Thursday, December 29, 2011

Glory to God!

 Hello all! We wanted to follow up regarding our urgent email requests from a couple weekends ago. We would like to share praises with you. It’s fun seeing God DO things on behalf of His people, but it’s even better when we can all praise God TOGETHER as the BODY of Christ! Thank you each and every one of you who prayed for us (don’t stop!), and also to those who replied with encouraging emails. God is indeed GOOD, and we praise Him—to God be the glory!
Regarding our requests:
  1. Repairs on the house finished quickly, early this week. We moved in on Thursday, the 15th, our target date—this is amazing for a latin country! The city did the sewer work promptly! What is more, our new landlord is a believer—what a blessing!
  2. Packing our things to move them out of the apartment in time. We got everything out on time—somehow we accomplished it! Now for the unpacking and organizing in our new home.
  3. For the boys—they are stressed too! They are much better having more room to run around at this house, and loving it!
  4. Energy, especially for Becky—she's 7.5 months pregnant! She’s gotten through this week ok, and is learning to slow down a bit. But keep praying for energy!

Regarding our “touchy” situation that began all this…we now have a better understanding of the whole thing and can see how it was clearly a spiritual attack on our family. We ask you to keep praying that the Lord would protect us and allow us to stay focused on the tasks He has for us during this time in language school.

This next week we are excited to have Ben’s parents and sister with us for Christmas time. Also, Becky’s classes will restart on January 9th–she’ll have about a month of classes before the baby arrives.

We thank you for your prayers, support and encouraging words! This last week we have sensed the Lord’s peace and presence in our daily activities—we know it is because so many of you were faithfully praying for us. Thank you!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!
Ben, Becky, (Noah), Caleb, Samuel & Boy #4.

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Growing through trials

Hi all,
We come to you asking you to pray very specifically once again. Without going into too much detail, a little over one week ago, after consulting with our mission, our family had to vacate the apartment we were in due to a “touchy situation”. So we spent a week visiting some TEAM colleagues a day's drive away—this was much needed and an enjoyable and restful time for our family. We returned to Campinas Saturday (the 10th) with the plans of (1) house-sitting temporarily for some friends on vacation, (2) moving our belongings out of our apartment, and (3) moving into our new residence, all by the 15th.
However, the owner of the house we are moving into suddenly has had to do major sewer line repairs, and now it depends on the local city government to finish the job. This means that we may or may not be able to move in by the 15th, this Thursday. You can imagine how stressful this is for all of us, the kids included. Becky and Caleb both had to miss their last two weeks of school, we weren't able to connect with a church small group we had been so looking forward to, and we lack the stability of our own place (again)! So, please pray for us this week in this way:
  1. Repairs on the house finished quickly, early this week.
  2. Packing our things to move them out of the apartment in time.
  3. For the boys—they are stressed too!
  4. Energy, especially for Becky—she's 7.5 months pregnant!
As we process all these developments, Becky and I said to each other today at lunch: “This is hard...our life has been hard... Can you even remember a time that is wasn't like this?” We remembered a couple of times in which there was calm in between the storms...but we sense that this is another spiritual attack on our family. We have been through so much in the past 10 years or so, but we know that when we are in the center of God's will for our lives, trials will come. James 1:2-4 tells us to “Consider it pure joy...whenever you face trials of many kinds...”

Friends, we cannot say that we are full of joy right now, but we CAN tell you that we are persevering through the trials. God wants us to grow in perseverance (with joy in trials—that's still sometimes HARD to do), so that we can be mature and complete... We don't know about you, but we want to be complete in Christ, and mature in Him! So, we CAN have joy that the Lord counts us worthy...and this we DO ask and pray for.

So, lastly, please pray for JOY for us in these trials...it is not the first one, and we know it will not be the last one, because we are committed to persevering in our faith, just like you are called to do too! We look forward to sending you a belated Christmas update from our “new” home come January.

Persevering through trials...
Ben, Becky & the boys.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Saturday, November 05, 2011

So, most of you were right! It IS indeed an anteater, but it's specifically the Lesser Anteater, a "medium dog sized" animal, a beautiful animal! But, as a friend of ours mentioned who has cared for one before, they are VERY messy animals! Thanks for all the guesses!

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Can you guess what animal this is?

