Quarantine Photo Log

About eight weeks ago our world changed. In a few days time, rumblings of a disease that plagued the world across the Atlantic Ocean altered everything we knew as normal. From one day to the next, we were no longer able to leave our homes. Terms like "quarentine, social isolation, stay home, shut down, pandemic, closed" permeated our every interaction. Cornavirus, or COVID19 invaded our lives uninvited to make the largest health impact on world history since Spanish Flu in the early 1900s. Hastily our world leaders began to make recommendations to stop the virus's spread. 

If you are reading this in 2020, of course this is the farthest thing from "NEWS" for you. But I suspect a personal reflection like this will be something my kids pull up one day in their future to tell my grandchildren what they lived through and how deeply effected their lives were. So in light of that, I thought it pertinent to have a photo log of our time thus far as we've applied the government suggested regulations. 

This is by no means a complete log of our time since Covid19 hit, but it paints a picture what we've been up to. 

El Roi in the details

This post was intended to go up a couple months ago, but time to stop-reflect-and write a difficult commodity in my season of life. At any given moment, I usually have a couple blog posts whirling in my brain. This one has been marinating since we bought our car back in February. The picture below is of Aaron and I with our van in the US. This picture was taken in front of the bank the day we went in to officially sell our car. The photo cred goes to Kelley, the lady who bought it. 

We're smiling here. We were relieved to have a buyer for the car. This transaction facilitated the purchase of our car here in Brazil. But I struggled with letting this van go. The conflict hit when Kelley and her family first came to our home to look at the van. As Aaron drove away to test drive the van with the family, I was completely taken off guard by my heart's resistance. Everything in me said WE CANNOT sell the van! I didn't really understand why I felt that way. The vehicle would be of no use to us in the next year with our upcoming move to Brazil. Did I want to take the van with us? Well, yes! I'd already asked my dad who works with exporting goods to Brazil, but that was not a feasible option. It would have cost us far beyond what the car was worth. Was it the memories? Sure, that contributed. We did grow our family from 4 to 6 in that car. We had a memorable, unifying, God appointed 3 week road trip in that car. Not to mention the countless hours spend in it singing together, reviewing school work, listening to audio books, traveling to see grandparents and friends. But memories weren't the issue in my heart. I knew remarkable memories awaited us to be created in Brazil. Then it hit me... like a ton of bricks. COMFORT.

You see we were letting go of the comfort of that van. It was an old van, but it had all the bells and whistles to help ease life for this momma of four! Not only was it comfortable, we were letting go of it without the security of having a vehicle waiting for us in Brazil. Moreover, it paralleled what Christ did for us as He left heaven. Albeit, a very faint analogy, but Christ King did leave every familiar, comfort and glory to come down to earth where no comfort awaited Him. In the faintest of a whisper it's as if God said to me, "How many times have you told your children to share their toys. Joyce, your turn with this van is over. It's another family's turn. Fear not, I will provide."

Of course He will! And He did! Here's us in front of the car God provided. It's a great car. It fits all 6 of us which is a challenge to find here in Brazil. Aaron did a wonderful job finding a great quality car that runs super well at an awesome price. There's a whole set of adventures in the story of how he actually retrieved the car from Florianopolis, where he bought it - but that would be a whole other post!

Hear me when I say, I know God is so much bigger than our modes of transport, but He does work in the details. He's our El Roi, our God who sees even the minor details of our life. And for me the Lord often speaks through those details. I'm thankful He cares about us even in the seemingly little things. I'm thankful that He communicates with me. I'm thankful that I know the voice of my Shepherd (John 10). 

Christ, THE Pedra Grande - Guest Blogger Aaron

Greetings from Brazil! It has been just over two months since my last email update, and what a wild two months for all of us! We are all experiencing the global health and economic crisis in different, yet similar, ways. My sincere hope is that these times of trial draw us nearer to our Savior, the One who secures us eternally and loves us unconditionally. (John 10:27-30) May our prayers and desires be more selfless, more grace-filled, and more passionate than ever!

Back in Brazil

As a family, our first couple of months back in Atibaia, Brazil have been a blessing. We lived here for five months last year and are back in the same house again. Joyce and the kids have reconnected with so many friends from Classical Conversations and church and they are continuing to improve their Portuguese. Austin and Evelina are writing their own books. Nicholas is writing his name and learning like a first-grader even though he's only four years old. Jonathan is learning a lot about gratitude in this transition back to Brazil. Last month we even received a special visit from our dear friend Emily King! It was a sweet time filled with laughter, açaí, and lots of bug spray. ;)

We also returned to Pedra Grande, the largest mountain in Atibaia (altitude 4,800 ft) and hiked it as a family. What an adventure! We were so proud of Nicholas for making it to the top and for the older three who encouraged him along the way. It is a steep, rocky hike, but we talked about how God often calls us to persevere through adversity even as He surrounds us with beauty.

The week before covid mandated social distancing, we traveled as a family in our first Brazilian car to Belo Horizonte, the capital of the neighboring state Minas Gerais. I had work meetings and we took the opportunity to get to know a little more of the country. We participated in a CC community day there, visited some beautiful cultural sites, and explored Lago de Furnas on our return to São Paulo. What a blessing to be together for adventures like these!

