The Scoop on Milk

One of the things I miss most since moving here to Boa Vista, is milk.  I'm a big fan of milk and milk products like yogurt.  But here in the middle of nowhere, far from grassy fields where cow graze, milk is far from abundant or cheap.

As far as I can see, searching high and low, there is no fresh milk available...at all.  I'm not even talking FRESH from a farm, I mean just any kind of milk that needs to be refrigerated.  The options are milk that is liquid in form, but is sold by the liter in a box that sits on an unrefrigerated shelf.  Imagine nonperishable liquid milk.   It looks like this: 

I comes out to $6 a gallon and is ok tasty for coffee or cereal, but not good enough tasting to want to drink a whole glass (except for Elijah who doesn't know the difference :).  But at that price who can afford a whole glass on a regular basis anyway!  

So, the other major option is powdered milk.  It works out to cost about $4 a gallon or so and you have to mix up batches of it to keep in your fridge or by the glassful.  The taste is....well you know if you've ever had powered milk while camping or something.  It's...ok. 

Yogurt and ice cream, they do have them here, but they are very pricey.  Cheese is decently affordable so we do eat that as well so we can get enough calcium

But as much as I am bummed about the lack of milk here in Boa Vista, I can't imagine living in Venezuela.  When we went over the border a few weeks ago (where powered and box milk is usually much cheaper) the city was completely OUT!  Maybe that's why the cereal was so abundant :)

Anyway, so when you pour yourself a large glass of fresh milk with dinner tonight, drink one for us too!

Flights Underway

 This morning three of our pilots and both of our airplanes headed out the hangar doors.  Both were headed to villages to transport native leaders back home after big Bible conferences.  Lauro (left) just went for the day, but Heber and Jeyson will spend several days in this process.  They will be based out of one village and the plane will take off each morning to bring the leaders to various other villages (you can see some of the locations on the map below).

 These Bible conferences are a big deal to the leaders and they themselves pay for the flights to be part of it.  It is exciting to serve them, knowing just how much they get out of being together with other believers, even if just once a year.

Preparing the plane

Meanwhile Elijah and I are holding down the fort in Boa Vista.  Please pray for our safety (as well as for the pilots!) as this our first time alone in this new neighborhood and town.

Venezuela Getaway

This weekend we had a stellar time crossing over the border to Venezuela.  We left Boa Vista Friday afternoon and drove two hours up breathtaking, windy roads to the Brazilian boarder town of Pacaraima.  Friday night we stayed with a missionary couple that we recently met and had a relaxing and encouraging time with them.  It was just fun to get out of Boa Vista and get up to the cooler mountain climate for a change of pace and speak in English!  Pacaraima is incredibly small!  It almost had a mountain village feel to it.  The couple, Eric and Donna, had tons of fun stories to share.  They have 8 kids and several grandkids who live in the US. 

The next day in Venezuela was an adventure!  The culture was surprisingly different than in Brazil and the fact that the government controls many of the industries had an impact on life.  For example, the government controls many of the food industries, which resulted in the entire city being out of milk, flour, coffee, sugar, and other products.  Gas is also run by the government which meant there was only 1 gas station in the whole town.  The good news is gas is SUPER cheap (compared to Brazil especially!)  It was less than $1 per gallon, where in Brazil it is over $6!  So TONS of cars and trucks come from Brazil to Venezuela to fill up.  Many Brazilians even make a living of coming over to Venezuela in trucks with enormous modified gas tanks to fill up on gas to resell illegally in Brazil.  And they just keep getting in the line over and over all day!  So as you can imagine, the lines are SOOOOO long!  You have to wait across the street in a parking lot to even get called over to the gas station.  In the parking lot, there were people walking around selling snacks to people waiting in line.  We came at a good time and were like the 8th car in the diesel line (the gas line had 198 cars in it....really!  The cars were numbered!).  But it still took us almost an hour to get gas since people come with such huge gas tanks.   

Here is the diesel waiting lot

Finally filling up!

Since many of the items in the stores in Venezuela were in short supply, it was pretty wild to go shopping.  It felt like black Friday, except people were diving for packages of laundry soap :)  Almost everything was cheaper in Venezuela than in Brazil so we stocked up on diapers and bleach and spaghetti.

But what was really fun was finding a lot of items we miss from the US that we can't get in Brazil.  Cans of mushrooms, packs of oreos, Heinz ketchup, and boxes of name brand cereal (corn flakes, raisin bran) for cheap!!  There was also a bakery that had lots of pastries like ones Jeyson misses from Ecuador...and donuts!  It was tons of fun just discovering everything.  There were tons of shops we didn't have time to go in and a Chinese restaurant!  But our new friends have made us feel welcome to return, so we definitely plan to!  It was just so much fun to get out of this tiny tiny town and feel refreshed by the cooler climate, kind new friends, and many layers of cultural fun and food!  Definitely a winner weekend!  I am loving living on the border of different countries!

