Winter Break- July

Still feels weird calling July our winter break but here in the Southern Hemisphere, that’s what it is. The kids take a few weeks off between semesters.

During this time we still have some ministry duties, but this is also time to rest and recharge. Working in ministry you don’t work 9 to 5 kind of hours, so the break is much appreciated.

We still have interns to take care of, as they will need grocery runs and other things. Although, this July was a little busier because we had lots of airport runs as they traveled or returned home.

We have been working on a project in the background and were hoping to share it this month, but sometimes things don’t always go the way you plan for them to.

We spoke with Eduardo and invited him to come with us to the United States during Christmas. It is his heart’s desire to visit the United States. We met with his parents and they we delighted with the plan. So back in March with started the process.

After getting his parents’ permission in May, we helped him fill out the paperwork to get his passport and scheduled his passport appointment. We took him to his appointment in Campinas. And later, took him back to Campinas to pick up his passport in June. He was so happy. All of us were ecstatic. Trev was already planning our itinerary to show him our little part of the US.

Trying to get a US visa appointment with the US Consulate proved much harder. There were no available appointments until January. January 2027! Our other options were to fly to Brasilia for an October appointment or drive 6 hours to Rio de Janeiro in July. We chose July.

While we waited for his visa appointment, we scheduled and took him to São Paulo to get his picture and fingerprints for his US visa. We wrote a letter saying how long he would be with us and that we would be responsible for his food, lodging, transportation, provide medical coverage, etc. We also obtained a letter from Word of Life stating that Eduardo would be attending CLD in February. We tried to cover most questions the US might have for him to ensure he would not become a burden for our country, that it was temporary, and the he had reason to return to his country. We felt as prepared as we could be.

Y’all know Trevor hates big cities. So I knew if we were ever going to see Rio, now was the time. We loaded up the car with three teenage boys, some luggage, snacks, and a Spotify playlist they made for the trip. (That is one eclectic set of songs).

Before we even got out of Atibaia, Eduardo asked how long the trip would be. Ha! You should have seen his face when we told him six hours. Brazilians don’t roadtrip like Americans. My boys didn’t bat an eye.

Despite the long hours all crammed in our car, we made it safely to our hotel in Rio. The next morning was Eduardo’s appointment. We walked over to the Consulate. Eduardo had to remove his watch and phone (which he left with us) before going in alone. No phones are allowed so I don’t have any pictures to show you. It was a gray building surrounded by a white tall thick barred fence with security, just so you know; you’re not missing anything.

We waited outside, nervous but excited. Until heartbreak sank deep in our chest as his crestfallen face came out of the building. It was all I could do not to cry. I wanted to hug him so bad but I could tell, if I did, we would both start to cry. He said the interview took about a minute and a half. That’s it. The interviewer didn’t even look at any of the paperwork Eduardo had with him. The person asked when he was going, how long he wanted to stay, if he had ever been out of the country and if so, where, what Trevor did for a living, and what Eduardo did for a living (student obviously), then looked at him and told him his request was denied. That was it. The end of it. Appointment over; nothing left to discuss. NO VISA! No trip to America for Eduardo.

No one wanted to go sightseeing at this point. We were all too stunned. I don’t understand our government’s system. Why some get to go and others don’t. It’s pretty frustrating. I asked Trevor if we were going to try again and maybe fly him to Brasília but Trev said he prayed that this would work and he didn’t feel right applying again; like he wouldn’t be trusting God’s answer. So we all accepted it.

At this point the thing to do was respond in obedience and move on. So we did as best we could.

We hired a tour guide named Charles to take us around the city. Sarah had used him before and recommended him. Although, he didn’t speak English, the boys were able to translate for us. If we were staying longer, we probably wouldn’t have had a guide but this worked out great.

Christ the Redeemer (Cristo o Redentor) and Sugarloaf Mountain (Pão de Açúcar) can have crazy busy lines and tour guides get their own separate lines, which helps. Since we were there in July instead of December/January, which is peak season, the lines were shorter but still crowded.

First up was Sugarloaf. Mason and Trevor don’t care for heights so they stayed back and walked a trail along the beach while we headed over to get in line.

Sugarloaf Mountain is an iconic mountain in Brazil that rises 1,299 feet about Guanabara Bay and offers amazing 360 degree views of the city, beaches, forts, and the Atlantic Ocean.

