07 Jun 09 Thank You

Mom and Granny arrived here a couple of days ago and brought us tons of gifts from family and from churches back home. Thank you so much Walnut Memorial Baptist and Sugar Grove Baptist for all the great gifts. We feel so blessed to have such great people back home praying for us and helping us.

26 May 09 Commercial

I’ve been watching an NBA game here and there with my father-in-law. Here is a random Coca-Cola Commercial I keep seeing over and over, and I just don’t understand it. Well, first, I can’t understand the Portuguese, but even if I could, I’m still not sure if I would completely understand the commercial.

03 May 09 Jardim Marajoara (meu barrio)

We are here in SP, but we don’t have internet. It has been kind of an ordeal, but hopefully we will have internet this coming week. This city is HUGE! I drove for a couple of hours today and really just went up the road and back, but I’m starting to feel more comfortable in trying to get around.

Simple things can be confusing…like parking. Where do I go to park at the Pao de Acucar?…Oh, there is a parking garage under the store. Do I pay to park here like the malls b/c there is an attendant at the front of the parking garage? No, he’s just there to watch the cars…or at least I think.

What about parking at the malls? You take a ticket when you pull in, but in Ribeirao Preto we did this all the time and used the same ticket to get out of the mall. Not here. You take your ticket inside the mall, and on your way out of the mall you pay for your length of stay(at a booth), then you place the ticket in the machine as you depart. Wow! I have to learn a lot of little simple things. Things I would not have thought would be so stressful sometimes.

The Brazilians have been really nice here. So many of them speak English! Yikes, I really have to make an effort to practice my Portuguese. Joey is doing good, and Bethany is trying to get him on a schedule. Hopefully, things we’ll get on a routine soon, and everything will calm down for the little guy. I think he likes it here.

From Starred Photos

21 Apr 09 Mais Fotos

Here are some more pics around Ribeirao Preto. There are some pics of us at the park, Joey w/ our professor Simone, Joey fell asleep on the changing table, us at our favorite restaurant Pe de Acai, and me hanging out in the hammock for the past couple of days. Enjoy. Oh, we move to Sao Paulo on Sunday.

12 Apr 09 Around the House

Here are some pics around the house. Right now, we are staying with David and Laurie, and their dog Maggie(which, lately, has become quite protective of Joey). What great people! They have become such dear friends to us. Also, we should be moving to São Paulo in about a week!

11 Apr 09 Not What My Hands Have Done

Remember, Christ became sin for us. The sins of the world were placed on Christ, and in legal terms, our sins were imputed to Christ. Thus, he was forsaken by God, crushed by God, and received the penalty that was due us (Is. 53:5). But not only have our sins been imputed to Christ, but the righteousness of Christ has been imputed to those who believe. (2 Cor. 5:20-21)

That is how a holy God can have any part with us unholy people. That is how a holy God redeems sinners without being unjust by letting the guilty go free. And God vindicated his Son as Christ rose from the dead, defeating sin and death. And Christ now sits at the right hand of the Father.

This salvation is only for those who believe in Christ, the Cross, and the Resurrection. We are not saved by doing good things and being nice (Eph. 2:8-9). We can’t save ourselves. Christ has already done the work on our behalf. We are saved if we believe this gospel, and if we believe this Gospel, we will live a lifestyle of repenting, obeying God, and walking with God, loving God (Mark 1:15). Christ is not a way to God. Christ is the only way to God (Jn 14:6).

Not what my hands have done
Can save my guilty soul;
Not what my toiling flesh has borne
Can make my spirit whole.
Not what I feel or do
Can give me peace with God;
Not all my prayers, And sighs and tears
Can bear my awful load.

Thy work alone, O Christ
Can ease this weight of sin
Thy blood alone O Lamb of God,
Can give me peace within.
Thy love to me O God,
Not mine, O Lord, to Thee
Can rid me of This dark unrest,
And set my spirit free!

–poem by Horatius Bonar

08 Apr 09 More Pics of Joey

Here are some recent pics. The first week has been kind of rough for Bethany and Joey (eating, sleeping, screaming, and crying). But the Lord is taking care of us and we have great friends, David and Laurie, who are helping us out so much. His first doctor visit was today and everything was great. Wow, we love this little guy so much. Thanks so much for your prayers.

02 Apr 09 Joey Chegou!

He’s here!! Joseph Alexander Cecil. And the love we have for him cannot be expressed. He arrived on April 1, 2009 at 8:08am. Yesterday I put several photos on facebook. Here are a few of them. We pray that the Lord will help us to raise him, lead him and point him to Jesus Christ.

29 Mar 09 Men

This is one of the best sermons I’ve heard on what it means to be a man. This is very challenging and I hope that you listen to it, and that you find areas in your life where you need to change to be more like Christ…to be a man that glorifies God. PLEASE LISTEN!! I can’t stress that enough. This is Pastor Mark Driscoll from Mars Hill Church in Seattle.

21 Mar 09 Delayed Update

Sorry about the long delay. Joey still isn’t here! We are hoping he will be here as soon as possible. We continue to attend language classes and after class we hang out with Brazilians to practice our Portuguese.

My friend, Leo, is very helpful in teaching me Portuguese. Sometimes I feel like my Portuguese is improving and sometimes I feel like I just want to be alone and not speak anything…even English. A small break, then back to hanging out with Brazilians. Oh, I gave a presentation at school the other day…I taught everyone how to change a flat tire (in Portuguese).

We continue to love it here, and enjoy the Brazilian culture. Bethany and baby are healthy…we just want JOEY to get here!! Here are some pics. (Leo is giving us the “Thumbs Up”) The ladies had a baby shower for Bethany.