circumstances

While Josh has been plugging away at the hangar with enthusiasm, I (Brin) have mostly been at home, plugging away with homeschool, sports lessons, various events with Asas, but with less enthusiasm.   How I might wish life to be isn't matching up with how it really is, I murmured to myself about 5 months ago. Can't we all say this at some time or another? This incongruity prompts, and some days forces me to ask God what should be different. Do I press on, essentially ignoring that little alarm bell in my heart or do I consider that burden to do something different a trigger from God? I left myself open to both possibilities and told God I am up for whatever, I just want to see His hand in it.  I wanted to lose that nagging suspicion that all was not right. And as often occurs,  the circumstances in life impart evidence of divine providence. If we are sensitive to them.

Homeschooling is going great most days, and I really like it. And I like our home and it's proximity to little neighborhood stores and to the community center where we spend a lot of time. Other things though, have been rather trying. Our house is small and situated on a tiny lot that has no yard, in a neighborhood where it is not safe, we've discovered recently, for the girls to have liberty to play on the streets as they did in earlier months.  Our neighborhood has seen a rash of home burglaries (including our own).  Gabriella has had difficulty meeting and maintaining friendships as we often live far away from the people we minister with. For a 13 year old girl, this is a significant problem. And I empathize; in many ways her own hurts mirroring my own. 

So, this all culminates with a superbly providential and timely visit to a New Tribes Mission boarding school where we went to see an Asas teammate (Andrés) play soccer against their team. The school (which goes by the name Puraquequara, or PQQ) was peaceful, safe, and simple. We watched the children running about barefoot, climbing trees, catching tarantulas and finishing out the afternoon with a dip in the Amazon. I fell in love. So did Gabriella. Another Asas family is already living there and it sparked the possibility of our family doing the same. And as it turns out, they have a house available and a need for a teacher/nurse/coach/whatever you can offer. Well, that could be me! So we prayed and some of you all prayed. And as my desperation grew for a new change, my prayers corresponded. We took slow steps to find out if it was even a possibility and then got approval from Asas leadership. Finally, after several months of waiting, we have been accepted. I am so thankful for God bring it about, I could not have dreamed up something better myself.

The school is only accessible by boat and only has electricity (from a generator) from 7am-9:30pm. About 8 families live on campus with about 25 students, but I am just guessing.  I will give more details about the school later, but I will answer a few questions that I know are coming. 

Q: When will you move? Which will also answer another question, what will Cleny do?

A: Josh and I made a commitment to support Cleny while she goes to school. We are celebrating with Cleny as she has finished her course and awaiting her diploma.  She plans on returning to Altamira as soon as she can.  She plans on pursuing a job in a dentist's office and also is in the midst of making plans for her wedding.  It looks like our move date will be Dec. 19th.

Q: How will this affect your work with Asas de Socorro?

Good question. It will affect it in some ways. The Asas hangar is across the river and upstream a bit from the New Tribes school. From where we live now, Josh has a 30 minute motorcycle ride in congested traffic to get to the hangar. From the school he would have a 25 minute boat ride. Not a bad way to commute to work, so long as it is not raining. It will be more difficult to attend bimonthly meetings in the city but we are sincerely committed to Asas and will make it a priority to attend all that we can. I have committed to work in the medication room at Asas one day a week, likely that will continue and I will just ride into work with Josh.

It is really a boost to have this possibility in front of us. My friend Chelsea, and a frequent character of this blog in it's early years, had given me some notes that were artfully adorned with verses. They are pretty and inspiring and so they find their way to my mirrors or walls, but one in particular has ministered profoundly.

So, while we are sitting in anticipation, hope and astounded at God's provision, we recognize we only have  a few weeks to pack up our belongs and prepare for another move.

In this photo you can see the city of Manaus (pop. 1.5 mil) in relation to the hangar, where Josh works everyday and the boarding school (PQQ)

Instead of a 35 minute, traffic-congested commute, Josh will have about a 25 minute boat ride from the school to the hangar.

The school is situated on the banks of the Amazon River, isolated by water and jungle.  Josh took this picture from a plane a few days ago. 

 

-post by Brin

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone back home. 

