Taking off

Well in about 5 minutes we are taking off for the airport...just wanted to drop a quick note asking for prayer as we make our long journey! 25 hours for me and 38 for Bethany...it will wear us out!
Thank you so much for all of the prayers and support we've been recieving thus far...you have truly been a great blessing to us. We will write about whats been going on the last few days when we get home. Our next posts will be made from the United States!
Fica com Deus,
Amanda and Bethany

Having fun at Children's Camp...

What A Wonderful Week Of Children's Camp!

Children's camp was a HUGE SUCCESS! We had 58 campers :) Most of them came from Campo Mourao, from some of the poorer neighborhoods. For many of them it was the very first time that they have ever been to camp (as most of them can't afford it). We had some wonderful times of worship and times of crazyness. The weather held out and all of our days at camp were absolutely BEAUTIFUL! Thank you very much for your prayers for this camp. I got to celebrate my 22nd birthday on Friday at camp (like I so often do), and had a great time :) Please pray that the children would continue to be fired up for Jesus, like they were at camp. Camp got done on Saturday afternoon, so on Saturday night we got to attend Youth Group at Central. It was really great to be able to go for one of our last times here.

This week is filled with wrapping many things up and saying goodbye to many people. It is really difficult to have to leave all of the people that we have formed relationships with. I feel like I know 4 times as many people here as I do when I live other places. This is because we are purposely involved in numerous different places. I think that this is one of most important aspects of being a missionary, relationships. This was one of the biggest parts of our ministry here, building relationships and encouraging. It makes it so hard to say goodbye :(

Crawling already!

Our adorable babies who can sit up by themselves now!

Thavilidy testing out her new crawling skills!

Bethany and Altieres at a doctor appointment:)

Ready for Children's Camp!

Yesterday we got to spend lots of time with the babies, Altieres and Thavilidy, from the Miriam Infant Home, as we took them to an appointment in Campo Mourao. It's going to be so difficult to say good-bye in just 2 weeks :(
Well...we have had 2 days to rest and recuperate from Youth Camp and tonight we're ready to start our Children's Camp! It will be from Wednesday to Saturday for kids 6-12. We are expecting about 50 campers, from what we have heard so far. So...we will have our hands plenty full! Pray that we would have enough energy to keep up with all of these young campers. Also, please pray that God would be working in their hearts and minds during this camp. Please pray for the weather too! One of the tia's at the orphanage just mentioned to me that we are supposed to be expecting rain in the next few days :( Whatever weather God decides to send us, please pray that it would not hinder the learning and fun that take place at camp.
Well, we're about ready to head out to camp, so that's all for now!
In Christ Jesus,
Bethany

Group Photo!

A group shot of the whole camp! It was a fantastic bunch of people and I know we were all so blessed there. As I got to know some of the girls in my group it was just so amazing to hear their life stories and the different ways they're growing in their faith. They all have different struggles and strengths. Being a counselor is definately a fullfilling and great experience!

Please pray for us as we go into this next week of children's camp!

God bless,

Amanda

Photos of Youth Camp

Chapel Service at camp! There were some amazing times of worship!

A beautiful rainbow over the chapel!

Pastor Anilton was the morning speaker. He is SO good at connecting with the kids. His messages were all tied in with the analogy of soccer (since that was the theme).

We had a Brazil themed banquet on the last night of camp! It was lots of fun as us counselors put on a program of songs and skits.

Youth Camp!

Yesterday we finished up a wonderful 5 days of camp with youth, ages 12+! We enjoyed much ping-pong, skits, canoeing, soccer, volleyball, etc. Our theme was "Rumo ao gol" (Going for the Goal). We had a great turnout of about 40 campers. One girl, Meyriane (17), from Campo Mourao came to camp for the very first time. It was really exciting to have her there. She is not involved in any of our churches here, but was randomly invited and she showed up! She had a really fun time and was exposed to so much of the Bible in these past 5 days. Please join with us in praying for her and her faith. We got to experience our first serenata one night as a group of the boys came outside singing and playing guitar in the middle of the night. Quite interesting to see the looks on the girl's faces :)

In Christ,
Bethany

Shots of the Amazon

A team picture out on the Amazon! It is so beautiful there!

We didn't encounter too many animals in the wild but seeing this boy's snake, it makes me kind of glad!

