I Made Waffles for You Tonight

I got a phone call at 2:30 this morning. It was my dad telling me that my grandmother had passed away. She was diagnosed with leukemia last month and had a weak heart, so it was very expected. Base on what I had been told over the last couple of weeks she was prepared and at peace. I praise and thank the Lord for that.

Although I am sad about my grandmother's passing I have tried to reflect on some of my memories of my her today. What do I remember about you, Grandma Wanda?

I remember that you were a great lady who had the sweetest, little girl giggle. I remember how when you were frustrated with my grandfather you would say "Oh, Hilton!" is such a way I always laughed a little inside. I remember when cousin Sarah and I stayed with you and Grandpa Hilton for a week one summer. We went to the mall a lot so that you could walk (rehab for a hip replacement) and you would buy us a bunch of junk that we didn't need. I will always remember hearing stories about the way you blessed so many people's lives with your warm, servant heart - no matter where in the world you may have been. I remember that you were the first person to make me a home-made waffle - Eggo has nothin' on Grandma Wanda's waffles! I remember how you took care of my great grandfather (your father) when he was ill. I remember hearing the story of how you and Grandpa Hilton raced your motorized carts at Wal-Mart when you came to Colorado Springs for our wedding! I remember the way you looked at Elisa the first time you saw her. I remember all the times you told me you were proud of me and that you loved me. I remember the love and respect I have always felt for such a wonderful, compassionate servant of the Kingdom; for such a respectful daughter; for such a loyal and loving wife; for such a tender mother; and for such a caring and proud grandmother and great grandmother. I will remember you always. I love you, Grandma.

Wanda Louise Terry
May 31, 1927 - January 30, 2008

P.S. - I made waffles for you tonight.

What's the Word!?

Elisa is full of new vocabulary and I thought that I would take a minute to share what she has learned recently. Before I do I will say that all of these words are new since returning to Brazil almost a month ago. We saw her pick up several new words while in the states too. Here is a sample of what is new in the last couple of weeks.

More!? (usually meaning "hey Jack! give me more of that." unfortunately, she hasn't learned "please" yet).

Again! (or "gain" which she picked up from the song "the itsy bitsy spider" - it is the last word in the song).

Peas (she loves peas - thank goodness. we can't get this child to eat anything!)

Hi! (this is new as of 45 minutes ago - with a waving hand I might add!)

All done. (a sentence!!! to signify that she has completed a meal. she usually is rubbing her hands together as if cleaning them while saying this).

There may be a couple of more words that I am forgetting. However, the granddaddy isn't even a word. Just a couple of days ago she started giving kisses! We can say "give Mama a kiss" and she will lean in and kiss Jenn right on the smacker! It is the sweetest thing I have ever seen! I just got her to give me my first kiss goodnight a few minutes ago. What a lucky dad I am. Anyway, this is our update for now. Stay tuned for more...

"little missy": the swimmer

It is the dead of summer here in Porto Alegre. The last week or so we have seen nice weather with temperatures in the upper 80s and lower 90s. A couple of weeks ago up until last week the temperatures were outrageous. One day our outside thermometer read 105F!

Fortunately, we have been blessed with a swimming pool in our backyard. It is something that we really haven't been able to take advantage of recreationally. So far it has basically been used for baptisms.

Well, a couple of weeks ago we had some friends (Randy, Jennifer and Kelton Porter) visit us from Salvador, Brazil. Randy and Kelton were more than happy to help me and Elisa break in the pool. Here are some fun swimming pictures along with a couple of pictures of Elisa swinging at the park (another one of her favorite past times) and playing with some flowers.

I also attached a swimming video at the bottom of this post.

We are on our way to go swimming at the Missionary Conference earlier in the month.

Swimming in our pool with Randy and Kelton.

Elisa loves to jump in from the side of the pool. She usually doesn't wait for me to count to 3. She is so ready that I usually only count to 2!

Swimmin' is what "little missies" do best!

Elisa loves to swing. She often asks to "weee". It is a good thing that her daddy set up her "weee" at the house.

Elisa loves flowers. Check out this beautiful flower!

Below is a failed attempt to jump into the pool. I promise that she usually jumps with glee.

Ready for bed

Well, our furlough is winding up. I am looking at 3 bags that weight approximately 70lbs each. In the other room Jennifer is working on the last 2 bags of the same status. We are pushing the limits. Tomorrow we will leave Colorado Springs for Denver and catch the first leg of our 24+ hour journey home to Porto Alegre, Brazil.

We have been all over the place. We have visited 7 churches (3 in Colorado, 1 in Missouri and 3 in Texas) and a lot of family. Furlough has been a blessing because of all the love and encouragement our supporters have given us. We were taken care of above what we could have expected. We have a wonderful network of supporters and we thank the Lord for them.

Furlough has also been difficult because we are never settled in one place for too long. We have seen several different beds. I decided to count up the miles that we will have traveled by the time we arrive in Porto Alegre on Thursday afternoon. The total is over 16,800 miles!!! Needless to say we are a little road weary and are ready for our own beds.

We have a long journey ahead of us to get back home. Please keep us in your prayers as we travel and get back into the swing of things in Brazil. Thank you and God bless your 2008.