Ministry Updates

My work with EDI/GDI continues to be promising, although the global crisis presents a threat to nearly every line of work, including ours. After launching online seminary classes last fall, we officially launched the first Brazilian Christian Hall in Porto Alegre and have been amazed at the loving, godly community we have encountered. There are now three Christian Halls - one in Uganda, one in Ohio, and one in Brazil - working to develop students intellectually, spiritually and professionally. Praise God! We are so grateful that God continues to raise up additional church and school partners who are gearing up to launch in May and August this year to offer Christ-centered degree programs for both theological and non-theological courses (see map attached). We will also launch our first High School Dual Credit classes in the coming weeks, giving Brazilian high school students the opportunity to take classes with our partner US universities.

Our Classical Conversations home school programs are now in almost every state in Brazil and continue to grow rapidly! Joyce has provided a couple of additional trainings this year and is preparing to provide community assessments to assist our national leadership ensure the success of each CC learning community. 

My business partner and his family are also now (stuck) with us in Brazil indefinitely which has provided a great reinforcement to the work here. However, it has created some challenges with managing our projects back in the US that will likely help us if we are able to expand our work to other regions. It is certainly a time hold remember how fragile our lives truly are and how humbly we should make plans for the future. (James 4:12-15)

Prayers

Please join us in prayer for:

• CC communities and Christian Halls that will no longer be able meet in person for a few months, that the ministries and relationships will remain strong.
• Sober minds among the leaders of nations and institutions during this crisis.
• Our increasingly globally-aware children to know security in God and to delight in His faithfulness.
• Friends, family and neighbors and us to know that Christ is our Rock through thick and thin and that we would not waver in our devotion to Him.

Please let us know how you are doing and how we can pray for you.

With love,

Aaron Pierce

Nicholas Andrew...Life in fast forward

Nicholas Andrew, our fourth precious kiddo, seems to live life in fast forward. He has a tenacious desire to keep up with the Pierces - the "big" Pierce kids - because he is the youngest. In doing so, we've lost the baby so much sooner than I ever imagined. The following pictures were taken September 11, 2019. His FOURTH birthday. 

That was a short five months ago. As we have resumed school in Brazil, he has begged for school activities. Did I mention he's only four. I had no lesson plans for this little man. But he's asking, demanding even, that I educate him! He spells and writes his name on everything, and knows all his letters and number and simply cannot get enough of "school with momma". 

This past week, this little man, who is merely merely years old, decided to learn to tie his shoes, learned to snap. This is not by any means a mom boast. All these achievements have been on his own initiative. He walked into my bedroom a few days ago and said, "Momma, I want to learn how to tie my shoes." He handed me my tennis shoes. I showed him TWICE and he's been tying shoes ever since. He's insisting on wearing tie shoes everywhere we go. Which means he's wearing cleats or dress shoes because every momma of a four year old knows that everyday shoes must be slip ons when you have a child who is MERELY FOUR. 

Here he is displaying his new skill accomplished on cleats. 

He ensures practice time by offering to tie other's shoes too! 

Then there's snapping...Confession...I snap to get my kids attention. It's a double snap and all four kids look at me. I guess that's cultivated a curiosity of how in the world momma makes that noise. So again, Nicholas decides he's going to figure this out. Low and behold, a few days after practicing, he is able to snap. 

I became a momma 10 years ago. There's been a baby in my arms for a decade. But the realization is that season is coming to a close. The chapter of a baby Pierce in the house has come to a close. The littlest of the babes has grown and is super excited to be a little boy. He's a delight! We couldn't be more thankful and enjoy him thoroughly. HOWEVER...time deserves a speeding ticket. This little boy is moving through milestones unkindly fast! 

Siblings...Friends

Our neighborhood here in Brazil is simply beautiful. It's green. Full of fruit trees. Beams with wild life. It often captives us with wonder in the beauty of God's creation. Because of this we often are drawn into long walks to marvel together. 

Yesterday morning our walk was initiated by our fabulous four! They dreamed up the morning adventure. We were to all walk down to the lake in our neighborhood to catch minnows. Their purpose was to later use these minnows for bait in fishing for larger fish.  We spent well over an hour filling that bowl with minnows.

I tucked my phone away and didn't document the whole adventure. But they gathered dozens of minnows for a later fishing trip. Austin and Jonathan walked that bowl home up a very steep hill to have their bait ready for fishing. Austin, who's a tenderhearted animal lover, watched over the minnows throughout the day. It was an adventure they imagined and brought to fruition on their own initiative - TOGETHER.

My greatest joys as well as my greatest strife in life as a momma of four is the sibling interactions of my little people. The quarrels among them break my heart often. I find myself ill-equipped to mediate their frustrations with one another. But there's another side too. These four are friends! I was scrolling through pictures I snapped over the last few days. This last one took my breath away. They truly love one another. They play together. They look after each other. May it always be so. There is something precious, seemingly magical when siblings turn friends. It's a delight to observe.  It's a challenge to
preserve. It's worth fighting for!