The other team picture was ON the Amazon...this one is IN it!

Back Home to Campo Mourao after Adventures in the Amazon and Curitiba ;)

Hello All! We have safely returned from spending 5 days in the Amazon and 6 in Curitiba. We had a very fun and adventurous time. While in the Amazon we got to meet quite a few people from many different countries. It was encouraging to see the Lord open up doors to share our faith with some of these people. Rather than try to explain more of our adventures in the Amazon, I'll let Amanda put up pictures (because a picture is worth a thousand words, and I honestly don't have hundreds of thousands of words right now). All in all, we had an AMAZING TIME, and would love to be able to return one day! Afterwards, we got to spend some time in Curitiba with Thomaz and his family. We also got to make a little trip to Bateias on Saturday night, to visit and encourage the youth group there. Then, we returned by bus to Campo Mourao on Monday evening. Tuesday we got to spend time with the babies, Altieres, Thavilidy, and Vitoria at the orphanage and catch up on our laundry :) Today is the first day of our Youth Camp, which will be until Sunday. Please be praying for this camp, as well as the Children's Camp that we'll be having next week. This is all that I have time to update for now. Hopefully there will be pictures to follow soon.
In Jesus Christ,
Bethany

The Promised Picture Update

Last week we were in Maringá for the final Brazil game. It was a sad time when they lost, but we had a great time getting ready! Thomaz was able to join us for the day, and we made sure he had a special welcoming party when he arrived at the house. It was especially fun to have Pastor Joni's daughter April around!

Here's a fun memory from the Festa do Carneiro no Baraco. Nate and Yuri arm wrestling! I arm wrestled Yuri next and it was a tough battle:) Our night there was lots of fun. We went with Emerson, Helen, Fernanda, Yuri, Sabrine, Monise, April and Thomaz. It was an excellent time!

Last Saturday at Jardim Esperança the kids had a meeting about what they want to do in the future. It was really adorable to watch them discuss their ideas!

This is the group of English teachers that we celebrated the 4th of July with. Our celebration was complete with a churrasco and country club! (But we did miss out on the fireworks....)

Hope you all enjoyed the pictures! God bless and have a wonderful week!

Amanda

In the past week we...
- Witnessed the U.S. AND Brasil lose in the World Cup :(
- Got to celebrate the 4th of July with Fisk English School (sadly we didn't see any fireworks this year)
- Celebrated the Carneiro No Buraco (Festival of "the lamb in the hole"), a fair in Campo Mourao
- Said good-bye to Jonatus, Govanna, Sondrinhia, and Larissa (as they moved out of the Infant Home and back to their homes). And...Ana (4) was ADOPTED! by a couple who have been trying to adopt for 10 years. What a blessing...please keep this new family in your prayers!
-Helped with the children's program at Jardim Esperanca
-Attended and shared music in the Cohapar church (and then went out to pizza with the WHOLE CHURCH!)
- Spent time at the Miriam Infant Home, playing with the babies, and many other kids
- Visited CCAA English School to talk to some students in our native tongue ;) (and enjoyed dinner with the owners and some of the teachers afterwards)
- Drove to Maringa...TWICE
- Held a welcome party for Thomaz when he arrived in Maringa

In the coming week we will...
- Travel to the Amazon
- Stay malaria-free (please pray for this, as well as other health issues we might encounter)
- Camp in the jungle
- Go spear fishing
- Eat fish, fish, and more FISH! (this will be when Bethany starts to like to eat fish hopefully!)
- Visit and share with a tribe on the Amazon
- See piranhas, crocodiles, pink dolphins, and many crazy insects
- Travel to Curitiba and visit Thomaz's home and church :)

Tomorrow we are flying up to the Amazon, and at this point Amanda and I think that we might be totally out of our minds. It sounds crazy. We hope we don't come into any near-death experiences (Anacondas??? will they be sleeping too, when we're sleeping in the jungle? hopefully! And spiders the size of dinner plates...do they really exist??? I guess we'll find out this week). Please pray for our health and safety. I don't think the internet reaches the Amazon (though I'm sure they're close with this), so we probably won't update again until next Tuesday or Wednesday. However, hopefully Amanda will put up a picture update before we leave tomorrow...

