Home Sweet Home

Ummm...isn't Enzo cute? Anyway, it seems like it has been a while since I have talked to many of you. I am not trying to ignore you; I promise! This past weekend I have moved into my nest and I really think the chaos will never end! As soon as I get some pictures to show you guys I will post them. I think i am really going to like it. I hope Enzo does too. In a previous blog he talked about all the anticipation he has; how he wonders what it will be like; will he have friends; and so on. I know I probably don't have them to the same degree he does but I just can't stop thinking that if he comes here and hates it, it is all my fault:( No pressure Paige! We really need prayer in this area. Right now I am in the process of trying to a good church in this area. So hopefully that will happen and then other things will fall into place as well.

Friends Remind Us Of How We Needa Trust God, Don't They?

Hello "everybody" who's been reading this blogger...

I NEED to mention the fact that I had a very good conversation with Jon McElam some days ago; it really helped me get out of this "depressed mood"... He reminded me of the simple, but always forgotten fact that everything is in God's hands. Even though this is truth we struggle to prove it wrong and have a hard time admiting we'll never be able to do it...

...and it is in situations like Paige and mine's that we can test this truth to its limits, man we know that huh Paige??? We've come a long way...

I've been feeling much more comfortable with the whole thing right now... I don't feel it like a burden or anything. Of course there are times I do, but thank God for the FRIENDS I have (who He gave me). These times are only brief moments of dispair and selfcenteredness in which I forget there's a God out there looking after me... and Paige...

Man, I really wanna thank all my friends, my faithful friends for everything...

Does this sound cheesy? I'm sorry... hehehe

Is this woman smart or what? What a lucky man I am... she has the biggest heart on earth!!! Too bad she also can have the worst mood ever! (just kidding) I am the winner on that one hahaha...
I really wanted to know when all this whole process thing would be finished, you know? I'm tired of anticipating feelings and emotions, feeling angry,frustratated, nervous and sad and...! I wanna just jump right into the moment when i'll have to deal with the real stuff (you know what I mean?) and it not just be imaginary scenarios... I'm tired of trying to imagine what it will be like when it is all over; I´m tired of feeling exhausted trying not to imagine stupid lil' things like... "what kinda questions will they ask me at the consulate?" or"am I gonna like that country?" or "will I have friends in the States?" or "what is it gonna be like having my family kilometers (yes, I measure things in Km) away?" ... I mean I am the kinda guy who anticipates feelings, whether they are good or bad...
well forget this...
Hey Paigie, I like the dogs, mmm good legs uh?
hehehe

Bye,
the Latin-Blooded Stud

by the way Paige, we need to start signing the post so they'll recognize who's posting here.. I know we have different styles and diferent languages and stuff but, you know... (maybe I will write in azuk)

Bruise Almighty!

One more thing... I was thinking today how I got my dog Bruiuser a little over a year ago. He was severly abused with terrible cigerette burns and weighed half of what he should have. So I started to look at some pictures and I was amazed at how much he has changed in just one year. Take a look at these pics...

For the past however many so years I have been told that in ministry one should focus primarily on choosing leaders so that those leaders in turn will choose other leaders. This creating a radical cycle that will impact the world with the Gospel. I must admit is a great idea. As many of you know I am a Special Ed. teacher. My days consist of sorting colors, doing simple addition problems, and viewing the world through the eyes of not only a child but one who is significantly below average intelligence. One student particularly, Lucy (this is not really her name but for privacy reasons I will call her this), has changed my life forever. At first glance she is not what I have been taught is a leader. She has down syndrome and probably will need help from people the rest of her life. But ironically, people love this child. I have never seen a child so loved before in my life. She walks into a room and people are drawn to her. I started thinking about how she could have more followers than I have ever dreamed of having. Why is this? It is as simple as the fact that she has been stripped of all but love. She cares for people and she loves you no matter what you look like, what kind of education you may have, how many possesions you own, etc... I went to a conference a while ago and it was talking about leaders and changing the world for Christ. The speakers were all CEOs and businessmen. There were no teachers, no cubicle employees, and certainly no Wal MArt or McDonald's workers. After meeting Lucy, she has changed my life forever on who I need to spend my time with. People like her are the leaders of our future.
Anywho, more updates on me and Enzo...still no news on the visa. I went to a party yesterday with my family it was really cute because there was one empty spot at the table and my mom said that seat is reserved for Enzo. She really loves him. She constantly brags about his ligustic abilities.About every 5 minutes during the party someone would come up to me and ask when he will arrive in the States. My dad was observing my reaction and then told me that I just need to make up a day to satisfy everyone. He said they will probably forget anyways. hehehe...So we came up with this...he will be arriving in the USA Feb 12th and we will be getting married on Apr.3rd. It has been great living at home because my parents have in a little way have been experiencing this with me. Dad's in shock at how many times a day I answer those questions.
On Saturday I am beginning to build my own nest. I will be living right off of HWY 575 in Avonlea Apartments (www.avonleaattownelake.com). Enzo and I have discussed how we really would love for our friends to come and stay with us. So think about!

