Holmquist Happenings

Baking in Brazil...

2012-01-26T11:10:00.000-08:00

Sometimes baking can be a bit of challenge here in Brazil. I appreciate any recipes that are completely from scratch so I can adapt them to the ingredients I have available to me. Recently I found a yummy recipe online for peanut butter filled brownies baked in cupcake tins. See recipe here: http://www.bakedperfection.com/2009/07/peanut-butter-cup-brownies.html

I decided to revamp this recipe using a wacky cake recipe for the brownie part. Here is my version of Peanut Butter Cup Brownies:

3 cups flour
2 cups white sugar
8 tablespoons cocoa
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons vinegar
12 tablespoons oil
2 cups water

Combine all into a large mixing bowl and beat until thoroughly combined. Pour into 24 muffin tins lined with cupcake papers. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes until the centers are set but still wet looking. Fill a ziplock bag with peanut butter that has been softened in the microwave for about 1 minute. The amount of peanut butter you use will depend on how much of a peanut butter filling you want in the cupcake. Snip one corner of the bag. With a toothpick dig out a little hole in the middle of each cupcake while they are still warm. Poke the snipped corner down into the cupcake and squeeze peanut butter until it is level with the top of the cupcake. You can drizzle peanut butter across the tops and some chocolate. For the chocolate, just melt several tablespoons of chocolate chips in the microwave with 1/2 teaspoon of shortening for 30 seconds and then stir until smooth. Repeat the same process in the ziplock bag with the chocolate. Cool completely.

mmm...somebody's ready for a taste test!

What are we up to these days...

2012-01-23T11:41:00.000-08:00

We have been busy getting the house back to "normal" after Christmas and enjoying some good cousin time with Melissa's cousins who are currently in Brazil. Whitney shared some chocolate Temptations by Jello. You can see it tasted REALLY good.

Tia Dori has been visiting from Sao Paulo and has been giving the girls some art and music lessons. They did several art projects about perception or perfection as Ellie will excitedly tell you.

Lots of hot summer days to play outside!

Mr. Bushy Boy got himself a haircut.

Our good friend Paloma and her new husband Igor were visiting her parents for Christmas so we enjoyed seeing them. They celebrated their one year anniversary last Sunday. She helped a lot taking care of the kids when Flavia was born. Her parents are helping out with the starting of the church here in Bento Ribeiro.

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas...

2011-12-14T10:10:00.000-08:00

Well, okay, not exactly, but bubbles on a cloudy day do give the feeling of snow in the air as long as you forget about the heat and humidity. Christmas is just around the corner and we are busy decorating, making goodies, handcrafting presents, opening the advent calendar, listening to Christmas music and frequently saving the tree from untimely disaster. Not that four kids could possibly do any damage to a small featherweight fake tree or anything!

A new member has joined our family since Myla had her 8th birthday. Her name is Cinzel Natasha Holmquist. Flavia especially loves the bunny and tries to feed it blocks or open the bag of rabbit food to refill her bowl. Needless to say, "bunny" is now among her newest vocabulary.

Myla keeps busy with school and being big sis to Flavia. She can often be found curled up with a book!

Ellie lost her first tooth and is learning to read! She loves learning Portuguese and sings the day away.

Daniel continues to be the comedian of the family and is very protective of his sisters.

And Flavia, well she is 18 months old and that says it all!

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!

A Place to Meet

2011-10-11T15:48:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everybody who has supported us in prayer. As a tribute to God's goodness, here are some visual answers to prayer.

We prayed for the Lord to allow us to rent a building where we could begin to hold services. This building became available on the main commercial street of our neighborhood. (Yes, it's the pink graffitied one!) The second picture is from the roof giving you a view of part of the neighborhood.

Downstairs (top): It was a pizza restaurant. Way in the back you can just barely see the wood-burning pizza oven.
Upstairs (bottom): Needs some cleanup! This is where we envision having children's Sunday School and nursery.

The new wheels. It is a 2004 Fiat Doblo Minivan. Room for the family plus one (no that doesn't imply anything grandparents!).

