catch-up with photos

Mr. J. mowing our first crop of hay...

Tim and kids did the raking while we avoided most of the scattered showers...

Miss Artist 'working' on a slide show for Brazil...

...with a little 'help' from c-A-t...

 .

I indulged myself in some pretty pots and put the Gerbera daisies in them...

On Memorial Day, Jill came over to help me plan crafts for VBS.  Her kiddos are good friends with mine  :-)

 We told the girls to put on some sun screen before they went to the creek to play.  Cute, eh?

 One rainy day, Tim added trim to the school room doorway  :-)

I also decided to start some lettuce and spinach indoors...  

and some cilantro and parsley      

 The Popper painted her "M" to go with the Cowgirl's "E"

The Cowgirl celebrated her 13th birthday!  She finished her cake Saturday night about 11pm.  Gram & Gramp came for the party on Sunday.

That Monday was the beginning of our VBS ~ But that's another post!  :-)

 P.S.  No pics available of the days we spent shopping or sewing or packing before the kids went off to Brazil.  But it will be worth it all...

monkey tales from Brasil :-)

Coelho email still not working... but the phone must!  :-)

 

Hi everyone - just some tidbits "as the monkey swings through" (literally one was found outside Coelho's front door when they returned home today).  It was a full grown dust pan size monkey, and everyone had their picture taken with it.  The monkeys usually do not come through this area until August and then not very many are seen. 

 

Everyone now has a great tan and loved the sand dunes and the beach. Riding in a dune buggy along the beach was a big highlight of their overnight stay at Morro Branco.  On the way back to the sitio (Coelho's home and retreat center), they decided to make another trip to the beach outside Fortaleza for more souvenir hunting.  An exhausted group was ready to call it a day after that excursion.

 

Your youth and their sponsors will be leaving for the airport in Fortaleza around 12:30 p.m. Friday.  Hopefully they will be able to sleep on the long flight home.  Yes, home!!  What stories they will have to tell.  Can't wait to hear them, myself (Fran).

 

Shari and Valdez want to thank all of you immensely for allowing your young people to come visit them and their children and see first hand what mission work is like in Northeast Brazil.  Keep praying for fruit from the English immersion camp and for the Lord's working in the lives of your youth.

 

Thanks also for the youth bringing all Valdez's study books, the gifts and clothing sent from friends and family.

 

Glad to send this to all of you.  Fran 

 

update from Brasil ~ last few days

Latest from Brazil via Mrs. Coelho's mom...

Hi everyone - just to let you know that Shari called Jim and I last night after 10:30 and asked us to relay a message to each of you.  They have been having problems sending and receiving emails for a few days. 

Tuesday they took it easy.  Shari took 2 groups of teens to a local grocery store to purchase items for themselves and items for them to take home.   No fancy supermarket and quite an eye opener.

The teens went to a very small (60 students), extremely poor public school for a couple of hours.  There they taught some English to the students (K4 through 3rd grade), gave out wordless bracelets, gave the gospel message, and prayed with them.  This is a school that cannot afford to purchase a soccer ball nor do they have a playground (just a small patch of cement in the hot sun).  It is a typical government school. 

Lunch was at a Brazilian restaurant with lots of good Brazilian food.  Afterwards they went to the largest new modern shopping mall in Fortaleza. 

They walked out on the beach and watched the sun set (6 p.m. daily) from the boardwalk.   Such a georgeous sight!!

There will be no updates to you until they return from their overnight outing to Morro Branco
and the Dunes!!!!  Last great experience before returning to the States.

Thanks for letting us report to you.  Keep praying for God's working in their hearts, for health, safety, and witnessing opportunities.



And from Giselle (foreign exchange student back in the day and good friend of one of the other moms of our group) via facebook  (See, facebook IS good for something!)...

The place is so beautiful, the sunset, the time of the day.Then, after the sunset all the group went to step their feet on the water, it was so warm.I enjoyed watching them so happy playing, laughing, having fun by the water, by the the waves. It was really a very special and happy day for everybody. Jessica told me that they have a tight schedule.Today, Wednesday, they are going to a nearby beach called Morro Branco, to visit the colored hard sand cliffs. My family and I went there three weeks ago. It is such a beautiful place. The group will love it. Jessica told me that they will arrive home on Saturday, late at night. 

I think Monday was the day of rest and grocery shopping, and Tuesday was lunch in Fortaleza after visiting the school.  Tonight they will be in Morro Branco.  Friday night they fly back to the US (home late Saturday, Lord willing).

photo credit:  http://wanderlustfood.blogspot.com/2008/11/lunch-on-beach-morro-branco-brazil.html

Thank you for praying with us!  

As one of my children at home commented yesterday after counting the days until the older kids return...

"After a few days, you start to miss them!" 

update from Brasil June 19

And tonight's e-mail...

English Weekend Retreat is over, our Sunday night church service is over, and we are all looking forward to a relative day of peace and quiet tomorrow!  We will take a trip or two to the grocery store to buy food for the rest of the trip, however.  Some of the girls are interested in seeing a typical grocery store.

 

Our church service went great with three teens giving their testimony, everyone singing several songs in English and one in English and Portuguese (they did great!), and Pastor Saylor preaching with Pastor Valdez translating (he did great, too!).  We were served a beef broth soup--very delicious, and everyone stayed afterwards for over an hour trying to talk to each other in broken English, words in Portuguese, sign language, and lots of translation!  Even Johanna (8) was talking about how she had to go from group to group helping people talk to each other!  But it was a great night and the young people of both countries enjoyed themselves!

 Again, here's the link to some pics of the camp ~ Click here!

update from Brasil June 18

Here's what we received from Mrs. Coelho tonight  :-)

Hello, families of really brave teens!

 

Snakes, tarantulas, frogs, and bugs--these are just some of the wild things your teens encountered just today!!  The frog snake was found on the sink in the girls' bathroom--Mrs, Saylor tried valiantly to kill the thing with a broom or something (never was quite sure what it was)--but finally decided to get some help!!  :>)   Tarantulas were found this morning in the girls' dorm and in the boys' dorm on some other days!  It's been exciting--and, to be honest, we're soooo glad they are experiencing some of the things we experience on a day-to-day basis as missionaries here in Brazil!!

 

On to ministry experiences,  this has been an excellent day!  Your teens did a fine job in their English teaching classes--as each one had an opportunity to teach and present a part of the lesson.  I'm seeing them interacting so well with the Brazilian campers.  It takes a fair amount of patience and ingenuity to talk to strangers in your language in a way that they can understand!  I've been so proud of them. 

 

Tomorrow is our last camp day--we will have Sunday School and church service in our chapel in the morning with a bit of free time before lunch, and then free time until 2:00 pm when everyone goes home.  Then, a quick "rehearsal" for church Sunday night and most likely a fast nap!!!!!  Church starts at 7:00 pm our time.  I know our church people are quite anxious to have the American team with them tomorrow night.

 Chapel at the camp

answered prayer!

Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.

 I've received "official" word confirming that the missing luggage was picked up TODAY from the airport ~ I'm thinking I have some very happy girls in Brazil!  :D

woohoo, now on with the mission!

update from Brasil

All persons have safely arrived where they belong with the Coelhos.  Their luggage is another story. 

Group B's luggage is in Miami possibly?  Including my girls' "carry-ons" ~ which must have been too big for TAM's liking, so they had to check them instead.  They will MAKE DO and GROW ~ hopefully with a positive attitude... and much gratitude if/when their luggage does arrive. 

And learn a lesson about not trying to put every stitch of clothing for two weeks in a carry-on.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.  Romans 8:28

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.  I Corinthians 10:13