lockdown highlights

Last update I asked that you all pray that the pandemic would result in greater trust in the Lord and a deeper longing to be with the body. Over the last three weeks, to try to spur on the body and to sow towards a greater desire to live in community, we've recorded a series of interviews. Pray that the videos would not only create a closeness for the body and leadership, but that it would also instigate great conversations and care for one another.

Last Friday Campus Outreach held a day of prayer for all the CO ministries across the globe. Each international ministry was paired up with a U.S. ministry to update and pray for one another. Praying together with the folks from St. Louis was a great blessing. We even had a staff member from Birmingham, England that was on our team in Birmingham, AL show up and pray with us! Thanks, Mitchell! 

We would love to hear from you all. Please reach out to us on WhatsApp (Amy - (31) 9956-60669; Jeff - (31) 9988-53481); that's the easiest way to text and chat. Also, check out our apartment building on Google Maps! 

Love, 

Jeff, Amy, Braden, Simon, Lucy, and Everett 

p.s. Here's an interesting cultural phenomenon, chocolate Easter eggs! All of those colorful things above Lucy, Simon, and Amy's heads are chocolate eggs, full of chocolate. OK! We love chocolate eggs, but we've really loved re-watching season 1 of The Chosen. What a great representation of Jesus! We can wait for season 2 Sunday night! 

summer leadership project

 

More lockdown hightlights (Jeff's update).

my life wouldn't change too drastically

I normally cringe when I hear the comment, "you said..." because I often speak before thinking. This was the case before moving to Brazil, when I remember telling some of you how "my life wouldn't change too drastically" because I would still be cooking and cleaning, teaching the kids, and trying to minister to those around me. Those daily things seemed almost like second nature, but I failed to realize the changes, and many times difficulty, I would face trying to accomplish the smallest of tasks in another country. During this "lockdown" period, I wanted to share a few reflections from the "home front". 

Amy making tapioca crepes.

We have adjusted how we eat to fall more in line with the culture, meaning we eat 4 times a day, with lunch being the one time I cook. Everything else is snack food, but for those who know us, we can easily make a snack into a meal. A friend recently shared some recipes with me (which was super helpful in that I have needed some inspiration). They were quick and simple recipes in the US, but a bit more involved here. A few examples:

• sour cream (don't forget to strain the water out overnight in the fridge before use)
• cream of chicken soup (chicken broth and table cream will work)
• canned beans (they are dried here--so thankful for the Instant Pot!)
• shredded cheese (ask a family member to grate while I cook)
• Jimmy Dean sausage (well, just ask the butcher to grind some pork, twice please, and add the seasoning when you get home)

All fruits and vegetables need to be washed and sanitized too. I have learned so much from the failures and actually enjoyed the many successes!

Thanks to a local friend, I learned which cleaners to use here. We mostly use dish soap for everything except the bathroom, so that is nice. Washing windows with bars on them is no small feat. Finally, I think I've saved up my whole life for the ironing I've done here. So glad my momma taught me how to do it! Without a dryer, and only cold water to wash in, ironing is a good way to sanitize and soften our laundry. 

School has been a good stable part of our days. With everything here being online, I am very thankful that we have the option of homeschooling, and I am so proud of the hard work Lucy and Everett are putting into their studies, especially with most of it being in Portuguese!

I've recently been reading Teaching from Rest by Sarah Mackenzie and I was so convicted and encouraged right from the beginning. The following words spoke to me, and I would like to share them with you.

"We are, however, meant to recognize every facet of our day as coming from the hand of God. It all passes through His fingers first, and He uses it to make sure we lean hard on Him." (p 3)

May this Easter season find all of us leaning hard on Him. Love and hugs from afar!

Love, 

Amy

Read Braden's update.

gospel homework

During this lockdown, basically the only contact we've had with the outside world has been in our language-learning classes. Though even still God has provided evident opportunities to share the gospel. For my homework, I was asked by my teacher to explain a chapter or story in the Bible to her in Portuguese! 