Connected!!!

We're back online and all I can say is WOHOO!!

There is only one internet company in town and they didn't have any lines available in our neighborhood for 2 months!  And, as of only yesterday, we are plugged in!  Internet may seem like a small thing, but only when I was without it did I realize how many areas of my life were affected.  

I wasn't able to:

- Respond to emails

- Send our regular update emails

- Blog

- Talk to my family on Skype

- Look up recipe ideas, and more importantly ingredient substitution info since there are many ingredients we don't have here!

- Access our bank account/keep up with our budget

- See my sister's wedding pictures!

-Research videos to be used in my childbirth classes

To just name a few off the top of my head!  I did a little dance around the kitchen when I got word we were getting plugged in.  Hello world!  We're back!  Now if only I can catch up...

Settling In

I haven’t meant to be on blog-cation, but we still don’t have the internet at our house so blog-cation happened to me. There is only one internet company in town and we’re currently on a waiting list for a line to open up.  I’m over at a missionary friend’s house so I thought I’d take the time to catch up a little.  So much has happened since I last posted.

We moved into our rental home and have purchased the basics to make it work.  Although this sounds like a small task, if you’ve ever moved to another city you know how overwhelming it can be when you don’t even know where to begin looking for a washer, fridge, table, and more.  Now multiply that by 3 for the fact that we live where that is definitely no one stop shopping or even parking lots, and that’s how crazy its’ been.  But with each thing hunted for and crossed off our list, we feel much more at home, comfortable, less stressed, and settled.  I can’t tell you how great it feels to be on the UNPACKING and GETTING SETTLED side of things, instead of working to pack and be less settled!  So it’s been fun in a way.

It is SUPER hot here!  The funny thing is it’s not that much hotter than a hot, humid day in August, but since people here only use a/c during the night (its too expensive otherwise) it feel much hotter than any Aug day I’ve ever experienced.  When I cook, the kitchen is literally 95 degrees and 70% humidity!  Good thing we have an ice cream maker for a yummy way to stay cool!  I’m also learning to cook well before we eat and then reheat the food.  Although it’s not any cooler a few hours before dinner, at least it gives the kitchen (and me!) a chance to cool down before eating so the meal is more enjoyable. 

Jeyson has settled right into his job as the shop manager.  He has a ton of work to do to get things in order.  Since the team here has been understaffed for all that is required in running a base, the job has been neglected and there is a lot to do to get things set up.  The head pilot from the base will be going on furlough in July and Aug so when he returns Jeyson will begin training to fly to each of the villages.  That’s fine by him though as he wants to get the shop in order before he begins flying.  The guys just completed the 200 hour inspection on one of the planes, which is the biggest routine inspection/maintenance done at this base.

Believe it or not, I have already found an expectant mother to minister to using my childbirth education classes.  I was really praying about how I would develop relationships with women in the community, and this opportunity fell right into my lap.  I hope this will open even more doors in the community and will not only minister to her physical needs during this time of pregnancy/birth but minister to her on a deeper level. 

We have met our next-door neighbors and they seem really interested in getting together more.  Ever since we lived in our first house as a couple, we have always baked something and brought it over to our neighbors as a way to introduce ourselves.  We’re always so pleased to see the relationships that form as a result.  We are praying that we can connect more with this family.

We just purchased a truck.  We shared with our supporters the need that we have for reliable transportation that can easily handle the rougher conditions of the roads in Brazil, and specifically in this new area.  We are blessed to raise the funds we needed and found the perfect used truck for a good price with low mileage and in good condition.  Thank you so much for those of you who were part of making that possible! 

Well there’s so much more I could share to catch up, but I’ll keep it at that for now.  I will post as I can depending on my internet access.

Here's a few pics of the past month

Driving on the british side of the road when we went to Guyana 

Floor in our local supermarket

Local fish shop

Flying to Boa Vista

Unpacking

Shopping for a couch...this was the whole store!

With my sisters on my whirlwind trip to the US for my youngest sister's wedding 

Outside the Asas hangar

Street view

A little car problem to keep things interesting! 

Feeling more organized and at home

Grilling some fish

While taking some pictures by the river we met this guy who builds boats out of everything...including the top of a VW bus!

The boat builder taking a dip

Such a simple house by the river

Home Sweet Home

Well here it is...our new home sweet home in Boa Vista.  Jeyson searched all over the city and found this home for us.  The neighborhood is far from pretty, but the home is really pleasant and refreshing.  It even has a coconut and mango tree!  

Kitchens here don't come with any appliances, but this one actually came with a few cabinets, which is unusual!

