Settling in :)

When you want cereal and don't have bowl
Tupperware works great :-P

We have been in Maceio, our now home town for a little under a week. It has been a crazy week but a very productive week :). We have been so blessed to have my parents (Hosanna's) here with us for 3 full days. 

When we arrived on Monday night, we were so blessed to find the apartment pre-cleaned. The youth group cleaned our place for us, and the church had purchased a water cooler for us. Due to the fact we can't drink tap water here in Brazil having a bottle of water and a water cooler was a huge blessing! They also decorated the place with signs :-)

Inaugurating our stove 

Early Tuesday morning we went shopping. Although it took several stores and jumping through hoops we were able to come home that night with a fridge, a stove and a washing machine.


Wednesday was filled with other things, we were able to do quite a bit of sorting hang out with our new co-workers and we were able to pick out a mattress. Mattress picking isn't the easiest thing due to Hosanna's back problems but we were able to find a good one quickly.

Thankful for the good ol
Toyota so we could take
things when we buy them

Thursday was also a full day in which we were able to find a table and chairs and a pull out couch so now we can have visitors!!!! (hint hint). We also ordered a kitchen cabinet which will arrive in the next couple weeks. We also painted one wall. Its nice to add a bit of color to the place and personalize it. :)

Laundry dries faster with a fan on it

Some of the challenges have been learning how to deal with the humidity. Not only are we near the ocean but its also rainy season, so it takes longer for anything to dry. We have had to be creative with laundry :-P. Another challenge has been space. This apartment is smaller then the other two we have lived in. Personally I enjoy this challenge though since I can tend to be an organization freak :-P.




So now you have seen a snip-it of our new life :) Hope you can see it personally someday.

All the way my Savior leads me (the story of our trip)

 We began our trip bright and early, heading to Breakfast with the Lancaster family. Then we headed to the airport. When we checked in they told us the policy for US Airways has now changed and only 50 pounds are allowed per bag... All of our bags were packed at 70 pounds. They however waived the fees and we were able to take our 70 pound bags with no problem. We are so grateful for God's provision in this area.

After saying goodbyes we went through security, Other then being questioned on if Adam was kidnapping me we were fine :-P lol. As we sat down I heard Portuguese and there we met Glauber, who knew very little English and was so glad to have someone else to help him navigate through Charlotte and Miami. There are no coincidences in the Christian life, he was the seat behind us in both flights, Charlotte to Miami and Miami to Manaus. We had many opportunities to help each other, and he gave us his email and asked for ours when the trek was over.
Adam also was able to talk to the lady sitting next to him on the way to Miami. She opened up about being hurt by being raised in a Catholic home yet wanted to take her kids to church but didn't know what to do. He was able to refer her to some solid churches and talk about Catholicism with her. She also asked for our contact info afterwards. Our long flight from Miami to Manaus we had an extra seat next to us. With Hosanna's back problems this was a hug praise as it meant she could lay down for the long flight.
Once in Manaus our Brazilian friend helped us tote our bags through customs. We were so overjoyed to see all our bags had made it and were neatly in a group together and we didnt even have to wait for them. Customs took all of  30 seconds, after talking briefly with the guy he waived us on through and didn't even bother to check our bags.
When we re-checked in in Manaus, as we feared they did question why Hosanna's last name is Lancaster in the US and Johnson in Brazil. Much to our surprise however after briefly explaining the situation and they accepted it and let us continue. God's provision was so obviously with us each step of the way, we are so grateful for how He blessed us in so many little ways. Manaus to Fortaleza was uneventful.When we arrived all of our bags were there as well, and most of the things in them seem to be in one piece.
                                     
Although we are exhausted but we are so glad to finally be here in Brazil. Thank you so much for all of your prayers, God's peace and protection have surrounded us every step of the journey, thank you for interceding
in our behalf.