Having fun at youth group playing Pit (pronounced "peachy").

Here the kids are chomping at the bit to try these delicious mini pies that the neighborhood pastry shop makes!

To Brazil!

2011-08-23T15:42:00.001-07:00

On Thursday we are scheduled to leave for Brazil. This year in the US has been amazing and we will dearly miss everybody. But, we are thankful for the Christian family and friends God has given us in Brazil too and we look forward with great anticipation to our reunion with them there. Right now we are doing some last minute things concerning packing and preparing to go (you know, like eating Butterfingers for the last time). To highlight some family activities of the past few months we decided to post the following pictures.

Family pictures! Melissa's whole family was able to get together for
this occaision.

Baptist Mid-Missions Annual Conference in Ohio was a highlight
of our time in the US. We were able to fellowship with co-workers
and other friends and be challenged by great preaching.

Ellie turned 5!! The kids were able to spend a lot of time with
cousins and even go to a parade together.

We met with a supporting church in San Jose, California.
The same week BJ's sister Loa had a business meeting in
San Francisco and she brought BJ's mom with her. We had fun
seeing them and seeing starfish at the aquarium. On the drive
home we drove our full sized van through a living redwood
(parking in Rio is just as tricky), and Myla is standing in front
of an interesting bathroom made from a hollow redwood log.

Oregon Summer

2011-06-26T15:37:00.001-07:00

Besides being entrusted to proclaim the precious gospel, and enjoying
fellowship with believers in different parts of the world, another one of
the amazing graces of missionary life is to be able to see and enjoy God's
creation as we travel to churches across the country.

We are now enjoying living in central Oregon with Melissa's parents.
These are some of the mountain views we are blessed to see each morning
and evening from their house.

Since the last blog, our travels brought us by Niagara Falls and
Mt. Rushmore as we visited churches in New York and drove to
visit churches in the West.

Resurrection Sunday was one of the last services that we spent at our
home church with family. BJ's Dad (far right) has continued to recover
well from brain surgery. The kids are growing up and doing great. We
thank God continually for his kindnesses.

He is Risen Indeed!

2011-04-11T16:48:00.000-07:00

This last Sunday brought temperatures in the high 70's to central Michigan. It reminded us of Rio de Janeiro weather . . . well . . . winter in Rio at least! We saw lines at the ice cream store and smelled barbecue grills being fired up for the first time this Spring. Lilies are pushing up through the frozen tundra and signs of new life are all around. So what if it might snow again, spring is here! It causes us to pause and think of Christ's resurrection and the promise of new life in Him. May the truth of Christ penetrate through the soil of many hearts in 2011.

One day when it warmed up a little, some deer came out and the kids
got to enjoy watching them up close for awhile. In March, we made it
out ice fishing. It was Myla's first time and as you can see, she's kind
of excited.

Daniel and Ellie are the chocolate lovers. Flavia is crawling now and
sporting one new tooth.

The kids got to meet Great Grandma Sheehan for the first time in
Lynchburg, VA. We also had the opportunity to visit the church of
BJ's former youth pastor, BJ Worley, in West Virginia and spend
some time with his family in April.

Snow!

2011-02-07T18:37:00.000-08:00

Our kids are enjoying this novelty called snow. They've thrown it, rolled in it, made snow-angels in it, sled on it and eaten it. We've shoveled it, gotten our van stuck it in (multiple times!), marvelled at it, and, yes, mumbled at it. But, in about a year when we are melting in the heat of Rio I'm sure we'll miss it again (oh, to be content!). On Sunday while the pastor spoke of Christ's sacrifice for us, through the windows we could see large, brilliant white snowflakes falling - timely reminders that, though our sins be as scarlet, in Christ we are cleansed and made white as snow. For that, we are eternally grateful.

Some Christmas and Birthday family fun.

