Making Christmas trees from magazines

Brazilians are known for being resourceful....so how about a Christmas tree made from a magazine! A lady in the mission showed me how make this craft, so I got the rest of the ladies in the mission together to make these Christmas trees to decorate the tables for the Asas Christmas party! We had a great time talking and laughing as we made the trees and the tables turned out beautiful for the party! And it was cheap!!!!!!

The big surprise for memorizing Gal. 5:22-23

Steve challenged his 6-7 year old class to memorize Gal. 5:22-23, promising them a special surprise for each one that did it. Well, last weekend the 8 kids that memorized the verses received their surprise...a ride in the airplane! It was so much fun to see these kids electric with excitement about flying! I don't know how Steve will top this surprise the next time he challenges them to memorize a verse!

Happy days....

Grandma and Grandpa Reed came for a visit Nov. 15-28! What a fun time we had! Here are some of the high-lights...



We were actually at the beach for Thanksgiving, but that didn't stop Grandma from bringing Thanksgiving crafts to do with the kids before we went to the beach (and a book to explain all about the first Thanksgiving!). We had a traditional Thanksgiving meal when we got back from the beach! (Better that way since the bathing suits are put away!)

Showing off his tree-climbing skills to Grandma and Grandpa....

Pottery...

My mom had seen the picture of our field trip to the pottery place and quickly made her request to visit it when she came. We did, and she took home some souvenirs! And she actually got the pots back to the US without breaking them!

Steve's 6-7 year old class presents.....

The 6-7 year olds have been learning about the Fruits of the Spirit. To wrap-up the unit, Steve organized a little presentation that they did in front of the whole church. The great thing is that Grandma and Grandpa were here to see it, too! The class sang songs and recited Galations 5:22-23 and then several children recited other verses that mention specific Fruits of the Spirit. Michael recited one on self-control....I don't know who was more nervous, Michael or me! He did a perfect job and I was as proud as could be! Steve is over in the corner playing the guitar....can't see him, but I promise he was there! I was awfully proud of my hubby too! He did a great job of organizing the program and an even better job of teaching the class!

Beach Vacation with Grandma and Grandpa

Grandma and Grandpa wanted to see something other than Anápolis this time, so we went to a beach in northeast Brazil. Our condominium was simple and didn't even come with toilet paper (smile), but it was a block from the beach! That is what is really important! The name of the beach we stayed at is French Beach and it was spectacular! I have never seen such clear blue water! I'll let the pictures prove it and tell the rest of the story!

Getting to Maceió (the beach!)

The cheap flight was scheduled to leave at midnight, but due to problems in the Brazilian air traffic control system, we didn't leave until 3:30am. Here we are passed out on the floor in the airport. About 10 min. before this picture was taken the kids were climbing the walls...and then they gave up the fight! I just noticed what a dangerous position I was in! Yikes! I really was very, very tired!

Here fishy, fishy, fishy! Let me take a look at you!

Boogy boarding 101...

Grandma playing in the sand with the kiddos...

This is the boat that we took a little ride in to see some coral reefs and the critters that live in the coral reef!

Good times......

Those little monkeys were so cute...but they jumped on my chair at lunch time and wanted to eat my food! The waitress had to get a little bowl of juice to get them to leave my lunch alone!

When the tide goes out, there are little "pools" left behind that get nice and hot in the sun! Maira had to stop and lay down in each one as we walked on the beach!

A bit scary, but cute!

Baby Nicolas with Aunt Kris and his mommy...

Help!

Okay, I am clueless! All of a sudden the blogger won't upload images! Anybody out there know what to do????

The Baby who didn't wait for the baby shower

(I have pictures but the blog isn't putting them in for some reason tonight...I'll try again tomorrow!)

