Home Sweet Home

As you've probably guessed, we've made it to Brazil safe and sound. We had a teary good bye at the airport but away we went. Since we decided not to ship anything to Brazil, we packed to the limit with two 70lb bags and 2 carry ons each...we were quite a sight when we had to literally run through the airport to make our connection in Sao Paulo, Brazil! Anyway, when we finally arrived 24 hours later, Jeyson's family picked us up and we went to their house for a little time of recovery. Then, within a few days we drove to Anapolis and started house hunting for a place to rent. Here is a picture of the process. We LOVED this house pictured above but it needed too much work to move in and we weren't sure if it had enough security. Here in Brazil it is fairly common for people to try to break in to houses so everyone has big walls around their home, security systems, etc. This home really wasn't prepared with all of that and it costs a lot to set up, so we passed on the house. Eventually (after looking at MANY houses) we settled on a place that Jeyson has lived before with some guys from the mission. It is nice because Jeyson already knows the area, it was ready to move into, and it is much safer here since it is on the second floor above some other missionaries from Asas, so someone will always be around between the two families. It is sort of like a condo, though it is considered a house here. Here are some pictures:

Our kitchen - a little tiny but perfect for just two people. We will have to keep the table and fridge in the room next to it....sort of a dining room.

Here is our little laundry room. In Brazil the room is like a covered porch which has a big sink (here there are 3 sinks as you can see in the picture!) since some of the clothes get washed by hand. You hang your clothes here too. It's still a bit messy since we're setting up still but it's just to give you an idea.

Here is our bedroom and Jeyson putting together our new dresser. (Since we didn't have any towels yet or anything to put the parts on we had to keep them on the bed or they would get scratched.)

And here is our little office, where I am writing right now. Now we have a book shelf where the suitcase is and we're a little more moved in. From the picture you can see that windows are also different here. Basically they are shutters that really work, instead of being only decorations like in the States. There is no screen, you just open them when you're home and lock everything up and set a window alarm when you leave. This is a big cultural change for me (Stephanie) growing up in Bridgewater, NJ where you don't have to lock your car in the driveway...but already I'm getting adjusted.

So anyway, after spending the first week searching, we were SO glad to finally get have a place to call home. Then this second week we actually made our move into the home with everything we had and then spent the next days running around trying to get everything else we needed (fridge, microwave, bed, etc). We are still waiting for some of the things to arrive that were supposed to come last week but now are coming tomorrow...welcome to a new culture! Unfortunately one of the things we are missing still is our fridge so cooking has been a bit tough. For the past week I have walked over to the supermarket (maybe 1/4 mile away) and gotten just a few things for each day. It has actually been a good way to get to know the neighborhood. I am also learning about how some things work differently here. For example, when you buy produce you have to bring your items to a special counter where they weigh them for you. Just little things like that are all new things to learn about getting around.

We have spent quite a bit of time reconnecting with people from Asas. The mission has given us time to get ourselves settled with our home (almost there) and my documents to stay in Brazil (a big process still ahead...pray for smoothness with this!). Still though we have been to a little "conference" of sorts and some other events. One of our major focuses before Jeyson goes back full time to the hanger is getting me set up with a routine and the ability to get to those places (I can't yet drive in Brazil so I have to learn to take the bus). One of the pilot's wives, from Portugal, has offered to meet with me for Portuguese tutoring. This is an answer to prayer! She lives close to Asas so it is very convenient. We still have to work out the details but hopefully this would be twice a week for several hours at a time. I have also had two offers of different people who have a vision for beginning a English outreach and want me to be the leader/teacher. I am praying about these opportunities - one, both, or maybe something different. We also have the opportunity to be involved with the youth group at our church. We are going to visit the youth group this coming weekend and evaluate what to do. Anyway, there is a lot going on and a lot more we want to do but we are learning to wait on God's leading and timing.

Well as you can see we are now officially connected to the internet right in our home and are looking forward to being much more in touch. Feel free to email or leave a comment on the blog! Tomorrow I plan to catch up on the emails we were not able to answer before we got the internet...I promise we haven't forgotten you! We are so glad to have the internet to keep in touch!