To Every Thing There is a Season

2010-10-21T09:54:00.000-07:00

Our family is now back in the United States and we are enjoying the fall season in Michigan- cool weather, colorful leaves, pumpkin pie! In this season of our lives, we plan to be in the US for one year to report to supporting churches and glorify God for His grace to allow us to be in Brazil. Below are some pictures of some of the events of the past few months.

Shortly before we returned to the US, we had the privilege to work in VBS at a sister church.
Our responsibility was to teach the 12-15 year olds.

Just three days before we left, we had our last youth Bible Study. A good group came that night. Our co-workers, the Patefields, are continuing this ministry.

At our meeting in Harrisville, Michigan with Family Heritage Baptist Church, the church put us in a nice country Bed and Breakfast. George, the owner, took Daniel for his first tractor ride.

This is the mission house that was graciously provided for us for our first 9 months in the US. The kids couldn't believe the spacious grassy yard to run in.

We visited with relatives at Uncle John's cider mill in mid-Michigan. As you can see, baby Flávia is healthy and growing!

Gooooool Brasil!

2010-06-25T07:14:00.000-07:00

It's World Cup soccer time right now and the nation has stopped to watch the game and to cheer for their team. It will only become more intense as the tournament progresses.

Everywhere you look you see the colors of Brazil's flag. From painting on the streets to fully decorated houses. As the boom of fireworks fills the air, there is no mistaking what time of year it is here.

We got in the team spirit and dressed in Brazil's colors to watch a game with friends. As you can see, Flávia wasn't impressed. Since we were in the U.S. last, our family has grown by two. Because so much has changed, a Pastor in the U.S. asked me to reintroduce our kids on the blog. So.....

Myla is 6 years old. She loves to dress up like a princess, read books, and do crafts. She is Flávia's second mom. Next to her is Ellie. Ellie is 3 but will be quick to tell you that she will be 4 in July. She rides her bike like an Indy racecar.

Daniel was born in São Paulo and is now 2 years old. He likes anything that resembles a ball. The Brazilians love his blonde hair and blue eyes and treat him like a celebrity. Then there is Flávia who was born on May 20 here in Rio de Janeiro. She just wants to hurry and get out of her crib and play with her brother and sisters.

Shortly before Flávia was born, Melissa had the opportunity to speak to some young ladies at a sleep-over/Bible study hosted by our co-workers. The girls came from several of Rio's churches and had a great time.

She's Here! By God's Grace

2010-05-21T18:08:00.000-07:00

Almost 3

2010-04-11T13:33:00.000-07:00

Next month, Lord willing, we will celebrate 3 years in Brazil. To those who have made that possible through prayer and support, we thank you. To God who makes all things possible through Jesus, we bow before You in thankfulness.

This picture of our family was taken at our annual mission conference that we attended in March. It was great to meet colleagues from all over Brazil for the first time and to talk with some missionaries who worked with Melissa's grandparents while they were here years ago.

The rains of March and April brought heavy flooding in our neighborhood and all throughout Rio(left- a street that runs close to our house). The picture on the right is of the home of a family who attends a sister congregation in another part of Rio. The stream by the house raised so high that they had over 3 feet of standing water in their livingroom and had to flee thier house. They lost virtually everything and the believers of Rio are working together to help them to replace ruined belongings, to repair the home, and to build a retaining wall along the stream.

In February we welcomed a new laborer to the harvest field of Rio when Pastor Ricardo married Helena, a seminary graduate from the capital city of Brasilia. They are working in a church in the neighborhood of Niteroi. Also in February, we had our annual Summer Youth Retreat which was well attended.

The kids are continuing to adapt well to Brazil. On a day in the high 90's, Daniel (2) enjoyed sipping a green coconut. During Youth Camp, our co-worker's daughter Joanna (in light blue) came over to our house and had a fun time with Myla, Ellie and Daniel at their own Summer Camp put on by Melissa and our co-worker Dori. In April, Myla lost her 1st tooth.

Happy 2010!

