6 airports, 5 flights, 31 hours, 1 missed flight, 1 lost bag, 1 destroyed bag, 1 messed up tickets, and lots of motion sickness later...

...we made it to our destination. It was a pretty rough trip, but despite some challenges we made it to Natal, only about 3 hours later than expected (thanks to some very helpful Brazilians, we were able to call the people in Natal to let them know we were coming in late). This is our second morning here and we both feel really good! We are sleeping good and have a wonderful apartment. Oh, and our lost bag is suppose to be waiting for us at the local airport, so even that has worked out okay in the end. We are planning to beginning reading either tomorrow (Wed.) or Thurs. The others thought we should wait until next week but since our time here will be shorter than we had hoped, we don't want to miss anymore reading time than we have too. Actually, I may have my first reading session tonight, because one of my readers from last year is coming and I want to meet with him again. We will see.

WE ARE FINALLY IN NATAL, BRAZIL

Too tired to write tonight. Just wanted you all to know that we made it. Even though we are completely exhausted, we are well and happy! God is good!

Ready and Waiting

Greg and I are in a hotel in Little Rock. Our bags are packed. Our passports and visas are in our possession. Hopefully we will get a good nights sleep and be ready to head to the airport early tomorrow.
It has taken a long time to get to this point and right now, I'm not really sure how I am feeling about it all. Excited, nervous, happy, sad. Regardless of how I feel, and no matter what happens along the journey, I'll just keep trusting God and strive to live in the center of His will!

We had a farewell dinner with my family. Dad, Mom, Tristan, Janie, Addie, Genny, Megan, Eric, Greg and I (we missed you Perry!) met in Little Rock and enjoyed some time just visiting and being together. Those good hugs will have to last me for a long time, but the love of family is very sustaining. I am abundantly blessed by my family! Needless to say, the goodbyes were bittersweet. I know they all support us, but that doesn't mean no tears.

We expect to arrive in Natal early Sunday afternoon. So, Lord willing, my next post will be written in Brazil.

Travel Plans

We got word today that our plane tickets have been purchased. Lord willing, we will fly out of Little Rock this Saturday and arrive in Natal Sunday afternoon. It feels so good to know that we have our passports and visas in hand and our seats on the planes reserved. That being said, I'd better start packing! How do you pack for a year, anyway?

Isaiah 55

8"My thoughts are completely different from yours," says the LORD. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. 9For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.
10"The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. 11It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it. 12You will live in joy and peace. The mountains and hills will burst into song, and the trees of the field will clap their hands! 13Where once there were thorns, cypress trees will grow. Where briers grew, myrtles will sprout up. This miracle will bring great honor to the LORD's name; it will be an everlasting sign of his power and love.

It has been more than two months now that we have been waiting to get into Brazil and begin our work at the church in Natal.
Recently I have been drawn to these verses. Although we don't understand why we were denied volunteer visas to Brazil, we have put ourselves into God's hands and we are trusting Him with the details. And I also have to remember that He will plant the seeds and produce the harvest without me. I am not essential to His work, but my love and obedience are essential to my relationship with Him.

We hope to have news in the next few days about our next step, so please keep watching and praying with us!

If at first you don't succeed...

We have encountered some bumps on the road to Brazil, imagine that, who would have thought that would be a bumpy road. We recently found out that we were denied Visas. But all is not lost and we will continue our efforts to get into Brazil. I could expound on my thoughts and feelings about the situation, but Greg has already written a blog sharing that and I know many people are reading both of our blogs, so, if you haven't read his blog, please do so (you will see a link to his blog "Greg's Blog" on the left side of this blog page).
After meeting with Craig and Leslee Altrock, the LST staff members that are helping us, and much fervent prayer, we feel confident that our next step should be applying for a tourist visa to Brazil. Although initially this doesn't allow us a year in the country, there is hope that once we get there, we could get permission to stay a year. We will continue to pray for God to be at work in the situation and that we will be aware of His will for us and submit in obedience.
Meanwhile, we are hanging out in Arlington, TX. It is really a blessing to have so much time with the Gibbons and the LST headquarters are conveniently close-by while we continue on the visa process. Greg is working full-time and I am occupying myself in a large varieties of ways. I am constantly looking for ways to serve those around me and volunteering whenever possible. So, if you know of anything that needs doing, let me know.

Although I try to live my life in the center of God's will, I still have a lot to learn about trusting Him. These verses from James 4 are on my mind a lot lately.
13Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." 14Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." 16As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil.
I think we have been good about saying "If it is the Lord's will" but we can take this experience as a way to grow in our trust in Him!

28, 29, 30, 31...

Today marks the one month milestone of waiting on our Visas. Since it is such an important day, I thought I would take the time to let you know what we have been doing while we wait.
We have been blessed that although we don't have a home of our own, we have no shortage of places to live. So many wonderful and generous friends have offered to let us stay with them.
Our home base is my parents house on Buck Mountain in Dover, AR. They provided a storage room for us to keep the things we packed up from our home. And they have also given us a room of our own to use when we need it. We spent one week at my sister's house in Hot Springs. They have an RV and let us live in it, but I spent most of my time there at the house having fun with Genny. Most recently we have been traveling. We spent a weekend in Searcy at a chorale reunion at Harding and then went to Oklahoma City for a few nights on our way to the Stamps Family Reunion (my dad's family) in Southwest Oklahoma. That was a very blessed time with family and well worth having to delay our trip to Brazil. Now we are in Arlington, Texas visiting our good friends, Ryan and Amy Gibbons. Amy is directing a day camp at her church this week, and I have been able to help out a little.
All this while, Greg has continued to work full-time at his job. As long as he has electricity, he can work where-ever we are, so he just sets up and does his work (even in the car sometimes). I have spent my time in a variety of ways, just doing whatever comes up each day. It is very strange for me to have no real responsibilities. No job to go back to, no house to tend to. I haven't felt this free since my early college years.
We are still trusting God as we wait. We are excited to get to Brazil and join the work there, but we are just trying to make the most of each moment and opportunity and just serve Him by serving those around us and doing the work that is before us.

"Yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary." ~Isaiah 40:31
May we all learn the freedom and peace that comes from living each day in the center of God's will!