October Sunday Funday

Our weekly vlog is...well, just watch one of the many extra ones from last week. Because I got ahead and then the girls got sick (Sofia was sick from Tuesday-Thursday, and then Jessie got sick Friday and is still on the annoying sicky edge). Besides, I have lots of extra internet reads for you instead.

And that: "the girls got sick," was a pretty decent summary of our week as well. Our car port was finished, and the video about that will happen soon:). Jessica is 10 months old, and that video will also happen soon.

Reads from the Interwebs:
1. 8 Diverse books for under $8 for kids 8-12
2. How can we have joy no matter what life brings? Staci Eldridge? Another book? Yes please!
3. Love your Neighbor as Yourself and Bring Your Kids Along: D.L. Mayfield goodness
4. What Happens Every Time I Write about Sexual Harassment
5. The gift of Sabbath: I loved the practicality in this: 
1) No work (no dishes or laundry or cleaning up toys – crazy, I know!).
2) No technology (because it’s meant to distract).
3) No anxiety or complaining (and believe me, I’m an anxious momma).
6. Choices for the Good of my Routines: I want this for in two months when all my routines are all shaken up and stirred on home assignment...
7. Four Reasons Why Churches should Visit their Missionaries: Why isn't this a thing?
8. Time Doesn't Heal Sexual Assault if Victims are Silenced 
9. She is Rich, She can send all her kids to School: So appreciate Amy's voice on...basically everything she writes about (Note: she is a missionary to Ethiopia and also related to me).

Another Children's Day Sunday Funday

Our weekly vlog reflects the continued celebrations happening:

And Caid also shared his testimony (in English and Portuguese) if you'd like to check it out:

It was quite a busy week, as not only did we celebrate Children's Day, but we are having a carport built next to our house, and the girls both decided to have fevers during the week. Wednesday was a special party at the International School:

And after Cajueiro Claro's celebrations last week, we also had Guadalajara's, Lagoa's, and the Trash Dump Community:

So five parties and communities were reached, and Jesus was shared with over 250 kids! We have such an amazing team, and are so grateful for everyone who made this happen.

Reads from the Interwebs:
1. Senders make Sacrifices too: just one read this week...you have so many videos to watch:)

Children's Day Sunday Funday

Children's Day is October 12, but we celebrated a little early. Here is the video (of Cajueiro Claro--more celebrations to come!):

Sunday (October 7th) was also voting in Brazil: and the results are that they get to vote again. Since they are not a two party system, like the USA, they have many parties and many people running. For a president to win, they need 50% of the vote, which is not super common in the first running. So the top two (this year, it is Bolsonaro and Haddad) will run again on October 28. The election has helped the economy though, as the Real to Dollar went down from 4.2 to 3.7.
We had a full fun week, with the World Renewal Brazil team getting together on Tuesday (always an encouragement and a blessing!), the first parent teacher conference of the last semester of school, a tropical party, and Caid preaching at PPC. We are so loved and blessed! Please pray for this next week of fun kid festivities, and the opportunities it brings to share Jesus.

Reads from the Interwebs:
1. The Answer when Shifting is Constant: I have three things that I have consistently failed to learn: driving a stick shift, doing a backflip on the trampoline, and I forget the other. Thank goodness our car in Brazil is a semi-automatic!
2. GRIT: Guide for praying for TCKs: valuable tool! We cannot forget these precious souls.
3. Don't Touch my Bacon! "We must ask ourselves: What’s more important–my rights or my witness?"
4. But I thought it was Chocolate: "Or, I can choose to allow my gracious God to teach me how to enjoy the ride, to release my tears and my fears to Him, and to trust that He really is good."
5. Don't Call your kids "World Changers:" My favorite and hard hitter this week: "When the call of God, legitimately and accurately interpreted, looks nothing like the world-domination and global impact you were primed to experience, what then?"
6. Lament for the Disbelieved: I haven't known what to say about current political events, so haven't said anything lately. Or yet. But this broke me a bit, no matter who is lying, telling the truth, or using information for personal/political gain.

