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60% - The Good and The Ugly

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Sixty percent (60%) is more than half, but not quite full. Sometimes 60% is really good. Sometimes it's just plain ugly.

Let's get to the ugly first:

  • 60% is about how normal our return to Brazil has been since January 23rd. When we expected schools to start-up in February, COVID-19 got in the way. In Belo Horizonte, elementary schools have been delayed from starting in-person classes for the new school year until Feb 14th. Our kids, and Tathiana, thought that was really ugly. 

  • Our COBH team was planning our first team-building retreat since September of 2019. However, COVID-19 got in the way and we decided to cancel for now as we had several positive COVID tests pop-up on the team and in our church.

  • Our car needed some service, nothing major, but because of a lack of mechanics and parts caught in the supply chain issue, we are on day 4 of being "car-less". That limits what we can get out and do by about 60%.

  • Overall, life and ministry feel about 60%. That's not a complaint, it's still just the overall reality of a late-stage pandemic in a tropical metropolis.

The good 60%:

  • Our trip to the US for connection with family and supporters was really great. COVID-19 did limit us some, as during the end of the year the Omnicron variant was in full swing in Chattanooga, TN and Birmingham, AL. We had several meetings canceled and overall decided to not expose ourselves close to our return trip as not to test positive and risk not making our flight back to Brazil. So, the trip was a great 60%. It's better to have a 60% visit than not come at all!

  • Lastly, our 20/20 1-Time campaign celebrating 20 years on the field has closed its first 2 months, and we are happy to report that we are already at 60% of the goal, with over $12,000 in donations so far. Thank you to all who have donated, encouraged and prayed for this important campaign. 

Please continue to pray for us as we try to live-out 2 Timothy 4:2, "preach the word; be ready in season and out of season."



2020 Starting Block

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The new year has already been with us for a month. In Brazil, the new year is smack in the middle of summer, so it has a slower pace. We spent January in the US for our vacation time and Tathiana and I spent a week at a “Marriage Intensive” in Rome, GA (ask me more and I’ll tell you all about it). We took our long voyage through multiple flights, airports and exhaustion to get home just in time to see February make it’s appearance.

We are back to our life, poised at the 2020 starting block, ready to start the next yearly race!

  • We surpassed our Multiples of 40 1-Time Campaign goal! The goal was $10k and we ended the last quarter of 2019 with a total of $11,100. Thank you so much to all who donated and prayed.

  • The city of Belo Horizonte has been pounded by record-setting rains this month(estimated at 1000mm - 40 inches). The city has regions that suffered from floods, landslides and structural damage that all together lead to over 50 deaths. Everyone is still talking about it.

  • The kids started back to school already, their school supplies and materials still slowly coming in as we find out what we forgot to purchase or gather.

  • Classes at UFMG do not start until March, so this month we will have our annual planning meetings, extra time with students who live in the city and special projects that different staff groups are working on (support raising, language classes, leadership team meetings to discuss the year and upcoming changes).

  • 2020 will be the transition year for Pedro Albuquerque to take on the Regional Director role, and I want to help facilitate this transition between Demps, our veteran Regional Director, and Pedro as much as possible.

  • Our local church will be continue the process of searching for a new lead pastor/elder. I will be involved in helping facilitate this process with a small commission from our church.

Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we get geared up for the race of 2020.

I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. (1 Corinthians 9:23-24)