While most of you are eating, relaxing, watching TV and shopping our day is just like any other. Josh is working at the hangar, Cleny has a dermatology appointment, Ava has an orthodontic appointment (the 4th one in a week) and the girls have ballet and swim lessons. We are eating leftovers for lunch today but are looking forward to a special lunch tomorrow with expats. So even while today is just a normal day, messages from the States prompt us to contemplate the holiday. My friend Kristy in France points out how awesome it is for me to have family visit so often and Renee in Texas points out what a treat it is to have both sets of grandparents around the holidays, an obvious blessing that was lost on me while simply going about life. Sometimes, we need others around us to nudge us toward an attitude of thankfulness. 

So today I am thankful for friends and family, near and far. 

We made the most of the 7 days my parents spent with us.

For more pictures, visit here. 

And the Bergquist family that stayed with us for a weekend.

And I am thankful to see God's hand in my life. Most vividly yesterday when our family was officially accepted by New Tribes to live and participate in their boarding school on the banks of the Amazon River. We prayed and waited a long time for a response and are eager (especially Gabriella) for this new adventure. 

And I don't say this enough, so I will say it now. I am truly grateful for those of you who send messages, cards, words of encouragement and pray for our family. I truly store those up in my heart. And for those of you participating with this ministry in Brazil by praying, advising, encouraging, and giving financially or through gifts of aviation tools and even peanut butter. Our family considers it a privilege and are humbled by your care in our lives.

in the spirit of Thanksgiving

post by Brin

In my last post I spoke of our lives taking on a lovely rhythm and also alluded to some changes that might surface. That was a while ago, and today with some events behind us, I realize that rhythm had been short-term.

Since then we have hosted both the Bergquist family and my parents. Visitors always bring us a boost, forcing us to relax, play and eat good food. True, isn't it?! Perhaps I will post more on this topic later but right now I have to share something else.

Thanksgiving is close, but could easily become a non-event for us if friends back in the US weren't mentioning it. I bring it up now because last night forced the contemplation. Cleny called me while I was at swim lessons and in emotional, rushed words told me to come home because there was a thief in the house. When I arrived home all my neighbors were on the street in front of my house, huddled in animated discussion. And here is what happened and why I am thankful....Cleny arrived home content and relieved because she had just found out she passed her dentist assistants course. She opened the outer gate to our home which is noisy and then walked the 2 seconds to the front door, opened it and in the same moment heard a loud noise. Startled, she yelled "Ava! Mia!" and then realizing someone was inside screamed for the neighbors and ran outside without catching a glimpse of the thief (likely, thieves) which were just inside the door. I am glad she didn't see them, because it causes an entirely different emotional reaction to look into their fierce, sinister eyes and then ponder what capacity they have for evil. And to help you understand the depth of the story, only 10 days earlier, Cleny had had a gun pointed at her head while at her internship, was robbed of her cell phone, and then was locked into a room. Again, that time we were thankful she wasn't hurt at all and she only lost her cell phone.

The bathroom window rests innocently against the wall.

The timing of last nights events are extraordinary. It appears that our thieves kicked in a weak window and only had perhaps 10 seconds in our home before they heard Cleny opening the outer gate. It was enough time for them to grab a cell phone and charger (ironically Cleny left it at home so it wouldn't get mugged away from her on the street) but in the rush missed an ipod in the speaker dock, my purse and other appliances within a few meters of where they must have been. As my neighbors responded to Cleny's screams for assistance, the thieves disappeared into the jungle behind my house. And when the dust settled (literally, as the thief kicked in a window that made quite a mess), we all marveled at the astonishing timing. To add to the marvel of the thieves timing, had they arrived 20 minutes later, it could have been I and the girls who would have walked in on them, causing a frightful experience for the girls. Neighbors shared their memories of previous burglaries at our home where the thieves took almost everything. And their own experiences where thieves cared out bags of stuff, even electrical wiring and ran off, hidden somewhere in the jungle. The cops that stopped by said we are the third house on our street this past week to be robbed. 'Tis the season to be thankful, and my conversations with God are drenched with that theme

To end this post on an encouraging tone, I made acai and brazil nut bread.  Delicious and incredibly nutritive, it only adds to my thankfullness.

*Obviously, Cleny has been through a lot. City living has not been easy and school, while an incredible opportunity, has been challenging.  But she is doing great and we all celebrate with her getting her dental assistant's license. She has plans to return to Altamira and get married in January. Please pray for her.