Last Night At Betania

Tonight will be our last night in Curitiba. We certainly look forward to going home, but will miss the wonderful new friends that are here. The children are excited about their first airplane ride tomorrow and I am sure that several times during the day they will ask when are we leaving for the airport. It will be a long day for them as our flight doesn't leave till almost 6:00 pm. We have all of our paperwork ready and would ask that you pray that all goes smoothly and quickly at the US Consulate in Rio. We are to be there Wed morning at 7:45. Then hopefully return on Fri to pick up the visas for the kids. We will be staying with Monica's parents in Rio. They do not have internet at their home so I don't know when I will be able to update again. I will probably check e-mail tomorrow before I leave. We will tour Rio while waiting for the visas and enjoy some warmer weather. I will actually be able to get my shorts out again! As I have said before, the people here at Betanian have been great. I don't know what condition we would be in if it were not for them. We could not say thank you enough to God for His watch care over us and we certainly don't think we are entitled His abundant blessings on this trip. Someone told me that we were special because we were adopting. I honestly don't think that we are... sometimes I might feel like I've gone crazy... but not special. (Now I know that we all are special because God made us, I'm not talking about that.) I almost cringe at the title of being "Special". We are simply obeying what God has laid on our hearts. Some he has called to adopt, others to missions, jail visitation, lawyers, housewives, or prayer warriors. What matters is that you obey God's plan and purpose for your life. How can you know what God would like you to do? For me, it was more prayer (fasting) and Bible reading than I have ever done in my life. When we left for Brazil, I had never felt so strong spiritually. At the same time I had peace even though I was way out of my comfort zone. As I have said before, I am out of the boat and on the waves of a stormy sea. Does that make me special? I don't want to be special... I just want to obey.
God Bless,
Dave

Last Sunday in Curitiba

Any of you that know me, are aware I like to have fun. Well today in church there was a pastor from the US visiting and he was near the door greeting the people (we go to the English speaking service). I told him we come to church to practice our English (I spoke with a slight accent). He asked if we were from the Curitiba area. My wife ruined my fun... she does that every once in a while... and told him I was teasing him as we are from the US. We have enjoyed meeting other Americans while we have been here. At the end of the service, the pastor had us up front to pray for us. Everyone wanted us to come back. I told them one day for sure we would worship together.
Friday Karla took 3 kids and Rebekah downtown shopping for some souvenirs and they really enjoyed walking the plaza and seeing some of the older parts of Curitiba. Saturday's highlight was going to a movie with "Chillo Berto". I'm not sure that those behind us were able to enjoy it much, as popcorn flew, Gabe toured the isle (not silently) and the kids were having regular conversations throughout the movie. But it was some time out and Berto is always a hit with the kids. Yes, that's him dancing with Gabe in the pictures. We are all begging him and his wife to come visit us in the States. They have been a super blessing. God has certainly been good to us here and now it is about time to leave. It is always comforting to know God is with us all the time. This weekend I was starting to walk down the hall to get something when one of the kids stuck their head out the door and said "Daddy". Usually they call me "Pia" (dad in Portuguese). They wanted to know know where I was going. They wanted to know if I was going to be there for them. In the Bible "Abba" means daddy, and we can call out to God as if He is our Daddy. So when you are hurting, afraid, discouraged, lonely, or sad; you can call on your Dad who is ALWAYS there. Even if your time here on earth is waning it is never to late to call on your Dad. And when you are joyful, excited, or just plain content... call Dad.
God Bless,
Dave

Keeping Busy

I will try update the highlights from the last couple of days. Wednesday started out slow but then got hectic. Berto arranged a lunch with a couple here in Curitiba. He is involved in a mission organization that was found a long time ago in England. We enjoyed lunch and conversation with he and his wife. It was interesting to hear how the Church is doing in Brazil... their strengths and weaknesses. After our time there we rushed out to the Hotel. There was little time for swimming as it was a follow up session to check for "critters" again. We then rushed back to Betania as Kevin and Karla had all of us for dinner. Karla made an American meal of Shepherds Pie. It tasted great. I realized how much I miss American food. After dinner we went out for ice cream. Kevin stayed behind as he was not feeling well... not from the meal. I got some acai ice cream. I think it added 1 week to my life. Yesterday we went to apply for the children's passports. We were fortunate to be able to return a few hours later to pick them up... we didn't have to wait till Friday to get them. When I returned Rebekah and I hosted coffee and snacks for all the employees here. We wanted to show our appreciation for all they have done and let them know how much of a blessing they are to us. We had Carol interpret for us. I made a few remarks and Rebekah wrote a poem and read it. I wish we could do more for everyone here. Then before dinner we had a planning meeting with Monica and Luis to discuss our time in Rio. We pretty much just agreed to whatever they had in mind. They know more about it they we do. We are hoping and praying that the plane rides go well. Gabe is sounding like he may be starting on another round of congestion. We are missing the 5 kids back home more everyday. It will be good to get back home. We hear the weather has been hot... really hot. I would take it in a heart beat. Also staying light till after 9:00pm would be good. It is pretty much dark by 6:00pm here now. The last 3 days have been rainy and/or gray. We are hoping Rio is sunny and we have been told it is warmer. Since we have returned from Cascavel, we have noticed a change in the children... mostly the older 2 as they have a better understanding. From the beginning they would say that until we signed the papers they were unsure of how we might change or things may not work out. For them at their age to be thinking of deep issues is amazing. A typical 9 year old doesn't think that way. In their mind we hadn't adopted them yet. That may be true legally, but in our minds we had already adopted them. How would we think or live if we had to wait for God to sign some legal papers to adopt us? Would we try to be really good... or bad to see if He was genuinely interested in us. Everything has already been taken care of in God's mind. It happened 2000 years ago when His Son, Jesus, died for our sins. All we have to do is acknowledge our sin and by faith accept His offer of adoption (gift of eternal life). It's that easy... or maybe for some it may not be easy. If you want Truth, ask God to show you the Truth. I won't be surprised when you find it.
God Bless,
Dave

Stressful morning!!!