 The past few days we've been staying with friends from the mission and going to the house during the day to clean (it is covered in dust and dirt!!!) and shopping for a fridge, washing machine, and stove, which are the very basics to be able to move in.  This afternoon Jeyson went over to the house and worked on setting up our dressers, beds, etc so that Elijah and I could even be comfortable and unpack a bit.  Before, we were at a standstill since we had nothing to unpack INTO.  Jeyson stayed overnight so he could work late into the night and get a jump start tomorrow.  Tomorrow Elijah and I will join him and hopefully we'll finally dig into our boxes and put things away a bit.  It's going to be a slow process, especially with a toddler underfoot, but at least we're finally in the getting settled process.

The last major surprise moving hoop to jump through (we hope!!!) is that our car that we sent from Anapolis has not arrived yet.  As you may remember, we sent our old VW bug to Boa Vista which Jeyson will drive around the town and we'll in the coming months pick out a car that will do better on long distances and that I will drive day to day.  Anyway, we were basically waiting on the car to arrive (was supposed to happen Friday) in order to move in so we could still leave the house when needed without depending on others to get us, etc.  Then, the car was supposed to arrive Saturday.  No problem. Then today (Monday), ok can handle this.  THEN, today we got word that the truck hauling our car, which was on it's last leg coming from Manaus (7 hour trip), broke down.  Our car is now on another trucked headed BACK to Manuas only to get sent later in the week.  This is going to make it a challenge to move in, but we really want to get a bit settled before I leave for the wedding on Saturday and we are just sick of transition so we're going for it and moving in even without a car.  We'll have to take a cab or whatever around town and there's a tiny market near the house so we should be able to make it work.  Jeyson has been amazing, walking all around town even when needed in order to resolve stuff.  It's in moments of trial and stress that I realize all the more what an awesome, hard working husband I have!  Not to mention he has the job of keeping me calm :)

So, we had a very weird mothers day.  We went to our house and worked on cleaning it up for 3 hours.  Then we snapped a few pics, had lunch with our friends, took a nap, walked over to an ice cream shop for a scoop, and went to church at night with our friends.  

The transition of the past few weeks have been hard on Elijah.  He's slept in so many beds and eaten at all different times and all different foods.  He's a bit thrown off so I can't wait to get him settled and give him a better day.  He is the sunshine in our lives though and we are just so incredibly thankful to God for entrusting his precious life to us.  Here's a few pics from last year's mothers day and this year.  Where has the time gone?  

I thought I'd swat down for a picture so that with Elijah standing up, we'd be the same height.  So much for that plan....when I squatted, so did he :)

Finally Some Pics

What a week of change this as been....SO SO much change.  At least we're seeing light at the end of this huge transition though!

Monday we kicked off the week with a sending off moment from our base in Anapolis during the devotional time.  It was really interesting to hear them tell a little of our story of our time at this base.  It made me really think about just how faithful God has been over the past 8 years here (counting Jeyson's  years before I joined him) and just how clear His leading has been when looking back on it.  

Left, Jeyson's main flight instructor and right, the director of operations

 Monday we ran after last minute items and Tuesday we met and oriented the couple who will be renting our home.  Tuesday afternoon Jeyson headed to Boa Vista.  Elijah and I stayed in our house wrapping things up until Thursday.  I had some help and together we scrubbed our house and emptied out last minute things that were bought (fridge, dressers, etc).  I even sent last minute things in the fridge along with it since I no longer had anywhere to store them :)  Anyway, Thursday afternoon I headed over to stay with a friend in Anapolis and we had a few days to say last minute goodbyes and wrap up miscellaneous and endless to-dos.  Although I was sad to leave our home, it was kind of a relief in a way.  I feel so light traveling just with a suitcase and having everything done.  Now I'm over at my in-laws in Goiania relaxing with Elijah.

Meanwhile, Jeyson is calling regularly with updates on house hunting.  He has seen about 10 houses and at this point doesn't have any leads on any others.  We're down to two main options, both of which have pros and cons.  We're praying for wisdom to choose between the options and would really like to make a decision tonight so we can move forward with closing the deal tomorrow.  Elijah and I are arriving Friday and we'd all love to go straight to our new home, especially because I"ll be leaving for my sister's wedding in just 11 days!

Although I'm relaxed over at my in-laws, I feel like it's hard to let my action stance down.  I've been running 100 mph and know it will start again soon as I get to Boa Vista, so it's kind of weird and hard to just relax for a few ays in the middle, but we're trying our best!  Just talking with Jeyson on the phone I'm happier than ever that he went ahead of Elijah and me.  Really, Elijah being here playing is SO much better and easier than driving around in sweltering heat after home options.  Plus it allowed us to close up our house much more calmly.

These few picks are not from this week, but here are a few things that have gone on.

My super good friend, Camila, (who is also with Asas but serves in another base) came to town to visit her frailly for a few days.  It was so fun to catch up and encourage each other and so fun to see our boys, who are only a few weeks apart, play together

The other day Jeyson was washing his motorcycle to sell and Elijah joined in.  He loves his dad and wants to do all of the manly things Jeyson does.  It's so fun to watch

This little boy has been such a blessing in our lives!