2010-01-20T09:11:00.000-08:00

As we reflect on last year and look forward with hope and anticipation to next year, one word comes to mind. The word is "grace." God has brought us to where we are by His grace, and we trust in Him to lead us into the future by His grace. Since our last post, much has happened. The pictures give a quick run-down of some major church and family events.

In November, we celebrated Myla's 6th birthday and Daniel learned how fun it is to talk with grandparents on the phone.

In December, we celebrated Christ's birth with a special Christmas service at the Island church. We also had the opportunity to stop by the world's largest floating Christmas tree with our colleagues, the Patefields and Joy Hunt.

In January, we had our last regular service with the wonderful people of the Island church. We have now have embarked on a new church plant in our neighborhood. We were also able to spend some time with our friends Pastor João and Daise who have just completed their first year of pastoral ministry in Rio de Janeiro.

Oh, and one more thing. . . we found out this month that God has blessed us with a baby girl who is due in June! Thank you for your love and prayers - without God's grace we know that we can do nothing.

New Mercies Every Morning

2009-10-12T16:02:00.000-07:00

Myla, Ellie and I went around our neighborhood
getting pictures of Children's Day here in Rio.
There were fireworks and parties in the street
all day long. As we were walking, people handed
bags full of candy to Myla and Ellie which
they gladly accepted!

Below is a recent picture of Daniel. Nobody can
believe how big he is for his age of 1 1/2. Please
notice that he is wearing my camouflage Detroit
Tigers hat (the team that played valiantly this
year but sadly fell one game short.)

We had the opportunity to take Melissa's Aunt
and Uncle to a scenic overlook of downtown Rio
while they visited us. We live about 35 minutes
inland from the location in this picture, but still
within the city limits. It was a beautiful, clear day.
We thank the Lord for His calling to this great
city. It is a beautiful city but a city of great
spiritual darkness and confusion. Pray that God
would cause the light of the Gospel of Christ to
shine in people's hearts (II Cor. 4:3-6).

July and August

2009-08-12T06:53:00.000-07:00

The following pictures tell the story of some of the things that have happened here in Rio over the past couple of months.

It's been a huge privilege to work with the youth group in Sunday School and with special activities. Many have taken steps to deepen their relationship with Jesus. Pray for their continued growth in Christ and involvement in the work of the ministry.

The church organized a Vacation Bible School last month during the kid's winter break. The threat of the flu and the cold, wet weather didn't dampen these kid's spirits! Some have come to church regularly since VBS and the church is following up with the families of the kids.

Ellie celebrated 3 years!!! She's brought us a lot of joy.

This picture was taken on a helicopter pad with the Tijuca National forest of Rio in the background. There were several cameras clicking between our colleagues so we didn't know where to look! On the right is our good friend Carlos who joined the church with his family recently. Thanks for your prayers for the ministry here!

Two Years in Brazil!

2009-05-19T08:15:00.000-07:00

Two Year Recap:

We arrived in the huge city of São Paulo, Brazil in May of 2007. At that time we started language school in the center of the city. Upon completion of our studies, in August of 2008, we moved to Rio. In December of 2008, we were able to find a house to rent in the neighborhood of Rocha Miranda. Since that time we've been working in a church on the Governor's Island in Rio and making contact with people in our neighborhood for the purpose of planting a church here. We give thanks to God for His calling and enabling. We thank all of you for your friendship.

In June, there is a series of holidays Festa Juninha which celebrate various Spiritist and Catholic saints. This inevitably means thousands of loud fireworks exploding throughout the day and night (it literally sounds like a war zone and Daniel is terrified of these), countless drunken parties, and the launching of homemade hot air balloons that crash throughout the city and often cause fires. Many in our neighborhood pray to St. George (his holiday was celebrated recently) and have stickers of him on their cars hoping that he will protect them. Pray that their eyes would be open to Jesus, the one true God and giver of eternal life.

Here are some photo highlights of the last several months in Rio:

The teens at camp during a game time and Daniel's first birthday.

The baptism of a teenage girl and Easter morning breakfast.

Ellie helping in the kitchen. Ellie - 2, Myla - 5, Daniel - 1

Summer's Here!