In Christ Jesus,
Bethany

Happy Thursday Evening!

Every Tuesday morning we have our art class that we attend with a few of the kids from the Miriam Infant Home. Its one of the best parts of the week! We get to make friends with kids from around the city as well as get to know some of the social workers. This is a mural we've been working on. Bethany and I picked the subject of "communication". Its been a fun project so far! The man in the background is our art teacher, Alessandro. He is great working with the kids and I've really enjoyed getting to know a brasilian artist!

Here's a cultural difference: mosquitoes. Their quite a bit more blood-thirsty here! Bethany recieved a few well placed bites on her ankle that made it swell up quite noticably!

On Saturdays Thomaz is in charge of leading a children's program at Jardim Esperança. Its in a very poor neighborhood and is a great avenue of ministry. Pray that many kids would continue to come and hear the Word. Also that God would provide people to help work there.

On monday night we had our friends Monise and Sabrine over, along with some girls who teach at Sabrine's English school. It was such a fun night! Complete with a bonfire, s'mores and cheesecake. The English school teachers thought it was so crazy that American's actually have bonfires with s'mores...they'd only seen it in movies:)

Have a blessed evening!
Amanda

In addition to the last blog....

I for got to post the address of World Missions! All support can be sent there with our names indicated on the envelope.

AFLC World Missions (Name here)
3110 E. Medicine Lake Blvd
Plymouth, MN 55441

Also, a more specific prayer request: We have been dealing with a lot of problems with many of the children in the Miriam Infant Home. The three new children have a very hard time with being away from their family. As of today they have been trying to run away. They never get very far beyond the Home, but its hard on everyone there to constantly be trying to catch them. Another struggle is their lack of obedience. Its difficult to have patience with them. Please pray that we would always show them and the other children LOVE and PATIENCE in every situation.

Here's a quick overview of our near future plans. Tonight we're heading up to Maringá with Pastor Joni. We're going to spend the weekend there to celebrate July 4th! After spending part of next week at the Bible school, we're heading on a crazy adventure up to the Amazon! Please pray for safety as we trek through the jungles, go spearfishing and visit an indiginous tribe:) The last two weeks of July will be filled with lots of work for the childrens and youth camps. Pray for lots of kids to come and be impacted by the Word of God!

In Him,
Amanda

A few of the blessings in our life!

Here's some pictures of the 5 new kids who are here. This is the youngest girl, Sandrinha. She's 4 years old and quite the little cutie!

Giovana is 6 years old...she has the toughest time being apart from her mother. Please especially pray that she is able to find comfort here.


Jonatas is 8 years old. Thomas is a little older:P Jonatas loves having the older boys around to hang out with!

Also I don't think that we put up a picture of Larissa before. She's very attached to Bethany and I and LOVES attention. Her, as well as the other children have quite a hard time with being separated from their parents. Its hard to see the pain they go through but its also so wonderful to spend time with them. They need love so badly! It opens up lots of opportunities to talk with them about Jesus and His love for us:)

We want to ask you to continue to stick with us in support, both prayer and financial. We're coming up on several big events including two winter camps and a 30 hour road trip to a church in the the state of Espirito Santo. There will be lots of people to share with and opportunities to watch the Lord work, as well as quite alot of expenses! We know that the Lord will supply. Thanks so much for all the ways you've already blessed us with your support!

Keep seeking Jesus in everything!

In Him,

Amanda and Bethany

5 More Children To Pray For...

This week has brought 5 new children to the Miriam Infant Home! On Thursday, three siblings arrived, Jonatas (8), Giovanna (6), and Sondrinhia (4). They miss their parents a lot and have cried through many of the nights that they've been here. Please pray for God to comfort them through this difficult time. Also, they have a 10 month old brother who was not taken out of the home. Please pray for safety for him as their was abuse taking place in this situation.
After lunch on Thursday two other kids arrived. A 15 year old girl (I can't spell or pronounce her name) and a 13 year old boy (Jefferson). They came from an abusive situation as well. However, the next day they were taken home. So, please pray for their safety.
So...at one point we had 14 CHILDREN! Now, we are down to 12 again. It has been very chaotic. There have been many jealous moments between the kids as we try to divide our attention equally.
Well...for now we have to run (this weekend is PACKED FULL!).