I will start a new post instead of editing and adding more to yesterday's post. I will briefly describe the road trip and then get on to the events in Cascavel. We all packed into Lino's car on Sun afternoon for the 500 kilometer drive (I think that's about 310 miles) to Cascavel. There were 7 of us in a 5 passenger vehicle. Gabriel was not happy most of the time he was in the car going and returning. It made the 7 hr ride (one way) somewhat unpleasant. Enough said. Monday morning started out pretty good until we returned from breakfast. We were getting the children all dressed up when it happened... the 2 yr old (Gabe)... well... acted like a 2 yr old. Rebekah was very involved with the girls hair and I was finishing up with Wellington when Rebekah said, "Check on Gabe as I hear water." Right then Gabe came out of the bathroom smiling with a cup of water... but the only thing is the water was sorta... yellow. (Stop laughing as I know some of you are.) Someone apparently didn't flush. I grabbed the cup and discovered the bathroom floor was...wet. By the way Gabe had his dress socks on and they weren't dry. As I was trying to clean up the floor I smelled something... you got it... it was Gabe. I looked and he had what we refer to as a "diaper explosion". If you have to ask what that is, you will have to let your imagination guide you as I am not giving you the definition. I stripped him down and he got a shower. Fortunately, we hadn't put on the Gabe's good pants and shirt yet. All this is happening and Lino is waiting to get us to the court by 9:00. After everyone was dressed we had to pack everything up while keeping the kids occupied and clean. I had a slight headache when I got up and it was intensifying now. We finally loaded the car and were off to the court. Fortunately the judge was running late and didn't arrive till about 10:00. All the paperwork had to be verified and corrections had to be made. Right before we went in to see the judge Lidiane's god-mother arrived to say goodbye. She said she would wait till we were finished. We went in to see the judge and he spoke with the children. They told him some of the English they were learning and sang songs for him. As I said last month, it is obvious he looks out for the best interests of the children. There is a picture of him with Gabe in yesterdays update. While the paperwork was being finalized Lidiane's god-mother came in and then both of Pamela's god-parents also came. They really cared for the kids and both said they were glad the kids were going to a good family and home. After they said their goodbye's we finished up with the judge and signed a paper and it was off to get their new birth certificates with their new last name, "Mowry". Once those were in hand it was official. Then on to the orphanage. We were greeted by many of the kids friends. They would come up to me and say in Portuguese "say something in English"... or "what's my name in English?" The kids played with their friends a little till we had a lunch with a few of the caregivers. They told us about the children and gave us more insight. It will help us as we get to know them more and work with them. Many of the kids and workers wanted to see or hold Gabe. He wanted nothing to do with anyone but Rebekah or me. He hung close by us. Right before we were leaving, he finally let a 14 yr old girl hold him. She helps out a lot there and is allowed to stay as she has younger siblings there. Usually they are moved out when the are 12... however they look at each case individually. When we were getting in the car, there were mostly just the workers saying goodbye. The other orphans had simply disappeared. I asked Lino about that. He said "none of the kids want to be there. They know these 4 are gone (adopted) and they are not." There are 2 sisters and a brother (Jhiandra, Jennifer, and Jonathan) who talk to Lino everytime he goes there. They ask, "Do you have a family for us yet?" Lino can only tell them he is trying. These children are left... waiting... waiting for someone to want them for someone to love them. Do you have something to offer these children?? Enough said.
God Bless,
Dave

It's official... they're Mowry's now!

The first part of the adoption is over now. We are now the legal parents of the children. I say first part because I believe we are just beginning. There is a lot of work to do yet. My 5 kids at home may not like to hear that, and it won't be drudgery. There will be some things to work through and a lot of good times mixed in. You wouldn't believe what happened right before we were to leave for court. For any guys who are reading... you are going to laugh. But, I hate to keep you in suspense, (not really... I do like keeping you hanging) it is late... I'm tired... I think I'm getting sick AGAIN. So I am going to give you the details... I hope tomorrow morning. Stay tuned and have a good night. Enjoy the pics.
Dave

Churrascaria time!!

