Christmas Blessings from Brazil

We first met Giulliana when she traveled from Brazil to Hughson, Ca. to visit her cousin.  She found us via Facebook and asked about worshipping with us at Sovereign Grace during her time in the United States.

Hughson is a small community so we had many opportunities to get to know her.  She would join us at the table while I was homeschooling, or come over in the evening after church.  She even watched the kids for several days while I was out of town.


Monterey Bay, California

Because we couldn't speak any Portuguese, she persevered and greatly improved her English, which was one of her goals.  I still remember a time when we came to a standstill in a conversation. 

We were in the front seat of the Ford Expedition that night, waiting in the Starbucks drive through.  She didn't have the English words, and I wasn't able to guess the correct context or meaning.  We just looked at each other, wishing we could break through the language barrier but also content and secure in our shared faith and friendship. 

She returned to Brazil but promised to keep in touch.  We Skyped on occassion and also saw photos of her wedding on Facebook.  And we prayed for Lucas, her husband, when he broke his ankle.

The unexpected blessing from Brazil was their visit over Christmas.  I still can't believe that they left behind their own families to spend time with us over the holidays in Uruguay.  They came for a week, suitcases laden with gifts and hearts ready to love and serve. 

 

 

Lucas preached his first sermon at Iglesia Presbyteriana, translated by Mauricio.  And they both spent time with the kids, sitting on the floor with them to play monopoly or running around in the sand to play futbol, football, volleyball.  And most exciting of all was the realization that a mixture of Spanish and English vocabulary made our conversations much easier.

 

They were family during a time when we may have been tempted to feel despondant and lonely.  Washing dishes together, shopping at the mall, visiting parks and beaches, talking at the table, sharing a Brazilian breakfast, taking the kids on an ice cream hunt, feasting on asado and turkey on the hottest day of the year... all made this first Christmas in Uruguay unforgetable. 

When you pray for the gospel to advance in Uruguay, please also remember our Christian brothers and sisters in neighboring Brazil and their labors.  Lucas is working many hours at a hospital while he attends classes at the seminary and studies, and Giulliana is also working at the same hospital as they prepare to enter full time ministry.

Home for Christmas

   We are blessed to have a home this Christmas.  After living in Colorado (1 mo.), Costa Rica (12 mo.), California (1 mo), and the church building in Uruguay (1.5 mo), we were all ready to stop moving.  The children and I actually felt a wave of homesick depression sweep over us when we realized that we would be settling down here for an extended time so far from family and all that is familiar.  We realized that it's not just another stop along the way.  But there is another reason we feel blessed to have a place to call home. 

 

Daily, we walk by homes in our neighborhood that have curtains covering gaping holes in a propped up wall. The strips of cloth are hung in the place of glass windows and wooden doors.  We watch people dive into the dumpster across the street looking for anything edible.  When it's propped open, we know someone is sleeping in it.  Even now, at 12:19am, I can hear someone tossing things out of it as he searches through the garbage or clears it out to make a place to sleep. 

 

If we walk home from the park at twilight, we may see people setting up cardboard shelters.  And if we leave our house too early in the morning, we have to walk by people who are still sleeping on the sidewalk.

 

Last week I saw a lean, wiry man dragging a large, heavy wooden cart meant for a horse.  There were others in his entourage.  A three year old boy sat in the back whining until the man yelled at him to stop.  A teenage girl left the group and sat on the curb near our house.  And a woman helped the  man search through the garbage for items to recycle.  They left without finding anything, slowly walking down the street, headed for the next dumpster. 

 

The poverty here in this barrio is very visible.  For this reason, our realtor seemed surprised that we wanted to rent a house here.  Even our neighbors guess that we are from "Brazil" or "Switzerland."  A family from the USA wouldn't live here!

 

But Mark and I believe we have been called to live and minister here in this part of the city.  We are a short bus ride from the church and live in the midst of the Uruguayans and their big city problems.  We are praying about how God may use us to minister to the needs of the poor.

 

One advantage of living here close to the street is that we have a more visible presence in the neighborhood.  We are hoping to meet more neighbors this week.  All we have to do is grab a mate cup and sit out front on the sidewalk with a few extra plastic chairs.

 

I plan to start my mate ministry tomorrow.  I met a few neighbors and will call them up to sit outside and talk. 

 

And yet another reason to be thankful that we have a home this Christmas: Hospitality is not just a suggestion in the Bible.  And we are glad to obey.



 

We invited the youth group over to our house for a Christmas Party. One of the young men gave his testimony.  In a clear voice, he shared that what he was learning in the Bible at the Friday youth group and on Sundays is a great encouragement to him and his parents.

 

We also invited their parents! The men sat inside sipping mate.

 

The woman in lavendar is a missionary from Brazil, The woman on the right grew up in Rivera, a rural part of Uruguay, and the woman on the left has always lived here in Montevideo.

I think this is my favorite little patio.  It's actually an extension of the living room where the men are sitting.  I love outdoor living areas!

 

This patio has the parrillero and a beautiful bougainvillea plant.  It's also where our washer is located.  Conveniently there are also stairs to the roof where I hang out the laundry on sunny days. 

Later, Mark learned from a Uruguayan friend that the firewood sold on the streets has to be seasoned for three months before it can be used!  That's why the wood in this photo never did anything but  smolder.

 

 

We sang Christmas carols and favorite praise songs.  Sabrina is playing the guitar in the background with the other young people sitting on the couches near her.  Mark is on the right. 

After we sang, I passed around traditional Christmas cookies, iced in various designs.  Jana and the kids had all helped decorate them in white, green and red icings.  It was obviously not Uruguayan, (no dulce de leche), but no one refused when I offered seconds.

We'll see you again, soon, Jana

Tomorrow morning and the coming weeks and months are going to be lonely for our family.  Not only will we miss a dear friend, but we'll be missing part of our team.  Jana's position will be difficult if not impossible to fill. 

She was willing to fly to two different countries to help teach our children Spanish and help them with the cultural transitions they faced.  Additionally, she ministered in the church and helped Mark and me with our Spanish whenever we needed clarification or when we gave her a look that pleaded, "I have no idea what she said.  Please. Help."

During her five months of service she lived in four different locations and learned countless bus routes.  She had her own difficult transitions to navigate, but she always made time to help us with ours.

Life is hard, but sometimes even the most difficult circumstances seem possible to overcome when Christians work together in harmony.  Jana can speak Spanish fluently, play instruments, sing, teach, counsel.  But her greatest strength is working with others on a team by faithfully serving when a need appears without having to be assigned or thanked later.  Her gifts and her experience seemed tailored to fill the needs on the mission field.  It has been a pleasure to work with her.

The greatest challenges Mark and I have ever faced have been the FARO course/final exams at the Spanish Language Institute and also the transition to Uruguay. God knew we would need help! 

We researched the committee's handbook on Missionary Associates and emailed other veteran missionaries about their experiences, but we never expected that the hardest part about working with an MA would be saying goodbye.

Baptism!

The Baptism of Carolina at La Iglesia Presbyteriana del Uruguay

This young woman is taking a stand for Jesus and will face attacks after so bodly proclaiming her faith in church on Sunday.  Her testimony was amazing.  Please pray that she would continue to grow in her knowledge of the Bible, and that we would be an encouragement to her.





"I have assurance that in Him I am saved and that my name is written down in Heaven..."