God of the universe, you have ordered this world precisely to work, according to your kind will, for man's benefit. Before the world's foundations were laid, you planned and executed our salvation. You have organized all things carefully, for the greatest blessing.

Organize my life, O Lord, that I may use my time, energies, monies, and opportunities to maximum benefit for the Kingdom. Give me wisdom to plan and to act as Jesus would do. Amen.

It was good to sing in Portuguese again this morning. Alfredo Silva preached for his first time today, on the Samaritan woman in John 4; took 20 minutes and did a good job. He's been a Christian for many years, but only now has he got to the point of preaching. Otavio Carvalho and I have been working more with the men here at SJCampos as of late, so we're seeing more of them teach and preach. Wilson Cardoso has been teaching the Bible class this quarter on Episodes from Exodus from material Otavio worked up from a book I lent him. Appears our attendance was normal.

25 Christians
12 children
03 visitors
40 TOTAL

Otavio and Valeria are in Paris, where she went for a meeting with her job. They will be back in two weeks. Several others were out for one reason or another, some from spiritual weakness.

I came home and crashed this afternoon; we've not had much time to rest since we got home. Slept for and hour and a half.

Then up again to the new congregation in Taubate in Clayton and Valeria Silva's home. Jorge and Paula were there as usual, and Clayton's cousin Flavio was visiting with his wife and son. So we had 15 present, including children. I adapted a sermon I used in the U.S. on our being the people of one book, using John 20:30-31 as base text, with three points:

We Are People of One Book

1. Because it is God's explanation (revelation, interpretation) of the events of redemption (Eph. 3:3-4).

2. Because it is God's application of divine principles to daily life (1 Cor. 4:6).

3. Because it is God's reminder to follow Jesus (2 Pet. 1:12; 3.1-2).

Flavio is an inactive Christian, so I chatted with him and encouraged him to return to Christ. His wife has not been baptized.

On the way home, we stopped at Taubate Shopping and got a quick bite at McDonald's. Our worship period (we don't have Bible class yet) lasts about an hour and a half, so by the time we visit and get away it's usually 8 p.m. (We have to leave our house by 5 p.m. to get there, so we eat afterwards.)

After we got home I called Carlos, a friend in another state who had called during my afternoon nap. He had a problem he needed some help on, so we spent an hour and a half on the phone working on that and other subjects. With that, it's 11 p.m., so I'm heading for bed.

Micah arrived from Belo Horizonte at 6:30 a.m., so we didn't get to catch up on our sleep from yesterday. We spent a couple of hours over breakfast talking about his trip to BH, the campaign, the various people whom we know there, his ideas to bring a campaign to SJC next year.

I went to the office after noon. Eliana had been to wipe down the office Tuesday, so things were fairly clean. At home, my eyes watered from the dust; I didn't feel it at the office, but then again I didn't go through the files or books, which usually provokes irritation.

My computer is still misbehaving. I'm going to have to have Otavio look at it.

On arriving I discovered someone had torn off the door knob at the street. Only because I had a pocket knife (given by J. C. Choate -- did I leave it in my brief case and it pass through customs?) with a hook was I able to open the handle. I called Milton and Gilda Costa, with whose music school I share the entrance from the street, and they didn't know about it. They came and saw that our neighbors (architects on the first floor beneath me) also had their door handle torn off. Since they had been in this morning, it could have happened even after they arrived. Milton and I switched the inside handle to the outside until we can replace it.

I stayed at the office until about 5 p.m., and got a ride home with the boys who'd gone to play basketball with their old gang.

Vicki had a good meal for us tonight: creamed potatoes, peas, carrot sticks and cucumbers, so I avoided meat today. From the scales here, I gained only 2 kg during our trip. Not bad considering. Now to lose it and more.

The boys went out tonight with Caio Casado and Leonardo Silva to the Gordao hamburger joint. They wanted to see a movie, but I'd told them to be home by 10:30 p.m. Wasn't one, so they pleaded to stay the night at Leonardo's, which I let with a stern warning for them to get some sleep.

With the boys gone, Leila wanted to watch "The Two Towers" from "The Lord of the Rings" DVD we brought back, so I let her do that. Vicki and I wound up watching it with her.

Our plane touched down in Guarulhos airport this morning at 7:00, pretty much on time. After getting cleared through customs and baggage without the officials giving us a second glance, we found sr. Bené waiting for us with his van, as previously arranged. He transports people, and we've had him take us to the airport and pick us up on our last several trips. One car can't handle all the people and luggage. His price is reasonable: R$120,00, about US$40 including toll road fees.

We arrived home about 9:15 a.m. -- the airport is an hour from our house. Everything seemed to be in order. Wilson Cardoso had painted the living room, kitchen, and Joel's room in our absence. Vicki and Joel were pleased with the results. Vicki had forgotten to send Wilson an email to have a Christian lady clean the house before our arrival, so we have six weeks of dust on everything.

Vicki and I slept three hours this morning, since Delta's economy class doesn't make for sound sleep. Even Joel and Leila snoozed for a while.

The weather was unusually cool on our return, more typical of June or July. We had a light drizzle on the way back, and tonight a good rain is falling.

Joel phoned Leonardo Silva, a Christian youth, and he popped down to visit on his motorbike. A neighbor's son, Caio Casado, saw we were home and stopped by to welcome us back. Down the street, Christian youth Bruno Neyra was home for the weekend from college and knew we'd be back, so he showed up as well, even though he knew there'd be no lemonade in the fridge.

This afternoon, Vicki was going to get sandwiches for lunch, but the car wouldn't start. We jump-started it and later I dropped her off at the Walmart Supercenter to get some basic food items (the cupboards were bare) and took the car to our reasonable and honest mecanic. He assured me it was the battery since the car apparently didn't get started up in our absence, in spite of arrangements with neighbors. But it's starting on its own now, so that problem seems to be solved.

We've unpacked some things already. Vicki cried over her chocolate chips she'd brought. She said they must have melted somewhat in the back of dad's truck on the way to the Memphis airport (it was in the high 80s yesterday in NE Ark.) and then frozen solid in the cargo hold of the planes. I told her she now has two packages of chocolate glob.

Our trip to the U.S. was perhaps the best ever, but we all echoed Leila's exclamation: "I've never been so glad to be home!"

Lord of all power and might,
some pray for a peaceful hour in which to die,
surrounded by family and friends,
without pain or suffering.
I only ask to be faithful to the very end,
even if abandoned by all,
scorned by enemies,
persecuted by opponents,
or rejected because of the Message.
What matters is entering eternity on your side.
That is my joy and hope and prayer.
Amen.