New Prayer Letter Up!

Byron sent out a prayer letter a week or so ago.  You can find a copy on the Prayer Letter tab at the top of this page or by clicking on the link right here

http://michele-atha.blogspot.com/p/prayer-letters.html

A Gift from Uncle Bill

Uncle Bill K snapped this photo of the family back in February.  Aunt Vicki  passed it my way.  Uncle Tim and Uncle Gary made the conference thing happen for us.  Uncle Danny was even there from the States.

So glad for the missionary family full of aunts and uncles for my boys.  Our trip to Triunfo and the conference of our missionary friends with BMMB was delightful and hence all the smiling faces.  I think the best part was our boys having opportunity to see all their missionary aunts and uncles and fellow MK's again after a few years' hiatus.  One missionary lady even told me about how one of my boys just out of nowhere come up to her and gave her a great hug once during the week.

Calling missionary adults "aunt" and "uncle" is more than just a  term of respect for my boys in a land where the equilivants in Portuguese are well used to refer to adults.  It's a term of endearment and relationship.  I'll never forget one furlough when one of the boys without knowing any different called the mother of a young playmate - "Aunt So-and-So."  The woman just looked at my little feller and said, I'm not your aunt!  Without knowing it, she crushed my babe's little heart as he figured she was an aunt since we spent a good amount of time with their family.  She later relented to the boys constantly callling her aunt and allowed herself to be their aunt after all.

Missionary aunts and uncles are just as REAL, just as loved, and just as important as blood-relatives.  I'm thankful for all my boys' blood-relative aunts and uncles, but so glad for the incredible cloud of missionary witnesses they can claim as friends and examples.


Thanks for the photo, Uncle Bill Kettlewell.  Thanks for wrestling with one of my boys during the conference.  Thanks for sharing in our lives over the years and in the life of Byron when he, too, was an MK boy in need of a few good uncles!  And thanks to all the wonderful Aunts and Uncles my boys have in NE Brazil and all around the world.

Uncle Danny

boys and some more MKs

By the way, I have a "real" Uncle Bill.  I love him very much.  So sad that I can't be nearer to him, but glad for the good memories my boys have of him and a crazy four-wheeler during our last time in the States!

Too Busy

Life's been kinda wild these past two weeks.  I got to thinking about the little clues that I begin to pick up on around the house that tell me I better slow down, take inventory and do some reevaluating!

There are no ice cubes in the ice bin.
No one can find any clean socks or underwear in their drawers or hiding in the clothes basket.
There is no butter in the refrigerator.
The dogs ran out of dog food two days ago and I've been scrounging up things for them to eat.
Weeds are attacking my zinnias.
The dogs are looking pretty yucky and in need of a good bath.
No body knows where Dalton's Bible has gone.
Latin books, what is Latin anyway? 
My Bible has dust on it (remember it doesn't that too long for dust to accumulate around here)

Help Us!

Me and My Shadows

All the work of Carnaval Retreat is done.  Two days of shopping, one day of packing and prep at home, one day of early arrival to prep on the island and host 30 early arrivers, four days of actual camp, whew!  We hosted around 150 campers and "os demais" - pastors, workers, etc. 

In the midst of all the frustrations and plain hard work, I allowed myself the joy of some shadows - Idson, Jadiel and Nataly.  Jadiel is my little bud from past retreats.  His grandfather is the island caretaker and his mother frequently works in the kitchen as she did this past weekend.  Jadiel and I enjoyed plenty of quality time together - sometimes a little too much.

He helped me on two afternoons to make cake to sell in the canteen.  Since he was my official partner in business, I took the opportunity to instill lots about work ethics, capitalism, economics and love!

Would you pray for all my little shadows, but especially for my litte shadow and culinary student - Jadiel!  He needs Christ as his Savior as well as all those in his family.

p.s.  Thanks to my friend, Edna, for posting this photo on Facebook!

A Rock with My Name

Job 28:10
He cuts out channels in the rocks, And his eye sees every precious thing.

Psalm 78:35
Then they remembered that God was their rock, And the Most High God their Redeemer.

Revelation 2:17

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.

On our family vacation I walked with three friends up the tallest mountain peak in the Brazilian state of Pernambuco.  It was a rocky path with a one lane road of large cobblestone.  The little road went up and down as it meandered to the top of the peak at 4134 feet.  The hike took us three hours and about ten minutes.  We could not have walked much faster if we had wanted for watching where we had to step with all the cracks and crevices between the large rocks in the road and for the occasional super steep inclines.   We walked along at a good pace to enjoy the scenery some, to stop from time to time for photos, and to chat along the way.  We had to keep our ears and eyes open for oncoming traffic as well and move on over.

At one little resting spot with cramping toes and a super sweaty head, I contemplated briefly the wild thought of just sitting down and waiting for the other ladies to come back for me on the return!  One of my hiking pals had leaned on one of the many rock walls along the way.  She said, Hey Look!  This rock has your name on it!  And indeed it did, or at least the Portuguese equilivant - Michely!

It was one of those epiphany moments for me.  I decided I better take a picture of the rock with my name and that I better just keep on, keeping on with the big walk.  I did have to pause a little later on to tend to my hurting toes, but a quick rub from the rock spotter friend and a good ol' banana helped out my cramps, and some prayers to the maker of all rocks and the keeper of the white rock in heaven with my name!

I'm so thankful to have participated in one of the events that will mark my life with three super missionary ladies.  Thankful for health to walk and do my work everyday.  I'm thankful to know personally the maker of rocks and mountains, our great Creator God.  I'm super glad to know that He knows me by name.

Is your name written down in heaven?  

There's a new name written down in glory and it's mine oh yes it's mine. 

With my sins forgiven I am bound for heaven, never more to roam.