Brasil With an "S"

Well, from now on I will be referring to Brazil as Brasil. That's the way Brasil is spelled here in the coutry of Brasil...so, that's the way I will be referring to it from now on...I'm blending in. I like the letter s better than z anyway. :)

We are settling in nicely. We made a decision about housing yesterday and will be moving into our great house somewhere around July 10th. An American couple who have lived here for a pretty long time (at least since '91 when this house was built) is going back to the states on furlough and will be gone a year. So, we will be living in their house until July 2008 when they get back. We will probably be leaving before that, or right around that time anyway to go work in the Amazon region, so it worked out perfectly. For the next 3 1/2 weeks or so though we will be staying in the little house that Asas has to rent out to students.

We are very excited about the house we will live in. It is on a seminary campus, is actually quite large, has a super duper huge porch (more like a patio) all the way around it, has a great BBQ pit area, has a great large, is not walled in...is just basically gorgeous. It also has some great amenities like a playground, pool, tennis courts, track, etc. right around there. It's a little odd that we are on the mission field and living there. Truth is that it is still in Brasil and so there is still a ton different that we will have to transition into. Plus, it really was the best option for us by a longshot for many reasons, the fun extras not included. We are really excited though. I will definitely post pictures when possible.

We also went shopping yesterday for some of the things we need. The seminary house will not be furnished...all of the owner's things will be stored while they are away. So, we will still be purchasing EVERYTHING...starting completely over. Yesterday our big purchases were a washer (dryers aren't really used here) and a stove/oven. Shopping is fun. Paying for it isn't, but shopping is. And we've never really done that. We've been in transition really kind of our whole marriage and mostly have just used others' things. It's really been fun. There's a ton more of that to do, but we will wait and do little by little and esp. wait until we move into that seminary house.

The kids continue to do great. They are sleeping well and playing hard and haven't skipped a beat it seems. Priscilla has been so much help too...a ton. Asa started going from a sitting to a standing position in Boston...holding onto nothing...and then just standing there for a few seconds. She's got great balance. She continues to do that, but hasn't started walking just yet...probably won't be long. We walked to the corner bakery yesterday morning for breakfast and then took the bus around town today. Me and the kids are picking up some Portuguese little by little just communicating (or trying to) the people around us.

Me and Priscilla are at a little place right next to the bakery right now...it has on one wall 5 computers and on the other wall some TVs. People can pay about 50 cents an hour to use the internet and with the TVs they play video games. Anyhow, as far as we know right now that is our only source of internet for the next 3 1/2 weeks until we move to the seminary house. I'll come often probably. I read all my emails and "thank you" to everyone who wrote. I will try to catch up with my email soon.

Also, please continue to pray for us regarding a car. We really need a vehicle soon. It's nearly impossible to do things here without one.

Better go. My time is almost up.