For anyone who knows what churrascaria means, you will probably be jealous. We'll get to the food part in a few minutes. The last few days there has been a young lady, Morene, who has offered to help the children with their English. She has just recently got back from attending Word of Life Bible (WOL) in Hungary. She is planning to attend WOL back home here in Brazil next year. She had a morning and afternoon session with the children on Fri. They are learning more and understand us more each day. It will take time for their pronunciation to be clear. Wellington soaking as much in as he can. He points to objects and wants to know how to say it in English. There are times he will ask why he has to learn English, or that he doesn't think he can learn it. But we tell him he is doing fine. He has been speaking Portuguese for over 9 years and English for 1 month. Lidiane is right there with him in understanding. I think Wellington wants to know English completely before he meets his 4 new brothers. He wants to make sure he is not left out. Lidiane and Pamela can't wait to meet big Sis (Amilia). If they here Amilia does something... they want the same thing. We will use that to our advantage as long as we can. Gabe has been fussy the last 2 days after his afternoon nap... he has been Mr. Grouchy. Maybe because of the parasite treatment he is taking. Today he is a little better. Last night he slept 12 hours... hallelujah!! And by the way he does say that with his hands raised. Frank Gorsline will like to hear that. Tomorrow we leave about 2:00 to go to Cascavel. On Monday morning at 9:30 we are due in court with the judge. Because we will arrive late Sunday in Cascavel, I probably won't get an update till Monday or Tues. After the judge we are taking the children to the orphanage so the can say good bye to their friends. We may get to meet with one of the god-mothers and talk with her. She was close to the girls. Then back here Monday late. OK...ok...food time. If Aaron Applegate, or Howard and Tim Miller are reading, I wish you could have been with us last night. I'll set the table before the details. Yuri and Carol (Brazilian couple who take us to church) wanted to take us to dinner. They arranged a young lady to watch the kids and they wanted us to have a night out to relax and not have to have the kids under foot. They are a neat couple who love the Lord. Yuri gave us the choice of a pasta place or a churrascaria. A churrascaria is Brazilian bar-b-que. The restaurants are known for their meats obviously but they have a salad bar which is best to ignore so as to save your appetite for the meat. They have waiters make their rounds to the tables. They bring all different kinds and cuts of meat on a big skewer and cut off some if you want it. They keep coming back as long as you want... which of course I had them come back too much. Now remember they are speaking Portuguese, so having Yuri their was a big help. Also he introduced me to a cut of beef called "Argentinian Cut". Oh man was it tender and delicious!!! I have never had any beef taste that good before. Yuri knew all the best meats (including lamb) and would let me know if I should have a piece. It was a great experience. I have been to a churrascaria before, but this was a very nice place. Valet parking and the works. I wish I could go again as I don't know when I will be in Brazil again. It was a great evening and we had fun hearing stories about Yuri's time in the US. There are many new friends we have met here and as I told one today, "It would be great if they all would visit us... just not all at the same time". I will include some pictures on this update for you to enjoy. Will probably update when we officially have 9 kids.
Dave

Critters

It has been a couple of days so I better update any who are reading this. Rebekah said I wasn't suppose to write about critters... but I am the man of the family and since it is the most interesting thing going I will let you know about the critters. But before that I will update you on the... parasites... they are not the critters I will talk about later. We took the kids to a doctor to see if they had any. He speaks English and is a very pleasant man. He didn't check for any parasites he just gave us some tablets to treat the children. Some people say that many parents treat their children once a year for parasites... just preventative measures. So that's what we did. We don't know if they have them or not and that suits me just fine. Ignorance is bliss in this case. Since I have last updated we have gone to the zoo on Wednesday and to the Hotel on Thursday. The kids enjoyed the zoo and I think were most interested in the 2 bears. One bear lifted up a sliding door and went inside. The other bigger bear was trying to figure out how to open it. We said the bears had a disagreement and one wouldn't let the other one in the house. I don't know if one was a male and the other a female but it looked like and good squabble was going on. After the zoo we went to have pictures taken of the kids for their documents... passports, visas, etc. Back at Betania we have enjoyed visits during our supper with Kevin and Karla. Kevin grew up in northern Brazil. His father is British and his mother is American. He has triple citizenship. In northern Brazil they grow the fruit Acai... pronounced ah-sigh-ee. It is a highly nutritional food that is sold in the US. My mom buys the juice... but it is diluted with other juices as most people wouldn't like the taste. Anyway it is suppose to make you live forever... my term for the highly expensive supplements that people buy. We talked about seeing if it was possible to bring it to the US and not charge the high prices. I went on the internet and found there are acai products all over the place. If you take any of them... you are paying too much. The stuff is cheap in northern Brazil. Now to the critters. When we were to the Hotel earlier this week, Monica mentioned we should have the children checked for parasites and what she called "animals in you hair." To Americans that means lice. But here they say it is different than lice since they are dark and not white or light colored. Call it what you want but Rebekah and I thought it would be good to find out. We brought some lice treatment just in case. What I will tell you next is so you can see the servant hearts of the Brazilian people here. After lunch and a swim in the pool, Monica came in and said to shampoo the kids hair and line them up for treatment. She had bought the supplies and had her people ready to take care of us. Each of us had someone to administer the treatment to us. Well the only good news is Rebekah and Wellington didn't have any... ugh that means I had "animals in my hair". Actually only a few. The reason... the others use my brush... but no more. I threw it away and use my fingers now on my hair now. The people were willing to get their hands "dirty" (with crawling things) on people they don't even know. They did it willingly with a cheerful spirit. I don't know about you, but that would be very, very hard for me to do. Rebekah said washing someones feet is one thing but to de-lice someones hair is another thing. What kind of a lesson can I draw from this. I have so far to go to fill the shoes of the people here. Of course the ultimate servant example to us is Christ. He got His hands "dirty" (He didn't sin) by leaving heaven to come as a servant. Healing, praying, feeding, forgiving, dying. The people here say they are at the bottom of helping with our adoption. They feel it is so little and not much. I try to explain that I prayed for help and they are the answer to my prayers. They say they do it for God. It struck me how easy it is to be self-centered. I thank them for helping us... they don't do it primarily for us...they do it for God. THEY UNDERSTAND it better than I do!!! We shouldn't do things for others, we should do them for GOD... as HE directs us. There is much for me to learn from this past week it is hard to write about it all at once. One more thing on the critters. When we got back to Betania, we found our rooms had all the linens completely changed and I guess the room treated. The lady (Linda) in charge of housekeeping had gone home. She came back and personally made sure our rooms were ready for us. What more can I say. I started this update yesterday (Fri) and will explain and update maybe later tonight.