My friend Cathrim was pregnant and due around Dec. 10. On Nov. 14th, I had planned a baby shower for her. However, things did not go as planned. I had all the games ready and two cakes baked for the shower that was to start at 5:30pm. I was on my way out the door to go to the office and decorate for the shower at 4:30pm when the phone rang. It was Cathrim and she was panicing. She had "water" running down her leg and she didn't know what to do. (It is at this point that I ask myself why she called me and not her DOCTOR!) I calmed her down and told her that her water had broken and that she needed to call her doctor. I went to the office and asked one of the other ladies to call everyone and cancel the shower and I gave Cathrim a call. She was calmer, but told me she had nothing ready for the hospital and that her hubby wasn't home. I went right to her house and started packing a bag for the baby while she called the doctor and got her suitcase ready. Her hubby arrived about 15 minutes later and was bouncy with excitement! It really was something to see! Anyway, we took her to the hospital and I hung out in the waiting area to see what the dr. decided. Well, turns out they wanted her to stay. Cathrim and Cesar asked me to stick around, but at about 10pm they moved her to a room where nobody can stay with her and they told her husband and I to go home for the night. I left my cell phone with her because at this point they have told her that no men are allowed in the laboring room. There are 4 beds in the room and the ladies who are in active labor are put there until the time to push comes and then they go to the birthing room where only hospital staff is allowed. Since these ladies are rolling around in agony and with hospital gowns on, I can understand the no men rule. I am just so very thankful my kids were born at a maternity clinic where Steve was able to stay with me through everything (like it or not!) So, at 7am I got a call from Cathrim asking me to come to the hospital to help her through the labor. What a priviledge!!!! The poor husband had to sit in the hall and I would poke my head out from time to time to give updates. I know she thought I was crazy a few times when I would get all excited that the pains were worse and longer, but she later told me that my excitement helped her believe that she really was near the end of the labor. Nicolas was born at 10:30am, totally healthy even though he was 4 weeks early! I had the honor of taking Nicolas to meet his daddy...it was just so special!

Another "Mini" Project under my belt!

I am in the process of changing the name....I don't like the name "Mini" Project! There is nothing "mini" about souls being saved! Not to mention that we are expanding with each project, so what is "mini" about that? This project was in a poorer neighborhood of Anápolis. In the morning we had free pap-smears offered, free vacinations for children, free HIV tests, floride treatments, haircuts, a talk on drugs, and door-to-door evangelism. In the afternoon we had the children's program, more haircuts, a talk on child-rearing, games and hip-hop for youth, and more door-to-door evangelism. As soon as it got dark we showed the film "Help" in the middle of the street beside the church. There were 39 haircuts during the whole day, 150 children in the program, and 109 people watching the film at night. There were 15 names added to the Book of Life and many seeds were planted! I only have one complaint....now that I am coordinating these projects, I don't get the contact with the people or the kids! I am stuck with putting out fires and making sure everything comes together. I could go on and on with all the frustrations that I experienced in being responsible for this project, but the rewards outweigh them every time. Of course, I see this much clearer once the project is over! (smile) I must tell you that the kids in general where the most rebellious kids I have encountered so far. I had to kick out 3 of them from the children's program for refusing to cooperate. Even the 1-3 year olds had attitude! Anyway, hope you enjoy the pictures! Thank you so much for your prayers!

Hip Hop Evangelism

I asked a group from Goiânia (about 45 min. from where we live) to join us on the project as a way to target the youth in the neighborhood. They were very willing to help and were a big hit! They sing/rap Christian hip-hop and you would not believe the crowd they attracted! They have very powerful testimonies...one having been shot as he was stealing something and trying to get away. I hope they can continue to join us on other projects! The only problem was when we started the kids' program, the 10-12 year old group only wanted to go back out on the sidewalk at listen to hip-hop! I ended up letting them go and listen, and after about 20 minutes the kids wanted to come back and participate in the children's program again.

1-3 year olds

We had a separate area for the 1-3 year olds this time. This worked very well since we could present a story to them on their level of understanding. They played a lot with toys that I brought from home, but the teacher taught them the story of Creation as well.

Games

In the game station the children played two games that were popular when Jesus was a boy. This picture is of the children playing with the dreidel. The dreidel is a type of spinning top with with 4 flat sides and 4 different Hebrew words painted on each side. Depending on which side the top falls on, you either have to put beans in the middle or take beans out of the middle. When time is up you want to have the most beans! The older kids liked it, but I'll have to come up with something else for the younger ones next time. One of the sides says to take "half" and the younger kids didn't know how to figure out what half was!

