Hello, how was your Labor Day weekend? Ours was good. We actually had a holiday as well but it was not Labor Day it was Independence Day for Brazil (September 7). Some of the people in Altamira celebrated the day with a small parade which consisted of a few bands, and children marching through the streets representing their school.
We are so excited to report something that happened this month for CDR. We received high speed internet. Can you believe that we have high speed internet essentially in the middle of nowhere? It is true, and trust me, we are elated. The state of Pará is pushing to spread internet throughout the State and come into the digital age. CDR was given the high speed internet because of our ongoing work to teach students basic computer skills. It has not yet been realized but CDR has also been selected to be a center of information for our neighborhood. Essentially what this means is that we will be a center that will teach students different aspects of the computer and will provide access to the internet. ALL FOR FREE! In actuality, we are already teaching around 60 children per week from a local school about the internet for free. We are really excited to see these programs blossom. Please keep this in your prayers.
This semester English was also a big success and we maxed out our enrollment. English is a hot topic and many Brazilians want to learn English in hopes of furthering their lives and careers. The CDR English program is also very favorable because we provide students with native speakers, excellent teaching material, good environment, and a low monthly fee of $16.00. We are proud of the work that CDR is doing and for being an extension to the church. It is a blessing and even though CDR and the church are legally completely separate, CDR is recognized with our church.
Praise God the girls continue to do well. They still love dressing up in their costumes and Alyssa is starting to learn how to finger paint. We just need to teach her how to apply the paint on paper and not her face. I have a suspicion that her sister gave her a helping finger.
I celebrated my 42nd birthday on August 22nd. Some of the guys from the church got together and made a surprise breakfast for me. It was really nice. I also received from my lovely wife a birthday car message. The car came blaring its music and birthday wishes. To say the least, it is embarrassing.
Please continue to keep us in your prayers.
Love and blessings, Steve, Elba, Camilly and Alyssa
