Feb 2011: Nós estamos bon

Today, nine people who hardly knew each other, headed to Campinas, Brazil, united in purpose to minister to the children of Hope Unlimited; united because of the One we all serve. We made it to the hotel by 1:00 AM without too much of a hassle. We passed through immigration and customs with sound, music and lighting equipment which we had to break down and pack in our suitcases. We weren't sure if they would let us in with everything, but God was with us, and we breezed right through. We weren't able to bring the subwoofers, but by God's grace, Karen Rodriguez, who took the red eye later that evening, was able to bring them with her. It has been an exhausting day but we hardly had time to notice because we were so excited about the prospect and privilege of serving God by blessing the children of Hope Unlimited.

Besides the work we came to accomplish, we have had the added blessing of enjoying the many natural pleasures that Brazil has to offer: the fresh mango and papaya for breakfast, the warm summer days filled with the sweet scent and bright colors of the many wild tropical flowers: purples, reds, fuchsia, orange and yellow. And if that weren't enough to bless us, this was all followed up with cool breezes flowing through the palm trees in the evening.

If you decide to join us for our next mission trip, don't be afraid to pack a few dressy outfits. Brazilians love to dress up.

As we prepare for the week ahead, our request for those who are reading our blog is to keep the kids here, our team and our families in prayer. Here are the team members:

1) Kevin Robertson: Team leader

2) Susan Robertson: The realtor: "mi casa es su casa" and the team leader's wife

3) Joel Koenigsberg: The drink pusher, aka Cup Quality Inspector, aka team leader 2 and project leader

4) Conrad Plimpton: world traveler

5) Janet Black: the biggest U. of Tennessee fan. "Bless Your Heart", Word of advice: never mention UConn when she's around.

6) Karen Rodriguez: aka KRod, aka "The Diva", aka "Fireproof"

7) Jonathan Leonard: aka "Smack John",

8) Sandra Smith: "bom-bom-bom-bom" aka "the one who got frisked at the airport"

9) Laura Kelly: the pescatarian

10) Jonathan Johnson, aka "Snack John"

11) John Mathew: aka "Black John" aka "Native American John"