An Overdue Update

Hello friends!

Well, lots to share with you. Three weeks ago, Ricky flew to California for the annual Shepard's conference hosted by John MacArthur and his ministry. During this week, Rick made several new contacts for Fiel. One contact in particular, Desiring God ministry (author John Piper), is interested in and sending some of their people down to Brazil to film a documentary about what God has been doing through the books of John Piper and the publishing work of Editora Fiel founded by Rick's father over 55 years ago. Rick, his father, a camera team and representatives from Desiring God ministry will be flying to the Amazon to trace the origins of where our ministry began. We are beyond excited, especially Rick's parents who were the first Protestant missionaries in this region of Brazil. It will be amazing to see and hear stories from people whose lives have been changed from hearing the Good News so many years ago. Please join us in praying that all the details of this trip will fall in to place and the team will be able to capture the footage they need to accurately give account to God's work. I am looking forward to showing you some incredible photos! The trip is to take place the first week in May. Most of all, Please pray that God will be glorified through all these things.

Family News:

James has been enjoying preschool and comes home every time saying something new in Portuguese. It has been one month and I am shocked at the amount he is speaking. In fact yesterday, he correctly conjugated a verb into past tense! He is also mixing the two languages, for example: Nao quero sleep. ( I don't want to sleep.) I know this is normal and part of learning two languages at an early age. He has also started potty training and it is going well. That first week was rough- let's just say I did double my normal washing load for the week! Right now, he is using diapers only while he sleeps at night. We are very proud of him.

As for myself and the baby, we are doing well. On Monday, I will have the important 22week ultrasound where they measure everything and check all the organs. (In the states, this ultrasound usually takes place during week 20.) I have a little belly showing these days but most still can't tell I'm pregnant. We have yet to settle on a name and we're not sure if we will share it or wait until she arrives. It is hard choosing a name that is unique but yet easy for both Brazilians and Americans to pronounce. We will see!

Rick is extremely busy these days. Juggling many projects simultaneously is something that he has mastered. However, he has been having many headaches lately and just recently had an MRI. PTL we got the results yesterday and everything is normal. We will soon be leaving for the states on April 13 for a quick 2 week visit. If the Lord allows, we would like to visit Nashville during this time.

Below are some recent photos.

Here is a photo of our church on Sunday morning. You will find it interesting that the morning service is very casual and the evening service is the main service where everyone dresses up. The exact opposite in the states.

Some of the ladies from our church organized a special party to celebrate the International Women's day last month. We had a devotional and afterward ate finger foods while different ladies spoke on beauty tips, cooking and organizing the home. It was cute!

This is James' Sunday school class. Notice he is the only little boy.

James and his favorite friends enjoying a McDonald's ice cream cone. There are McDonald's ice cream kiosks all over the city and are super popular and yummy too. A cone cost about $0.75.

James is addicted (like his mommy) to a very popular drink here called Acai. It consists of a berry found in the Amazon region and is supposedly healthy and full of antioxidants. There are Acai drinks stands everywhere and it is the thing to do when meeting up with friends. It has a smoothie-like consistency and we usually order it blended with strawberries. But it can be mixed with just about anything: condensed milk, powdered milk, granola, crushed peanuts or any fruit imaginable!