Time Away

We arrived back from our trip to Santarem. The break was good, but now we find ourselves trying to figure out how to live out some of the changes that we know we need to make in our lives here. In the meantime, a few things about our trip…

…Our meeting with the Federal Police regarding our visa renewal seemed to go well. We are still waiting on one document from the U.S., and they may ask for more at anytime. The important step of getting your application in on time seems to be behind us. We were also blessed to have Don Best, a missionary from PAZ who helped us with some of the driving around and translating that we needed.

…On our first night away Brin noticed a book in the guesthouse where we were staying. The title caught her attention and after she read the page it was opened to she was hooked. The book “God is Not in a Hurry” was just what she needed. It seems a previous guest had left the book for someone else to read. I think God knew Brin was coming and needed that book.

…Our time at a house that some PAZ missionaries own in a resort town was a pleasant surprise. The rustic, small house was nothing to get excited about, but the privacy was just what we needed.

… After 3 nights at the beach we returned to Santarem for a couple nights at a hotel. We happened to choose a hotel that was hosting the “Topajós Top Model” competition. They were practicing strutting their stuff while we swam at the pool one afternoon. Later that night Ava was imitating them while posing for a picture (see the results below). If a modeling competition sounds glamorous, it wasn’t. About all we experienced was the loud music thumping into our room until about 3 am.

…One night we ventured into a cemetery that had candles burning around a gravesite. After talking about death for all of a minute and a half Mia was ready to go. As we passed an old lady on the street afterward, Ava asked if she was the dead lady (referring to the gravesite we had just seen). Sometimes it’s nice that we can talk without the people around us knowing what we are saying.