Visa and Passport Update:

It has been a very crazy week! Over the weekend, the Brazil team prayed, fasted, and worshipped together. We asked God for direction and clarification on the situation. On Monday morning, the team leaders received a clear word from the Lord to apply for new passports and visas. The eight Americans on the team went to the passport bureau in Denver to apply for replacements. We were originally told that it would take 1-3 days to receive the new passports. But we got them in an hour!!! We FedEx the passports that same afternoon to the Brazilian embassy in Houston, and we received them back TODAY.

Rory and Rosa, who are from Canada and Australia respectfully, had to go through different procedures. Rory had an appointment at the Canadian consult yesterday morning, and for a moment there was some confusion with references. But during our team meeting this afternoon, we received a phone call from the consult that his passport is ready! As for Rosa, she had to fly to LA to the Australian consult to receive an emergency passport. She flew in this morning, went to the consult, and received her passport as well! Both of these passports are being FedEx this afternoon, and they should have visas by the end of the week. However, there is a possibility that Rosa can't enter the United States when we leave Brazil in August, so please pray that she will be able to enter so that she may graduate with us.

So we are ready to go...almost...

If it's not one thing, it's another. The airline that we will use in Brazil has declared bankruptcy. There is someone who might buy the airline, and if that's the case then we're in the clear. If that's not the case then our flight from Mexico City to Manaus will be cancelled, as well as all flights within Brazil and our return flight from Brazil to Miami.

So PLEASE continue to pray for us! We have come closer together as a team, and our relationship with the Lord is much stronger through these situations. We have a feeling that God is going to do some amazing, crazy stuff in Brazil. So please pray that God will continue to grant us favor.

"I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. "(Psalms 27:13-14)