Another Birthday

Two days after Pamela's b-day and it is Lidiane's birthday today. She is 8 and loves it. She got her gifts from the Grandma's that they sent with us. We bought both of the girls a doll. Carol brought some fabric scraps today and Rebekah and the girls made clothes for the dolls. They had a great time. They cut the time short though as Monica asked us to the Hotel again today. We had planned on going to the Zoo, but the rain washed out those plans till a better day. Hopefully tomorrow. So it was a blessing to be able to have fun even though it was rainy outside. Yes, that means we went swimming again. Really the kids swim and I just try to make sure no one drowns. Yesterday we met with Daisy for the last time. She said everything is going very well and believes the children will thrive with us. We got a little more background info so that will (and already has) help us. Also yesterday Karla took Rebekah and Lidiane (Lidi) shoe shopping for Lidi (rhymes with "bridge" with a "e" sound at the end). She liked the 1st pair she tried on. If you think clothes are expensive in the US... come to Brazil. Tomorrow late in the afternoon, we are taking the kids to a Dr to see if the have any intestinal parasites. The kids like to get as much sugar as they can and we have been told it can be a sign of parasites. Any medical people out there can send me their 2 cents worth at drmowry@juno.com. Everything can look good on the outside, but what's inside can be nasty. Sorta like sin. We may have people convinced we are a good Godly person, but God judges our motives. I believe we can even deceive ourselves to some extent. What we do and think should be born out of desire to please God. Just a little morsel to chew... just make sure a parasite doesn't take it away from you. I'm not sure if I will update you on the doctor visit... some of you may not have the stomach for it... I gotta stop or this could get bad. I need to go to bed so I can get up, 'cause the early bird gets the worm.... ok...ok no more. I won't update on the doctor visit.
Dave

Happy birthday and The boy is sick!!

Know one is ill... at least not that I know of. I'll get to the sick part later. Sunday morning arrived and Pamela turned 5!!! Wish we could have a cake and celebrate like back home but will have to wait. The kids were excited that they would get to go to church again. Yuri & Carol (Y & C) came to pick us up. The kids couldn't wait to get to their Sunday School classes. After church Y & C took us to a McDonald's. It had a playland which went over better than the Happy Meals. The kids had heard of a McDonald's but never been to one. Wellington ate his meal well, but I think the others were not as impressed. When Gabe saw his burger he began disassembling it... getting rid of the bun. Yuri also bought the kids some ice cream for Pamela's b-day. When we got back to Lar Ragote we began packing things as Berto came to help move us back to Betania...our home away from home. Once we settled back in, we had Pamela open her gifts from the Grandma's. She likes them and so does Lidiane. But she will have to wait till Tuesday, as that is her b-day. Sunday evening we were able to web cam with our 3 older kids back home as well as my mom and my bro-in-law and sis-in-law. It was good to see and talk with them... technology is great... sometimes. The 4 kids here were trying to make sure their face was in the web cam and were all talking and touching the computer... basically chaos. I told the ones back home to be prepared for it. Of course they didn't understand much of what the 4 were saying. The girls wanted to see Amilia...Amilia. Well Amilia pretty much just laughed or was smiling at them. One thing we notice, the kids are comfortable with their surroundings. At Betania they know most of the people and they make their rounds during the day. But it can be hard to learn when you are comfortable. You are not being pushed or challenged as much. And you can get a little lazy. Now I'm not saying the kids aren't learning, they are doing well with English, but they do not depend on us as much as they could. Isn't that like our lives? When we are comfortable (maybe complacent) we aren't as motivated to "learn" or should I say grow. I doubt this principle is new to many of you. We grow more when we are under pressure or in the middle of trials. The Gospel spreads more when there is persecution. People become strong when they weather the crisis in their lives. A friend of ours recently sent an e-mail and quoted something from our former pastor (Scott Gardziella), "God is more interested in our 'growth' than our 'comfort'" That pretty much hits the nail on the head. So where are you... comfortable, squirming a little, or aching from discomfort? Maybe a more important question might be... Where do you want to be??... ouch! Remember Peter got out of the boat and into the stormy waters. Take your pick... something made by man or in the storm... holding the hand of Jesus. Ok now for the sick part. As you may have read before, Gabe will eat just about anything put in front of him. Well that now includes 3 things I wouldn't care to taste. The first night at Lar Ragote I was giving Gabe a shower. Well they use a different brand of soap. While lathering him up he licked his soapy hand... and kept licking. The other hand then his arms. I couldn't get him rinsed fast enough. I told Rebekah about it and she said when she puts baby lotion on him he eats it if it isn't rubbed in. Then last night after we had been using the white (dry erase) board, I found him sucking on the marker with the top off. I told Rebekah and she said he was being a typical 2 year old. Typical or not the boy is sick. God Bless. We have something special plannedfor the kids tomorrow... stay tuned!
Dave

We're Baaacckk!

