First comes love, then comes Marriage, then what?

In our story it isn't a baby in a baby carriage! Not yet at least. So what comes next? Puerto Rico! Joe and I have again chosen to join God and the My Hope project in bringing this evangelistic project to Puerto Rico. But mostly we are so honored that God has allowed us to be a part of something so amazing, furthuring HIS kingdom. Joe and I took the opportunity this weekend to reflect on this year and to praise God for our time in Brazil. We also took time to Pray for God's will. Doing what we do, we get to choose to trust God with our lives but also be a part of the Great Commission! Last week Joe took a trip to Puerto Rico, he got to meet with many of the religious leaders in the country and get the first glimpses of what this next year holds for us. Each country has its differences, Brazil is HUGE, and Puerto Rico too with be a new encounter with God.
For a review of this last year, Brazilians are so amazing, they have so much life and personality to them, and warmth that we haven't felt anywhere else. God has placed his print on Brazil! Over this year we have met with pastors and leaders. We have shot two music videos and Joe was able to interview Kaka in Milan. But most importantly, several hundred thousand people watched the three day broadcast, and over 267,000 Brazilians have made a decision for Christ! All our Praises to God! This is why we countinue to do this, because we get glorify God by sharing the Gospel!

I have added a few pictures from Joe's trip to Puerto Rico:

Happy Birthday!!

Saturday was Joe's Birthday. It was a great day, we knew it was our last to spend together for a week and a half(he travelled on Sunday). We woke up late which really isn't that late(8:15ish) Had a big breakfast of omelets, hashbrowns and muffins. Topped off with chocolate truffle coffee. After our lazy morning, we decided to run over to the mall to see if we could Joe some sunglasses. While we were home for christmas Joe lost his somewhere. But cheap sunglasses really don't exist in Brazil, so we got some ice cream instead and headed home for a nap. This year Joe and I have gotten into an element and we haven't ventured too far outside of it. Partially because Sao Paulo is HUGE and we could never get to everywhere, and another is we stay within our transportaion limits. But on Saturday we decided to venture out to a new restaurant that we had heard good things about. So looking at a map we knew we could take the train get off near the neighborhood and then grab a cab. We did just that took the train got of, and stepped off in a sketchy area so we walked fast and made turns with our best judgement. Luckely and with God's protection we found a cab, got to the restaurant and we so blown away with the ambiance of it that we quickly forgot the heart racing walk their. The restaurant was so nice, candles everywhere! Though when I told the waiter it was Joe's birthday he gave me a look of "so". Which made us laugh the rest of the night, but the food was ok, not great but good, the atmosphere definately made up for it.

You would think we would learn!

Well, we arrived a week ago back to Brazil, and we are definately in the full swing of summer, meaning it's hot. I love it! (Sorry Aunt Gigi)who just informed me that they have had 35" of snow already this season. But in Brazil, last summer when we fist moved here, we learned that you don't go anywhere and leave your windows open because it can monsoon at any point, with little warning, but mostly it happens late afternoon around 5:30/6, right when Joe is trying to walk home. Needless to say we flooded our apartment. For those of you who are gasping, it wasn't that bad to clean up, all our floors are tile and we have drains in random places in the floor. Well, on Wednesday, I left to go teach a couple of classes and decided it is blue, hot and not a cloud in the sky, so Im going to leave the patio doors open just a crack to keep air circulating. After teaching I went to Joe's office to help count some info that needed to be organized and added to a database. Right around 3:30, I hear a huge crash of thunder, look out the window and the rivers in the streets have already started. I contemplate running home, but if water got in, then the damage is already done, I needed to go by the grocery store still, I wasn't finished, and I had white pants on. So I decide to stay and finish and just pray that our house isn't flooded again. We waited out the heavy rain, ran to the grocery store, and then ran home before the ran began again. Once inside, our first assessment is the stairs! Their is white plaster all over them, we still can't figure out from what, but I had just spent 6 hours on Monday cleaning. We head into the dining room, where the balcony door is and no water, run upstairs, check the floor, no water. So for the most part we are pretty relieved. Later that night, we go to bed, lay down, and the bed is wet! Go Figure.

