Museum Day

 Today we took some time out of our busy life to do something special with the kids - visit a museum! There were actually two, right across the street from each other, and both in old houses, so nothing like the monster museums in Chicago. We still had a wonderful time together enjoying all the fascinating displays.

Refinishing a Rustic Cabinet Project - Photo Tutorial

Well, just so you know, I am a complete amateur at refinishing furniture and until last year, I had never even considered it. Then my sister-in-law Luciana inspired me and I started looking at our old furniture with new eyes.

A Tribute to My Firstborn, Joshua Sebastian

Today our firstborn, Joshua Sebastian, turns eleven years old. It is hard to believe eleven years have passed, and at the same time, it almost seems like Joshua has always been a part of our lives. God has used Joshua in so many ways to teach us so many things and to keep us always seeking Him!  These eleven years of parenting Joshua have been the most challenging, the most rewarding, the most joyful and the most intense years of our lives. 

Beginning a New School Year

Well, we did it! We started a new school year! Prior to this, we had only had a break at emergency times, like during a move, the birth of Olivia, or for travel, for over two years. So when we finished the last school year around the end of April, I felt we needed a break just for the sake of a break. I was thinking of two weeks, but that quickly became a month. My plan was just to take enough time to regroup and reorganize our curriculum, but I was getting really frustrated with myself for not even feeling motivated to DO the organizing and planning of our next school year like I always had before, in order to start with a BANG! 

March-April 2013 Newsletter

If you click on the square icon on the lower right hand corner of this post, it will enlarge for easier reading. Or you can print it if you prefer. :) Blessings

Tsukayama Newsletter March-April 2013

We Need to Get ORGANIZED!!

I could not stand to even look into the children's bedroom. There was just SO much clutter everywhere!  I would sometimes try to tackle it, but we didn't have anywhere to put everything. No closet, no under the bed space, nothing. I wanted to tell the kids to put their stuff away, but they truly had no where to put it!  Something had to be done before I lost my sanity with one more glance in the direction of this room...  The two older kids sleep on a bunk bed, and the two beneath them sleep beneath them - on a mattress that goes under the bunk beds during the day. This eliminates potential storage space under the beds. Only Dominique had a dresser, and it was overflowing with junk. We had a shelf for the boys' clothes, but it was not working well and they basically just ended up shoving everything on - which was very visible since there were no doors to shut and hide all the mess. And books and toys just got dumped "wherever".

One Well Loved Little Girl!

If there is any doubt in anyone's mind as to whether or not Olivia gets enough attention, being the fifth born and all, let these pictures I have snapped of our daily life dispel any fear! She is one well loved little girl! Not only does she have parents who are so extremely grateful for the GIFT she is from God, but she has four doting older siblings that share the joy with us! Thank you, Jesus, for love that just keeps multiplying.

Safely Back in Brazil

Thank you to all who have prayed for us! We have arrived safely and are finally able to update. And post some pictures, of course. :) (There are more on facebook! You can add us as friends if you haven't already.)

Jesus Paid It All!

Well, as you can imagine, my hospital fiasco after Olivia's birth incurred quite the bill. We do not have any kind of insurance, so we were encouraged to apply for Medicaid to cover the cost. We went through all of the red tape and jumped through all their hoops, waited, called, waited some more and called again.

Olivia Glorianna and the Glorious Revelation

Olivia Glorianna and the Glorious Revelation

Many of you followed, heard about, prayed for, or participated directly or indirectly in Olivia's birth process and know how everything was turned upside down during that time.

Sometimes we need a "everything turned upside down" moment in our lives so the Lord, who is in control of all things, can wake us up to something we may not be seeing.

"being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ."  Ph 1:6

The Adventure of Olivia Glorianna's Birth

The Adventure of Olivia Glorianna's Birth

Olivia's birth was the strangest birth process I have yet been through or witnessed. It was a true adventure, and we saw the GLORY of God in so many ways, that we just had to proclaim that in her very name!

November/December 2011

December 2011

September/October 2011

September/October 2011

Oh, the Glorious Sun

Oh, the Glorious Sun

James 1:2-4 "Consider it pure joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect work, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." (emphasis mine)

July/August Newsletter

July/August 2011

Exciting New Discipleship Opportunity

Exciting New Discipleship Opportunity

We just found out about a new discipleship opportunity that we believe God wants us to be involved in!

We think it really is the most effective method of discipleship, because the "disciple" actually has to live with us, so we can talk about the things of the Lord, "when we sit in our house, and when we walk by the way, and when we lie down, and when we rise"* - over a period of about twenty years! What could be more effective than that??

Our new disciple is due to arrive around April 5th, 2012. :-)

*text from Deut 6





Uma Nova Oportunidade de Discipulado MUITO Legal

Acabamos de descobrir uma nova oportunidade de discipulado, e cremos que seja a vontade de Deus que nós nos involvemos.

Achamos que realmente é o método mais efectivo de discipulado, porque o "discípulo" precisa morar em nossa casa, para que possamos falar sobre as coisas do Senhor "sentado em nossa casa e andando pelo caminho, ao deitar-se e ao levantar-se"* - durante um período de mais ou menos vinte anos! O que poderia ser mais efectivo do que isso??

O nosso novo discípulo está para chegar mais ou menos no 5 de Abril, 2012. :-)

*texto de Deut 6

May/June Newsletter

May/June 2011

Opportunities Abound...

Our Identity in Christ

One thing that Fabio and I are constantly reminded of is that our calling as missionaries is not a "job". It is not "what we do"... it is who we are. And we believe this should be true of all those who have called Jesus their Lord! Opportunities abound; the harvest fields are white. May we all have open ears and eyes to see those who are hurting and in need all around us, to share God's love and His Word with them.

"Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season..." 2 Timothy 4:2

The Mission Trip Video

The Missions visit - Surprised by God

The Missions Visit - Surprised by God

Right after the teams left we got very sick, but praise the Lord we are all well now.
Indeed we saw the hand of the Lord in all that happened during the two weeks the teams were here. Your partnership and prayer was definitely vital for the success of the trip!

In the last post we talked about the doors God was opening and the confirmations that were needed...