That's right! we are back at Betania. Sorry the last post didn't have Friday and Saturday updates but will do it now. Just like I have to get my morning Brazilian coffee fix... I know "Babycakes" (my Aunt Net) has to get an update. Monica had invited us to the Betania Hotel for Friday mid-afternoon till after dinner. The kids were waiting for Berto to arrive and take us. Of course they couldn't wait for the pool. When we arrived we were introduced to Paulo (a friend of Berto and Monica). He is a conductor for 3 orchestras in Curitiba. He has studied and taught at several places in the US... UofM, Boston, NY, Julliard School, etc. He is quite accomplished. He was staying at the hotel for the weekend with his wife and 2 of his daughters. His youngest, Bella, kept the children entertained. I believe I mentioned in the last update that there were a lot of festivals in June. Friday was like their Valentine's Day. So when it was dinner time, we were led to our table which had candles and live music playing Samba... Brazilian style music. I learned there are 6 or 7 different styles of Samba. They were playing the slower, romantic dinner music type... only thing was there were 4 kids at our table. I told Rebekah the next time we go to a Valentine's dinner it would be her and I. Anyone up to babysit? It was a great evening. That brings us to Saturday. Monica had wanted us to come out again in the mid/late afternoon. But she called in the morning and wanted us sooner as it was going to be a nice day. So out we went before noon. Yes... swimming was on the agenda. Kevin and Karla stopped out and I enjoyed a short time with Kevin. He has a heart for missions and especially "unreached people groups". This was the 3rd time the kids had been swimming in the pool. Wellington had been to a pool before but until we came here, the other 3 had never been in a pool. They are pretty brave...they do where "swimmies" though. Gabe has a vest we strap on him. He loves going under water and didn't have much fear. So I tested him. When we were about finished I took off his vest. He goes head first into the water and he did the same. I brought him up but the vest was off... it usually buoys him up and keeps him stable. He started to go back down, but I stopped him right before the water was to his open mouth. We did that 2 or 3 times. He got this look on his face... "what's going on". But he got it. He stopped throwing himself underwater and walked very carefully along the shallow ledge around the pool. Before he could throw himself into and laugh at danger, but that all changed when testing came. He passed very well. I don't know how many times knowingly or unknowingly I have done the same thing. I can do this... it won't hurt me. I have done this a million times... for years... all my life. But who kept me from harm?? An ego, an independent mindset, or an "I can take care of myself" attitude can be dangerous. Believe me I know. It wouldn't be hard at all if we were always in tune with God. When we are tested are we sensitive to realize that something is different, something has changed? Or do we continue on doing things like we always have. God has placed His Spirit in us to help us. Do we want to be helped? Unfortunately, I believe there are people who do not want to be helped. It would be considered a sign of weakness... goes back to the ego/independent thing. I have had to learn over the last 3 weeks that I can't do everything for myself. Whether I want to admit it or not, I have needed help... a lot of help. God is faithful and has provided for our needs through His faithful people here. Thanks Kevin, Karla, Berto, Monica, Luci, Carol, Flavia, the list could go on and on. I hope I pass the test. Back to the pool. When we were finished swimming there was another festival. People were dressing up like the rural Brazilians did years ago... country style. We had a late snack which included foods from that era. There were games for the kids and music. Paulo got out his violin and his sister came and was playing her accordion. Paulo heard I played the accordion and wanted me to try it. I told him it was 3 decades ago... decades... that sounds old. Then there was a bon-fire with dancing and singing. On this trip to Brazil we are experiencing Brazilian culture more than we had before. I am even getting use to greeting men with hugs and women by touching cheeks. It was another full and good day. I will save today's events for the next update. Rebekah is feeling much better. Thanks for all your prayers and messages of encouragement... keep it up!
Dave

I now know why it would be good for me to write things down the days I don't post an update... I forget the little moments throughout the day that I want to mention and when 1 or 2 days go by I probably won't remember till I wake up in the middle of the night and say to myself "that's what I wanted to write in the blog". We are still here in Lar Ragote. It is a bigger facility but the people are nice... but the kids (and Rebekah and I) are use to Betania. We have made our way over there each day (not to stay long) to do something or see someone. Thursday Carol came to pick up Rebekah and the kids to take them to a mall. Karla met them here and Kevin and I stayed to hang out and talk. It was a great time to relax and talk about missions, music, and the greatness of God. Too bad Kevin lives so far away. I know Rebekah will miss Karla when we leave. A reminder to please pray for them as they wait to for their adoption. After the ladies and kids returned K & K (Kevin & Karla) and the 6 of us went to Ben and Becky's place. He is finishing up a 6 month internship for his MBA. We closed the day with a very nice visit. I had more written but I didn't save something correctly so I'll update tomorrow. Too late to re-type everything again.

Today was a rainy dreary day. Little chance to be outside. This afternoon we met with Daisy and Lino. Daisy was very pleased with our progress and will meet with us on Monday for the last time. Tomorrow is a big holiday here in Brazil. We have to move to a different place for 3 nights. It is only a couple hundred yards away. We will pack just enough clothes and necessities to take with us and store the rest here at Betania. This will mean a different routine for the kids... hope they adjust well. Rebekah is slowly feeling better. Today's weather probably didn't help. Today at lunch "I hit the wall". That is an expression Rebekah and I use when all of a sudden you get very sleepy and wish you could go to bed. I haven't had that since I have been here. Maybe I have relaxed enough to have it happen. I have been to Brazil 2 other times, but this time it is different. I finally realized what it was. I was experiencing the Brazilian culture. The other trips I was on a missions trip with other Americans and we had sporadic exposure to the culture. This time we are around very few Americans and completely surrounded by Brazilians and their daily lives. I have had several interesting discussions with people. The following is a Public Service Announcement (PSA) brought to you by Rebekah. "We have received several blog responses and we have tried to reply but we aren't able. If you send us a message to our e-mail address... drmowry@juno.com we can reply to you. Thanks and we hope to hear from several of you." Now it is time for me (Dave) to hit the "hay".

