Here's Our Baby

I had another ultrasound yesterday and here is the most recent photo of our little girl. (23 weeks) It looks like she has James' lips. So sweet! We are counting our blessings.

A Brazilian Easter

Hope you had a wonderful time celebrating Christ's resurrection and the hope that we have as Christians to one day be with him in Glory! On Easter morning, I sat in on James' Sunday School class, mainly because he wouldn't let me leave. Normally, I am a mother who has no hang-ups about leaving their crying child because I know that he will stop in a few minutes and begin to play. This, however, was a special occasion as all the children were gathered together in one place for a special Easter presentation put on by the teachers. While listening to the Passover story, each child was given some unleavened bread and a piece of cooked lamb. I was impressed with the amount of preparation that was put into this lesson. When my Portuguese improves, I look forward to helping more with the children's ministry!After church, we drove out to a restaurant in the country overlooking two lakes. Unfortunately, it began to rain and I was unable to get photos of the family and the mini egg hunt I planned to do for James there. The custom in Brazil for Easter happens not to be Easter baskets or egg hunts but rather the children are given giant chocolate eggs with a surprise inside. The surprise is usually a small toy or some candy. Not only did James receive a chocolate egg from his parents but also an American Easter basket that my sweet cousin Susan and her daughter Reese sent us in the mail. It was a nice surprise and I was able to hide some plastic eggs around the house for James to find later after we got home. Thanks guys- it was super thoughtful!

The care package sent by our cousins. We are looking forward to making the cupcakes!

Here is James with his Brazilian Easter Egg with the theme of Superman. His little surprise was a red cloth Superman cape which he quickly opened and put on.

James seen here relaxing with his cape and chocolate egg!

Later that evening, we went to our sister church to hear a children's cantata. James' little friends Raissa and Marina sang beautifully! Here is a photo of Raissa and James.

A group photo of our favorite friends. Edie and Rick work together at Fiel and Rosilene and I spend a lot of time together.(We live in the same building.) She has become my best friend here in Brazil. The Lord was sweet to send me a special friend. I always enjoy our time together and she is so patient with me and my "slow" Portuguese. The Lord knows our every need!

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!

Our Beach Trip

Two weeks ago, Rick's brother Mark spent the weekend with us and took us to his favorite beach in Brazil. We awoke early and took a very bumpy boat ride to Ihla Grande (Big Island) where we jumped off and hiked 2o minutes to a secluded beach called Lopes Mendes. Incredible!The water was completely transparent and you could even see your toes when wading in the water chest deep. The sand was so fine that it looked like powdered sugar and squeaked with every step that we took. I have never been to a more beautiful beach! This photo was taken high up the mountain during the hike down to it. James enjoyed waving at this plane that kept flying low along the coast. To our surprise, the pilot eventually landed further down on the beach. James thoroughly enjoyed the boat ride and still talks about going on a boat again. On the way back to our hotel he fell asleep in his daddy's arms exhausted from the sun, water and fun.
A photo of James and I on the way back.The day before we went to another beach called Itamabuca. We stayed at a Eco Resort where they also had camping. Once again, there was the beautiful blue-green water surrounded by vast jungle and plenty of rocks to climb on and dive off. Below an ice cream vender takes a breather.

Of course, we took advantage of the fact that the ice cream man drug that heavy cart through the sand to make a sale. James was covered in green popsicle!
James was delighted to find some "treasure" in the water. With this nice beach comes a fresh water river (the Brazilians call it sweet water.) that runs into it making an ideal place for James to stay and play. My brother-in-law Mark jokingly said that the next time we bring foreigners to this beach, we will have to warn them about the piranas!


Here James finds and plays with some little friends. Overall, it was a wonderful weekend getaway and a fun time spent with family!

James Starts Preschool

James started at a Christian Preschool last week and is enjoying the interaction with the other children. Rick and I thought it would be a great opportunity for him to hear and learn Portuguese for a couple hours a few days a week. I don't want him learning incorrectly from his gringa mommy! So we are doing a testing period to see if this will be a good thing for him. Here is a photo of him in his school uniform.