Hi, I only have a few minutes but I have a quick prayer request. We've been able to become friends with the three girls in the Miriam Infant Home and it is SUCH a blessing. They are beautiful young ladies in need of love. Yesterday the four of us played soccer with them, followed by a hair styling party (just us girls, haha!) They really seem to love the attention. Today when they got home from school, the youngest girl (Gabriella) was sobbing...from what we could understand the girls mother had come to their school. They really miss her... So far, we don't know their whole story, but please pray for comfort for them. I can't imagine what a hard life they've had. Its so heartbreaking to see them so sad... Praise the Lord that He gives comfort!
Hopefully soon another update will follow....
In Christ,
Amanda
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Introducing....Bethany as your new blog hostess!
I wrote this yesterday, but was unable to post it, so it's a day late :(
Hello all! This is Bethany blogging for the first time, not Amanda. It has been quite a while since we've updated...so I'm sure you've been waiting in suspense to hear more of the adventures in Brazil.
Well...we finished out the rest of last week washing all of the windows of the Bible School buildings and squeegying floors inside and out! This will become a regular morning routine for the next 5 months :)
We woke up bright and early at 3:15 am on Saturday morning to attend the women's conference in Londrina. It was just a day trip, so Amanda and I boarded the bus with only our purses and Bibles. Everyone else got on with a large bag or suitcase. We had no idea what these women were lugging along and we felt very out of place, not knowing what we had forgotten to bring, especially when we could not speak their language to ask them. It turned out that they had brought along all their shower supplies and AT LEAST 2 changes of clothes! Brazilians have extremely good hygiene and take at least 2 showers per day. It was a very hot day so everyone was sure to do so, and they brought their swimming suits to cool off in the lovely pool. Amanda and I were covered in sweat the whole day, yearning to enter the swimming pool, or shower or something! We have now made a vow to never leave to go anywhere without at least 2 changes of clothes again. This was one of our most embarrassing moments in Brazil. Despite feeling completely out of place with the clothing issue, it was a lovely day. We got to meet women from Londrina, Maringa, Curitiba, and our very own Campo Mourao. Hopefully we will be seeing them again soon, as we are planning to visit and share (skits, testimonies, music...) at many of the AFLC churches here in Brazil during our stay. Ladies of the two churches in Londrina hosted the event. Please keep these churches in your prayers as they are dealing with issues of direction right now. We made it back to Campo at about 3 am on Sunday morning. When we arrived back to our dormitory on Sunday we had a pleasant (NOT) surprise of two SOPAS (giant toads a little bigger than a softball) that made our home their's. We both screamed and ran to get the boys to dispose of them. After letting them outside, the boys braved the dorm checking for any more critters that might have decided to move in. Nothing else turned up but we still have not found the culprit of the mess in the downstairs bathroom. We're still a little leery of that. Anyway, we keep our door locked at night now. This morning the maintenance Edival and Karla and our cook, Odete, said that they heard our screams and were wondering what the crazy Americans were up to. How embarrassing!
Today turned out to be an absolutely wonderful day. Amanda and I started the morning by sweeping out all of the Bible School buildings. Then, after lunch we had a short english class with Karla. We taught her 18 english words :) Following that we began cleaning out the girl's dormitory to prevent other animals from making their homes there. We also got to work with Jon and Nate on our skit and songs that we will be sharing when we visit the church in Maringa this weekend. Then...we got a happy surprise! We found out that 3 sisters had just moved in to the Miriam Infant Home on Sunday. We went over to meet Melina (11), MariaEduarda (8), and Gabriella (5) and to play with them. At first they were very shy and quiet. However, they came out of their shells after being tickled! There mother was not able to sufficiently provide for them. We are so excited to have these girls to befriend and play with every day. Hopefully we'll get some pictures of them up soon. Please keep them in your prayers as they have to start a brand new school tomorrow. Also, when we first saw them they seemed very sad. I'm sure they've had a hard life, so pray that we might be a blessing to them and that we would have the opportunity to share with them about Jesus!
Our day ended with a churrasco to begin the new year of Bible School, so we had a nice time visiting with students and teachers. Before it started we got to have our first Portuguese lesson with Pastor Anilton. It was very informative and fun! We learned pronouns and vocabulary and are sooooooo excited for our next lesson with him.
Okay, this has been an extremely long post so I'll end it here, but hopefully I'll be better about giving a little input on our blog more often (when my online classes don't interfere so much). I'm so thankful that I have Amanda as my teammate who really enjoys blogging, etc :)
In HIS Grip,
Bethany
P.S. Our tastebuds are getting a little bit tired of rice and beans, so please pray for more tolerance in that area of our lives!
