Interview

This afternoon Ansley will have a scholarship interview (the Presidential Scholarship.....Yeah, I'm going to brag) with some people at ACU.

She's a little bit nervous about it and I know she would love to have your prayers for her today and during her interview.

Her interview time is 3:30 central time.

So read this and pray for her. When the Spirit puts her on your heart throughout the day pray for her. And if you remember at 3:30 central time that she will be in the middle of her skype interview then feel free to pray for her again.  My girlfriend and I will be right there with you in prayer and I know Ansley will feel the Spirit's comfort through all the prayers.

Thanks, as always, in advance for praying.

And Ansley, during my run this morning I listened to your favorite artist and the song below and I thought you would love to hear it right now. And you even get the plus to hear Louie Giglio during it as well. Enjoy and be filled with God's peace as you get ready for the interview. You are going to do GREAT!

New Post

Our daughter has posted something new on her blog about life in Ecuador.

You know what to do. Click here to read the blog and then post a comment to encourage her.

It's more homework for you but it's homework that will bless and encourage you.

Why not go there right now? You know you've got 5-10 minutes to read it, watch a video and post a comment.

No pressure but do it now and nobody gets hurt. We know where most of you live.

T.T.

Hey Ans,

Thought you'd like to read a very cool article about your boyfriend.

Just click here.

I like the fact that he puts Jesus first. He also seems to be a man of great character and that's harder and harder to find these days. You have my permission to marry him if he asks.

Love,

Dad

New Posts

My girlfriend (thanks for the reminder Brian.....guess I had a brain lapse) has started blogging again.

She's been sharing about blessings from 2011.

Just click here to go there. Once you get there just keep scrolling down to read the last couple of posts.

P.S. You guys did a good job with your homework. Ansley was really encouraged by your notes to her on her blog. Thank you and keep it up. You don't want detention do you?

Homework

Your homework for today:

1) Go to Ansley's blog. You can click here to read about her first week in Ecuador.

2) After you read her blog post go to the bottom and post a comment for her. You have no idea how encouraging a simple comment can be.

3) After posting your comment go to the right side of her blog and type in your email on her "SUBSCRIBE TO MY BLOG!" section so that you'll get an email letting you know when she blogs so you'll always be able to read what's going on and leave her those encouraging comments we just talked about.

4) Go back to number 1 and click on the blog right now and do those things.

None of what we've asked you to do takes very long. In 5 minutes you could do everything we asked. You'll then be blessed to know what God is doing in Ecuador, you'll get to laugh from time to time with Ansley (she's funny.....stay with the video on the blog and the ending will make you chuckle), you will have encouraged our daughter and you'll be signed up to always get her email.

I'm expecting that to be done by the end of this day. Remember it's your homework.

My wife taught school for 10 years before we moved to Brasil. She knows how to discipline when it comes to school work. Don't make me call her to deal with you because you didn't do your homework.  She will pop your knuckles with a ruler and you don't want that.

Just do your homework and no one gets hurt.

Made It

We got a call from Ansley around 11:00 last night letting us know she made it safely to Quito.

We woke up this morning with an email letting us know that she had made it safely to the school/orphanage.

We wanted to thank you loyal readers who have been praying for her safe travels. You blessed us and our daughter.

First thing this morning we got to talk with her on skype.

Seeing Giovanni helped calm a bit of her nervousness.

My dad and I left to go to his weekly Tuesday morning prayer meeting with the "Memphis Guys" (and the group has grown since I posted about them almost 4 years ago) and when we came back people were still talking to Ansley.

As her nervousness grew again her 7 year old brother took matters into his own hands. He pulled up a chair and began reading page after page from his "Diary of a wimpy Kid" book as she started to unload her suitcases.

When she got nervous about her new surroundings, new people, new food, etc., we would hear Anderson speaking calming words to her and encouraging her to allow him to read some more. She allowed and he read some more.

When I got home my girlfriend said he had been reading to Ansley for about 30 minutes.

I love our kids and how they take care of each other.

