our one week anniversary in Itu!

Exactly a week ago we were on a plane departing from Columbus to start a new life here in Brazil. What a week it's been! I (Mark) have been working a lot on my Portugese. I understand quite a bit, when speaking to someone one on one, I generally understand about 60 or 70 percent. When Brazilians talk to Brazilians, it gets pretty tough to keep up.

I had the opportunity to use my Portugese this last Sunday in our church service by reading the scripture for the congregation. This was tough to do! Reading is harder for me than talking as letters in Portuguese make significantly different sounds than they do in English. It was a good streaching opportunity for me for our first week, and great motivation to jumpstart my learning process.

In addition to learning Portugese, I am going to have to work on my soccer skills too! It has not taken long to learn that a guy in Brazil who does not speak Portugese and is a beginner at soccer is going to have a rough go trying to feel like a man. :)

Today Ali and I will be leading a Bible study in Antenor's (Ali's father and the minister of the church here) stead as he will be out of town working with a evangelistic campaign in Rio. We will be speaking to a diverse group in their spiritual background. Two members are Catholic, a few have spiritist roots and others have various Christian affiliattions. The group has been progressing through the book of John. We will be teaching on the first 14 verses in John 14. Of central focus will be his promise to prepare a place and to return for us, and his statement that, "I am th way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Please pray for us as we share His word in this, and many subsequent gatherings.

Thank you for your prayers for us in this work! It is daunting at times to get settled in here, but we are reaffirmed as we see the Lord's handy work helping us throughout the process.


a request from Ali:

please pray for my friend's mother. Amy, one of my closest friends since sophmore year at ACU (long live the Kojies), just contacted me a couple of days ago sharing the terrible news that her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Amy's husband, Mike, just moved from Dallas to San Diego and will be stationed in Iraq in the beginning of January. Amy stayed behind in Dallas to finish law school.
Needless to say, she is hurting right now.
For all of our prayer warriors, please lift her up - and her family - in your prayers.

We love you! And miss you dearly. =)