As we ask in our prayer letter...tell us your guess...reply below the picture in the COMMENT section. In a few days come back for the correct answer! We'll show you a full-body picture of this beautifully unique Brazilian animal.
 
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Sunday, October 23, 2011

Getting to know us...part 2

Here's the next part of our video series...this is Caleb riding his bike on October 12th, his birthday. We went  to a local park (Parque Taquaral, in Campinas, SP) for him to try out his bike. The city of Campinas closes some streets in the city on Sundays from 7am to 1pm, and on holidays too...this is to allow for bikes and runners (and families!) to have some space to walk and run and play in the city of asphalt... Notice all the people around us...it's crazy! But, wonderful that so many people get OUT of the house/apartment they live in... October 12th is a special holiday in Brazil... Children's Day..everyone has the day off to celebrate kids. It's fun that this is also Caleb's birthday, he will always have his birthday off from school here in Brazil! So, enjoy the video, and get to know us and our surroundings a bit WITH us. Thanks! By the way, Samuel wasn't too happy this day...he wanted his own bike to ride!

Caleb's 4th Birthday!

For Caleb's 4th, birthday, Becky made cupcakes in the shape of an icecream cone--that's what Caleb requested!
 This is what Caleb got for his birthday...a bicycle! We actually bought it a few nights before we left the US, took it apart that same night, and packed it in one of the 27 bins we brought with us! Much cheaper to do that then to buy a bike here... He LOVES his bike!
 And here Caleb is demonstrating his climbing skills...AND falling skills.


This peacock was one of many that are at this park...the boys loved hearing them! They are VERY loud, in case you've never heard one up close.
So, it was a wonderful October 12th for Caleb, and all of us, as we celebrated his 4th birthday!

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Sunday, October 09, 2011

Home Sweet Home!


The boys just walked up the stairs to our apartment and are happy to be home.
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Our Apartment...


This is our apartment in Campinas, Brazil where we are living for Becky to go to language school. We are on the third floor and have an older, spacious apartment. The bottom picture is the view from our bedroom window. Yes, that's construction...just in case the boys don't wake us up early, the trucks will :-)
It has been an adjustment for us getting used to city living but we enjoy walking to the park, market, school, and just about anywhere we need to go.
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Saturday, October 08, 2011

Ready for school!


Caleb started school two weeks ago and has come to love it! He goes three mornings a weeks to a little pre-school that is all in Portuguese. The teachers have been great with him, using English words only when necessary. Caleb usually goes to school on Tuesday, when they have special extra classes in bodily expression (aerobics/dancing), Thursday (Music, instruments and library), and Friday (show and tell) .
Above photos: Caleb is ready for school! But of course, Samuel doesn't want to be left out! In Brazil, as in most other countries around the world except for the US, kids have to wear uniforms every day (I, Ben, did growing up here in Brazil). Below, Caleb is with two of his friends at the entrance to the school; the other photo is Caleb in his school room--very American, he's EARLY! :-)


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Saturday, October 01, 2011

Settling into life

So we have now been in Campinas, São Paulo state, for two weeks. What a whirlwind it has been...then again, when is it NOT a whirlwind to move? Even still, it's a new culture (yes, for me, Ben, it IS), a new language (again, yes, it really is), and almost everything unfamiliar to us in a big city. Last time we lived in a city this big was when we got married in 2003 and lived in Fairfax, VA, right outside the beltway of the crazy area of Washington, D.C.