P.S. Please keep praying for Ansley. That God's peace would just overwhelm her and that she would love her new apartment, new friends, the kids, Ecuador......just everything. Thanks.

Ecuador

Today Ansley gets on a plane heading to Ecuador. What she needs right now is your prayers for God's peace to cover her up.

She's felt some anxiousness over the last couple of days. We've told her that feeling is normal. We've also prayed over her, read scripture of God's promises over her and tried to help her laugh as much as possible.

We know she will have a great time and will make such an impact on the kids in Ecuador as well as be so blessed herself but from where she is right now, just hours before her flight, it's a bit nerve wracking.

So your prayers for God's peace to overwhelm her would be cool. For her to feel, really feel, the Spirit's presence in her life right now would be a huge blessing. For her to give all her worries to Him.

Your prayers are important to us and especially to her right now. Thank you for lifting up our daughter.

We are excited to hear how God answers your prayers.

New Post

Ansley posted on her blog again.

Go here to read it.

Ecuador

One week from today this goober....

......will get on a plane to go to Ecuador.

She will be working with an orphanage/school and will be there for 5 months.

She is a little bit anxious, as any 18 year old would be, about her trip but she knows this is will be a great experience.

We wanted to share her new blog. It's www.ansleyblume.blogspot.com

You need to go to that site and check it out. On the right side of the blog you can add your email address to her "subscribe to my blog" section to receive emails whenever she posts.

Feel free to also leave her some encouraging comments on her posts. Those are always good to get.

For now we ask that you just pray for God to cover her up in His peace as she gets closer to getting on the plane. I know that once she gets to Ecuador she will love it and everyone will love her but the leading up to that day can be nerve wracking. She needs God's peace right now. Thank you.

It's also not too late to tithe to her ministry if God puts that on your heart. Feel free to get in touch with us or with her if you would like to know how to help out financially.

We will, obviously, miss our daughter for the 5 months she won't be home but we are so happy to see our kids go to different countries to grow God's kingdom.

Ansley will be blessed by her ministry and we know she will also bless so many.

Thanksgiving Week-Part 1

Since it's Thanksgiving week I thought we would share some stuff we are thankful for. God really blesses our family and we have lots to be thankful for and we could make this a month long theme but there are some specific things that we've been thankful for lately. No specific order of importance to any of them. Just things that God has obviously blessed our family with lately and we wanted to share our thankfulness to Him.

First up: Ansley

She received her first college acceptance letter from a school in Texas last week.

We weren't surprised. She's an awesome student. So far she's applied to only one school and was quickly accepted.

We are super proud of her no matter where she decides to go to college.

It's always a cool thing to get an acceptance letter in the mail.

Go Wildcats. Maybe.

Finally!!!

After a 24 hour delay in Brasília (the capital of Brasil), Ansley finally made it to Memphis.

She was met by a big, excited group.

The waiting was the hardest part but everyone made it. Giovanni got so excited when he saw Ansley that he fell on his bum. Take a look:

Carys decorated everyone's face to welcome Ansley. Everyone except a certain teenage boy.

I guess I can't complain about the teenage boy. On the way home he proudly told Ansley that he showered, shaved and put on deodorant just for her. That is probably the best present a teenage boy could give a big sister. He was glad she was back with us.

We all are.

One More Day

We got a call from Ansley last night around 8:45. Delta had cancelled the overnight flight to Atlanta.

They claimed it was for maintenance but Ansley said only 30 people were on the flight so we are thinking they might have moved it forward one night to get more paying customers on the flight.

She's stayed in a hotel last night, with a couple of other stranded girls from the same flight, and then will get to do the whole deal over again tonight.

Whatever the real reason they cancelled the flight we are upset that we didn't wake up early today to go straight to the airport to pick her up.

We'll just have to be patient and pray that she will be back with us bright and early tomorrow morning.

We would appreciate your continued prayers for her safety and that she will be able to fill up her day today with fun stuff as her flight doesn't leave Brasil until around midnight their time.

