10 Days

That's how many days we have until our moving truck comes by.  It's not like the US where you actually get a REAL date...like something to mark on your calendar.  But apparently the truck driver got in touch with the moving company and passed by the word that he should be coming by Anapolis in about 10 days.

Just to clear things up, we are NOT leaving for Boa Vista in 10 days.  We will be going in April, but sending our belongings on ahead.  They will take about 2 months to arrive, but if they do happen to get there before us, no problem!  They will just be stored and we'll get set up all the more quickly when we arrive.

But the truck coming makes my heart have a little tornado of emotions.  

Ready - So many years of anticipation have lead up to this event finally taking place

Excited - We are just so thrilled to get to be part of the team in Boa Vista and serve in the ministry there.  We can't wait to get started.  We are also excited to get settled after our long nomadic journey this year.

Nervous - Change just makes me nervous.  We'll have a new routine, new church, new friends, new responsibilities, new supermarket, and so much more.

Afraid - So many "What if's" and unknowns about those new things I just mentioned.  I admit it makes me scared...something I am working through and praying about.

Trusting - God already knows what things will be like, so deep down I trust that whatever is "behind the curtain" is going to be for our good and His best

Sad - I feel so sad to leave behind wonderful friendships, our home, Jeyson's family, and everything I love about life here

Stressed - We still have SO much to do to get ready!  Just 10 days???  Is this some type of practical joke?

Confident - I know that it will all come together.  It's just a matter of time and one way or another everything will be on the truck and on it's way.  Sort of like a big end of the semester paper that's due.  You know one or another it's going to get done even if it means a few all nighters.  Fortunately we won't even get a grade on this!

Relieved - I'm so glad the truck is actually going to come!  I was starting to get concerned since we hadn't heard any solid answers until now!

Happy - Even though we'll soon be living in a nearly empty house, we'll be happy to focus on our other to-dos without tripping over boxes.

Ready - Yes I already said this one, but I guess that's our underlying feeling.  Yes, we feel sad and nervous and stressed and all the other things mentioned.  But when it all boils down, we feel ready.  God has made this move clear so there is no reason to not go.  There is no reason to stay.  So, we're ready.  Ready, set, GO!

Why this Move is Tricky...

Packing is officially underway in the Braun household.  Some boxes have been packed and even some wooden boxes have been made for some of the heavier duty items.  We have already gone through a roll of packing tape and have tossed a bunch of excess stuff.  Our house is torn apart. There are boxes in our guest shower.  It's been madness.

Here is is the pile of boxes behind me where I am typing

And here is our "packing station" supplies and items needing to be packed are in the carport

As I mentioned in the last post, this is no ordinary move.  We are going to the Amazon after all.  But there's a few reasons that this move is especially challenging.  

1. Rain - It is rainy season here, meaning there is a huge storm every day pretty much.  Since we don't have a dryer, it is very difficult to pack items that need to be washed first since it's almost impossible to get them to dry thoroughly.  

2.  Uncertain date - It's a long story, but basically we have no idea when the truck that will pick up our stuff will actually be here.  Apparently it is making it's way down from northern Brazil and will pick up and drop off stuff all the way down to Sao Paulo and then turn around going back up north picking and dropping off stuff and ours will be one of the stops.  We will basically get a call one day when the truck is getting close and we have to be ready!  It could be days or weeks from now.  Meaning...we have to pack up now just in case we get the big call!

3.   Mildew - Since our stuff will be in boxes such a long time and it is so humid here and in the Amazon, we have to make sure our stuff is all packed in plastic inside the boxes so nothing gets wet and mildew doesn't grow.

4.  Time Gap - Since it will take about 2 months from the time our stuff is picked up until we get it, it's very tricky to know what to pack (what we can function around the house without), yet we can't leave too much out because we won't have any other way to get it there except for our suitcases!

5. Jostling - Our boxes will likely loaded and unloaded and rearranged in the truck many times as many more pick ups and drop offs will be made for others along the way (not to mention floating down the river) so we have to pack things very well to be able to handle lots of jostling

6.  This guy -

Yep and then there's this little guy.  He makes packing quite difficult.  Elijah's all about being all over whatever we're doing.  We put something in a box and when we turn our backs, it's out again!  Oh my!  We also are distracted getting the insurance approval and bloodwork for his surgery which has been distracting from packing.  Tomorrow is the big day though, so hopefully after his recovery we'll be more focused.

We're Moving...to the Amazon!

We just met with our mission's leadership yesterday to finalize the details of our next "assignment"  and.... drumroll please........we've accepted a long term position at our mission's base in Boa Vista, Brazil!  

It has been quite the journey of sifting through options we were given to find the right fit for our family, and after much prayer and counsel, we are not only at peace, but excited!

