The missionaries here in Brazil rotated us through their homes feeding us and sharing their tried and true advice about adjusting to a new culture (for Mandy) and re-adjusting for Maicol. We are visiting each of the different church plant works here and getting a feel for the diversity and opportunities for ministry. All in all, we are "adjusting." It seems to take it's toll physically and mentally!
Mandy started language school the week after we arrived and is enjoying her teachers. Maicol began practicing with Sogipa, the basketball team he hopes to have a ministry with, also the week after we arrived. Our days are pretty full of running around!
We attempted to begin the process of getting our paperwork taken care of such as visas, passport renewals, I.D. cards, driver's license... Notice the word "attempted". We have pretty much had hang-ups with each corner we turn. Our marriage is not recognized in Brazil because the certificate needs to be authenticated by the consulate in the state we were married. This process will be expensive if we attempt it now. So we thought, "why not get married again here in Brazil?" Yea. NO. So we are back to square one. Mandy's visa and I.D. card cannot move forward until the marriage is recognized. So we have a lawyer in Sao Paulo we've emailed and we will pray God gets us through this without too many scrapes!
Maicol is in driving school! His U.S. license could not be renewed in the States because his school visa expired and therefore the license was not recognized here. His only option is taking the whole driving course which takes about 2 months to complete. So for now, he appreciates his brunette chauffeur...
Driving in Brazil is freeing and scary all at once! Having only driven in the U.S. it's strange to not stop at stop signs or drive through red lights. It feels wrong! But it's the safest way to drive here at times. The chauffeur ended up the wrong way on a "one-way" road. Needless to say, she didn't get a tip for the ride that day!
We are taking things day by day and so in need of your prayers! This summer was a spiritual high for us, and we felt that way throughout most of the summer. It was green light after green light and everything was coming together so smoothly. Lately our lives have been figuratively and literally "stuck at red lights". So we are thanking God for the growth we know is taking place as our patience is tried and our character is refined.
We have had a lot of opportunities to ride the public transportation and it's great! Getting lost, not so much but we only tried that once. We are beginning to figure out the bus routes. We also enjoy walking. We have a gym membership and the facility is a two minute walk from home. There's also a few bakeries and a salon within walking distance. Mandy's language school is about 2 miles away and most times we walk there.
Once our car gets fixed we'll be able to drive more. Since we've purchased it, the car has overheated nearly every time we drive it so the mechanic has it in for the second time and will try to get it fixed soon.
Now it's time for the highly acclaimed Sunday afternoon lunch. Chicken and beef seasoned and skewered, grilled to perfection over a charcoal delight fondly referred to as a "Churrasco". With that said "tchau"!
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