Laundry...Royalty...Laundry. I'll explain in a few minutes. First an update on Rebekah. This "virus" is hard to pin down. It has given her sinus congestion, chills, aches, and in the night and this morning a very bad headache. She was feeling discouraged. When she lays down in bed her head hurts more. So staying in bed wasn't an option in her mind. So off to breakfast we went. After breakfast we found our laundry all cleaned thanks to Karla and Monica. I then took the kids outside when Monica drove up and asked if she could take us to the Betania Hotel outside of town. She is the manager there. She said she would provide a room for Rebekah to rest in and I could keep the kids occupied at their playground and indoor heated pool. I told her I would go ask Rebekah... just then Rebekah came walking up. I said Monica wanted to ask her something. In a few minutes we had planned to leave in half an hour. The hotel is out in the country and is in a beautiful setting. Trails, pond with a raft, playground, indoor pool, children's playroom, 2 restaurants. Monica showed us around then gave us a room for Rebekah and a room for the rest for us. I took the kids to play and caught up with Rebekah at lunch time. We basically were treated like royalty. After lunch Monica had someone watch the kids and Rebekah and I took a walk. Then it was to the pool. I don't know if the kids had been in a pool before. Wellington wasn't afraid to go underwater but I don't think the others had put their heads underwater before. But by the time we were finished everyone had... even Gabe. He didn't like to be with Rebekah in the water to begin with. He was with me most of the time. Rebekah said he probably felt safer with me. That's funny as I was the one to get him to underwater. He did fine. I just told him I was baptising him... just kidding. After that Monica had more food for us to eat and then it was time to head back. It was great medicine for Rebekah. We were out in the country and she felt like she was getting fresh air for the first time since we arrived. I think it would be very difficult for us to move to a city. We love the country. Rebekah is starting to feel better. When we got back Monica said she wanted the laundry from yesterday. She never stops being a blessing. I saw Berto and told him that he better keep her. He just laughed. Monica explained more of Bertania to us. It is a mission and not a company. They have the hotel in the country and next to each other in town is the Retreat Center and the elementary school. With the "profits" they support around 400 children. They tell us that they want to bless us because we are blessing the 4 children by adoption. I literally do not know what we would do without the people here. I think I sound like a broken record... oh that's right they don't make records anymore... well most of you that are of that era know what I mean (right Frank Gorsline). I would be good advertising for them if any of you lived close enough to stay here. When we got upstairs there was our supper waiting in the kitchenette. (Thanks Luci) What more can I say about the people here. Why God chooses to bless me, I'll never really know and understand. Some will say "you are adopting 4 children, God has to bless you". Living in obedience doesn't guarantee this amount of blessing. As I said before, I don't know where we would be without it. (Maybe) God knows we need it at this time. Rebekah is going to share now.
Dave

My heart is so full tonight I don't know where to begin! God never ceases to amaze me and I want to never cease to praise Him! We have been blessed beyond measure here--over and over again!! I prayed before coming that my health would not be an issue on this trip as it is so often. That first week when Gabe was so sick I was his constant nose-wiper, holder, nurse--you moms know the rest. I guess he shared it with me and the rest is history. David has mentioned the cold to you. No break, since the buildings are not heated. I did not pack for such. Over and over I was brought hot "cha" (that's tea) and more warm clothes and blankets. David was given aid with the children so I could rest. But it was literally to painful to rest. Today we were taken to the country for the first time!!! What an absolute refreshment to the spirit and body!! I didn't realize just how cold I'd become--all the way through! I don't know how people do city life. For the first time in 3 weeks I realized I hadn't heard the voice of my Lord in the gentle breeze, the softness of the hills and trees. I was overwhelmed with the goodness of the Lord to care about our spirit's rest and refreshment in this intense time with these children. How easy it is to overlook when we get caught up in our responsibilities to them 24/7. My mother's heart yearns for my children back home too and I long to hold them, love them and hear their voices. Our dear friend, Monica sensed all of these things and felt we needed the break from the city to be refreshed and rejuvenated. What an unbelievable blessing she has been. I love how God answers prayers before we even pray them or know how to pray! Thank you God!
I want to thank my children at home for being willing to sacrifice their "Mom and Dad moments"--you know, the play times, vacation time, summer swim time, talk time and night time back rubs so that we can learn to love the unloved and share our hearts with them. Thank you from the children that tonight got to sing "Jesus Loves Me", got to jump in the pool to "Pai"--for the first time, get to learn John 3:16 and get their backs rubbed as they fall to sleep. Thank you my children for sharing Jesus with these precious little ones who soon will be home and part of you. We love you! God is good and our prayers are with you all. Thank you all who have been so faithful to pray on our behalf!!! You have no idea the impact your prayers are having here in Brazil tonight. You are a BLESSING! THANK YOU!!!
Rebekah

