Double Sunday Funday Memorial Day

All kinds of good stuff! We officially made this announcement:

We did this video last week:

This video about the pregnancy and Zika:

And this video about the Trek:

I (Rachel) have had a very long and sickly first trimester (regular pregnancy stuff, but day-long morning sickness). I am very hopeful that it is almost over, and very grateful for my family, who have taken care of me this whole time.

We had our biggest trek ever, and are so grateful to all 75 of you who donated/ran/helped make it successful! Last week, we enjoyed having our relatives visit (and meet Ana Sofia for the first time), and celebrating my dad's 70th birthday (videos to come). It has been a lot of life in the past couple weeks, and we are so blessed. Almost down to the two week mark for returning to Brazil!

Reads from the Interwebs:

1. 7 ways we secretly rank each other

2. How to prepare for my call to missions

3. How to be a good missionary house guest

4. Surviving Summer: making the most of a trip "home"

5. Three quick ways to improve short term missions trips

Mother's Day Sunday Funday

Happy Mother's Day! It is such an important date that it is also Mother's Day in Brazil (Father's Day and Valentine's Day are different dates in Brazil than in the USA. Just sayin). We will have pictures and posts of all the cool things going on there up soon. But here, Caid and Ana are making sure I have time to do Sunday Funday on Sunday. That doesn't always happen. And it is a blessing. I am really excited about our weekly vlog this week--two of them! Many people have asked us what Living Stones would look like, if it were in the USA. Well--this interview explains it all!

Each one is only 5 minutes:).

Jeff Turner took some amazing pictures from the Easter program at Cajueiro Claro:

Some reads on the Interwebs:

1. Three kinds of selfies you should never take

2. We Americans are far too easily pleased

3. Helping kids manage their "need for change"

4. The most dangerous thing about being a missionary in a hostile country

We are super excited--and have lots of SUPER IMPORTANT STUFF to share with you at the Trek for Transportation THIS SATURDAY MAY 20th, at 11am Southeastway Park!!! See you there!

May Sunday Funday

Our weekly video is of last weekend, spend with wonderful friends:

This past week was full of rain (and a leaky basement), and my husband went on a men's retreat. When the husband is away, the wife...misses him and reads a book. This book was "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver. A beautiful and tragic look into the 1960s Congo. Just two quotes for you:
"Bongo Bango Bingo. That is the story of Congo they are telling now in America: a tale of cannibals. I know about this kind of story--the lonely look down upon the hungry; the hungry look down upon the starving. the guilty blame the damaged. those of doubtful righteousness speak of cannibals, the unquestionably vile, the sinners and the damned. It makes everyone feel much better."

"To live is to be marked. To live is to change, to acquire the words of a story, and that is the only celebration we mortals really know."

Reads from the Interwebs:
1. How to stop the cycle of hurt
2. Visiting home might not be all you dreamed
3. Hey Jimmy Kimmel
4. What I want all parents to do if their child tells them they were abused

Sunday Funday Wednesday

Our weekly video is some bits and pieces of lovely memories:

We were so blessed to have a chance to spend time with our friends in Peoria this weekend. Can't believe it is May already!
Reads from the Interwebs:
1. You want to change the world? Can you make this one sacrifice?
2. This is the most common temptation in doing good
3. When it is hard to want to be back