Crisis at Christmas

Christmas for Joe and I might always be the busiest time of our lives. A year ago, we moved from Montevideo, Uruguay to Sao Paulo, Brazil at the end of November, 2007. We found an apartment, checked out some great places to buy furniture and enjoyed the summer weather a little and then made a mad dash for the airport to join family and friends in North Carolina for Christmas. This year knowing we still had some follow-up left in Brazil and would be returning, we headed to NC thinking this is the year we are going to relax and enjoy the snow! Well, relaxing is a very relative term when we are home. Their are always a thousand things we have to do once in the states. We have to do all our doctors and dentist appointments, catch up on all our mail that has been sitting in a box for months and months. Plus all the holiday stuff, like running to William-Sonoma at 7:45 on Saturday night without anyone knowing your gone(it is much more impossible then it sounds). This Christmas was joined with the celebrations of my younger sister getting engaged in November so of course we had to go dress shopping. I don't know if this sounds busy yet, but it is. We alot of times we feel like we are srinting through an entire marathon. But we really wouldn't have it any other way. While we were home, we were able to do what I love, do it yourself projects! No, seriously I really enjoy them. Joe's aunt and uncle hosted a painting party the day after Christmas to get his grandparents house ready to sell. While there we had the discussio of "did you take your ring off" "yes"(melissa), "did you" "yes, I put it in my jacket pocket"(joe), so after a wonderful evening with family and celebrating Christmas on the Mott side of the family, we drove to joe's parents house all stuffed and cozy riding back in the farm truck. When we got to Davidson, we unloaded everything and started getting ready for bed, when Joe asked me if I knew where his jacket was, and my response was No, the last time I saw it was on the porch at his grandparents, on top of some trashbags. So we go ask all other members of the family if they had see it or if their were any other bags that had come from the house. When the No's started piling up I started getting really frustrated, we searched the inside of the truck, inside the house. And Joe isn't quite at the hysterical point of driving back to High Point that I was at. (it's an hour and twenty minute drive). So I said he had a choice he could call his uncle, or we could drive back up (and we were both exhausted). So he called his uncle and rolled his eyes while doing it. Casey promised to go back by the house and see if he sees it or look through the giant trash heep we had created that day. The next morning Casey goes by but doesn't find it. After Joe got the cold shoulder from me all day. Casey calls back and says that after all the scavengers had taken alot of the trash during the day, he noticed several black trashbags on the ground at the very bottom of the heep. Inside one is Joe's jacket, with his wedding ring inside. THANK YOU, CASEY! To some of you, you might be thinking, what is the big deal? Well until that day I didn't realize how much these circular pieced of metal meant to me (and Joe). They symbolize so much more than just metal. They mean an endless trust, and commitment to each other, a choosing to love one another everyday! And know that no matter what, HE will always be the man God chose for me!

Final Bonito Pictures!

One of our friends had an underwater camera with us on the trip. That = Fun.

A whole lot of nothingness, that is meaningfull

So Joe and I know that many of you want to know where we are because we haven't updated lately! Well, we have been a little bit of everywhere. Right after the broadcast we travelled to town in Brazil, Bonito, the pictures are below in our last blog and then a week later we were Florida for a dear friends wedding,which was beautiful and really just reminded me of what a true church body should look like and how it should really function, we are waiting for pictures from others, our camera was on hyatus that night. Congratulations, Again, Tracey and Jeff. And we have only been back in Brazil for about a week and a half and again we will be off next week for Christmas! By the way, it doesn't feel like Christmas, it is arriving too soon! As some of you know, I LOVE CHRISTMAS, and everything about it! The meaning of it, the decorations, the music, especially the music! Joe has put up with alot of what he calls "corny" Christmas music lately from yahoo radio. Small tangent real quick, Yahoo radio has this absolutely revolting commercial about STD's and condoms. And if you open the webpage and that is the commercial assigned to you, you hear it over and over every 4 songs, so in that case we close the webpage and reopen until we get a different one. Along with preparing for Christmas, I always enjoy wearing the "christmas clothes" we all have. The red wool sweater, or green or both. My wordrobe is having a identity crisis! As we are headed into summer, it has been steadily, 85-90 degrees. Most of my short sleeve shirts and tank tops are in the beachy tones and pinks!
I learned something else this season, deoderant can go bad! One day I realized I smelled like a really cheap bar of soap, like the kind you took from the motel 3 years ago. It's ok we all do it. The investigation began and we realized that my deoderant had lost it's scent. So I opened a new one, smelled it and it too had lst its scent. (And the experation date on the bottom was 2 years away).
Some of you are wondering what happened with the bradcast here in Brazil! We thank you for your prayers! Brazil, is a wonderful friendly culture, they are so people oriented! Joe and I have enjoyed this about Brazillians all year. They don't consider themselves to be great at some of the paperwork and logisics that go with it. Currently we are Praising God for the 103,925 decisions that have been reported!
Last week we had the honor of having Gwen Matthews down in Brazil with us! She is the wife of Joe's boss Greg, and just a wonderful person to get to know. I decided on Friday I would take her downtown, show her some of the old city and then head to an area that is called, 25 de Marzo. It is where all the wholesale shops are. This is where all the people the south of Brazil come to buy goods for their stores. On deciding to go, I told some of my students and their response was, we will start planning your funeral. It wasn't that bad, but it was really crowded! If you like your personal space you wouldn't like this. At one point I saw some people start running with armsful of goods and told Gwen to get out of the way, and she asked why, what was going on? I told her I didn't know but it was always better to stay out of the way of running people. I asked a friend and she said that to sell things on the streets you have to have a permit and so when they start checking so permits, those who don't ahve one, run, they grab all their stuff and run!
I hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas Season and Joe and I can't wait to see people VERY SOON!