What A Weekend!!

We had a great weekend here in Niteroi and at the church here! It started Friday when we had a "Festa de Familia" or a Family Party/Night. We set up a Photo Booth with costume props. We decorated the church building and had some really good food. It was a potluck type of meal, so we were able to try a lot of new dishes and for the most part we liked it all! The party was mainly to send off the McGee's, one of the team families here, as they are head back to the states on Wednesday. Kelci and I knew them before they came to Niteroi through OC and Edmond and we appreciate them so much. The work they have done here in Niteroi has impacted us quite a bit and we are excited to see how God uses them in the future. It was a great party for them!

Then yesterday, the church here celebrated its 4th Anniversary. It was a fantastic day and fun celebration as we celebrated the church and everything that has gone on here in the past 4 years. We celebrated the God we serve in worship and thanked Him for working through the people here in Niteroi. Kelci and I look forward to many more anniversaries and weekends like the one we just had.

We are fervently praying for the McGee's as they transition back to the states. We know they are going through a roller coaster of emotions at this time. Please join us in the prayer over this wonderful family. Thanks so much for reading and caring about us!

- Kelly and Kelci

Our First Date Night On The Town

Kelci and I had our very first date night in Niteroi last night and of course...we had a great time! Our plan was to take a bus down to the mall and just spend some time at our new mall, get some dinner somewhere near there, and then maybe see a movie.

We got on the right bus and got there with no problems. We had a Churro (pronounced shoo-hoo here) before going into the mall...and it was fantastic! Then we walked around at the mall some, had a great dinner with some really good food...some of the best garlic bread I've ever had for a starter, Kelci got pasta with shrimp and chicken and I got a steak with fried bananas and rice with broccoli...and then we headed for the theatre. The only time I have seen a line at a movie theatre like the one we saw last night was when Twilight, or The Hunger Games, or Harry Potter or some other movie like that was being released. We waited in line for 40 minutes to get tickets and got to the front only to find out that the movie we wanted to see was sold out and the next showing was at 9:30 (2.5 hours later).

I am sure that was said in the two announcements that were made while we were in line, but we didn't understand. We commented to each other a couple times while in line that it was crazy to think we could have a full conversation in English with maybe only 5 people around us. Since it was raining outside, we decided to come back and watch a movie together on our laptop like we were in college again. One of the best (for me) and scariest (for Kelci) taxi rides brought us back to where we are staying and we did just that! It was a fun evening and we were able to get to know our city, community, and our mall better. Looking forward to many more!

-Kelly and Kelci

Takin' The Bus

Yesterday we rode the bus for the first time on our own! We didn't get lost, and it was faster than we expected! It was a great experience and we are ready for many more!
-Kelci

Cheeseburgers In Portuguese Paradise

Do you like Cheeseburgers? I sure do! To me...the cheeseburger should have its own food group. I like cheeseburgers with bacon. I like cheeseburgers with jalapenos. Ketchup and mustard on a cheeseburger is an obvious classic. Cheeseburgers with egg are fabulous! And yes...I have had a few cheeseburgers with peanut butter on it and I very much enjoy them.

Last night, Kelci and I had a traditional Brazilian Cheeseburger! It had...bacon, cheese, mayonnaise (which is their #1 condiment), corn, peas, tomatoes, ham, egg, and maybe a couple other things too. I forgot to take a picture because I was too hungry, but here is one I found online. They also brought mayonnaise mixed with garlic to add as well and it was very good. Long story short, it was a little different but I loved it! It was quite yummy. Kelci for the most part liked it...though she would rather have her usual with cheese, tomato and mayonnaise.

The best part about dinner though was who we were with and the experience we had with them. Flavio França, the hired Brazilian evangelist, and his wife Fernanda took us and we had such a good time with them. Flavio speaks some English and Fernanda does not speak any English. However, we mostly spoke Portuguese at dinner. There were only a few times when we either had to move onto a different conversation because nobody was getting it or we had to use Flavio's translator on his phone. We talked about music, family, hobbies, and a lot in between and walked away knowing the França's much more. It was a great evening and a success for Kelci and I. It helped show us how God has already begun breaking the language barriers that we arrived with. And we look forward to many more meals, conversations, and the simple sharing of life with our current friends here and many new friends to come! Thanks for reading and everything else you do to support us!

-Kelly and Kelci