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!"