"Obrigado por todas as orações e apoio." 

Simon 

Puzzles go fast during lockdowns. Simon knocked it out in two sittings.

Read Amy's update. 

I sound like a 3-year old

So the lockdown has made it more difficult to meet people but thankfully I had already joined a bible study. We have been able to continue doing that online! It has been so great! It is partially in english and partially in portuguese which helps with my language learning and understanding. I also do both my portuguese class and my CC class online. They are both in portuguese as well but I’m glad, because they have really helped me become more comfortable speaking portuguese even though i have a limited vocabulary and probably sound like a three year old when I talk! Praying that lockdown will be over soon! 

Lucy 

We decided to paint our 'sala' to make use of the lockdown. Lucy even scraped and 'mudded.'

 

Read Simon's update. 

 

online basketball is not easy

 Dear Friends

Dad has asked if I could do a little update so here it is. We have been in quarantine for about two weeks. It makes it a little tough for dad to share the gospel to people when we have to stay inside all day. I do online basketball which is not easy. One advantage of online basketball is that when you do situps and pushups they can't see you. I have also started online Classical Conversations class which is hard in general but now it is portugeuse. Yesterday was April Fools day. I did the best tricks. Dad got all of us, he asked us to put on our 247 365 day a year shirts (pictured below) and he said that a picture guy was coming to take our picture and he tricked us!!!!(ask dad for more info) Apparently April Fools Day is not a thing in Brazil it is actually called Lying Day where you just lie. Portuguese class has been great. If we went back to a resort called the Hotel Fazenda when I did not know any portuguess it would be much better. (We went to the Hotel Fazenda for christmas.) Tchau tchau!! Eu gosto muito do Brasil. Bye bye!!! I like brazil very much.

From Everett

PS. I saw two monkeys a few days ago. The popsicles are the best here!!!! Surprisingly kiwi is a great flavor for popsicles. BYE!!!!   

 Read Lucy's update. 

this week in belo

Hi friends, 

We introduced ourselves at church last week. If a picture is worth a 1,000 words, I'm not sure what I said. 😂 

Over the past few weeks we've been able to spend great time with many families from the church. These conversations have been crucial for us to better understand how God has been at work among them. Pray with us that we could join in seamlessly. 

In other news, we started Portuguese classes! On Tuesday and Thursday mornings we walk over to the church building (not far from our house) and, first, Amy and I have class, and then the kids all have class together. They manage the walk over and back on their own, which is a cool way for them to grow in their autonomy.

Pray with us for growth in our language abilities and for a great friendship with our instructor, Viviane.

Here are a few recent highlights, at least the ones where we remembered to take a picture:

Top to bottom: the kids with a few of our favorite products, the grape juice, Lucy loves the powdered milk and açaí (not pictured), I love the bananas, and we managed to find semi-sweet chocolate! 2nd row: our pastor Rafael, a typical lunch with rice and beans, farofa and vinagrete, a recent get together with our long-time friends Lorena and Juliano and baby Donata. 3rd row: Amy and I in class, Lucy playing Spikeball with new friends, and Everett buying cheese at our local grocery store. 

We would love to hear from you all!

Jeff, Amy, and family   

yes!

Thank you all for your prayers today! Our visit to the Federal Police went better than expected. I was fully prepared to hear, "come back when you have all your documents." Instead, we were granted the "protocolo," which means it's all in motion now. We will receive our Visas in 20+/- days!

Thank you for praying! Thank you, Father, for providing!

Just before our appointment outside the Federal Police. 

Love, 

Jeff & Amy

afternoon coffee

Hey everyone, 

It's been raining here since last night after days and days of heat. For me, the cooler air has been a welcome change even if it means bringing the clothes inside to dry. 

A couple of busy weeks have launched us into February. Here are a few of the highlights: 

Here's a pic of our visit with Bernardo. Many of you may remember Bernardo from waaaaay back when I met him as a student. Bernardo, his wife Arabela, and their son Ian had us over for café da tarde (afternoon coffee) and it was such a treat. Meeting up with Bernardo and other "old" friends has been such a great reminder of God's continued work in us. 