Boa Vista is a city of 250,000 in the middle of nowhere in the Amazon.  You can't even get there from our current town by road and it is about 12 hours from the nearest major city! You can see on this map below how far we will be from our current city (point A on the map)....it's about 1,500 miles away.  The culture and environment of living in the Amazon region is practically like moving to another country.  There are MANY big changes ahead, but we are really excited!

  Serving directly in the Amazon area has been our goal ever since we started out on this journey with our mission in 2005.  So, away we go...and FAST!  Our mission has asked us to be there by April or sooner.  Our heads are spinning with details!

Us helping to load an airplane in Boa Vista that was preparing to fly out to a village

One of the reasons we're so excited to serve in Boa Vista is that ALL of the flights from this base are to tribes...bringing supplies and transportation to missionaries serving native people groups.  We have both been to Boa Vista before and we were passionately captivated by the ministry there and are thrilled to be able to invest our lives in this way!  Take a look at this and this blog post to read more about our trip there a few years ago.

Street vender in Boa Vista

The base in Boa Vista is greatly in need of more missionaries.  The team right now is only 3 couples and it is spread so thin!  Us and one other couple really feel compelled by the need and are going to help carry the load.

In Boa Vista we will have similar roles to what we have now.  

Jeyson will be serving through maintenance (his new skills will be especially useful in this remote location!) and he will get specialized training for each unique landing strip in the different villages.  He will serve as a co-pilot until he is ready, and then fly on his own to these villages.

I will be helping with the administration and ministering to women as God opens doors for new relationships. 

Asas de Socorro's hangar in Boa Vista

On the shore of one of the Amazon River's tributaries

 Since I mentioned that you can't get from Anapolis to Boa Vista by road (you can't really drive through the Amazon rainforest!), you might be wondering how in the world we're going to move there.   Let me tell you about the crazy logistics involved!

When we talk about moving to Boa Vista, we are NOT talking about renting a U-haul and hitching it to the back of a car.  Oh no…this is a LOT more intense of a move.  Since you can't get there by road, we are selling our car and many of our belongings and packing the essentials into crates.  These crates will be loaded into a truck and driven three days on rough roads to the beginning of the Amazon.  Then, the crates will be put on a barge and sent up river.  Lastly, they will be put on another truck and driven another few days to Boa Vista.  In total the move will take about 45-60 days!  Fortunately, we will be going by airline and meet our belongings on the other end!

Once we do arrive in Boa Vista, we will stay at a guesthouse for a few days as we search for a home to rent.  (It is impossible to do that online here.)  We will need to repurchase many of the basic items will leave behind in Anapolis, such as a refrigerator, a/c window units, and even kitchen cabinets, since homes in Brazil do no come with any of those items.  We will also need to search for a new vehicle, hopefully something that is able to handle Amazon roads. 

Phew!!!  Please pray for us…this can all be a bit much to think about, never mind actually DO!

The costs involved the move are high.  Between trucking/shipping our stuff, repurchasing some items we can't bring, and buying a vehicle, we are looking at a need of about $15,000 (even after selling some items here and using funds we have been saving for a move).  

That's where we would love for you to come in.  

Would you consider joining us on our journey up the Amazon to the place God has called us by helping us meet this financial need?

Would you consider:

1. Giving a one time gift of any amount to help us towards the $15,000 we need for the move?  Every bit will be a huge blessing to us!

2. Joining our ongoing support team?  

The cost of living in Boa Vista is substantially higher than in Anapolis as everything is shipped in and so costs more.  We are in need of more regular supporters that we can count on for any amount to meet our living expenses.

If you are interested in giving (one time or ongoing), to give online  please click here to get to the Mission Aviation Fellowship giving page.    Or to give by check click here and scroll down for info.  

Questions?  Please contact us at JeysonStephanie@yahoo.com

Whether you are able to give of not, would you please join us by praying for us as we have a million and one details to work out?  Financial and logistical.  Would you commit to praying for us faithfully until we settle in April?

Lots more blog posts and updates coming as we get ready for the journey ahead.  Stay tuned and live vicariously through us on this blog if you've ever wondered what it would be like to pack up everything and move to the Amazon.  We will soon find out!!

You Know You're Back in Brazil When...

- You have pizza with onions, peppers, ham, and hard boiled eggs on it for dinner

- You go to your local bakery and at the checkout realize you forgot to put Brazilian Reais in your wallet and the cashier/owner says not to worry, you can stop by and pay tomorrow.

- It has been raining or drizzling non-stop since you arrived 2 1/2 days ago

- You swerve around potholes that could swallow your car whole!