Anyhow, since we've been here, it has taken a week and a half to get our phone & internet set up. As soon as this happened (this was last Monday), our car started having problems. It's very interesting to me that God uses every little thing to draw us to Himself. We were praising God that we finally had contact with others via our phone and internet, yet could we praise Him even while the car busted each day this week?? Yes, every single day. Last Sunday, the car started making a horrible noise when I put the gear in Reverse (manual gears here). By Monday afternoon, I couldn't drive the car backwards because reverse wouldn't work without me forcefully holding the gear in place all while it's loudly grinding and popping out of gear. So I took it to a mechanic guy we were referred to, a believer, and he fixed it for a LOT cheaper than he should have. Tuesday, the front left tire started wobbling really bad, so bad that I thought maybe a steel cable or something busted within the tire...so that night I started to take off the tire and found that it wasn't on TIGHT! So, I tightened those lug nuts. The next morning, Wednesday, after dropping Becky off at language school and Caleb at his school, the tire started wobbling again. So... I took it to a tire place that afternoon and he "tightened it" himself and "guaranteed" that it wouldn't happen again. So far, so good. While there, I had him do an alignment on the wheels b/c the car was pulling hard to the right when going over 65mph (100km/h here in Brazil). Come to find out that the front right tire was leaning (in or out, I don't remember, I just said FIX IT please). Thursday we went to a large park as a family (Lagoa Taquaral, Campinas, SP--look it up!), and parked. When we left, the front bumper had gotten stuck on the cement curb that we pulled up over (oops). Guess what happened? Yep, it almost completely got ripped off, hanging only by the front top of the fender. That's why I always carry DUCT TAPE in my car! So...we got that fixed yesterday, Friday. Today, Saturday...well, nothing yet, and I'm not getting in the car until tomorrow...I could use a day off from car troubles.

Does God laugh when this stuff happens? I think it's more that He wants US to laugh when this happens. And, actually, this week, I HAVE been able to laugh at all this... In fact, I laugh to myself, thinking: "Welcome to missionary living"...and it's only the beginning. I should have taken pictures of all this stuff this week, but being as busy as we have been, there ARE no pictures. But, there ARE pictures of an outing we did today, Saturday, to the local Ecological Zoo Park, it's a zoo type park that you walk through to see all the animals in semi-captivity. Many native to Brazil, many from around the world. The climate in Brazil allows for many other tropical, sub-tropical and semi-arid animals to do well here year-round. Take a look at the pictures! Or look at them to the right of this webpage.

Keep in touch...let us know you are reading/praying!

Ben, for the family.

Thursday, September 08, 2011

Ready, Set, ...Wait!

So often, that's what it feels like in a culture where “time isn't money”. Here in Brazil, people are the equivalent to what this expression is stating. Time is what matters in our American culture...here in Brazil, and many other places in the world, it's not the time that matters but the relationships developed. Yes, we have prayed for a speedy resolution to all our times of waiting this last month. However, God is showing us that there are some cultural values that are quite Biblical here in Brazil that we Americans can learn from: people matter more. Great lesson to learn and live by, since God often uses our relationships with people to draw them into a relationship with Him.

Once we arrived in Brazil one month ago this week, we had to wait a lot...wait to find the right car, wait to find the correct apartment/house for language school, wait to get our bank account, debit cards, driver's licenses, etc. That's what we're doing right now...waiting for our licenses to be transferred to Brazil. Interesting fact: it currently costs a Brazilian $1500 to get a driver's license, along with much paperwork and hours of driving school; for a foreigner to transfer their license to Brazil it costs $300 and is much less of a headache, though it still takes days and days.

Transitions
We've been in transition for a few years now, as you know. Unfortunately, a lot of transition is a normal part of the missionary life. Since we arrived in Anápolis, Brazil, we've been staying with Ben's parents while looking for a car and an apartment/house to rent for language school and completing lots of paperwork. We have also unpacked all of our luggage so we could repack what we will need for the next 6-9 months in language school in Campinas, Brazil. This has taken may hours of organizing and downsizing. We were able to find a good car that will fit our growing family and with the help of some Brazilian friends (remember it is all about relationships here) and lots of prayer, Ben signed a lease for an apartment near the language school for three months. In December, we will be able to move to a house, also close to the school, that will give us more space when the baby comes. We'll be down in Campinas probably until around May or June of 2012 for Becky to complete language school. The school, called Interclass, is well known and has an excellent reputation in Brazil. They are also very flexible and have told us Becky can decide how many hours per week she would like in class depending on the needs of our family. While Becky is studying, Ben's role will be to take care of the boys and find ways to get them out and exposed to Portuguese. After language school, we'll move back up to Anápolis where we'll find housing once again and begin our ministry here. Please keep us in your prayers with all these transitions.

