Friends From BRAZIL

Our friends from Brazil arrived on August 15th. Gean and Neide are from Manaus where Gean is a police officer and Neide is a teacher. For over ten years, Gean has had a dream of coming to the United States to visit and teach. This year, his dream came true after much prayer and intervention by God to work out all the details.
It took Gean and Neide several months to obtain a visa to travel to the states and they were almost turned down. Had that happened, they would have had to wait one year before applying again for a visa. But God worked a miracle for them and they arrived safely to our little apartment in the middle of the night on August 15. Soon, just days actually, after they arrived, they found out that Neide is expecting, another miracle. Back in February, Neide was scheduled for a hysterectomy, but God intervened and spared that. He in turn blessed them with a child they had been trying to have for three years.
We met Gean on the mission trip to Brazil that our church took back in 2004. Jeff and I were part of a 14 member team, the first from FBC, to go to the Amazon and live on the river. Gean was one of the interpretors for our team and has continued to go with teams from FBC, Live Oak, on every trip we have made (except one). Neide did not speak much English when they arrived, but has learned a lot since being here. She has cooked for us, cleaned for us, and blessed us with her teaching skills. Gean has taught us about Brazil, a little Portugese, and has helped us get excited about playing volleyball and a game called "burn" much like dodgeball only much more fun.
We have enjoyed visiting with Gean and Neide and have been blessed to have had them in our home. Many, many of the team members from past Brazil trips have ministered to them and visited with them while they have been in Live Oak. They got to visit with friends from Oak Hill, FL this past weekend and went to Disney World. Gean came home singing "M-I-C-K-E-Y-M-O-U-S-E" and "I'm A Little Teapot"!!!!! They even bought the baby a Florida Gator onesie...no comment on that one!!!
Please pray for Gean and Neide as they prepare to return to Brazil on Tuesday, October 14. They will probably leave Live Oak on the 13th as their flight out is very early on Tuesday morning. It will be a bitter/sweet departure as Gean has expressed a desire to stay longer while Neide is ready to get back to her home (I believe her nesting instincts have kicked in!! and homesickness, too a little).
We continue to be on mission every day in our home and in our lives. Thanks for praying for us and visiting our blog. More later....