Dear Friends,
Praise the Lord, we have arrived in Brazil!! We flew out on July 19 and landed in Brazil on the 20th. We thank the Lord that He has allowed us to raise all of our needed support and make it to the field in less than 2 years. Ever since the move, we have been working at settling in here in Brazil. There has been a lot of paperwork and running around to look at houses, cars, and household appliances. We are learning that the culture is kind of “hurry up and wait” when it comes to paperwork.
Praise the Lord we received our container about a week after our arrival. We were very glad to see all of our things arrive in one piece. A couple of weeks later, my parents were able to sign on their new church building and receive the keys! That has been a long process, but thank the Lord they now own the building. Thank you to everyone who has prayed and given so that they could purchase the building. We have now been able to start the demolition part of remodeling and are so excited to get the church moved over to the new location soon. My parents live at the church, so we have been helping them pack up their things and move them over as well.
On another note, Lily started language school a couple weeks ago. She is doing well so far, and enjoys practicing Portuguese with some of the kids at the church, because they do not mind answering simple questions like, “What is your favorite color?” or “what is your favorite Bible verse?” She has been helping with cooking/cleaning while we stay with my parents, and has started playing piano for Sunday night services, and even decorated the church for Independence Day here.
Unfortunately, our search for a house was not quite as expedient as we thought. We found a house that we liked, and started filling out paperwork. The paperwork and waiting process took a couple of weeks and in the end, the owner rejected all of the security payments we could make on the house (co-signer and 8 months rent up front). Immediately, we found a house that we liked even more, and were able to fill out paperwork and receive the keys on September 6! God is good and knows what is best. Our house is only a 4 minute drive/10 minute walk from the new church! We have finally started moving things over, and are so excited to make this house a home.
We were also able to get our car and stay within our budget, praise the Lord! I did, however, find out that I will not be able to translate my drivers license due to the strict rules for translating a drivers license as a Brazilian citizen. Because of that, I will need to go to driving school. It will take several weeks to finish the schooling and testing, but thankfully, we can use my passport as my “driver’s license” for the time being. On a side note, my parents have several speaking engagements over the next couple of months. In my dad’s absence, I will be leading the services as well as preaching and Lily will be playing piano for the services. It has definitely been a fun experience!
Pray for us as we continue to get settled in here in Brazil and as we finish getting all of our paperwork done. Be in prayer as well for our new church building and for the inaugural service on December 10. Thank you all for your continued prayers and support. May the Lord bless you.
David and Lily Johnson
Missionaries to Brazil
São Caetano do Sul, SP
Psalm 139:14