Hello all! This is Bethany blogging for the first time, not Amanda. It has been quite a while since we've updated...so I'm sure you've been waiting in suspense to hear more of the adventures in Brazil.
Well...we finished out the rest of last week washing all of the windows of the Bible School buildings and squeegying floors inside and out! This will become a regular morning routine for the next 5 months :)
We woke up bright and early at 3:15 am on Saturday morning to attend the women's conference in Londrina. It was just a day trip, so Amanda and I boarded the bus with only our purses and Bibles. Everyone else got on with a large bag or suitcase. We had no idea what these women were lugging along and we felt very out of place, not knowing what we had forgotten to bring, especially when we could not speak their language to ask them. It turned out that they had brought along all their shower supplies and AT LEAST 2 changes of clothes! Brazilians have extremely good hygiene and take at least 2 showers per day. It was a very hot day so everyone was sure to do so, and they brought their swimming suits to cool off in the lovely pool. Amanda and I were covered in sweat the whole day, yearning to enter the swimming pool, or shower or something! We have now made a vow to never leave to go anywhere without at least 2 changes of clothes again. This was one of our most embarrassing moments in Brazil. Despite feeling completely out of place with the clothing issue, it was a lovely day. We got to meet women from Londrina, Maringa, Curitiba, and our very own Campo Mourao. Hopefully we will be seeing them again soon, as we are planning to visit and share (skits, testimonies, music...) at many of the AFLC churches here in Brazil during our stay. Ladies of the two churches in Londrina hosted the event. Please keep these churches in your prayers as they are dealing with issues of direction right now. We made it back to Campo at about 3 am on Sunday morning. When we arrived back to our dormitory on Sunday we had a pleasant (NOT) surprise of two SOPAS (giant toads a little bigger than a softball) that made our home their's. We both screamed and ran to get the boys to dispose of them. After letting them outside, the boys braved the dorm checking for any more critters that might have decided to move in. Nothing else turned up but we still have not found the culprit of the mess in the downstairs bathroom. We're still a little leery of that. Anyway, we keep our door locked at night now. This morning the maintenance Edival and Karla and our cook, Odete, said that they heard our screams and were wondering what the crazy Americans were up to. How embarrassing!
Today turned out to be an absolutely wonderful day. Amanda and I started the morning by sweeping out all of the Bible School buildings. Then, after lunch we had a short english class with Karla. We taught her 18 english words :) Following that we began cleaning out the girl's dormitory to prevent other animals from making their homes there. We also got to work with Jon and Nate on our skit and songs that we will be sharing when we visit the church in Maringa this weekend. Then...we got a happy surprise! We found out that 3 sisters had just moved in to the Miriam Infant Home on Sunday. We went over to meet Melina (11), MariaEduarda (8), and Gabriella (5) and to play with them. At first they were very shy and quiet. However, they came out of their shells after being tickled! There mother was not able to sufficiently provide for them. We are so excited to have these girls to befriend and play with every day. Hopefully we'll get some pictures of them up soon. Please keep them in your prayers as they have to start a brand new school tomorrow. Also, when we first saw them they seemed very sad. I'm sure they've had a hard life, so pray that we might be a blessing to them and that we would have the opportunity to share with them about Jesus!
Our day ended with a churrasco to begin the new year of Bible School, so we had a nice time visiting with students and teachers. Before it started we got to have our first Portuguese lesson with Pastor Anilton. It was very informative and fun! We learned pronouns and vocabulary and are sooooooo excited for our next lesson with him.
Okay, this has been an extremely long post so I'll end it here, but hopefully I'll be better about giving a little input on our blog more often (when my online classes don't interfere so much). I'm so thankful that I have Amanda as my teammate who really enjoys blogging, etc :)
In HIS Grip,
Bethany
P.S. Our tastebuds are getting a little bit tired of rice and beans, so please pray for more tolerance in that area of our lives!
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Plans for the week...
This morning we had another good work session. John and Nate have been doing all sorts of outside raking, weeding, maintenance in general, and Bethany and I have been sweeping, mopping and washing windows! I never realized before how much work goes into maintaining a campus...its a great learning experience! Everyone here is super friendly and willing to help us learn.
Yesterday afternoon, our friend Karla had Bethany and I over for juice and cookies. She's newly married and works for the school. Even though we sturggle with the language, we find ways to communicate. Usually our conversation end in laughter! Her husband, Eduval (he is the older brother of our friend Daniel from Bateias!) eventually started using Google Translator online to talk to us, and it was the most hilarious thing ever!
Classes are also going well so far. The teachers here are very passionate about what they teach, and they are fun and challenging to listen to! Many great opportunities to learn Portuguese come from hearing them.
On Saturday, Bethany and I are heading to a women's conference in Londrina so there may not be any updates for awhile....but hopefully a chance will arrise before then!
