Friday, December 23, 2011 – Away in a Manger

~'Away in a manger, no crib for a bed

The little Lord Jesus lay down his sweet head

The stars in the sky look down where He lay

The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay'~ Away in a manger

This morning I was listening to this beautiful classic Christmas song, and the words really hit me. Can you imagine, you were traveling very far, people had been waiting for you to come for so long, and when you arrived, even though they have been waiting, there is no room. There is no room prepared, no welcome party, not even a bed for you to sleep in!

And yet the King of the world, MY King, YOUR King, lay down His sweet head, and slept in a little manger, only worthy for cows and sheep, for oxen and horse.

What a poor way to welcome the Creator of heaven and earth! And then later on to accuse Him, and to kill Him on a cross! And that wasn't just a story in history, it's real, and it really does apply to us. 'It was my sin that held Him there, until it was accomplished, His dying breath has brought me life, I know that it is finished' – How Deep the Father's Love for Us.

'I love Thee Lord Jesus, look down from the sky, and stay by my cradle, till morning is nigh'

Merry Christmas!

~Ashley

Friday, December 23, 2011- Finally back!

It's hard to believe that just a week ago this trip still hadn't sunk in! It's even harder to believe that we are finally back, and now I'll be here for the next month!

Right now it's almost 6:00am, and the view out the window is gorgeous! There is a little bit of fog hovering over the forest, and a host of tropical birds are chirping happily.

After we arrived in Recife and Mr. Freeman picked us up, the trip wasn't over. There was still the two hour drive up to Lebenshaus, the Freeman home! The drive was long, but more interesting than a drive to Windsor (back home in Ontario)! There were little towns and houses, palm trees, things that you will only see in South America.

On Tuesday we started the morning off by helping wash the breakfast dishes. Back at home it really is a chore to do the dishes. I know for myself I usually groan if there are a few stragglers that couldn't fit in the dishwasher. There are plenty of dishwashers at Lebenshaus, if you count our hands! There are probably about 20-30 plates, and cups, and forks, and knives....... do you get the picture? But the funny thing is, it's not really a chore all the time. We talk, we sing, and the job doesn't seem to take that long!

Victoria and I are preparing some different special numbers on flute and violin for their family Christmas, and also their neighborhood Christmas service.

Dad has been doing odd jobs, things that don't usually get done. Their electric keyboard is broken, and he played around with that, he helped fix a tape player for the blind (for one of the kids here), just helping them with whatever they need help with.

Mom is still quite tired from the trip, so she's been staying inside more, preparing our gifts for the Freeman family before Christmas.

But it's not all work here, there is still time after all the chores are done for an activity.

Our first day here some of us girls went for a swim, the next day we went on a trail ride, and that was very enjoyable! When the boys are finished all their chores they came up to the stables where we were waiting, and we played soccer and volleyball. What better place to play soccer than in Brazil?

These last few days that we've been here have flown by, and it scares me! I'm almost afraid to blink and it will be gone, or that I will wake up and this is all one big dream.

I am looking forward to spending Christmas with this family that I love so much, and to share the joy of Jesus' birth together.

~ Ashley

December 20/11 – First Day in Brazil

Well, thanks be to God, we arrived safe and sound yesterday, along with all of our luggage. No connections were missed, and all flights were within 1/2 hour of schedules.

Our only "hiccup" came as we checked-in for our first flight in Toronto. We had missed some information on the AA website that indicated an embargo by Brazil, banning any boxes/totes on planes from Dec. 15 – Jan. 15. Oops! Thankfully we only had one small and one large tote. I had packed an extra duffel bag (that zips up small) just in case we needed it, so that came in handy. We bought a nice big, strong duffel bag (for a reasonable price, thankfully) at an airport store in the concourse, which was able to take on most of the big tote. And I was glad that I had not packed suitcases to the max 70 lbs limit, since that allowed me to stuff extra stuff in there too! So, that was our first adventure! I think God was trying to remind me to stay calm, just deal with it, and trust that He knows ahead of time what's going to happen – so there's no need to fret over it.

We arrived in Recife, PE, Brasil around 1:45 Monday afternoon, where Brent Freeman was waiting for us. After all the luggage was collected, currency exchanged, etc., we left the airport at 3:00 and arrived up at Lebenshaus around 5:00 p.m. It was nice to arrive before nightfall, have a chance to have a meal with everyone, and get to bed early! What a great sleep we had – after very little sleep on the night flight! Candace is fortunate – being the youngest and smallest, she always manages close to 5 hours of sleep, which is enough for her to function on for quite a while! :) The rest of us were woefully sleep deprived, but we'll catch up with a few good sleeps!

For those of you wondering about the weather, it's very warm! As the calendar marks the beginning of winter in the Northern Hemisphere, it is now the beginning of summer here. The Freeman garden looks like it's growing well, flowers are in full bloom, and everything looks lush after the rainy season. It feels wonderful, especially to me (I love warmth more and more as I age!).

Our accommodations are more than adequate! The original house, beside the main family house, is now empty, since Ben & Stephanie's family moved up to the house beside the stables. We we have a cozy living area which includes the use of 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.

Dan will be heading into town with Ben this afternoon to purchase supplies to begin working on a project to complete a dining area up at the stables, to be used when they host "camps" for school children. He will hopefully be sending this report and updating our email while in town, since we can't do that up here! I am working on unpacking and sorting through everything we brought, to get things organized and cleaned up in here. (I should be done with that by this afternoon sometime.)

The girls have already helped with washing dishes (they love to do it here – it's more fun with a group of others!), gone up to the stables to see the horses, etc., and now they are off having their first swim at the pond. I can't even express how happy and excited they are to be here again.

Well, I think that's a long enough post for now! I already miss home, but I know we're going to have a wonderful time here as well. Thank you for your on-going prayers – we have felt them!

....Corina

On Our Way Soon

Well, the time has come. After cleaning up the house, last minute packing, and a big musical program at church later today, we have one more sleep ... and then we're off! Our flight leaves T.O. on Sunday afternoon, and we arrive in Recife, BR on Monday afternoon (Lord willing).

This has been a very hectic and tiring Fall for our whole family. We are looking forward to slowing down a bit with the Freemans at GOTM. But that also means that packing up for this trip is adding to our weariness. We appreciate prayers from friends and loved ones as we travel and stay there for 4 weeks.

Please pray with us:

• that our luggage would all arrive safely (always a concern on trips like this)
• that all would go smoothly with customs officials
• that none of us would deal with major sickness or injuries
• that our time with Freemans would be an encouragment to them, and that the Lord can work His will in our family's lives as well
• and that, above all, He would be honoured and glorified throughout this trip and in our lives.

We'll do our best to update while we're away, but internet access requires a drive some distance from the property, so we can't be updating daily. We're hoping maybe once a week. Stay posted! 

...corina