P.S. A little humor to balance out the sappy....the minnows sat in the bowl on our porch over night. Austin had separated the dead ones in a plastic cup. Overnight an animal (we suspect a possum) came and ate the dead fish and chewed through the net the kids used to catch them! 🤣 

2020 Atibaia Adventure kicked off!

     Last Sunday we flew down to Brazil to begin our year long stint in Atibaia Brazil. The commute down was even super sweet in that all six of us were together (last summer due to work commitments, Aaron was not able to travel with the kids and I). All our baggage was accepted without overweight fees. The kids were stellar little travelers helping when help was needed and sleeping when we needed them to! Customs, immigration and retrieving of our luggage was also super smooth. It seemed like a matter of minutes and we were out of the airport meeting our friends who had come to pick us up. It was truly best case scenario on all fronts of travel. Well....except for our peanut butter that was taken at security. Live and learn. Don't take peanut butter on your carry on!!!

     This will be our fourth time in our married life living in Brazil. For those of you that know us well, you know that Aaron and I met because of a summer mission trip to Brazil. After getting married, we spent two years in Fortaleza Brazil as missionaries with what was then Campus Crusade for Christ (2004-2005). In 2012-2013 we spent another year in São Paulo, Brazil where Aaron got a Masters Degree at a Brazilian university. Last summer (2019) we became acquainted with suburban Brazil for the first time. Atibaia was our home.We all loved it. It was time to return. We hope to share in a later post an explanation of what our role is in Brazil this time around. But for now, I needed to "shake off the dust" on this ole blog in hopes to do a better job chronicling our adventures here! 

      

     Our first week has been filled with joy. We returned to the same city, same neighborhood, same house. The familiarity was more of a blessing than we realized it would be. Throughout the week, I've heard the kids express how this "feels like home" and they are "glad to be back" and "I like Brazil". When following God's call on your life means lots of transition and arduous moves, one always prays and hopes the little ones being dragged along for the ride will enjoy the adventure not resent it. Of course, we're only a week in! But so far, we are filled with gratitude and eager for the coming adventures.

       Here's a few snapshots of the week! 

On city streets taking care of some to dos!

First Açai trip! Certainly there are many more of these outings to come! 

Celebrating friend's birthday

Kiddos at birthday party. This is most of our CC community. It has doubled since we left!

Walking our neighborhood and finding eatable treasures! 

Nicholas watching a momma duck sitting on her Eggs. He's pondering names for her! Photocred: Austin

Kiddos at at our favorite lake in the neighborhood. That little house behind them is a duck house. 

Watching momma ducks with her growing chicks!

Swimming with friends in OUR pool. We've loved having a pool!

Resting after much exertion in the pool, but ready to jump back in upon waking!

Ladies tea with CC moms! Being with these women is my happy place! 

Austin Turns 10! Guest Blogger - Austin Pierce!

Hi this is Austin. My birthday was on May 21st and it was good  AMAZING! We are in Brazil for my Daddy's work. When I first found out that I was going to be in Brazil for my 10th birthday, I wasn't that pumped. But, because we couldn't change the date, I decided I had to go with it and make it work. Because Brazil is known for it's açai in our family, I decided to eat one bowl of açai for each meal. As planned, we had a bowl of açai for breakfast. (Well....most of us!)

My breakfast bowl

 After we ate breakfast, I opened my present from Mom and Dad. AND IT WAS AN UNDERWATER CAMERA!!!!! After I opened my present, we got ready for the day. And of course, took some pictures! 

When everyone was ready (meaning the adults), Mommy and Daddy took me on a mysterious birthday adventure. I call it mysterious because I had no clue what we were doing. It turned out to be fishing. I LOVE FISHING! It was a pesque e pague which means "fish and pay". When we got there, I couldn't wait to get started. The lake was stocked full of fish! 

This is the lake where we fished.

We started as soon as soon as the guy could get the hooks on the poles. This took a few minutes. The picture above shows where we started fishing. I caught the first fish. Then each of my siblings caught a fish or two. Then it seemed like the fish moved away. So I moved to the other side of the lake under the roof of the building in the picture above. I switched spots for two reasons. First because it seemed like the fish swam away. The second reason I moved was because on that side of the lake you could see the fish swimming in the water. Then that's when I began to catch a ton of fish!

This is the biggest fish I caught. He was number 15! 

By lunch time I had only gotten 17 fish. After lunch, I caught fish numbers 18, 19, 20, and 21!

This "guy" is #20!

OK! That's enough about fishing! After we went fishing, we came home and began watching a movie. This was also part of my birthday plan. About 30 minutes into the movie some of my new friends from our CC Brazil community came to say happy birthday to me. They brought with them a mini party! This included pouvillo (like a cheese cracker), brigadeiro (which is a like a chocolate truffle), and juice. 

They made me a huge brigadeiro! We sung happy birthday. Before I could even blink, all the kids took the brigadeiros and were off! They devoured them incredibly fast! 

We went out to dinner for pizza. Chocolate pizza was our dessert. We ended my birthday celebrations by coming home for a final bowl of açai and finished our movie!

That's the story of my 10th birthday! It was a memorable one!