Home Sweet Home

So we are back in the United States now and officially experiencing reverse culture shock. It's the little things, you know? I went to WalMart today and was surprised to see the signs over the aisles in English. You laugh, but I'm serious! Hiper Bom Preco, the grocery store we went to in Salvador is owned by WalMart, so all the signs over the aisles are in the exact same colors and fonts as the WalMarts in the States; they are just in Portuguese. So I got used to them being in another language. It's other things, too, like remembering I can flush my toilet paper and speak to waiters in English. :)

I know that as the next few weeks go on, I will get used to my old habits again and silly things like WalMart won't feel strange anymore. But even as life in the U.S. becomes normal again, the"saudades" I have for my friends and my church in Salvador will not go away. ("Saudades" are a deep feeling of longing, of missing something because you're missing part of your heart.) I miss the team, I miss the Brazilians, I miss Portuguese. As my good friend Dr. Hale said, "There's just something about Brazil that gets inside your heart and doesn't let go." And this is what will keep me coming back again and again, as long as the Lord will let me.

Thank you, Lord, for a wonderful summer, for all the incredible experiences you gave me and the amazing people you put in my path. Thank you for the things I learned about myself and the things I learned about you and your kingdom. Please bless your body in Salvador. Help them to continue to grow and shine your light in that city.

I also would like to thank all of you readers for all of your prayers, support, and encouragement. I know that I have thanked you multiple times for this, but I truly could not have done this summer without you. We really do need each other in the body of Christ! This is a lesson I have learned all too well this summer. As promised, here are some pics of our last few days in Salvador, including pictures of the newest addition to the team!

Me leading the kids in the VBS program for the church on our last Sunday

Randy speaks a word of thanks to Laura and I on behalf of the church for our work this summer

A prayer of blessing is said over us. Val, Alicia, and all the children came to lay hands on us.

Here is the newest addition to the Salvador team, Auburn (Aubry) Nicole Mabery born at 11:55 PM August 12, 2007. (Sorry, I can't remember the weight and length stats.)

Aubry and "Tia Heather"

Proud Mommy, Daddy, and Grandma

Aubry and "Tia Laura"

Baby Mabery Is Here!

Hello, everyone! Just a quick update before we hop on a plane tomorrow to head back to the States. :( I'm sad about leaving, but I do have some happy news to share! As the title of this post states, Baby Mabery was born! Her name is Aubry Nicole, and she was born at 11:55 PM on Sunday, August 12, with five minutes to spare so that her birthday could be on Brazilian Father's Day this year. What a great Father's Day present for Matt, huh? :) Anyway, I have some pictures to share, but I will have to post them when I get home. I will tell you, though, that she is absolutely beautiful!

In other news, the VBS program at church yesterday went off without a hitch. I forgot to count the number of kids, but we had a great turnout! All of the regulars were there, plus a couple of new faces! We even had a couple of new faces in the audience, too: at least one of the kids' parents who had never before come to our church. Praise God! Laura and I were also thoroughly blessed and encouraged by the church, and we had the privilege of showing off (as much as we could in the darkness) and dedicating our children's mural.

Well, it's late, and I better sign off. Laura and I leave Salvador at 5:25 PM tomorrow to begin our nearly 24 hour journey home. Please pray for safe and smooth travel for us! The next time I post I will be back on American soil! Ate mais!

Who Turned Off the Lights?

On Thursday, the fuse box at church caught on fire and caused the entire building to lose power. The problem is taking a while to fix, so today we had church service in the semi-darkness. It was kind of fun. I was reminded that the church is not about a building but the people who meet inside it. And though we were hot and didn't have our sound system, worshipping this way made us feel more like a family.

This is what the fuse box looked like after the fire.

Here is me and Alicia doing children's time in the dark.

Josh preaches while Paul translates in our worship in the dark service.

The countdown to baby is still on. Russ is the only person still left in our Baby Pool. Everyone guessed early days because of the early contractions that Mary had, but she still has that baby inside for now. We are praying she makes her appearance before we (and her Grandpa) have to leave. Please continue to pray for a safe and healthy delivery for mommy and baby.


This is our last full week in Salvador, so we are trying to cram everything in that we want to get done. Please pray for the relationships that we have cultivated this summer and for the goodbyes that have to be said this week. Thanks for all your support! I will be stateside again soon!