Tuesday, June 21, 2005

Heading north

Tomorrow morning we head up north for a family vacation...all the Bacheller brothers and wives are here now, so we'll all be gone until the 30th of June. However, I'll be gone (Ben) until the 9th, visiting a new church plant and the pastor, getting to know the work there, as well as teaching a few seminars on agriculture appropriate to the semi-arid climate I'll be visiting up there. Pray that everything goes well, for health and for safety. Pray that I'll know what to teach, since the folks left it wide open for me. I'll be back on July 9th, then we'll be heading back to the States on the 22nd to visit some of you folks in NY. Count on seeing us toward the end of July! Thanks for your prayers everyone!

Friday, June 17, 2005

Teaching

Well, today I spent the morning at the orphanage hanging out with the teen guys, then in the garden ("horta" in Portuguese) cleaning up a bit. There's a bit of bad news too...many of the young kids at the orphanage are breaking out with chicken pox, which means Becky can't hang out there and care for the kids, since it could cause serious birth defects to the baby in womb. So, unfortunately, she's gotta stay away for at least two weeks...let the chicken pox swipe through the whole orphanage first...oh well, now to find other things to keep busy.

Oh, I stayed there for lunch today. Guess what we ate? Well, rice, beans, chicken (necks), potato/carrot salad, and some kind of greens with vinegar/lemon. Yes, you read that correctly, chicken NECKS! Wow...I skipped since I was getting protein in the beans! :-) What would you do? I'd try it first, which I HAVE done I'll let you know, and I didn't like the vertebrae that you have to pick out and spit out as you're eating that with a mouthfull of rice & beans! Fun, fun!!

This afternoon I (Ben) taught English (more like helped with homework) at an after-school program for kids from the public state school here. No pictures yet, but maybe in the future. Anyhow, I'll get going. Keep in touch!
Ben (& Becky).

Thursday, June 16, 2005

At the University! The largest university of Latin America in contiguous land! It was huge! And beautiful architecture from the early 1900's. Posted by Hello
Taking a tour of the headquarters of the Brazilian Department of Agriculture and Research. Posted by Hello
Isn't she beautiful!?? Posted by Hello
Quick visit to the beach! Posted by Hello
Day-care center--planting lettuce with the children! Posted by Hello

Back from Rio!

Dear Friends and Family,
We arrived safely back in Anápolis after an exciting
week in Rio. Thank you for all your prayers regarding
our trip. During our time in Rio (actually Seropédica,
a small college town 45 minutes out of the city) Ben
and I were able to visit the Federal University of
Rural Rio de Janeiro which focuses on agriculture and
environmental science. We also participated in
Seropédica’s environmental emphasis week which
included tours of neighboring national forests and
mini-courses in caring for the environment. All these
were for the community. Ben also had the opportunity
to teach an Ecology class at the university about the
environment and geography of the United States. We
were privileged to stay with Dr. Carlos Domingos
(director of the Environmental Science department at
the university) and his wife Mara. They were very
hospitable towards us and did all they could to make
our stay comfortable (they even gave us their
room—very Brazilian). They spoke Portuguese with a
different accent however, which was hard for me and
made for some frustrating moments not being able to
understand what was going on. I think God was trying
to teach me flexibility this past week as well as
patience with myself and my learning level (note from
Ben: She did VERY WELL!). Learning a new language is a
daily struggle, some days I feel good about all I
know, other days I feel like I know so little. Ben
also had the opportunity to help Carlos teach a basic
agriculture course to missions students at a nearby
seminary. Overall, the week gave Ben a wonderful
opportunity to see ways to apply his knowledge of
biology as well as missions.
Next week we leave with the entire Bacheller clan (all
six kids and wives) for the city of João Pessoa in
northeastern Brazil for a family reunion on the beach.
Ben and I were originally planning to stay up north
for the month of July and visit a small village in the
semi-arid region of Brazil. However, since morning
sickness is still an issue for me we have decided that
I will return with the rest of the family and Ben will
stay for about a week and a half. We have been in
contact with a pastor in this village and he informed
Ben that the officials in the town want Ben to teach
classes in agriculture and soil management while he is
there. Ben is very excited to put some of his training
into use.
Here are some specific prayer requests to keep in
mind:
-Safe travels up north and back with our family;
-Wisdom for Ben to know what to teach to the community
members of the town in northeastern Brazil;
-Rest in the midst of so much going on;
-Safety & health for all three of us;
-Endurance to finish strong;
-That God will use us despite us;

We pray for you as well, please keep in touch, and
thanks for all your support & encouragement!
Becky & Ben Bacheller.

Attached you'll find a picture of us with the couple
that housed us in Rio as well as the children at a
daycare center planting lettuce during the Emphasis on
the Environment Week.

Monday, June 06, 2005

Leaving for Rio

Hey folks. Just wanted to ask you to pray for us as we
head off to Rio today. We'll take a bus to Brasília
from here (2 1/2 hours), then get on a plane to fly
down & over there for a week. We're excited to meet
some new people and see the work they're doing down
there.
Until later!
Ben & Becky.

Friday, June 03, 2005

Ultrasound!

We had an ultrasound done just the other day, and we could see the blood pumping, or the heart beating, whatever you wanna call it! How neat to see a life beginning, and so small and precious! The baby is currently a little over 5 mm long! Imagine that! The size of a bean! Woohoo!!
With joy,
Ben & Becky.

Becky's Birthday Today! Last birthday without kids! Better enjoy it! :-)