When Goodbyes Begin

Goodbye's are a necessary part of ministry. We are so blessed to be in a time in life where we can stay connected better then those who went before us could. Never-the-less Facebook hugs aren't the same as real hugs and goodbye's are still hard.

"Goodbye" means not seeing your church family on Sunday. 

"Goodbye" means not being with family at Christmas. 

"Goodbye" means not being able to hang out with the gang you used to hang out and laugh with till late at night. 

"Goodbye" means your niece probably wont remember you when you return. 

"Goodbye" means we will miss out on watching our friends develop relationships and get married while we are gone. 

"Goodbye" means I can't be around when my best friend has her first child. 

"Goodbye" means we never know who will be around when we return, so we have to treat each goodbye like it may be our last... at least on earth.

We can have great comfort and peace in the midst of all the goodbyes. For many goodbyes, we have the assurance that we will see them again.  There is also a huge comfort in knowing that the same God who is guarding and watching us, will be guarding and watching those we leave behind. He is sovereign and in control of their lives, and all those life changes we may miss out on or catch us off guard are all part of His plan.

I am so excited that one day we wont have to say goodbyes anymore! Until that day however, the goodbyes that are said will be said in the knowledge that He is in complete control.

2 Cor. 3:11
For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory.

5,335 miles

We drove 5,335 miles in the last few weeks... We encountered all kinds of weather and got to visit with lots of dear people in the family of God. So I thought I would share some pictures and just a brief overview of our journey.

April 29th, we left Kansas City, April 30th, we arrived in Hot Springs, S.D.

We enjoyed catching up and sharing our heart for Brasil with Calvary Baptist Church. We also saw an MK friend of Anna's graduate from Cornerstone Bible Institute.



Sunday afternoon, May 3rd, we headed to Dix, NE where we visited with a dear family and give an update to Dix Bible Church.

Dear friends in Wyoming

Monday morning we drove from Dix, to Lagrange, WY where we hung out with students from Frontier School of the Bible and Adam was able to speak in chapel there on the 6th.


Also during this time we visited with friends from Torrington, WY and presented at Valley Christian School and Bayard Community Bible Church in Bayard, NE.

Adam's family and Anna's brother 

On May 8th, my brother Calvin and Adam's sister Hannah both graduated from Frontier School of the Bible! We were so excited that we were able to be there for their special day!

1 foot of snow on Mother's Day

May 10th, we visited Berean Bible Church while in a Mother's Day winter wonderland. That evening we spoke to the youth group at Calvary Memorial in Scottsbluff, NE.

Fog in between WY and AZ

Our "exhausted faces" :-P

May 10-11th we traveled to Phoniex, AZ through snow and fog. There we were able to spend a couple of days with Anna's Aunt Lisa and family. We returned to KC, May 14, driving 20 hours straight...

May 15th we watched a cousin of Anna's get married and then headed down to Charlotte that weekend. We have been enjoying family time in Charlotte and have been excited about not needing to be in the car all the time anymore :)

The next phase

We are out of our apartment... most goodbyes have been said. The next phase of getting to Brasil is lots of traveling, several presentations, and even more goodbyes. Super excited! 48 days and counting :)

66 days...

Its really hard to believe that in just 66 short days we will be in Brazil. I don't believe its really sunk in for ether of us. Little by little things start falling into place that were just something written in our calendar, that makes the reality slowly come about. There seems to be a common assumption that due to my growing up in Brazil leaving is all excitement and no difficulty, that assumption isn't true at all (but that's going to have to be another blog post :-P). Goodbyes are hard and changes aren't always easy, life is crazy right now, good thing we have a God who is faithful and steadfast. We are so blessed and excited to see what God has for us in Brazil! Thank you for all the prayers and support.

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23 

Welcome

We are joining the blogging world :) Our hope is that this helps us stay better connected with you as we head to Brazil! Please take a look to the links to the right for more information. If you would like more updates sign up for our monthly newsletter. E-mail us at: lancastersinbrazil@gmail.com

We would love to hear from you!

- Lancaster's