Tchau!
Bethany

Soccer, Babies, Bananas, the Amazon, etc.

On Thursday we had a new girl arrive at the orphanage. Her name is Larissa and she is 8 years old. At first she was really confused as to why she was here, and had to leave her 7 year old and 10 month old brothers. It was so hard to tell her that we didn't know either. All we could do was hug her. Later, we found out from Sarai, the director of the orphanage, that she was being abused by her grandfather. She is a very nice girl. Please pray for her!
Much of Friday and Saturday were spent preparing for our BrasilAmericano night, Saturday evening. We got to visit some colleges and english schools around Campo Mourao, and invite them. We also prepared by giving them a taste of some American food. We made chocolate chip cookies, salsa, and quesadillas (a little on the Mexican side). The Brazilian food that they made was very delicious as well! They made tapioca, which we think of as a type of pudding, but it was fried in oil and filled with ham and cheese. We had a wonderful turnout of 40-50 people and got to share our testimonies, cultural differences that we've seen, and sing songs in both portuguese and english.
On Sunday we were able to take in the second Brazil game of the World Cup. When Brazil plays during the World Cup, everything stops in the country. All work stops, schools are let out, no stores are open and all the streets are silent, while everyone watches the game. It is similar to the Superbowl in the U.S., only seen as even more important! They have now won their first 2 games :) After the game, we got to sing for the service at Cohapar.
Our Monday consisted of more doctor's appointments for the 11 month old twins, Thavilidy and Altieres. Everywhere we take them, they have lots of admirers! This time was no different. We had 15 or 20 different ladies stop and play with them and ask about them. Everyone wants to adopt them (however their mother is still involved and wants them very much, so this is not possible). Please continue to keep them in your prayers as we just found out at a recent appointment that they both have fetal alcohol syndrome and will be growing and learning slower than normal their whole life. This was definitely the most difficult appointment we've had to face. It was absolutely heartbreaking.
We found out last week that we will not be able to go on the missions trip to Paraguay, as they're out of space on the bus. So, we are now planning on making a trip up to the Amazon on July 8th. Hopefully we'll be able to share with some of the tribes that we meet as we go travel up the river. Please pray for our safety and health during this trip (denghy is a definite possibility with all the mosquitos up there).
So...I'll end with a funny story about Ana, our 4 year old. This morning we walked over to the orphanage and started talking and playing with all the girls and Ana was eating a banana. Fifteen minutes later, we were sitting on her bed in her room and there were like 3 more banana peels sitting on her nightstand. Amanda and I hadn't seen anyone else eating bananas and we looked at each other and said, "Where are all these banana peels coming from?" Ana currently had a banana in her hand that she was eating, which we thought was still the first one. We asked the other girls where all the banana peels were coming from and they just smiled and said that Ana really likes bananas. Ana then proceeded to open up the drawer on her nightstand to get another banana and we found a cluster of about 12 more bananas. She had been going to town on the bananas, and trying to eat as many as she possibly could before she got caught! We just laughed and left the bananas in her drawer. We'll have to check in her drawer again tomorrow to make sure we don't end up with a drawer full of rotten bananas :) We might have to make banana bread (what a treat!), if we leave them too long.
I'll leave it at that for now, and update more sooner rather later!
In Christ,
Bethany

We love because HE first loved us!

Last Saturday was Dia dos Namorados- the Brazilian valentines day. In celebration we had big youth group party! For the purposes of our party, it was renamed Hug Day. It was a more youth group friendly theme:) Mariana and Paulo did a great job putting it together and making it a fun evening for everyone involved. This is them leading some worship:


Thomaz gave the message...his first sermon (I think...) and he did excellent! He talked about God's love for us and how it is an example for how we are to love the people in our lives.


Two of my favorite things in Brazil: Bejinho and Brigadero! We spent the afternoon before the service making lots and lots of it. They are really popular candies here in Brazil and I'm ready to bring these tasty treats back to America! The entire three platters were demolished in minutes:)

From awhile back....

Alright, I'm trying to catch up on those pictures that Bethany promised!

This is of the new baby Vitoria. She's bigger than Thavilidy and Altieres and very healthy. Also, one of the most beautiful babies I've ever seen!

