Update on Brazil

Thanks to many of you for praying for us while we traveled to Brazil.  Susie and I had a great time.  Our friends and fellow staff members, Fernando & Pati, and their kids, took great care of us.  Thanks to them, and all their pre-work, and thanks to the Lord, many doors were open.

• Hospital - Susie and I visited a beautiful hospital in Sao Paulo.  It was perfect for Susie.  It is the hospital that the President of the country has used and many celebrities as well.   We were able to meet with the International Patient Department and Susie received an MRI.  We couldn't believe it!  We felt very comfortable at this hospital and it has everything we need to keep track of Susie's brain!
• School - We were able to meet with the principal of a school in Praia Grande, the town we hope to be living in.  The school was great and we think Simon, Talya and Charlie will enjoy learning there and making friends.  
• Housing - If you follow us on facebook, you know that we saw a few options but landed on a great house that we will rent.  It's spacious, beautiful and only one block from the beach!  We even have a guest room if you are interested in visiting.  
• Praia Grande - It's a Brazilian beach town that many people from Sao Paulo visit.  It is lined with 21 kilometers of beach and it is beautiful.  The people were friendly, warm and received us with smiles.  While it is not a big city, it has everything we need and is conveniently located only an hour or so from Sao Paulo.  We are looking forward to making the most of the opportunity to enjoy all it has to offer.  

We continued to feel confirmed that serving in Brazil for the next few years will be a great option for us as a family, for the ministry and for what I'm learning in my Doctoral studies.  We were so thankful to spend a few days there.

While we remain excited and continue to move forward there are a few things that still need to happen before this can all be finalized:

• Visa - we need to secure the proper visa to move to Brazil.  Our colleagues in Brazil are working with a lawyer to get all the necessary paperwork.  This is a very tedious process and one that is completely out of our control.  We hope to file the paperwork by the beginning of June and are hoping to receive the visa by the beginning of September.  This is a big one! Please pray for favor and wisdom in this process.
• Our house - we are very open as to what to do with our home in Ohio.  We are open to renting it, selling it or keeping it if the first two don't work.  Just yesterday, we officially put it on the market and are eager to see what happens with it.  Please pray with us for wisdom.  
• Portuguese - one of the things that became very clear is that our family is going to need to learn the beautiful Portuguese language in this process.  Susie and I are hoping to tackle our Rosetta Stone over the summer months and then be fully immersed in the language once we are there.  As you hear people speaking different language, feel free to pray for us as we seek to learn a new one!

Thanks so much for your interest, prayers, excitement and support of our family.  It is a blessing to share this adventure with you.