- You hug and kiss everyone you see again...including your child's pediatrician

- You have to stop by three different stores in order to cross every item off your grocery list

We're here and settling in.  It is wonderful to be back, but yet at the same time so strange and different.  There are so many things to readjust to, from speaking Portuguese to driving stick shift, to constantly mopping up your floors since they get so muddy in rainy season.  I feel like a clumsy kid as I remember everything!  The highlight  has been seeing our friends and coworkers again...oh and sleeping in OUR bed :)  Even though Brazil is a much harder place to live in than the US conveniences-wise, we have a strong sense of joy being here, knowing this is exactly where God wants us.  

It is really good to be home!  

Stay tuned as tomorrow we meet with the leaders of our mission to nail down some details of our new upcoming assignment!

Unexpectedly in the E.R.

4 days before traveling to Brazil we did not imagine we would find ourselves in the ER, but that's where we were.  Here's what happened:

- Monday evening (after arriving in CA from AZ) Elijah was sitting with Jeyson and Elijah started screaming. He was completely inconsolable.  

- We tried offering things to him, distracting him, etc but he just kept crying.  

- We decided to check him out all over and found a thumb sized bulge on his lower belly/upper groin area.

- We decided to go right away to urgent care. 

- At urgent care the doctor told us it was a hernia.  We were shocked to find out that hernias in baby boys are actually pretty common, but if they cause pain and can't be pushed back in they can require emergency surgery.  

- The doctor tried to push it back in, but couldn't get it back in all the way because Elijah was crying so much from not wanting to be laying on the table and touched by the doctor.  

- It was all a very emotional and scary experience, and we hadn't eaten anything before we went so I started feeling faint!  The staff even had to bring me a juice and have me put my head down so I didn't faint!

- The doctor said that since it wasn't going in completely we should go to the emergency room and that Elijah might need emergency surgery.  He was also nice enough to only charge us $60 instead of the usual $130 at the urgent care.

- We drove over to the emergency room which was PACKED!  We gave Elijah's name and settled in to wait to be called.  As an hour or two passed Elijah suddenly perked up, started smiling at everyone and clowning around.  We checked the hernia and it was back in!  

- We talked to the nurse who told us there wouldn't be anything for the doctor to do or say since it went back in, so we went home.  Big sigh of relief!  But not for long...

- The next morning, the hernia popped back out again.  This time Elijah didn't seem to notice at all and it wasn't causing him any pain.  We applied pressure like the doctor had told us to and it went back in.  But then it happened again and again and again.  It was such an emotional roller coaster!  

- Finally we decided to go back to the ER and get seen.  We just didn't feel comfortable traveling without being sure that Elijah didn't need more treatment right away.  We needed medical advice.

- So we checked in at 11am and finally got seen and sent to ultraound around 4pm and then seen by the doctor for results around 7pm.

- In the end, the doctors told us we were ok to travel but should get surgery in Brazil as soon as possible.  We already have an appointment for Monday with his pediatrician.

- Throughout the whole day Elijah didn't get a nap or food (in case we needed surgery) and we were confided to a small curtained in area, but he was so good.  So patient and sweet, considering.  The worst was during the ultrasound the doctor wanted us to make him cry so that he would tense up his belly.  It was even hard to get him to cry since he was being so calm and good...so sad to have to upset him!

- So as we head out this morning for Brazil we are praying that if the hernia comes out that it won't get stuck out like it did the first time.  Coming in and out is ok, but getting stuck would mean we need immediate medical help (a big problem on a plane!) but we feel confident that the decision to go is ok since we did see the ER doctors.

- In the end the ER trip was long, exhausting, and (I'm sure it will be) expensive trip.  But worthwhile to get the medical advice we needed in our extreme situation.  It was a real moment of feeling the responsibility of being parents and naturally doing whatever is necessary to take care of the little life we were entrusted with.  We feel we did and are doing the right thing considering the situation and trusting God to take care of us the rest of the way.  

-Please pray for us as we travel!

Last Stop

Phew!  We made it back to California, our 10th and final leg of this journey.  Our time in Arizona was incredibly refreshing and we feel ready to be back in Brazil.  In fact, we're starting to feel downright excited!  

We are back in California because we fly back to Brazil from here.  We will spend the next few days here enjoying a bit more time with Jeyson's brother and family and Friday afternoon we head out.  

Getting to Anapolis will take 3 plane rides, bringing Elijah's total number of individual flights to 14.  That means he will have been up in the air more times than he is months old!  

The flight itinerary is the following:

Los Angeles to Mexico City (3.5 hr flight)

3 hour layover and customs/immigration

Mexico City to Sao Paulo, Brazil (9.5 hr flight)

5 hour layover and customs/immigration AGAIN!

Sao Paulo to Goiania, Brazil (1.5 hour flight)

Drive to Anapolis (1 hour)

While I'm excited to be back in Brazil, I'm not so excited about all the mental, physical, and emotional effort involved in saying goodbye and actually going through the motions of each step of the traveling.  It will take about 24 hours in total from door to door.   So keep praying for traveling grace for us!  We will need it!