Simply Grateful 2016

Lots of Changed Hearts

We've now been in Sobradinho for 12 long years. It seems we are finally seeing some fruit for our labors. God is Good and the time is right. We are thankful for several young men who have made salvation decisions this month. Some of these are fellows we first met six years ago!

A Son with a Heart for Service

Greyson starting taking violin lessons while we were in the States in 2014. Before that he played the keyboard and the recorder. Over the past two years his talents have blossomed in direct proportion to his servitude in the church teaching recorder classes, practicing with special groups and organizing big events. We are proud and happy to be a part of his life and work.

A Son with a Heart after God's

June and July of this year gave us the joy and privilege of seeing our oldest, William, and his sidekick, Kerri, here in Brazil for six weeks. We traveled, we got lost, we had a blast! And we served God together with a three-day VBS and ministering in churches in Bahia and Ceará. We are delighted with this young man and his lady. We pray for God's leading in his life and future.

A Son with a Brand New Heart

If you haven't heard it yet, OUR BOY GOT SAVED! That's right! Dalton made his salvation decision this fall. We couldn't be more thankful for him and his lovely lady, Destinie. We already love little Chase whom we have yet to see in person, and we can't wait to see the new little baby to be born around Christmas. We are encouraged every week to see the growth of our boy spiritually. We thank God over and over for the work that He has completed in his heart.

A Heart Full of Love

I'm thankful for my own heart that is overflowing with love for the man God gave me way back in 1987. We almost lost it over the years with ministry stress, family problems, and just life, but God kept us together and this year has been beyond any doubt the best of the best.

May God give you a heart of joy and thankfulness during this Thanksgiving.

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise:

be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

Psalm 100:4

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Everything New

I'm reading a book for old missionaries about all the crazy things people go through in returning from their field of service to spend time in their home country. One of the chapters is all about how tough it is to "go home." Things change and the missionary ends up out of sync with what's new since their last "home" visit. "Coming home" this time has been smooth in some ways and a little crazy in others. Byron and I haven't had a real furlough for six years. On one hand our recent short visits pathed the way for an easier transition. But staying for a longer this time around means we don't have to feel as rushed to go and do and see, even though we are always reminded of that the pages of the calendar are passing by. Keeping in touch with our friends in Brazil is uniquely easy nowadays allowing us the privilege of almost instant contact, real time decision making and even seeing regular photos of my cat. We can send money quickly an...

Sabbatical Time

Furlough, it used to mean getting my boys all prepped with new clothes, all ready to attend classes in real schools, and all set to interact with Americans. Today, it means finding someone to take care of our Brazilian pets and hoping the grandkids remember who we are. I didn't even buy any new clothes! Thankfully we found who I hope will be the best house/petsitter ever, and I think my grandbabies already know who I am. Tying up all the loose ends of ministry and house took more effort and time than ever, but we made it to the aiport on time and so far so good. I am sitting unstressed in the largest airport in Brazil this afternoon typing away with few concerns. Hopefully this sabbatical furlough will be just that unstressed with few concerns. We need to visit around 25 churches, see as many loved ones as possible and go to Walmart as often as we can. We also need to rally support for the missionaries that are joining our ministry efforts in t...

Quitting

This fall I posted about a camping trip my husband and I took with our boys. Our oldest was getting set to head back to Brazil without us and we wanted to get away together with just the family for a few days. When it came time to get in the car, our middle boy refused to get in. We were leaving for a weekend with reservations in another state. It was a tense moment as he started walking away from the car and house and down the road away from us. It was just one of many such moments that occurred over the past two years as we watched our boy slip farther and farther away from us and our values. I worked literally day and night to find help, look for counsel, and often searching for our missing boy. Nothing we did seemed to change the direction in which our son's life seemed to be going. Many times my husband and I felt like giving up. We prayed. We asked others for help and advice. I remember one night in particular as I was chatting with a...

Cactus Flower

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