We'd also ask you to pray for the boys, especially Caleb, in adjusting to life here. It has been difficult for him, but we think we're finally seeing some improvement. He is starting to pick up on some Portuguese words and is getting used to hearing Portuguese more often. We are thankful that there are two other missionary families with young children where we are staying right now. The kids all know Portuguese and have been an encouragement to Caleb that he also will one day understand everything that is going on. Every day we take the boys out to play at the park and Caleb learns new words as he interacts with some Brazilian friends he has made. We are still trying to decide whether or not to put Caleb in a Brazilian pre-school in Campinas for his development and growth here. One way or another, he will soon start swimming lessons: they will help get his energy out, make friends, and learn the language. Samuel is quite young still to comprehend the language barrier. We are trying to use more Portuguese with him at home so he will gradually learn to understand. He loves keeping up with Caleb and especially riding with him on their tricycle. Caleb sits in the front to pedal while Samuel rides on the back holding on for a wild ride!

As you keep our family in prayer during this time please also pray that the final 5% of our monthly support will come in. We trust God to provide for all our needs and know He will bring in all the support needed to live and minister here in Brazil. Thank you for your prayers and support. Please look on our blog for updated pictures and more information. We have our American phone connected at all times and you can call us anytime at our South Carolina number: 803-233-3608. Thank you again for lifting us up in prayer, we are so glad to have you as a part of our “ground crew”.

Ben, Becky, (Noah), Caleb, Samuel & Baby #4 Bacheller.
(803) 233-3608 Anápolis, GO Brazil
Skype/Twitter/Facebook: bbbacheller

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Boys concentrated

Untitled by bbbacheller
Untitled, a photo by bbbacheller on Flickr.

The boys were playing off in a corner in the yard, making "collections."

Jumping on the trampoline

Untitled by bbbacheller
Untitled, a photo by bbbacheller on Flickr.

Caleb with Uncle Micah, Socks, and Nessie in the background.

Caleb with Socks

Untitled by bbbacheller
Untitled, a photo by bbbacheller on Flickr.

Caleb was jumping on his Aunt Joy's trampoline, and Uncle MIcah's dog came up with him to jump! Here they're relaxing.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Brazilian?

I grew up in Brazil, I speak Portuguese, and I look Brazilian. You wouldn't think it would be THAT difficult for me to adjust to life here in Brazil, right? Well, that's where you'd be wrong. In fact, that's where I'm wrong if and when I assume it should be a piece of cake for me to readjust to life in Brazil. Sure, it helps that I speak Portuguese, and that I can more easily get around as compared to someone who doesn't speak the language or look Brazilian. However, in the 15 years that I've lived in a country other than Brazil, I've become much more American than Brazilian. Here's why:
-I finished high school in the US (English)
-I lived with an American family for 6 months before college
-I went to an American college where there were no other Brazilians to speak the language with me
-I married an American (best decision in my life other than accepting Christ as my savior)
-I worked at American jobs (speaking English)
-I did my M.Div. in English
-All my adult life has been in English and in the American church and culture. My understanding has grown in and of the American context, but put me in a foreign context (even though I look, speak, and sometimes think in Portuguese), and I'm a fish out of water. Yes, that's right. I admit it: I'm a REAL missionary here in Brazil. I have to learn it all over again, or most things, for the first time.

Take, for instance, our attempt at opening a bank account this past week. Yes, it took a whole week. That's Latin America for ya. We went to the bank, but b/c we don't have paystubs with us (we just got here a week ago), we can't open an account. So, for whatever reason, the bank has a deal with the post office that you can open an account through them without proving income. So, we go to the post office. Come to find that the each post office only opens accounts for a bank at a certain address, so, we go to a different post office, hoping to get an account closer to where we'll live. We get there and find that that post office now opens account for a bank at a different address and none of the post offices now open accounts for the address we would like. So, we decide to go ahead and just open an account anyhow. Then, as we're going through the process/paperwork, the worker finds that we can't open a joint account b/c my wife doesn't have a certain ID #, so we have to start THAT paperwork, and go get that number the next day at a governmental office across town, and then after waiting a long time, we do that and return to another post office the next day to complete the bank account paperwork. We get it all filled out with the worker, and he tries to print it off to finalize it, and says that the printer's not working. So, we have to do it all by hand (at least HE did that part and we came back after lunch). All this with a very energetic 3 and 1/2 year old and a 17 month old, and with Becky feeling nauseated all day b/c she's pregnant. Furthermore, even though I speak Portuguese, I never did any of this business stuff when I was 16, so this is all new for me in Portuguese.