Last September Sunday Funday

Our weekly vlog:

It was really wonderful to have our church over to our home for the first time last Tuesday, as we have settled into having people over and it feeling normal. Sofia can't remember what life used to be like before being able to run outside and go find friends at any of the houses around us:). You can see our Friday trip to get Jessica's passport on the video--as we are working on all the details of our trip back to the USA in two months--TWO MONTHS? But first, we are working on all the details of big celebrations at all the Living Stones programs for Children's Day in two weeks. It is always a great time for the kids, and a neat time of adults coming together to help out those who otherwise wouldn't get to celebrate Children's Day: holidays are for those who can pay for them. Caid preached on Sunday (in Portuguese, obviously), and it was really great to see how comfortable he was with "telling them what God was telling him" as he put it. We are blessed.

Reads from the Interwebs:
1. I Hate that there has to be Adoption: " I was so fixated on the rescue and the redemption that it was easy to just skim over the grief."
2. A Modest Proposal for Short Term Missions: basically anything on this site is gold. Just sayin.
3. When Missions Affects Family Planning: So true, many professions affect family planning--I think you just don't think about it being a part of missions when you go into it. But Caid and I have had many, many conversations about this, and the title is true. I think the scary part of it is that in being a missionary--part of the hardwired part is that you follow God's leading--even if He leads you away, or somewhere else. Missions holds certainty in loose hands. So what if you choose not to have children, just to return "home" and really wish you had had more children? There is a lot of trust issues that need to be faced.
4. Not Changing the World

Sunday Funday September

Our weekly vlog:

We are really happy to have the Turner family back in Brazil (after their home assignment for the last six months)! We love being neighbors:). We also can't believe in two and a half months we will be heading to the USA on our own home assignment. Friday night was another English class at Cajueiro Claro, which Caid (he is teaching the kids) and I (teaching the adults) are doing this semester. It has been an unexpected blessing, and a great time to minister to our church family and community.

August and September the Real (Brazilian currency) has been really down, compared to the dollar. For the past couple of years, it has stayed right around 1 Dollar to 3 Reais: but lately it has been 1 Dollar to 4 Reais. This is very revealing of how the Brazilian economy is doing right now, and how unsure things are before the presidential election (the election is the first Sunday in October). But it also means that any donation to Living Stones is worth 25% more to us right now!

Reads from the Interwebs:
1. Changing the Narrative: so appreciate the grace of my cousin Amy!
2. Our most unlikely Teachers: this is right on the subject of my current Bible study--going through the Gospels asking "What does this teach me about being last?" (Eventually, I hope to put together my findings in a coherent, shareable, manner.)
3. If I had to get a Job: I think about this a lot actually...being a missionary, there are so many things you can't control and you never know if they are going to change and if your life might suddenly look much, much different.

Long Weekend Sunday Funday

Our weekly vlog:

In the USA you had Labor Day last weekend, and I hope you had a lovely relaxing three day weekend. But welcome to Brazil, where Independence Day was Friday, and Carpina (our town) founding day is September 11 (we are not celebrating America's sadness) and so we have a five day weekend. Whoohoo! We had a lovely week, and my 6th and 7th graders finished their first semester special projects:

We will let you know how our LOOOONG weekend was next week, because it isn't finished yet!

Reads from the Interwebs:
1. Learning from Injustice while Living Overseas: yes. THIS. You don't need to read anything else. Just this.
2. Ministry and Mom Guilt
3. The Day I choose to Smile

September Sunday Funday

Our weekly vlog:

We had a lovely week where Jessica is officially mobile, Sofia is learning her letters, and Caid and I are getting more sleep, which is one of the best parenting gifts ever at this age. Last week, someone broke into the church at Cajueiro Claro and stole all of the food for the Living Stones program. They didn't touch any of our toys or supplies, and for that we are grateful. We are praying that if they are ever that desperate for food again, they would come to us and we would have the opportunity to give it to them instead. We hope you all (in the USA) have a good Labor Day with family: in Brazil we have a holiday (Independence Day) next weekend, so we will get our relaxing time then:).

Reads from the Interwebs:
1. Taking Care of the Poor: Most Ignored Command in the Bible?
2. 12 Questions to help kids think deeper about poverty
3. 10 ways to entertain kids on long flights: Wish they had window clings in Brazil...at least, I haven't found them here yet.