Today was the longest 2 weeks of my life!! I think I stole that line from a very wise person... me a week or so ago on the blog. That's when Rebekah took Gabe to the hospital. Now for today's update.... When we left off at our last episode Rebekah had forgotten her passport so Karla brought her back to get it. Rebekah caught up with me on her way out and told me it would be a long day as the lines were endless... not what I needed to hear. A quick rabbit trail about socialized medicine. I don't care what political party you align yourself with... but if you want the government controlling health care... you will curse the day that you supported it unless you are rich. The poor have to wait in long lines as it is FREE. The rich go to a different area and don't wait nearly as long. We have been told the care will be similar. Do you believe that?? I wish one million people could read this and would stand up for the middle and lower class when the government tries to take control of health care. I could say more but this is not the place. Back to our episode. As Rebekah went back to the car, Karla was speaking with Monica (Berto's wife). Monica said that her sister is a Dr and was at Betania. She sent her sister up to our room to look at Rebekah. She concluded the antibiotic she was taking was fine but Rebekah needed bed rest, warmth, bed rest, more liquids, and bed rest. You get the picture. So guess what dad did all day. The children will be great in the armed services as they have excellent military minds... divide and conquer!! Literally! Some... probably all of you are laughing, but not me. I'm in the middle of this, and don't forget about Rebekah, she is in bed. Let me see. Feel lousy, chilled, lay in bed and rest/sleep. Or coral kids, try to occupy, learn Portuguese, count the minutes till the next meal. I won't give you an answer as it is a tough one. It wasn't as bad as I might make it sound. Karla and Monica went and brought back a care package for Rebekah. Warmer clothes, juices, etc. As I have said before, everyone here is such a blessing. Lino came after 3:30 for his Monday visit/check-in with us. He was concerned about Rebekah. Lino and I took the kids to Lar Rigote. It is a couple of hundred yards from Betania. There is a big holiday this Thurs - Sunday and Betania had all the rooms booked before we made our reservation... so we have to move out for 3 nights. (Thurs-Sat) We leave Thurs morning and return Sunday mid-afternoon. We will stay at Lar Rigote during this time. After that we returned for dinner. Luci had sent food up to the kitchenette for us. Karla stayed to help me serve dinner to the kids. Kevin also stopped in with some good bread. As a review, Kevin and Karla Boot are missionaries with CCI. They have been a great encouragement to us. They are in the process of adopting... please pray for them! It is refreshing to talk with them. I also forgot to say that Monica and Karla divided up our laundry and took it home to wash. God's blessings are overwhelming. Before we came I prayed that God would help us in all the things that we had no idea we would need. He has answered it in a HUGE way with the faithful Brazilian people here. Saying thanks to these dear people sounds so cheap. Which leads me to ask myself, When I say "thank you" to God, does it sound insincere, rushed, or mundane? I don't know how many times I have said "thank you" the last couple of days, but it doesn't seem like I have said it enough. Do we thank God enough with heart felt praise? Is He pleased with our thanksgiving? Do we recognize half of His blessings? I probably do not. Rebekah is in bed and I need to do a few things before I turn in. Sometimes I feel selfish when I ask for prayer as there are so many other people to pray for. Thank you Lord for your goodness!
Dave

Just a quick update this morning. Rebekah is on here way to see a Dr. We asked Karla to take her. She said they may want to test for swine flu as they are very guarded about that down here. Hopefully they will not go overboard on test and just diagnose the problem. Will take any and all prayers on her behalf. Yes... I have all the kids with me.
Dave

UPDATE UPDATE
I have wanted to update since this morning... but I have had the children. Karla took Rebekah to the hospital. When they got there Rebekah discovered she forgot her passport. They came back to get it. Rebekah said it would be a long day as the lines at the hospital where endless... socialized medicine... YOU DO NOT WANT IT AMERICA. But right before they left.... I'll fill in the details later... sounds like a soap opera. She stayed here and is slowly feeling better, we think. Keep Praying.

I Want A Banana! I will get to that later. Today was our third Sunday away from home but we were able to go to church. Rebekah was still feeling bad but she wanted a change of scenery so we went. Yuri and Carol picked us up. They are a Brazilian couple that live close by. Carol works at Betania and eats lunch with the kids and us as often as she is able. Both have spent time in the US and speak English well. Yuri spent a year in Utah and Carol spent 6 months in Farmington Hills, MI... during the winter. Their church (Baptist) has Portuguese and English services. Yuri asked if we believed the same as the Baptist... I said "close... but unlike the Baptists we believe in Jesus"... just kidding. They have Sunday School in Portuguese for the kids and we went to the English service. When we went to pick up the kids the first thing Wellington wanted to know is when can we do this again... well I think it will be next Sunday. After the service we all came back to Betania and Yuri and Carol had lunch with us. Of course Yuri and I talked about the economy and politics. I concluded it with... Jesus didn't come to change the Roman government but He did come to change the hearts of man. We are hoping and planning to get together again. When we return home they are an example of why we will miss Brazil. Oh... before I forget again... the lady who watched over us like a mother hen last night... her name is Luci. She is a God send and blessing to us. This afternoon Kevin Boot called and invited us to his church this evening. We decided to lay low and see if Rebekah can feel better. Hoping to try it next Sunday evening... his church is Portuguese. Which brings us to "I want a banana". Since the groups left after lunch we eat our dinner in the little kitchenette on our floor. We got some things from the main kitchen and I got some more from a grocery store. We had just started to get some food out when one of the kids said "I want a banana" in English. You might think that this is a good thing. However, all day we could see an episode coming. Sometimes you can "head it off at the pass" and other times you just have to let it come to you. Well it came. While holding a banana the pouting fit and crying started... apparently that banana wasn't good enough so they wanted another one. So I picked up the kid and went to our room where I sat them down on their bed and for the next 20 minutes I heard over and over and over again, "I want a banana!!" (literally over 100 times) So I was glad to hear them speak English... but not like this. Finally after being quiet and being sorry... I think it was heart felt... we went to eat a banana. The thing is I had something else they liked even more waiting for them as a surprise. They were very glad when they got it. How often do we tell God what we want. We may ask for it dozens of times. But do we ask in the right way? When I was dealing with the situation the child had one thing on their mind... a banana. But I wanted their attention to be on me not a thing that is extremely temporary and only satisfies the flesh for a short time. I wanted to show them something more. When we ask God for some "thing", is our mind on the "thing" or on God. How often I am short-sighted for some "want" of mine when God just "wants" us to "want" Him. He has far better things in store for us if we will relinquish "our" desires to "His" desires. For me, this is much easier said than done. I have such a long way to go. The pictures today are of the house we visited on Friday and the man from Betania with his 1-string instrument. Please keep praying for Rebekah. If she is not improving by tomorrow... it will be a trip to a Dr or hospital.
Dave

