Goodbyes

 

Even though I still have two weeks before I will be walking on Texas soil again, the "lasts" are starting. I cannot believe how time has flown here, and how there seems to still be SO much to do and see. The Lord has been ever present and faithful through these four months and getting to reflect on that as time is drawing to an end has been so special.

 

PRAYER & PRAISES!

 

We had a team of 3 men come from Georgia who were so wonderful and like family. They had an amazing trip with one of the dads here and all came back healthy and with lots of stories. Oh, and they brought Skittles and Tony's for us, true love from the Body right there.

 

We all survived back home, I was able to stay with the mom and girls during the evenings and early mornings (the fun times with a newborn and little ones!) before heading off to do homeschool with the other family. No broken bones, no house troubles and plenty of happy hearts when dad was back! We celebrated with our favorite pizza place to hear about the trip and have the biggest group of interesting English speaking people I think they have ever seen!



 

 

The family is well settled, as well as they can be, in the new house and have been getting GREAT water amounts this week. SUCH a praise!!. They have been able to have a few families over to try the place out and even have a cookout! So so great. They are excited and ready to get back into language learning outside of the house, so we are praying for opportunities with the parents as well as for the boys. They left some great friends back at the old neighborhood and that is hard for any kid! It is really special to get to see the boys fall in love with the life they have been raised into, they know hard times but they also know WHY they are living in Brazil and love that their parents do what they do for the Lord.

 

 

 

 

I have stayed at my current apartment since the other place is still not ready to be lived in. The bus has been an interesting twist and fun change to life here. The language tutor has been giving me rides when it works for both of us so that has been SUCH a blessing as well. I get a lot of prayer time in waiting for the bus, and praying that one comes :) I have learned a lot about trusting the Lord and allowing grace to be given and received ..so so good.

 

 

School is wrapping up, and we hope to be done right around the time I leave or a little after. The boys have been learning AND teaching..because we all know how great our kids can teach us! They will be leaving for the States in June so we are all getting ready for "Summer Vacation!"

 

They have decided to have another girl come to help next semester, God seemed to be perfectly placing her here and we are all excited to see why! We are praying that all things get worked out and planned well for her to be here and that her ministry can be as unique and amazing as this time has been for me here.

 

Mother's Day came in such a fun way this year! I have been COVERED in love and grace by some sweet mommas here and back home. It was a great day of getting to celebrate them, be around all of them, talk to the ones I am not with over the phone (my favorite Momma!) and get to be blessed by them. We even got to cross over to the state next to ours and hear one of the dad do a GREAT job at telling and teaching stories to a church there. Oh, and we had a mock Olive Garden lunch..AMAZING haha.

 

My time at my apartment has continued to be sweet, and sweet in way of yummy treats too! My neighbors love to cook and bake..and share! So I have started to get my baking itch in and get a little creative in how to do things here. They love through their actions and stomachs..the best ways. It will be different to not have them around and use Google translate and smiles to communicate BUT learning how to love in actions and not being afraid of
that has been such a great lesson that I hope
                                         to bring home.

 

Home! Oh where will it be? What will I be doing? How long will I be where? Yadayadayada. Pray for my heart to steadfastly seek the Lord and rest in HIS faithfulness as he sends me home, wherever that will be and how ever it will look like. When I say I have no plans, really, I have no plans. The best way to go I am finding, His ways are secure and good.

 

 

I was invited by my sweet friend to her home to have dinner with her family, it was one of the most amazing times, that I cried over even. The men dropped me off, then little girls took me down into the jungle, through some hills and up a steep cliffish area..through some dirt roads and to a small house. We sat and smiled..with a little conversation thanks to some sweet friends who could translate. I was able to meet her family and see how they live life. We ate community style on the ground with all the pots around us, prayed and dived in-hands first of course. It was amazing because language didn't matter.. spoons didn't matter..we just shared a meal together and laughed. I am excited to know that I will get to rejoice again with them one day in Heaven and we will get to understand one another!

 

This next week our dads here leave for a trip and will return after I leave, so we have another fun adventure week! Pray for the wives as their husbands will be gone, the kids as their dads will be gone and for their lives as they continue to do life with lots of flexibility! Pray for the men as they are out, deep into some amazing work that has been laid out by the Lord. Pray that work will be good, for safety and for the hearts of people they may meet that they will experience the love of the Father.

 

I will hopefully, depending on the rain, fly out of our area on the 25th and then arrive in Peru that afternoon on the jungle plane. The next day I have a flight to Lima where the others and I will meet back up again for our debrief and re entry time! Please pray for our travels and our time prayerfully preparing to enter back into our lives back home that have changed while we have been away and for our lives that have been changed while we have been away. We trust the Father and know that He is good and has purpose in all of His ways. We are all excited to be together again and hear of all the great things he has done in South America these past four months. I will then get on a plane late Thursday night and wake up in the TX on Friday. Please pray for that day, as we will all have lots of emotions and things going on, it will be great!

 

 

 

You all have helped make this time so special and worth every mosquito bite, ant infestation and long day. I have been able to rejoice in births, salvations, sun rises and sunsets, water arrivals, first steps, friendships and many many other things because of your faithfulness as friends and family. I will miss the amazing coffee, unique delicious foods and my special times with the families who have loved me more than I could ask for or deserve!  I am excited to get back to all of you, catch up and eat some Jason's Deli.

 

 

"Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving." Colossians 4:2