We are back

After reading the blogs of several of my friends tonight I decided i ought to put a little something on my own. Yes believe it or not the Porters, Randy and Jennifer, are going to try to reenter this world on the internet to share with you what is happening on the bottom half of the world (or the top half depending on which way is up.) I could give plenty of excuses for our absence most of which you would probably accept, but i won't or I might not actually get around to saying something tonight.

We do hope that you have joined us in prayer for our friends. In this world death has power and it will capture us all. This past month though seems full of tragedy with the young. As you pray for Kerri's girls and for Russell and his little girls let me also add the VanRheenans (Gaylon and Becky) who lost their son and Otavio who lost his mother and brother in a matter of weeks. I was reminded today of the promises of life found in the resurrection of God that one day we will be swallowed up fully by a life that is not subject to death. In Christ we walk in the truth of that life today and one day we will fully know that life as our friends do today. Come Lord Come!

Let me fill you in on a couple of the things that have taken place since we last posted about our life:
- we celebrated our first Christmas in Brazil and to celebrate we went swimming
- We finished out a great year and watched as the city and many private citizens put on a great light show to bring in the new year
- we went to the annual South American missionary conference where we saw old friends, make new friends, and shared our lives with others who know what it is like to live in a foreign country.
- we took a little family vacation while we were already on the road and saw a very cute little village that had some of the markings of Brazil's move towards independence
- We welcomed our first Brazilian house guest for a couple of days as a brother and sister from the church in Itu stopped by on their "way through" (in reality Salvador is not on the way to anywhere) and we had a great time
- my parents came to visit for 2 whole weeks, ROCK ON!
- we celebrated Christmas again, saw the sites, played in the ocean many times, eat some good food, and enjoyed their company beyond words
- rented a building for our church
- started fixing up the building
- set an inaugural date (April 2, 2006)
- went on a church retreat with the local Churches of Christ in the city
- experenced Carnival in Salvador (kind of different and kind of the same from what everyone explained)
- lived life, grew in love, blessed beyond measure, challenged to grow in maturity of faith and Christlikeness in loss and conviction, loved my God, my wife, and my child, was love by them

what a time.