mmmmm... poor Paige, she's the only one posting here... well I don't know whether I write my posts in Portuguese (Portuguese is a direct modern descendant of Latin, the vernacular Latin of the Roman soldier and colonist rather than the classical Latin of the cultured Roman citizen.) or English (The modern English language is a direct descendant of Old English, a tingue of Germanic tribes who invaded Britain in the 5th century. The language acquired its present day form in the 16th century.).
Bom, acho que vou escrever nos dois idiomas.
Estou bem apreensivo quanto ao processo todo. Sabe, eu também compartilho dos recentimentos da Paige quanto ao órgão da imigração Americano. A Paige já disse tudo o que eu diria sobre o assunto resumidamente. Não me sinto em um momento muito adequado para dizer nada, pois se eu o fizesse seria por ressentimento.
Prefiro simplesmente "tentar" confiar em Deus. Pedir a Ele forças para que eu e a Paige nos mantenhamos calmos durante esse processo tão angustiante. Tudo o que temos que fazer agora é esperar. E esperar pela recompensa que Deus nos dará.Peço que orem por nós, MUITO!
Ainda terei que enfrentar muitas mudanças ao mesmo tempo após esse processo todo (mudança de país, adaptação lá, nova vida, casamento, distância da família a qual sou muito apegado, etc). Por favor, orem por mim.
My family has been very nice about it all, they LOVE Paige, specially my mom ;)The only thing my mom doesn't like is the fact that I'm gonna move away from her, I mean from the COUNTRY! But she'll get used to it. And the airlines are gonna love it too ;)!!
Man, I love this woman!! Even though I don't know how to show that sometimes (sometimes = most of the times). The bad thing is that Paige, being "the girl", has to deal with all this "documentational" crap and carry this load right now because she is the American and the American governemnt wants their citizens to deal with all of this. Man, this girl loves me, uh? (I bet she is embarassed right now, hehehe)... Oh, but she'll have her reward: A Handsome Intelligent Funny Cool Charming Latin Lover... who is besides all that: HUMBLE... ;)
Hey I don't know why Paige loves capoeira so much, I never did. But I confess I lvoe martial arts (and do Tae Kwon-do) and it would be really nice to see her doing capoeira. Então eu estou colocando aqui umas fotos de TKD só para contrastar com a foto da capoeira da Paige.
Um abraço...
ENZO...

Capoeira huh?

Honestly, I am really not in the mood to do this right now. Who the heck knows why I am doing it? But here is a little update for you on the "Getting Enzo into the country" situation. If you have read my previous blogs you can see that we filed towards the end of September. Well, I was thinking yesterday that it was kinda weird that we haven't received a receipt number to keep track of our case online yet; so I called to find out what was going on. And believe it or not ( I know this is shocking) I got an automated voice service. After trying many different numbers that were directing me to many different places, I finally found where it said that we may not even receive our receipt number for four weeks after I have mailed it there. I should've known. I really wonder if these people who run these services realize they are dealing with peoples lives. I wonder what it feels like to hold a sheet of paper in your hand and have the power to change their life forever. They must not realize what power they have because sometimes it seems inhumane to do the things they do. So many people have said that the biggest struggle Enzo and I will face is the culture barriers. The more time goes by I see that our biggest struggle isn't this but really is the place I have called home since I was born. It is the place I have placed trust in. It is has been my protector.
I spent the day in a gym watching a Brazilian martial arts called Capoeira. Most of the people taking the class were of course Brazilian. Something about being with those people was comforting and refreshing. I hate it that the people most like myself I don't like being around! Maybe I am meant to live overseas and away from this land I use to hold so dear to my heart.

Last night at church the speaker spoke on how our inadequacy is a great place to be. He talked about how him and his wife tried for years to have babies. They tried adoption and medical assistance but nothing came through for them. Finally he decided to quit being a sissy and stop praying for God's glory and pray for what he wanted. He quit with the jargon that had previously had taken control of his prayer life and became real. He prayed for 2 twin sons to come open for adoption. I think it was sometime that day or that week that he recieved a phone call from an adoption agency that said there were 2 twin sons that needed a family. The inadequacy of fertility was what brought him closer to God. He had no control and could do nothing to fix the situation. After church me, Carolyn, Allison, and their co-worker Leah went out for some Mexican. Allison asked me how things were going on the engagement and all I could do was think about the sermon I had just heard. We are in complete inadeqaucy. God has not equipped us to fix our situation. If He had, the problem would be long gone and we would be completely happy. Maybe God is telling us something. Another thing that was mentioned in the talk was Ex.14:21-22...21 "Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, 22 and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left." The speaker went on to talk about how weird that would be to walk through the sea like the Isralites did. It would be a complete trust issue as you walk through and know that at any minute the walls of water surrounding you could come tumbling down drowning you, your family, and your friends. I wonder if I am walking through a wall of water with nothing to help myself but just trusting God. If not, am I where I should be?

We filed last week! Our lawyer said it could take up to 6 months for the approval but we are hoping it won't be that long. If you go to this website you can keep track of what day they are processing... https://egov.immigration.gov/cris/jsps/Processtimes.jsp?SeviceCenter=Texas ...Just scroll down and you can see the one for the "Petition for Alien Fiance." As of right now they are processing dates that were turned in July 7th. So they are about 3 months behind. Actually, that isn't too bad. Some visas are years behind!