After completing our second semester of Portuguese language study, we spent our “summer break” in the village we will be working in come January 2010. 

The Lord really blessed our two months in the village.  We gained a lot from the hands on experience and really enjoyed getting to know our co-workers as well as the villagers. 

Gabriel stayed busy working on making repairs on our village house, learning as much as he could from our co-worker Reuben before he left on furlough, and of course playing soccer with the men here. Taking care of active little Avery and making meals for the family occupied most of Rachel’s time. Avery did great with the heat and had only a few little bug bites (we wish we could say the same!).

We are thankful for the opportunity to spend time in the village before we move in permanently in January 2010. The Lord truly blessed our time.  Thank you for those of you who prayed!

June marks our one year anniversary of serving with New Tribes Mission in Brazil. The time has passed quickly! The Lord has grown our faith this past year as He has shown Himself faithful.

He has provided for each of our needs, kept us healthy, and given us vision and direction for the future. We have been so thankful for His leading and directing in our lives.

Although you are far away, the Lord has used many of you to provide for us through this time. Your prayers, financial support, encouragement, and friendship have spurred us on in a great way. Thank you!

Apart from our classroom time and book work, we meet with language helpers; Gabriel four to five times a week and Rachel twice a week. These sessions are a great opportunity to discover new vocabulary and to practice speaking with a native speaker.

Participating in church activities, such as Bible studies or Sunday service, is another way we learn language, especially spiritual terms.

As long as our ears are ready to listen and our minds ready to absorb, everyday events like grocery shopping, eating at a restaurant, watching a soccer game, talking with our neighbor, or watching the news, can be learning experiences. Gabriel has picked up a lot just from playing soccer with the local guys.

We are thankful for the progress we have made. It is encouraging to be more self sufficient. However, learning a new language is at times a slow and arduous process. We would appreciate your prayers as we continue in language study. Please pray that we would be able to use our time wisely and that our minds would take in what we are learning. We long for the day we will be able to speak naturally and unhindered.

Greetings, once again, it has been awhile. We are excited about what the future holds for us. We are truly seeking the Lord and his direction and we are thrilled to see him guide. He is the master planner! Please pray for Rachel and the baby, just another month and we will have our very own addition to the family. We are quite anxious as to what we should expect. But we both have had wonderful parents and from their example we are joyous to see what God has blessed us with in our life. I am sure he will be a handful just like I am! 

Please be praying for us as we learn the language, and develop new friends and familiarize ourselves to a new place.

Please pray for Rachel and the baby that there are no complications

Please pray for our relationship with each other and with the Lord.

Thank for your prayers, encouragement and support,

Gabriel and Rachel

Thank you for all your prayers and support, we have been blessed by so many of you. Words can not express how grateful we are to everyone. We are still commited to get to the field this August.  Many things have to come about, but we are trusting the Lord that He is soveriegn and he has our best interests at heart. 

The leadership in Brazil is also looking into every option on their end.  Two other couples were also recently denied, therefore MNTB wants to figure out what is going on.  We greatly appreciate all their hard work.  Currently, they are communicating with officials in the capital, Brasilia, to appeal our case.

Our first step is to wait and see what becomes of their efforts.  If Brazil will not reverse the original decisions, reapplying for Visas would most likely be our next step.

Please continue to pray for this situation.

The Brazilian Consulate in Chicago rejected our request for a Religious Visa.  Because we want to eventually obtain permanent residency in Brazil, we must go to Brazil on a Religious Workers Visa (Vitem VII).

Please pray with us through this time. There are many emotions and thoughts running through our minds upon hearing this news. Above all, we know that God is Sovereign and able to lead and direct us according to His will.