Update--August 10

Well...I really should give a little update on what I have actually been up to lately, shouldn't I? :)

To start off with, if I ever wasn't sure about it before, I am now: American summers temperatures are definitely higher than Brazilian ones! Whew! Up until the last few days, the weather has been up in the high 90's and 100's here in Kansas! Thankfully, it has rained a little here and there the last day or two, and has helped immensely to cool things off a little!


As you all know, my family and I have been back in the US since May--not much more than three months--but I am already missing Brazil terribly. Oh to be able to walk around our little town and see all of the Institute students that have now come back for the semester beginning this coming Monday! To see all the ladies outside crocheting and visiting; to stay after church and just stand around on the "praça" and talk with the other teenagers....I am also finding out that I am actually more of an animal lover than I thought: Kitana, our Siamese cat, is back in Brazil, and I miss being able to hold her and hug the breath out of her. :) But...as everyone know, changes are a part of life. I simply can't have the best of both worlds--it's either one or the other--not both!


So...like goes on for me, here in the US. Since the last time I wrote about the every-day happenings around here, God has provided exactly the kind of job that I was looking for, even though I hadn't really been seriously praying about it! (Isn't it exciting to see how God really does know our hearts and it's desries and even sometimes answers before we ask?!?)

Anyhow, to say the least, this year is going to be filled with a lot of new things for family our...it already is! My brother, Jared, went to summer camp for the first time a few weeks ago, which of course he loved, he just doesn't want to admit it! :) Then, a week later, Melissa went on a missions trip up to Minnesota, MN, with the youth from Medora Community Bible Church. She came home with dozens of stories from the trip, but more importantly, I believe she came home with a greater vision of the need to spread the Gospel!

While I will not be starting college this semester (or year), Patrice and I will be travelling down to Dalllas, TX in September to attend EXCEL, a two-month course for young ladies. You can find out more about it at http://dallas.iblp.org/program_excel. Various skill will be taught--to name a few, by the time I get back home, I will be certified in CPR, have the basics skills of floral-arranging and sewing, and, most importantly, hopefully have learned a lot from the classes on practical daily Christian living as a young lady in this world! As you can tell, I am really excited about this opportunity! For sure, it will be a growing experience!

Finally, please be in prayer for Patrice and I as we teach "Partnering in Prayer"--the Wednesday nights children's class at our church for the month of August. We are doing it with a focus on different character qualities with Bible and Nature lessons to illustrate the qualities.... Pray for the children, that they will not only hear the lessons, but also apply them to their lives....


Have a great week!
Seeking to reflect Him in everything I do,
Angie

P.s. Right now, I am reading the book Some Gave All by Ellen Caughy--the story of four missionaries who gave their lives for the cause of the Gospel. Very interesting! A few sentences in the introduction really caught my eye: "...Missionaries, and especially missionary martyrs, are often held up to the rest of us as extraordinary examples of overwhelming devotion to the Christian cause. But [...] the missionaries' commitment may have been extraordinary, but the individuals were completely ordinary. Like the rest of us, they had human needs and desires. They had dreams that had to be forgotten or discarded. They were known, at times, to flounder, havning lost their hope. But they kept going, kept trusting, and kept praying." These few sentences reminded me that God really does call the ordinary people, just like me, to do great tasks, for He doesn't "call the equiped, but rather He equips the called!!" (a quote I heard somewhere...)