Charles was able to get us right in front of the glass enclosed cable car.

You take one car (or you can climb the trail) from Praia Vermelha (Red Beach) to Morro da Urca (Urca Hill) and then you get on another car to the top.

Charles asked people to get in lines so we could get pictures without anyone in the shot. Since he had on his tour guide shirt and badge, everyone obliged. It was awesome. The views were incredible.

Even though it’s kind of hazy, you can see Christ the Redeemer in the background of the bottom right photo.

This is one of the first cable cars that was used.

This was the second version of the car.

This second version was the one used in the James Bond movie, Moonraker with Roger Moore.

We ate at a steakhouse for an early dinner and then called it a night hanging out at the hotel.

The following day we started early to try to beat the crowds at Christ the Redeemer. Charles pointed out things around the city we would have missed on our own. He told us about the two large warring favelas (slums) we passed along the way. It’s interesting to me that you can pay for guided tours of the favelas. There’s a training center for the special police that go into the favelas. You’re everyday officers don’t get involved in the gang wars.

The shuttle system is actually very efficiently ran. The shuttles were constant and we didn’t have to wait to catch a shuttle to the top.

Christ the Redeemer is huge. I’ve been to the one in Bolivia and I believe it is actually taller than this one but this one is more renown. The Catholic Church owns this art deco statue made of concrete and soapstone. The statue stands at 97 ft tall with an arms-an of 92ft. It was named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

Originally the idea was to honor Princess Isabel but she didn’t feel it appropriate so it was later decided to honor Jesus.

I’m glad we had Charles here. Even though it was the off season, the viewing at the base was jam packed with people. We were ready to go pretty quick. You were constantly bumping people and having to wait for people to move so you can move. Plus lots of people were laying on the ground to get a better photo of the statue which is hard when you’re that close to something that tall. Charles had no problem moving people out of the way and laying on the ground to take our picture. I highly recommend him. I can’t imagine how crowded it is during the busy season.

We visited the Maracanã Stadium, home of the Flamingos soccer club, and had our picture taken in front of the Bellini Statue. The bronze statue honors the champions of the 1958 World Cup to celebrate Brazil’s first victory in the World Cup. It was named after Hilderaldo Bellini, who was the captain of the national team in 1958. Brazil has won five world cups, currently the most won by a country, although they haven’t won one since 2002. Since this is a meeting point for many locals and tourists alike, there are lots of vendors selling goods in this area. So if you want a souvenir here’s a good place to grab one.

Next up we headed over to Escadaria Selarón or the Selarón Steps. The steps are decorated with over 2000 ceramic tiles from more than 60 countries and was designed by Chilean artist Jorge Serlerón (hence the namesake). Micheal Jackson preformed part of his video, They Don’t Care About Us here. This area is super crowded. We didn’t stay long.

Just like that, it was time to get out of the big city and head home. The boys were great roadtrippers. Barely out of Rio and they were fast asleep.

Break wasn’t all fun and games though. Two of our families were in dire need and one of our teams decided to stand in the gap. One of the families decided to move out of their current house and into an apartment, due to family drama that’s too much of a soap opera to share, I’ll make a long story short. When the mom and kids came back to the house, the dad had gutted it. I mean tore the doors and windows out, everything. There was no way this family could live there anymore.

So one of our teams that came in June, stepped up and donated money to fix the house and to help the family next door (which are relatives) with their home as well.

Roberto worked on getting the supplies and rounded up workers to help this family in dire need of housing.

Even the sweet littles got in on the action to help rebuild and repair their homes. I can’t imagine how this kind of environment and instability affects the hearts and minds of these young children. But I am so thankful to serve a God that can change lives; a Holy Spirit that can tender the hearts of His people to help others. I am also thankful for this team; that they were obedient to the Spirit’s prompting to be the hands and feet of Jesus. I’m glad theses families gets to see strangers helping them but my prayer is that they will know that there’s a God that walks in the valleys with with them, who send others to help them, and a Savior that loved them enough to die for their salvation.

The ministry is growing. Botucatu is expanding to accommodate the growing needs there. I love seeing more children and families being reached.

These men. Even from the back I can tell they have their thinking faces on. Men who love the Lord, who want to honor and glorify Him with the resources they’ve been blessed with in order to bless others. My heart is full. Next month the semester starts back and we are all itching to get to work.