Thavilidy and Altieres are doing well too! We take them to doctor's and physical therapy every week and they're improving so much. They eat fruit, rice and vegetables, and have gained a lot of streangth. Praise the Lord!

This is us with our friends Emerson, Helen, Fernanda and Yuri. We spend lots of fun times at their house here on campus. We watch movies (and American basketball games!), play games and eat Helen's delicious cooking! Last week we had a worship and prayer night which was a really big blessing for all of us.

Have a great day! Fica com Deus!

Amanda

Some Toledo Photos!

As Bethany wrote, we had a FANTASTIC time in Toledo! Everyone in the church was so welcoming and friendly. They really made us feel at home, and we were able to have a great experience with their ministry. Their congregation is so mission minded and really cares about reaching people! Hope you enjoy the pictures:)

Our friend Fabio welcomed the Brazilians and Americans with a specially made sign on his door! Fabio graduated from seminary and worked with the Miriam Infant Home. It was especially exciting for Karla and Edival to see him since they all went to Bible school together. Now he's involved in children's ministry, outreach, church work and he just wrote a book (which I will attempt to read in Portuguese... :P)! Please keep him in your prayers!


This is the first children's program we put on. I'd never thought of dressing up so crazy for a program like this but the children LOVED it. They all wanted to meet us and talk to us because we were acting as our characters. It made it so much more exciting for them. One more idea I want to bring back home to the States!


Bia [Fernanda], Tata [me], Tutu [Thomaz] and Paty [Bethany] showing off our shnazzy outfits!


These are the people we worked with the most in the church. Lots of good memories were made and we're all hoping for another chance to visit Toledo!

Well, it has been a whole week since we've updated, so here we go...
We went to Toledo (about 4 hours south) for the weekend to do some evangelism and children's programs for the church there. We went with Karla, Edival, Thomaz, and Fernanda. Amanda and I were included in the play for the children's programs and had to memorize all our lines....IN PORTUGUESE! We were quite nervous, but it all went well. On Saturday afternoon we had a really good turnout at the school where we put the program on, and we got to do it again for Sunday School the next morning. On Friday afternoon we got to do some evangelism to men in a rehab center, and many less fortunate families in their homes. We traveled back to Campo Mourao on Sunday afternoon. We took lots and lots of pictures of the weekend, which I'm sure Amanda will be posting in the near future. Yesterday (Monday) we got another baby girl at the Infant Home! She is four months old and her name is Vitoria :) She's very adorable! So, we now have 3 babies to help with! The tias at the Infant Home will have their hands very full. I think that covers a lot of what our last week has consisted of. Please continue to pray for our Portuguese to improve. We're all learning, however some times seem slower and more discouraging than others. Thanks for praying for us!
In Christ Jesus,
Bethany

JUNE ALREADY!!!

Hello all! I have a few other things to add to the blog today. First of all...I would like to correct Amanda in that it is actually June and not April. Was this supposed to be a joke? I have no idea. Maybe this joke is on me. However, I would like to wish everyone a happy first day of June! Time definitly has flown from April to June!
Back to Friday at the school, I'd like to restate how much we all felt like movie stars! We signed well over 100 autographs, there were so many children around us that I couldn't even look up. All I could do is see all the papers that were being shoved at me to sign. Anyway, I was thinking, "We are nobody. Why do all these kids want OUR autographs? If they reallyknew who we were, just four American youth, would they really want us signing all these papers for them? Probably not." Then I realized that to them we are famous. They made us that way. Even if we don't think so. So, if we are famous and heroic to them, we need to live our lives worthy of that. We need to give them something worth wanting to imitate. We need to model the kind of the love that Christ has for us, and use this "fame" to point them to the true hero, Jesus Christ.
Saturday we got the wonderful opportunity to help with a children's program at Central Free Lutheran Church, here in Campo Mourao. Kids from all over the city were invited, and we had a great turnout of about 100 kids! We got to lead them in some songs and spend lots of time just simply playing with them.
After the children's program, in the evening, we got together for a service with some of the members of the church in Cohapar and Lar Parana. Nate got to give his very first sermon in Portuguese all by himself with no translator! He did a great job, and will hopefully be able to do more preaching in Portuguese in the near future.
On Sunday we got to worship with the Lar Parana church and share special music (a total surprise to us, when we were called up in the middle of the service to sing!).
One of the bittersweet moments of our Sunday came when he had to say goodbye to our 4 year old, Vitoria, who lived at the Miriam Infant Home. She left at 5am Monday morning to go to live with her grandmother in Curitiba. Please keep her in your prayers. We have no idea what kind of a home situation this will be for her. Pray that she will be safe and well taken care of. She proudly told us that she packed her Bible that we had given her, when we were saying goodbye. She loves Jesus soooooo much, please pray that this never changes, and she will continue to live for the Lord her whole life.
Yesterday (Monday) we started our week as we do every week with a visit to the physical therapist with our twin babies, Altieres and Tavilete (I know I spelled both of those names very poorly, so I'll let Amanda correct me in a future post). They are getting to be very big and strong, and are beginning to get numerous new teeth!
Well, this is all I have for now. Thanks for keeping up with us :)

