving and how that is allowing her to go back and be with her kids.

We'd like to ask all of you to join us in praying for her. For her safety, her time there and the kids that she will minister to in Ecuador. That God will bless each one of them and that they would feel His love through Ansley and every person who minsters to them.

Keep checking her blog for updates.

Keep the light of Christ always burning in your heart--for He alone is the Way to walk. He is the Life to live. He is the Love to love. 

Mother Teresa

Winter Weather

We left Texas on Monday. We left the heat and humidity and being able to wear shorts.

We spent a day a couple of days in Montevideo (more on that later) and then got home around midnight on Wednesday night.

We've had sunny weather the last couple of days. It's been chilly at nights. In the 40's.

We don't have central heat in our homes or insulation so you can imagine what leaving the heat of Texas on Monday and coming right into this weather is doing to our systems right now. It feels colder to us than it actually is.

Today, the 1st of June, is the first day of what would be December weather for those north of the equator. The forecast said it would be a little warmer today. Almost 70 degrees but rainy.

I was the first to wake up this morning and got to see the weather change before my eyes.

The skies first looked like this at sunrise:

Then everything changed to a weird color.

I took the following video because the sky color was so weird. This is a color video, not black and white:

Hello Brasilian winter.