We arrived safe and sound
Actually, we have been in Brazil for over 48 hours now, but this is the first time I've been able to get on the internet (I (Cary) am in my office at school on Saturday morning). There will be lots of details and pictures to come in the days ahead, but I wanted to make sure that everyone knew that we are all safe and doing very well in our new home. Thank you for your prayers, things went better than anyone expected them to go. Again, details will follow.
It's moving day
Today we say goodbye to North America and begin to call Brazil "home." We will try to get posts out from the school computers ASAP as our computer will take some time to get set up. We managed to get all of our stuff into only one more box than the luggage that we brought with us from Canada.Cary's favorite comic strip
Sometimes they're kind of rude, often politically incorrect; but I find this comic strip among the best anywhere. You can get the latest by clicking the link on the right. It's funny.Support level at time of departure
Figuring out where our support level is right now is pretty tricky. For one, our US based support from individuals is still trickling in because it has to be routed through a mission in Pennsylvania first. We also have no firm idea of who will be supporting us on a sporadic or yearly basis because some gifts were given to us in one-time format but the giver may plan to give at least annually. Finally, we still have no idea of what to expect from the churches as they are still in their budgeting stages. With all that said though, our support from individuals now stands at about $800 per month in Canadian dollars. This is good, considering that the churches should contribute at least another $800 per month when they come aboard (based on what we can figure out). That means that we are probably going to be sitting at around 80% of our total support level by February ($1600 out of $2000 per month). We have absolutely no idea how far our money will stretch in Brazil. So we're taking the approach that we'll work with what we have as it comes.As far as money to get started with--as you probably remember, we were expecting a few thousand dollars left over from the sale of our house after our debts were paid to use toward buying furniture and such in our first days in Brazil. That didn't work out. However, since we've taken so long to get to Sao Paulo, we have not been using our pay from the school. Cary only makes about $1000 US per month in salary, but he's been on the payroll since his contract started in July. This means that when we arrive in Brazil, Cary will be paid about $5000 US in back pay (how's that for easy money?) We've also been paying all of the costs for the move out of our own pocket, even though the school pays 100% of our moving expenses, including the visa expenses. We've calculated our receipts and we have over $3000 US coming to us in reimbursements.
We also got really good news from the school last week. They found a stove, fridge and clothes dryer in the storage area of the school that another teacher had left behind some time ago. They are in good condition and we have been given the green light to go ahead and use these appliances rather than have to buy new ones. This alone will save us close to $2000 as appliances are very expensive in Brazil. Add to this that our house rent is covered by the school as well as our car expenses, and we should be okay for the first little while, even though we won't be getting much in the way of support from our mission board due to the fact that the churches aren't on board yet.
We also have this great promise: "The Lord shall supply for all your needs according to His riches in glory."
Mission accomplished
Shannon called from Montreal today to tell us that the Brazilian Consulate had all of our documents ready when she arrived this morning to pick them up. We are now officially all ready to go to Brazil. Everything is done and the only thing left to do is board the plane and get there. Hallelujah!!!Off to Montreal
Today Shannon boarded the plane for Montreal. As it turns out, Cary did not need to go as the Brazilian consulate only needed one of us to appear in person for the work visas. We got good news on the police clearance. They said Shannon would be able to pick it up Wednesday morning. This is another big answer to prayer. Of course this means that Cary is directing all of the homeschooling now. Will the girls be able to hold on until Shannon gets back?
Cabelas
Shannon's father is a big hunting enthusiast, so after church this Sunday we all headed out to the superstore of the hunting industry - Cabelas. This massive store has everything the hunter or sports fisherman could ever want. It was so big that it had whole sections dedicated to taxidermy of exotic animals. There was even a stuffed elephant! Needless to say, Daddy "D" had a great time. We ate there for lunch too. Cary had a wild boar sandwich, Tonya had an ostrich sandwich, and Shannon and Craig each had a bison bratwurst. If you get the chance to see one of these stores (there's one in Pennsylvania and another in Nebraska, I'm told) it would be worth your while to visit, even if you're not into hunting and fishing.