Jewish History

At this station the children made "Lulavs" (look it up!), learned about the Jewish spice box, and learned to write a few words in Hebrew! The kids loved it!

Jewish Dancing

Story

Candidates from El Salvador

This is Ricardo and Monica Hernandez from El Salvador. They stayed with us from Tuesday night until Thursday noon for a brief "candidacy". It is really amazing how God worked this all out...

A few months ago I got an email from the recruitment man at MAF telling me about a pilot in the El Salvadorian Air Force (Ricardo) who just got back from a 6 month assignment in Iraq and is interested in missions. I emailed Ricardo, introduced Asas to him, and asked if he was interested in serving with us in Brazil. He was immediately interested and we started all the paperwork process. Ricardo is at a critical point in his military career and will be starting a 2 year course in January that will allow him to be promoted and such. He is also #3 in the El Salvadorian Cuscatlán (like the Blue Angels)! All the pilots here were oooing and aaahing! (And his brother is the commander of the Cuscatlán) It is at this point in their lives that they feel God calling them to full-time missionary service. Just from this little bit of information (and there is much more), you can see just what a servant's heart Ricardo and Monica have to even consider a life change right now. Anyway, Ricardo sends me an email about 2 weeks ago saying that Monica would be in Rio de Janeiro on business (she is an industrial engineer and the Secretary General for the Archery division of the Pan American Games) for 10 days. Well, how could we let her be in Brazil and not meet her! So I asked him if there was any chance of him coming for a few days too and both of them coming to Anápolis for us all to meet and do some evaluations. They had to juggle schedules and pull strings, but they managed to come! The time was short and we kept them busy, but I believe it was enough time for them to see what Asas is all about and for us to get to know them. He was able to get in one flight with Steve, but the second flight had to be cancelled due to weather. Now we wait to see how God leads! I am sure they would appreciate your prayers as they will be making the critical decision in the next few weeks about giving his notice to the Air Force.

Saying good-bye to the Carvers

Darrel and Lee Carver joined Asas de Socorro 6 years ago after retiring from CitiBank. They have traveled the whole world and have lived in more countries than I can remember. They have been working with our flight base in Manaus, flying the Caravan. Darrel was a Navy pilot before working in banking and never lost his love for planes and flying. They heard about Asas de Socorro when they lived in Brazil some years ago and the Lord lead him to set aside some money in a fund that he could some day use to buy an airplane for Asas. He was thinking a small airplane, but when the time came to withdrawal the money from the fund, God had blessed it to the point that he could buy a brand-new Caravan! The whole mission has been blessed with their generosity and their life-example. The are now heading back to Texas in order to take care of Darrel's aging parents who are needing their support now. It is hard to see such a wonderful couple leave, but we are so thankful for the time they gave to Asas. They will continue to support Asas as they will be representing the mission in the US. The pictures are from the farewell ceremony we had here on Wednesday when they were presented with this model of the Caravan...complete with paddles and a stand made of Brazil wood. How that is going to get in a suitcase and arrive in one piece is another issue......

My 2-3 year old class

Here are my kiddos! This Sunday was a slow night because he had a hard rain about the time people would be going to church. I only had 8 children and I usually have 13-14. I used to teach the 1 year olds, but this year I graduated to the 2-3 year olds. That means I have been teaching these kids since they were 1 year olds! I am one of the few who believe we need to be teaching these little ones and not just playing with them while their parents are in church. I have a great curriculum of God Made You. We have explored our hands, feet, eyes, ears, nose, and mouth as we thank God for making us. Now we are thanking God for our families as we look at the importance of each member of the family (mom, dad, sister, brother, grandparents) You'll notice a girl on the right in a pink jacket that is not 2 or 3 years old...she is the sister of Luiza (the little girl in the yellow shirt). Their mother recently joined our church and I am trying to convince Luiza that her sister is too old for my class!

