Friday, January 23, 2009

Closing Shop in POA

Our ride in Porto Alegre has been a great one! We have had some rough times and some exciting and blessed times. The Lord has been good to us during our journey in Brazil. We look forward to moving on and seeing what He has in store for us in the future.

That being said, I would like to thank you for following along on this blog. This will be my last post on "Flying High on Wings Like Eagles". I am closing shop in POA.

I will start a new site for our family and friends (in the U.S. and in Brazil). I would like to try to limit the traffic on the new site to the people that we know. So, if you are a regular reader and would like to find out what is going on with us today please leave me a comment on this blog with your email address and I will send you and invitation to our new site.

Hope to see you around! Até!

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Saying "Good-bye"

Although saying "good-bye" is one of the toughest things to do (in my opinion) it is necessary sometimes. I am learning from others and from our experience that if you must say "good-bye" you should do it right. Don't leave anything unsaid. Don't regret later that you didn't make an effort to be with someone or say something important even if it would have been difficult.

We have been saying our "good-byes" over the last couple of weeks. It has been our first priority to meet with as many people as possible to express how much we love them and appreciate them. We have had meals with families and couples; Jennifer has had time with a couple of her close friends; and I had the chance to go camping with my good friend, Tiago. We are trying to take advantage of what time we have left in Porto Alegre. As of now, the countdown is at 9 days. We leave on Tuesday, January 27th at 6am.

Last night we had our big good-bye. Our teammates, church family and friends threw a going away party for us. It was very special for us to receive this blessing. We were presented with a framed verse, a photo album of our church family and friends with messages, and Elisa was given a present of 2 great books. In addition, they put together an amazing slide show of our time here that definitely made the tears flow! The whole experience was very moving.

I would like to share some pictures of our party in the slide show below. Hopefully, you will feel the love that we felt in the smiling faces you will see.

Saturday, December 27, 2008

One Month Away

You've all heard the saying "time flies". After our time in Porto Alegre, Brazil and being the daddy of a 2 and a half year old I really believe it! One month from today (January 27th) we will board a plan and leave the place we have called home since March 9, 2004.

Jennifer's parents were here for a visit last month. They left on November 27th to return to the States. We marked in our minds the date of December 27th (today) as a half-way point between then and when we leave Porto Alegre. It is hard to comprehend that we are at the half-way point.

Today, Jennifer and I were talking about how we only have a few more weekends left to spend with a particular couple that we are close to here. Some of those weekends are already spoken for, so there really isn't that much time. It made me have the thought "we are running out of time and I don't feel like I have had enough". I know it is time to "move on", but saying all the good-byes is tough. Especially when you want to do it right and make an effort for it to be meaningful and not just a one-armed hug and a "tchau".

Well, those are my thoughts for today. I'm sure that I will have many more to share as January 27th grows nearer. Until then...

Monday, December 22, 2008

Overdue Update

I stated in the last post that it is hard to find time to post on the blogs. That is so true! Today I finally made a post on the "Elisa Blog". If you are interested in seeing what is going on with our family I recommend you click here. Thanks for stopping by!

Thursday, December 04, 2008

Relocation Update

It is getting difficult to find time to blog. There is a lot going on, but almost too much to sift through and mention in a post. I do have the time now to share some details with our faithful readers a "relocation update".

In preparing for a move of this magnitude there are certain things that really set things in motion. You can talk about the move all you want for as long as you want, but before you do certain things all it is is talk. So, here are 4 huge things that we have done recently that puts this beast on the road of no return.

1. We turned in our 30 day notice to the real estate office and owner of the house we are renting that we will be moving. Once this is done there is no turning back. We, at the very least, will be moving out of our house.

2. Last Saturday (and continuing until we don't have anything left) we had a garage sale. We made the decision to sell a lot of things that we either don't need or could easily replace in the U.S. This will make the move much easier. It is hard though, because in many ways we feel like we are already in the camping stage (no dining room table = lots of picnics on the living room floor; dismantled bed = sleeping on a mattress on the floor).

3. This week (on Monday) we bought our one-way airline tickets from Porto Alegre, Brazil to the United States of America. Again, this is huge and makes everything that is happening so much more real.

4. Today (only an hour ago) we hired a moving company. They will be here on the 15th of this month to pack our belongs and load our container. They will store our belongings until our departure date on January 27th, then they will put them on a freighter and send them to the States.

We can tell that Elisa is a little troubled by all this and doesn't really know what to make of it. Please keep us and especially Elisa in your prayers as we continue moving through this transition. We need wisdom, peace and unity as a family. Thanks in advance for remembering us.

Over the next several weeks I will do my best to keep you all up to speed on what is happening. Don't read to much into a lack of blog activity. We are just really busy.

Peace.

Saturday, November 08, 2008

The Invisible Woman

This is a great lesson! I hope it blesses you like it blessed me.

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

Thoughts on the Presidency

I want to start this post by congratulating Mr. Obama on his new post as Commander in Chief. I didn't vote for him (or Mr. McCain), but I have tremendous respect for the accomplishments that he has achieved. Unfortunately, when I got on-line early last month to register for my absentee ballot it was too late. I missed the deadline by just a few hours. I am still disappointed that I did not have the opportunity to vote in such an important election.

In my opinion both Mr. Obama and Mr. McCain would make a good President. I believe that both have the respect of many, both love the United States of America, both have good hearts and both are intelligent and capable men. Having said that I also think that both men have flaws. But, to paraphrase the words of Jesus, who among us doesn't. No one is perfect, not even the President.

I have been appauled at the nonsense I have heard and read about both of these men, especially Mr. Obama. Americans are really good at pointing the finger and accusing others of all sorts of things. I honestly don't know who would be a better President between Mr. McCain and Mr. Obama. I will say though, that as a citizen of the United States of American I will support the current President, the next President and all future Presidents no matter their party, color or gender.

You may ask how I would go about showing my support. I am a Republican, but I am a Christian first. I believe in the power of prayer and I plan on exercising it on behalf of our elected officials and leaders. As a Christian I feel that I have the responsibility to lift Mr. Obama (or Mr. McCain had he won the election) to the Lord in prayer. Many people feel that Mr. Obama's ideas and strategies are bad for the country. Why not pray about that then? More than anyone, Mr. Obama needs prayers for wisdom and strength. He needs prayers for clarity of thought and courage. He needs prayers for conviction to always do what is right not just for the American people, but for all people. The greater percentage of Americans felt that he will be able to lead us in the right direction. Let's join together in prayer for this man and his staff and all the other leaders of our nation. I believe that his heart, mind and soul will be moved to always do the very best thing - to make the best decisions if he is constantly covered in prayer. Let's pray.