Happy New Years from the Amazon!

We hope that you had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Ours was very good and the church service for Christmas was nothing short of amazing. I have never seen so many people in our church. We tried to count but it was impossible. We believe that there were close to 600 people at the church. I took pictures but unfortunately they were deleted. Sorry! A couple weeks before the Christmas church service the members of the church got together to pretty up the church and to paint it. We had about 50 people come and donate their time and energy and even Camilly got to chip in a bit. The end result was a beautiful church painted by the temples of God.

This month we had our second meeting focusing on the couples of the church. We are inviting couples over to the house to share a meal, followed by a teaching about marriage, family, child raising, and so on. It has been a good time to be with the couples, hear their struggles, and try to guide them in the ways of the Lord. These meetings will be a regular occurrence because healthy families are so rare in this part of Brazil. It is our hope, with the Lord’s guidance, to change this dynamic in Altamira.

The girls really loved Christmas this year. Camilly got some underwear, berets for her hair, and a doll. Alyssa also received a little doll and her own plastic cell phone. They were both really happy with their gifts. Alyssa is also fond of little kittens; however, she still has not gotten the knack of how to hold a kitten. Poor little kitty!

Well, I need to get going now; Camilly is calling me to do the time honored tradition of wiping her behind. Thanks for all your prayerful support in our lives. Love, Steve, Elba, Camilly and Alyssa.

Look who got sunglasses!

We caught this boa constrictor in our backyard the other day. We put it in a bin and set it free outside the city.

Merry Christmas from the Amazon!

We hope that you had a great Thanksgiving. We did, some missionaries and Brazilians in Altamira got together and we had chicken, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and some dessert. It was a lot of fun and the meal really made me feel like I was back in the States. YUM! Elba and I also had our 5th year anniversary in November. We had someone keep the kids for the night and Elba and I went and spent the evening at a lodge. We had a really nice time. We hope that you enjoy the below email.

We realized that we have not written about CDR for a long time. CDR, our non-governmental organization has continued its focused on social service outreaches throughout the community and assisting the underprivileged. The computer and English school continues to teach the underprivileged in the community computers and English as a second language at an affordable price. The English school is at maximum enrollment with 140 students. These last semesters the English classes have been so busy because of the hunger to learn English. The computer program has been doing fine and we are planning on expanding. We are going to start an administrative assistant class and possibly a class to teach how to assemble and maintain computers.

Presently we are wrapping up this semester in preparation for our big move. CDR is moving to our Mission base because it will give us a better opportunity to reach more of the underprivileged. Plus, we are hoping to start an affordable Christian pre-school for working families, all the while, promoting the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

On a personal note, the girls are doing well. It is fun watching them grow and see their personalities coming out more each day. Camilly is still addicted to the trampoline, and Alyssa is right behind her. Alyssa loves jumping and getting wheel barrel rides from Elba’s Dad. Camilly loves to jump from the dead stump onto the tramp. She learned this from the neighborhood kids. This makes my heart skip a beat, and she is not permitted to do it until she gets bigger or I am present. She is very courageous for 3 years old.

We pray that you have a great Christmas and that our Lord Jesus will touch you in a special way.

Love and blessings, Steve, Elba, Camilly and Alyssa