He was a big clog in the Machine

We’re not sure who the guy was that was clogging up the legalization process over the past four months, but it finally got unclogged today! Last week all the church documentation was approved by municipal government, and today the federal level approved our tax exempt status and gave us that number. These two main things that were holding up everything else that must be done in the legalization process. The next step is to call a business meeting to legally close our old church. Patience isn’t easy, but it is winning out!
A couple Saturdays ago was the day for the men, but this past Saturday it was all for the ladies. Much of the week last week Sue, Andrea and several ladies spent getting the church ready for the Mother’s Day Luncheon. This year their theme was “A Day at the Beach”, and though we don’t have any beaches nearby, things were looking pretty beachy right down to the sand and the sound of waves in the background.
Everyone that came commented on what a great time it was and how nice everything looked and tasted, and what great treasures they got! Sue and Andrea didn’t have much time to take pictures since they both gave several short couple-minute devotionals using objects found on the beach at different times during the event.

Winners of games got to choose a treasure from the treasure chest (that reminded me of when I was a kid, going to Holly’s restaurant in Grand Rapids and getting to choose a treasure if you behaved and ate your meal. Who knows, maybe it worked the same way for them.)

They finished up doing a pretty cool handicraft.

While Sue was out setting up on Friday, I tried calling my mom. I could hear her voice, but she couldn’t understand me so the nurse communicated for me. The nurse said it sounded like I was far away. Duh! At least she received the flowers we ordered on-line.

Overall, Mother’s Day itself was pretty quiet around here, which Sue especially deserved after the past week. But it was fun getting calls from Natali and Aaron. And after church that evening, we got to spend some time with our old colleague Ben Loftis and his Claudia and their kids Lucas and Sofia, before they headed back to the states. We were talking and laughing like time hadn’t passed.

So you’d think that things would calm down around here now, but June is the celebration of the church’s first anniversary with special music and services each weekend. And then Valentine’s Day (since that holiday is celebrated in June in Brazil) with a dinner for couples…so maybe July will be a little quieter with winter break.