4th Day in Brazil - 2009

Churrasquinho time! Elder bought some meat to cook for us as a family churrasco. We picked him and the churrasqueira at his house and brought it to my mom's, to be joined by his wife and kid later.

Fun...

Later, we went to the church some of our friends go to downtown. We met some good ol' friends like César (Didi), Jon Elam and Thiaguinho.

3rd Day in Braziil - 2009

We woke up early to go to the hippe fair with Edna and Evie. We bought some presents for a few friends. If you don't get one, well, you know... ;)

Frustrating fact: our credit cards didn't work. We had to call Visa to set them up for international travel (which we never had to do before - Korea, China, Brazil, Italy, etc. - and assumed they would work).

Roseane and her husband came to pick us up to go to her new apartment. We stayed there until around 6pm and went to Edna's house for a while. I watched MJ videos and played guitar hero with Felipe while Paige, my mom and Edna talked and watched Evie, of course.

We stopped at the pizza place on the way back from Edna's. And, of course, my mom and Edna had to complain about us taking Evie (asleep with a hoodie jacket, socks and pants on) to a place like that). Brazilians are funny about babies, I don't remember how it was when my newphews and nieces were little, but it can get annoying...

2nd Day in Brazil - 2009

Today we went to the mall (Big Shopping) with Felipe so I could buy sandals. Felipe was big help for Paige whenever she went with Evie to the diaper change area. Earlier we had stopped by the notary public to try and work on some documents (frustrated attemp). Nonetheless, Felipe was also of GREAT help, playing with Evie as we sat at the desk to talk to the girl serving us.

Finally in Brazil

We finally got to Brazil after a 9-hour flight with Evie. She slept the whole time. Charming everyone on the plane and at the airports (we had a connection flight from São Paulo to Belo Horizonte), Evie seems to have enjoyed the ride. She likes being on the go.

Even on the plane Brazilians were looking at her and asking us: "isn't she cold?" When we got to my mom's house we still heard that one for a while until they gave up. Even when she has jackets on! LOL.

Elder had rented a car to pick us up at the airport. He and my mom had been there for a couple of hours waiting for us.

We were tired and didn't hang out with anyone, really. I only went to Roberto's gym for a few minutes...

Bath Time!

Evie is changing so much everyday but one of the big things is bath time. She has always LOVED baths. I think it has always been a relaxing time for her. Lately however she is discovering how much fun a bath can be. I think next bath we are going to have to put her in the bathtub because after this one water was everywhere. She has learned how to use toys and make big splashes!

4th of July in the mountains!

We got to go to a friends house up in the mountains on the 4th of July. It was nice because we actually got to relax (which doesn't happen that often)! Enzo played golf and went fishing with our friend Ron. I was content just staying back in the cabin with my Evie and Sheri. We did all get to go look at the beautiful waterfalls.

Lover or Prostitute

This was popped on my news feed on Facebook as a post by someone else. So many people and organizations need to hear this story(including myself)!

A number of years ago, I had the privilege of teaching at a school
of ministry. My students were hungry for God, and I was constantly
searching for ways to challenge them to fall more in love with
Jesus and to become voices for revival in the Church. I came across
a quote attributed most often to Rev. Sam Pascoe. It is a short
version of the history of Christianity, and it goes like this:


Christianity started in [Israel] as a fellowship;
it moved to Greece and became a philosophy;
it moved to Italy and became an institution;
it moved to Europe and became a culture;
it came to America and became an enterprise.

Some of the students were only 18 or 19 years old--barely out of
diapers--and I wanted them to understand and appreciate the import
of the last line, so I clarified it by adding, "An enterprise. That's a
business."

After a few moments Martha, the youngest student in the class,
raised her hand. I could not imagine what her question might be. I
thought the little vignette was self-explanatory, and that I had
performed it brilliantly. Nevertheless, I acknowledged Martha's
raised hand, "Yes, Martha."

She asked such a simple question, "A business? But isn't it supposed
to be a body?"
I could not envision where this line of questioning was going, and the
only response I could think of was, "Yes."
She continued, "But when a body becomes a business, isn't that a
prostitute?"

The room went dead silent. For several seconds no one moved or
spoke. We were stunned, afraid to make a sound because the
presence of God had flooded into the room, and we knew we were
on holy ground. All I could think in those sacred moments was,
"Wow, I wish I'd thought of that." I didn't dare express that thought
aloud. God had taken over the class.

Martha's question changed my life. For six months, I thought about
her question at least once every day. "When a body becomes a
business, isn't that a prostitute?"

There is only one answer to her question. The answer is "Yes."
The American Church, tragically, is heavily populated by people who
do not love God. How can we love Him? We don't even know Him;
and I mean really know Him.

I stand by my statement that most American Christians do not
know God--much less love Him. The root of this condition originates
in how we came to God. Most of us came to Him because of what
we were told He would do for us. We were promised that He would
bless us in life and take us to heaven after death. We married Him
for His money, and we don't care if He lives or dies as long as we
can get His stuff. We have made the Kingdom of God into a business,
merchandising His anointing.

This should not be. We are commanded to love God, and are called
to be the Bride of Christ---that's pretty intimate stuff. We are supposed
to be His lovers. How can we love someone we don't even know? And
even if we do know someone, is that a guarantee that we truly love
them? Are we lovers or prostitutes?

I was pondering Martha's question again one day, and considered
the question, "What's the difference between a lover and a prostitute?"
I realized that both do many of the same things, but a lover does
what she does because she loves. A prostitute pretends to love, but
only as long as you pay. Then I asked the question, "What would
happen if God stopped paying me?"

For the next several months, I allowed God to search me to uncover
my motives for loving and serving Him.

Was I really a true lover of God?
What would happen if He stopped blessing me?
What if He never did another thing for me? Would I still love Him?

Please understand---I believe in the promises and blessings of God.
The issue here is not whether God blesses His children; the issue is
the condition of my heart. Why do I serve Him? Are His blessings
in my life the gifts of a loving Father, or are they a wage that I have
earned or a bribe/payment to love Him? Do I love God without any
conditions?

It took several months to work through these questions. Even now I
wonder if my desire to love God is always matched by my attitude
and behavior. I still catch myself being disappointed with God and
angry that He has not met some perceived need in my life. I suspect
this is something which is never fully resolved, but I want more than
anything else to be a true lover of God.

So what is it going to be? Which are we---lover or prostitute?

There are no prostitutes in heaven, or in the Kingdom of God for
that matter, but there are plenty of former prostitutes in both
places. Take it from a recovering prostitute when I say there is no
substitute for unconditional, intimate relationship with God. And I
mean there is no palatable substitute available to us (take another
look at Matthew 7:21-23 sometime).

We must choose.

Dr. David Ryser

Evie's Tribute to Michael Jackson - Evie Faz Tributo ao Michael Jackson