As I write this update, Andy and I are listening to a CD of Northfield's Easter Sunday service that Mom sent us. He has risen indeed! We enjoy remembering our brothers and sisters in the U.S..
Last week, we celebrated Christmas in April. Bill Teater was at CLM for a visit and he was gracious enough to bring us some goodies from home. We also were able to have a wonderful talk with Mr. Bill, we are so grateful for the leadership of our church and the wisdom God has given them by the power of His word and Spirit.
We have been in Guarapuava for over two months now. On one hand it has gone fast and then on the other hand it seems like we have been here much longer. Andy will finish book one of Portuguese this week and I'm finishing up book two. Many people have commented that Andy's Portuguese is progressing rapidly. He isn't afraid to try to express himself, even if he isn't sure of every word.
About three weeks ago we began swapping English for Portuguese with one of the ladies from church. Ascemari has been studying English now for many years but had never actually had any interaction with native English speakers. She has a good grasp of grammar and rules but struggles with speaking. On Tuesday afternoons we practice Portuguese which consists of visiting with her and her husband and two daughters for a couple hours. On Thursdays she comes to our apartment to speak English. This time is so wonderful to simply practice Portuguese and fellowship with a precious sister in Christ.
As June approaches we are getting more excited about the arrival of Baby Roth. Andy is looking forward to getting hold our baby in his arms and I'm looking forward to not being pregnant anymore! We covet your prayers as we enter a new phase of life as parents. We are humbled by the responsibility and privilege of bringing up this child in the wisdom and instruction of the Lord. We praise God that His word is sufficient for teaching us to train up our baby.
Praise God He has Risen!
Katie (for Andy and Baby)
March 10, 2010
Dear Friends & Family,
We are feeling more at home in our apartment by now but since we were moving around so much in the U.S., it doesn't take that long to adjust to a new house. Since we are living in downtown Guarapuava, it is pretty noisy in our apartment during certain times of the day but fortunately the city is quiet at night.
We've been making lots of new friends and renewing friendships. We are attending the Methodist church which is only two blocks from our apartment ( I have to say, it's different from any Methodist church we visited in the U.S.). We already knew a few couples who attend there and we have been making new friends there as well. Last weekend we spent a lot of time with Fabio and Edit and Luis and Aninha when we went to Turvo for a visit.
This is our second week of language school. Both of us are learning a lot although it doesn't necessarily come easily. Andy has been struggling with pronunciation and I've discovered that I need to work more on my grammar. Besides our official studies, we have a few friends who want to swap English lessons for Portuguese lessons which will be helpful.
My basketball of a belly keeps growing (and moving!). I have my first doctor appointment here in two weeks. I had been hoping to find a midwife here but they simply don't have them. We are planning to use a small maternity hospital here in the city. It is only a 1/2 a mile from our apartment and we've have heard lots of positive things about it. Please keep Baby's health and development in your prayers.
We do not have internet at our apartment yet but Andy tries to check our email everyday. We would love to hear from you and we will continue to keep you updated on our time in language school.
Trusting in Jesus,
Andy & Katie
February 27. 2010
Hello Everyone,
We have been “settled” into our apartment in Guarapuava for about three days now. I use the word settled lightly because we are still trying to get our staples (like food) in order. However, our major appliances have been purchased so I can cook again. Neither of us are big spenders so even after purchasing what we needed we were getting pretty sick of spending money. We are glad we thought to bring our air mattress so that we didn't have to buy a bed or bed frame yet.
After going through all our luggage, we have discovered that Andy's running shoe is indeed MIA. This morning I went to put on my favorite walking sandals and discovered that one of them is also gone, a casualty of customs. I guess it's just God trying to teach us not to be so attached to our possessions.
Andy also managed to get his bicycle working and also got to know our local bike shop, just 3/4 of a mile away from our apartment.
We've been trying to find ways to get out into the community and surround ourselves with Portuguese. Both of us are starting language school next week, but even then we will still need to find ways to continue our learning outside of the classroom. One way we've found to get exposure to the language is to talk to salespeople in cell phone stores. Today we stopped into a cell provider's store to look at internet options. We probably got a good hour of language exposure and interaction there, even though we didn't buy anything.
Along with the language comes the miscommunications. Yesterday I went to a beauty supply store to buy nail polish remover only to get home and realize I'd actually bought hair dye remover. I went back to the store and explained the problem only to have them give me cuticle remover (at least I can use that!). Finally I just went down to the pharmacy under our apartment and finally found acetone nail polish remover.
That's all we have for now. We will let you know how our language learning is going. Please keep that area in your prayers.
Trusting in Jesus,
Katie & Andy
February 22, 2010
Hi Everyone,
Well, it's been an eventful past few days. I will just start with our travel experiences.
Like it always is, the trip down here was long. Since we flew through Toronto it was more of a hassle because we had go through Canadian immigration and customs. We weren't sure some of our bags would make it through the trip they looked more beat up each time we saw them. The garment bag with Andy's bike fared the worst; by the time we got to Sao Paulo it was pretty much hanging open. We had it saran wrapped in the airport for the last flight to Curitiba. Amazingly he only lost three easily replaceable parts. Andy also lost one running shoe which was a bummer, I'm curious to see him use only one shoe.
We made it to CLM Entre Rios at 11:30 pm on Friday. I was relieved to be done with travel, I could tell I was more uncomfortable because of the pregnancy. My feet and legs were a little swollen but as soon as I got a normal nights sleep I was fine.
Saturday and Sunday we spent most of our time hanging out at CLM. It was so good to catch up with Jake and Amanda and the other missionaries here and meet the kids as well.
Today (Monday) was by far the busiest and most productive day. Jake and Amanda took us to Guarapuava to buy what we need for our household down here. It was a great introduction to the Brazilian way to buy things. We bought a stove, fridge, microwave, washing machine, kitchen table, dishes, silverware and a few other miscellaneous household items. We have pretty much all we need for now, we will keep sleeping on our air mattress and we can look around for furniture later on (good thing we've learned what you can get by without for awhile!). It made for a long day walking/driving from store to store. Jake and Amanda were a huge help.
We also got to see our apartment in person. God knew just what we needed! It is two blocks from our language school and there is a large grocery store across the street. The location is ideal since we aren't going to get a car right away. When we get a little more settled we will send some pictures.
Tomorrow we are going to Guarapuava with Jake and Amanda to register with the Federal Police so we can get our identification cards. Tomorrow will also be the first night we spend at our apartment. We are enjoying the immersion in our new culture, there are frustrations of course, but we might as well get used to them.
I'll just end with a few prayer requests.
Language: My (Katie) Portuguese is coming back and I love the language learning process. However, it is more of a chore for Andy and I know he would appreciate your prayers in this area.
Wisdom: We need guidance from the Lord in some decisions we have to make in the next few months.
Prenatal care: I haven't had a chance to research care yet. Please God provides in His perfect way and time.
Hopefully I will be able to send some picture as well next email. Thanks for all of your encouragement, we so appreciate you!
Love in Jesus,
Katie
February 20, 2010
Hello Everyone,
We made it to Entre Rios around 11:30 pm last night. It was a long trip but we don't have to make it now for another two years! All our luggage minus one of Andy's running shoes made it along with us. We will write more soon. Love you all.
Katie (and Andy)
First Mennonite Church
250 S Baltimore Ave
Morton, IL 61550