Serve Jesus!
Amanda
Yesterday afternoon, our friend Karla had Bethany and I over for juice and cookies. She's newly married and works for the school. Even though we sturggle with the language, we find ways to communicate. Usually our conversation end in laughter! Her husband, Eduval (he is the older brother of our friend Daniel from Bateias!) eventually started using Google Translator online to talk to us, and it was the most hilarious thing ever!
Classes are also going well so far. The teachers here are very passionate about what they teach, and they are fun and challenging to listen to! Many great opportunities to learn Portuguese come from hearing them.
On Saturday, Bethany and I are heading to a women's conference in Londrina so there may not be any updates for awhile....but hopefully a chance will arrise before then!
Serve Jesus!
Amanda
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
The Weekend in Campo
On saturday we spent some time getting use to our new home. We explored the Bible school campus, got to know people, went shopping for things we needed, etc. For Bethany and I, the biggest surprise came when we found out that we were going to see our friend, Sabrine, For the first time since coming to Brazil! The three of us attended the Associatoin Free Lutheran Bible School together for 2 years. Her father is the Pastor of one of the local AFLC churches (Luterana Livre Central), and she lives only a few minutes from where we are staying. We were able to go to her house and get ready together for a wedding we were going to that night. It was so fun to FINALLY meet her parents and sister! Pastor Paul, Becky, Jon, and Nate met us at the wedding. Our first Brazillian wedding...a cultural experience!
The next day, we all ate lunch at Sabrine's house along with a few of her relatives. There was a few hours for us to accomplish some things here on campus before we headed to church that night. Church was followed with a youth group outing to a pizza restaurant. We all made some new friends and learned a little more Portuguese!
Yesterday was another busy day of running errands, figuring out what our plans would be for the duration of our stay here and starting the first day of school! Pastor Joni Abel got into town in the afternoon and we were able to have a meeting with him about the plans for the year. Needless to say, there is no lack of work! Please continue to pray for more workers to support the ministry here.
A few of the tasks we'll have this year: mantaining the Bible school campus (about 3 hours of work each morning), participating in local youth and childrens ministry, accompanying a psychologist on house visits to the troubled families of children from the Miriam Infant Home, and traveling with Joni to most of the AFLC churches in Brazil to put on a special program we'll prepare. Thats some of it at least:)
Orientation last night went well and so far there is a total of three students. We're praying that opportunities will arrise for more to join us! There is a wonderful staff of teachers here who are well equipped to handle more students!
Its now Tuesday afternoon and I'm taking advantage of our afternoon break to write this. We worked all morning, and have classes tonight. Continue to praise the Lord for He is GOOD.
God Bless!
Amanda
The next day, we all ate lunch at Sabrine's house along with a few of her relatives. There was a few hours for us to accomplish some things here on campus before we headed to church that night. Church was followed with a youth group outing to a pizza restaurant. We all made some new friends and learned a little more Portuguese!
Yesterday was another busy day of running errands, figuring out what our plans would be for the duration of our stay here and starting the first day of school! Pastor Joni Abel got into town in the afternoon and we were able to have a meeting with him about the plans for the year. Needless to say, there is no lack of work! Please continue to pray for more workers to support the ministry here.
A few of the tasks we'll have this year: mantaining the Bible school campus (about 3 hours of work each morning), participating in local youth and childrens ministry, accompanying a psychologist on house visits to the troubled families of children from the Miriam Infant Home, and traveling with Joni to most of the AFLC churches in Brazil to put on a special program we'll prepare. Thats some of it at least:)
Orientation last night went well and so far there is a total of three students. We're praying that opportunities will arrise for more to join us! There is a wonderful staff of teachers here who are well equipped to handle more students!
Its now Tuesday afternoon and I'm taking advantage of our afternoon break to write this. We worked all morning, and have classes tonight. Continue to praise the Lord for He is GOOD.
God Bless!
Amanda
Backtrack....
On friday morning BEFORE we left on our journey, we had a birthday party for our friend Igor. He's one of the local boys that Paul has been mentoring, and he's a wonderful young Christian! His family situation is not good at all so we really wanted him to have a special day. The party was also a late celebration of Jon's birthday and an early celebration of Gigi's birthday. It was a great time, and we all appreciated the chance to hang out together before the move to Campo Mourao. Here's a few pictures from the day:
The birthday kids!
The sweetest picture ever! Gigi and Bethany.
Jean, Daniel, Bethany, me and Igor.
Igor and me. Please keep his family and him in your prayers, as he is one of two Christians in a family of around 11 kids.
The birthday kids!
The sweetest picture ever! Gigi and Bethany.
Jean, Daniel, Bethany, me and Igor.