2009-02-18T07:12:00.000-08:00

It has been in the 90's a lot lately and the kids are spending a lot of time in an inflatable pool on our front porch these days. The pictures below are from December to the present.

Myla had fun participating in bell choir for the Christmas program.

Daniel likes to ride piggyback with friends.

Myla and Ellie don't look too unhappy to be behind bars.

For for the New Year, Myla and Ellie rode their first roller-coaster together.

We had this incredible Brazilian feast at our friend's house for New Year's.

This is our friend Italo who has been coming to our church and his parents.

Close to our house we saw this sacrifice of flowers and food to appease

the spirits and bring luck for the year.

Feliz Natal- Merry Christmas from Rio!

2008-12-10T03:38:00.000-08:00

After the unusual rains we've been having, the heat has finally come. This week it is in the 90's. It's Christmastime! There is no official Thanksgiving holiday here in Brazil, but we recently got together with friends for a feast of tacos (we know it's not traditional but they generally don't eat tacos in Brazil and we all had a craving for them!). At our gathering we told the kids the Thanksgiving story and we praised the Lord for His incredible goodness to us. One common theme for all of us was our thankfulness for Christ and for our brothers and sisters in Christ all around the world who mean so much to us. For all of you who pray for us and have a part in the ministry here, "Thank You!"

Family News: Since our last post, we celebrated two birthdays. We celebrated Melissa's --th in October and Myla turned the big "5" in November. Ellie has unlimited reserves of energy and Daniel has 4 teeth that he is very proud of and he began to crawl last week. As our colleagues said, now that we have three very active kids who can move around we'll have to go from man-on-man defense to the zone defense as parents.

Another item of news we are very thankful for is that we'll be able to spend Christmas in the house that God provided for us! We know many had been praying and for that we are very grateful. Although it was frustrating at times to see several of the options of rental houses that we had chosen fall through "mysteriously," now we can see just how God was orchestrating every move we and the realators made to put us exactly where He wants us. The location (very close to our co-workers), the price, and the layout of the house seem ideal. And we know that over time we will discover even more reasons why the Lord chose to put us in this location.

May you have a blessed Christmas and New Year.

The kids in their new sweaters from Aunt Barb. Myla and Ellie having fun.

The first picture is the apartment building that is in front of our house. The

apartment and house are on the same property. If you look through the gate

of the apartment our house is at the end of the corridor.

The second picture is of our house.

This is Rua Corumbiara, the street that our house is on.

The second picture is of Erik and Myla. Erik showed us the house

and really loved the kids. We invited him over for a BBQ once

we get moved in. Pray for his salvation!

On the Move

2008-09-04T16:24:00.000-07:00

Preparations for the move are being finished up and goodbye's are being said. Though moving itself is not exciting, it is exciting to see the vision that the Lord put in our hearts to work in Rio being fulfilled. Thank you to those who pray for us. Please continue to pray for His enabling grace as we begin in Rio.

Our "flower children." We had fun at the Patefield's trying on their sunflower hat. Daniel didn't know what to think at first but Patricia Patefield got him smiling again. The girls are becoming quite the helpers around the house.

Here are some pictures from Vacation Bible School. The first picture gives you an idea of the area in which we were working. The VBS was held in a school gym/party hall in the center of a slum area in Rio. Each day the children heard the gospel and a Bible story, participated in a game, and made their own handcraft. We thank the Lord for opening up this opportunity.

The End is Just the Beginning

2008-07-11T11:05:00.000-07:00

In June we finished language school. But as is true with every graduation, we are reminded that receiving a diploma only signals the beginning of a lifetime of learning. We know there will be many, many hilarious and embarrassing language gaffes awaiting, there will be more misunderstandings (you can't avoid those even in your native tongue), and there will be more "I feel clueless" moments. But we glorify the Lord who has brought us this far, and with faith we look to Him to bring us to our goal of being able to proclaim the Gospel in Portuguese, plant churches, and teach the Word (disciple) in a linguistically and culturally appropriate way. We ask for your prayers now as we've finished school and look by God's grace to begin this new phase of ministry. We thank God for each one of you who, through prayer and giving of yourselves, has encouraged us in this calling and enabled us to do what we could not do by ourselves.