Everybody is ready to be like this again tomorrow.

Even the teenage brother is excited to see and hug his sister again.

Side note that takes a little set up......Last weekend my dad had a guy weekend with Garrett and Anderson. He has done guy trips with my two nephews for years. We, because of the distance, the young age of our kids and the fact that we are only here for 2 months every 2 years and those 2 months are crazy busy, haven't been able to find time for a guy trip. Until this year. Dad took our boys to see the Vols play in Knoxville on Saturday night and the Titans play on Sunday afternoon. Garrett and Anderson had a great time and came home wearing Titans jerseys and told us how much fun they had. Garrett got home and asked about the score of our favorite soccer team on Sunday. So, over the weekend, he saw one victory (UT), one loss (Titans) and heard about our soccer team back home (loss).

Garrett, if you know him, only gets excited about a couple of things. Soccer and soccer (and he likes American sports when we are in the states) but he's also always been a compassionate guy and he loves his family. That showed this morning.

He went to sleep before everyone else last night (we played hard in the backyard yesterday) and had no idea about Ansley. This morning he got up at 5 to take a shower (we were to leave around 6:45 to go get Ansley at the airport). He got dressed up (nice shirt) came downstairs after his shower. He was excited. He came down and saw his grandmother who told him about Ansley's delayed flight. He couldn't believe it. He came into the room I was in and asked if it was true. I told him it was. He gave a heavy sigh and gave this deep, heartfelt comparison to what he was feeling:

"First Inter loses on Sunday. Then the Titans lose and now Ansley's flight gets cancelled."

To associate Ansley not being here today with sports is the truest form of an expression of love from our teenage son.

Pure, deep, brother-sister love is what came out of that simple comment.

And I just smiled as I heard it.

We have our share of scuffles in our house but at the end of the day our kids love each other deeply.

And I smile again as I type those words.

Ansley leaves her home today. She won't be back for almost 7 months.

She arrives in the states tomorrow for a couple of months. Then she goes to Ecuador for 5 months. Back home for a month or two and then off to college.

It's been tough for her saying goodbye to all her friends but she's been making good use of her last few days at home.

Lots of people have come to tell her bye.

Dee and Laura (our new missionary buds in POA), even did a blog about how much they will miss Ansley. Click here if you want to read what they have to say.

Ansley has lived more of her life in Brasil than in any other place. It's her home. I know it's been tough for her to say goodbye to everyone but I also know that God has used her to make a kingdom difference in the lives of many of her friends. Go back and look above at all the friends that have come to tell her bye. Even one of her high school teachers (1st picture) came to our house to hang out one more time.

We are, obviously, excited to see her tomorrow but are praying that she is able to soak up and enjoy every minute she has with her buds back home. I'm sure she will have a group at the airport sending her off today.

Please pray for safe travels for our daughter and for a peace, that only comes from God, as she continues to follow His will for her life and steps out in faith. Thank you.

Staying in Porto Alegre

Ansley stayed behind in Porto Alegre for a couple of reasons. She stayed to continue working to make money for college but her real reason for not going with us a couple of weeks ago was so that she could stay for one of her best friend's 18th birthday party.

She leaves home to head to the states next Monday. So she is finishing up her last few days of teaching and saying goodbye to her students.

The other day she sent a couple of pictures to us from her "goodbye" classes. The pictures of the kids have their faces blurred out (or wearing a mask) because the school can get sued if their images appear on the internet without permission.

Here they are:

The kids that she teaches LOVE her.  She told us she's been crying a lot as she tells the kids goodbye. God has given her a real gift with kids and she's bonded with so many of them.

She really didn't want to teach English to kids when this year began. It was hard for her when all her friends were in college and making new friends and not working. She grew up a lot this year, took on a bunch of new responsibilities and really matured as a person.

She has grown to really enjoy teaching and she really loves those kids.

