Hey Friends and Family!

It is kind of hard to believe that we have been here for six months already! Time has truly flown by as we have begun to settle into new rhythms and ways of life here in lovely Brazil. 

Six months in there are three aspects of being here that standout the most. Our Brazilian friends have a drastically different approach to inhabiting time than we do in the States. Generally speaking, the tend to prioritize relationality over efficiency. They are warm, engaging, and genuinely curious about others. Because of this they tend to have more margin in their schedules and have make the time to invest in relationships. Brazilians are very hospitable and we have been very much the recipients of this hospitality! What a blessing. 

The other side of this is that well – the pace and efficiency of everything else is equally slowed down. Finding peanut butter could require a visit to three different grocery stores. Navigating the federal police system to file all required documentation is very time consuming. A simple trip to the bank can take hours.  Working in foreign missions sometimes amounts to what is essentially standing in line at the DMV several days a week in order to comply with local law or process. And yet if you are able to maintain the same same attitude and posture that Jesus exhibits, namely that our Father is always at work around us, you often find divine appointments in even the most mundane of circumstances. 

We are also incredibly grateful to be serving with our fellow missionaries: Christopher, Denise, and Bob. Their love, guidance, and perseverance serve as a remarkable example of Christlikeness. Being able to serve as part of a larger team has made these first six months more manageable than they would have otherwise been. Christian mission is always best accomplished in community. 

Much Love, 

Derek, Amanda, Selah, Amaris, Josiah, and Adalee

In December we hosted a Christmas-cookie decorating party and invited the entire neighborhood as a come and go event. Overall we had around 40 people come through and it was a blast! 

Snowflakes are not something that people who live in the tropics typically associate with Christmas. However, once we showed everyone how to make these crafts it ended up being more popular than the cookie decorating! Our neighbors wanted to decorate our carport so we left up until Epiphany as a collective thanksgiving. 

We made several new connections with people we did not know before, and likewise many of the people who came met neighbors they had not otherwise know yet. 

As a result of this we have decided to start a monthly brunch gathering. There seems to be some enthusiasm for this and our next monthly gathering is this coming Saturday the 28th! 

Additionally, we are endeavoring to have at least one family over for a meal, or go to their house for a meal, on a weekly basis. 

Our purpose in all of this is to begin to notice what our Father is doing in our neighbors lives and then join Him in how He is already working. Our job in this season is gathering and being attentive to how the Holy Spirit is already at work. 

Please pray for us in these gathering practices. 

Our first service in our new location is this coming Sunday, January 29th!

All that remains is some last minute setup and we will be prepared to receive our Vineyard Viva family and new first time guest into our new worship space!

Thank you to everyone who has advised, prayed, and given financially to make this possible. We look forward to a fruitful work in Macapa as a result of this labor. 

We issued a challenge to the community to be very intentional about inviting people, and to ask God to place people into our hearts and minds that He would have us invite. Please pray for these conversations and people being invited. 

• Christmas season good but hard. We enjoyed making some new traditions, were able to practices some of our traditions (we made room for our Christmas tree decorations when we moved), and generally had a relaxing and worshipful Christmas season. And just like in South Texas it was 80 degree and rainy!  We did miss seeing our families, and had to navigate some tough emotions with our kids, however, they displayed a remarkable resilience. 
• So much of our prayers during this transition have revolved around community for our kiddos. It has been delightful to see the neighborhood kids begin to include them into teh community. They have a group of friends that they regularly play with. Additionally, we try to join in with the neighborhood pickup futebol games at our neighborhood field.
• We are acquiring enough basic language proficiency that are day-to-day interactions are reasonably self-sufficient, fluid, and can be fun. Our new friends are all pretty patient with us, but eager to help. Some of the dudes at church like teaching me (Derek) slang. When I use it in a future conversations they practically double over with laughter. 
• Amanda’s headaches have greatly improved. At the time of this newsletter it has been quite some time since she has needed to take her special medicine. Thank you all for praying for this. 
• I started the last semester of my Master’s program! If everything goes well I will be heading back to the States for graduation in May. This program has been especially life-giving for me: laying some important groundwork for our missions activity and setting some things in motion that will be with me for the remainder of my life. Ill be writing more about this in the future. 

Prayer Support – I have been working hard on laying the foundation necessary to recruit a robust prayer support network. We need it! The success of our church planting here is very much dependent upon the faithful and fervent prayer of God’s people. If you know someone that might be interested in receiving these updates and praying with us please send this link. They will get an introductory letter about us and the mission when they sign up. 

Financial Support – Our family is taken currently taken care of thanks to your generosity.  There are always needs here in the churches and if you would like to contribute additional resources please use the link below!