Tuesday 4 November 2014

A Busy Weekend

Last weekend was a busy one! 

Saturday
After months of practising, very often 5 times a week, the time for Louissa's ballet performance arrived. Along with several family members and friends, we took our seats at the Municipal Theatre in São José dos Campos, looking forward to seeing Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake. We weren't disappointed. Louissa danced so beautifully, and the event was a real spectacle that drew a standing ovation at the end of the show.
Unfortunately we weren't permitted to take photos or video during the performance, but once we get some official photos, we'll be sure to post them. We do have some pics we took in the foyer at the end of the evening.





Sunday
We were up at 5am on Sunday and set off for the 3rd and final "Cross Run" of the year. Because of the hot weather, the three races started between 8am and 9am - and the conditions were excellent, with a slightly misty start to the day up on the heath. The Cross Run races have all taken place at the same location, although the route is different each time. Joshua ran well again, being the youngest in his category, but still managing 3rd place. Congratulations to him, and let's have some 1st place finishes next year!




Thursday 16 October 2014

The Season of Meetings

This time of year is usually one of travelling for Mike, and this year is no exception. The OM Latin America Leaders Meeting was in September and the International IT Conference (IITC) is taking place right now.

The Latin America meeting takes place in a different country each year; this year it was Brazil's turn, with leaders arriving from all over the continent (Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama and Paraguay) with some special guests joining us from Asia and USA. There was also a special barbecue night when OM Brazil team members and families joined the group in order to get to know our colleagues from the other countries. It was an excellent week of meetings, with an emphasis on taking our rest and energy from God. 

Part of the Conference Centre, Jacareí, São Paulo

Some of the Latin American gang

The IITC is taking place this week (until 17th October) in Brussels, Belgium. This meeting brings together the IT people responsible for the various geographical areas, and those heading up international IT at OM. It's a chance for discussions and decisions about the latest technologies available.

OM IT Brains gathered together

It is great to take part in these meetings and we pray for all those involved as they go back to their countries to carry on their work and ministries.


  

Saturday 6 September 2014

Trip to Buenos Aries


[Joshua writes:]

A week ago I got back from a 10-day school trip to Buenos Aries, Argentina. We arrived on a Saturday morning and went straight to the hotel where we stayed during our stay there. It was in a more historical part of the city, near La Casa Rosada, and other landmarks:


Statue

Not Athens

During the week we went to an Argentinian school to study there. In the afternoons and at the weekends we did some site-seeing, and one place we went to was to La Bonboneira, Boca Juniors stadium.



La Bonboneira

We also visited Puerto Madeiro, which is the most expensive area in Argentina. Located there are one of Maradona's and Messi's apartments. I also found out they have good ice-cream.

View from the bridge in Puerto Madeiro

Overall it was a great trip, with lot of different food and experiences. I had a good time at the school and also with my friends.

Josh


Tuesday 2 September 2014

Newsletter September 2014

Phew!




Our latest newsletter is now available - just click HERE!


Monday 18 August 2014

Update

Hi all, it's been a little while since our last post, so here is a quick pictorial update of what we’ve been up to in the July winter holiday.


We rearranged Joshua’s bedroom a little, adding a desk and chair and a coat of paint:




Louissa complained of pain in her forearm, and was diagnosed with tendonitis. After immobilising her arm in a sling for a week, she has been doing exercises and receiving physiotherapy.






Mike, Louissa and Joshua joined an OM-lead team in São Paulo, sharing about Jesus with football fans and visitors during the World Cup.





Louissa is getting ready to start her A-levels next week. We had to order several books from the UK, which have all arrived now, giving her plenty to read up in advance.



Josh has been running, training during the week, and competed in a couple of races.




That's all for now, watch out for our newsletter next week ...


Sunday 25 May 2014

Examination Trek

The month of May is a month of IGCSEs for Louissa. We have made six trips into São Paulo for her to sit her exams in Portuguese, English Language and English Literature. There are seven papers in all, so just one to go!

A pleasant 'playground' at St Francis College

Lou is taking the exams at St Francis College in the Pinheiros district of the city. It's an English language school, that offers IGCSE and Baccalaureate curricula. 


Nearly Time ..

All but one of the exams are in the morning at around 8am so we have to take a bus to São Paulo the evening before, stay with relatives, and then get the Metro at 6.30am to get to the school on time. It's nice to have a game of sardines just after breakfast ...


Yellow Train Arriving
Inside the Yellow Train
We use three different Metro Lines - the Yellow one pictured is the least crowded - even bearable in rush hour. As the exams are fairly early in the morning, we usually get home around lunch time.
  

Back in São José dos Campos

Wednesday 23 April 2014

Newsletter - April 2014

We have just sent out our latest newsletter - just click here to read it


Saturday 12 April 2014

Anniversaries!

Adventure Camp Anniversary
Last weekend's Adventure Camp competition in Cunha marks the anniversary of Josh getting interested in such things as biking and running. 

Team 171 during the first biking stage
We were back there again, this year Josh partnering with an older cousin Pedro (actually second cousin once removed!). The course this year was harder, but Josh improved my one position, coming 2nd in his category.




Yes, it's the top of a cliff
This year's course had the usual biking, running and kayaking, but also an abseiling and swimming stage. The competitors had to descend into the water, wade through a waterfall into a cave, and then swim back across the pool, and out the other side. They tell me water was cold - but it was a hot day so they dried out pretty quickly.