In Christ,
Bethany

April already?!

Time is flying by like crazy! Time for a good long update....

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday we were able to spend lots of time wtih Pastor Jonathan Unverzagt. It was lots of fun to talk to him and see his heart for the ministry here in Brazil. Its such an encouragement to hear from people in the states who care so much about missions! Besides lots of talking, we visited a grade school and English school, walked around Campo Mourao and hung out in our favorite ice cream shop in town. Another highlight of his visit here: an AMAZING churrasco that Pastor Sylvio made for us! Hope you had a great time too, Pastor Jonathan:)

Friday is a day that will definately go down in history (of our lives..haha!) as a day we'll never forget. Pastor Anilton, who teaches us Portuguese, asked us to come visit the school he teaches at in a town called Mambore. He teaches English there and wanted to kids to not only practice English, but hear about our mission and faith. We were expecting a pretty normal reception from them but we didn't realize that they'd never seen American's before...which

is apparantly pretty cool:P We visited classes all morning and sang some songs. The rooms were full of kids and they'd all talk at once so it was a little hectic at times. We thought it was pretty funny how excited they were...one kid even had us sign our names in his notebook! Well, his autographing idea spread and after class we were surrounded by screaming kids who wanted our signitures. Everyone from teenagers to little children were crowded around us pushing their notebooks and papers at us to sign. A few even had us autograph their arms! We felt like movie stars! As ridiculous and funy as it was, it gave us a great chance to have contact with kids that we never would have otherwise. Almost all of the kids got our email addresses which enables us to stay in contact and build friendships. Its great to see how God uses all situations for His glory! Here is a picture of us with a few of the students.


I've got to sign off for now....In Jesus, Amanda

This is the Day that the Lord Has Made!

How is everyone doing today? Hope all is well wherever you are and whatever you're doing.

We've been having a great time over the past few days here! Saturday was the wedding of our friends Mariana and Paulo. Congratulations! Bethany and I were able to spend sometime getting ready for the wedding with Deisy. She did our nails (she's a pro!), and we worked on each others hair. Its always fun to have opportunities like that to connect with and build relationships with youth. The wedding was probably the most exciting one I've ever been to. There was everything from star wars music to guys dressed as soldiers delivering the wedding rings in the middle of the ceremony! Most importantly of all, it was a Christ centered wedding. They were able to show their fun personalities, while still being a wonderful witness to everyone who attended! Another thing that added to the fun- the couple had Pastor Jonathan Unverzagt from Wisconsin come all the way down to perfrom the wedding. He has been to Brazil several times before and knows them very well.

Saturday we went to Central for sunday school in the morning. Bethany and I were able to spend the hour with Karla and the sunday school kids passing out fliers for an upcoming childrens program at the church. Its great encouragement to see how the people here really care about evangelism. They don't just stay in their church and plan events...they go out to the streets and find people! The boys stayed with the adult sunday school class and had a chance to fellowship with Pastor Jonathan. After sunday school we had lunch at Pastor Nata's house. It was a delicious meal and a good opportunity to spend time with friends!

For the night service we went to Coa Par (I really have no idea how thats spelled!). Its the only Free Lutheran Church here that we haven't had a chance to go to yet. What a great congregation! Its still fairly small, but the people there are so warm and welcoming. Douglas, our friend who studies here at the Bible school, and his brother Giovani's family attend there as well as other people we've gotten a chance to know. Please pray for the growth of this church!