Sometimes I feel like it would be easier if I didn't speak any Portuguese at all, because it brings frustration when I can't understand or communicate easily, even though it seems as if I should (at least to the Brazilians around me). All in all, it's a blessing that I DO speak Portuguese, but it's good to recognize that I am, after all, an American missionary in a foreign context. In this way, I'll be able to learn more than I would if I assumed the position that I "knew it all". Happy learning then, Ben.

Talk back to the missionary:
Do you know of someone who's been in my shoes? What was it like for them?


Friday, July 01, 2011

Long overdue update

First off, if you don't get our regular emails, you need to know about Becky's trip to Brazil a couple of weeks ago. She went for about a week, in order to renew her Permanent Visa to live in Brazil. Caleb and I (Ben) have until October (you might remember that I took Caleb to Brazil in October 2009 by myself to deal with Visa issues?). Anyhow, Becky went with 9 pieces of luggage, each almost 70 lbs! Wow! Yes, crazy, we know...but we are not shipping anything to Brazil. If it doesn't fit in the luggage, it's not going with us. Sometimes we wish we'd ship, but we decided that for now it's not worth the headache with all the paperwork and complications involved with it, including the customs fees and "hidden charges" that might "pop up"! Anyhow, she went and came back safely, though much more tired than when she left...and the following message/email below is what we sent out a couple of days ago.

Dear praying friends,
Thank you for your prayers! Becky’s trip went very well! She never lifted a single piece of the nine large 70 lb. bins she took to Brazil with her! Our good God provided two people at each point to do the work for Becky—isn’t our God SO GOOD?!? Thank you for lifting her trip up to Him in prayer.

Now, for another crucial request we have: we are practically ready to fly to Brazil. Almost all of our support is in (6% to go--please pray for ALL of it by the end of July, our target date), but we are still waiting for Samuel’s Visa to be approved. We have checked the status of his Visa process on the Brazilian government’s website, and it says that it has arrived in Brazil for analysis. However, it is still sitting on someone’s desk or in a bin under a pile of other Visa requests. We would like to leave at the end of July for Brazil, but we cannot do this without Samuel’s Visa in our hands. So, our request to you and to the Father is that He would cause the process to be sped up somehow… In fact, why not pray that someone would pick his paperwork out of the pile and simply complete and return it to the Brazilian Consulate in Atlanta for us to pick up? Is ANYTHING too hard for the LORD? Of course not! Will you please intercede and put this need before the Father with us? We thank you so much, and look forward to telling you how God will get the glory! It is all for HIM that we do this.

These days we are busy packing and doing paperwork, studying Portuguese (Becky), and spending time with the boys. We’d also ask you to pray for Caleb & Samuel as they begin dealing with the transitions now and in the next few months. We will be leaving Friday for two weeks to visit churches and start saying goodbyes. Please pray for safe travels. Thank you.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Quick Trip

Dear friends, prayer warriors, and everyone reading this,

We wanted to send you a quick email with important praises and requests:
1) Praise God that we now have 94% of our monthly support committed! Thank you to all of you who have joined our team!
2) Praise that we were able to take some furniture and personal items to Becky's parent's house in New York; we got much needed refreshment during this time.
3) Please pray that we will get Samuel's Permanent Residency Visa to Brazil soon so that we can purchase our tickets.
4) Pray for Becky's trip to Brazil this Friday through Wednesday of next week. Why is she going to Brazil by herself? Because for her to keep her Permanent Residency Visa, she needs to step foot in Brazil at least once every two years, otherwise she'd lose it—she has until June 29th. If you recall, Caleb and Ben went to Brazil in October 2009, so they have until October of 2011 to get back to Brazil.
1. Specifics for Becky's trip: since we are not shipping anything to Brazil, she'll be taking 9 pieces of luggage, and 2 carry-ons with her (we'll take more when we all go in July, as long as Samuel’s Visa arrives). Pray that it will be a smooth trip and all the luggage will get through with her; pray for God to send just the right person help at the right time with all that luggage; pray that she'll make it through customs without difficulties.

Thank you for praying with us and for us! Our God is faithful!

