Settling the moving nerves

In 8 days I will fly down to the Amazon and pack up our belongings to move to another area of Brazil. Living and traveling to Brazil was pretty routine during the first four years in Brazil, but this trip seems different. When we moved to the Amazon I had lived there before for a total of almost 11 months. In the Outback we have been there for a total of about a week. In the Amazon we were moving into a beautiful house (well, we knew it could be beautiful once the cobwebs were down and there was paint on the wall) that was waiting on us. In the Outback we are not sure where we will live. 

When we applied for our Visas to go to Brazil for our first term we had full support and were waiting for our Visas for a couple months. For the last couple of months we have been watching God supply our support enough to apply for Anna Claire’s visa. Today we went to the consulate and it appears her visa will be in our hands in a couple of days. Praise the Lord! Somehow the last minute details have made me more nervous; unless I just did not remember how nervous I was 5 years ago. 

So here we go. To a place with few churches and very few contacts. In church planting books they talk about the methods of church planting. It is good to have a core team to go with you, or part of the mother church that separates for a time, or teammates to work with closely. We will have teammates, but none that will actually live in the city with us. Our first target city is Arcoverde, which is right at the edge of the Outback. Our teammates, Roger and Marcy Smith and their church have had a vision for this region for a long time. They have sent missionaries to the region and are starting a resource center in Arcoverde, but there is no one that lives there currently. We will be the first to do that. There will be much work to be done in order to start a church.

We are amazed at this opportunity and are excited to be so close to being there. Pray that our adjustment will go well! Pray that God will give us great friends there. But most of all, pray that no matter what, God will receive glory through us being there.