Thank you for the continued support of the ministry here!
In Christ,
Amanda

Yay for packages!

Today we got an awesome package from the AFLBS Student Mission Fellowship! It was so fun to open and see all the fun stuff inside. It was complete with letters, pictures, cd's and peanut butter:) Thanks everyone!

Various activities

Last saturday was Deisy's birthday! There was a surprise birthday at a house here in Campo Mourao, and we had a great time with hot dogs, party hats and cake!

Three of the five new kids at the infant home. They are super adorable!

Bethany and I with Deisy and Maria. We were part of a big protest against abuse. It was quite an event! Full of phsycologists and local kids. We've really enjoyed being part of the community here in such interesting ways!

Sunday Night

We were able to share a few songs on sunday night at Central. Song is a great way to share, especially for us who don't fully know the language!

Nate preaching and Sabrine translating. He shared a great message on being completely transformed for Christ.

A team picture. I'm trying to be better about taking these...we don't have very many!

ITS BEEN FOREVER!

Hello everyone! I am getting worse and worse about writing still...Last week my computer stopped working so its been hard to get internet access. Thankfully we've got our great friend Emerson here on campus who fixed it for me! Thank you SO much, Emerson!! Its such a blessing to have it back. Now there's no excuse for me not to write:)

Well where do I start? Things have bee busy and wonderful as ever! Here's a few highlights from last week: Bethany and I were able to spend lots of time at the Miriam Infant home! The babies are growing and healthy. Its been great to work with them and the other children there. The boys were kept busy with various things, including Nate's getting a sermon ready for sunday. On wednesday night we were able to spend an evening with Pastor Silvio and his wife. They have definately been a big blessing to us since we've been here. They have a wonderful heart for people. We had a fun time on friday night at Emerson's house! We played games, chatted and watched a movie. Their family has been so kind and inviting to us. They are a such an example of Jesus' love! When I get all my pictures on my computer I'll write more about everything thats been happening!

This weekend we were able to spend time with our friend Sabrine. She spent the night here on Saturday night and we had lots of fun watching movies, eating hamburgers and playing games! On saturday night we had a big youth service with all three churches in Campo Mourao. It was so great to see all the youth gathered in one place. We practiced and performed a song in English with our friends Fernanda and Thomaz. It was lots of fun preparing for the event! On sunday Nate did a great job preaching! We shared a few worship songs and all around had a great night with the people at Central Church.

Five new kids came here to the home on sunday. They are all precious! Bethany and I are going to be spending the majority of our time there now. There's lots more work now with 12 children, all together! WOW, what an opportunity to share Jesus! The children love reading their Bibles. We give every child that come a Bible and its a favorite activity to read together:)

A few praise reports and prayer requests:
-Yesterday Bethany and I got our visas renewed for the next three months with no problems!! Praise the Lord!
- We are seeing the Lord work in amazing ways. Its an incredibly wonderful thing to watch!
- Please keep the spiritual life of each of the children here in your prayers. They are in such a nourishing environment for exposure to the Word.
-Pray for provison for the ministry of Pastor Joni and Tamba! They have lots of great work going on in Maringa and elswhere.
- ...and we still need lots of help with our Portuguese. Praise the Lord for what we've learned so far!

God bless and keep Jesus first in your life!
Amanda

Here's a few of the local boys playing basketball with Jon! They come almost every afternoon to shoot hoops. Its a great time for Jon, and its fun for us all to get to know them better!


On friday night we had the opportunity to participate in an English service in Maringa. All four of us were able to share in English which was so fun! Everyone there was very friendly and we made lots of new friends!

Good Evening!

Hope everyone is having a great night!

We have two new girls at the Miriam Infant Home named Maria and Ana. Please pray for them as they adjust. We've been able to spend a good amount of time with the kids, and it has been SUCH a blessing. God has been teaching me so much through working with these children. He is truly an amazing God! Pray that He would work the miracle of salvation in their precious hearts!

Thank you for your care and support,
Amanda

A few pictures from English Camp!

The boys cutting up some fabric to decorate the chapel...they were having a race!

The skit that the adult team did entitled, "Bus Titanic". It was SO FUNNY!


The youth skit starring Sabrine as the strict English teacher!


A new friend we made: unfortunately, he was poisonous and had to be killed.....!