My girlfriend and I ran into her boss about three days before we left to come to the states. We had never met her before but my girlfriend recognized her from a presentation she had done about her English school at our kids' school.  We introduced ourselves, and after the introductions she began telling us how much Ansley meant to her company. How she was a little concerned about Ansley's age when she started since they had never had a teacher that young before. How she started as an assistant but now was one of her best teachers. She shared how much she loved Ansley and told us she would take care of her after we left to go to the states.

Ansley called the other day and shared about her last meeting with her boss and fellow teachers. She was  very humbled by the words that her boss said about her in front of everyone else as well as what some of her colleagues said. They gave her a gift and wished her well as she starts the next stage in her life. Ansley said she cried quite a bit.  The words that were said about her were very kind and, even though Ansley would never say it, all very true.

Here she is with her teacher buds.

Ansley has a great personality, makes friends so quickly and easily and is very outgoing. I think she has realized this year just how much God has gifted her and it's been really cool for my girlfriend and I to see her use those gifts to grow God's kingdom.

We are super proud of Ansley and what God has done through her this year with her friends, her students and her house church. She understands that she doesn't go to church but she is the church.

We know it's tough for her to say her goodbyes but we are very excited to see what God does through her while she is in Ecuador and then when she goes to college next year.

We are even more excited to get to see her again in just a few days. Just seven more days!

We love you Ans!

Last Game.....for a while

B,

Ansley went to her last game before heading to the states and then Ecuador.

It was Ansley, Anderson, mom and me. Garrett bailed at the last minute which freed up a spot for mom.

We played against Vasco who was in first place.

We had a great time.

We ate food.

We got a good laugh at the direct hit a bird put on Ansley's jersey on the way to Beira Rio.

We got to hang out.

We got to see a rainbow (hard to see but Ansley is "holding" it).

 We got to watch mom take random pictures like she always does.

And we got to see an awesome victory followed by a celebration.

It was fun and it's been fun watching Ansley making some good memories with her bros and sister before we leave on Sunday.

Oh yeah, Ansley got a new hat that she said she's going to wear on game days in Ecuador.

My favorite picture of the day:

By the way, here are your goals of our 3-0 victory. I thought you might like watching it from Bom Dia Rio Grande instead of the national news:

Countdown

We leave our home next Sunday (the 16th) for a 3 month trip to the states.

Garrett, our child most like me in the "not a fan of school department" has been counting down the days for the last couple of weeks. Not a countdown of how many days until we get on the plane but of how many days of school he has left before we leave. That countdown doesn't surprise me. I would've had the same one.

Ansley, like we mentioned on Monday's post, is staying here at home longer. 3 weeks longer. She will be working more but the real reason she is staying longer is because one of her best friends will celebrate her 18th birthday in early November and Ansley didn't want to miss that.

Ansley has been working like crazy this year teaching English. What started out as a huge dread and burden in her daily life has turned into something she really likes to do. Her world has really opened up with working for someone other than mom and dad, making new friends, being on time to all her classes, etc. She is finding out that God has gifted her in teaching young kids. They LOVE her. Almost every night it seems like she is bringing home a new picture drawn from a different child that they made just for her. Her bosses have also praised her for her great work ethic and the way she deals with the kids.

None of this surprises us. She has so many gifts that God has given her and we knew she would do great.

It hasn't been an easy year for our 18 year old. Taking different buses to go to different places throughout the city, learning to deal with having a boss and obeying the boss even when it might not make the most sense or when you feel your way might be better, dealing with, at times, difficult kids, etc. But all in all it's been a great experience for her and she has grown so much over the year.

She has taken this year to work to make money for college and although she really loves teaching the kids she is ready to take a break in the states before moving to Ecuador in January where she will live for 5 months. After that she'll come home for a month or two and then go back to the states for college. She's excited about the future and what God is doing and we are excited for her.

She has really grown to love her job with the kids but now she too, like Garrett, has a countdown but of a different kind.

I went into her room the other day and found this post it note countdown above her bed:

Think she's excited about the end of her first real job?

Gettin Payed!!!