Here we are with our teachers on graduation day. Daniel attended every class with us so we thought he ought to be in the picture to celebrate too. After graduation we visited the tallest building in Sao Paulo, The Italian Building, and had our pictures taken with diplomas in hand as we stood on the scenic terrace of the 41st floor.

By God's grace, I preached my first full sermon in Portuguese in our church in Jandira, Sao Paulo on June 22. It was an extra blessing that my parents were here during that time.

The kids had a great time with Grammy and Papa Holmquist. They had the treat of having Grandma and Grandpa Hall here earlier in March too, but we missed the opportunity to get a picture :( Next is a picture of the 20lb. 4 month old Daniel just kicking back and relaxing after a hard day.

Almost a Year in Brazil

2008-04-20T12:00:00.000-07:00

God permitting, on May 18 we'll celebrate one year in Brazil. It's been an amazing time of stretching, learning, depending, seeking, and trusting in God's leading. From providing for our needs to get here, to allowing us to grow in our understanding of the language and culture, to being accepted with open arms by a church made up of people who were strangers to us, to allowing us as sinful creatures to be a part of God's redemptive plan on a global level, in all of these things, we are overwhelmed by His grace.

Friends and family, we think about you often and we miss you. Thank you for the interest you've shown in our ministry and in our lives. Here's some pictures to keep you updated on ministry and family (and for those who demanded- more pictures of Daniel!).

This is a game we played at our church Marriage Seminar in April. The men are trying to eat an apple off of a string.

Cheguei - Gracas a Deus (He arrived. Thanks be to God.)

2008-03-10T11:29:00.000-07:00

We want to thank you for your prayers. On March 4, 2008 Daniel Marcos Holmquist was born. His name is a tribute to our fathers. My dad's name is Dan. Melissa's dad's name is Mark. We spelled our son's name with the Portuguese spelling in honor of his birth in Brazil - the place where God has called us to minister. He weighs 9.3 pounds and is 20.7 inches in length. "Grande," "lindo," and "forte" were the words the Brazilian nurses used to describe him (big, beautiful, and strong). We give the glory to God for him and have dedicated him to the Lord. Please keep Daniel in your prayers. Please pray that the Lord would grant us wisdom as we raise him and our two other children. And pray for Melissa's continuing recovery.

The black and white outfit is a soccer jersey of one of the local teams.

The view from Melissa's room in the Hospital.

New Year - New Mercies

2008-02-09T05:32:00.000-08:00

Myla and Joanna her missionary friend from Rio.

We thank the Lord for the New Year and the ministry to which He has called us. We had the opportunity to spend New Year's Day with our colleagues in Rio de Janeiro and enjoy Rio's world-class fireworks display that lasted late into the night.

Now in February, Brazil's famous Carnaval has just come to a close. Carnaval is basically a nationwide party which encourages people to drop their inhibitions and engage in any and all lusts before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent when they are to do penance and purify themselves. Because of this, many churches have a retreat for the youth during that time to help them avoid the temptations that Carnaval presents. So, while our sending church in the U.S. had Teen Snow Camp, we had our Summer Youth Retreat. Below are some of the pictures from the retreat.

Below are our friendly neighborhood monkeys. Recently they have been hanging out in the tree in our front yard. Melissa and the girls went out one day to see them and feed them crackers.

Christmas In Brazil

2007-12-22T10:06:00.000-08:00

The school kids are on vacation and the kites are flying. The bananas and mangos are ripening. The big neighborhood lizard is sunning himself in our front yard. Yes, it's Christmastime in Brazil! We have longings for friends and family back home and we miss you all. But the joy of the Person of Christmas, Jesus Christ, transcends all distances, cultures, nations, and time. We are glad because of HIM! Here are some Christmas pictures we thought you'd enjoy.

