July 28, 2008, - 1,2,3 Ready, Set, Go

******No Cliffnotes. Micah writing about 3 peices of exciting news*********

1,2,3 ready, set, go? What kind of title is that? Well it just so
happens that today we are writing with three pieces of information that
you all might find interesting.

#1. Our trip to Criciuma. In our last e-mail we had written requesting
prayer concerning an upcoming visit to a city about 16 hours south of
here. The purpose of this trip was to survey the work that had began
there about 6 months ago. To get a feel for it, and discuss the
possibility of us working there when we come back. Well, it was a very
different city than Londrina. It is less than one third of the size with
about 180,000 inhabitants. It has a more European feel to it than most
places that we have visited in Brazil. The streets are cleaner, the
parks better maintained. Industrially, it is more developed, and
unemployment isn't much of a problem. Most people have jobs, and in fact
most people drive cars. The people in general are more closed, and a bit
colder than what we have found in Londrina. We drove through many, many
neighborhoods of the city and didn't find people hanging out in front of
their gates talking with their neighbors. Evangelistically, the people
in the south, particularly in this state, have been harder to reach with
the Gospel, a bit more resistant. The work that was started there was
started by a young pastor and his wife who were sent their by the
denomination. They have started 1 Bible study that meets in their home,
and were very excited at the possibility of having us come and help.

Are we excited about Criciuma? Well to be honest, going to Criciuma
(Christy) means leaving our work here. We have loved our church, we have
loved our neighborhood, we have loved our pastor. And going to Criciuma,
or any other city for that matter, means leaving this which we have come
to love. But we also realize that the time has come to expand, and we
make this decision in faith and obedience. Excited? Sure, we liked the
city. It is closer to the beach (30 minutes), and hiking and camping, but
our heart is divided. But we look forward to what God has for us there,
and to what He will do.

#2. Marla's Visa Came!!! The 18th of July, nearly one year after Marla
originally started the process of applying for a permanent visa, and
after one rejection, her permanent visa has finally been granted. This
means that we can come and go into and out of Brazil at will for the next
9 years!!. Thank you for your prayers. Through the whole process we
have felt a supernatural peace knowing that in God's perfect timing the
visa would be granted. As you know we had been expecting to be back in
the States in April, but have been delayed. We can see that God was
keeping us here so that we could be involved in decisions like going to
Criciuma, and have an influence on the future direction of OMS here in
Brazil. The extended time here also has enabled Marla and I to better
train those leaders who will be taking our places, and to better prepare
the church for our exit. So we are now in the middle of looking for
plane tickets to the States and getting ready to pack up our house and
say our goodbyes.

#3. We are pregnant again! Marla is about 11 weeks along, and the baby's
due date is February 19th (one day after my birthday) We're excited
about the addtion of another little one to the family. Marla has not been
feeling very well and is hoping that as the end of the 1st trimester
arrives that the nausea and tiredness will begin to fade. We're not sure
where we will be when this baby is born but Marla is not against giving
birth in an American hospital this time. So we're just trusting God with
all the details and praying for a healthy little one.

Prayer requests are for all the details surrounding our move. That we'd
find good ticket prices, that we could get and pack boxes, for good
health etc.

Thanks for your partnership,
Micah, Marla and Samara

ps. the pictures should be self explanitory. Fabio and Silvia are the
couple in Criciuma