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Waiting

So, would you say that you're good at "waiting"? No, I mean, are you REALLY good at waiting? How about when you're waiting for something you REALLY want to do, you have a burning desire to do, you're prepared, you're excited, ready to jump right in...but you have to WAIT. Hmm. Yep, that's what we're doing now...at least, we're beginning to wait. We applied for Samuel's Visa 3 weeks ago now, and according to their website, it should have come back by now, approved. At least that's what the website and their correspondence with us tells us.

Then I (Ben) begin to wonder...LORD, what are you trying to teach me/us here? AGAIN? Do I have to learn this lesson AGAIN? Well, just the fact that I ask the question gives me my answer...yes, again. We're never done growing, are we? God wants us to continue growing in holiness, more like Him--did you know that? It's so easy to forget it, isn't it? Especially when we think we're so busy doing "His" work.

Read what Colossians 1:9-10 says: "We...ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God..." (that's sanctification right there!)

So, as we wait, this Bacheller family, would you pray for us in this way? That we'll be filled with the knowledge of God's will in spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a way worthy of Him, to please Him in all things? We want to bear fruit, even while we wait.

Thanks...

Waiting, actively.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Easter & Noah's homegoing

Easter is sometimes sad, but more than anything it's a wonderful time for those who have Jesus Christ as their savior! This year, Easter was late, as we all know. But it also fell very close to the date we celebrate (and grieve) Noah's homegoing. April 21st was the date, four years ago, that Noah passed away unexpectedly from a massive seizure. The hope we have as believers in Jesus Christ allows us to actually celebrate that Noah is without pain and very much enjoying eternal life...we grieve that we cannot have him with us right now, but celebrate that we will indeed see him again in Heaven! You can celebrate with us as you watch this video to illustrate to our kids that Noah went first, but one day we'll all meet him again.
 Noah's grave.
  Right before releasing the balloons at the cemetery.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Soccer with neighbor


At one of Caleb's soccer games, he played against a team which had his friend from across the street on it. He thought they were all on the SAME team! Oh what fun!
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At the park



This slide and park are right behind our house, so we go there often!
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Samuel's 1st Birthday

This was taken on March 1st, Samuel's birthday. He didn't know what to do with this cupcake and candle at first, but he eventually smiled and got to enjoy it!

Soccer Practice for Caleb

We had Caleb join the local soccer league, run by a church in the area, they do a great job! After the first practice, I, Ben, joined as an assistant coach. Why not? It's more fun in the mix than watching!

Monday, February 28, 2011

Snow in SC, again


Yes, it DOES snow in SC, but not very often, and usually not enough to make a snowman! This was on January 10th. On the other hand, it is 82 degrees here today, February 28th!
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Tuesday, February 08, 2011

Continuing our story from Christmas in Pictures

So, you can see that we went to an indoor water park, which Caleb and Samuel really loved, but we also went SKIING! Caleb had a blast with daddy and mommy! He got "warmed up" with Ben, so when Becky took him, he just kept wanting to go faster and faster! Yes, he rode the lift all the way up...Becky was more scared than Caleb! (more because she didn't want him jumping from that high!) Good thing that boy's wearing a helmet!

Saturday, January 29, 2011

71%...leave by June!

Praise God with us! We are now at 71% of our monthly needs to serve in Brazil. God has been answering your prayers and ours! Here are some updates and prayer requests for us:
  1. Ben quit his job as of Friday, January 28th, to focus specifically on support raising; please PRAY for our remaining support to come in quickly this Spring so that we can leave for Brazil by June.
  2. For a possible part-time job opening for Becky in nursing while we wait to get to Brazil—next week we will know more details—check our blog for more information.
  3. For us to balance support raising, spending time as a family, packing, Becky studying Portuguese, and working.
  4. For good times of fellowship and growth with the Lord during this busy time.
  5. For our trip to Chicago from the 8th to the 20th of February. We will be visiting supporters and family along the way, and  then have our final training with TEAM, our mission agency, from the 12th-18th.

 Thank you all so much for your prayers and support; please keep these requests before the Father…and let us know how to pray for you, too.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Snow in Chicago


So, we had some snow in Chicago...the kids all enjoyed it, though it was bitterly cold!
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Christmas travels


So, we went to Chicago for Christmas (and Wisconsin, and NY), as you can see the skyline of downtown Chicago here...we'll give you a pictorial tour of our time in the next couple of days...once we get them uploaded.
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Our family and our tree

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Say CHEEEEESE!

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