This is our second banana harvest from our small group of trees. This bunch of bananas is different than our first harvest because they are from a different tree. They are called apple bananas because their taste is similar to that of an apple and they are smaller. Next, is a giant lighted Christmas tree in an enormous park in Sao Paulo. It is as tall as some high-rise apartment buildings and plays Christmas carols from speakers inside. Next, Melissa, five months pregnant, is standing in a rose garden. Our colleagues took us to a place that grows and sells flowers about 30 minutes from our house called Roselandia. Next, the girls are having fun on the front porch on Myla's birthday.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

2007-11-02T10:54:00.000-07:00

The weather has been in the 80's and 90's this week with rain showers at night that cool it down nicely. It seems so strange with all the sun and heat, having come from Michigan, to see Christmas trees and decorations popping up in some local stores. Church picnics in mid-November are a novelty to us too. Equally new and exciting is to sit at my desk, look out the window and see small monkeys playing on the telephone wires and many varieties of hummingbirds enjoying the spring flowers. What a great Creator! Pray that as we labor here the people of Brazil would recognize His worth and find salvation in Him.

Some Family Prayer Requests:

1. Please continue to pray for Melissa's pregnancy. We glorify the Lord that the minor complications that she was having at one point have cleared up completely.

2. Please continue to pray for the girl's adjustment to their new culture and language. Myla is really starting to catch on and speak Portuguese (and correct our Portuguese) in our home. She usually won't acknowledge people who talk to her outside our house though. Ellie responds better to people who talk to her in Portuguese and there is a mutual love between her and our Brazilian friends. Her red hair and fair skin are a novelty here.

3. Please continue to pray for our language training. Next week we begin our second 12 week trimester.

PICTURES! I think if you click on them they can get bigger.

Our front yard has a row of tall beautiful bamboo that Melissa and the girls are standing in front of. Also, the homeowner planted many exotic flowers and plants in the yard. (Right) Our language school took a field trip to the Sao Paulo Zoo for a language/cultural experience. They invited the families of the students. Myla and Ellie thoroughly loved it! Except that Ellie, we think, got into a swarm of biting gnats that left her face covered in red dots making her look like she had chicken pox. They have since healed.

These kids at the zoo were by themselves and they thought it'd be fun to get in a picture with a foreigner.

The young man in the blue with the tie is the son the of the Pastor of the church we attend, his fiance is on the left, and her parents are on the right. Caiu (I think he resembles Tiger Woods) and Elaine plan to get married on December 8th. People usually stay in the youth group until they get married here, so it we'll be sad to lose him from the youth group. They asked me to play trombone in their wedding so I'll have to start practicing and get the rust off!

Happy Spring!

2007-09-25T17:12:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday was the first day of spring here in Brazil. The new season brings with it new joys, new goals, new challenges, but, thank God, always new mercy (Lam. 3:22,23). We're amazed at God's grace to allow us to be here and serve in this capacity.

I usually post a blog when I send out a letter so that people who can't get picture attachments or have slow connections could see some pictures. But certain people (read grandparents) have requested to see some more pictures so I'm posting this blog early. We also have some prayer requests that we'd like you to remember.

1. Please continue to pray for our language training. We've finished seven weeks and are now attending a Brazilian church and working with a Brazilian pastor who has told the congregation NEVER to use English with us! We know this will help immensely.

2. Please pray for the salvation of our friend Marcello that we met on the train.

3. Pray for Melissa. She's 4 months pregnant with our baby boy.

Now some pictures:

Here's Melissa waiting with the crowd for the afternoon train and having a little salgado (salty snack). Remember... she's pregnant! If you want an experience in cultural immersion, just ride the train for a couple of hours every day like we do. In seven weeks we've seen people jump in the small train windows to avoid the toll. We've seen children and adults illegally selling almost any kind of item imaginable on the train from ice cream, to cookbooks, to gum, to toothbrushes. It's a hard life having to constantly look over your shoulder to avoid being caught by the many plainclothes and uniformed officers. Every day, people in desperate situations are begging for money. There are children, the elderly, people without legs who wear thick gloves on their hands, people who can't speak, can't hear, can't see, and one with an grisly open wound that covered a large portion of his leg and caused him to limp. Jesus had compassion on the multitudes and I believe the Lord uses these things to graphically illustrate his heartbeat for urban missions to us each day. Oh, that we will not grow calloused.