Our new address
We found out what our address in Sao Paulo will be today!Mail to us can now be sent to:
The Sawatskys
Rua Antonio Machado Santanna, 168
04829-080 Rio Bonito, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
We'll send pictures soon after we get there. The roof can be seen using Google Earth. It's pretty big : )
We have a date!
I just got confirmation from our travel agent and PACA that we will be flying to Brazil on Wednesday, November 23 and arriving in Sao Paulo in the morning of Thursday, November 24 (American Thanksgiving Day). We'll have plenty to be thankful for that day I'm sure....and two makes nine
Today, November 5, Shannon's parents arrived in Texas to join us. The original plan was for Mom and Dad DuBois to come in November to live with Craig and Tonya for the winter. We were supposed to have been gone long before they arrived. However, plans don't always work out as we expect, and so now there are nine of us in the house, with all five of us Sawatskys now sharing the same bedroom. Speaking of things not going as planned, Shannon's parents called us this afternoon from I-30 between Dallas and Fort Worth. After travelling nearly 1500 miles from Maine, the car broke down only an hour from their destination. Of course, we took off to help them and found out that the car had overheated. With a little time and some fresh antifreeze, we all got home in time for a late supper. After supper, Tonya was greeted in the garage by the oppossum, so Daddy D (who had brought several guns and bows with him from Maine) was called upon to do the honors of "disposing" of the pesky 'possum. Not exactly trophy case material, but let's just say that the mission was accomplished. Never a dull moment here now.
Gone!
As if the news about the work visa wasn't enough, today was the closing on our house in Prince Edward Island. Everything went according to plan, and we are no longer homeowners. Thanks again for your prayers on the house. Having the house sold is a huge burden off our backs.IT'S IN!
The news we've been waiting for for months has arrived. Today the Brazilian government approved our work visa allowing us entry into the country! This means that we're only about two weeks away from actually being in Brazil. Thank you all for your prayers. This is HUGE news.Another new friend
A couple of evenings ago while we were working on the barn, Cary spotted an armadillo looking for food in the back yard. We tried to get close enough to take a picture, but he "hopped" away like a rabbit with armor. The very next day Cary saw that he was back. This time Cary was able to not only get close enough to take some great close-up pictures, he even got to touch him. It turns out that armadillos are quite harmless unless they scratch you. But rather than fight, most armadillos will either run away or curl up in their protective plating.
Trunk or Treat
Although Shannon and I don't get too excited about Halloween, we do realize that it can be a lot of fun for the kids to get dressed up to receive free candy. So, since the kids are pretty bored anyway, we thought we'd give them the opportunity to do something fun. The girls got decked out one day before Halloween because we saw that a nearby business was advertising that they were going to be giving out free candy to anyone in costume that day. Kilah dressed as Braveheart, Summer was a Greek goddess, and Sydney was Pippin from Lord of the Rings. We drove around to see if any other businesses were doing the same, but it turned out that they got dressed up for only one place (however, that place gave them quite a bit of loot.) On Halloween night, the church we've been attending, North Side Baptist, was having a "Trunk or Treat" event. We weren't familiar with this concept so we asked one of the pastors about it. Specifically, we asked, "Are the kids supposed to dress up for this event?" The pastor's answer was, "They can, but we're really trying to get away from the whole trick-or-treat thing." We took that as a "no." So we arrived on Monday night to find dozens of vehicles all decked out with jack-o'lanterns, ghosts, witches, and the like and EVERYONE else dressed up for trick-or-treating. Our girls were nearly the only kids there who didn't dress up - and there were hundreds of kids there. Needless to say, we felt a little awkward, but the people manning the "trunks" were good about it and the girls all got enough candy to keep their sweet tooth satisfied for a while.