2nd placed team - glad it's all over

Wedding Anniversary
This week also marked Mike and Nélia's 20th Wedding Anniversary. In case you didn't see the photos on Facebook, here they are!




Bye for now, and look out for our newsletter after Easter!




Saturday 5 April 2014

April is here!

Time for another update! April is here and we are counting down for Easter, which is fast approaching!

Louissa's First IGCSE
On Thursday (3rd) Louissa took her first IGCSE in São Paulo - Portuguese Oral. She had no problems with the exam itself, and we were able to get used to the route and work out the quickest way to arrive. The exam was in a private international school called St. Francis College, where all the lessons are conducted in English. It was strange to hear lessons going on in English as we were walking down the corridors. So one exam paper done, and six to go! Next one is 2nd May.

Prayer Day
Also on Thursday we had a prayer day at OM. This involved both the staff and the students, and we prayed for many countries of the world, for OM internationally and particularly for OM Brazil. 

Visitor from the UK
This week, we have received a visitor from the UK at OM Brazil: Graham, who leads up OM's international 'Sportslink' ministry is here to talk about the World Cup in Brazil, but also to give us some help as we grow our Sportslink ministry here in Brazil. It's not just about the World Cup and the Olympics, but about reaching people through sport on a continuous basis. Later in the year, we will have a new person joining us to lead the Sportslink ministry in Brazil. Graham will be travelling to Argentina for a couple of days before heading back to the UK.


Rain
Answer to prayer - it's been raining! April showers are maybe more common in England than in Brazil, but we are very happy to be having some imported weather.





Friday 28 March 2014

News Update

The month of March is almost gone; look out for a newsletter around Easter time, but in the meantime, here's our latest news!

Louissa's Exams
We now have all the dates for Louissa's IGCSEs - we've put the details in our "Pray for us" section of our blog, so you can be praying or thinking of her at specific times. The first paper is her Portuguese Oral exam next week on Thursday 3rd April at 3pm (Brasilia time = GMT-3). We will be taking the bus and metro to a school in São Paulo, so please pray that we will arrive safely and on-time. 

Trip to Maringá last week
Mike had a great time in Maringá at the end of last week, getting to know the OM Teenstreet team better, and sharing plans to grow the ministries of OM both in Maringá and in São José dos Campos.

2 teams = 1 team

OM Students back from Practical
The students have started to share their experiences of their two-week practical mission-trips. We'll have some photos and stories in our next newsletter. But for now, it's back to the classroom for a few weeks, and this week was a special week we all tasted food from different countries and cultures. 

Where's the cutlery?

Yesterday the meal was arabic-style, but not just the food, but the ambience and the way it was eaten - as you can see from the photo above. 

In the afternoon (much to our approval) we all had scones with jam and PG-Tips tea.

Wednesday 19 March 2014

March 2014 Update

Thought we would give you an update on some of the articles in our March newsletter!

UPDATE ON RAIN:
Still not much of it! It has rained a few times, but nothing like normal. The temperatures are still pretty high - around 30C by day and 20C at night but there are signs it will be cooling a little over the next few weeks.

Familiar sight this year ...


UPDATE ON EXAMS:
Louissa has the dates for most of her exams: she'll have one paper at the end of this month, 5 papers spread out through May, and one in June. Her work load is still heavy so please pray for her!

UPDATE ON OM STUDENTS:
The 23 missions students are nearing the end of their 2-week practical. One of the planned locations was changed at the last minute, but everything was (re) arranged on time. We expect plenty of news and stories when the students get back next week. Thanks for praying for them - let's pray that they arrive back safely.

SHORT TRIP FOR MIKE
Mike is travelling with three other OMers to Maringá - where the Teenstreet team is based. They set off tomorrow morning (Thurs 20th) - an 800km drive, and return on Sunday. The OM Base team will be meeting up with the OM Teenstreet team.

HOLIDAY TODAY
Today is a holiday in our city, São José dos Campos. It is "St Joseph's Day"

Thanks for following us - we'll have more news soon ... 


March 2014 Newsletter

Just in case you missed it, we sent out a newsletter at the beginning of the month.



You can access it by clicking HERE


Sunday 2 February 2014

Review of 2013 at OM

A quick review of some of the highlights of 2013!



To access the pdf just click here



Monday 27 January 2014

Teenstreet Brasil 2014

Phew! We just got back from Teenstreet Brasil 2014. What a week! You may remember Louissa went last year? Well, this year we all four went. We set off on Sunday evening (19th) by coach, arriving in the early hours of Monday morning - a little under 12 hours on the road, and got back home yesterday lunch time (Sunday 26th)


One of the highlights of the week was when we witnessed the sunrise from the side of a hill - some photos below. 



The theme of the conference was "+ More" and based on Ephesians 3:20:

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us ..."



The "Sala do Trono"  (Throne Room)


One of the roles for the OM team was running some workshops - including Logos Hope, Freedom Climb, and The Persecuted Church.  You can learn about these by clicking on the links:

For the Persecuted Church, check out the "Open Doors" websites - links on the side of this blog.

There are hundreds of pictures on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter - if you're interested - check out the following:

#tsbr2014
@teenstreetbrasil
https://pt-br.facebook.com/teenstreetbrasil