This is our Portuguese language class. On the left is our excellent Brazilian teacher Liliana. Next is Norie from Japan. Her parents are missionaries with the Presbyterian church and she works for a travel agency for Japanese living in Brazil. Next is Juninho. He's from Korea and training here in Brazil to be a soccer coach. Next is Shin. He's also from Korea and recovering from cancer. His family is back home in Korea. Guess who the lovely, studious lady on the right is?

The blog would not be complete without a picture of the girls participating in their favorite pastime.

By God's Grace We're In Brazil - And We Love It!

2007-08-10T16:43:00.000-07:00

On May 18th, after some airline delays because of weather and missed connections, we arrived safely in the Sao Paulo airport (not the one with the recent disastrous crash). Next week we will have been here three months. There have been times when I've woken up in the morning and I'm overwhelmed by the thought that God in His grace called us to Brazil and brought us here in direct answer to so many people's prayers. God is alive and able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think. Our time here has not been without its trials, but in every trial that God has brought us through, He's shown Himself real and helped us learn in the process. And in a new culture surrounded by the totally unfamiliar and feeling helpless at times, probably the biggest thing we've been reminded of is our complete dependence on God.

We enjoy it here and we've had a fun time laughing at how ridiculous we must look as we try to plunge ourselves into our new culture. Thankfully we started language school two weeks ago, but here are a few examples of cross-cultural situations that we face daily.

You know you are in a new culture when:

-You find yourself nearly getting into a car accident on the highway because for just an instant you forgot that motorcyclists don't use lanes, they just drive between cars on the dotted line.

- You find yourself holding up the line at busy supermarket because the cashier is asking you a question in a foreign language and you can't guess what she could possibly be asking because you've already paid for and bagged your groceries. Then, you find out she was just asking if you'd like a piece of candy in lieu of change because she didn't have the correct change in her register (apparently a common practice).

-You wonder if the South American breed of opossum that is stalking your house is rabid because all your attempts at ridding yourself of him only make him more boldly eat your garbage and lick your grill with what appears to be a smirk on his face.

- You are the only Americans in a class composed of Japanese and Korean students in a Portuguese language school and you don't understand their language and they don't understand yours, yet you try to communicate in a language that is foreign to everybody.

These are a few of our daily adventures as we learn. Definitely, we need your prayers.

PRAY- For opportunities to minister in creative ways since we cannot fully communicate yet.

PRAY- For safety in travel and for quick language acquisition.

PRAY- For our walk with the Lord under the strains of adjusting to our new home.

We also have had many requests for pictures (grandparents take note). Here's a few that I thought you'd like. They are of our church neighborhood, two kids from our church VBS, and Myla, Elaina, and Pamela their Brazilian babysitter who watches the girls while we are in school.

To Brazil!

2007-05-11T12:39:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, May 15, we’re scheduled to board a plane in Lansing, MI, at 8:20 p.m. and arrive in Sao Paulo, Brazil on Wednesday. This is the culmination of many answered prayers (concerning packing, shipping, plane tickets, visas, travel, sharing our burden for Brazil, and open doors to minister.) We thank all of our friends for the support that you have shown us since we started on our deputation ministry. We give the Lord the glory for all that He has accomplished- "Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it."

Now more than ever we need your prayers.

PRAY for traveling mercies on our long flight Tuesday & arrival in Brazil on Wednesday.
PRAY for our family transition into a new culture and for our language studies. (Myla already knows Portuguese. She’ll make up a word and insist, “That’s Portuguese!”)
PRAY that we’ll have a close with the Lord & be sensitive to ministry opportunities.