Treading in new waters....

6-1/2 years ago when we moved to Brazil, we never imagined that one day we would be planning a wedding here!  We're so happy that we can share in this special day with Drew and Ellen!  Their big days are fast approaching!  They have chosen May 5 to have an intimate gathering in Des Moines, IA where they will sign their wedding document and May 12 to have a religious ceremony on a beach here in Rio!

 

We feel blessed to have had a little bit of practice planning a wedding with Jessica and Steven, our daughter and son-in-law, when they got married in February of last year in the United States.  But, still, we are treading in new waters....

 

Diane had the blessing of making the wedding invitations in Portuguese.  They turned out great! And they match her dress!

We needed to get authorization to have a wedding ceremony on one of the most beautiful little beaches!  One of our brothers-in-Christ, however, has informed us that this beach is controlled by a militia and they may try to stop us and demand a payment. 

We're moving ahead in faith, however, looking forward to an intimate sunset beach ceremony and then returning to our local church for a reception, complete with Tacos and Red Velvet cupcakes! Please pray for a smooth delivery of this very special ceremony in which Jeff will be officiating!

Trying to get things done in a second language can be overwhelming, as you're learning words that you have never needed before!  It has increased our vocabularies!  

One of Diane's new favorite words is, "fantasminhas", which means little ghosts....you know----chair covers!  Which is one way to decorate for a wedding reception and stay within a limited budget!

We have received the help of our English Class Small Group!  How wonderful it is to feel their support, to receive their good ideas, and to know that they are there for us if we need them!  They are truly the body-of-Christ in action!

 Blessings,

 Jeff and Diane

Seeing Pink!!!

CONGRATULATIONS, JESSICA AND STEVEN!!!!

Our daughter, Jessica and son-in-law, Steven are expecting their first baby in August. They shared the good news with us when we were stateside in January.

They sent us a photo this morning via e-mail. It was the picture above of them holding a pair of red baby tennis shoes. I thought....oh, that's cute! They're having fun seeing baby stuff in the stores!

A few minutes later my husband Jeff, entered the room where I was meeting with my friend, Luciana, and studying about different religious cults---in Portuguese and my brain was MUSH! Jeff said, "did you get Jessica and Steven's picture they sent today?" "I sure did", I replied and went on conversing with Lu. He said, "They're having a girl!" "How do you know", I replied. "Because in the picture they sent they're holding PINK baby tennis shoes!", he said.

I had a "caiu a ficha" moment!!! Let me explain....there's a phrase in Portuguese, "caiu a ficha" which literally means "the token dropped", referring back to the days when tokens were used in pay phones and when they were dropped in, they'd make a clinking noise. It means that something dawned on me/someone, or it clicked, or I got it. Jessica's pregnant with a girl!

I immediately had to leave the house after my meeting and beat the afternoon rush hour to the grocery store or it would be evening before I could get home. In the middle of the grocery store, the emotions hit me!!!! My daughter and son-in-law are having a GIRL!!!!!! Strangers in the store must have thought I was nuts as I told them through my tears that my daughter was having a baby girl in August!!!

And I'm just curious...in the photo above, on your screen are those tennis pink or red?!! Here in Rio, they look RED to me!!! And, they're really cute! I hope Jessica and Steven bought them!

Anyways.....Jeff and I are having a GRANDDAUGHTER!!!! God is good---ALL THE TIME!

Seeing red....I mean PINK and Praising God!

Diane (for/with Jeff)

A Flawless Execution...DEUS 'E TAO BOM!

2 years ago the government denied our visas after 5 years and we were given 8 days to leave the country. It took us 8 months to obtain new visas and return to Brazil! We learned to never take our visas for granted and that it truly is both a privilege and a miracle for us to be here in the name of Jesus Christ!

Yesterday, when we went to the Federal Police to complete our annual renewal of our religious visas, which can be converted to permanent status in May of 2013, we held it all loosely. We were ready to accept anything.

It is awesome to write these words....it was a flawless execution! No questions, no hesitations, just a rubber stamp of approval and a "muito obrigado"....thank you very much!

For those of you who were praying....MUITO OBRIGADO!

Here is a 33-second video clip to give you a little taste of what a 3-hour visit is like at the Federal Police....not too exciting!

Holding it all loosely and trusting in His plans alone,

Jeff and Diane

Proverbs 16:9 In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.

Last weekend we attended 2 training seminars, lead by CLAVES, a Brazilian mission organization, in two different Brazilian churches here in Rio. The plan was to then go out into the streets to raise awareness of the sexual exploitation of children in tourism in preparation for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games.

I always love to see how God takes plans and uses them for His purposes in ways that we could never even imagine! I saw God make some amazing connections!

• In the photo above, a group of our brothers-in-Christ were reaching out to a homeless man. They bought him a lunch, prayed for him, and encouraged him to attend the church where he can get some help, as they have a connection with a recovery farm.

• One of my sisters-in-Christ and I had a conversation on the street with a Brazilian woman that had left the church 2 years prior and she gladly accepted a home visit from the church next week! Pray that Maria decides to return to the church and make a commitment to Christ.

• Another Brazilian sister-in-Christ from our group met a woman who had moved into the neighborhood just a few days before and didn't know anyone yet. She was warmly invited to the church and seemed very receptive to attending to meet some new people.

These are just a few connections that I saw, but it reminded me that although we make the plans, God determines our steps! To HIM be the glory!

Walking where Jesus would walk,

Diane and Jeff