Igor and me. Please keep his family and him in your prayers, as he is one of two Christians in a family of around 11 kids.
Have a fantastic Tuesday!
Amanda
Monday, March 8, 2010
Living in Campo Mourao
For the last few days we've been without internet so there's lots to catch up on!
On friday we packed up Pastor John's station wagon and Pastor Paul's truck and headed to Campo Mourao. Jon, Nate, Pastor Joel and Becky went with Paul, and Bethany, Carlos, Ruby and I went with John. It was a beautiful drive through the country side of Brazil. The landscape was so diverse! From one minute to the next it would go from mountains to jungle to plains. Brazil has it all I guess. Here is a picture of Bethany and Ruby at one of the rest stops we went to. It was really beautiful! The building, which had a hotel and restaurant in it, was made to look like a castle.
During the trip we got to hear alot of Ruby's stories about different times during the early years of their ministry in Brazil- she is the most adventurous woman I've ever met! She told us that no journey is complete until there is a little adventure involved... well she was right. About half way into our journey we stopped at a gas station and when we were ready to go, the car wouldn't start! Thankfully there was a mechanic about a half a block away. Carlos had someone from the gas station push the car to the mechanic, and within 15 minutes and for 20 reias (the brazillian dollars) they'd fixed the problem. 
There is no way you'd find a fix so cheap in America! Soon we were on our way again. Apparantly that had not been adventure enough! About 20 kilometers outside of Campo Mourao we ran into more problems. There is a one last big hill to drive up before getting to the city and our poor station wagon just could not make it. The engine died halfway up, and we were standed in the dark on the side of a brazillian highway. While I took control of the situation by taking pictures, the guys checked out the engine and could not find the problem. 
Here's an important lesson: always remember that the Lord provides! Soon the rest of our party drove by, saw us on the side of the road, and stopped to help us. Paul tied our car up to his trailer hitch and pulled us all the way into the town at the top of the hill. This story is getting long...... To sum it all up, we made it safely to the Bible School! It was an exciting night and we were SO thankful to finally be there!
There is no way you'd find a fix so cheap in America! Soon we were on our way again. Apparantly that had not been adventure enough! About 20 kilometers outside of Campo Mourao we ran into more problems. There is a one last big hill to drive up before getting to the city and our poor station wagon just could not make it. The engine died halfway up, and we were standed in the dark on the side of a brazillian highway. While I took control of the situation by taking pictures, the guys checked out the engine and could not find the problem. Here's an important lesson: always remember that the Lord provides! Soon the rest of our party drove by, saw us on the side of the road, and stopped to help us. Paul tied our car up to his trailer hitch and pulled us all the way into the town at the top of the hill. This story is getting long...... To sum it all up, we made it safely to the Bible School! It was an exciting night and we were SO thankful to finally be there!That is enough for this post....I need to go study for Portuguese class with Pastor John!
~Amanda
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Last night in Bateias...
Unfortunately our time here in Bateias has come to an end:( Tomorrow we're packing up and heading to Campo Mourao...which also brings alot of excitement into the factor!
Its been such an amazing time here and we've learned so much. Our first two weeks gave us a really good look at Paul and Becky's ministry here in Brazil. There are so many stories of changed lives and families. How can anyone deny the power of Christ after seeing the transformation that happens in a saved soul? Please keep the town of Bateias and its residents in your prayers!
This is a picture of Bethany, Becky and I on the trip to the beach yesterday! We drove on the first road that was built out to the coast from Curitiba. Almost the whole thing is cobblestone! It goes right through the heart of the jungle and is definately the most amazing strech of scenery I've ever seen. Jungle, waterfalls, mountains, valleys and rivers- it has it all! Not to mention the beautiful ocean that waits at the end. I will try to put up more pictures later!
The team at the entrance to the cobblestone road to the ocean!
Its been such an amazing time here and we've learned so much. Our first two weeks gave us a really good look at Paul and Becky's ministry here in Brazil. There are so many stories of changed lives and families. How can anyone deny the power of Christ after seeing the transformation that happens in a saved soul? Please keep the town of Bateias and its residents in your prayers!
This is a picture of Bethany, Becky and I on the trip to the beach yesterday! We drove on the first road that was built out to the coast from Curitiba. Almost the whole thing is cobblestone! It goes right through the heart of the jungle and is definately the most amazing strech of scenery I've ever seen. Jungle, waterfalls, mountains, valleys and rivers- it has it all! Not to mention the beautiful ocean that waits at the end. I will try to put up more pictures later!
The team at the entrance to the cobblestone road to the ocean!
Well, please pray for a safe journey for the Abels and us (its a 6 hour drive to Campo Mourao!) We'll update as soon as the chance arises!
In Him,
Amanda
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