Bronwyn graduated high school in December of 2008. She took a year off to get to know her new little brother, work to earn money for college and take a mission trip to Rwanda.

Ansley graduated high school last December. She is also taking a year off. She is spending this year working and next year she will go to Ecuador to work at an orphanage/school.

This year she is working as an English teacher. She wasn't real excited to be an English teacher when she started but it's one of the best ways for an 18 year old American living in Brasil to make money for college.

She wasn't excited at the beginning but she is beginning to tap into the gifts that God has given her. She is a great teacher of young children. Kids love her. Her teaching skills even apply to her younger brothers.

She has a puppet called "Teacher Mary" that she was given, at one of the English schools she teaches at, to use with small kids as she teaches English. And Giovanni LOVES it. If he is ever having a 2 year old moment we call for Teacher Mary. Ansley gets her and Giovanni immediately sits down and listens as she teaches about the weather, etc. It's really funny and Giovanni is learning new words at the same time.

The owners of the English schools have been heaping praises on her. Telling her that even though she is their youngest teacher she is one of the best teachers that they have. God has obviously given her a gift and she is really using it to the fullest.

We couldn't be more proud of her. Here is a picture of her with Grace (a young Brasilian woman who is part of our house church as well as a fellow English speaker and teacher) before one of their classes that they teach together.

After working for a couple of weeks it was time for Ansley's first pay day. She was very excited. She's doing all she can to earn money for college and she was excited to see how much she would get with her first check.

Later I got a text on my phone from our English teacher daughter. Here's what it said:

I GOT PAYED!! I GOT PAYED!! I GOT PAYED!!

After cracking up at the note we called her and asked about her "English" text. She told us she was so excited about getting her first check that she didn't really pay attention to the spelling.

So if you hire a Brasilian for a job one day and they tell you, after they get their first paycheck from you, that "They Got Payed!!" it's a good bet that our daughter was their English teacher.

Another Birthday

February through April are our main birthday months. Five of our eight family birthdays fall in these months.

Today we celebrate the last birthday for a while.

It's Ansley's turn. She is now of legal age, in Brasil, to drive a car and to purchase alcoholic beverages, so this afternoon we are going to let her drive our car to go get the beer for her birthday party. (Come on, it's a joke.)

You guys know the deal on birthdays so here we go:

Giovanni: "I love to play with Ansley and I love to play "Teacher Mary" (a teaching puppet Ansley uses in her job). I'm really going to miss Ansley when she goes to Ecuador."

Anderson: "She's one of my favorite sisters. I love her. She's really funny. She's really fun. She makes really, really, really good food."

Carys: "She's a really good, funny, silly, weird and dorkyish sister and I love her very much."

Garrett: "I love her." (deep teenage boy response)

Bronwyn: "Ansley is so sweet to everyone and everyone loves her. She's my best friend. I miss you, Ans!"

Girlfriend: "Who can turn the world on with her smile?  Who can take a nothing day and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile?"  (I realize I'm showing my age here, but a lot of you will get it.)  Ansley has so many talents and a contagious personality.  She is so much fun to be around and I know that God will use her in so many ways to bless the world.  I love you Ansley.   PS  She can also make me laugh more than anyone!

Me: "She's funny. Really funny. I love how it takes her all of two seconds to make my girlfriend laugh. It can be about anything and my girlfriend is, literally, crying. She's a great big sister and baby sitter of her little brothers and sisters. When she wants to entertain them it's like show time. They would rather be entertained by her than by any movie or show. I love watching her begin to really tap into the gifts that God has given her. I love that even though she thinks that her friends don't see any difference in her life I know that she is making an impact on them for God's kingdom by the way she is a light for Him.  She stands out for God but not in a "Pharisee type...look at me" kind of way. She leads by example. I love that she is going to live in Ecuador in a few months to grow God's kingdom there. I love that she isn't afraid to let God stretch her and take her out of her comfort zones. I love that God has given me this tough, stubborn, fun, funny young woman of God and I love that I get to see how she is maturing and growing and growing His kingdom.

We love you Ans!