Speaking of old friends, we've also gotten to meet so many of their children. Here's a pic of Everett at our favorite neighborhood popsicle stand with our friend Mirella's 4 kids. Sometimes the kids are the best language teachers. They often don't care that Simon, Lucy, or Everett may not understand something they've said. They go right on talking! It's been amazing in one week to see how far Simon, Lucy, and Everett have progressed with the language. This week during class they had to go to a local store and make a purchase on their own, while asking specific questions to the shop owner. 

 

We've also made some great new friends since we've arrived. Here's a pic of a Sunday lunch we had recently with Elias and Vitor. Elias and Vitor both got involved with Campus Outreach while students and Vitor started an internship with the campus ministry this January. He's become a quick friend to our family. We just met his friend Elias this past Sunday. It was such a treat having him lead us in worship at the church earlier that day. He's a music student at the local university, UFMG. 

This past Tuesday Everett got to do a "test" with a local basketball team. The coach was fantastic and even spoke English (he lived in Ohio for awhile). Next week Everett will start practice with a group of 10 year olds! The group was all 13 year olds for his test, but he did such a great job keeping up!

 

Thank you for your continued prayers. God has shown great care for us, providing cultural adjustment, friendships, and a great start to the ministry at the church. My feelings of not being enough or worry about the kids still show up. But recently, the Lord has reminded me that even suffering does not undo our great hope! Pray that we could keep close the reminder that we testify to him and not ourselves, and to our eternal hope and not momentary pleasure. 

One last prayer request before signing off: please pray for our documents for our Visas. We submitted one specific document in early December and never received it. I tried calling today and they told me to call back in March. We understand the delay because of COVID-19, but in the meantime please pray that it wouldn't cause complications for our Visa process and that we could even receive them before March.

In his love, 

The Dowdys   

settling in

Hey friends!

Our first days of the year have been full. We are still getting our house in order, so we've had visits from the plumber, pest control, the butcher shop, etc. Part of the adjustment, which won't always be the case, has been all the walking since we don't have a car yet. Fortunately, the bank, the bakery, a small grocery store, and the fruit and vegetable store are all within a half-mile of the house. Unfortunately, I'm out of shape and the hills are getting the best of me. 😰  

We've gotten to visit with many families and friends from the church. I know we were warned before that our capacity would be low, but this weekend it seemed like we were arriving home each night wiped out. Between the long treks across town by taxi, lots of Portuguese (especially for the kids who haven't started classes), and the heat, we are definitely still "adapting." But we are thankful that so many have opened their homes to us and invited us to be a part of the work God is doing in their lives, in the church, and in Belo Horizonte.

1. Lucy visiting with a friend's "hamster" (looks like a mouse to me!), 
2. Lucy, Mary Kelly, and Simon using the public workout equipment scattered across many of the parks, 
3. Braden and Everett with Santa(s) at the airport, 
4. Lucy and Simon picking acerola during a visit with some friends, 
5. Everett meets Angry Bunny (its name in English!), 
6. One of many, many Uber rides after getting caught in the rain, 
7. Amy at the park, look at that amazing tree!, 
8. The family waiting at the airport after Braden's initial flight was canceled (he made it fine eventually), 
9. and Everett in his room having "desk time." 

Not pictured: It's not all fun and games. There is plenty of stress and fear involved in the transition. We are actively trying to battle those fears with truth... the fear of not being enough or up to the task, the fear that the kids may not like it or adjust well or that they may not make friends, the fear today of the unknown as the city shuts down again partially due to COVID, the fear of seeing the scary images from the U.S. from the continuing pandemic and political turmoil and worrying how that may be affecting you all. There's plenty to cause us to be anxious. And we feel it. So, let's pray for one another. That we could renew our trust in our Father daily and that others would know us as Christ's disciples by our love for others, those near and far. 

We miss you all and would love to hear from you,

The Dowdys