I had planned on dedicating a good part of today's news on Lar Betania... more specifically the people here at the retreat center. And as the day has turned out, it is very appropriate to do so. We were looking forward to today as it was sunny (not as warm as Fri) and we could use the playground. Rebekah woke up not feeling any better so after breakfast we called Kevin Boot to see if we could somehow get an antibiotic prescription. He gave us a suggestion. Just as we were about to walk to the Pharmacy we stopped at the front desk to ask Flavia (she knows quite a bit of English) how to say the antibiotic in Portuguese. She suggested that she go with us to help translate... in fact she said it would be easier if she just drove Rebekah there and I could stay with the kids at the playground. They were back shortly and Rebekah had gotten Zithremax (spelling), the stuff you take for 5 days. So we hoped that would take care of it for Rebekah... even though she may not feel much better till tomorrow. During the kids rest time, Rebekah had a great English lesson with the children. We can really see things starting to click in their minds. The day went well and about mid-afternoon I asked Robert (Berto) for directions to Wal Mart as we were running low on diapers and a few other things. He said if we could wait till 5:00 he would drive us as it is 6 kilometers away (about 4 miles each way). So he took us and I believe that was the first time the children had been in a Wal Mart. Rebekah still hadn't felt much better. She is completely congested and can't breath thru her nose, ears plugged... you may know the feeling. When we got back from the store it was about time for dinner. Rebekah just wanted to lay down so I took the kids. Then it hit... the 1 or 2 steps back after taking 2 steps forward during their rest time. They had been wound up a bit since Wal Mart but now it really hit. There was a large group of people waiting for dinner and the kids were yelling and running down the hall to the dining room. I stopped them enough to ask them to wash their hands. However the girls thought it would be great to wash their hands in the boys bathroom. I stopped them before they got in. We were starting to create a commotion so I marched them back up stairs. Rebekah got up as I was trying to explain to them to be quiet and calm... no running or yelling. Just then someone knocked at the door. It was the lady who I believe is in charge of the kitchen and dining room. She doesn't speak English but I used the Portuguese/English dictionary to explain. I think she saw us outside the dining room. (They had asked us to eat before the others as there is such a large group here.) She must have seen us leave to go back upstairs thinking we couldn't eat then. Anyway she understood and explained to the kids to be quiet and calm. She also could see Rebekah wasn't feeling well. (For lunch she made some special tea for Rebekah). She helped me march the kids to the table and stayed close by while we ate. Rebekah joined us briefly but went back to the room to lay down. The lady went up to check on her and came back and motioned that Rebekah was laying down. She then went and got a girl, Sue Ellen (about 17 to 19 years old) to help at the table. When the kids were finished she took them and kept them occupied while I went to check on Rebekah. Then the lady came in with steaming water and Vicks vapor rub and towels. After I got Rebekah settled I went and got the 2 boys and got their showers. Then Sue Ellen came up and gave the girls their showers and got them dressed for bed. Now this is just one day... not that we have needed that much help in a day since we have been here but you get the idea. The cooks look out for us when there is no dinner planned... they take food up to a kitchenette on our floor, the ladies in housekeeping do different things to make the rooms nice, the office people give the kids treats.. in fact the kids make their rounds. They know where to go to get stuff they want. The ladies in laundry will put in our next load if the washer finishes and we aren't there to start the next load....etc....etc. We have been so blessed by the wonderful people here. I tell them I hope we are not a burden to them. They tell us that they want to bless us for what we are doing for the children. I do know that they do not make any profit from our staying here so it truly is a ministry outreach for them. I will be glad to be home but I will miss the dear Christian brothers and sisters here. When we all get to heaven it will be great to rejoice and praise God together with them. If they knew I was writing a blog about them, they would probably be embarrassed and say they are not doing that much. I know differently and so does God. God Bless them and you. Please pray for Rebekah. The pictures are of Lar Bentania. I will add more in the coming days.
Dave

Friday was another blue sky day and it was warmer. I could actually be outside with short sleeves. This morning I met with Luis, he is the pastor who lives in Rio and we will be staying at his home. His wife and 2 children will stay at his mother-in-law's home. He said she lives alone and likes it when she and the 2 children stay there. He said he would have to rent a car as his only seats 5. I told him that would be a good idea as not only would there be 7 people in the car but we had luggage. His eyes got big as I think he forgot about the luggage. I hope we make the connection ok with him. He said he would meet us by the exit doors. He said it is a very large airport. One thing I will try to do is see if United Airlines will (have room and not raise the price price too high) be able to get us on a flight Fri night instead of Sun night. When we made the airline reservations they jacked the price high as we would arrive on July 4th a holiday. They said fly back on Sun and price was lower... so we booked it that way. I'm hoping that United Air will let us change without raising the price too much. Pray they will be flexible with us. Friday afternoon a Christian couple living here for a couple of months, invited us to see their home they are building. They have been building it for about 16 months and hope to be in it in August. It was in a gated community that was beautiful. They use a lot of cement here and little wood because of termites. I don't think Orkin or Terminex could stay in business. The house was 440 square meters (I think that is about 4,000 square feet... help me math majors... Dave C and Karen M). It was a great house with a wonderful view of a small lake and an excellent design. Not many Brazilians can build a home like it. Friday evening we went to Kevin and Karla's home to use an International Phone. Rebekah called our neice, Julane Foster, who by the time you read this will be Julane McCarrell. She is marrying Jonathan McCarrell an excellent young man. His father is Rich McCarrell... who married Rebekah and I. Pray for them as they begin their journey together. Friday night saw a large group of people coming in for the weekend. It will be ok as we can use the playground to occupy the children. Wellington is working very hard to learn English and Lidiane will start to work more if she feels Wellington may be learning more than her... a little competitiveness never hurts. I have been writing this post since Fri night. I'll put this up and then start on Saturday's. There's too much for one post.