Growing Kids God's Way Class

Here is our group for Growing Kids God's Way! The older lady (green shirt in the middle) is actually the mother of one of the couples that was visiting last Sunday. We have 2 couples who do not have children yet, two couples that are pregnant, one couple with a baby (9 months), 3 couples with toddlers and lower elemenary aged children, one couple with a pre-teen and 8 year old, and a mom who's husband is not a Christian who has a 18 year old, 11 year old, and an 8 year old. We feel totally incapable each week as we go into the class, but we always leave feeling encouraged that the class is being used of God to reach these families. Please pray for us and for these precious couples...having a method in child-rearing is a totally new concept here, so we are treading on new ground!

Circus fun

Sorry the pictures are not clear! Just so you know, that is a clown next to Maira, not me! We took the kiddos to the circus last Sat. evening. The kids had a wonderful time and we had fun just watching them enjoy it! They had some interesting acts, but this was a low-budget, family run kind of circus....very simple. Perhaps the kind of circus that would come through small-town USA in the 1950s. After the show we took the kids to a hot-dog stand for dinner and they both kept thanking us for taking them to the circus! It was so sweet!

Michael's field trip

I took Michael and Maira to see how pottery is made last week. The shop is tiny, but they have tons of pots in the back. It is a family business...the daughter takes care of the shop, the son is one of the potters, the mom paints the pots, and the dad is the boss. We got to watch the potters at their wheels and see the big wood-burning ovens where the pots dry for 4-7 days, depending on the weather. There was nothing high-tech about it...right next to the potters was a huge pile of dirt and some antique-looking "machines" that made the dirt into workable clay. Do you see the two straws stuck onto that stick with clay in the second picture? That is to make sure all of the pots that he is making are the same size. I really liked this field trip because the pots were less than half the normal price (no middle-man) and I could bring some home!!!

Mini Project "Ide" -- Sept. 16th

Somehow I was assigned to be the coordinator of a Mini Project "Ide" (Go Ye). It is basically what we did in July, only this project was in a town just 45 minutes from here and it was for just one day. We had door-to-door evangelism, a children's program in the afternoon, a talk on drug usage, a talk on teenage pregnancy, a craft class, and we showed the Jesus film at night. The craft class was for 20 ladies in the church that learned how to make a type of ceramic material made from vaseline, corn starch, glue, and some other chemical. This is then used to make refrigerator magnets, decorations for jar lids, and just about anything else you can think of. The teacher's first project was used to teach the ladies how to share the wordless book in hopes that they will use this skill to reach others. Everything went very well, even with all those things that seem to go wrong! The Jesus film got stuck during the presentation so we had to switch to another film that one of our team members happened to bring! His film told the story of Jesus as well, but was animated and had more modern music. This experience might have served to introduce us to a better film to use!

Mime Station

Andrés did a wonderful job as a mime! He did a peice called Manuel which told the story of a "good" man. In the end, the kids discover that being a good person isn't good enough to go to heaven. The kids were put into a trance as they watched him! They also did face painting in this station.

Floride Station

We added the Floride Station this time with the help of our local church, which gave toothbrushes and a money gift. We were able to use the money to have a total of 240 toothbrushes! The gift even stretched enough to buy snacks for all the kids as well as buy material for the craft class that was offered to 20 ladies in the church. Every child that came got a toothbrush, learned how to correctly brush his/her teeth, and received a floride treatment! It might not have been a favorite among the kiddos, but they did like getting the toothbrushes!

Game Station

This was Eliane's first time to participate in a Project (lady on far right). She was excited about her game station and very worried about sharing the story of the wordless book with a small group of children. She tried to get out of it, but I wouldn't let her escape! When the kids had gone through all the stations, she sat down with her small group to tell them about Jesus. She walked away all smiles and full of courage to tell any kid about Jesus that would sit still long enough! The pastor of the church said he wanted a bracelet and someone to tell him the story...so Eliane grabbed a bracelet and told him the story of the wordless book! There's no holding her back now!

Dance Station

Story Station

Daniel and I had the story station again, just like the Project in July. This time we decided that Daniel would be a tourist coming back from a trip to the Holy Land and he brought with him souveniers to give to me. The "souveniers" are the items that tell the story of Jesus, so I acted ungrateful for the straw, cup, bottle of olives, whip, nail, thorn bush, spear, white cloth, and rock until he explained the significance of each.