Christian Booksellers Expo

This week Fiel is participating in the annual Christian Booksellers Expo in Sao Paulo. It is great exposure for our literature as more than 30,000 people are expected to attend this week long event. Please pray that many doors will open and we can get our reformed books into as many hands as possible!James and I went to visit daddy working at the booth on Wednesday. We ran into Larry and Bob from "Os Vegetais". James adores VegeTales DVDs, however, you would never know it by the look on his face in this photo below. He was so scared of these lifesize characters!

I took a photo with this famous Brazilian news anchor. He is an equivalent to our Tom Brokow or Dan Rather. I don't even know his name. Oops!You might be surprised to know that there are a several Christians on the Brazilian World Cup team. One of these players, Ze Roberto, wrote a book titled "Gathering Fruit in a Dry Land." Unfortunately, we had to leave before he showed up for his autograph session, but our friend Allan had him sign a book and James' soccer jersey. Thanks Allan!
And here is a cute photo of James' little friends Raissa and Marina. They are such sweeties!
Hope you're having a blessed week!

Independence Day

September 7th is Brazil's Independence Day and we celebrated by going to the parade downtown. James is pictured with his best friends Raissa and Marina.
Below is a photo of some men using painted paint cans as drums. I think Brazilians are the best at recycling!!You might be surprised to know that we have Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts in Brazil. They have similar uniforms too. Unfortunately, they don't sell Girl Scout cookies! No thin mints for me. :(The clowns were cute and they even posed for the foreigner with the camera!
I thought this was a little bit strange.................the Assemblies of God preachers marched in the parade. Later in the evening, we went over to Rick's parents house for a party given for my mother-in-law. Happy Birthday Mom! We love you and thank the Lord for you everyday! You are precious to us.

A Special Shower!!

Last Saturday night, I threw a bridal shower for Jaqueline who will be getting married later this month. Jaque works with us at Fiel and her parents are part of the backbone of our church. Her father is a british missionary that has been in Brazil 50 years like my in-laws and her mother is one of the sweetest God-fearing women I have ever met. I was excited to do something for her and to have all the ladies of the church over for a typical American shower!(I am talking about the food.) They loved it!
The games, however, were planned by a couple of girls from our church. They really like to embarrass and humililate the guest of honor. When Jaque answered questions incorrectly during some of the games, they painted her face and made her do silly things, such as sing songs and make a wedding dress out of toilet paper. Brazilian humor is definitely different! I was pleased to see everyone laughing and enjoying themselves.

Mercado Municipal

Rick's brother Mark was down once again working in Sao Paulo and we met up with him last weekend. Mark took us to the old Municipal Market where they sell fresh fruit, cheese, spices, and meat for super cheap. Below is a photo of the beautiful building. Inside the building are individual stalls where venders come to sell their goods. We went on a Saturday and it was a little crowded.As we walked past this stall, I was a little horrified of the little piggies hanging in the window. Rick then noticed that the sign reads "Porco Feliz", which means happy pig. They don't look too happy to me!Did you know that the cashew nut comes from a fruit? This photo is for our Pastor Spivey in Melbourne, Florida. Pastor, this is what a cashew fruit looks like. The stem on top of the fruit is where the nut is located. Brasilians love to make juice out of the caju fruit. When you and Patricia come visit us one day, I will make it for you! :)Here is a neat photo below of the many different varieties of hot peppers they sell. Generally speaking, brazilian food is not hot at all. Actually, I have never tried anything really spicy here. Who buys these peppers anyway!? We later went to the old train station and then to the park next door to take some photos and to enjoy the beautiful "winter" weather. James loves his Uncle Mark! Little kisses are the best!


The happy family photo! Here James is tried of his mommy taking pictures!

Answered Prayer!

We received news that the father of these dear sisters, has accepted Jesus as his Savior. Both Antonivan and Ana Paula, who work with us at the Fiel Ministry, are currently back home in the North of Brazil caring for their father who is terminally ill with cancer. Although difficult to see their loved one sick, they can rejoice because they now have the hope of seeing him again in Glory! We miss you girls and can't wait to see you back in Sao Jose. We are praying for you and your family.